ALL SAINTS' CHURCH, FOXTON.

Manawatu Herald, 9 March 1899, Page 2

ALL SAI NTS' CHU RCH, FOXT ON.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE MANAWATO HERALD. Sir,- -Mr Fraser, in his letter in your issue of March 4, does not deny that the vicar taught the doctrine of Apostolic Succession. This doctrine teaches 1, That those are qualified as Christian ministers, and those only who have bjgft appointed to the work by the rHfHPp ordination by a Bishop — who himself has derived his power to ordain in an unbroken line from the Apostles ; (jjljj That Bishops of the Church of England are in the line of succession, and that consequently all clergy of that Church are validly ordained ; (3), That all ministers who have not been so ordained are unauthorised, and intruders into the sacred ministry. ..This superstitious doctrine makes au^fljjljjternal rite of the very essence of religion, and sound doctrine, a true faith, and a pure life only accidental to it. Mr Fraser denies that the vicar taught that a priest has power to absolve from sin. The , information which came to me that he had done 90 was very definite ; it was that he ftaid taught that one of the offices of a priest of the Church of England was to absolve. From the circumstance that one at least of my informants was disturbed by the teaching, I think it is more reasonable to assume that Mr Fraser is mistaken, than to believe that this informant carried away an entirely wrong impression. I was not surprised at the teaching, as I knew that the same doctrine was taught in a Catechism (Esegar's, published at Dunedin), which has been introduced into All Saints' Sunday School since the vicar's advent. This Catechism teaches the doctrine, rejected at the Reformation, that there are two classes of actual sins, namely, venial and mortal sins, and that venial sins are " called venial, because the nwr& easily pardonable:' (p. 14) This teaching is absolutely opposed to Scripture which declares : " Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them"; " The wages of sin is death"; "Whosever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." Although the Bible teaches that there is but one way to obtain forgiveness of sins, namely by faith only without any humau intervention, this Catechism Reaches the extraordinary doctrine that forgiveness of sins "is conveyed to us" in three ways, one of which .is " by absolution " (p. 14)— the Bible way IB not named. It also teaches that « the office of a priest is . . ..to pronounce absolution ... in God's name," (p. 14), and that a priest r^j ceives his " authority " " from Goo 7 through Christ and His Apqstles," and that, this is " important," " because only those who have God's authority can bhid Him or act for Him*" (p. 12.) The teaching of pardon by absolution of a priest is very ' extensively taught in the Church of England by Ritualistic clergy at the present time, y^ Not only is it taught in pulpits, but in a large number of manuals which Ritualistic clergy are circulating widely, especially amongst the young and susceptible. In A Catechism for CatholktjitL^ England which the Church Tbn&^Kfr Ritualistic organ, has described as " one of the best of the many supplements to the Church Catechism," and which is used at St. Peter's, London Docks, and other churches, we read : "65, What do you mean by ' The forgiveness of sins ' (in the Creed) ?" By 'The forgiveness of sins' I mean that Christ has given to His priests power to forgive sins in His name." " 104, How does a priest forgive sins ?" A priest forgives sins by the power of God, when he pronounces the Absolution." •' 105, What are the words of Absolution?" The words of Absoluare, " I absolve thee from all thy sina in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Staley's Catholic ReHgion, " A manual of- instruction for members of the Anglican Church," with a preface by Canon Carter, — a book circulating in this Diocese — teaches the same doctrine, adding '• If it be objected that it is presumptuous for the priest to say, ' I absolve thee from all thy sins,' the answer is — Absolution is the Divinely-appointed . means through which God's forgiveness flows out to to the penitent : and it cannot be presumptuous to use the power which Christ has so clearly given to His priests." (p. 290.) If the vicar denies that he taught or holds the doctrines mentioned by me, I shall feel bound to accept his denial, j, and to conclude that the sermon was"T'.* not clear in its teaching, and that the want of clearness resulted in a wrong conclusion as to the teaching intended, but in that event I presume he will withdraw from the Sunday School the • objectionable Catechism to which I have referred. « I should be delighted to learn that the vicar is a sound Protestant. I am, &c M j,. J. T. Ray. ■*$■ Foxton, March 6th, 1899.