48 CnURCH UNITY 



opinion or theory that can be attached to 

 it and made congruous with it. In point 

 of fact, however, as every student of 

 church history knows, the greatest variety 

 of opinions and theories have been con- 

 nected with it and are now loyally sup- 

 porting it. 1 For this reason, from a 



1 The Rev. Francis J. Hall, in his lecture before the 

 Church Club of New York, has done me the honor to 

 comment upon this view of the historic episcopate, and 

 I am glad to find it supported by his reasoning. He 

 shows conclusively, that the Protestant Episcopal Church 

 "has not inserted her doctrine of the Ministry in the 

 constitution of her general convention ; " that " she 

 has nowhere set forth her doctrine of the Ministry in 

 connected order and detail in her formularies ; " and 

 that "she has not defined the doctrine of Apostolical 

 Succession in set terms " (pp. 158-161 ). In other words, 

 it is not a Church dogma set forth in the Church stand- 

 ards as an essential part of the Catholic faith, but is 

 simply a pious opinion neither enjoined nor forbidden. 

 As an opinion it is indeed now held in various forms 

 and degrees by various schools of churchmen; but as a 

 so-called Catholic doctrine it is not defined, or even 

 named, in the creeds, articles, ordinal, or Prayer-Book. 

 The mere occurrence of the vague phrase, " Ministers 

 of the Apostolical Succession," in an American collect 

 seldom used, is not a definition of Catholic doctrine; 

 nor would that phrase, as strictly construed, imply any- 

 thing more than a general or presbyterial succession of 

 the Avhole Christian ministry. 



As no view of Apostolic Succession is either enjoined 

 or forbidden in the Prayer-Book, so none is enjoined or 



