Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1861-07-19
BISHOP HOPKINS AND THE SOUTH
ERN CONFEDERACY

sembled at Montgomery" As all postal IA
oiliiies are now cut of from Montgomery,
and as the letter seems to be generally cireu-
lated in this region, it is to be treated not
as a private communication Of Bishop to
his brethren, so much as public exposition
Of the principles Of the Vermont diocesan
The question he puts 10 his Southern bre,h-
rem is, " Must the Church be divided because
the Union is rent asunder," ;" He earnestly
entreats them not to be guilty Of the sin Of
schism, though he says lit is undoubtedly
true that as men and citizens, you must fol-
low your nationality. -" You are bound to
submit to the powers that be-, as ordained Of
God;" 1T is euoae. .hat your Government
is an existing powe1 de faeio for the Gospel
demands no more It seems the good Bish-
op recognizes the Confederacy, and is now
trying to save the Church ont of the frag-
ments of the wreck. Hc admits the propriety
Of the preshyters Of the church changing the
forms of the Prayer-book, so as pmy for
the Confedcracy, and calls it nationality"
and " de fdct0 government" He does not
seem to care a straw for the Union. This is
gone any way, and now he wants to save the
Church from division and schism. Alas,
dear, visionary bishop We should like to
know how your friends can be "confederates
as men and citizens, and yet as Christians
belong to the United States If they must
" follow their nationality as men" how can
they stay in the Union as Episcopalians -
You seem very anxious that your church
Z should not be rent, but if you admit a de tac-
{ 10 government and Sal, hold to your present
idea of ecclesiastical unity, how can you save
the church while you cdl your ooniederacy a
nationality, Perhaps the Church can hold
together till the next Convention, when
''sehism Of the body might be legalized
by wise accommodation to circumstances.
Hold on, beloved bishop, TO the seeding
brethren, warn them Of the sin and guit of
schism and division exhort them not to
break up the unity Of the church-admonish
them that they can seoede and rebel as men,
but must not secede and rebel as Episcopa-
lians-Pray for them according to the litauy,
From all scbsm, heresy and divisions,
Good Lord, deliver u.s." But while YOU
pray and enireat and beg and rebuke them,
do not delude yourself with the idea that any
other " nationality than that of the United
States, now owns and holds the mouth Of the
Mississippi and the Dss.es OF the Gaf;-Do
not imagine that any v de facto foreign gov
boundaries.-That fact OF a split Union Is
not yet recognized by England, France,
Spain or America We beg the diocesan at
Burlington will withdraw his recognition
We cannot help expressing the hope that he
will still admit that the United States, with
ont abridgement, is a nationality - one
Of the powers that be- and has a righiful
claim to the allegiance Of Southern Presbyters
We earnestly entreat the bishop, on the
next Sabbath, to lay an especial stress on that
noble supplication Of the Litany, " From all
sedtion and conspiracy and rebellion, Good
Lord, deliver US" Even though Bishop Polk
has joined the Rebel army as Major General,
even though other bishops vindicate the re-
bellion, we trust our bishop will withdraw
his recognition of the Confederacy, permit US
to maintain the Union. and bring back the
disatIected sheep ofthe Southern fold, so that
there shall after all be no trent in the body"
If the bishop would write letter to the Pres
ident Of the United States, and let his prayer
go up to good old presbyterian Father Abra-
ham, it would have better effect toward
preserving the church than thus to address
the Presbyters at Montgomery. But seri-
ously. when such a man as Bishop Hopkins
, publicly, and without robuke, recognizes the
+ Coniedercy as an established fact, we cannot
r complain Of England for doing the same thing.
When he admits its nationality, the supplica-
T tion of the prayer-book. to deliver US. from
y conspiracy, sedition rebellion and treason, no
longer applies 10 the secessionists. Is the
bishop in advance Of the church Do they
: follow where he leads =.