Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1863-10-15

man. But in relIg gioua truth or reference for m,
Bible, the age In which We live is prolific ir
daring aud implous innovation. We have seer
professedly Christian communities divided and
subdivided on every side. We have SEAT, tbs
rise and spread Of Malerism, PantheIam. MOI
monlsm and Spiritualfsm. We have seen ever
our venerable Mother Church of England sora.
ly agitated by the contagious fever OF change,
on the one hand, towards superstition. and on
the other toward infidel ratIonalism. And We
have heard the increasing clamor against the
Bible, sometimes from the devotees Of peoloei-
cal speculation, sometimes from the bold de1I-
ers Of miracles and prophecy, and, not least
upon the ilsf, from the loud-topgued apostles
OF anti tslayety. We have marked the orators
which cry "Down with the Bible, il It main
taiDs 'ho lawfulness Of Slavery We have
maive!ed at the senatorial eloquence which
proclaimed that SIT was high time 10 have an
anti slavery God and an ant-slavery Bible, %
We have heard the Constitution of our country
denounced as"a covenant with death and hell -
We have heard the boasted determination that
the Union shall never be restored until its pro-
visions for the protection of slavery are utterly
abolished. And what is the result of all tbIs
philanthropy The fearful judgment of God
has descended 10 chastIse these multiplied aota
OF rebellion against His divine Government.
and what the final catastrophe ahall be is oplv
known to Him who seeth the end from the be
ginning. c9 i9 .'....'.
After forty years spent In the ministry, more
than thirty Of which has been passed in the Of
nee OF Bishop, can Look buck With humble
thankfalness to the Giver of all good for this,
az least, shat ell my best labors have been diF
recsed to the preservation of the Church from
tne inroada OF dootFlnal innovation. AT my
ordination promised $50 10 minister the doc.
trine and sacraments and discipline Of Christ,
Ss tne Lord hath commanded, and as this
Onurch hath received the sarne''-and certain
II is that this Church" had not received the
modern doctrine of ultra-Abolitioniam at shat
sme, as l trust she never will receive it, be-
cause IL is conttary to the Sacred Scriptures.
also promised with all faithful diligence to
Danish and drive away from the Church ell
erroneous and strange doctrines contrary to
oous Word,' and made those promises In the
uue sense which the venerable Bishop White,
my ordainer, attached to them Il believed
then, ss he believed, that our Southern bretb-
rem committed no sin in having slaves. and
tnat they were men of as much piety as any
ministers 10 our Communion. / believed, az
ne believed, that the plain preoepts and prsc. |
tice OF the Apostles sanctioned the institution
atnougn, al matter of expedlency, the time
might come when the South would prefer, as |
me @ North had done, to employ free labor,
ihose promises have kept faithfully to this
day--snd 1t, when am drawing near to the
END OF my career, am to be condemned and
Nanea by you and your clergy, because still
maintain them to the utmost of nv slender
aolll'y, be assured, my Right Reverend Bro
tner, that shsil regret the fact much more on |
your account than on my own,
IN eorclusion, l have only to say that | feel |
no resentment for the grossly insulting style Of
youe manifesto. The stability and unity Of
the Church Of God are the only interests which
desire to secure, and am too old In experi-
ence to De much moved by the OCCASIONAL ex-
oesses of human infirmIty.
H JOHN H. HOPKINS,
Bishop of the Diocese of Vermont.
Burlington, VT, Dot. S, 1863. .,
.