1917_The_Finished_Mystery_Text

laying on of the hands of the Bishop. This, ofcourse, was vested in the Roman church, andalso in the English church on account of its beingat first rather a secession fromFM210Papacy than a reformation. To many minds, evenamong the clergy, there was a veneration for thatceremony, which neither Papacy nor the Englishchurch were averse to promoting." (Z.'80-1-2.)For the effect of this superstition on the mind ofWesley, see Rev. 9:1, 2. "The Lord's symbolicprophecy tells us that in the close of this Age theImage will receive life, vitality, energy, power.No longer will it stand as a mere Image. It willbecome as active as the Beast. Moreover, it willnot be antagonistic to the Beast, but sympathetic,and cause that all shall either worship the Beastor the Image— all must be in harmony eitherwith Catholicism, or with the Protestant ChurchFederation as soon as it receives the vitalizingbreath."— Z.'13-343.Unto the Image of the beast.— "The vitality ofthe Image is to come from the two-horned Beast;the Church of England. A few years ago theEpiscopal Church took an important step towardvitalizing the Church Federation movement. Thatimportant step was the recognition of theministers of the denominations represented in theEvangelical Alliance. Previously no minister notordained by the laying on of hands of a Catholicor an Episcopalian bishop was allowed to preachfrom an Episcopalian pulpit. Perhaps thisrecognition of the Image is all the vitalization theImage needs, but we are inclined to expect more.For years the Episcopalians have profferedreordination to the ministers of the differentdenominations represented in the EvangelicalAlliance. And they still proffer it. We have beeninclined to expect that the ministers wouldfinally concede the point and accept areordination at the hands of an Episcopal bishop.But we are not sure of this. It is possible that, tomeet the requirements of the case, some otherway will be found by which the EpiscopalChurch will recognize the Church Federation