Flag of the Union. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1850-18??, 1853-02-11
bishop IVES 4 pERvERT 70 ROME
To III. Editor of the FLAG Of the Union.-

| ter, received TWO Gays Since rum Pioue osu
Intelligent Layman of the Diocese OF North
/ Carolina. fully confirms the fears for some time
entertained with regard to the late Bishop Of
that Diocese
"To-day's mail january PSI brings intelli-
| gence from Italy, that Bishop IVES has formally
! abjured Protestanfisni. This has been expected
for time and the result proves that the
Bishop has either been playing the Jesuit and the
-, or that he i q deranged man. ! have
charity enough to believe that his mind has been
affected for some years. Ifitwere not 20, ne
would not within the last ninety days have drawn
/ from his Diocese six months salary in advance,
| to defray theexpense of his trip to Europe"
When an individual sees fit, from any cause,
10 Withdraw from one portion of the Church Of
/ Christ, and unite himself 10 another, u ls too
often the case that his late friends and associates
/ turn upon him and rend him without mercy.
/ With so unkInd and unreasonable practice
| will have nothing TO do. If my brother or my
| neighbor prefer The extreme of Ronanism on
the one hand. or ultra Professionalism the other.
to the safer middle ground of Primitive Gospel
Truth, instead Of backbi,ing and maligDing bin,
| will only pray that the erroneous creed which
he has chosen may not prevent him from making
his calling aud election sure against the last
day.
| After thus disclaiming all unkind feeling to-
| wards my late Brother in the Episcopate, and
| praying that In the midst of the spiritual dan
| gers which now surround him, his sou may be
| in the keeping of the Good Shepherd, must
respectfully beg little further space at your
| hands whilst / briefly aiIude to the cause of
| Bishop Ives detection, and its probable effect
upon his Dioc sse. And that your readers may
know how far I am qualified to speak on the
subject, will simply mention that. twenty mine
! years of my ministry were spent IN North
! Carolina,-my native State,--and that for the
| far greater part of that time, | was frequently
and intimately associated with him who forms
the subject Of this painful communication
| When, therefore, in accounting for the apoaIacy
| of Bishop Ives, | say that | have not, for the
| last five or six years, regarded him respon-
sible man, speak from personal observation;
| and use language, however serious, that will
| be well understood, and will! create no surprise
in the Diocese of North Carolina, nor in any
other place where the Bishop has been Familiarity
known for some time past. Nay, in saying this,
but repeat the admission virtually made by
himself, by his confidential physician, and by
one of his most intimate friends 10 the Conven-
tion Of his Diocese in 1851.
| Before committee of twelve, appointed by
that Convention, to investigate the alleged Of
fences of their Diocesan, the Bishop appeared,
and said that
| "However humiliating il might be considered
in him to offer To the committee the statement he
about to make, yet a sense of duty to himself
and the church compelled him to do so.''
After mentioning favorile idea which he had
once entertained Of uniting the Roman, the
Greek, the Anglican and American churches, he
said that
"This tendency of his mind toward union of
the Churches had been greatly increased by
high state Of nervous excitement arising either from
bodily disease constitutional infrmy; and that
the change in his views (Which had Just then
taken place. had been brought about in part bv
return to a more healthy condition of minu
body, but mainly by his having perceived the
tendency of those doctrines TO the Church Of Rome"
The committee, in their report to the Conven-
ton, state that in addition to letter from a sci
eniifc physician. an intimate friend of the
Bishop, they had before them
Statements tending to show that the Bishop
has for several years past been in state of mental
excitement, which has impaired his memory, and
rendered quite uncertain the determinations of his
Judgment" s--~. -uss,. s :
An oral statement was likewise made to the
committee by distinguished Layman of the
Diocese, whose house had been a second home
to Bishop Ives,
"Showing that the Bishops mind had been for
several years past, from attack of fever, sinSu
iarLy affected, 50 as to impair his Judgment aud
enfeeble his memory, while other powers of the
mind had been rather exalted:--A state of mind
well calculated to mislead its subject, and at the
same time to expose him to gross misconception
on the part of Others"
These quotations are from the printed Journal
Of the Convention of North Carolina, for 1851,
and may suffice to show, in the opinion of that
body, the irresponsible condition of their Bishop.
And to this conclusion my own mind Is driven
by that charity that 'hopeth all things" For
could be induced 10 look upon my erring Bro
ther in any other light, / would be forced, upon
many grounds of personal knowledge, to think of
him as | wish not TO think of any one who
names the name of Christ. 1t would be truly
painful to me 10 be compelled to enter into par
ticnlars on this subject. will only add, that
the unsettled condition of Bishop Ives intellect,
rather of his moral judgment, has been a
growing source of pain to his Diocese for several
years. so much as TO incline many, both of
his Clergy and Laiiy, to set him aside, or at
least, to appoint an assistant to him in the
Episcopate. And nothing but his earnest en-
treaties, and repeated recantations Joined their
own too kind regard for his feelings, prevented
them from doing so. on more than one occasion. |
As to the probable effect Of the apostacy Of
Bishop Ives upon the Diocese, which he has |
insuited and deserted, fhs following extracts
from letters received within the last few days |
may suffice: ~
A0ts Atotu q AiO0uJtCt ctuuuAu& III
the Eastern part of the Diocese, dated Jan. %:
" Nobody seems to be alarmed or startled lat |
the rGmored detection of Bishop Iyes) or to think
of wayering for a single moment. Nor do be-
lieye. should the rumor prove true, that the Dio-
cese or the Convention viii have the least trouble
whatever. There is not, SO far as can learn, the
first symptom at any such apprehansions OF trou-
BILE IN the Diocese as existed two or three years
ago." ss,.A .....e,s s.s..s ~
I'd. From a Clergyman In another part Of the.
Diocese, January ls:
"a letter has been received from Bishop Ives. He
still suffers mach from Neuralgia in the head and
eyes. To my mind. there is no doubt that the
hand Of hereditary insanity is resting upon him.
This il one thing you may rely upon,-that the
apostacy Of Bishop Ives [should he fall away II
will not affect the religious sentiments of single
in the whole Diocese"
Sd. From an influential Layman in the largest
Parish in the Diocese, January 90:
"Some of the Romish papers are fattering
themselves that Bishop Ives apostacy win carry
Iome of his Clergy with him; but in this they are
mistaken. 1t viii have no more effect in North
Carolina, than would the intelligence that the I
pope's ---. Already are our friends both