The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1862-10-22
The Episcopal Convention.
SPEECH OF MR.. SEYMOUR.

tions introduced the day before by Hon.
Judge Hoffman, recommending the con
vention to declare that the Southern
crurchmen, in rejecting the authority of
the church and the government of the
country, should be declared not of their
body.
Hon. Horatio Seymour arose and spoke
upon this subject. He desired, he said,
to offer few observations relative to the
vote he had on the preceding day cast in
favor of the resolutions introduced by the
! Rev. DR.. Brunot. of Pennsylvania. He
was a close and constant reader of the
public journals, more SO, perhaps, than
any member of the august and honorable
body before him, and on the morning of
the day in question, he had read in one Of
the public prints what would probably be
the purport of the resolution to be presen-
ted Thus informed beforehand of their
scope and character, he had come to the
convention with his mind prepared, and
had voted in favor of the resolut ons.
He had done so deliberately, because
be sincerely thought that fair, free, and
thorough discussion OF the great question
would clear the mental atmosphere of the
convention of any doubt that fingered
there would set the great Episcopal body
of the Union right before the country and
its brethren everywhere, and would, in the
restoration of perfect understanding and
the settlement of the disputed points, con-
tribute to the future harmony and Joy of
all men members of that convention when
they should return to their homes He for
one, did not fear debate in its widest and
fullest sense.
Why should any number of dignifed
and, in the persons of its reverend clergy,
so exalted convocation, hesitate to adopt
any course in consonance with its high and
holy missionl The discussion that was
proposed would, perchance, remove from
among them many subjects of dispute, nay
even of discord, with which the church
had directly nothing whatever to do, and
in this light, and with this aim, he could
not but believe that the introduction of the
question would be productive of essen.
tial good, for it was his earnest hope, as
it was his sincere conviction, that the
influence fthe Episcopal Church, would
be a most ready and effective instruentm
in bringing about the healing up of Il .
wounds and the restoration of blessed
peace.
Such had been the mission ofthe Church
of Christ in all ages and ali lands where
its standard had been reared, and 10 hour
so dark had come, no tempest so fierce
had rolled over the world, when the sa-
cred emblems of our glorious faith and
the teachings Of the man of GoD had not
been able to arrest and soothe, and, finally
to subdue the wrath of human PASSIONS
War habits uses, and, at times. the path
to peace lay over the bloody furrows of
of the battle field, but where was a power
in love. that trancended all the achieve
ments of brute force Such was not only
the doctrine of Cons word, but it was
the common testimony of the past.
1t war with this. view, .and penetrated
by this sentiment, that the speaker had
voted for special :. and common form of
prayer for this emergency-a form i'll
which all might ferveptly unite-one that !
would express the innermost throbbin5s |
of their hearts, and at the same time con-
vey to the world true COMPREHENSION of
the position of the church In so doing it
was essential that the invccations address
ed to the Most High, and the Episcopal
action taken by this important body
should be conceived in true spirit of love
for their erring and misguided brethren, !
and that the record should be such as TO
withstand the scrutiny of the future =
When he contemplated the: stalwart form
of his reverned friend from New York.
DR.. Vinton,- be rose, every inch the |
the type of soldier for the field as well |
as soldier in the service of Christ-when (
saw him stand up before this house and |
hear him, in that pregnant, forcible and
eloquent language, which was so singularly |
his gift, heap denunciation on the South,
carried on by tue fervent zeal that distin |
guisbes him in all his undertakings, he (
ithe speaker )could not refrain from casting /
his thoughts forward for relief to that
period, still three years in the future when
this convention would again assemble
when the who e church, North and Sonth,
would again be gathered around the com
mon elter to offer there common saeri-
fee.
In that day, and enid that scene, he
knew that his old friend, whose voice had