Page images
PDF
EPUB

"THE

31-

EPISCOPAL CHURCH DEFENDED"

REVIEWED:

BEING A VINDICATION OF

METHODIST EPISCOPACY;

WITH

CORRECTIONS OF THE ERRORS AND MISREPRESENTATIONS CONTAINED
IN THE WORK REVIEWED:

BY ALLEN STEELE,

(Of the Genesee Conference,)

PASTOR OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH, BATAVIA, N. Y.

"Invidus alterius macrescit rebus opimis."
"Invidiam placare paras, virtute relicta."-Hor.

"He that is first in his own cause, seemeth just,

but his neighbor cometh and searcheth him."-Prov. xviii, 17.

[blocks in formation]
[merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

"Dissimulation, even the most innocent in its nature, is ever productive of embarrassment; whether the design is evil or not, artifice is always dangerous, and almost inevitably disgraceful. The best and the most safe policy is, never to have recourse to deception, to avail yourself of quirks, or to practice low cunning, and to prove yourself in every circumstance of your life equally upright and sincere. This system is naturally that which noble minds will adopt, and the dictates of an enlightened and superior understanding would be sufficient to ensure its adoption."

LA BRUYERE.

"Illiberate est mentiri ingenuum veritas decet.”

PLUT.

iii.

A FEW WORDS TO THE READER.

This work, as its title expresses, is a Review of a work, recently published by the Rev. James A. Bolles, entitled "The Episcopal Church Defended; with an examination into the claims of Methodist Episcopacy, in a series of Letters addressed to the Rev. Allen Steele, with his replies," and is designed to discharge that duty which the author considers to be due from him to his people, and to the public generally. The channel chosen through which to correct the errors and mistatements of "The Episcopal Church Defended" is the same as has been selected by the author of that work. The Press, therefore, has been made the medium of communication by both parties-by Mr. Bolles, first, from whatever good and sufficient cause conceived by him to exist; by the author of this work last, from necessity; he deeming it just and proper that the antidote should be thrown into the same stream by which the poison has been circulated.

The only object the author of this work has in publishing it, is to place before those, who have read the work Reviewed, such facts as he deems necessary to portray and establish the truth. If in this he be successful, he considers, he will be amply repaid for whatever time he may have devoted to the work: and he trusts, that his readers will be fully satisfied to have given this Review a perusal, if they learn from it one more of the sterling lessons of morality, or can feel, as he conceives they will when they shall have finished the work, that the truth has clearly and definitely been brought before them. All that he asks from those individuals who may have already, before reading this work, decided upon the merits of the differences existing between Mr. Bolles and himself, is, that they will endeavor to be somewhat impartial after reading this. When both parties have been heard he is entirely willing to abide the result.

Notwithstanding this Book is enlarged 64 pages beyond the original design the author finds himself under the necessity of excluding one Chapter on Methodist Discipline, and a large WOR 20JUN'34

« PreviousContinue »