Maryland free press., 1863-02-06
From tie New York Church Journal
tEpiscopal)
The Southern Pastoral Letter.

/ toral Letter from the Southern Bishops tc
their clergy md people, which we givo entire
There is no name appended to it; but W are
confident, from internal evidence thai it is from
the pen of the Bishop of Georgia, who IS Sc
nior Bishop present at augusta, doubtless
! presided over the Bishops there asse gnhled in
| Council"
As was to have been expected, the polite n
illusions that arc found in this Pastorsl s.:I-
! ply amount to the accepting, rs sett sss,
/ prsyailing Southern Views oI pc'iticaf ques-
! tions; and, Of course, such expressions find
n.ither acceptance nor endorsement from us
! 1t is no comfort TO US of the North, however,
to reflect, that in adhcring to our own views
on these subjects we are now supportedby the
! public opinion ofno other nation in Christen-
dom.
But to pass 10 the proper sphere of the doc
umcnt--thc Ecclesiastical-we can but ex-
press our admiration for its noble spirit, for
the uncompromising assertion Of Church prin-
ciplcs that gives tone to it.from beginning to
end, for the atmosphere of generous love that
breathes from its sentences, and for the simple
I dignity, grace, and beauty of its style. Du-
ring the debates of our Gencr COnycntiopi,
we feared greatly lest the nocdlcssly irritating
language there used by certain denanciatory
members, might, in the present state of Civil
War, kindle rccriminating anger on the part
OF Southern brethren, and thus lay the foun-
dation for permanent alienation, even after
tho political unity of our beloved country
should have been onca more happily restored.
AS the Southern Pastoral was not delivered
until the 22d of November, while our Gcncr-
al Convention closed on the I7.h of October,
tits reasonably certain that intelligence of our
doings ana sayings had fully reached them
there, and Mia is theic RESPONSE
Christ has founded His hurch upon loyc--cor
| God ia Love. 1t is the highest of all Christian
graccs. And now abidrth Faith. Faith Hope
Charity these three, but the great st of these s
Charity" haiity! not mere almsgiyuc, which
is only one of its manifestations but Love! Chris
tian Lowell As christ our Lord loved the world
diNiuGly that He satisfied to suffer all things
for its redemption. so does lie command Us to love
one another and to be ready to do all things for
each others salvation. This was His especial
commandment; N new commandment give !
unto you, that yc love one anothcr.' And this is
truly not only the commandment, but the
summary of all the commandments. The whole
Gospel is redulcut with it, with bl oad, comprc-
hensivc, all mbracing love appointed like Aarun's
rod, to swallow up all the other Christian graees
thlist \ hurch without love! What couId ), ou
augur of "A thnrch of God without Faith, or =
Church of Christ without Hope? But Love is a
higher grace than either Faith or Hope, and its
absence from hurch is just the absence of the
very litc-blood from the body.
Our first duty, therefore. rs the children OF God
is to send forth from this Council our greetings Oh
love to the Churches of God all tn world over.--
We greet them in Christ, and rejoice that they are
partakers with of all the grace which is treas
/ ls.-.l .l.,.at tn, hTtn h.,
altar oi the Cfuciiird all our burdens of sin, and
offer our PRAYERS for the Church Militant upon
crath Whatever may be their aspect towards us
politically, We canuot forget that they rejoice with
Us in the one Lord, the one Faith, the one Bap.
tsm. the one God and Father oI all, >" and we wish
them God speed in all the sacred ministries OF the
Church. Nothing but love is consonant with the
exhibition of Christs love which is manifested in
Ills Church. and any note Of mans bitterness, ex-
cept against SIM would he sound of discord ming
ling with the sweet harmonics of earth and heav-
en-. We rejoice in this golden chord which binds
US together in Christ our Redecmcr. and like The
ladder which Jacob saw in vision, with the angels
OF God ascending and descending upon il, may it
ever be the channel along which shall fash the
Christian greetings oi the children OF God.
Nothing could he noblcr or more beautiful
than this. It Will be seen that no modiiica-
tion OF consequence has been attempted, at
Augusta, in the Constitution except the in
troduc ion of the Provincial &y stem--a feature
which we arc equally ready for here at the
North. The body of Canops has been left
pretty much as it waE. Of the Prayer Book
only "thrce words" have been changed and
as it is stated expressly that nothing has been
done save where political reasons "have made
| alteration essentially requisite we conclude
that the "three words" refer to the change OF
"United' into "Confederate' in the titlepRge,
and in the Prayer for the President, and in the
Prayer for Congress. The language repeat
edly used in regard to the Church of the Uni
ted States is all that could be desired, and
much more than could have been reasonably cx-
pccted under the circumstances. There is not
the whisper of q complaint against us as a
whole, or against any Diocese, or Bishop, OF
! Clergyman. The separation between us is
again and again spoken of rs Il Rcccssity never
as a matter of choice. The Pastoral uses these
! words: "Ecrced Jy tic Pro,td,nce Of God to
| separate ourselves from the Protestant Epis
copal Church il the United Statcs-a Church
with whose doctrine, discipline, and worship
we are in entire harmony, and with whose ac
ton, up to the time of that separation, lre 'cer
abuadandy statistical" 1t speaks affcctionatcy y
of our past ecclesiastical arrangements as hav
ing 'thc seal Of a happy experience stamped
upon them" Again is there action attributed
to their having been 'Jorced into q, ceparatC
organization; and yet again they at the Soutl
are said to have "bccn separated By a cira nc
cessity" Not one word, not one syllable car
be found from beginning to end, which can by
any possibility wound the ecclesiastical sus
capabilities ofNorthern Churchmen--nothinl
that could place the slightest obstacle in th
way of our resu ming at once our unbroken &C
clesiastical unity in every respect, should tn
happy work of political restoration and natioa
unity be. crowned, by the blessing of God
with ultimate success.
But the most remarkable and---in the pres
ent temper of the public mind-the most graf
flying part of this admirable Pastoral, is it
bold, clear, and noble declaration of religion
duty towards the slaves. 1t is introduced b.
IN allusion TO the Missions in Africa an Chi
na-Mission, always warmly bcfriended at th