Show the Irving ites A curi CUni CU RIOUS blous OTTS AD A ard T D wealtny WEALTHY organization A 4 CHURCH OP OF PROPHETS A london letter in the tho cincin nati commercial from M D conway gives somo some interesting information respecting tilo the present condition of the sect generally known as Irving ites they call themselves the tho catholic apostolic church edward irving the fo founder under of the sect was for many years an intimate friend of thomas carlyle Hed red he died ledin in 1835 when lie he first went to london ho he became a popular pulpit orator of the scotch church attracting large and most fashionable congregations in 1830 a servant girl in scotland named named campbell deryan berran began to discourse in a wild incomprehensible way and her hysterical ravings were declared to bea be a revival of the gift of tongues and und of prophecy while other manifestations ife stations of a like ilke character occurred elsewhere exciting much attention M dwin edwin a believer in in the supernatural origin of the these se phenomena p hen omena and declared that the gift of tongues should have free course in ja the church whereupon tho the scotch church expelled him his society then became a center where the wildest scenes were witnessed irving himself frequently broke out in an insane gibberish while whilo outbreaks of supposed prophecy were heard from every part bart of the vast building in which ho he officiated eventually the great society of enthusiasts who had collected around irving and a number of the samo character elsewhere convened in london and established seven churches on the idea of a strict and literal return to the forms and formulas of the apostolic age nominally there are but seven churches in the connection in reality there are in great britain alone thirty societies cleties iio Iso those outside of the original seven bel boi being ng branches thero there are f nifty fifty I 1 f ty churches in germany the most important being beino in nerlin berlin E erlin one in paris sim six III in scotland two in ireland and two or three inthis in this country it is no small denomination which has grown up from a movement that most people in this country supposed had died out long ago among its members tho the dukes land have been and arm arc staunch believers the church at large has twelve apostles and seven angels individual societies have deacons and deaconesses deacon esses elders evangelists and pastors to say nothing of prophets who are numerous as any member of the church maybe moved to pro prophecy becy the principal church of il the e Irving ites in london square which was erected at a cost of resembles a catholic cathedral there are five gothic windows flooding the cuneiform interior with many hued lights an altar and several pulpits and lec lee ternes terne each with its robed occupant on closer inspection one ohe observes peculiarities each angel or wears a robe of a peculiar pecullar har bar color the evangelist wears wear sred red a token of tho the blood of christ the tile p pastor astor white emblem of purity the angel purple and gold purple meaning authority and gold truth the theelder elder eider purple the prophet blue the skyey influences the heavenly mind inspiration these four primary colors represent the fourfold four fold constitution of man reason imagination will affection the majority of the robes are simple in in i structure but the angel is quite gorgeous orge ous with his robes and an em broi brol argeous broidered roi rol dered gold cross down his back there is considerable dramatic effect in the service the words of the prayers chants etc of the sunday service resemble very much those of the church of england the same creeds are used and the confession absolution gloria and to deum 11 with very slight alterations in the service the eucharist there are changes in the direction of catholicity the churches have two services on each of the week days and these are in some respects the tile most characteristic the first occurs atsie at in the morning when the number I 1 of priests is about equal to that the congregation on this occasion the tho angel alone lone a speaks unless some one is moved to prophecy which is always in order it is his duty to give a sort of exposition or discourse le course ourse and this is supposed to furnish the subject of the days meditations tat ions in the afternoon again at five they assemble and the elders give their ideas on the theme suggested in the morning their idea is that they thus fulfill the plan of the tabernacle wherein aaron trimmed the lamps and in the evening they were lighted the number of priests elders and the like connected with these churches is very large every member of the catholic apostolic church contributes to its funds one tenth of his means and the single church on gordon square supports over thirty persons in sacred offices |