ill :;: 
 
COL. GEORGE WASHINGTON FLOWERS 
 MEMORIAL COLLECTION 
 
 DUKE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 
 DURHAM. N. C. 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 W. W. FLOWERS 
 
0 
 
 ROM^N CATHOLIC BISHOP 
 
 CHARLESTON, 
 * 
 
 TO HIS FLOCK IN THE STATES OiP 
 
 mRTH AND SOUTH-CAROUJVA AND^GEORGIA; 
 
 UNITED STATES OF NORTH-AMERICA*. 
 
 CHARLESTON: 
 
 PRINTED BY A. B. MILLER; 
 No. 120, Broad-Street 
 
 1821. 
 
s 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 The Bun of his holiness Pope PIUS Vllth for 
 separating the States of North-Carolina and South- 
 Carolina and Georgia /rom the Dioi:Ess of Balti- 
 more, and for erecting for their government a new 
 Episcopal See, in the City of Charleston, (S. C.) 
 suffragan to Baltimore, and appointing the Right 
 Reverend Doctor John England, Bishop thereof was 
 published in the Roman Catholic Church of Charleston, 
 on Sunday the Slst of December, 1820. 
 
 The. certificate of Consecration of which the following 
 is a correct translation^ was also then read : 
 
 WE JOHN MURPHY by the Grace op God and op the 
 Apostolic See, BISHOP OF CORK, in Ireland, certify to all 
 whom it does or may concern, that on the twenty-first day of Sep- 
 tember, to wit, on the festival day of Saint Matthew the Apos- 
 tle, in the year of OUR LORD, one thousand eight hundred and 
 twenty; by virtue of the annexed Apostolic Letters, having first 
 received from him the profession of Catholic Faith, and the oath 
 of fealty to our Lord Pope PIUS Vllth and the Holy Roman 
 Church ; WE celebrating Mass in Pontifical robes, in the Church 
 of Saint Finbar, patron of our Diocess, have bestowed the grace 
 of Consecration, on JOHN ENGLAND, a Priest of Cork, chosen 
 for a new BISHOP of the Church of CHARLESTON; being 
 assisted therein by the Right Reverend and most illustrious Lords 
 KiERAN Marum Bishop of Ossory, and Patrick Kelly Bishop of 
 Richmond : there being also present the most Reverend and most 
 illustrious Lord Patrick Everard Archbishop of Mitylene and 
 Coadjutor to the Archbishop of Cashel, the Right Reverend and 
 most illustrious Lords, William Coppinger Bishop of Cloyne and 
 Ross, Charles Sughrue Bishop of Ardpert and Aghadoe, and 
 Charles Tttohy Bishop of Limerick. In testimony whereof we 
 have written these presents with our hand, and affixed to them our 
 Episcopal Seal. 
 
 Given from our residence in Cork the day and year above. 
 
 JOHN MURPHY, 
 
 Bishop of Cork. 
 
 # 
 
 * 
 
 o 
 
JOHN, 
 
 ^ ? A 7 
 
 BY THE GRACE OF GOD, AND WITH THE APPROBATION OF THE HOLY SEE; 
 
 ^ 9 7 A 
 
 BISHOP OF CHARLESTON, 
 
 TO OUR BELOVED BRETHREN OF THE DIOCESS OF CHARLESTON 
 
 May the mercy of God the Father, through his blessed 
 Son Jesus Christ, and the Charity of the Holy Ghost, 
 he always ivith you. 
 
 The change which has taken place, in the forma- 
 tion of Your Church, by its separation from the See 
 of Baltimore, and its erection into a Bishoprick, re- 
 quires that WE who have been appointed to its gov- 
 ernment should express our sentiments upon the 
 subject. 
 
 Our forefather Adam in the day of his innocence, 
 walked through Eden in favour with his Creator ; the 
 earth yielding spontaneously the means of his com- 
 fort here, and the Heavens opening to his view scenes 
 of future happiness. But by irregular curiosity, and 
 presumptuous disobedience, he forfeited the felicity 
 
 P336-27 
 
4 
 
 which he enjoyed, and lost all right to that bliss which 
 he expected. 
 
 Upon his repentance, redemption was promised, 
 but its application was to be made only upon condi- 
 tions which his ability could fulfil, but which his will 
 might reject. Thus although his salvation did not 
 originate with man, yet without his co-operation it 
 could not be accomplished; and that co-operation 
 was the performance of the conditions imposed by 
 him, from whose wisdom, mercy, and beneficence 
 alone, redemption was to be obtained. 
 
 The nature of those conditions was twofold, belief 
 and practical obedience ; by them man was to pay 
 the most perfect homage to the Deity *, and whilst in 
 their fulfilment, he was punished for his prevarica- 
 tion, by their consequences he was to be perfected 
 in his scale of being. Belief humbled his under- 
 standing; obedience checked his will. His original 
 fault was the pride of knowledge, its immediate con- 
 sequence, obstinacy of disposition : by requiring the 
 belief of truths beyond his comprehension, and the 
 performance of acts not always agreeable to his dis- 
 position, as the conditions of his redemption, man 
 was to be at once, punished for his crime, healed 
 of his infirmity, and redeemed from his bondage. 
 Hence, true religion consists in believing God when he 
 teaches us, and obeying him when he commands us. 
 
 To discover what he teaches us, and to learn his 
 commands, so that we may be faithful in both re- 
 spects, is our duty ; and this discovery is the result of 
 the investigation of facts, and not of the examina- 
 tion of opinions. The Lord has frequently spoken by 
 
5 
 
 ihe mouths of his Prophets, and finally by the mouth 
 of his beloved Son, who came to fulfil the work of 
 our redemption. When the Lord spoke, he made his 
 revelations manifest to those with whom he convers- 
 ed, and their authority plain to those whom he com- 
 missioned them to teach ; and having thus exhibited 
 his authorised teachers to his people, he required the 
 obedience of that people. Thus when he sent Moses 
 into Egypt, he strengthened him with the power of 
 miracles, and when upon Sinai he gave a law, he 
 thundered before the multitude, and called the teacher 
 up to his presence: upon the authority of Moses, 
 Aaron was consecrated, and the right of his family 
 to the priestly office was confirmed, as well by the 
 blooming of his rod, as by the catastrophe of Core and 
 his adherents. The regular succession was all that 
 was thenceforth necessary to learn, for the purpose 
 of ascertaining in whom was vested the authority to 
 teach, until he should come who was the desired of 
 nations, this other lawgiver whom the father was to 
 raise up to fulfil what was but darkly foreshewn in 
 the institutions of the desert. Hence when even they 
 who held this authority persecuted the Redeemer, he 
 stated the ground of his submission to them in the 
 fact that they sat upon the chair of Moses. Their au- 
 thority expired only with their law, and when that of 
 Jesus Christ succeeded, we find another Priesthood 
 substituted for that of Aaron. ^The Lord hathsivom, 
 and It will not repent hwi, said the Royal Prophet to the 
 Messias, thou art a Priest for ever according to the or- 
 der of Melchisedech : And upon the night before he 
 
 * Psalm 109. v 5. 
 
 P33627 
 
6 
 
 suffered we find him communicate this Priesthood to 
 his Apostles. Then he no longer called them ser- 
 vants, but friends. He made known to them the mys- 
 teries of the the kingdom of God, that they should 
 teach them to the nations of the earth ; for he com- 
 missioned them to go forth to teach all nations, and 
 promised that he and his holy spirit would abide with 
 them all days, to the consummation of the world. 
 As his heavenly father sent him so he sent them, and 
 whosoever should receive them should receive him, 
 and, whosoever should reject them should reject him. 
 
 But as they, being only twelve mortals could not 
 go to all parts of the world, and were not to live all 
 days to its consummation, it became necessary that 
 thcv should associate others to them in their com- 
 mission, as well to provide for the millions then liv- 
 ing as for the generations that were to succeed them : 
 and hence, we find that by prayer and the imposition 
 of hands, they did qualify others, whom they associat- 
 ed to their Apostleship, and sent forth to the work 
 whereunto they had been selected by the Holy Ghost. 
 And thus do we find in the new law the same princi- 
 ple which governed the old ; the authority to teach, 
 and to minister in the Church specially bestowed 
 upon particular individuals by God's appointment, 
 and continued by regular succession to after ages \ 
 and hence no person can assume this authority to 
 himself, but he who is called by God, as was Aaron. 
 And hence the authority to preside and to teach ia 
 tlie Church of God is not derived from talents, nor 
 from w^ealth, nor from worldly power, nor from popu- 
 lar choice, nor even from the piety and virtue of the 
 individual.but from his having been regularly assumed 
 
7 
 
 to the Apostleship, and ordained therefor by some 
 successor of an Apostle who has thereby received 
 his authority from Jesus Christ. 
 
 Amongst those Apostles there was one superior in 
 dignity, pre-eminent in power ; — he whose name the 
 Saviour himself changed to signify his office. * / say 
 unto thee (Simon son of Jona) thou art Peter; and 
 upon this ROCK ( Peter) I will build my Churchy and the 
 gates of Hell shall not prevail against it And to thee 
 will I give the keys of the kingdom of Heaven ; and what- 
 soever thou shalt hind on earth it shall be hound also in 
 Heaven : and ichatsoever thou shalt loose on earth it shall 
 be loosed also in Heaven, And on another, and a me- 
 morable occasion, when he addressed him in the lan- 
 guage of warning and affectionate reproof, he estab- 
 lished his duty of general superintendance. f Simon, 
 Simon, behold Satan hath desired to have thee that he 
 might sift thee as lolieat : hut I have prayed for thee that 
 thy faith fail not. And thou being once converted, confirm 
 thy brethren. And again, when he gave him charge 
 not only of his lambs, but also of the very sheep who 
 were to give spiritual nutriment to those lambs. 
 
 Accordingly we find the Apostle St. Peter filling 
 that place, to which he had been appointed by the 
 Saviour, when after having been converted from his 
 guilt of denial on the very night of the admoni- 
 tion ; he on the day of Pentecost speaks in the name 
 of the rest as their head and their chief; when he 
 works the first miracle, and brings the first increase 
 ofJevvstothe Church; when in his solicitude for 
 
 * Matthew, chap. xvi. v. 18 & 19. 
 
 t Luke, chap. xxii. v. 31 Sc. 32., ' i 
 
s 
 
 the welfare of that Church he proposes to have an 
 Apostle appointed in .the place of Judas who had 
 fallen ; when he, after the divine revelation, first re- 
 ceives the Gentiles into the fold ; and in all things 
 appears to be the rock upon which the spiritual edi- 
 fice of Christianity was reared. The solicitude of 
 the faithful too for him, as their head, is manifested by 
 their continual praver for his safety when he was 
 kept bound by Herod. 
 
 As the Saviour established a Church which was to 
 last to the end of the world, its government was to 
 be co-eval with its existence : and hence Peter was to 
 have a successor who was to possess his power, as 
 Aaron had a successor who was invested with his 
 High-priesthood. The chief Apostle first made the 
 East the great theatre of his exertions, and the City 
 of Antioch was his principal residence during about 
 seven years ; but his zeal, and the necessities of the 
 Church, and the providence of God led him to Rome 
 then the capital of the world, where during twenty- 
 five years he exercised his supreme administration 
 and authority, and crowned a life of exertion by a 
 glorious martyrdom, on the same day that the Doc- 
 tor of Nations, St. Paul, who during many years, 
 had shared his labours, yielded his soul to his Crea- 
 tor. His successors, by occupying his place have 
 preserved his power, and this is now vested in Pope 
 Pius Vllth the present Bishop of Rome. 
 
 Besides the divine authority to which slight allu- 
 sion has been thus made, we have the testimonies of 
 the most venerable authors of the earliest ages of the 
 Church to show the fact, that all Christians looked 
 up to Rome as the mother and mistress of all other 
 
9 
 
 Churches. In that See the apostolic succession has 
 been preserved ; and to the Bishop of that See it 
 appertaitis to provide for the wants of the various 
 parts of the world, which either have not become 
 acquainted with the doctrines of the Redeemer; or 
 knowing his doctrines stand in need of the adminis- 
 tration of his sacraments. 
 
 Your former prelate, the Archbishop of Baltimore, 
 finding that you were at too great a distance from 
 him, applied to the Sovereign Pontiflf to relieve your 
 wants, by giving you a Bishop ; and though our de- 
 serts had not qualified us for the situation, yet our 
 Holy Father has vouchsafed to regard us with a 
 favourable eye, and that the prayer of the Archbishop 
 might be granted, WE have been selected, appoint- 
 ed, consecrated and sent to govern your Church. 
 Thus WE are placed in the midst of you, unworthy 
 as WE are, yet vested with Apostolic power, having 
 through the Holy See received that power from 
 JESUS CHRIST himself. 
 
 We may then address you as our dearest children 
 in Jesus Christ, for we are placed over you as a 
 father to teach you the doctrines of truth, to guide 
 you in the way of salvation, to feed you with the 
 bread of life, and to spend ourselves for your eternal 
 welfare ; as we must render an account for your souls, 
 at his great tribunal, to that father whose unworthy 
 substitute we are, and who has shed his blood to 
 purchase our souls from damnation. In proportion 
 as the dignity of our order is great, so is our respon- 
 sibility awful : and with you beloved children, in a 
 great measure it rests to lighten this burdea. We 
 
shall endeavour, with God's holy assistance to per- 
 form our duty with fidelity and zeal; we intreat your 
 co-operation. We shall point out to you the palh of 
 your duty, We conjure you to walk therein : AVe 
 will place the sacraments within your reach, AVe 
 beg of you through the tender mercy of Jesus 
 Christ to stretch forth your hands, and partake of 
 the celestial banquet: We shall incessantly offer up 
 our humble supplications for you at the throne of 
 grace ; We particularly recommend to you assiduity 
 in the discharge of the great duty of prayer, and trust 
 that when your aspirations and petitions penetrate 
 the clouds of Heaven, the name of him who labours 
 for your welfare may be found embalmed amidst the 
 fragrance which will ascend to the seat of the Most 
 
 m'gh. 
 
 Let Temperance, Justice, Mercy, Benevolence, 
 Charity, Piety, Modesty and Chastity be your char- 
 acteristic virtues; for you are called upon to serve a 
 God of purity and perfeclifW). Do not place confidence 
 in your youth, your strength, your health, nor your 
 riches ; for you are the certain victims of Death ; you - 
 have been sentenced to return to llie dust from which 
 you have been originally taken, and you know not 
 the day, nor tlie hour : wherefore we beseech you 
 to be always prepared, for the Son of Man will come 
 at the moment -vhen he is least expected. 
 
 Your past conduct, and what we have learned of 
 your dispositions, leave no doubt upon our mind of 
 your devotion to the interests of the State, and of 
 your determination to fulfil your duty as citizens. 
 You need not our exhortation on this head. But do 
 
nol deem it presumption in us, who have not yet 
 (he honor of being an American Citizen, to have 
 adverted to the topic ; for were it necessary, it would 
 have been our solemn duty to call upon you for the 
 preservation of the public peace, and the maintain- 
 tainance of those liberal institutions by whish you 
 are so well protected : for w^e are the minister of the 
 God of Peace, who has placed the sword in the 
 hand of the governors for the good of Society. And 
 WE ouRSELF havc for a long time, admired the excel- 
 lence of your Constitution ; and been desirous to 
 behold your Eagle grow in strength and beauty as 
 his years increased ; whether he rested in majesty 
 upon the bases of the wisdom, the moderation and 
 the fortitude of your government ; or lifting himself 
 on the pinions of your prosperity, and surrounded with 
 the halo of your multiplying Stars, fixed his steady 
 eye upon that Sun of rational freedom, which culmi- 
 nates for you, as it departs from the nations of the 
 East. 
 
 We intreat of those within our jurisdiction who 
 may be desirous of having spiritual assistance to 
 make their wants known to us, that we may take 
 the best steps which our limited means will allow, 
 for having them relieved ; and as we cannot at pre- 
 sent completely satisfy either their desires, or our 
 OM;n intentions on this head, we intreat their patience 
 and indulgence until we shall be better able to fulfil 
 the dearest wishes of our heart. But we must also 
 remind them that they who preach the gospel should 
 live by the gospel,* and they who serve the altar 
 
 * II to the Corinth, chap. ix. 
 
12 
 
 should live by the altar. And that it must depend in 
 a great measure upon their own exertions, and the 
 means placed at our disposal whether we shall be 
 able to have them served and ourself gratified : 
 
 t As to the resty Brethren^ he strengthened in the 
 Lord, and in the power of his might. Put ye on the 
 armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against 
 the snares of the deviL Stand therefore, having your 
 loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate 
 of justice, and your feet shod with the preparation of 
 the gospel of peace : In all things taking the shield 
 of Faith, wherewith ye may be able to extinguish all the 
 fiery darts of the most wicked one : and take unto you 
 the sword of the spirit, ivhich is the word of God. — 
 Place your trust in the Lord Jesus, and in the abun- 
 dance of his merits ; stand perfect in every good 
 work: walk as children of liglit; let your example so 
 shine before men in all goodness, that they may glo- 
 rify your Father who is in heaven; so that after this 
 transitory state of trial, the splendour of your virtues 
 may reflect back the glory of Redemption to the 
 throne of your Saviour. 
 
 Peace be unto you^ Brethren, and charity with faith 
 from God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 and the Holy Ghost. Amen, 
 
 1^ JOHN, Bishop of Charleston. 
 Charleston, Jan, \st, 1821. 
 
 t Ephes. chap. vi.