New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1861-05-13


The United statess peyop wpie sls does not seed
/, to include any other churches whatsoever
o. By the fifth article of her constitution. tfis
implication involved IN her corporate Designation
ts defined in terms By that articfe, HE admission
Of dioceses into union with The Protestant Tgvisea
pal Church in the United States of AreYca II ffIf.
tied TO dioceses formed or to be formed ysifII1s
the States or territories Of that country so that
none can constItatioDally be admitted which do
| not lie terEitorially within her Boundaries It id
eyiaent that that which IS an Indispensable e0nlf
Won q admission to union with her, mnst be iffs
pehsspie % continuance III that union. CoHse-
qnsh.iy, When the state in which pnr diocese 81
situated ceased tofoffa part az fI1 Tinted Gsafas
mat CONDITION falling on oar part We eeaee i1sy
Jacto 20 retain that formal union with her Of which
!eFfitof1a position within the United States IA an
indispensable condition. Had the ehTrsh M "
lana, Fiorda or Texas, been al perfec1Iy forja1sa
and furnished as at present. they eoriid HUI me-
Floualy TO the annexation of those States ", fff
United States, have been admitted nnaeY ftssa ~
cle, to union with the Protestant EiscopaI (l4,yrI
| in the United States. They acgre admitted no.
cause At the time Of their application those States
| lay within the boundaries of the United S5tatas
Having now ceased TO belong to the United s3tatea
| a fair construction of the article requires "a Id
hold them removed beyond the Jurisdiction Of the
| Protestant Episcopal Church in the United Statee
tc) But had any doubt been possible under arr
hcie nth Of the constitution that doubt would be
rsnloyed ~ me express terms Of article tentie
me Confederate States of America form country
foreign to the United States and o. failure IN tl
Ep1scopafe in any of these, were We In look to the
Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States
iof lis the facts Of the case would
| CURE application to be made, not in the manner
heretofore open to u.s. but as Is required by article
tenth Of the constitution, in which special provision
| IS MADE for the conservation Of hishppa not for
foreign churches, but for foreign countries By
this article, such bishops, SO conseerated ygaIlsl
not be eligible to the office Of diocesan or ASSISTANT
bishop in any diocese OF the United States, nor ed
Titled TO seat in the House OF Bshops, nor could
| they lawfully exercise an EPISCOPAL authoritv IN
| those States In other words an bistopa TN 4
foreign country. they could not be, nor become,
bishops Of the United sfates-a constitutional pro
vision evidently reaching to bishops now in this
| position, as well as to those who might thus, by
possibility, be placed in it. Our b.fiopa are now
bishops OF country foreign to the United States
and cannot, therefore, by her own provision, any
| longer be regarded as bishops of tie Protestant
Episcopal Church in the United States.
ld.l u anthing were yet wanting to confirm the
view that the Protestant Episcopal Chuch IN the Z
United States is most dstinetvely and strictly
tional, it might be fully supplied from the Canon
! Law Of the Church with respect to Foreign and
1 Domestic Missionary Bishops. (See Title III Ganoys
l3, Section Z, Clauses and 5 also Section B.
Clauses and 2, of the same CanoR.l The Donas.s
tic Missionary Bishop, whose jurisdiction lies within
me States or Territories of the United States il
titled to a seat in the House of Bishops, from which
| the foreign Missionary Bishop is excluded. The
former moreover is eligible to the Episcopate d q
vacant diocese ia the United States the latter
nellgbe, but with the consent of three-fourths dc
the Bishops clergy and laity Of the church lii con-
vention assembled. Thus, Of two bishops elected
| and consecrated in the same way, by the same
parties, and governed by canons of the same con-
vention the one because his Jurisdiction lies within
| the United States, is invested with the right Of
| voice and vote in the convention by which he III
governed, besides other mpor tant privileges, from
which the other is excluded, for no other reason
than that he is called to exercise his functions in q
4 foreign land.
From all these considerations, and others too
numerous to be embraced in the inaits of this re-
4 port, the committee feel themselves compelled to-
the conclusion that, whereas the Protestant Enis4
copal Church in the United States Of America IL,
aud was rightly intended to be strictly national
body, into which the Diocese of Louisiana was
admitted, because, at the time of her admission,
| the States of Louisiana formed portion of the
United State; and whereas, Louisiana has dissolved
the union formerly existing between her and the
United States, and so separated from that nation,
therefore, the Diocese of Louisiana has ceased ID
belong to the National Protestant Episcopal Church
of the United States of America; and whereas the
State of Louisiana has entered into q new con-
federacy, and now is part of O new nation there
fore, as the highest expedency has from very early
times, prompted such considerations among aCi-s
jacent doceses of the Catholic Church as might
advance their common welfare, and as nature aud Z
experience, no less than the highest prndence
teach that such considerations should DE national
like that in the United States. therefore, this
diocese, in the opinion Of this committee, ought i'd
the exercise OF that liberty whereWth Christ hath
made ua free, to take such steps as may be neeea-
| sary to the formation of q National Protestant
| Episcopal Church in the Confederate States OF
| America.
| 1t is needless, after what has been previously
said, that the committee shOud declare that ap far
forth as Louisiana is concerned, the unity az the
church is unbroken; nor need the COMMITTEES frame
new words to express The never failing love which
every member of this diocese must aiwaya have
for our brethen of the church in the United States
We prefer, in this connection, to adopt the words
of our Right Reverend Father, as ne find them IN
his Pastoral Letters. They represent the chrishs a
sentiments of every churchman in the diocese !:
at is our happiness to know that In canpassags
the sum Of the political grievances Of which We
have complained we find no contribution made to
1t by brethen OF our own household. Our church
in the nonsiareholding States, as everywhere, has
been loyal to the constitution and the laws. Her
sound conservative teaching and her we'll ordered
organization, have held her steadily to her proper 8
work. and she has confined herself simply to
preaching and teaching the gospel of Christ. Sur.
rounded by strong pressure onaeYery side, she
has successfully resisted its power and has refused
to lend the aid of her conventions, her pulpits ana
her presses, to the radical and unseriptural pro-
pagandsm which has SO degraded Christianity and B
plunged our country into it's unhappy condition.
In withdrawing ourselves, therefore, from all
political connection with the Union to which onr
brethren belong, we do so with hearts filed with
sorrow at The prospect OF its forcing termination
and that we shall be separated from those whose
intelligence, patriotism, Christian integrity and II
piety, we have long known, and for whom we
entertain sincere respect and affection.
"Our separation from our brethren Of The
Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States '
has been effected, because we must follow our
nauonallLy, not because there mas been any dit
ference of opinion to Christian doctrine Cath
ole usage. Upon these points we are still one. With
us it is separation, not division, certainly not
alienation. And there is no reason why, if we
should find the union of our dioceses under one
national church impraeticahle, we should cease to
feel for each other the respect and regard with
which purity of manners, high principle, and a II
manly devotion to truth never fail to inspire gen
erous minds" B8s#
Itremains then only that the committee should
present this most important subject for the action
of convention in the form of resolutions.
Resolutions.
Whereas, the Protestant Episcopal Church in
the United States Of America is and was rightly
intended to be strictly national body, not admit
ing into union with it dioceses situated in foreign
countries;
"And whereas, the State of Louisiana has, by
ordinance, dissolved the Union formerly existing
between it and the United States of America,
thereby making the State of Louisiana foreign to
the Uuited States therefore,
- ReSOtDed, That the Diocese of Louisiana has
ceased to be diocese of the Protestant Episcopal
Church in the United States of America.
81 But whereas, the univers j experience OF the
Catholic Church has, from very early time,
shown the necessity of such local combinations
among dioceses as might advance the common
welfare:
" And whereas, reasons Of the highest exper
dency demand that the church shonld in this
respect follow the natonalities which, in the order
of Divine Providence, NAV he raised M; there