It
A
PASTORAL LETTER
ADDRESSED TO
Utrnhrs of % |)roftsta»f (Sgkopal C{[ttrt{r
IN THE
DIOCESE OF TENNESSEE.
BY THE
KT. KEY. JAMES H. OTEY, D.D.,LL.D.,
BISHOP OF THE DIOCESE.
»
Nasljbtlle, Cenu.:
PRINTED BY A. A. STITT.
1860.
A PRAYER FOR THE INCREASE OF THE MINISTRY.
0 Almighty God, who hast in thy holy Church committed to the hands of men
the ministry of reconciliation, to gather together a great flock in all parts of the
world, to the eternal praise of thy holy name; we humbly beseech thee that thon
wilt put it into the hearts of many faithful men to seek this sacred ministry,
appointed for the salvation of mankind; that so thy Church may rejoice in a due
supply of true and faithful pastors, and the bounds of thy blessed kingdom may
be enlarged; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A PRAYER FOR MISSIONS AND MISSIONARIES.
0 Lord, who didst come to seek and to save the lost, and to whom all power is
given in heaven and in earth, hear, we beseech thee, the prayers of thy Church
for those who, at thy command, go forth to preach,the Gospel to every creature.
Preserve them from all dangers to which they may be exposed; from perils by
land and perils by water; from the deadly pestilence; from the violence of the
persecutor; from doubt and impatience; from discouragement and discord; and
from all the devices of the powers of darkness. And while they plant and water,
send thou, 0 Lord, the increase; gather in the multitude of the heathen; convert,
in Christian lands, such as neglect so great salvation; so that thy name may be
glorified, and thy kingdom come, 0 gracious Saviour of the world, to whom, with
the Father, and the Holy Ghost, be honor and glory, world without end. Amen.
PASTORAL LETTER.
Dearly beloved Brethren:—
You are aware that the General Convention of our
Church met at the city of Richmond, Va., the 5th of last
October, and, after a session of eighteen days, adjourned 011
the 23d of that month. The Journal of its proceedings has
not yet made its appearance. It will be looked for with deep
interest, as containing an authentic record of the acts of one
of the most important ecclesiastical Conventions we have ever
had. The press of business claiming the attention of the
House of Clerical and Lay Deputies prevented the preparation
and presentation of the Report upon the State of the Church
until the fifteenth day of the session. There was not time
then for the Bishops to prepare the Pastoral Letter which
usually follows the close of the General Convention, addressed
to all the members of the Church. Vigorous efforts were
made, the last day of the session, by the House of Bishops, to
meet the demands and reasonable expectations of the Church
in this matter; but intrinsic difficulties, inseparable from such
a work at such a time, prevented its accomplishment. This
deficiency will probably be supplied, in a great degree, by an
address expected from a committee raised by the lower House,
the main object of which is understood to be to call forth a
more active interest on the part of the lay-members of the
Church, and to secure a more liberal devotion of their re¬
sources, both mental and material, than has heretofore marked
their efforts, for extending and deepening'the influences of
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the Gospel of Christ. Important results are expected from
this movement, conceived in an enlightened zeal and an en¬
larged view of Christian duties and obligations.
Considering that the Journal of the Convention has not
yet issued from the press, that there will he no Pastoral
Letter from your Bishops as heretofore, that the Address
above referred to is not yet spread before the public, and that
the time of its appearance is uncertain, it has appeared to me
that I might subserve in some measure the interests of that
portion of the work with which we, as Christians, are more
nearly concerned, by calling your attention to certain proceed¬
ings of our late'General Convention, and to some facts which
were brought out in reports and otherwise in the prosecution
of its work, and the duties which would seem to result there¬
from.
From the Report of the Committee on the State of the
Church, presented and read in the lower House, it appeared
that there were now 291 candidates for orders, being 48 more
than the number reported at the Convention of 1856. The
number of deacons ordained, 281—being 27 more than in
1856; the confirmations in the same time, 43,075—showing
an increase of 12,431; baptisms, 89,044—increase, 18,517;
churches consecrated, 198—or 43 more than reported in 1856;
parishes, 2120—being 295 in excess of the number at the pre¬
ceding General Convention. During the session of the late
Convention, four Bishops were consecrated for dioceses in
union with the Convention, and two missionary Bishops were
elected. Of these last, the Rev. Dr. Henry C. Lay, a pres¬
byter of Alabama, was consecrated to the Missionary Episco¬
pate of the South-west. The Rev. Dr. Joseph C. Talbot, pres¬
byter of Indiana, chosen Missionary Bishop for the North¬
west, has signified his acceptance of the office since the ad¬
journment of the Convention. It is presumed he will proceed
to discharge the solemn and responsible duties to which he
has been called by the voice of Divine Providence, speaking
through the Church, so soon as the requisite arrangements
can be made for relieving.him from parochial obligations, and
order taken by the presiding Bishop for his consecration.
7
Thus provision has been made for placing the whole of our
territory under Episcopal jurisdiction.
Gratifying as the results of our work for the three years
past may he, and encouraging as the view is of the whole
field of Christian enterprise presented to our contemplation,
it is certain that the period when the fulness of the Gentiles
shall come in is yet to dawn upon the world; the joyful news
of "God glorified" in the redemption of men is yet to he
borne to more than one half of Earth's population; and the
tide of the Gospel is yet to be refluent over many countries
which it once covered, and which have long been occupied
by the now feeble but still undemolished Arabian imposture.
In other lands, which it has never wholly deserted, it remains
to be restored to its original freshness and purity; while the
still unconverted and despised of Jacob, probably more
numerous at this time than when they were rejected and
scattered, are yet to be gathered, if not locally to the land of
the patriarchs, at least spiritually into the " one fold of the one
Shepherd." Certainly these things, if there be truth in the
Oracles of God, are yet to be accomplished; and it concerns
us all seriously to reflect and remember that they are to be
accomplished through the slow and indirect process of human
instrumentality.
And when we look over the long tract of ages, during
which this great work has been committed, under Divine
Providence, to the agency of men appointed to the duty of
extending the kingdom of the Redeemer, and then consider
how much, even unattempted, is yet to be done, and how
much that has been done amiss is to be amended, before the
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plain, spiritual designs of the Divine mercy shall be com¬
pleted, and " the whole earth be filled with the knowledge of
the Lord, as the waters cover the sea," can the contemplation
of this great and amazing purpose, so transcendently glorious
as to employ the ministry and draw forth the songs of angels,
in its progress, be attended with other than mingled feelings
on our part of sorrow and shame for the past delinquencies
of the Christian world, and with prayers for grace and strength
to prosecute more vigorously the work before us ?—a work
8
which, when we are gone, will occupy the labors and prayers
of the generations that shall arise in onr stead !
Think not, beloved brethren, that your Bishops and other
clergy are alone concerned in this work. There is a part
which belongs to every individual Christian in it, in his pro¬
per measure and degree, as certainly as he is entitled, through
the free mercy of Christ, to an equal share in the blessings
of redemption, or the bounties of Divine Providence. That
part finds its appropriate sphere of duty in giving heed to
those admonitions of the apostles of .our Lord which more
especially warn believers of all classes, ranks, and conditions,
against " conformity to this world" in its evil maxims and
wicked practices, in its forgetfulness of God, and consequent
neglect of those duties which arise from our relations to him
as our Creator, Redeemer, and final Judge. Under this gen¬
eral view of Christian obligations, nothing was more gratify¬
ing in the proceedings of our late General Convention than
the movement by certain distinguished lay-delegates from
Hew York and Virginia for the appointment of a " committee,
consisting of one layman from each diocese, of whom five
shall constitute a quorum, who shall, during the recess of the
General Convention, devise and carry out such means and
measures as they may deem advisable, calculated to impress
upon them specially the imperative wants of the Church: of
ministers, who must he supplied from their body; of money,
which is more needed than ever, to meet the increased expen¬
ditures of the Church; of earnest and holy zeal in the cause
of Christ, which is needed most of all, and which, if aroused
to its proper tone, will insure the supply of the other needs
referred to." This was a movement, as it was said repeatedly,
made from the right quarter, and in the right direction. It
was sustained by the hearty and unanimous approval and vote
of the House.
You, my brethren of the Church in this diocese, are now
to show how far this same movement shall be seconded by
your efforts. Surely the zeal of the Church will not end in
the adoption of good resolutions. The state of religion among
us, and the state of our country, the preservation of peace as
9
"the stability of our times," and tbe continuance of our ines¬
timable privileges and blessings, require something more than
the expression of our approval of the measures devised to
- save and perpetuate them. If ever there was a period in our
history which called for the clear and open exhibition of that
light by which the sincere Christian walks, and which will
guide, others into safe paths, it is the present. Infidelity in
forms as variant as the peculiarities of mental organization
among men, and as diversified in its operations as their abili¬
ties and tastes, growing out of their education or their asso¬
ciations in life, has become bold and confident, and, on the
day consecrated to religious worship and sanctified by the
hallowed memory of a crucified and risen Saviour, utters its
blasphemies and ribaldry against all that is holy in our faith
and venerable in our worship, in the gratified hearing of hun¬
dreds in every city and principal town in our country. Ro¬
manism, with its delusions, ministering to the superstition ,<of
the ignorant and misguided, and, with its cunning'devices,
holding men in subjection to a priestly domination that seeks
to establish its dominion over the faith, the reason, and thp
consciences of men, is year by year adding to its power by
accessions from the old world. In short, all the heresies and
schisms which have at any time weakened Christianity and
repressed its influence and stayed its progress, appear to have
revived, and, by the activity and zeal of their favorers, increase
the difficulty of gaining access to the minds of the people,
and present serious obstacles to the dissemination of the plain
and simple truth of the Gospel. Underlying all this is an
inordinate and insatiable hunger for gold, stimulating men
into increased activity and energy by the very success that
crowns their efforts to accumulate wealth, and, by supplying
the means of self-indulgence, lulling the soul into a fatal in¬
difference to, and neglect of, its salvation.
From this very brief and by no means exaggerated state¬
ment, we may understand the origin of the ignorance, irreli-
gion, and fanaticism which prevail around us. Following on
these and connected with them, is that restless search for
amusement which seeks for gratification in games of hazard,
10
theatrical entertainments, public balls, and other assemblages
for social hilarity, all which things have been subjects of
yarning and affectionate admonition in pastoral letters from
the House of Bishops in years past. These things can ■
scarcely he considered as matters of indifference by the
members of the Church, after the cautions given against in¬
dulging in them by those who watch for souls. Much less
can they he thought to he innocent when the voice of expe¬
rience is allowed to testify as to their tendency to stifle watch¬
fulness, and their observed fatal influence upon the cultivation
of holy desires and the growth of gracious affections. Yet
they appear to be alarmingly on the increase thoughout the
land, attracting within the sphere of their perilous influence
many of the older members of our communion, and a still
larger number of the young and inexperienced among those
who have been baptized and confirmed.
And here I beg to call your attention to, and to warn you
against, another great and growing evil, which, if not arrested
and checked by the silent influence of example on the part
of Christians* threatens to deprive us of one of our inestima¬
ble privileges. The multiplication of the facilities and in¬
creased rapidity of travel furnished by the construction of
railroads, has not only quickened trade and intercourse into
unknown activity, but has actually enabled men to husband
their time. But instead of using this means of ready and
speedy intercourse as a blessing, it is perverted and abused
like all other favors of Divine Providence, and employed
without hesitation as an instrument to desecrate the Lord's
clay. It is a crying shame that communicants of the Church
are found travelling on the Lord's clay, to the neglect of the
worship and privileges of the sanctuary, with no better plea
for this violation of a canon (41, of 1832) of the Church of
which they are members than that of convenience. I am not
insisting upon any rigidness of observance in this case that
will restrain any one in the performance' of works of necessity
and charity. But the tendency of public sentiment and prac¬
tice is to deprive us of an institution, to the observance of
which in public worship, private prayer and meditation, and
11
other pious uses, we are very greatly indebted for the bless¬
ings of Christianity itself. It is very true that we have an'
earthly nature to sustain and associations to maintain by
mental and corporeal labor. Hence it follows, from this con¬
stitution of our nature, that the body of our religion—that is,
of our love to God and to our neighbor—must consist of a
wakeful sentiment, which recoils instantly from the contact
of evil, and will sound an effectual alarm when dangers
approach (as of necessity they must) in the various and rapid
changes of our worldly engagements. Thus our minds may
be guarded from the incursion of hurtful things, while we are
so much and so necessarily employed about matters that are
indifferent, and destitute of any direct relation to our spiritual
and immortal interests. The religion, therefore, which is
adapted to man's physical and spiritual constitution must be
cherished by positive religious acts and exercises. He that
would not " walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in
the way of sinners," must have " his delight in the law of the
Lord, and in his law exercise himself day and night." It is
only thus by prayer and meditation, and by frequent resort to
the instituted means of grace, that man can procure those
spiritual aids and refreshings which supply power to advance
boldly and resist temptation, or to retreat to a covert from the
coming storm, and enable us to direct our course steadily and
safely amidst the concealed rocks and foaming breakers that
lie in the way of our passage to a haven of rest and peace. Is
it not, then, amazing that myriads of people, redeemed from
sin and death by Christ, and brought within reach of the
means of grace, fully perceiving and sometimes acknowledg¬
ing the stupendous fact in which all the operations of their
spiritual existence and improvement have their beginning and
end, "pass the time of their sojourning here," not "in fear,'"
but in utter indifference and unconcern, thinking and acting,
living and (lying, as if, short-lived, short-sighted, and impo¬
tent as they are, the universe disclosed no power superior, and
heaven were but a painted ceiling, hung with lamps to light
them through their vain and ephemeral career! To apply all
this to the particular subject of our warning, let us remember
12
that from the time of man's creation a Divine appointment
had consecrated, and, ever since the work of man's redemp¬
tion was consummated, the practice of the Christian Church
has set apart one day in seven from all worldly and unhal¬
lowed uses, to the care and memory of man's immortal inter¬
ests: an appointment which regularly and at once ought to
assemble the millions of the peopled earth, from all the nations
under heaven, to render the homage of prayer and praise to
the Creator, Saviour, and Comforter, and to offer worship and
thanksgiving and praise for the multiplied blessings of provi¬
dence and grace. And now think, my beloved brethren, what
direful consequences would result if, on this day of sacred
rest, appropriated to purposes so high and holy, the churches
of this vast country were all closed, and the population in all
our cities and towns, in our valleys, and spread abroad on our
plains, "young men and maidens, old men and children,"
instead of being gathered together to " praise the Lord," were
turned loose to work the devices of sin, and to follow the
promptings of the carnal heart in its alienation from God!
Against the beginnings of an evil so fraught with injury to
the best interests of piety, and with mischief to the dearest
hopes of our common country, I make my earnest protest;
and I pray you to sustain me, not only by your approval in
word, but by your example, in keeping holy the Lord's day!
The facts which I have already laid before you, as reported
to the General Convention by the Committee on the State of
the Church, furnish both the motive and the reason for your
vigorous cooperation in all those measures recommended for
the extension of the Church, and for the liberal support of
those agencies which are indispensable in the prosecution of
her proper work. I will here mention some additional facts,
the due consideration of which will probably assist 3'ou to a
right understanding of what 3'our duty is, and what the ex¬
tent of your obligations.
The number of ministers belonging to the Church is a little
over 2000. Of these, it may be assumed, upon a loose esti¬
mate, that between 400 and 500 are not employed in the active
duties of the ministry. The number of communicants re-
13
ported is about 140,000. These have contributed for Domestic
Missions from October, 1858, to October, 1859, $60,800, in
round numbers. Of the 32 dioceses in our ecclesiastical con¬
federation, 26 have contributed larger amounts than Ten¬
nessee, and 6, smaller amounts. Tennessee contributed
$182 50 during the year 1859, and received from the Do¬
mestic Committee, for the same time, $1300, to distribute to
her missionaries. Of 22 organized parishes in the diocese, 7
made the contribution reported. The remaining 15 contri¬
buted nothing. The simple statement here given from au¬
thentic records furnishes the only commentary that need
be made upon the facts; and supplies, perhaps, the strongest
argument and the most forcible appeal that can be made to
your sense of duty.
The amount appropriated for the current year to missions
in Tennessee, by the Domestic Committee, is $1300. This
has been distributed among five clergymen, all of whom have
families to support, and whose maintenance is derived chiefly
from this source. There are now four clergymen besides, in
charge of parishes or missionary stations, for whose assistance
there are no funds placed at my disposal, except a very small
sum in the treasury of the Diocesan Missionary Society. I
have applied to the Domestic Committee for an additional
appropriation of $500, and have received for answer that they
have it not to give. All other quarters to which I have turned
for assistance have failed. Will you also fail your Bishop in
this extremity, when you remember that he has devoted
twenty-six of the best years of his life to your service ? That
is a matter of small consideration, when you think of Him
who died for you. Will you withhold from Him when he
comes to you, in the person of his laboring ministers and suf¬
fering Church, and " charges you to be ready to give and glad
to distribute ?"
The Committee on the State of the Church deplore, as
most discouraging fact, that the number of candidates for
orders is so small out of the 43,000 persons confirmed in the
last three years, and we are earnestly exhorted to "pray the
Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers into his harvest."
14
"We have been, for years past, beseeching God, by his Holy
Spirit, to raise up faithful men, and qualify them by his grace
for the office and work of the ministry. And now, so far as
this diocese is concerned, (which seems to have suffered
so severely in the loss, by death, of its clergymen in years
past,) when our prayers have been answered, and young men
of piety and good report offer themselves for the work of the
Lord, how have we met our corresponding duty? We have
at this time three candidates for orders pursuing their studies
at hTashotah. One of these is supported by contributions from
two congregations in the diocese, St. Luke's Church, Jackson,
and St. James' Ch'urch, Bolivar. Two other candidates are
engaged in the business of instruction, for the support of
themselves and families. Five others offer themselves for the
ministry, but have not the means of support while prosecut¬
ing their studies at home, and cannot pay the expenses of a
collegiate and theological education.
This is a plain statement of the case. I appeal to those in
the diocese who make up a part of the 140,000 communicants
of the Church in the United States, for means to aid, if not
all, at least some of those who seek to enter the ministry. I
ask it for the sake of Christ and his Church. And when I
consider the ease with which large sums of money, even
hundreds of thousands of dollars, are readily contributed for
the construction of railroads, to provide accommodations for
stock and visitors at our annual fairs, to erect magnificent
hotels, to build theatres, and to construct steamboats; when
I hear of the thousands which are given to garnish sepul¬
chres for the dead; when I witness the profuse expenditures
upon mere objects of taste and instruments of luxury, by
professed Christians, I almost persuade myself that a liberal
response will be made to this call, and that the amount, in¬
significant in'comparison, necessary to enable those offering
themselves for the work of the ministry to qualify and pre¬
pare themselves for their holy calling, will be readily and
cheerfully given. "To do good, and to distribute, forget not;
for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." "Let every
man do according as he is disposed in his heart, not grudg-
15
ingly, or of necessity; for God loveth a cheerful giver." I
would state, in this connection, that a Society for the Increase
of the Ministry, national in its design and objects, has been
formed in the diocese of Connecticut; and that I heartily
commend it to the liberal support and confidence of the
members of our communion in this diocese.
I cannot let this opportunity pass without calling to your
notice the threatening aspect which our civil affairs have
assumed,, and offering a word of earnest entreaty and affec¬
tionate counsel. Dark clouds, portentous of evil, have from
time to time, in years past, gathered in our political horizon,
and excited the most painful apprehensions in the mind of
the patriot. By the gracious Providence which seems ever to
have watched over this country, these clouds have dispersed,
and the counsels of wise and good men have prevailed, and
have averted or removed the dangers and disasters that im¬
pended over us. Late events demonstrate most clearly how
extensive and fearful the agitation, and how direful the con¬
sequences, which a few wicked and fanatical men, under the
pretext of philanthropy and religion, can bring upon a whole
community. Let us never forget, dear brethren, the words of
the apostle: " The wisdom that is from above is first pure,
then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and
good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And
the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make
peace." O, if all the professed Christians of this favored but
now distracted land did but remember and give heed to these
words of heavenly wisdom, how speedily would the agita¬
tions of the country be stilled, the fears of the patriot be
calmed, and our unhappy divisions healed ! For these things,
dear brethren, labor diligently by your prayers, by your words,
by your deeds. There is a mighty and almost irresistible in¬
fluence exerted by the quiet, orderly, and peaceable deport¬
ment of an humble-minded and good Christian. And when
to this are added good deeds, alms, and prayers for God's
overruling and protecting providence, who can number the
blessings which such faith and charity may bring down upon
a community, a nation, and the world? The Church of which:
16
yon are members teaches you to pray daily " for all in au¬
thority," for the "unity, peace, and concord of all nations,"
and that "the course of the world maybe so peaceabty or¬
dered that the Church may joyfully serve God in all godly
quietness." "Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of
good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of
love and peace shall be with you."
Your faithful friend and affectionate pastor,
JAMES H. OTEY,
Bishop of Tennessee.
Memphis, December 15, 1859.
A PRAYER IN TIME OF PUBLIC CALAMITIES, DANGERS, OR
DIFFICULTIES.
0 most mighty God! King of "kings, and Lord of lords, without whose care
the watchman waketh but in vain, we implore, in this our time of need, thy suc¬
cor and blessing in behalf of our rulers and magistrates, and of all the people of
this land. Remember not our many and great transgressions; turn from us the
judgments which we fear; and give us wisdom to discern, and courage to attempt,
and faithfulness to do, and patience to endure, whatsoever shall be well-pleasing
iu thy sight; that so thy cliastenings may yield the peaceable fruits of right¬
eousness, and that at the last we may rejoice in thy salvation, through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.