Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1858-06-17
The Episcopal Church on the Slavery
Question,

: OF her clergy who are now rather anxious t.
= have her-as the phrase goes" show her hant
/ on the great (ncgro) question of the day.
. Thus:
2 Just after the death of the late Rev. Dudley
A. Tying, Rev. Mr. Cummins, Rector OF TRINITY
Church, Washington, d. c., preached a dis
: course in which he spoke very highly of the
: merits of the deceased,-but added:
{" lie asGs not perfect. He committed one
error-one deep, grave, awful error. lie in
troduced political question into his pulpit
lie did 1t but once, and, although nearly three
years OF his ministry have elapsed since that
ilme' 1t was never repeated, and firmly be-.
ieVe that he earnestly and deeply repeuted OF
thus error"
Now, 1t so happened that among the congre-
CATION that listened to that sermon at Trinity
church, was the inevitable Senator Hale. of
New mpshire,-who, as soon as he returned
hone' wrote to the Rector of st. Georges N.
f.' Rev. Stephen II. Tyns, Gather of the de-
ceased,) to know "whcther his late son. either
directly or indirectly, manifested or expressed
any regret for or repentance of the course he
so mantully assumed, and. as his admirers have
supposed, SO firmly and faithfully sustained till
death, adding:
81 trust that the great interest which and
the friends with whom | cooperate feel in
everything relating to the great cause of civil.
religious and personal liberty, will plead nv
excuse tor what may seem a rude intrusion up.
on you IN this time of your severe grief With
much respect, yours, JOHN Z. HALE
Under date of May goth, the Rector of ST.
Georges replies:
"There is not the slightest foundation in
truth for the sta tement that my son, in any way
or shape, ever retracted, qualified, or designed
to do so, his solemn and well-consldered protest
against the oppression Of slavery.
DIR. Bailey editor of the National Era has
written TO me upon the discourse of DIR. Cum
MINIS. May ask you TO communicate the sub
stance of this note to him, and one of the pam
plets which | forward
am, with much regard, your friend and SER
want. STEPHEN II. TYING"
In order to put the matter at rest Dir. TyngI
enclosed in this letter the following note, writ.
ten by the deceased :
"PIEadelphia, Dec. 8, 1856.
asEAR Sir: | was SO much interested in
your proposition to deposit copy of my sermon
on " Our COuntry's Troubles in the archives
OF the Vestry, that have made several efforts |
to recover the original manuscript from the |
hands OF the printer. Having to-day succeed |
ed, take great pleasure in sending it to YOU,
just as it was delivered in the pulpit of the
Epiphany on the 29lh of June last. | have
just read it over, after nearly six months inter
val, and find no word which | would retract.
and feel more than ever thankful for hayinc
been enabled to discharge SO solemn DUTY
doubt not that in future years it will be re.
garded with somewhat of the interest which
now attaches to the first attempts at the sup
preston of the slave trade.
"Very respectfully and truly,
"DUDLEY A. TYING.
"Dr. CAsPAR MoRNIs."
1t was now the turn of the Rector of Trinity
REV. DR.. Cummins. And, accordingly. we
have communication from that gentleman in
the National IntelIigenccr, in which he denies
the statement of Senator Hale, that he had re-
presented the position the late Dudley A. Tying
took on the slavery question as the great error
of his life. What he did say was, that MIR.
Tying had committed grave and most serious
error in bringing the discussion Of political
subject into the pulpit. And in that same SER
mon, it seems, Rev. DIR. Cummins added, what
Mr.. Hale forgot to state, that, in his judgment, {
the great enemy of the gospel had never de-
vised q more successful mode of retardng the {
progress of the gospel in this land than the at
tempt of ministers of religion and churches and :
religious societies to interfere in the heated
strIfes of the politics of the day.
DR.. Cummns, then, in Teference to the posi-
tion of the Episcopal Church at large, in regard
to political discussions, goes on to say:
1.-THE great principle advanced in that SER s
mon is one which, in my judgment, is one espe
cial glory OF the Protestant Episcopal church a
in this country, viz: that her sphere of duty as
a church of Christ, is solely confined to matter Y
purely spiritual and religious. This principle t
has been sanctioned by the almost unanimous n
practice of her bishops and.cergy through all 6
the history of the church in this country, and g
in every part of the land-NUrth, South, East b
and West The Episcopal church does not ask v
her ministers and members to think alike on any C
political topic. Doubtless there are pro-slavery b
and anti-slavery men within her pale; but, as e
far as my knowledge goes, the late Mr.. TVng t
l0dS the first TO discuss this exciting SUBJECT in
an Episcopal pulpit. l believe it to have been s
an error; and as was setting him forth in his c
christian character as an example to young ]
men, | could not, without compromising my $
own views of duty, hesitate to state my belief. q
Had MIR. Tying taken an opposite position 10 l
Senator Hale it would not have altered in the =
least my opinion of the error committed by .
him. +
"GEo d. CUMMINs,
"Rector Of Trinity Church, Washington. 2
And here this curious controversy rests for
the present. Whether the respected Rector OF
ST. Georges will deem it expedient or judicious t
to carry it point further, now that Rev. DR.. S
Cummins has lelt the pulpit and gone into print a
to define not only the position occupied by the J
dead clergyman, but of the living Church, upon /