New-York tribune., 1897-02-24
SELECTIONS FROM THE MAIL.
BISHOP SEYMOUR ON KING CHARLES

WITH ALL HIS FAULTS. HE STOOD FOR EPIsco-
PAcY. AND DESERVES HONOR FOR IT.
To the Editor OF The Tribune.
Sir: An editorial In your issue OF the eth inst has
Just met my eye. In reference TO which ask the
privilege of making n few remarks The writer
of the article commands my sympathy as stanch
friend OF civil and religious liberty. and am un-
willing to allow that any citizen OF our Republic
exceeds me in his devotion to the cause OF legiti-
r ate freed om. Ny ground for criticism Is that the
writer seems 10 think that the memorial WINDOW
In the Philadelphia church, and the service and
sermon accompanying the function OF unveiling
the in honor OF King Charles I. COM
nit all who sympathize with what was said am
done on the occasion 10 everything for when
Charles Stulrt stood in public and private life.
This is a mistake. ! speak OF course. for myself
My sympathies are with King Charles nor
with the Parliamcntarians In their views OF civh
and religious liberty. Both in my humble judg-
ment. were wrong. and the King was more In the
wrong than were his opponents. My sympat thies are
not with Charles In his course OF his prevarcation
evasion and fasehood. hate diplomatic lies no less
than pious frauds and religious shams. Charles
Is untruthfuness excites my disgust and his
surrender of Strarord was mean and puslllan.mous
In the last degree.
1t is not 20 palliatc these faults but simply to
explain. that | add that even to this day emf
nent statesmen, whose names are on all lips with
praise. have been and are tricky. crafty and far
removed In their official relations from outspoken
truth and downright honesty My sympathies are
not with Charles Stuart and William Of Orange
and Queen Anne and the three Georges because
they believed In the divine right Of kings and
touched for the cure Of "the Kings evil" But
my sympathies with King Charles because he
would not in spite of all his weaknesses and
sins. surrender his religious convictions and con-
to the abrogation of Epscopacy In Its spirit
ual and official sphere of Legitimate exercise and
administration My symptthies are with William
Of orange because In spite OF public treachery ana ana
private misdoing he waS the friend or the BIZ
of Rights the BIZ o. Protestant Success ion.
My sympathies are with good Queen Anne be-
DameG ID she the friend and nursing mother
of the Church of England both at home and In this
country.
Ny sympathies are with the first two Hanoverian
Georges because. in spite of their ignorance and
vieness, they triumphed in l7l5 and l745 over the
Of the Stuarts. which represented then
vicious principles in Church and State, Roman!srn
and absolute monarchy.
No one doubts Abrahams faults. but he is the
Father of the Faithful" We all know that King
David had the best Of reasons for writing mis-
erere mel Deus" yet God loved him The Apos,
frghtfu! still he Is with universal consent num-
bered with the saints.
SINS nay. the downright wickedness OF King
Charles |. but this does not blind my eyes to his
virtues nor stop me from fecognZng a the fact that
understood the case. have saved his life. and he
deliberately chose 20 die:
Scripture. God never meant that power should be
concentrated in one person without limitation. in
either Church or State God II seems TO me.
intended that there should be. as the express
sion of His will. either Pope or a Caesar and
II He has permitted the "pornocracy" and the
Borgias to reign in the Church of Rome. and Nero
and Domitian to rule in the Roman Empire. II
was to furnish salutary warning to mankind to
u '''' GEORGE f. SEYMOUR.
Bishop OF Springfield.