//. 10 :o ^ •^ ^ '^% ®to%ra| ^ ^^fi PRINCETON, N. J. % % Presented by~^'S\i -"^ • Ss rY?\-Aa.Q\ ^Vn BX 6093^078 C78 1878 Cummins, George D. 1822- 1876. Memoir of George David Qummins . D . D . ^^r:^r^^-^^^^ C^^^z^^^ ^^^^^ MEMOIR OF George David Cummins, d.d. FIRST BISHOP OF The Reformed Episcopal Church. BY HIS WIFE. A\\^'/^/ PER ARDUA "They that turn many to righteousness shall shine as the Stars forever and ever." — Dan. 12 : 3. PHILADELPHIA: E. CLAXTON & COMPANY, 930 Market Street. AND REFORMED EPISCOPAL ROOMS, 931 Arch Street. Copyright, 1878, by A. M. CUMMINS. TO THE BISHOPS, CLERGY, AND LAITY REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH, AND TO THE DEAR FRIENDS IN THE Protestant Episcopal Church, who love and cherish His Memory. THIS RECORD OF THE LIFE OF THEIR BISHOP, AND LOVING FRIEND, IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED. NOTE. A WELL-KNOWN, and greatly-admired author says: "There is a moment of profound discouragement which succeeds to prolonged effort ; when the labor, which has become a habit, having ceased, we miss the sustaining sense of its compan- ionshio. and stand, with a feeling of strangeness, and embar- rassment, before the abrupt and naked result.' With this feeling, and a keen sense of how unworthily this labor of love has been accomplished, the writer sends forth the result of months of uninterrupted work. To the severer voices of strangers, as well as to the gentler judgment of friends, these pas:es are submitted by the author, trusting that whatever may be their decision regarding them, their accuracy will not be lost sight of. A. M. C. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. yAoft Early Days and College Life, I3 CHAPTER II. The Young Circuit Rider, ........ 19 CHAPTER in. Preparation Work, . ,.,,.,,. 32 CHAPTER IV, Life in Norfolk, 39 CHAPTER V. Life in Norfolk, Continued, ........ 49 11 CONTENTS. CHAPTER VI. PAGE Life in Norfolk, Continued, 55 CHAPTER VII. Call to Richmond 64 CHAPTER VIII. Resigns Christ Church, Norfolk, 71 CHAPTER IX. Work in Richmond, 77 CHAPTER X. Call to Washington 87 CHAPTER XI. Life in Washington, 93 CHAPTER Xn. More Earnest Work, I03 CONTENTS. Ill CHAPTER XIII. PAGE Call to New York, H2 CHAPTER XIV. Other Souls to Win — Call to Baltimore, 122 CHAPTER XV. Labor in a New Field, 135 CHAPTER XVI. In Labors Abundant 149 CHAPTER XVn. First Visit to Europe — Letters to his Children, .... 155 CHAPTER XVIIL Return Home, 175 CHAPTER XIX. Call to San Francisco, Cal., rti IV CONTENTS. CHAPTER XX. PAGE Another Home, i88 CHAPTER XXI. Life in the Great West, IQT CHAPTER XXII. Sowing the Seed, . 209 CHAPTER XXIII. Work for Jesus, 225 CHAPTER XXIV. Work in 1865-66, 236 CHAPTER XXV. Election to the Episcopate, 243 CHAPTER XXVI. The Bishopric Accepted, 256 CONTENTS. V CHAPTER XXVII. PAGE Consecration and Work, 265 CHAPTER XXVIII. A Stand for the Truth— 1868, 284 CHAPTER XXIX. General Convention, 296 CHAPTER XXX. Correspondence with Bishop Whitehouse — 1869, . . . 307 CHAPTER XXXI. Correspondence, Continued, 321 CHAPTER XXXII. Letters to Bishop Bedell, 330 CHAPTER XXXIII. After the Darkness, Light, 348 VI CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXXIV. PAGE Inhibition of Bishop Whitehouse, 357 CHAPTER XXXV. Home Life, 3^9 CHAPTER XXXVI. Work in 1870, 380 CHAPTER XXXVII. Visit to New York and Conferences, ...... 394 CHAPTER XXXVIII. Reformed Episcopal Church 410 CHAPTER XXXIX. The First General Council, ....... 430 CHAPTER XL. Work in the Reformed Episcopal Church, 447 CONTENTS. VU CHAPTER XLI. PAGE Work in Reformed Episcopal Church, 1875, Contintud, . . 475 CHAPTER XLH, The End, 517 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. CHAPTER I. EARLY DAYS AND COLLEGE LIFE. "We know him now, all narrow jealousies Are silent ; and we see him as he moved : How modest, kindly, all-accomplished, wise, With what sublime repression of himself ! * * * * * Wearing the white flower of a blameless life Before a thousand peering littlenesses." GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS was born neai the town of Smyrna, Del., December nth, 1822. His father's family came to this country from Scotland, and settled at Oxford, near Easton, Md., on the Chesapeake Bay. It was at that time a shipping port of importance. From Oxford several members of the family removed to Delaware and Pennsylvania. Two of the uncles of the subject of this memoir settled in Philadelphia, and became prom- inent shipping and commission merchants. The father of Bishop Cummins, Mr. George Cummins, purchasea land in Delaware, and there he lived all his life. He occupied prominent positions in the State, and was a member of the Legislature for many years. Early in life he married the daughter of Governor Collins. 14 GEORGE DAVID CUMMfNS. She lived but a few months, and for many years he remained a widower. When quite an old man, he married the daughter of the Rev. John Durborow, and granddaughter of Major Hammond, of Howard County, Maryland. Being a man of fortune and leisure, he took great delight in relieving the wants of the poor around him. He was the physician to all who were unable to send for many miles for a medical man, and ministered constantly to the sick both in supplying medicines and delicate food. Hos- pitable and generous, his house was always open to guests, whom he was rarely without. He was a large slave-holder, but set them all free before his death, and to the older ones gave each a house, and land sufficient to support them as long as they lived. He was a member of the Protestant Episcopal Church. The mother of Bishop Cummins was very much younger than her husband. Her ancestors came from Enofland, and settled in Tennessee and Delaware. She was a very handsome woman and an earnest, consistent Christian, generous and loving, and ad- mired and esteemed by all who knew her. By this marriage Mr: Cummins became the father of four children — Sarah Collins, the eldest, now residing in Smyrna, Del. ; Fannie, who married Robert Hill, Esq., of Smyrna; George David; and John, the youngest, who died in infancy, and lies beside his father in the graveyard near Smyrna. The subject of this memoir was the third child of George and Maria Cummins, and received the name of his father and a beloved uncle, who was appointed by the Court, guardian to the three children after the death of their first guardian, Mr. John Cummins. EARL V DA YS AND COLLEGE LIFE. I 5 Bishop Cummins was deeply attached to his birth- place, and during his life enjoyed visiting there greatly. When four years of age his father died, leaving his young family to the care of his wife and brother. After Mr. Cummins's death Mrs. Cummins re- moved to Smyrna, and in the autumn of 1833 the three children were sent to school in Newark, Del. Mr. Cummins was placed under the care of the Rev. Mr. Russell, a Presbyterian minister, who kept a school in Newark. He was then eleven years of age, and his sisters were in the school of the Rev. Mr. Bell, a Presbyterian minister also. Here the Bishop re- mained until he was old enough to enter college. Through the influence of his mother he was sent, at the early age of fourteen years, to Dickinson Col- lege, at Carlisle, Pa. The testimony of all who knew him when a child is, that he was remarkably gentle and loving in his disposition, yet very bright and in- telligent, and fond of study. He remained at Dick- inson College until he graduated. The law was the profession he had chosen ; but when, in his seventeenth year, he gave his heart to the Lord, he decided to study lor the ministry. We have no letters written during his earliest school-days in Newark ; the first in our possession bears the date of November 21st, 1838, before his conversion. It is written to his eldest sis- ter. He says : " Have you heard the Rev. Mr. Bas- com preach ? He is certainly one of the most elo- quent pulpit orators in the United States. " In another letter he speaks of " studying very hard. We have a very large number of students, and the college is in 1 6 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. a thriving- condition." The President, Rev. Dr. Dur- bin, and Professor Allen, now President of Girard College, Philadelphia, as also Professor Caldwell, were warm friends of the young student. His letters at this time are marked by the same bright, cheerful spirit that so distinguished him in later years. The warm, loving heart beat then, as it' ever did, with tender love to each member of his family, as well as to his boyhood's friends. In a letter dated April, 1839, he speaks of a great revival going on in Dickinson College, over one hundred having united with the church. It was at this time he gave his heart to God and joined the Methodist Episcopal Church, entering on a life of earnest love and faithful labor for Christ. Soon after this consecration of himself to the Lord he was obliged to leave college : his health had been in- jured by intense application to study for nearly three years. On the first page of a journal commenced at that time he writes : " My state of health at present is certainly an unenviable one. Exiled from college by a disease of the heart, within a few months of my graduation, I am forbidden to engage in any bodily exertion or mental study." In a letter written to his sister, from Philadephia, March 4th, 1840, he says : " I went to-day to consult Dr. Samuel Jackson ; from him I learned sad news. He says there is an enlargement of the heart, and that I should by no means return to college ; that it will take eighteen months or two years to relieve me ; that by taking great care I might recover, but if I do not I could live but a short time." This was a se- vere trial to the young and ardent student, but he EARLY DAYS AND COLLEGE LIFE. ^7 bore it with the same sweet spirit so fully and fre- quently manifested in after-life. Mr. Cummins rested from all study until Decem- ber 1st, 1840, when he once more returned to Car- lisle. In a letter bearing that date he says : " I arrived here yesterday, in the evening, having accomplished the journey from Baltimore in one day ! Stewart had reserved my room for me, and here I am snugly ensconced as I was a year ago. The students and faculty received me most kindly, and seem to be very glad to have me back again. Professor Caldwell kept my name on the catalogue There are'many new students, and some very wicked ones. I pray I may be kept from sinning. ' ' Mr. Cummins's mother had married the Rev. Jo- seph Farrow, a Methodist Episcopal minister, and had removed to Baltimore. This was his home for several years, where he spent the time when not at college or on the circuit. To his eldest sister his letters were chiefly written at this time. In one, dated Carlisle, February 13th, 1 84 1, he writes : " My health is very much improved, and lately I have felt very well. I find studying agrees with me, and I hope to take a good place in my class at Commencement." And again, June ist, 1841 : " My health is good. To-day we pass our final examination of the whole course. Our exami- nations have been very rigid, lasting eight and nine days." He was a member of the Philosophical Society, and on July 5th, 1841, he delivered an ad- dress before that society entitled " Knowledge an l8 GEORGE DA VID CUMMINS. Insufficient Guide to Individual or National Con- duct. On July 8th, 1841, Mr. Cummins graduated with great honor, in a class of twenty-three'. He deliv- ered the "valedictory oration," and received the degree of B.A. On the nth July, 1844, he received that of A.M. CHAPTER II. THE YOUNG CIRCUIT-RIDER. " Let Truth's pure girdle belt thee round, Let Christ's own Righteousness complete Protect thy breast, and be thy feet With Gospel fitness bound ; Thy shield be Faith's unchanging light, Salvation's hope thy helmet bright." Aged 20. IN March, 1842, Mr. Cummins was appointed by the Baltimore Methodist Episcopal Conference to the Bladensburg Circuit, in the State of Mary- land. He was then only a licentiate. Those who knew him then remember him as so youthful in appearance, that no one would have thought he was prepared for the duties of a minister of the Gospel. From Bladensburg he writes to his sister Sarah : " I have just returned this morning from our quar- terly meeting. On Tuesday morning I rode to my appointment at Pleasant Grove ; on Wednesday, to the Union meeting-house ; on Thursday, to a chapel about sixteen miles from here. I had an appointment on Friday morning, and we continued the meetmg from that time. I preached on Friday morning, and in the evening again. Saturday, Brother Wilson from Washington preached in the morning, and Brother Coffin at night. On Sunday morning we had our 20 GEORGE DA VID CUMMINS. love-feast, and Brother Wilson preached again. I was to have preached in the evening, but a large number of colored people came to the meeting, enough to fill two churches, and I offered to preach to them in the open air. Accordingly we went a short distance into the woods, and I stood on a chair under a cedar-tree, and preached to them. I should think there were a thousand present, and, as you may sup- pose, 'A Shout in the Camp ' ! I have now been around the circuit, and have found it very pleasant." His fondness for the country was always very marked. Even at this early period in his ministerial life he writes enthusiastically of the green fields, beautiful gardens, and leafy forests, and rich wheat- fields, in strong contrast with the brick houses and stone pavements of the city. He dwells upon the sweet freshness of country life, and compares it with the excitement, bustle, and confusion of city life, and yet his life-work was begun and ended almost in the great cities. When he pos- sibly could he sought the quiet and rest of a country home, yet he felt that in the great centres of our country his work was to be accomplished. He was ever happiest in his home, and surrounded by those so tenderly loved. In this his first year of ministerial work, while among strangers, he writes : " How delightful will it be to step into the cars again with my face turned homeward !" Again he writes from his home in Bladensburg, Md., May 8th, 1843 : " Re- member me to each member of my Sunday-school class, I intended writing before this, but my en- gagements have kept me more constantly at work than usual. I am glad to say that for some time past my THE YOUiVG CIRCUIT-RIDER. 21 health has been better ; I have not felt so much debili- tated, and I still hope I may become much stronger. " The young and earnest preacher does not in these extracts give his sister an idea of how much he suffered. His was too unselfish a spirit to allow his suffering to depress those he loved. While thus speaking hopefully of his state of health, many hours of the day were passed in severe pain. The trouble of the heart, years before detected by one of Amer- ica's most eminent physicians, still brought with it much physical disturbance, though the out-door life he led as a " circuit rider," did much towards strengthening his whole system. Indeed, gradually he grew much better, and in after-life attributed this favorable change to the two years he spent in almost constant exercise in the open air, on horseback. Thirty-four years of laborious "preacher-life" were given him, and in all that time he was only confined for a day or two to his bed. Even the last illness was short. His was a busy life. Active, earnest, enthu- siastic, he did everything with his whole soul. An eminent Scotch physician said of him in 1862 : " It is this intense nervous activity that makes Dr. Cummins the preacher he is." In the routine of his early minis- terial life in a small village, going from chapel to school-house, holding services for the simple folk who formed in great part his congregations, he was as careful in preparing his sermons, and as earnest in their delivery, as when he ministered to great con- gregations made up of the most cultured and intellec- tual people in the land. He writes in July, 1843, thus of his work : " Everything seems to be opening be- fore us most encouragingly. We have appointed two 22 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. camp-meetings, one on the 4th August, the other on the 1 8th. We celebrated the 4th July by a Sunday- school gathering in a grove near the chapel. We had a beautiful procession of children, though the school has been established but two or three months. In the afternoon we had a temperance-meeting. The Rev. Mr. French of the Protestant Episcopal Church, living in Washington, and formerly chaplain to Con- gress, spoke. I addressed the people first, and Mr. French followed." In another letter he says: "I have been to Washington several times since I wrote you. Bladensburg is but six miles from the Capital. I have been through the Capitol and tfie grounds, and visited the halls of the Senate and House of Repre- sentatives." In a letter dated September 13th of the same year he gives a full account of his duties in the " circuit," " preaching almost every day, and so much engaged as not to have time for writing." In this letter he speaks of having had the opinion of two physicians as to his health ; but though suffering all the time, his earnest faithfulness carried him through all his duties. The next letter from which we quote is written on the young preacher's birthday, Decem- ber nth, 1843. He says ; " Just twenty-one ! What a crowd of thoughts pass through my mind on writing these words ! I think of my history — the life I have lived, the scenes through which I have passed, the calling in which I am now engaged — and of the future, what I shall yet be ; what will be the character of the rest of life's pilgrimage which lies before me, and whether the ivorld zvill be any better and happier from the fact that a man-child zvas born into the zvorld December 1 1///, 1822 ! Who can tell ? The dark Future answers THE YOUNG CIRCUIT-RIDER. 23 not. But my own spirit can answer through the aid of the Divine Spirit, it shall be so. May God grant it I I am a winter-child, and not a 'summer-child,' as Miss Bremer so beautifully expresses it. Twenty-one years gone ! How fast life is going ! Yet this is but the entrance to life. Who can tell whether I shall live twenty-one years more ? Let me then be ' up and doing.' But life is not to be estimated by the num- ber of years, but by the amount of work done. Some do not die too soon at my age. Their work is done, their mission accomplished." He was ever most anxious to labor unceasingly for the Master he so truly loved. Even at this early age the applause and praise were given him which reached him in so large a measure in later years ; but it did not seem to affect him : his one thought and aspiration seemed to be " to work for Jesus." Could he have had a slight vision of his labor and its end in the years that were to come, we believe he would have started back appalled ; for his was a most sensi- tive, loving nature which shrank from expressing an opinion that would be painful to others. Bold v a high degree in the pulpit, he never held back tn© truth, however deep it might wound ; but socially he was the most tender, loving man, equally so to the lowly beneficiary of his church, as to the little Sun- day-school or parish scholar. Few young men of twenty-one would have written these earnest, heart- searching words on their bi rthdays. In all his letters written at this time he tells of his work. His thoughts seem to have been constantly oc- cupied with his duties. In one he gives an account of services held at Nottingham, Emory Chapel, and 24 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. in Calvert County, at a revival ; of his duties on the Sundays in Bladensburg ; of his riding many miles in a severe snow-storm, etc. He further writes: " Monday was the day for the opening of Congress, and I re- solved to be present. I rode from Col. J.'s to Wash- ington, and paid my first visit to Congress. Need I say I was delighted ? The day was fine, the crowd of people at the Capitol immense. I succeeded in getting a seat, and beheld the beautiful spectacle. The hall, noble as it is, looked more so with its crowded galleries and all the members in their seats. It was a brilliant sight. I remained an hour or more, and was present at the election of the Speaker. I saw the principal members, but conspicuous among all was the time-bared head of John Quincy Adams, the noblest of them all." Again he writes : " Last week I had a protracted meeting for the colored people in and around Bladensburg." In this letter he mentions receiving the " Baltimore Sun" early in the morning, and says : " Since the order of the Postmaster-Gen- eral was received, the Siin is caried from Baltimore to Washington in a buggy, and passing through Bladens- burg we can get it early." "Christmas," he con- tinues, " is very near at hand, and I shall not be with you all. How I should like to enjoy the ' lectures ' this season in Baltimore ! I expect to deliver one here during the winter. A son's warmest love to mother. Think of me and pray for me. Snow is in plenty, and circuit-riding is not in winter what it is in summer." The beginning of the year 1844 found the young minister busy at work. January i6th he says : " Went Sunday to my appointments, preached twice and THE YOUNG CIRCUIT-RIDEK. 2$ returned ; Wednesday preached once, so on Thurs- day and Friday ; and again on Sunday preached three times. My health is much better. So much for a Hfe in the woods and the free air of heaven." In a letter dated March ist, written in Baltimore to his sister Sarah, he saj'S : " Here I am at home at last, — the year over with all its toil and care, — and journey- ing and preaching, waiting for the trumpet which shall summon me to the war again ! It would take me a long time to tell you all I have thought and felt, and enjoyed and suffered, since I began my work in Bladensburg ; suffice it to say I have bidden good- by to all the good people in the ' circuit,' and finally wound up by jumping into the cars yesterday even- ing, and soon found myself in the loved City of Mon- uments, and not long after was at home, shaking hands with the dear ones there and feeling as happy as a school-boy returning for the holidays." He adds : '' On Monday I start for my native State, the home of my boyhood." On April 9th, 1844, he writes to his sister from Charlestown, the county town of Jefferson County, (now) West Virginia, where he had been appointed by the Baltimore Conference for the second year of his licentiate : " According to promise, my dear sister, I take the first moment to tell you of my new home. It seemed harder to part from you than when I first left home. I cannot get used to being away from home ; itinerant life con- flicts wonderfully with flesh and blood. I feel some- times like casting anchor in a peaceful, quiet harbor ; the thought of never having ' a local habitation ' and a home has ever been sad to me, and throws a deep shade over life." Thus early did the young minister 26 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. yearn for the home and fireside he so fully enjoyed and appreciated ; thus early did his mind turn to the plan that was so soon to be carried out, of uniting with a Church which did not require her clergy to travel from place to place. Mr. Cummins always loved the Methodist Church, and among her noblest ministers were some of his dearest friends. Her doc- trines he could always subscribe to, but love for a settled home, and a high admiration for her Liturgy, led him a year later to unite with the Protestant Epis- copal Church, then so simple in her ritual. Journeying from Baltimore to Virginia, he gives a full description of the wild yet exquisite scenery about Harper's Ferry, which he had never seen be- fore, and then adds : " I arrived in Charlestown about two o'clock, and received a warm welcome from Bro- ther Gere and his family. You will want to know how I like my new home. I cannot tell you yet, as I left at once to meet my appointments. It is quite a pretty town, superior to Bladensburg. I rode Sat- urday ten miles to my station, and preached twice on Sunday to good congregations. The churches are nice brick buildings, and the country pretty." The summer of 1844 Mr. Cummins was left in charge of the " circuit," as his colleague and superior, the Rev. Mr. Gere, was absent for a two months' vaca- tion. It was at this time that the fame of the young preacher drew crowds from all parts of the county to hear him. His letters are filled chiefly with ac- counts of his work, preaching day after day at the stations ; busy, earnest, energetic, he never missed an appointment no matter what the weather was. In pouring rains, blinding snow-storms, or under the THE YOUNG CIRCUIT-RIDER. 2/ scorching rays of the midsummer sun, he might have been seen, mounted on his fine black horse " Char- ley," riding miles to meet an engagement. His heart was in his precious work! September 7th, 1844, he says : " Since I wrote you last I have been so much engaged that I scarcely know how I have lived. One thing I do know, that I have lived in the woods a great part of the time ! I have just finished with our fourth camp-meeting. The first was at Harper's Ferry, the next was on the Winchester Circuit ; the third was held in the Hillsborough Circuit, in Loudon County, and was a delightful one. The families are for the most part people of wealth and refinement. They seem attached to me, and wish me to be with them next year. My last camp-meeting was our own, and was most pleasant. We are to have another in the woods, to commence next Friday. This will wind up for this year. Hereafter we will confine ourselves to ' temples made with hands.' " This summer he took a delightful trip to Niagara Falls, and enjoyed it as only such natures as his can enjoy the beauty of God's handiwork. " Since I visited the Falls," he writes, " a young lady fell from Table Rock and was in- stantly killed. I was very near falling in the same way reaching over to get a spray of a pine tree, the undergrowth concealing the edge of the preci- pice ! I shall preach in Charlestown twice on Sun- day." The autumn and winter of 1844-45 were passed in a faithful discharge of the duties of a Methodist minister. " The first time I saw Mr. Cummins," writes a friend, " was at a camp-meeting held in Jefferson County. It was in the early part of Sep- 28 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. tember ; the woods were yet rich with their sum- mer dress. 1 shall not soon forget the scene, so novel to my eyes, as we entered the camp-ground. The large space in the centre was arranged for the congregation, during the services, with benches placed as in a church ; beyond these was a wide avenue, and on each side of it at regular distances were heavy poles erected, on which was fastened a small platform. On these the ' camp-fires ' were kin- dled at night. Still beyond this avenue was the row of tents, white as snow and strikingly picturesque. At one end of the camp-ground stood the ' preacher's stand,' with accommodation for many ministers. Around this was a railing. It was late in the after- noon when I arrived with some friends, and already the benches were filled by the large number of per- sons who had gathered from the surrounding coun- try. It was a scene for Europe's great painter, Rem- brandt, who loved to put on canvas just such pic- tures. The strangely weird light from the burning heaps of pine wood on the elevated poles ; the crowd filling all the benches and leaning in groups against the huge forest trees ; the white tents ; and the minis- ters assembled for worship on the platform — all was most impressive. Soon one of Wesley's grand hymns was sung, needing not the rich tones of an organ to reach to a vast distance or to fill the hearts of those present with joy ; for every voice joined in the words, which rose up in sweetest tones to the starry vault above. The service left such an impression upon me that I attended the meeting again on the Sunday morning following with my friends. Mr. Cummins was chosen the preacher for the day, A larger throng THE YOUNG CIRCUIT-RIDER. 29 was present than on Friday night, and all were quietly waiting for the services to commence. The text chosen by the preacher was Acts 7 : 55-60. In glowing terms he pictured the scene of the first mar- tyrdom : the great and beautiful city, the surround- ings of the young Martyr, his audience among the most learned of the world — yet ' were they not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake ;' of the final scene, and the glorious entering of the Martyr into the heaven, the transcendent brightness and beauty of which had just been revealed to him. The face of the young minister was all aglow with the theme occupying his thoughts, and earnestly did he urge upon his hearers the great need of their so living that, if need were, they might thus lay down their lives for the precious Gospel. Frequently dur- ing that winter and the following spring I was priv- ileged to listen to the earnest preaching of Mr. Cummins, and through the power of his persuasive words I was brought myself to ' see Jesus ' and to give my heart to him." "One evening I accom- panied," says the same friend, " an eminent presbyter of the Protestant Episcopal Church from New York City to hear him preach ' of whom so many spoke, ' and although the former was greatly prejudiced against any minister not episcopally ordained, on coming out of the rude log-cabin in which the ser- vice had been held — for at that time there was no church in that neighborhod — he said to me with much feeling, ' If that young man lives, he will be heard of throughout the length and breadth of this land.' " Mr. Cummins was then not twenty-two years of age. Before this his earnest appeals to those who knew 30 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. not Christ had not been without their reward. Many united with the Church, and ascribed their con- version to the preaching of the young itinerant. During this winter the great question presented itself constantly to his mind, i.e., whether he should leave the Methodist Episcopal Church and unite with the Protestant Episcopal Church. His father and grand- father had been members of the Episcopal Church, but his mother and sisters and many loved friends were connected with the Methodist Church. The conflict was for a time severe. He feared the dis- memberment of many ties which bound him to the Methodist Church, and thought many would censure him for leaving the church of his youth and first love. He writes to his sister, under date of March 4th, 1845 : " I have almost lived an age in the last six months. I am perfectly conscious of the importance of the change I contemplate. I have not acted has- tily or without a careful consideration of every mo- tive, every circumstance, every obstacle. The result is tJiat I am Jiappy in my determination ; friends may forsake me, but I trust others may be raised up. I hope I have discharged all my duties faithfully. I have labored very hard. I think this is the best time for me to leave the Methodist Church, as my two years of probation have closed." In another letter he says : " My consolation is that the motives from which I have acted will be sufficient to support me in this trial. I thought at first I would be obliged to enter a Theological Seminary, but from a friend, a very distinguished minister of the Protestant Episco- pal Church, I learn that this will not be necessary. I shall only have to be a candidate for the ministry THE YOUNG CIRCUIT-RIDER. 3 1 and read with a bishop for six months, and then I can be ordained deacon. One thing I have decided on, and that is I shall not apply to Bishop Whitting- ham. I do not like his sentiments. I think Bishop Lee, of Delaware, will be my choice." CHAPTER III. PREPARATION WORK. *' Not many lives but only one have we — One, only one ; How sacred should that one life ever be, That narrow span ! Day after day filled up with blessed toil, Hour after hour still bringing in new spoil." — Bonar. Aged 23. THE next letter we have is dated March 25th, 1845, Wihnington, Del. : " My dearest sister, I arrived here safely this afternoon, and am now at the hotel. 1 called on Bishop Lee, but find he is out of town. There is no bishop at present in Pennsyl- vania, and Bishop Lee has been invited to perform episcopal duty in that diocese. As soon as I see the bishop I will write you. He has a very lovely home on the Brandy wine. I hope the blessing of God may accompany me in all my movements, and that I shall be directed alone by him." April 8th, 1845, he writes again to his sister from Philadelphia : " After presenting my papers, etc., to Bishop Lee, we called on the Rev. Dr. McC, rector of Trinity Church, Wilmington, who is the chairman of the Standing Committee. He told me the mem- bers of the committee resided in different parts of the State, and that it would take some time to assemble them to consider my application for orders ; so I came PREPARATION WORK. 33 here for a little holiday. Bishop Lee invited me to stay with him in his beautiful home ; but I wanted to see cousins M. and D,, and so came to Philadelphia Saturday." He speaks in this letter of having at- tended St. Philip's (Rev. Dr. Neville, pastor) in the morning-, St. Luke's in the afternoon, and St. An- drew's at night. He tells of his friends Bishop and Mrs. L., of their great kindness, and of how " lovely their home is — a perfect Eden." In a letter bear- ing date April 19th, 1845, written in Wilmington, he says : "I write you now from my new home, where I have been domiciled about ten days. I am boarding in a private family, and have a delightful room. I wish I could introduce you into it as it ap- pears just now ! The fire is burning brightly before me, the table at which I am writing is arranged with books and papers in a very student-like manner, and ■ all the furniture is neat and tasteful. I have obtained some flowers for my companions, and some of the roses are blooming very nicely in the window beside me. But the most charming part of all is the magnifi- cient view I have from the windows. The Delaware River is spread before me, and boats of all kinds are constantly passing to and from Philadelphia. You can have no idea how beautiful the scene is ! Thus you see that I am nicely fixed as regards lodgings. Wilmington will be a pleasant residence during the summer. The walks are very beautiful, especially on the banks of the Brandy wine. I have formed a good many acquaintances already, chiefly members of the Episcopal Church. Mrs. L. took me with her one evening to a little gathering. I find, too, some old friends here, Mr. C , Mr. B , and others. The 34 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. most pleasant place to me, however, is the bishop's home. I could not tell you what noble spirits him- self and wife are. They are all sweetness and kind- ness and gentleness. Their home is almost an Eden : it extends to the banks of the Brandy wine, sur- rounded by beautiful trees and shrubbery, and laid out in walks and terraces and lovely beds of flow- ers. I have free access to the bishop's fine library, and shall make good use of it. I have fine opportu- nities for study, and am busily engaged a good part of each day. It is necessary for me to pass three examinations. My first I shall pass in a few days, and the second in a month or six weeks." " I forgot to mention that to-morrow I am to be confirmed in St. Andrew's Church, Wilmington, by Bishop Lee. This is necessary in order that I may enter the Protestant Episcopal Church and be ordained. ' ' In another letter to his sister he refers to the great beauty of Wilming- ton, and of the many friends he had made there. " The society," he says, " in the church is very pleas- ant. The bishop and his family are my kind friends. It is very sweet to visit there. I have visited the old Swedish church, a place of great interest. I am becoming more and more attached to the Protestant Episcopal Church, and love its Liturgy. I was con- firmed last Sunday, and was much interested in the rite. In about five months I shall be ordained." May 1st he writes : " To-day I have passed my first examination. Give my best love to mother, and tell her I must give this month to hard study, and then I will go to see her. Give my love to Mrs. J- ■ and all my friends in Baltimore. I suppose, however, they do not take as much interest in me as they did. PREPARATION WORK. 35 I am satisfied if I can do the Lord's work in the Protestant Episcopal Church." September 5th, 1845, he writes : " I shall remain here a fortnight longer, and then visit you before my ordination. My health is now very good. As the time of my ordination draws nigh, I begin to be anxious to know where my home will be at first. As yet it is all uncertain ; I sometimes think of going to Qhina. What do you think of it ? There is an offer made by two gentle- men of our church to give a thousand dollars a year to a single man to go to China for five years. Shall I go ? Can you do without me for so long ?" In a letter dated September 19th, 1845, he writes to his sister : " The bishop, I am sorry to inform you, has made his plans so that my ordination will be two weeks later than I expected ; it will take place on the 26th instead of the 12th of October. I to-morrow go to Philadelphia to be present at the consecration of Bishop Potter, which will take place on the 23d ; from there I go to New York for a few days, and then return to Wilmington. I shall remain in Wilmington a week after my return in order to pass my last ex- amination, and then I shall be with you. I am sorry you manifest so much opposition to my going to China ; for although I have come to no decision yet, still, if I go, I should regret having you oppose it. I think a life there would be very pleasant. The bishop wishes me to settle in Delaware, and my rela- tives all want me in Smyrna. To resist the earnest wish of the bishop and the desire of my relatives would seem as though I were shrinking from duty, and seeking a place of ease and profit. I am, however perfectly content to await the opening of Providence 36 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. and follow his direction. Immediately after my or- dination I shall take charge of St. Andrew's for two or three weeks, at the request of the bishop during his absence, and after that shall go on to my parish, wherever it may be. Wilmington is more pleasant than ever to me. We have just had a fine horticul- tural exhibition very creditable to my little State. I hope you can come on for a week at the time of my ordination," Under date of October 2d, he says: " I am yet unable to sa}^ where my first home will be, but I am informed that there is a probability of my being called to a parish in Prince George's County, Md. If I am called there, it will be altogether without my seeking. It is an interesting parish, and near where I labored as a Methodist minister ; and my old friends earnestly desire me to be among them again." In another letter, October loth, he speaks of having passed his last examination, and as now ready for ordination. We have before us his ordi- nation papers for deacon's and presbyter's orders. They are both in Bishop Lee's handwriting, and that for deacon's orders declares ' ' that on the twenty-third Sunday after Trinity, on the 26th day of October, 1845, ij^ ^t. Andrew's Church in the city of Wil- mington," he admitted George David Cummins to the Order of deacons. This is dated the same day, " in the sixth year of his consecration." After his ordination, and Bishop Lee's return to Wil- mington, Mr. Cummins went to New York to visit his friends there. He spent several weeks in that city and in Philadelphia. During these visits he preached every Sunday in some of the churches, and PREPARATION WORK. 37 made many friends who were dearly loved by him through life. The spring- of 1846 found him the assistant minis- ter of Christ Church, Baltimore, the Rev. Henry Vandyke Johns, D.D., being the rector. Here began Mr. Cummins's first zvork in the Protestant Episcopal Church. By the side of one of God's cho- sen servants, a man whose life was that of a consist- ent, earnest disciple of Christ — a man of rare love- liness of character and great pulpit ability, and who wielded an influence felt throughout the State, my, throughout the country — the ardent young minister found just the field he desired for his labors. The superior wisdom and judgment of Dr. Johns, coupled with his wide experience, made him a fellow-worker most helpful to his young friend. To his loving coun- sels and wise admonitions Mr. Cummins owed much, and through life he delighted to refer to this year spent with "dear Dr. Johns." Frequently he was heard to say that the intercourse of those months was worth more than aught else to him ; that he felt that what he learned by the side of such a man, so hum- ble yet so learned, so gentle yet so strong in his ad- vocacy of the truth, so wise yet so " like a little child," was beyond price to him in his work as a minister of the Gospel. That year was a most happy one to him. His work absorbed his whole time and attention. In the Sunday-school, among the poor, in the pulpit and out of it, wherever he could aid his beloved brother, there he was to be found. The teachers and scholars of the Sunday-school of Christ Church, Baltimore, became greatly attached to their 38 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. young- pastor, and when he left them they presented him a valuable Oxford Bible, with a loving in- scription upon it as a memento. In the autumn of 1846 he visited New York, and his friends in Vir- ginia. They had not seen him since he left them to go to Wilmington, and they rejoiced to clasp him once more by the hand. Here he remained some days, and then returned to his duties in Baltimore. In a letter dated December 22d, 1846, he writes to a friend, speaking of a severe trial through which he had been called to pass : " And so, if >ye now rely alone on the arm of our Heavenly Father for the future and trust ourselves to his guidance, that future will still be marked by his hand, and will bring to us richer happiness and peace." -lEQR&E ILDAVEH) CUM MUMS CHAPTER IV. LIFE IN NORFOLK. " Come as a teacher sent from God, Charged his whole counsel to declare ; Lift o'er our ranks the prophet's rod, While we uphold thy hands in prayer. " Come as an angel hence to guide A band of pilgrims on their way, That, safely walking at thy side, We fail not, faint not, turn nor stray." James Montgomery. Aged 25. ON the 17th of June, 1847, Mr. Cummins was elected rector of Christ Church, Norfolk, Va. This was, and is still, one of the largest churches in the State. The number of communicants while he was rector was four hundred and fifty, fifty of whom were colored. The church has a constitution by which a board of trustees is elected to manage its affairs, and a rector is chosen by the pew-holders instead of a vestry. Previous to his election, and in response to a cor- dial invitation given by the trustees, Mr. Cummins visited Norfolk and preached for the congregation. An election was held the following week, and he was formally called. Out of the entire number of pew-holders, one hun- dred and ten, only two were opposed to Mr. Cum- 40 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. mins, and this on account of his extreme youth ; but these gentlemen subsequently became his warm friends. On the 24th June, 1847, Mr. Cummins was united in marriage to Alexandrine Macomb, youngest daughter of Hon. L. P. W. Balch, of West Virginia. As there was no Episcopal church within six miles, the ceremony took place in the home of Judge Balch, and in the room in which Mrs. Cummins's parents were married forty years before. Mr. and Mrs. Cummins went to Wilmington, Del., to be the guests of Bishop and Mrs. Lee, and on Sunday, July 6th, Mr. Cummins was ordained by the bishop to the order of presbyters. They left on Monday for their new home in Norfolk, where they were most kindly entertained. Norfolk is not like most American towns, having been settled largely by English fami- lies. It is a quaint old seaport, with nothing of the tiewness that so impresses our friends from England on visiting this country. Old St. Paul's still stands un- injured by time, as it stood in the days of the Revo- lutionary War, marked by cannon-balls when the town was bombarded. Old houses, narrow streets, and quaint buildings gave it in 1847 the appearance of belonging to the " mother-country ;" and in their wide and generous hospitality and warm, loving hearts the people showed themselves children of the old Virginians. Six happy years were passed here by the young minister. In a letter from Bishop Lee, dated June 22d, 1847, he says : " My dear Cummins, I congratulate you upon the mark of confidence which you have received from the parish of Christ Church, Norfolk. I should suppose it to be an important and LIFE IN NORFOLK. 4I interesting parish. I think you have acted rightly in accepting the call, and trust that the connection will be pleasant alike to pastor and people, and produc- tive of those blessed fruits for which the ministry was established." One of his dearest friends, a trustee of Christ Church and an eminent lawyer, writes thus : " Norfolk, June 23, 1847. " My Dear Friend : I write now only to say that I most heartily rejoice that you have decided to accept the responsi- ble charge of our congregation, and, as far as I can see, I think it is the Lord's doing. May He fill you with a double portion of His spirit, and give you for your reward many precious souls ! I should have regarded your refusal as a serious evil to the church, and well calculated to disturb our peace. ' ' During his pastorate in Norfolk Mr. Cummins had the support and co-operation of men in his church who were truly friends and pillars of strength — men of culture and high social position, and of ear- nest piety. It was a happy home to the young pastor, and he entered on his work with all the ardor of his nature. He was welcomed at this time by his be- loved bishop (Meade) in these words : " Millwood, July 27, 1847. " Reverend and Dear Brother : Your letter inclosing your dimissory papers is received, and I welcome you into the diocese of Virginia, and pray that you may have grace to serve the large and interesting congregation committed to your charge with wisdom and holy zeal. I hope to be with you in November. Present my kind regards to Mrs. C , and believe me to be your friend and elder brother in Christ, " William Meade." 42 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. Early in the autumn of 1847 ^^ earnest spirit per- vaded the congregation ; many came to ask, ' ' What shall I do to be saved ?" The eloquent, heart-search- ing sermons of their pastor had entered into their souls. Two confirmations were held, one by Bishop Meade, the other by Bishop Johns. The classes were large ; among them was Virginia Hale Hoffman, wife of the Rev. Cadwalader Colden Hoffman, of New York, and one of the missionaries of the Prot- estant Episcopal Church to Cape Palmas, West Africa. Her memoir was written by her loving pas- tor while he was rector of Trinity Church, Washing- ton. In the letters Mrs. Hoffman wrote from Africa she speaks frequently, and in tenderest terms, of all she owed her beloved pastor. It was remarked by strangers in coming to Norfolk how many old men there were in Christ Church ! It was remarkable to see these white-haired men sitting Sunday after Sun- day listening with profound attention to the earnest words which came so rapidly from the lips of the young preacher, for he was not then twenty-four years old ! His labors never ceased. In Sunday- schools, Bible classes, parish schools, in the pulpit, in the homes of the members of his large congrega- tion, among the poor, he was seen year after year working as few men do ; but his reward was the priceless souls that he was allowed to present to the Lord. Letters and testimonials lie before us, filled with expressions of the deepest affection from the adults and children of his ilock. We have seen the faces of Christ's little ones light up with brightest smiles as he entered the Sunday-school room. A clasp LIFE IN NORFOLK. 43 of his hand, a loving smile and kind word, would be treasured throughout the week. During his residence in Norfolk Mr. Cummins spent a portion of each summer with his family at his father-in-law's home in Jefferson County, Virginia. Here he was always urged to preach, and we have known the country people and well-to-do farmers telegraph in country fashion from one to another " that Mr. Cummins was to preach at Leetown," and very early on Sunday mornings the carriages and wagons would surround the simple little Episcopal church which had been built on Judge Balch's estate by the congregation of St. Bartholomew's Church, New York, Rev. Dr.- Balch, rector, a brother of Mrs. Cummins. Many came six and eight and even ten miles over rough roads to hear him, and when after these services, held amidst the grand forest of oak and maple trees, the people would gather round him to thank him for his comforting and helping words, he would say : " I love to preach to these people more than to the richest congregation in this country." His love for a country life was very great, and when his duties were so heavy in his large city congregations, he rejoiced when the time came for their annual "flitting" to the early home of his wife, where he could enjoy the society of her father and mother, whom he loved very dearly, and who felt for him the deep affection of parents to an own son. In August, 1848, Mr. Cummins's first child came to gladden his already happy home. His letters at this time contain frequent notice of his dear babe. He loved children so truly that he was prepared to feel 44 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. an especial tenderness for his first-born, his " sum- mer-child" as he used to call her. During the summer of 1849 the cholera broke out with fearful violence in Norfolk, immediately after his return from the diocesan convention held that year in Charlottesville. Mr. Cummins was at his post of duty through all those terrible months, visiting night and day, and ministering not only to his own people but to many poor colored persons, who suffered most from the dread pestilence. So soon as the Board of Health declared it to have left the city, excepting a few sporadic cases, the young pastor, with his wife and little child, went to the home of his father-in-law. There he was for a time prostrated by the same dis- ease, brought on by great exposure and unceasing duties. The country immediately around Judge Balch's home is rich in historical reminiscences. At Martins- burg, six miles from Judge Balch's residence, General Stevens of the Revolutionary War lived. General Drake's home was a few miles to the south. General Charles Lee resided, after the Revolution, on the ad- joining estate ; and four miles north General Horatio Gates passed the last years of his Hfe. General Ste- vens also had his home there. The descendants of General Washington live in Jefferson County, and during our late civil war General R. E. Lee and Gen- eral McClellan occupied that part of the country with their vast armies for a long time. Mr. Cummins returned for a time to Norfolk after taking his family to Jefferson County, and he writes under date of July nth, 1849 = " I cannot tell you how lonely I am without you ; but I am in the LIFE IN NORFOLK. 45 path of duty, and my services seem so much needed. My people are unwilling that I should stay at home at night alone, lest I might be taken ill ; so I shall di- vide my time among them. It is with deep gratitude to God that I tell you I am very well. There are yet some cases of cholera, the report this week being nineteen deaths. , On Sunday I had all the services, but Rev. Mr. Smith assisted me in the communion. 1 preached from the text, ' And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. ' Was it the answer to father's prayer that I felt so strong through all my duties ? Yesterday morning I pre- pared my address to be delivered at the commemora- tion of President Polk's death. They selected me to avoid making it a political affair, which it would have been if a lawyer had been chosen. My friends advised me to accept the invitation. " Yesterday (July 15th), I preached in the morning on missions, it being the day of our quarterly collection." In a letter, dated August 30th, 1850, he writes : " I feel deeply grateful to God for his goodness in bringing me safely home after our pleasant summer vacation. I found all our dear friends well. They made many inquiries about you. The heat this summer has been intense, and I am glad you are not here." In the spring of 1850 a son was born, and this dear child was an only son. His father's and grandfather's names were given him in baptism. Bishop Johns, of Virginia, performing the ceremony. In this letter he further writes : " The thoughts of all are occupied now with Virginia" (Miss Hale; afterward Mrs. C. C. Hoffman). " Yesterday she had a very affecting part- 46 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. ing with her * mission band.' They gave her a large Bible and Prayer-Book for the church in Cavalla. Virginia wished so much to have you present at her marriage. ' ' The inner life of Mr. Cummins at this time was marked by a more entire consecration of himself to God and to the work of his Master.^ He writes, Sep- tember 1st, 1850 : " Let us strive to make this season a period from which we shall date better resolutions and a holier life. Let -us consecrate ourselves anew to his service. Let it be the daily work of our lives to watch over our hearts, search out our sins, and pray fervently for grace to make us God's beloved chil- dren. Meet me three times a day, morning, noon, and night, at the throne of grace, and let our prayers mingle together for the abiding presence of God's Holy Spirit." In this letter he speaks lovingly of "his precious children," and sends sweet messages of love to his little daughter, for whom he had the deepest affection. He also mentions how busy he was visiting among his people and in other duties. He writes : "The early service was held at 6.30, and at 10.30 we had the sermon and communion. The congregation was very large. It was Virginia's last communion with us, and at the same chancel railing where she had first communed. I know she felt it deeply ; she looked unusually sad. In Sun- day-school this morning she said ' ' how earnestly she longed for you to be here. ' ' Her bitterest trial is the view many worldly minds i7i the Church take of her course. Some, as you are aware, condemn it as an unnecessary sacrifice, not being able to appreciate her lofty views of duty and the call of God. One gentleman went so far as to tell her it was en- LIFE IN NORFOLK. 47 thusiasm. The effect upon her showed more than anything else her nobleness. She said it might be true, and set to work to examine herself. It grieves my heart to know that the Church is blighted with such views, such infinitely low views, of the work of missions and the need of great sacrifices in its cause. I must strive to do my duty more faithfully, and drive away such degrading views. Love to dearest mother and father. Kiss my sweet little daughter for papa. Tell her about me often. I commit my dear children daily to God in earnest prayer." September 8th, 1850, he writes ; " Yesterday I read prayers at 6.30, and at 11 preached to a crowded congregation from the text Ephesians 2:2. In the afternoon I preached from the seventh Psalm, in continuation of my course of sermons on the Psalms. The church was very full." That autumn Mr. Cummins visited Washington and Georgetown, and preached for the rectors of the two churches in Georgetown. His family accom- panied him, and together they enjoyed the attrac- tions of the capital. About this time he made a trip to Baltimore, to recruit somewhat from the heavy labor he had gone through. He left Norfolk on Saturday, and spent the Sunday among his old and dear friends in Christ Church. He says : ' ' I started for Christ Church, and went first into the Sun- day-school. All were delighted to see me, teachers and schol- ars ; even the orphan children came up and shook my hand heartily, and seemed to love me as an old friend. I waited in the vestry-room for the doctor, and astonished him not a little by my presence. Many old acquaintances in the congrega- 48 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. tion came to speak to me, and with Dr. Johns were urgent that I should preach ; but I remembered my promise to you, and resisted all their entreaties. I am happy to say my cold is much better, and I hope to return home strong and ready to work. How sweet to think of returning home, to a sweet, happy fireside !" He received after his return to Norfolk the follow- ing note from a lovely Christian woman, a member of his congregation — one who was called home many years before her beloved pastor ceased from his la- bors : " My Dear Pastor : Allow me to express my indebted- ness to you for your visits of mercy in days of trial. I cannot be sufficiently thankful for them, and for your sympathy and prayers, which cheered and supported me on the brink of the grave. My prayer is that when your labors and anxieties are ended, and ' there is not another plant for you to water nor another vine for you to train, ' you may enter the peaceful port of heavenly rest, receive the Saviour's welcome, ' Well done ! ' and be greeted by the blessed company of redeemed spirits who have been led to God through your instrumen- tality. " Most gratefully yours, "J. G." CHAPTER V. LIFE IN NORFOLK (CONTINUED). " Grasp in thy hand that potent sword In heaven's high armory prepared, Quick to attack and strong to guard — The weapon of God's Word ; Then strong in prayer pursue thy way, Nor foe shall crush nor arrow slay." Aged 29. IN one of his letters, dated May 5th, 185 1, Mr. Cummins continues to tell of his work : " I preached yesterday from Ephesians 6:17. In the afternoon to the colored people, and at night from the text, ' He being dead, yet speaketh.' " During his entire ministry he was deeply interested in the African race. His churches sent large sums of money and boxes of clothing and books to the Prot- estant Episcopal missions in Liberia. Quarterly collections were regularly taken up in all the churches of which he was pastor. In Norfolk and Richmond he numbered among his communicants many of this neglected race, and for him they manifested sincere affection. His sermon, preached in 1861, " The Afri- can a trust from God to the American," received the highest encomiums from such men as Robert C. Win- throp, of Boston, Bishop Mcllvaine, of Ohio, Bishop Henry W. Lee, of Iowa, Bishop Meade, of Virginia, and many others. so GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. Mr. Cummins was exceedingly fond of music, and in the first years of his married life especially it was his habit to spend an hour in the evening in singing with his family. In passing through Baltimore in May, 1 85 1, he had the great pleasure of hearl ; Jenny Lind, and of her he thus writes : " I have heard her, but it is impossible to give you all my impressions in a letter. Her command of her voice is almost superhuman, and its compass, volume, and power wonderful. The most of her pieces were elaborate, calculated to display her perfection in art more than the sweetness of tone. The " Bird Song" did this, however. She sang it in English. She seemed a bird singing " because she could not help it." Her face is one of the most benevolent I have ever seen — full of goodness, kindness, modesty, and love. It is a true index of her character." On reaching Norfolk, June 2d, 185 1, after a short absence, he writes thus of the dear parishioner whose note we have given, written on the previous Easter Sunday morning : " On reaching home I learned of the death of Miss J. G. You will grieve with me over this loss. She longed most ardently for me to be with her ; spoke of me in most affec- tionate terms, and sent me a message ' ' that her last breath would be a prayer for me. ' ' What a loss we have met with ! Who will take her place in the church, in the prayer-meeting, among the poor and sick and the little ones ? The children of the Sunday-schools attended her funeral, each with a bunch of white flowers to lay on her grave. The poor families to whom she so lovingly ministered also followed her remains to the grave. They have lost their best earthly friend. The church and the entire community sorrow deeply. I regret I was not summoned to her bedside in time to see her. I LIFE IN NORFOLK. 5 1 had visited her almost daily during her long and severe illness. Rev. Mr. Chisholm took my place at the funeral." The summer of 185 1 was passed by Mr. Cummins and his family at Northampton, Mass., that Mrs. Cummins might be under medical care. Her health had been sadly affected by the climate of Norfolk. Mr. Cummins made arrangements to leave his church for three months. It was a severe trial to him, for as the years rolled by he became more and more attached to his people. They were most kind, however, and their affection for their young pastor manifested itself in this crisis in such a manner as to prove how strong a hold he had upon their love. He says : " Oh, that God may direct me in this matter ! I pray ear- nestly for his guidance, and I know you will. ... I have been visiting among my people quite constantly. On Sunday preached to a large congregation from the text ' ' Ye are not your own," and administered the Lord's Supper. The com- municants made a large congregation. The colored com- municants, fifty, were all present, and it was an impressive scene. In the afternoon we had the colored Sunday-school, and it was indeed a wondrous sight. The lecture-room was filled to overflowing. The school is larger than the school for the white scholars in the morning. The white teachers are even more than we need. A lady and gentleman from Bos- ton were present, and were greatly delighted. They con- tributed towards the sum we are raising to purchase books for them. Mr. M preached for them in the afternoon, and I preached again at night from Acts i : 25. At this time, and when separated from his family, we find these words in one of his letters : ' ' I feel more and more that what I need now is a life of more entire devotion to Christ, more prayer, and more com- 52 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. munion with God. Oh ! if I could feel I was each day growing in grace, in holiness, in freedom from sin, in the subjugation of my evil heart, in self-knowledge and self-con- quest, what an infinite blessing it would be !" But while thus searching his own heart, others who knew him best could see daily his growth in grace, and how closely he walked with God. This year a number of the lambs of his flock were removed bv death. In his letters he gives " humble and hearty thanks to God for his great goodness in sparing his own precious L and G . " In another letter he asks how does G. do without his " precious papa" ? The love he had for his children was in- tense, and from their infancy they loved him with a love little children seldom show for their parents. They grieved for him in his absence, and their joy knew no bounds when he returned. It was his de- light to make his home a bright, happy one for them ; his evenings were always given up to them until their bed-time arrived. Their home was too happy a one for them to wish to go elsewhere. His custom was to read aloud in the evening, and while his " little ones" were present the selections were always such as they could appreciate and understand. Music and reading made the evenings bright to the little family circle, and they were anticipated by the chil- dren with great delight. The months of June and July of 185 1 were passed in the North with his family, and we find him writing from his home, " dear old Norfolk," again, under date of August 9th, the birthday of his beloved L , his eldest child. Refreshed and strengthened by his rest and change of scene, he returns with delight to his field of labor, LIFE IN NORFOLK. 53 and enters upon his duties with all the enthusiasm of his nature. That summer he had decided upon a change of residence, and took a pleasant house imme- diately on the water, the beautiful harbor of Nor- folk. He says in this letter, August 9th : " I wrote all morning, and in the afternoon went out. Old familiar faces and places greeted me on every side. All wel- comed me home again, but I could not look towards our old home and its vicinity ; all brought up teeming recollections of by-gone days. Our friends are clamorous for your and the children's return. To-day is my sweet L 's birthday. God bless her ! is her father's prayer. Oh, how much we have to be thankful for ! Pray for me each day that God may guide me and bless my labors ! A letter from his friend Bishop Lee, of Delaware, reached him at this time. It is dated " Ingleside, December 29, 1851. " My Dear Cummins : Your kind letter gave me much pleasure. It has been an exceeding encouragement to me, under the trial which elicited the " Pastoral Letter," to be assured of the sympathy, the good wishes, and the prayers of the brethren whom I most esteem. Anything like con- troversy is peculiarly alien to my taste, and no personal consideration could draw me into it. But the present is a time form coynpromising policy. The contest is, in my opinion, for the very life of our holy religion ; and if we would secure the approving sentence of our Great Judge at the last, we must be steadfast in our inaintenance of the truth of his Gospel. I know not what course Mr. B and his friends will adopt. But if God be for us, who can be against us ? I have the pleasure of frequently meeting Dr. Balch, and was at the consecration of his church at Chester last week. He has done wonders there, and I trust God will abundantly bless 54 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. his labors to the salvation of many souls. It would give Mrs. Lee and myself, as well as your Wilmington friends, great pleasure to see Mrs. C and yourself here again. Please to remember us very kindly to her. When in this region again you must give your friends at St. Andrew's part or a whole of a Sunday. I should much enjoy a visit to you ; perhaps some day I shall accomplish it, but cannot exactly say when. Believe me faithfully yours, " Alfred Lee." Thus early was it felt to be a necessity for the evangelical bishops of the Protestant Episcopal Church to stand up boldly for the Truth. The cloud was as yet but " as a man's hand, "'but it was a cloud nevertheless. In the spring of 1852 Mr. Cummins passed through a severe trial in the extreme illness of his wife, and as soon as she could be moved he took her to her father's home in Virginia. That summer, accom- panied by his family, he made a very delightful trip to Niagara Falls, to Smyrna, Del., and to Cape May. The same autumn, after his return to his duties, the yellow-fever appeared in Norfolk, and prevailed, though not extensively, until the frosts arrested its fur- ther progress. Mercifully the autumn was unusually cold for that region, and the frosts came much earlier than usual. Mr. Cummins had no cases in his con- gregation, but he attended several sailors in the most unpleasant part of the old seaport town. They all died, but were greatly blest in the loving ministra- tions of the young minister, and his heart was much cheered in believing that they went down into the Dark Valley with a sure and certain hope of meeting him who had so faithfully told them of Jesus in the heavenly home. CHAPTER VI. LIFE IN NORFOLK (CONTINUED). " Toil on, faint not, keep watch and pray ; Be wise the erring soul to win ; Go forth into the world's highway, Compel the wanderer to come in." — BoNAR. Aged 31. THE year 1853 found Mr. Cummins still wholly occupied with the care and varied duties of his large and important parish. During the five years he had been pastor of Christ Church many precious souls had been brought, through his instru- mentality, to " see Jesus" and confess him before men. The parish was a peculiar one in some re- spects, caling for unceasing parochial labor on the part of the pastor. The testimony of his dear people w^as ever that of grateful hearts to one who so un- tiringly ministered to them. The souls he had brought to Christ, the dead he had laid away until the resurrection, the little ones whom he had consecrated to God in baptism, the friends he had united in marriage, the sick whom he had for years visited and cheered, and the poor to whom he had ever been a loving friend, all testified to his never-failing faithfulness. He loved them all with a devoted love, a love he felt was peculiarly deep. They were his first flock, the " firstfruits" of his ministe- 56 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. rial labors. It was therefore with a very sad heart he thought of sundering these ties. The cUmate of Norfolk had never suited his wife or children, and even he felt its debilitating influence greatly, though he had never allowed this to interfere with a faithful discharge of his many duties. Summer after summer he sought strength for the labors of the following ten months or more in his wife's early home in Virginia and elsewhere, and up to this time these annual vacations had enabled him to meet the de- mands made upon him. Very early, however, in the spring of 1853 it was thought necessary by Mrs.Cum- mins's medical adviser that she should leave Norfolk for the bracing mountain air of Northern Virginia. Accordingly he and his family left their home for Baltimore, where Mrs. Cummins and the children turned their faces towards Jefferson County, and Mr. Cummins returned to his lonely home and to his duties in Christ Church. His first letter after this painful separation is dated Baltimore, April 30th, and is filled with an account of his visit there : " I walked out," he writes, " with Mr. F to see Franklin Square and the church now being built for Mr. B 's congregation. The improvements there are beyond all expectation, and the church will be very beautiful. B 's perversion has produced great excitement in Baltimore. I trust it may do good eventually, but the present effect is to lower the church very much in public estimation in Mary- land." In a letter dated May 2d, he writes : ' ' At eleven o'clock we had service. Rev. Mr. S assisted me. I preached on the nature of the Lord's Supper, it being LIFE IN NORFOLK. 57 the first communion of many. The text was, ' What mean ye by this service ? ' We had a large accession to the com- munion— all the candidates who were confirmed and others. The number of communicants was immense." " Mrs. J gave me a letter from her husband to read. It is chiefly occu- pied with an account of the effect of my ministrations upon himself. Such a testimonial from such a man is a reward above all price, and of itself would be worth the labor of a lifetime." The following letter was written at this time to his precious children : " My Sweet Daughter : I write to tell you how much I love you, and how sorry I was to leave you in the cars. I am at home in Norfolk, and take my breakfast alone. I wish you were here to sit at the head of the table ! I look in your baby- house every day. Poor ' Lina ' is sitting there just as you left her. Georgiana is out in the yard, and has nobody to play with. You must be a sweet child, and be mamma's comfort till papa comes. Papa will come next week. " Good-by now, and every night and morning pray for your own dear Papa." The second one is to his boy, then three years old. *' My Precious Georgie : I want to see and pet you very much. I expect you are very happy riding with Uncle Charles. How is the colt ? and the little chickens ? Is the whip worn out yet ? Good- by, and do not forget your Dear Papa." In a letter to his wife, dated May 4th, 1853, he says : " Bishop Meade arrived very unexpectedly yesterday, and I have been much of my time with him. Yesterday I dined at Mrs. C 's. She is much more cheerful. She and A send much love, as indeed do all your friends. I 58 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. visited several families who have sickness in their homes or are in affliction. Hearing of the bishop's arrival, I went to Mr. S 's to see him. I spent part of the even- ing with him. This morning I drove out with the bishop. His health is very feeble, and his object in coming here was to seek improvement. He will not be able to attend the con- vention. We visited the strawberry farms, and he enjoyed the drive very much. I dined at Mrs. P 's with him. I came home immediately after dinner to prepare my lecture, and did not go out again until it was time for service. The bishop was present. The lecture-room was full, but the bishop did not feel well enough to speak. He will remain until Monday. Mrs. Capt. S sent me a nice breakfast this morning. To-morrow is Ascension-day." In another letter he says : " I wish you could see our cloth-of-gold rose, it is so large and beautiful. Our flowers are all very lovely. Tell Lizzie I saw a beautiful humming-bird about the flowers yesterday. My spirit is holding communion with you, and I can commit you and my sweet ones to the care of our merciful Father. It is at this hour I miss you most, but I am striving to bear this separation cheerfully." The Diocesan convention met that year in Wheel- ing. The railroad over the mountains had not long been completed, a great triumph of engineering skill It was the first time the delegates could reach that city by rail. Mr. Cummins arranged to leave Nor- folk for Wheeling via Baltimore and Harper's Ferry, that he might be with his family for a few days. He writes : " If you do not attend the convention with me, I will try to be with you at the cottage a little longer. I am so happy to hear that the dear children are enjoying themselves so much. LIFE IN NORFOLK. 59 How touching in little Georgia asking his Grandpapa * to take him to see his Papa ' ! Oh, how I long to see you again ! But I must repress all longings. God is so good and kind and merciful to us that any but a contented state of mind would be sinful. Our cup he makes to run over ; and what a blessing to have so lovely a spot as father's home to visit ! I pray for you three times a day. ' ' May 6th he writes : » *' Yesterday I dined at Mr. P 's with the bishop, and visited with him. After I left him I went to Mrs. T 's, to Mrs. James T 's, who has been quite ill ; to Mrs. S 's, and to Mrs. W 's. All send much love to you. This morn- ing I drove out with Bishop Meade ; he wished to visit some of our prettiest gardens. We went to Mrs. S 's ; her place is looking beautiful. She is very feeble. From there we went to Rev. Mr. Jackson's and spent an hour. I then drove home with the bishop, and at his request read to him my treatise on " The Romish and Reformed Theories of Justification Con- trasted." He expressed great satisfaction with it and advised its immediate publication, and offered to publish it at his own expense. He frequently receives money from persons which he appropriates in this way, and indeed nearly all his own in- come is expended thus. A short time ago a gentleman wrote to him from North Carolina, stating that his sister left the bishop $500, to be expended as he pleased. He is going to use it to publish Archbishop Whately's ' Cautions for the Times.' I write at night. My heart is over the Blue Moun- tains, but I commit you and my sweet children in prayer to a kind Protector. The bishop, with some of the clergy, thinks of going to-morrow to visit Lake Drummond, in the Dismal Swamp. The scenery is said to be of surpassing beauty. I am glad of the opportunity, for I may not have another. To-day I dined at Mr. W 's, and then had ser- 6o GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. vice and baptism in the church. I took tea with the bishop and Mr. Jackson." About this time he writes from Cumberland, Md., on his way to the convention : ' ' By the protecting care of our heavenly Father I am safely on my journey thus far. We took the cars at Kearneysville at 12.30, and at once found ourselves in the company of a large number of our clergy. The heat was excessive and the dust most annoying, and we had a most unpleasant ride ; I was glad you were not with me. Mr. H , our delegate from Christ Church, and his wife were in the cars. I was glad to meet them. The country through which we passed is very beautiful and the scenery wild in some places. To-morrow we rise at two o'clock, and leave in the train at three o'clock ! It is 200 miles to Wheeling." In the same letter he writes : ' ' Eight o' clock P.M. — ^We have just returned, my dearest wife, from a walk to the top of one of the hills surrounding the town. The view is one of the finest I have ever seen, The hills rise to a lofty height on every side, and in the centre lies the town of Cumberland, the Potomac River winding through the valley and among the hills. Beyond rise mountains, stretching away as far as the eye can see. Standing on the summit, one has a vivid idea of the triumph of mind over the material world : it is almost inconceivable how a railroad could be made to pierce these mountain ranges. It is a comforting thought to me to know that all my loved ones follow me in my journey with their prayers." At this time Mr. Cummins received an urgent in- vitation to make the annual address before the Cadets' Bible Society of the Virginia Military Institute, at Lexington, Va. For this purpose he left home June LIFE IiV NORFOLK. 6 1 1 2th, for Lexington. On the i6th he writes from the Institute : " My Beloved E : I write you at last from the end of my journey, and with a grateful lieart to a kind heavenly Father, for my safe arrival and good health. The ride in the stage of sixteen hours was most fatiguing. The day was very hot, and the turnpike dusty. I rested well at Staunton, and the next morning took the stage again for Lexington. Col. S came down to the hotel for me in his carriage, and we drove to his house, where I am now staying. I am fully repaid for all my fatigue by the beauty of this country. The Institute is on an eminence overlooking the finest scenery on every side ; mountains rising in grandeur, and most lovely valleys below them. I think it is even more beautiful than the coun- try around the University of Virginia. The Institute is a noble building, yet unfinished, in the Tudor-Gothic style, and so also are the homes of the professors. The Norfolk boys have been to see me. They are among the best students in the place. My address is to be delivered to-morrow night, and I am also to preach for them on Sunday. The Presby- terian Church is kindly offered to us for Sunday night, it be- ing a larger building. I have seen the Southern Churchman of last week. It contains my letter, but not the address ; that will appear next week. I find I cannot return to Jeffer- son, but will have to go at once to Norfolk. I could not re- main over the 24th [their wedding-day], even were I to try to reach you this week, and return to Norfolk in time for Sun- day's duties. I will send my gift of love, however. What cause have we to bless God for all his mercies ! True, we have trials and sorrows, but they may be made our most precious blessings. Earnestly do I join you in the prayer that God will make us more wholly his. I have made the acquaintance of all the professors, and it is a cause of great thankfulness that they are all — seven in number — Christians. 62 GEORGE DAVID CUAIMINii. Four are members of our church, and three Presbyterians. Col. S is a most interesting man, eminently pious, and has had serious thoughts of entering the ministry, but Bishop Meade thinks his position here even more useful than that of a minister. He has, indeed, a cure of souls. Four times a week he has prayer-meetings for the cadets, and has been instrumental in the conversion of many. His home is near the Institute, and by the lawn where the cadets parade and drill. This is very interesting. Both evenings I have been here they have had a drill of flying artillery, and the rapid firing of the cannon is very beautiful. This evening they are to have a battalion drill of the whole corps, and it is said to be a very fine sight. My address is to be delivered at eight o'clock to-night in the Episcopal church. " Saturday morning, June i8f//. — My thoughts turn to you with pleasure this sweet morning, and I try to imagine how you are all engaged. My own darling children are before me in all their loveliness. I have wished for them so often to see the parades and drills of the cadets. You, who have been at West Point, know how interesting and beautiful it is. Last evening we had a battalion drill, and the rays of the set- ting sun on their guns was very striking in its effect. Our Norfolk boys are doing very well. Last night I delivered my address to the cadets. The church was very full : all the cadets were present, as were the students of Washington Col- lege. It occupied an hour in the delivery. I shall try to get to the Natural Bridge before leaving ; it is only thirteen miles from Lexington. The Board of Visitors meet here on Mon- day for the annual examination, and will be received by a grand review and salute by the cadets. " J^we o'clock P.M. — I have just received letters, forwarded to me at this place, announcing my election to the Rectorship of St. James's Church, Richmond. The official announcement from the wardens is accompanied by a letter from a Mr. D , who states that I was elected on the first ballot. LIFE IN NORFOLK. 6l Oh, that God may direct me aright in this matter ! My constant cry must be to him. The wardens wish me to act at once, and all my plans are changed. I will write imme- diately to Bishop Meade. Ask dear father and mother to write me their prayerful opinion. Pray for me earnestly." From the "Address," which was published in pamphlet form, we quote a single passage : " Eight hundred years ago all Europe rang with the sound of preparation for one of the most stupendous movements to which the energies of nations were ever summoned : A barefooted hermit from India had gone through the lands, rousing the multitudes by a burning eloquence to revenge the wrongs of the Christian upon the infidel and the Saracen. The Holy Sepulchre of Christ was in the hands of the Moslem^, and to wrest it from such foul pollution was now the watch- word of the vast millions of Crusaders. All the chivalry of Europe responded to the call, its nobility rallied to the standard ; unnumbered masses armed themselves for the strife. The ripening grain was left unreaped upon the har- vest-field ; the crowded marts of commerce were depopu- lated ; kings laid down their sceptres to take the sword, and like the locusts of the East the darkening hosts swept on- ward towards the Holy Land and City. Alas ! how different the ending ! Millions perished in the fruitless effort, and the Moslem reigned secure in his ascendency, " A nobler Crusade is that to which we are called ; infi- nitely more sublime in its aims, in its motives, in its results. It is a crusade not to recover the Holy Sepulchre from the infidel, hut to recover the world back to God j not to wrest from profane hands the tomb of Christ, but to plant his Cross in every land, and cause every knee to bow before its sway. It is a crusade against sin ; against evil in every form ; against gigantic systems of error grown hoary by age ; against debas- ing idolatry, degrading superstition ; against oppression and ignorance, despotism and vice. Be this your elected work." CHAPTER VII. CALL TO RICHMOND. " In his love if thou abide, He will guide." " And the Lord shall guide thee continually." — Is. 63 : 11. Aged 31. THE following letter was written while Mr, Cum mins was the guest of the Military Institute : "Lexington, Va., June 20, 1853. " My Dear Bishop : I received on Saturday evening a let- ter from the wardens of St. James's Church, Richmond, an- nouncing my election as their pastor ; and before taking a step in the matter I desire to lay before you my position, and to receive your counsel and advice. You know well how pleasantly I have been situated in Norfolk, and my high appreciation of that dear people. You know, also, that God has blessed my labors abundantly, and given me many seals to my ministry. And at the close of six years of labor among them it is not unbecoming in me to say that I possess their confidence and love in no small degree. " With all this, however, there has been for some time past a cause of deep anxiety and trouble to me, in the apparently injurious effect of the climate upon my wife's health. We have struggled against this conviction for a long time, in the hope that a change might occur for the better. It has not proved so, however, but, on the contrary, she seems less able to live in Norfolk than ever before. The result is that every summer, or a period of four or five months in ench year, mn'^t be passed away. CALL TO RICHMOND. 65 This trial has often caused us to anticipate the necessity of a removal to a different atmosphere, but heretofore no special opening has appeared before me. We have awaited God's providence, and I must do my wife the justice to say, that she has never desired me to take a step looking to a change on her account. " Now, however, a field is presented to me elsewhere, to- tally unsolicited on my part. And now arises the struggle between these opposing influences. But for this one cause of anxiety I should not consider an invitation of this kind, so strong is my attachment to my dear people. I write now to ask your advice in my perplexity. At the same time I will earnestly seek the guidance of the Spirit of God, that I may be permitted to take no step other than His providence may mark out for me. I trust also to have an interest in your prayers. " I am, with much affection, faithfully yours in Christ, "Geo. D, Cummins. " Rt. Rev. William Meade." To this letter Bishop Meade sent the following re- ply : " Danville, Va., June 24, 1853. " Reverend and Dear Brother : I have just reached this place, and received your letter from Lexington, and as the mail goes out to-morrow morning I must write a line at once. Most deeply shall I feel for the people of Christ Church. Norfolk, should you leave them, as I know not where they will find one to take your place who will fill it to their satisfaction and edification, but I am not justified in undertaking to decide upon the point on which the question turns in your own mind and judgment. That must be left to yourself, after faithful prayer for divine guidance. If you must go, I would rather you would go to Richmond than to any other place in or out of the diocese. I can say no more. My love to Mrs. Cummins. Most truly yours, W. Meade." ^^ GEORGE DA VID CUMMINS. The letter from the wardens of St. James's Churchy, Richmond, Va., is as follows : "Richmond, Va., June t6, 1853. " Dear Sir : As wardens of St. James's Church in this city, the vestry have made it our duty to inform you at once that at a meeting held this afternoon they elected you to the rectorship of said church. Permit us to add that we hope that you may, under Divine Providence, deem it your duty to accept the call thus tendered to you, and that you will inform us at your very earliest convenience of your determination. We have been for some time a flock without a pastor, and it is very important that we should hear from you as soon as pos- sible. ' ' With sentiments of the highest esteem, we are " Your brothers in Christ, " H. J. Christian, ) t^^„^,„- - B. B. Minor, [ ^Vardens. Under date of Lexington, June 21st, 1853, Mr. Cummins writes : " How I long to be with you in this time of anxiety ! I have written to Bishop Meade, and will see the vestry in passing through Richmond, but shall not give my answer then. Col. S urges me to come here. Saturday night I preached to the cadets; subject, the 'Voyage of Ulysses.' Sunday morning, ' Henry Martyn a Model for Young Men ;' and at night, ' John Randolph as a Man and a Statesman ;' and last night the subject was ' The Conflict between Christ and Satan for the Soul of Man. ' The church was full, the cadets all present ; they seemed much interested, and I trust good was done. I breakfasted at Col. McD 's, and took tea at Dr. W 's, the Presbyterian minister here. I leave Lex- ington to-day for Staunton, thence to Richmond, and then to Norfolk." CALL TO RICHMOND. ^7 In a letter, dated Richmond, July ist, 1853, on his way to Norfolk, he speaks of the intense heat, and of the contrast between the city and the country life he loved so well, but of the comfort he always felt in the faithful discharge of his duties, and con- eludes thus : " Try, my beloved E , to look more to your Saviour for strength, and he will hold you up. My chief comfort in this sad separauon is to pray for you, and commit you wholly to the care of our blessed Saviour. May he keep you m the hollow of his hand ! May he be to you now in the place of your husband ! May he sanctify every trial to your soul's eternal good, and may he keep us both close to himself and f\t us for his heavenly kingdom ! Pray for me. Love to all, and kisses for my precious ' Lily ' and little man." In another letter, dated July 2d, he mentions hav- ing just heard of the sudden death of one of his most prominent parishioners and kindest friends. He also mentions having received letters from two of the vestry of St. James's Church, Mr. D and Mr. B . " I earnestly hope the determination to accept this call is of God. It is gratifying to learn of the interest with which my elecdon is received in Richmond." July 2d again he writes : " I have just returned from a visit to Mrs. S . and it was one of the saddest I ever paid. She gave me the particu- j.^rs of F 's death, and says she is perfecdy resigned to the ^vill of God. He was at dinner Monday ; on Tuesday was very ill, and asked ' when will Mr. Cummins be here ? ' It was so very sudden ! She told me of Mr. J having told them 68 GEORGE DA VID CUMMINS. of the call to Richmond, when her husband exclaimed, ' Oh, what a loss to us ! but we must not be selfish.' Mrs. S • asked me, ' Are you going to leave us ? ' I told her what a severe trial it had been to have to decide such a question, but that she knew my difficulties. She said yes, she knew all ; that they ought not to wish to keep me always ; that she was so thankful for my ministry — that it had been blessed in bringing F to a knowledge of salvation. She added that it would make no difference where we went, she would love us just the same, and that if it were a question of health it was my duty to go. Write to her, I know it will comfort her. I dined at Mrs. Selden's. They appreciate my motive for leaving, though they express great regret at the prospect. I was called away from dinner to baptize a very ill child. This afternoon I will visit Mr. John S and Mrs. Dr. C . Good-by. Kiss my precious children, and give love to all the dear ones. Pray for me." Mr. Cummins accepted the call to St. James's Church, Richmond, July 3d, and wrote to the vestry, saying he would enter on his duties September ist, 1853. To this the vestry readily concurred, as it would enable them to have the church thoroughly repaired. Their letter in reply to his concludes with the following words : " The vestry most heartily unite with you in the prayer that your acceptance of their call may be the means of pro- moting the glory of our common Master, and the spiritual wel- fare of the congregation intrusted to your charge. Permit us to add that we hail your coming amongst us as a new era in this part of the Lord's vineyard to which we are attached, and believe that a wide field of usefulness lies open before you." CALL TO RICHMOND. 69 About this time Mr. Cummins received the follow- ing letter from one of his vestry, afterwards a very warm friend : " Richmond, June 27. 1853. * ' J^ev. G. D. Cujfimi/is : " Dear Sir : Although I have not the pleasure of a per- sonal acquaintance with you, yet as a vestryman of St. James's Church I feel that I, may approach you in respect to your recent election, and the relation I trust we shall in a short time sustain to each other. And first let me assure you of the general favor your election meets here not only in our con- gregation, or in the Episcopal Church, but in the whole com- munity, evidences of which are continually occurring of a most gratifying character. A few days ago I received a letter from our late venerable rector, Rev. Dr. Empie, in which he expresses great pleasure at your being elected his successor. Whilst these things are agreeable in themselves, they are yet more important as opening the way for extensive usefulness ; and in this respect be well assured we can present you with a wide field ' white for the harvest.' You are doubtless aware of the state of things here in the Episcopal Church, and it is needless for me to refer more particularly to it. I will only say, however, and with truth, I think, that your coming is looked to with hope and expectation, as calculated to exert a more beneficial influence in this particular than that of any other person ; and this is an important consideration in de- termining so important a question. I doubt not that this sub- ject will receive from you the serious and prayerful reflection which it demands, and I think you are entirely right in con- sulting Bishop Meade before making your decision. I have been impelled to this communication from a desire that before deciding you should be fully aware of the great need the church has for you here ; of the great amount of good you may he instrumental in effecting ; of the cordial reception JO GEORGE DA VID CUMMINS. that awaits you here, and the hearty co-operation you may safely count on in carrying forward the great work of the Re- deemer. So that in leaving a place where your labors have been so highly blessed, you will come to one where there is even more to do than in the one you leave. I must now con- clude, with the earnest hope that, guided by that Spirit whose direction you seek, you may see the path of duty pointed plainly to this place as the scene of your future labors. May I hope to hear from you soon ? ' * With high regard and esteem, I am, dear sir, " Yours most obediently, " Frederick Bransford." CHAPTER VIII. RESIGNS CHRIST CHURCH, NORFOLK. "There is work for all in the Gospel field, And, if the mind be willing, The place for labor will stand revealed. And the fruitage rich, and the harvest yield Will surely crown the tilling." — Marshall B. Smith. Aged 31. ON the 5th July, 1853, ^^^- Cummins formally re- signed Christ Church, Norfolk, when the follow- ing communications were received by him : " Norfolk, July 9, 1853. ' ' J^ev. Geo. D. Cummins : " Reverend and Dear Sir : Your letter of 5th inst., addressed to us as trustees, resigning your office as rector of Christ Church in this city, was, according to the requirements of the constitution of that church, laid before the pew-holders assembled in general meeting last evening. " By their direction, we now inclose you a copy of the resolutions unanimously adopted by them in response to your letter. " We have no hesitation in assuring you that the resolu- tions truly represent the sentiments of every member of the congregation. Each year of your ministration among them has but increased your influence and strengthened their con- fidence in and affection for you ; and they all feel that in the removal of their faithful and acceptable pastor a loss has been sustained by them which it will be difficult to repair. 72 GEORGE DA VID CUMMINS. The love, respect, and confidence of the people of your late charge will accompany you to your new field of labor, with their prayers to the Throne of Grace for a continuance of the divine blessing on your ministrations, as well as on yourself and family in all things spiritual and temporal. Wc will only add for ourselves, that we sincerely regret the severance of our official relations, and the cause which in your judg- ment made it necessary, and that we most cordially concur in the sentiments contained in the resolutions of the pew-holders of Christ Church, herewith inclosed. We beg leave to sub- scribe ourselves, ' ' Your sincere and attached friends, " Wm. H. Thompson, Walter H. Taylor, N. W. Parker, Trusti't of T TT Ti 1 Christ Church. Tos. H. Robertson, ^.t r ,, r^ .. Tazewell Taylor, j -^ ' The following are the resolutions : " At a meeting of the pew-holders of Christ Church, held in the lecture-room on Friday evening, July 8th, 1853, the trustees laid before the meeting a communication from the Rev. George D. Cummins resigning the rectorship of Christ Church, and assigning the ill-health of his family as the reason which had led him reluctantly to this step. Whereupon it was " Resolved^ iinanimously , That the congregation have re- ceived this intelligence, and now accept his resignation, with the profoundest regret. They bear in mind the happy rela- tions which have existed between the faithful pastor and his affectionate people during the six years that he has, both by precept and example, ministered among them ; and whilst they truly lament the severance of their connection, they no less sincerely sympathize with him in the cause which led to it. I^ESIGAS CHRIST CHURCH, NORFOLK. 73 '^'^ Resolved., That the trustees be requested to make known to Mr. Cummins the proceedings of this meeting, and to assure him that whithersoever he may go, the congregation will delight to cherish the memory of his social and Chris- tian virtues, nor will they cease to pray that a career of use- fulness so auspiciously begun, may not the less happily termi- nate. "J. MURDEN, 6'^'^r- moment, and no life-boat could live for a minute in such a sea." For four days and nights he had himself lashed to the mainmast, that he might give his orders to the faithful, gallant crew. Here he was fed and stimulated that his strength might not fail. After the fury of the tempest had spent itself he gave the ship up to the command of the second officer, and Avas taken to the hospital blind and lame and other- wise injured by exposul-e ! When the ship rode once more on smooth waters, a thanksgiving service was held on board. What a contrast to the first ! And yet when the gallant ves- sel rode into the harbor, the gayest laugh and merri- est jokes came from the lips of the thoughtless opera troupe, who in the hour of dire distress vowed un- wavering fealty to that God who holds the waters in the hollow of his hand ! During all these sad months of separation from his children, Dr. Cummins had failed to receive letters from home. Almost immediately after he arrived in England, Stonewall Jackson again broke up the Balti- more and Ohio Railroad, so that no communication could be had with Baltimore, and thus no letters could reach the steamers. When, therefore, he set foot once more on his native shores, his heart was filled with sad forebodings. Yet very earnestly did 178 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. he try to cast all his care upon God. The invalid wife was tenderly placed in a special car, through the lov- ing care of a dear friend and an official of the road, and in all the comfort of their own home was con- veyed to Baltimore. But no children's voices greeted them ! No word had reached them of their welfare since August. They only learned that General Lee had retreated from Jefferson County, and had gone to Richmond. Sad were the days and nights spent by Dr. Cummins. He had no heart even for his work when the fate of his children was unknown. Through the great kindness of the same dear friend who had sent on his own car to Jersey City for them, he was enabled very silently and secretly to go at night to Harper's Ferry, where one of the best soldiers of the army of the United States had command. Arrange- ments were made very quietly by which the anxious father could reach his father-in-law's home, about four- teen miles distant, under a flag of truce. After passing thfe Federal lines, however, Dr. Cummins was exposed to great danger from the Confederate pickets, as it was still night and very dark. Several times during that memorable ride did he hear the click of the sen- try's rifle when he could not give the password. But in two instances he was recognized by his voice by those who had heard him preach years before ! Thus did God watch over and keep his servant ! At the break of day he rode up on horse- back to Judge Balch's house, and with feelings too great for words he entered. Entered to find his be- loved ones all safe. We have heard him speak of that moment with such deep emotion as almost to pre- vent utterance. His first act was to gather the RETURN HOME. 1/9 family together and return fervent thanks to God for his goodness to them all. The mystery was then ex- plained. Letters had been written regularly, but there had been no mails, and they were returned to them or lost. The last that had been sent were in a vessel which passed the City of Washington on her way home ! The next morning, at an early hour, the little ones were taken in an ambulance to Harper's Ferry, and there received by the dear friend who had waited all night in his car for them. Their journey to Baltimore was safely accomplished, and the weary invalid was blessed by the sight of her children after nearly five months' separation. It was a joyful and thankful household which assembled that night in the sick- room to give thanks unto the Lord. The next summer Dr. Cummins and his family were at Easthampton, Long Island, and there the children had a pleasant interview with the kind general who had remembered " he was a father too," and had sent a flag of truce to escort the anxious father to the Confederate lines. As the youngest child sat upon his knee, and the two elder on each side, the general questioned them merrily about their residence in " Dixie," and the children enjoyed greatly the bright conversation, and were sorry to have it end. They left Easthampton the next day. The sea voyage and rest from all excitement and labor, as well as the great pleasure Dr. Cummins had had in seeing so much that was novel and interesting in the " old country," brought back the needed strength, and he was able to take up once more the heavy duties of his parish. l8o GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. With a very grateful heart he went through the labors of the winter of 1862-3 with only the aid of a reader. He was strengthened and cheered by the in- gathering of that season. It was remembered by many as the beginning of the " new life" within their hearts. The confirmation-classes were unusually large. The Bible-class increased in numbers, and the interest of its members grew. The Sunday-schools gave evidence of great vitality, and the weekly lec- tures were fully attended, even by those belonging to other churches. We have frequently met with per- sons who spoke of those lectures as being most pre- cious to their souls, and how greatly they had been missed. I CHAPTER XIX. CALL TO SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA. " Just as God leads me, I would go ; I would not ask to choose my way ; Content with what he will bestow, Assured he will not let me stray. So as he leads, my path I make, And step by step I gladly take, A child in him confiding." — Lampertus, 1735. Aged 40. N December, 1862, Dr. Cummins received the fol- lowing- letter : " San Francisco, Cal., December 4. 1862. "Reverend and Dear Sir : I wish asbriefly as possible to make a statement to which I beg your serious consideration. It is one which has involved in it, to a great degree, the future character of the Church on the Pacific. " The congregation of Grace Church has recently erected one of the finest church edifices in the country. The idea is to have this the cathedral church of the diocese — ' Grace Cathedral " — and to be forever the home of the bishop when in town. This is to make it the head-quarters of the diocese, and the leading parish on the Pacific. I, of course, cannot pretend to have the responsibility of any charge over it, as my duties and the length of my absences from town must be increasing every year. My connection with it is to be a nominal one to give it a cathedral character. It is intended to elect a dean of the cathedral, who will be de facto rector 1 82 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. and have the entire parochial charge, leaving my interest in it merely such participation in the public services, when in town, as he and I may arrange between us. " I regard this as the most important position in this coun- try. An empire is growing up, and in a few years San Fran- cisco will be the rival of New York. The Pacific Railroad will be built, and then, with a line of steamers to China and Japan, the whole commerce of the East must flow through this port. And yet we have never been able to have here a man of firsl- rate ability in our Church. The Presbyterians and Meth- odists are represented by their ablest men, while we are con- demned to the merest mediocrity ; and now we are forming the character of the Church for the next century. Grace Church is to give a tone not only to the Church in this city, but on the whole Pacific coast. The building up of Grace Cathedral by the right kind of man would infuse life and en- ergy into the whole Pacific Church. " The question I wish to put is, whether you would take the place ? I have proposed it individually to most of the vestry, and it has met with their hearty concurrence. As to our unity of feeling and purpose, I believe that in ' striving together' for the Gospel there would be no difference on any important point. In all that is evangelical (in the true sense of the word) I should be as anxious as yourself. Party divisions have never yet been introduced into this diocese, and it is my object to keep them out. I feel that any one coming here and taking this place will be doing a work for the Church which can be opened for him nowhere else ; but as yet we have had no one to do this work, never power enough in the pulpit to arrest the attention of these people. A nobler field could not be found for any one to inculcate the Gospel upon their active minds. With regard to yourself, I would say that I have no doubt you are doing much good where you are, but it would be better to be one of those who are to decide the character of the Church for the next century in this rising CALL TO SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA. 1 83 empire. Will you telegraph me your answer ? I trust it will be favorable. " Trusting that the Spirit from on High will lead you to decide for the best interests of our holy faith, " I remain yours faithfully, " William Ingraham Kip, ^'Bishop of California. " Rev. Dr. Cummins." A second letter from Bishop Kip, dated December 8th, 1862, reached Dr. Cummins soon after the first. In it the bishop explains more fully his own position in connection with Grace Church. He writes : " The object of my continued connection with the church is merely to give it the character of a cathedral church. The building is constructed expressly for this object, having in the inner chancel on one side a canopied seat for the bishop, and on the other side a canopied seat for the dean. In the outer chancel are stalls for ten clergy. My connection with it would be, as I remarked in my former letter, nominal, and consist in this : that th .s would be the place where I have my ecclesiastical home, and be found at service when not em- ployed elsewhere. My participation in the services would be merely that which, according to the custom of the diocese, I always take when present in any church at morning service — to read the Ante-Communion Service (except the epistle) and give the benediction. The pulpit would be under your con- trol entirely. As to parochial matters, they are to be entirely under the control of the dean." This second letter of Bishop Kip was followed by one from Mr. Louis McLane, of the firm of Wells, Fargo & Co., San Francisco. It is dated 184 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. " December 9, 1862. ' ''Rev. George D. Cummins : " My Dear Sir : Bishop Kip has read me his two letters to you, asking you to come here and take charge of Grace Church and parish, and explanatory of the position he desires to occupy towards you as rector. His first letter was writ- ten after a full and frank conference between us, I promising to write and urge on you the acceptance of the call, I con- sider this as the greatest field in the United States for a true churchman, a minister of Jesus Christ with the necessary talent and will to hold his own. You have both qualities, and can do more good for the Episcopal Church here in two or three years than you can do in any other place. You can build up the strongest parish in the State, both as to numbers and good works. I will work with you shoulder to shoulder. I will write to my brother A to make you as comfortable as possible aboard the steamer. The climate here is delight- ful and certainly healthy. Do not decline our call without long consideration. The invitation will leave you free to do as you may wish, either to remain for years or leave after six months. " Yours sincerely and with respect, " Louis McLane." A letter from Mr. McLane, dated December 20th, 1862, is short, and relates chiefly to the promise of most generous aid and thoughtful care on the part of a truly large-hearted man. The letter ends with the sentence : "I sincerely hope you have decided to come here before you receive this." A letter from Bishop Kip, dated San Francisco, February 21st, 1863, was received by Dr. Cummins soon after. The bish- op writes : " Reverend and Dear Sir : I have seen Mr, McLane this morning for the first time since receiving your letter. CALL To SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA. 1 8$ " You do not overrate the importance of this position. I do not know one in the Church which could exert so wide and permanent an influence to the whole diocese. I should very much like, if you could come out, to have you do so by June, that I may begin my visitations. The vestry framed a resolution leaving the whole matter to me, with power to make such arrangements with you as I chose. If you will telegraph me that you will accept — you may consider the call offered you — I will summon the vestry and have you for- mally elected ''Rector of Grace Parish^' with the title of * Dean of Grace Cathedral. ' Please telegraph me as soon as convenient, and let us know when you will come, if you decide in our favor, and I will then forward the formal call. " Believe me yours very truly, " Wm. Ingraham Kip." This was followed by one of the same date from Dr. Cummins's friend, Mr. McLane : " My Dear Mr. Cummins : Your letter of the 8th reached here during my absence from the city. The bishop called this morning to say that he had laid your letter before the vestry of Grace Church, and that they had authorized him to urge your acceptance of the rectorship with the title of Dean. The climate is bracing the year round, the nights are always cool. I sincerely trust you will try its effects upon you, if only for a year. You can come on your own terms as to time, and I entreat you to come and stir us up. "With esteem and regard, believe me your sincere friend, " Louis McLane." A letter from Rev. J. L. C , bearing date Waterbury, Conn., March 21st, 1863, was received by Dr. Cummins some time after the above was written. We quote from it : 1 86 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. " I have a brother and a nephew living in San Francisco, the latter in a banking house there. He is a member of Grace Church. I have two letters to-day from him urging me to go on to Baltimore to see you, and read to you his let- ters. He earnestly hopes you will not decline the call. He says he never knew such united and anxious feeling in a parish for any man to become their pastor as pervades Grace Church. ' ' Yours most sincerely and respectfully in the best of bonds, J. L. C ." Another letter from the same clergyman, and one from a presbyter of the Protestant Episcopal Church in New York who has since become widely known by reason of certain predictions concerning that church, were received by Dr. Cummins, and were, with those from which we have quoted, the chief in- formation upon which he acted in deciding so impor- tant a question. His answer, after very earnest consideration of the call, was that he could not see it to be his duty to leave his present field of labor, where God had so abundantly blessed him, for another, however attrac- tive that might be. The spring of 1863 found him as hopefully and faithfully at work as though the moans of the wounded and dying and the cries of the widowed and fatherless were not heard throughout this highly-fa- vored country. With the innate horror of war which he ever felt, it was to be expected that the pastor of a congregation such as St. Peter's — where some sons and brothers and fathers were fighting for the govern- ment and some for the South — would feel not only the deepest sympathy for the relatives of these sol- CALL TO SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA. . 187 diers, but would suffer intense anxiety day by day in waiting for news of the members of his flock, some of whom had been brought to Jesus by his preaching. This constant and severe strain upon his nervous system showed its effects in May, 1863, when his phy- sicians told him frankly that unless he removed at once to a more bracing climate he would b€ wholly unfitted for his work. Here his faith and trust in God were fully tested. In the midst of work such as he was accomplishing in St. Peter's, to either be laid aside altogether or have to remove to another field was a sorrow to this servant of God too deep for words, but with all his loving resting on Jesus, he said, " As Thou wilt." CHAPTER XX. ANOTHER HOME. " Moreover it is required in stewards, that a mao be found faithful." I Cor. 4 : 2. Aged 41. JUST at this crisis the following letter was re- ceived : Chicago, May 16, 1863, " Copy of resolutions passed by the vestry of Trinity Church, Chicago, May i6th, 1863, touching the call of Rev. Dr. Cummins : ''Resolved^ That the Rev. George D. Cummins, D.D., be invited to become the rector of Trinity Church, Chicago. ''Resolved, That J. L. Reynolds, L. P. Hiliard, and John Wright be a committee to communicate the foregoing resolu- tion to Dr. Cummins, and urge his acceptance of the invita- tion ; and that said committee be requested, if practicable, to visit Baltimore, and in person communicate with Dr. Cum- mins. Otherwise by correspondence. And if Dr. Cummins prefer to visit Chicago before deciding, that his expenses shall be paid, etc. " Adopted unanimously. H. E. Sargent, " Secretary.'" A committee visited Baltimore and had a long interview with Dr. Cummins at his home on Madison Avenue. This question seemed one of easy solution. There ANOTHER HOME. 1 89 was not much left for him to do. His physicians had decided the matter for him. He felt that they were right ; but it was a sad trial to him and his wife to break up their home again and go to an untried field. Still they recognized the hand of the Lord in this, and without a murmur submitted. To bid adieu to the dear friends with whom he had labored all these years — friends who in many ways had Avound them- selves around his heart, to whom he had so faithfully and lovingly ministered during a time of deep anxiety and fear to all — was a trial too deep for words to one so loving. He shrank from it with a keen sense of all that it cost him. Their home, too, was so attrac- tive, and around it hung many tender associations. But the question admitted of no debate, and, after some weeks. Dr. Cummins decided to accept the call. The call came in Ma}^ but it was not until after midsummer that the matter was finally decided. This interval was passed in a visit to Chicago, that Dr. Cummins might learn more fully of the new field ; and in resting from all labor, in New York and East- hampton. Long Island. The first letter we have of Dr. Cummins written at this time is dated Niagara Falls, June 24th, 1863, when on his way to Chicago, having left his family in New York : " I left you at 7 o'clock yesterday morning. I enjoyed very much the ride on the Hudson River Railroad. Almost immediately we came to the Palisades, and these extended for miles. I noticed that the solid rocks forming them were in some places crumbling, and thought of the Psalmist's expres- sion, ' These all shall wax old, as doth a garment, and as a vesture shall be changed, but Thou art the same.' Soon we reached the region of Sleepy Hollow, where Ichabod 1 90 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. Crane flourished, then by Tarrytown, associated with Andre and his sad fate. Not far from this the Highlands came in view, more beautiful than ever to me, and I passed by West Point, Fort Putnam, Kosciusko's monument, and C 's Hotel where we passed a part of the summer, of 1855. Then Newburg came in sight and Fishkill Landing, and I thought of Rev. Mr. C and your dear sister, now in glory — of their home there and here ! The next object of interest were the Catskill Mountains, rising in great beauty and even grandeur, not unlike the mountains around Loch Katrine and Loch Lomond, At 11.45 we reached Albany, not five hours travelling one hundred and fifty miles. We reached Niagara at 10.30, having travelled four hundred and fifty miles since 7 o'clock this morning, in fifteen hours. My room overlooks the Rapids on the American side, where the river makes its mighty leap, and I went to sleep with the sound of the cataract in my ears. I was, of course, weary with so long a journey, but am rested this morning, and am writing to you before going out to view the great works of God. " Later he writes : " I passed the morning on Goat Island, enjoying the different views of the Falls, and wishing all my loved ones were with me. The mighty waters are still rolling on as ever, unchanged, perhaps, since creation, and undiminished in vol- ume. I repeated to myself Milton's lines : " ' These are thy glorious works, Parent of Good ; thyself how wondrous then !' " Dr. Cummins reached Chicago June 26th, and was received with great kindness by the vestry and con- gregation of Trinity Church. He describes the church as exceedingly beautiful when lighted up. Chicago reminded him of a European city. Of Trin- ity Church he writes : ANOTHER HOME. I9I " The front is of stone and very imposing, the sides of brick, with no windows, like Christ Church, New York, and is lighted from above. The interior is beautiful ; the pews are of oak, the chancel semicircular, with stained-glass win- dows. The church is very large, but easy to speak in, though it has galleries. Sunday morning at 10.30 we had service. Mr. G and Dr. H read the service and I preached. The congregation was very large." Then follows a full description of how he passed the time while in Chicago, the people he met, and his impressions of that grand city. In concluding the letter he says : " I have promised my friends in Balti- more that I would not decide the question until I re- turned. It is a momentous question. May our hea- venl}' Father in his great goodness lead me to decide aright !" He speaks of the beautiful lake, and of Wa- bash and Michigan avenues, and also of the great kindness of the people. In a letter dated June 29th he writes : " Let us be unceasing in prayer to God for His guidance. I never felt more anxious to do right. I am willing to sacrifice anything to follow his will. I do not wish to leave my present home if by God's blessing I could go on with my work ; nor can I tell how a residence here might affect your health." Under date of July ist, at Niagara Falls, he writes : " On Monday, after closing my letter to you, Mr. C , Mr. H , and Mr. S called for me in an open carriage to drive. We went first to see the process of raising a block of brick buildings., for which the people in Chicago have be- come so famous. These buildings were owned by Mr. H , 192 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. and are five stories high and eighty feet long, and I saw them in the process of being raised several feet from the foundation, and all the occupants pursuing their avocations undisturbed ! One whole block in the city, including the Tremont House, a first class hotel, was thus raised, and everything went on as usual in the buildings, and not a piece of plaster was cracked ! We next drove to the City Water Works. The water is pumped up from Lake Michigan into a high tower by steam-engines. Then we went to see one of those immense grain-elevators where grain is carried up and down again into the boats by steam power. Some of them hold over one million bushels of grain. Yesterday, June 30th, I left Chicago. Mr. R , Mr. C , and Mr. S ac- companied me to the cars, and expressed very earnest hopes that I would accept their invitation. I promised to give it most earnest and prayerful consideration, and send them an answer at the earliest day possible. They will wait until October ist for me to begin my work in Trinity. I am writing now from the Clifton House on the Canada side of the Falls. The view is incomparably superior to that from the American side. While sitting on the piazza of the hotel the sun rose, and the rays falling on the Falls made a column of rainbow rising upright from the waters. ' ' Dr. Cummins had scarcely reached New York before the fearful riots began. He had taken lodgings for himself and family in Thirty-eighth Street, near Madison Avenue, and there they witnessed many terrible scenes— the burning of the Colored Orphan Asylum, and the procession going to attack the United States Arsenal. Day after day and night after night they heard the wild shouts and howls of what no longer seemed to be human beings made after the image of God, but a number of wild beasts fresh from the jungles of India thirsting for blood. ANOTHER HOME. I93 Finding it no longer possible to remain in the city with any comfort, they removed to Easthampton, Long Island. Their drive to the steamer was a mem- orable one. The stores on Broadway were closed ; the streets deserted ; no vehicle to be seen for squares ; it was as though a fearful plague had driven every one from their homes, except those who were too ill to leave their beds. Every few minutes the firing was heard and the shouts of the frenzied throng, as madly they marched from street to street, doing their deadly work. Just as the carriage reached the upper end of Wall Street it met the procession of furies, headed, as in the days of the Terror in France, by women armed with axes, hatchets, pitchforks, scythes, and clubs, and with demoniacal faces. By a sudden and skilful turn of the carriage by the coach- man a lane was reached, and soon they arrived at the boat, while in the distance was heard the furious yells of the maddened throng. Dr. Cummins and his family remained on Long Island until the last of September. Finding that sea air and sea bathing failed to restore his wonted strength, he at last decided that it would be wisest to try the climate of Chicago, hoping the change might bring back health and strength. Accordingly he sent his resignation to the vestry of St. Peter's Church. From one of his most valued friends in St. Peter's he received at this time a letter, from which we quote : " I sympathize with you most truly, for I know the difii- culties that must present themselves in the settlement of such a question. I do not like to say anything lest it savor of selfishness, but this I 7nust say, that I am sure not one of your many devoted friends in Baltimore is more anx- 194 GEORGE DAVID CUMMTfv^Ty. ious for you to stay than you are to do your duty in this whole matter. I am sure all I might say has been weighed carefully by you, but I shall not cease to pray that if it be God's will, you may remain with us. I hope your health may be restored and that you may return here strong for the fight you have heretofore so nobly and successfully made for Christ. But whatever may be the result, I shall ever pray that God's blessing may be with you and yours. " Believe me to be " Very faithfully your friend, " T. W. A ." In a letter bearing a later date the same dear friend writes : " I learned from Mr. W that you had declined the call to Chicago. It would have gratified you to have heard the outspoken, sincere, and hearty expressions of joy and affection in the congregation of St. Peter's, as well as in the community at large, when Mr. W gave it out that you had decided not to go to Chicago. I am sure, my dear sir, that your friends do not overestimate your power for good to this community. It will be a happy day to us all if God shall return you to us with renewed strength. Your friends have an unfaltering confidence in your desire to know and do his will in this as in other things." The acceptance of the call to Chicago saddened many hearts in Baltimore, and this trial was felt the more for their having heard the rumor that it had been declined. Another letter from the same valued friend, bear- ing date August 24th, 1863, was received by Dr. Cum- mins while at Easthampton : ANOTHER HOME. 195 " My Dear Doctor : I need not say that the announce- ment in your letter caused me great pain. It seems like a complete unsettling of my relations with St. Peter's, which were so pleasant under your ministration. Our acquaint- ance with you has ripened into strong personal affection and esteem, which separation will not lessen. You will carry to your new home our love and best wishes ; and we shall ever thank God for the privileges we have enjoyed under your ministry. "The motive which moves you is one of the strongest that can be presented, and ought to weigh heavily with any man who regards properly the life which God has given him. The expressions which I have heard respecting your removal have generally been those of unmixed affection and unabated love. " We shall miss you, dear doctor, more than I can tell you. To my dear wife it is a real trial. " With sincere affection, believe me to be as ever, ' ' Your sincere friend, "T. W. A. ." A meeting of the vestry of St. Peter's Church was held August 21st, when the usual resolutions were passed, accompanied by expressions of deep re- gret at the severance of the ties which had bound them together for so many years. The document ends with the following sentence : " Earnestly hoping that by God's blessing the change con- templated may be the means of restoring you to health and strength, so that you may be able to continue for many years the work of the ministry in which you have been so eminently successful." The last of September Dr. Cummins took XiiM 196 GEORGE DA VID CUMMINS. family to St. Catherine's Wells, Canada, where they remained for eleven months, that Mrs. Cummins might be benefited by the waters. During this time Dr. Cummins filled all his appointments in Trinity Church, Chicago, only visiting his family occasionally and for a few days at a time. CHAPTER XXI. LIFE IN THE GREAT WEST. He liveth long who liveth well — All other life is short and vain ; He liveth longest who can tell Of living most for heavenly gain. ***** Sow love, and taste its fruitage pure ; Sow peace, and reap its harvest bright j Sow sunbeams on the rock and moon, And find a harvest-home of light. — BoNAR. Aged 41. THE story of the life of Dr. Cummins while rector of Trinity Church, Chicago, will be best told by extracts from letters written by himself. They are journal-letters, telling of his daily work. The first we have is dated ''October 3, 1863. — I trust that I feel more than ever desir- ous to glorify God by consecrating my time and talents to him in the work of winning souls. I shall strive to live more closely than ever to my Saviour, knowing and feeling that in this is our only true blessedness. I know that your prayers will be offered for me to-morrow, and always, that I may be faithful and grow in holiness continually. " May our loving heavenly Father keep you under the shadow of his wing ! Tell G that he must now be more than ever gentle and kind and thoughtful to supply my place. Kiss darling E , and tell her to try to be a dear child of 198 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. Jesus. I trust my precious L will daily grow in grace, and in likeness to the blessed Saviour. ''October 4, 1863. — My first Sunday in Trinity Church as its pastor ! It was an occasion of great interest and, I trust, of profit to all who participated in the services. About 10 o'clock I went to the church, and found a bright fire in the vestry- room, and everything very comfortable. Every time I am in the church I am more favorably impressed with its beauty ; every- thing is in such excellent order and so conveniently arranged. At 10.30 the services began. The church was filled, galleries and floor, notwithstanding the rain-storm. Dr. H read the morning prayer. I took the Ante-Communion Service. The music was the finest I have heard since I listened to the choir of St. Bartholomew's, New York, when under your brother's charge. * * The organ is a very large one, and the voices wonder- fully fine. I regret that it is not more congregational, but this, I hope, will be gained in course of time. I preached from Col. 4:17. The people listened attentively, and seemed to feel it as I did. On returning to the chancel for the communion I was surprised to find so few remaining : such a contrast to St. Peter's ! You will see how great a work is to be done here ! We had the chancel-rail filled only five" and a half times. The communion was so soon over that I did not feel fatigued. I wish you could look into my room where I am now writing, and see how cosey and sweet it is. 1 am sure you would be glad. ' 'Mofiday. — All day yesterday the weather was very inclem- ent ; the church, however, was well filled. My text was from Psalm 87 : 2, 5, 6. The singing was even finer than in the morn- ing. I never heard anything more delightful than the psalm and hymn. I felt quite bright at the close of the day's work, and hope I may feel stronger in this cool climate. Mr. C is to have me at his house one evening this week to meet some of the Trinity Church people ; he is also going to drive me this LIFE IN THE GREAT WEST. 199 afternoon to call on Bishop Whitehouse. During the half- hour I was out this morning the bishop called with Rev. Mr. W and Judge O , " Tuesday aftcr?wo?i, 5 o'clock. — Mr. C and I start- ed at 4 for the bishop's. We found him in, and sat half an hour with him. He received me very cordially. I told him I had only resided in two dioceses, Virginia and Maryland, and in both my relations to the bishops and the authorities were very pleasant and harmonious, and that I hoped it would be so here. He invited me to meet some friends at his house Thursday evening, and Mr. C also. I accepted the invitation. Mr. C seems to be very happy that I have come to Chicago. After tea went to the vestry-room to attend a vestry meeting. I am very much impressed with the energy of the gentlemen and their liberality. "Wednesday evening. — This morning at 9 o'clock I left the depot of the Galena Railway with Mr. and Mrs. R for the home of Mr. B , fifteen miles from Chicago. In an hour we reached his beautiful residence, surrounded by lovely grounds, gardens, and a conserva- tory. The dwelling is large, and filled with beautiful works of art. Mrs. B soon came in, and to my surprise I found her to be a niece of Mr. M. P — - , of Clark County. Va., and of Captain Richard L. P A our congregation in Norfolk. Mr. B took us around his grounds, and then showed us what above all things interested us — a magic- lantern and views, in nineteen boxes, pictures of views in Europe, exquisitely painted, for which he paid I50 each ; all kinds of insects and plants, three or four hundred plates in all ; all the heavenly bodies, and all the movements of the solar system in motion, caused by most delicate machinery. All these, and an oxyhydrogen microscope of wondrous power, and a solar microscope, and other inferior micro- scopes, he purchased for $8000. They were the eifects of a 200 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. German who devoted his life to them, and died here of despondency and want of success. I would go hundreds of miles to see them exhibited at night. The oxyhydrogen microscope requires oxygen gas to be manufactured to light it properly. Mrs. J is the same lovely old lady we knew in Norfolk, and was delighted to see me. Our conversation was chiefly on religious topics, and we were of one mind and heart. Mr. B is a very earnest Christian and a thor- oughly evangelical man. He has a chapel on his grounds, and holds services himself as lay reader. He translates sermons of German and French divines for the congregation. You may imagine my delight in meeting such a man. On returning to Chicago, I called at the American Express Co. to see Mr. F , who is at the head of the company here and one of my vestry. The office is immense, and crowded with clerks and goods — indeed, everything here is on a gigantic scale. Mr. H is going to send you a box of fine grapes. " I have been visiting in the congregation every day since I arrived. The vestry are very kind. Mr. and Mrs. H have urged me to be their guest while you are at St. Cath- arine's. They are as hospitable as Virginians. To-day I went out to see about sending you money. I went to Mr. C 's office and told him what I wanted to do. ' Very well. Dr. C , ' he said, ' I will see the treasurer, buy the silver, have it boxed up and sealed in my office, and sent off by express without any cost to you, as I know Mr. F will not charge you anything. ' Is not this doing a kindness in a generous way ? Chicago is a wonderful place, so full of novelty, and unlike our Eastern cities. " October 9, 1863. — I am more pleased with Chicago each day ; the lake is always an object of great interest, and on every side are things to excite surprise and ad- miration. The energy and progress here are almost in- credible. At 7.30 P.M. I had my first lecture in the lec- ture-room of the church. It was well filled, and the ser- LIFE IN THE GREAT WEST. 201 vice very pleasant. Mr. H remarked, after coming home, that in a few weeks we would be driven into the church by the crowd. In the afternoon I went out with Mr. H to his office. It is in the Court House, I went through it and admired the completeness of all the in- ternal arrangements. We also made several visits. Thurs ■ day at 7.30 Mr. H and myself went to the bishop's, and there met a large company. I knew but few persons. The bishop was very courteous and attentive. I am engaged this evening to meet some friends at Mr. R 's. I intend to stop a day at St. Catharine's on my way back from Baltimore, and will see father and mother on my way on. * ^Friday afternoon. — Your letters have just come. One from each ! I knelt down after reading them to thank God for all his goodness to me in giving me such a home-circle ! May his lov- ing-kindness ever be your portion, and may he give to both of us and all of us the blessedness of resting in his love — of living in the consciousness of his favor ! Do all you can for the poor sufferer, and to any others you hear of. God is so wondrously good to us, we ought to be ever ministering to others. To-day at dinner Mr. and Mrs. H said they could not think of giving me up this winter. I have never met with greater kindness. I can have a most comfortable study at the church ; the rooms are beautifully fitted up with shelves. Indeed everything is as delightful around me as any heart could wish, except the absence of my precious family. Mr. H has a nice horse which he insists that I shall ride every day, I have felt much stronger ever since my arrival here ; it is certainly a bracing climate and a deeply interesting place. There are 4000 Confederate prisoners here ; I am to preach to them next week. All the clergy take part in preaching to them. There are many professing Chris- tians among them. " October 12. — On Friday I was visiting all the after- noon and making inquiries concerning an assistant, Friday 202 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. evening I took tea at Mr. R 's, and met the bishop and Mrs. W , and the Rev. Mr. Cheney and v/ife. We passed a pleasant evening. Saturday morning was busy with Mr. C in trying to have the chancel window shaded, the Hght being too trying to the eyes. Saturday evening went to the rehearsal of our choir, to show the interest I feel in their work. I enjoyed listening to them very much. There is much musical talent in Chicago. Sunday morning dawned brightly and beautifully. Mr. R sent me your letter. It made the day a glad one. I think it wise to engage Rev. Mr. C as tutor to L and G . The Times re- ports my sermon on Sunday in full. We had a noble congre- gation. The vast building was filled in every part. I had no one to assist me, but went through all the services without fatigue. The church is so easy to fill. At 3 o'clock I went to the Sunday-school. At 7.30 p.m we had service, and Mr. Cheney read for me. The church was crowded like St. Peter's used to be. The church has in all 256 pews. Many have been rented this week. I was sent for in the afternoon to visit a poor woman. This is Tuesday. Last night I had a meeting of the teachers of the Sunday-school to consult about the improvement of the school. It was very pleasant. Mr. R will become our superintendent. " October 14, 1863. — Making visits all day in Mr. H 's carriage. At 6 met the vestry at Mr. C 's. We are starting anew a sinking-fund system to pay off our indebted- ness ; Mr. C thinks we can pay all by Easter. If so, they will build a rectory. I took my first ride this morning, and am charmed with the horse. I am to use it each day as my own. Mr. H insists upon getting a new saddle, bridle, and whip. He is the kindest of men. Last night Mr. and Mrs. C invited me to come and be with them all winter. Are we not blessed in such friends ? " October 15. — Each day I am more and more delighted with Chicago ; it is a very interesting city. The Lake is LIFE IN THE GREAT WEST. 203 never-wearying in interest, almost as much so as the ocean. Wabash and Michigan avenue are very beautiful — the one looks immediately out upon the unbounded expanse of water, and the other, Wabash, is very wide, and has two rows of trees on each side, of the avenue ten or fifteen feet apart. ' The lines have indeed fallen unto us in pleasant places. ' I send you a copy of the Times, and also a most Avonderful and powerful letter from dear Bishop Hopkins to Bishop P . It is a tremendous blow, a Titan's stroke, and he promises to follow it up with a book, if spared. ... I cannot re- sist the conviction that God will yet raise you up and give us years of joy in the future. But his blessed will be done in you and in me always, and ever, and alone ! " October 17. — I went out yesterday to purchase the books. I bought Macduff's * Hart and the Waterbrooks, ' ' Grapes of Eshcol,' ' Thoughts of God,' and 'Arthur Vanderleur's Life.' Mrs. H sent you another box of grapes, and Mr. C a box of game. Rev. Mr. Cheney read again for me last night. I preached from St. John 12 : 25. The church was filled with an immense audience. It is a wonderful field, and may well excite one to fervor and diligence. I am especially thankful that, although the church is so large, it is so easy to fill with the voice as not to weary me in preaching. The ventilation is so good that the air is not oppressive even from such a crowd. To tell you of other kindnesses, Mr. S has sent me passes to go all the way to New York by the M. C. R. R. and its connections. Is not this most kind ?" The next letter is dated Baltimore, October 20th. In it Dr. Cummins gives a graphic description of the scenery on the Pennsylvania Central Railroad cross- ing the AUeghanies. He then tells of his busy life while in Baltimore, superintending the packing of the furniture, books, etc., in their home on Madison Avenue. He writes : 204 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. ' ' I am still uncertain about getting to Jefferson County. All is confusion here. General Lee's movements are mysteri- ous and incomprehensible to the government. No one knows where he will turn up. Last Sunday a serious disaster be- fell the gvernment forces at Charlestown, Va. General Love- joy was a classmate of mine at college." In the midst of heavy work he found time to call and see all his dear friends of St. Peter's, " who were all most kind and affectionate, but feel my leaving deeply." During his stay in Baltimore he was the guest of William Prescott Smith, Esq., where he was most affectionately welcomed and made very com- fortable in his elegant home. In a letter dated Balti- more, October 24th, he thus describes the Sunday passed with his former congregation : " This morning at 10 o'clock I started for St. Peter's, and went into the Sunday-school, spoke to all the teachers, and addressed the children. At 11 o'clock I preached. The church was thronged and many were standing. It was a very interesting service. My text was 2 Cor. 4:5. I bap- tized Mr. D 's child and one of Mrs. H ■ S 's. I hope to leave for St. Catharine's Tuesday night at 8.30. May our Father ever bless and keep you all, and bring us in safety to meet once more !" On his return to Chicago, Dr. Cummins writes thus, under date of November 4th •. " Again I am in my new home, and my song ought to be unceasing of the loving-kindness of the Lord. I have trav- elled in these past two weeks two thousand two hundred miles, and was mercifully saved from all danger. The few brief hours we spent together were precious beyond all esti- LIFE IN THE GREAT WEST. 20$ mate, and so soon passed ! but let us be thankful for such a mercy, and not indulge in sad thoughts. I found the ground covered with snow here, though in St. Catharine's we had rain. Yesterday at lo o'clock I went into the Sunday-school, and found good Mr. B in his place as superintendent ; a gentleman came in to instruct the children in singing, and they sang very sweetly. I had all the service, as Mr. T failed to make his appearance, but, strange to say, I was but slightly fatigued. Many pews have been rented since I took charge of the church, and all is encouraging. The great fair for the benefit of the sick and wounded soldiers is attracting many to the city. One day seven thousand dollars were taken in, and last week twenty thousand dollars ! This is the way they do things in this wonderful city. " November 4. — Mr. C went with me to a printer to have some circulars and Bible-class questions printed." From the circular we quote a portion of the con- tents, that an idea may be had of what the routine of work was then at Trinity : " Sunday. — Divine Services at 10.30 a.m. and 7.30 p.m. Holy Communion on the first Sunday of each month, and at Christmas and Easter. Sermon to young men on the first Sunday evening of each month. " The Sacrament of Baptism is administered to infants on the third Sunday afternoon of each month, at 3 o'clock. ' ' The Parish Sunday-school meets each Sunday morning at 9 o'clock. " Wednesday. — Divine Service and Lecture in the lecture- room of the church at 7.30 p.m. The course of lectures for this season is on the Acts of the Apostles, or the History of the Apostolic Church. "Friday. — The Rector's Bible-class for Adults of both sexes meets in the Lecture-room at 7.30 p.m. each Friday. 206 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. "A Preparatory Service and Lecture will be held before the Communion on Saturday, at 7.30 P.M., preceding each Com- munion Sunjday. " CHURCH OFFERINGS AND CONTRIBUTIONS. " On the first Sunday of each month the collection is for the poor and needy, to be disbursed by the Rector. " On the third Sunday morning of each month, except July and August, a special collection will be made for the follow- ing charities, in this order : " January. — Foreign Missions of the Church in Africa, China, Japan, Greece, and South America. " February. — For the Sunday-schools of Trinity Church. " March. — The Diocesan Fund — Support of the Episco- pate. " April. — Church Publishing Societies. " May. — Feeble Parishes and Missionary Stations — Church Extension beyond the Diocese. "June. — Distribution of Bibles, Prayer-Books, and Tracts. " September. — City Missions and other City Charities. " October. — To aid the Education of Students for the Ministry. " November. — Diocesan Missions — Church Extension in Illinois. " December. — Domestic Missions in the Territories and destitute places in our own land. " Thanksgiving Day. — Special Collection for the Aged and Infirm Clergy of the Diocese, as directed by a Canon of the Convention." In the same letter of November 4th he speaks gratefully ot the generosity of one of his church mem- bers in presenting him with a valuable set of trappings for the horse he rode — " another instance of great generosity on the part of this people." LIFE IN THE GREAT WEST. 207 Through the generous and thoughtful care for their rector's comfort, ample means had been provided, apart from his salary, to pack and bring on his fur- niture, library, etc., from Baltimore. A kind friend provided a safe place to store all until a home could be occupied by himself and family. In concluding the same letter, Dr. Cummins writes : " Many, many thanks for your kind words of advice. I love them. May God keep me humble, and near to the cros? of His dear Son. '' Sunday afternoon,, JVoi'ember 8, 1863. — I have not felt before such a longing for the society of my loved ones since I left you. Oh ! that we may feel a greater longing for the society and friendship of Jesus and ' the spirits of just men made perfect ' in our heavenly home ! Here we can be to- gether at the longest for only a few fleeting years, but that fellowship is eternal. May God in His infinite mercy keep me humble, pure, loving, and spiritually minded, and sanc- tify me daily, and all my precious family, for His heavenly kingdom. I pray to do my duty faithfully to perishing souls, to preach more earnestly than ever the love of Christ, and to know nothing beyond my work. My field is indeed a won- drous one, and crowds come to hear ; there is a vast deal of irreligion here, and I try to preach only of the soul's salva- tion or loss, of Christ, of mercy, of redemption. " This morning Dr. T read the service for me, and I preached from Phil. 3:14. The congregation was very large. Every time I enter the church and see such a throng my cry is for more grace, more power, more fidelity to preach Christ aright ! Tuesday night the church will be open to give young men a choice of single sittings. Thursday afternoon the Ladies' Sewing Society is to be revived. My assistant will be here next Sunday. 208 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. ''' November (), Monday. — At 7.30 yesterday we had ser- vice. I preached from Matt. 22 : 13. It was, I trust, a blessed day to me. I tried to preach the love of Christ more earnestly than I have ever done ; the congregation seemed to listen with interest, and I trust God will bless His word each time to the salvation of some souls. I was not at all fatigued. I cannot doubt this climate will be of great benefit to my health ; already I feel stronger than I did in Baltimore. I have spent this morning in visiting. This afternoon at 5.30 I went to a supper given by the Young Men's Christian Asso- ciation to the clergy of Chicago. The object was to make a report to the clergy of their work, and they adopted the English custom of a feast beforehand. About sixty were present, including all the prominent evangelical clergymen of the city and a number of laymen. We had a very handsome supper, after which reports were read from the different com- mittees, and speeches from a number of the clergy, ''November 11. — I rejoice to hear that dear G is taking lessons in music and drawing. The arrangement about the children's studies is a delightful one. In D 's and your work for our friends do not forget Mr. B . I have no truer or nobler friend than he is among all my people here. May our blessed Saviour ever be your friend and com- forter ! " November 13. — I closed my letter to you about 3 o'clock, and started for Mrs. S 's residence, about five miles from Chicago, where the Ladies' Society was to meet. There were about forty ladies present. I addressed them, telling them that I wished them to work for my assistant, who would also be a missionary in the city. They entered very cordially in my plan. At 8 o'clock I read a chapter, and we sung Bishop Ken's evening hymn, ' Glory to Thee, my God, this Night,' and I offered a prayer, and so we broke up. It is a pleasant way of bringing the families of the con- gregation together." CHAPTER XXII. SOWING THE SEED. " Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters." — Isaiah 32 : 20. Aged 41. NOVEMBER 16.—" Yesterday, Sunday, the storm kept the ladies home, but I had a good congregation of gentlemen, both morning and night. We have had our first teachers' meeting, and are about to introduce the missionary system into the Sunday-school, and I hope it will add very much to its efficiency and interest. " Novei7iber 18. — I am now constantly occupied in visit- ing the congregation, and hope to get through before Christ- mas, though we are continually adding to the number. I have not yet had a single case of sickness in the congregation. Is not this remarkable ? I am very glad to hear such pleasant accounts of the children's studies, but do guard dear G from studying too much. ''November 21. — Thursday at 5.30 o'clock I went to Mr. A 's house, our junior warden, where the society met. There were thirty ladies present, despite a hard rain. We had some sweet singing by Miss M , one of our choir. I met there Dr. DeL. M , one of my parishioners just re- turned from Europe. He spent a week with Sir James Y. Simpson, in Edinburgh, this autumn. He says that Sir James is just as great an enthusiast in archseology, in re- ligion, and in our war, as when we were there. At 8 o'clock we dispersed, and Mr. H 's carriage was sent to take me to Rev. Dr. C 's. It was his birthday, and he is in the 2 TO GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. habit of having the clergy at his house to supper. Gold is up to 154 now ; the cause is an anticipation of danger to General Burnside, who is besieged by Longstreet. I have not written you any thing about the war. It is too mighty a theme for a letter ; I must wait until we meet. At the end of three years it seems as far from a conclusion as ever. May God in mercy bring us peace ! Yesterday I had a charming ride, and feel better for every one. At night I conducted the Bible-class ; the attendance was large, and the exercises very pleasant. To-day I have been busy directing the unpacking of my books and table, and arranging them. It has been a busy day, but the room looks so home-like with my books on the shelves ! On Sunday we had a service which lasted nearly two hours and a half. I had to read a pastoral letter from Bishop W about Thanksgiving, and take up a collection for diocesan missions, which amounted to one hundred dol- lars— the largest they have ever taken for that purpose, Judge O says. I want to make it one hundred and fifty. I have prayed for you in church and in my own room. May our Father be your comforter in all your suffering ! " November 26. — This is a day set apart for thanksgiving 10 God, and I have tried to 'count up my blessings,' and find that they are innumerable. How great is God's good- ness to me in my restored health, in my ability to labor in His blessed service, in my many friends, in my comfortable position, and the hope of your improvement, but above all in the love of Christ, in His unwearied forbearance towards me, and His loving-kindness ever new, ever fresh ! For all these I bless and magnify His holy name, and desire to renew my dedication of myself this day to His service and His glory. May He take me and mine and make us all and alto- gether His, and sanctify us by His Holy Spirit ! I have a difficult work to perform to-day, but hope to go through it with His help. I have chosen as my theme, ' The Christian's Ground of Hope for the Future of his Country, ' and my text SOWING THE SEED. 211 is Psalm 20 : 7. Mr. C and Mr. R had my sermon printed in the daily papers. Yesterday I called on Dr. D , of New York, who came to Chicago the night before. Dr. and Mrs. C came up to the chancel to speak with me. Dr. C has been on a tour of duty in the West. I am delighted to hear of the children's rapid improvement under Rev. Mr. C . I am still more delighted to know that L is engaged in ministering to the poor and the sick ; it is a blessed ministry of mercy, and I hope she will grow up finding it to be her greatest delight. Nothing, I think, more surely ripens in any one all the loveliest Christian graces. '' Not'emher 28. — Thursday I went to see Dr. D , of New York, and took him to see our church. The doctor thinks Trinity next to St. 's in New York in size, and very beautiful. St. 's has two hundred pews on the ground- floor, and Trinity one hundred and eighty. Dr. D has never been to Chicago before, and is surprised at all he sees here. In the afternoon I buried the young man whom I was called to see Sunday night. The weather is now very cold. Winter has set in. You will be amused when I tell you that a large white owl flew into the church, and has quietly seated himself on one of the projections in the chancel very high up, and there he sits, grim and solemn, not in the least disturbed by the music, preaching, or the presence of the people ! " November 30. — Thermometer at 10° Fahr., yet we had a full church yesterday. Dr. D was present. Dr. Van D read for me. I preached from Exodus 32 : 26. You will be glad to hear that not a single desirable pew remains unrented. We hope all the debt will be paid at Easter. . . . All is anxiety and excitement about war news, and I fear the next few days will be full of eventful tidings. " December 3. — Went to the meeting of the Board of Managers of the Aged Women's Home. Visited morning and afternoon. " Dece)iiber 6. — Bishop Lee, of Iowa, preaches for me to- 212 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. day. He is here soliciting aid for his school for girls at Du- buque. Friday evening we had an interesting meeting of the Bible-class ; the answers were very prompt and correct. Saturday was devoted to visiting. I dined at Mr. E 's with Bishop Lee, Bishop W , of M , and Rev. Dr. C . On Saturday I had the Preparatory Communion Ser- vice, the first held in Trinity for years. It was well attended. Our communion list is very small for so large a church. A mighty work is needed to be done here for Christ and the sal- vation of souls. Worldliness prevails everywhere. This is a day I can never cease to praise, so bright, so beautiful, so perfect — ' The bridal of the earth and sky, ' as George Her- bert sings. Dr. A , from Quebec, read the morning prayer ; I read the Litany. The bishop's text was, ' And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it ' — a most excel- lent and faithful sermon. I longed for you and the children, and thought of my precious daughter at communion at the same hour with me, and prayed that God would make her a shining light in His church. This afternoon I preach to the children." The next letter from Dr. Cummins from which we quote is dated " December 1 1. — This is my birthday. I am now forty-one years old. It has been a day of many thoughts, some sad and others cheering. How profound and unceasing ought my grati- tude be to God that He has permitted me to live so long, and above all, that more than half of my life has been spent in preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ ! for I commenced my ministry when I was only twenty years of age. Alas ! I can look back upon a record blotted and marred by ever- recurring failures, infirmities, and sins, and yet one thought cheers me amidst it all. I trust I am slowly gaining mastery, and making some improvement in Christian character. I have this day renewed my consecration to God, and as I can- SOWING THE SEED. 21 3 not look forward to twenty years more, and have no right to count upon a shigleyear, I would be more earnest and devoted in my work of winning souls to Christ, knowing ' that the night cometh when no man can work. ' How strange and eventful has our life been ! The changes in our homes, your long- continued illness — surely we ought to feel that God is disci- plining us by His providence and His chastenings to purify us and make us meet for heaven. And while He chastens us, His mercies are not restrained to us. In the midst of the awful calamities to our land, and while so many of our old friends are in desolation and suffering of every kind, we are blessed with an ample support, our precious children spared to us, and the eldest, we trust, a child of God ! Let us dwell on these blessings, and not on our trials ; and let us draw nigh to God, and commit all to Him and trust Him for the future. "December 14. — I have nearly gone through my visiting- list of one hundred and seventy-five families. The work here is very light, having few sick persons to visit, and the climate is so bracing that I trust by God's blessing my health may continue to grow stronger. We have no poor people in Trin- ity Church, but I intend to start a mission in some destitute part of this city, and have my assistant preach every Sunday afternoon there, and also establish a mission Sunday-school. ''December 16. — What a joy I have had to-day in receiv- ing your letter telling me you are better ! My heart was full of gladness and gratitude ; and yet I had not read it half through before my heart was filled with anxiety over our dear boy. " ' Bits of gladness and of sorrow Strangely crossed and interlaid ; Bits of cloud-belt and of rainbow In a deep alternate braid. " ' Days of fever and of fretting, Hours of kind and blessed calm ; Boughs of cedar and of cypress, Wreaths of olive and of palm. 214 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. Noons of musing, nights of dreaming, Words of love, and ways of strife — Tears of parting, smiles of meeting, Paths of smooth and nigged life. ' " These are Bonar's sweet lines, and I have more for you when we meet. May our heavenly Father restore our boy to health ! " I wrote to-day to our dear boy, urging him to give his heart to Jesus now in his childhood, before days of sin and sorrow come to him, I have felt very anxious about him since receiving your letter, and have again and again com- mitted him in prayer to God. Snow-storms follow each other here in quick succession, and the pavements are covered with ice, and the Lake roars like the ocean. I hope these storms will not prevent my getting to St. Catharine's. " December 19. — Just heard of the death of dear Dr. May, of the Virginia Seminary. He ever impressed me as walking so closely with Christ. May we strive to copy the example of two such friends as Dr. and Mrs. May !" At this time Dr. Cummins received a sad letter from an old friend at Norfolk, Virginia, whose de- lightful home was his and his young wife's home also for several months when they first went to Norfolk : " Norfolk, December 17, 1863. " My Dear Friend : We have passed through sore trials since I last saw you, and a sad change has passed over our comfortable and happy home, which I have decided to aban- don and seek another in Baltimore. I and mine have much to be thankful for in the midst of the troubles that afflict our people. I will not harrow you with the recital of the suffer- ings that have been endured by our people, now reduced al- most to pauperism. ' ' When you write, do so as in olden times to a sincere friend SOWING THE SEED. 21 5 who has never lost his interest in you and yours. I hope Mrs. C 's health is improved, and that yours has not given way. L and G are no doubt realizing the bright promise of their childhood. Remember me most affectionately to them. Mrs. T joins me in kindest remembrance to Mrs. C and yourself. " Your sincere friend, T T •. " '' December 2^. — Oh! there is such a work to be done here for Christ that every opportunity to preach Him is precious. To-day I received the inclosed letter from Nor- folk. It is very sad and touching. How wonderful are God's ways ! And how unspeakably precious to know that He is always good, merciful, loving, just, and wise ! I can- not nor would I dare to predict what the end of it all will be. That God is working out His will through the wrath of man, I must ever believe. But one thing seems wonderful to me : how gigantic a work of charity He is placing upon the nation. Here are hundreds of hospitals filled with sick and wounded, soldiers' families in need and suffering, and, last, the hundreds of thousands of the poor colored people needing so much to keep them from the jaws of death. " December 2^. — I wish to establish a Mothers' Meeting in our midst, and use every other instrumentality that may elevate and bless my people. There is a vast deal to be done here, and we have a noble church and a grand field, and we ought to be happy in doing the Master's work. It is vastly harder to suffer and wait than to work, and surely He means only to purify you through patient waiting and enduring. May He draw you nearer to Himself by this fellowship in suffer- ing with Him which He has called you to share ! " December 24. — This is Christmas-eve, a time when we are accustomed to gather in our own home-circle and make each other happy by our little gifts. I feel quite lonely this evening, as it recalls our happy hours in by-gone years." 2l6 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. Dr. Cummins left Chicago, after his duties were over at Christmas, for St, Catharine's, where he passed a few days, and then returned home with his son, whose health had not been very good, and a change of air was thought desirable for him. They had a memorable journey back, encountering one of the most severe snow-storms that had been known for twenty-seven years. Through the great kindness and thoughtfulness of one of his vestry, who was then General Superintendent of the Michigan Central Railroad, he was made more comfortable than others, but his kind friend Mr. S was severely frosted through his generous exertions to relieve the sufferers. The cold was intense, thermometers standing at 36° below zero, so that all who were at all exposed to it suffered severely, and in many cases were fatally in- jured. Much anxiety was felt for the safety of their pastor, but through God's mercy he and his young son were spared from injury. In returning to Chica- go Dr. Cummins felt more deeply than ever his sepa- ration from his family under such circumstances. After speaking in one of his letters of this trial, he adds : " But it would be ungrateful and sinful to allow such feel- ings to prevail, for we are in the path of duty, trying to act wisely and for the best, and God is so merciful that we must dwell chiefly on His loving-kindness. ' ' In a letter dated January 12th, 1864, he records the kind acts of several friends : " Mr. S— — G gave a pair of valuable skates. Mr. W also remembered us, and good Mr. S came to SOWING THE SEED. 21/ offer us a horse and sleigh. Every day we are receiving some new token of kindness from our friends. Mr. H sent you five dozen partridges. He and all our friends were greatly pleased with the gifts. Surely, as father writes, ' the lines have fallen unto us in pleasant places.' We are sur- rounded by the very kindest of friends, so thoughtful in min- istering to our comfort." After Dr. Cummins returned to Chicago, the ist of January, his wife and children removed from lodg- ings to a furnished house. He writes, January 14th : " I have followed you to the house to which I trust you were able to be moved on Monday, and I try to imagine how you are fixed, and hope that you will find it comfortable. I am happy to know you are in a home of our own. As I write, G is studying. He is almost my constant com- panion, and a great comfort to me. ^'January 15. — I have been deeply touched to hear of the kindness of Rev. Mr. R and his family to you in moving and arranging for your comfort. Surely we are most highly blessed with such kind friends ministering to our comfort here, and such sweet Christian spirits ministering to you there. May God reward them ! ** January 18. — I have been constantly occupied since my return with parochial work. My Bible-class is very pleasant and well attended. The lectures Wednesday evenings seem to be of great interest to my people, and the Sunday congre- gations are very large. I had last evening a long visit from a Baptist clergyman who is coming into our Church. I ad- vised him to place himself under the guidance of Bishop Mcllvaine. During his visit Bishop W called with his chaplain and sat a long time. The bishop came to ask me to preach an ordination sermon next week. Had a long letter from W W , of Leesburg, Va. I will do all I can in 2l8 GEORGE DAVID CUMMIN'S. sending him the Bibles and Sunday-school library. Dear G has been quite ill, but is now much better. He has been enjoy- ing a splendid copy of Audubon's Birds, and a Portrait Gal- lery of Indians, to-day. Among the latter he found the chief of the Six Nations and grandfather to Mr. K , whom we met at St. Catharine's, and who is going to Europe with Dr. McM . I have not had time to read ' Say and Seal.' Would that we had more such choice spirits as Miss Susan Warner and her sister ! '' Jariuary 20. — Our dear boy is quite well again, for which I am deeply thankful. I went out to-day to see about several matters ; had a long chat with Mr. C . He spoke of the rectory, and said he had told Mrs. C how beauti- ful our home was in Baltimore ; that he had a glimpse into the dining-room from the parlors, and that he wanted to have the rectory here in the same tasteful style. Went to see Mrs. S ; found her more ill. She is an earnest Christian, and is willing to die if it be God's will. How precious it is to find such firm faith in one to whom life has so many attrac- tions ! Mr. C , Mr. F , and Mr. S called to ask me to allow my sermons of last Sunday to be printed, but I declined. Kind Mr. S has just sent me a valuable work, ' The Life and Times of John Huss, ' in two volumes ; it is just out. I have thought that it would be improving for us to select a verse of Scripture to make the theme of our medi- tation conjointly for one week. We will then be dwelling to- gether upon the same precious truths of God's Word. I will select one this week, and you can do so the next. Mine is Philippians 4 : 3, and may the blessed Saviour make us to realize it in our own hearts in this our time of trial ! If we trust Him, He will turn our sorrow into joy, and after these weary days make our life bright and blessed in our united effort to serve and love Him. To-day I sent off a copy of Mrs. Hoffman's Memoir to Miss Warner. '' Jamiary 25. — Took tea at Mr. C 's with G . SOWING THE SEED. 219 They were very kind. Mr. C says G is a splendid fellow. Had a long talk about Trinity, the rectory, and my work. It is always helping to hear his enthusiastic remarks about the importance of my work, and of my influence for good. He says he always shall think it a most happy ar- rangement that he went on to 1! and was able to see you and get you on his side, and that he was so glad to have seen our lovely home. Yesterday, Sunday, I took up a collection for foreign missions — one hundred and eighty dollars. At night preached from Isaiah 5 : 4 to a very crowded congre- gation. "January 28. — I thought at one time that I would have to forego my usual delightful Lenten services. Trinity Church has never been opened for a week-day service in Lent, except on Ash-Wednesday and Good-Friday. The gentlemen are entirely absorbed all day in business, and the women are un- accustomed to attend any week-day services. But I deter- mined to try the experiment, and intend to deliver the course on the Epistle to the Seven Churches. I will issue a cir- cular to the people. Yesterday the thermometer hanging on the south wall of Mr. H 's house stood at 72°, and the tu- lips have sprung above the ground. This in the North-west, a thousand miles from Norfolk, where we had such weather in the winter ! And yet last week the cold was fearful. Your letter has filled my heart with joy ! Oh ! that we may be one in Jesus, and all our little family united to be forever with the Lord ! Let earthly care be a heavenly discipline. Do you remember dear Dean Ramsey told me of his sainted wife, when he showed me the memorial window in his church, rep- resenting the scene at Bethany, and said she always called herself a Martha, but now she is at the Lord's feet ! How little will all life's trials appear when we meet before the Master ! G is very happy with me ; he is studying reg- ularly. Every one is kind to him, and he is a general favor- ite. Mrs. H 's boys make him a model in every thing. It 220 GEORGE DA VID CUMMINS. is very amusing to watch them. May God, even our own Covenant God, bless, comfort, and keep you ! "February 8, 1864. — I have ever tried to make my Lenten services a special blessing to my people. An interest has already been awakened in the course of lectures, and I hope great good will be done. On Sunday the church was very full, and I preached from the text, ' We love Him because He first loved us,' and at night one of my regular sermons to young men. My sermon was, ' The Game of Life. ' The church could not hold all who came, and I trust good was done. Had a letter to-day from Miss Warner ; was it not interesting ? "February 10. — I have lately had to take quite a decided stand in behalf of the cause of evangelical truth. When I came here I v/as called on to aid in the support of a church paper. I consented on the condition that it should be made acceptable to all classes of churchmen, and occupy a broad and common ground. But so far from occupying such ground, it has ever since been most offensive in its tone of flippant taunts of other Christian churches, and I feel that I can no longer support it. I shall consequently withdraw my name. The cause of evangelical truth is very dear to me , and though I try to work harmoniously with those who differ with me, / cannot compro7?iise what I believe to be Gospel truth. My position in that respect is one of great importance, and I am determined to wield it in behalf of the precious truth of Christ. This beginning of Lent makes me think much of you : our Lenten seasons in Baltimore were so delightful. May you, through the great mercy of God, be able to join in these services next year ! We are supporting a student at Griswold College, and I shall send W W the Sunday- school library, costing one hundred dollars, so just now my charity fund has been absorbed, but I will try to help Mrs. H after a while. "February 16. — Yesterday morning was balmy and mild ; SOWING THE SEED. 221 to-day we are again in an arctic temperature — thermometer standing at io°, 12°, and 14° below zero in different places, and the wind blowing heavily all day. ''February 17. — Despite the intense cold we had a fine attendance at church yesterday. I want to tell you how much pleasure I have had in reading ' Say and Seal. ' I can now understand why you hesitated when I asked you if the ' Old Helmet ' was not superior to ' Say and Seal. ' I think the character of Mr. Linden more attractive than that of Mr. Rhys — that is, he is not quite so far removed from the rest of mortals, and there is more of the every-day features of life about him. And what a beautiful character is Faith's, ripening daily into a noble womanhood under Mr. Linden's teaching and training ! I think the effect of Miss Warner's works upon the heart is exceedingly helping and encouraging, and though we may feel that the characters are ideal ones, yet we know that they are such as can be lived by so many of Christ's people. And then how lovely she makes a religious life — presenting it in the fullest, freshest sympathy with all that is beautiful in nature, refined in taste, and cultivated in intellectual matters ! I think no true Christian can read her works without feeling new longing for a fresh consecration to God. Went to-day to see Mr. C • about the church paper of which I wrote you. My moving in the matter has made quite a stir among all parties concerned in it, and they have promised to try to make the paper acceptable to all. I have determined to wait and see, as I am truly anxious to preserve harmonious relations with all classes of churchmen in the diocese, and nothing but the duty of sustaining the precious truth of the Gospel^ as I understand it, will move me to an an- tagonistic position. I have been much distressed to hear of your state, but how short and utterly insignificant will all earth's sorrows and sufferings appear when looked back upon from eternity ! Think you that when you are ' forever with the Lord' you will ever regret one hour of pain that drew 222 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. you nearer to him ? A trial sanctified is a blessing far above a trial removed. True indeed that only a heart taught of the Holy Spirit can enter into such truths and feel their bless- edness. . . . Wednesday evening I took tea by special invitation with Mr. and Mrs. B . I accept these invita- tions in order that I may the better know my people, and be able, I trust, more effectually to reach their hearts. ''March 2. — I continue to receive very cheering evidences of God's blessing upon my labors. Mr. W told me last evening that Mr. D • was deeply interested in the subject ot personal religion, and I hear of others whose hearts are, I think, touched — some who have been thought very indiffer- ent. This is very precious to me, and I trust that this spring will bring an accession to the church of not a few who are truly brought to a saving knowledge of Jesus. Yesterday afternoon I delivered my first lecture on the Church at Sar- dis ; the day was beautiful and the attendance excellent. My theme was chiefly on spiritual declension, from the words, ' Thou hast a name to live, and art dead,' and I hope my own heart felt the benefit of the truth. I am very happy to know that you are meditating so much upon the striking promises in the Epistles to the Seven Churches. Do you know that the promise in Rev. 2 : 17 is believed by many of the best writers to refer not so much to future and heav- enly blessedness, as to the believer's present privileges — the ' hidden manna ' meaning the soul's food, and the ' white stone and new name ' referring to and symbolizing the imme- diate communion between Jesus and each of his true servants — the sweet interchange of Christian love, that which is known only to the soul that experiences it. The other pas- sages of Scripture which brought you such peace are very full of consolation. The Bible is truly the Word of God spoken afresh to each soul by him, who uses it as a sword, and also as balm to the wounded heart. '''March 5, 1864. — This day is the anniversary of our young- SOWING THE SEED. 223 est child's birth. Six years have passed since that memorable time when I thought you were going before me into the spirit- world. Surely we ought ever to remember all the way God has led us ! And from that scene my mind is carried back to that more distressing period in Edinburgh, when I thought you were going away from earth without a sight of our chil- dren. Oh ! how good God has been to us, chastening us in love, and drawing us nearer to him by his gracious disci- pline ! "How truly and intensely a Christian's heart can enjoy the beauty of God's works ! I came home to-day near the lake, and it was looking more beautiful than ever. Near me the water was of a light bluish-green color, further away of a deep blue, and the horizon fringed by violet-colored clouds. I am sure this lovely lake will ever be a thing of beauty and delight to you. "The Rev. Mr. Auer, of our African Mission, addressed the Sunday-school and preached for me concerning the work in Africa, "Yesterday I read a valuable and impressive charge from Bishop Mcllvaine to his clergy on ' Preaching Christ, ' and it has made me anxious that every sermon should lead to Christ., and set him forth as the sinner's only hope. The bishop shows very clearly how a minister may preach impor- tant truth, and yet fail really in preaching Christ. ''''March 9. — I find other indications of a blessing on my labors. Yesterday afternoon I went to visit a Mr. W , who has been very ill. I found him quite ready to receive any religious counsel. He spoke of the good my sermons had done, and said they were such as to set him thinking deeply, and that all his friends felt in the same way. I hope he will become an earnest Christian. Thus I am encouraged to find God's word not returning to him void, but doing its blessed work in the awakening and conversion of precious souls. Many ladies tell me they could not get their husbands 224 GEORGE DA VID CUMMINS. to come to church before, and now they come to every ser- vice. And at our afternoon lectures we have a number of gentlemen, more, I think, than came in Baltimore. I am greatly cheered by these tokens of good, and hope that a great work will yet be done." Dr. Cummins thus writes of the death of a class- mate at college, a man of fine ability and who gave promise of being an instrument in the hands of God of bringing many souls to Jesus. Although for some years he was a most eloquent preacher, yet his last days were inexpressibly dark and sad. " March II. — Have just heard that poor C died on Saturday in Philadelphia. ' Who maketh thee to differ,' is the lesson to me." CHAPTER XXIII. WORK FOR JESUS. " Behold I have given him for a witness to the people." — Isaiah 55 : 4- " For ye have need of patience, that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise." — Heb. io : 26. Aged 42 " Chicago, March 26. /^~\ S Wednesday evening I preached for Rev. Dr. Bishop V^ at his church — St. John's — one of a series prepara- tory to confirmation. He is a very earnest, evangelical cler- g}'man. Thursday there was a communion service at St. James's — Rev. Dr. Clarkson's. I made an address. This morning — Good-Friday — I preached from St. John 10 : 17, 18. To-night we have service again, and I deliver my last lecture on the ' Seven Churches,' and then Easter closes up the record of my work since the first of October, 1863." Dr. Cummins, accompanied by his young son, vis- ited St. Catharine's after Easter, and remained with his family ten days. This visit cheered him greatly, and he returned to his work with renewed zeal. He writes under date of " April ^. — How merciful is God to me ! My first act on reaching my room at kind Mr. H 's was to kneel down and thank him for all my mercies, and pray to be able to consecrate myself anew to him in the blessed work of preaching Christ and of saving souls. It was a sweet picture that met my eye as I 226 GEORGE DA VID CUMMINS. turned back to look once more at the house as I rode away ; our three precious children standing on the porch in the beautiful sunlight waving me a last ' Good-by. ' I felt thank- ful for such children, for the comfortable temporary home, and for the dear happy hours where we were permitted to be all together. The one shadow that clouded our happiness had its ' silver lining,' for through this severe trial we have been brought nearer to God. " When I reached Chicago good Mr. S met me, with a bright face, and asked if I had received his telegram. I said ' No,' and then he told me the good news that at a meeting of the vestry, on Thursday night, the whole sum was raised necessary to clear off the entire debt ! and that my salary had been increased a thousand dollars ! You may imagine my joy and gratitude, for now Trinity can be conse- crated ! I said to Mr. S , ' Well, you are the kindest and most generous people I ever met with.' The vestry propose now to build a rectory, and to go on with it at once. Is not this prompt and energetic action, and is it not noble in the vestry to pay all the balance of the debt without calling upon the people ? They will ask the congregation to help in building the rectory. I then went to the bishop's to see him concerning the consecration, and the appointment was made for the 24th April. I received a letter from Dr. Schenck saying he would preach the sermon on the occasion. ''''Monday., April 11. — Yesterday I was able to announce to the congregation that the church was out of debt., and would be consecrated on the 24th, Dr. Schenck preaching the sermon. I had also the pleasure of announcing the opening of a ' Mission Sunday-school ' on the same day, showing that we did not intend to confine our labors to ourselves, but that, now by God's blessing we were out of debt, we would go forward and extend the same blessings to the poor and neglected. I preached from the words, ' Master, it is good to be here. 'In the afternoon at 3.30 I went to the Mission Sunday-school WORK' FOR JESUS. 22/ and spoke a few words to the teachers and children. Over twenty persons offered themselves as teachers, and we had a very fair number of scholars as a beginning. At 7.30 we had our evening ser\.'ice. I miss dear G in going with me to each service, and also in his pew. The church was densely crowded ; the young men stood in galleries and aisles. I preached from 2 Sam. 12:7: * Thou art the man.' I trust the Gospel of the blessed Saviour was pro- claimed fully and faithfully, and that some souls were won. " You may imagine the gladness of every one connected with Trinity Church at the entire freedom from debt, and now I am looking for spiritual blessings. I begin my con- firmation lectures this week, and the confirmation is appointed for Whit- Sunday, the 15th May. " Many pews have been taken by new families, chiefly those who have purchased them. I shall begin at once to visit all the new parishioners. " I have felt more lonely without dear G ; he was such an interesting companion. Dear boy, I hope he is daily growing stronger ! How I miss my sweet little E and our readings about ' Ellen Montgomery ' — and our precious little housekeeper — my memory of her is very pleasant ! " April 13. — The vestry met Monday evening, and after attending to all the business of the church expressed a unanimous desire for my institution next Sunday, 17th. The office has been used before in Trinity Church, and I think the effect is a good one. It seems to impress the people with the sacredness and responsibility of the relation between pas- tor and people, and that is more needed in a new community than in any other. You will follow me, I know, in thought and prayer next Sunday. Yesterday morning I went to see the bishop about my institution, and it is finally arranged for next Sunday morning. I had our regular Sunday-school teachers' monthly meeting Thursday. Such is in part the story of my 228 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. life. You see it is a busy one ; but I am always happier when constantly occupied. ''April 14. — Had a letter from Rev. Mr. S . He tells me that the Rev. Mr. G would be v\^illing to leave his present home, and I have written to Baltimore urging his call to St. Peter's. " April t6. — It is Saturday night, and I am alone in the quiet of my room, with my whole heart going out towards my precious family. This has been an eventful week, and to- morrow is to be a memorable day in my history. " The Office of Institution is a very impressive and solemn one, and full of absorbing interest to the ambassador of Christ. I have tried to bring myself to enter into it with the most earnest and most humble spirit. I do feel a deep longing to live for Christ, and labor for him, and to be set apart more entirely to his service. As my life advances I feel more profoundly than ever the utter worthlessness and hollowness of a life of worldliness, and the unspeakable blessedness of a life whose fountains are all in Christ — a life of separateness from the world, of an earnest following of Jesus, and of daily growing more like him. " I think the sad discipline of events around us for the past three years has contributed to increase this feeling in me. The prevalence of war and all its horrors — the change in our country to one who has seen it so different — the new aspects of society — the repulsiveness of many social features of our day, all help to deepen my longing for something bet- ter, higher, purer, holier than earth. And yet I think my interest in my work deepens : it seems to be an uplifting above all the evil influences of our day, just to be spent in such a service. Oh, that my heart were truly washed from every defilement of evil and wholly filled with the blessed Spirit ! " I have a vast deal to do to retrieve the past — past errors, past failings, past neglects. I will strive to-morrow to give IVOHJC FOR JESUS. 229 myself wholly to God, and pray for the cleansing of my soul" from every sin, and a fresh baptism of the Holy Ghost. Last evening I delivered the first of my confirmation lectures in the church. " Monday, April 18. — And now to tell you of yesterday. The day dawned beautifully, and the sky was without a cloud. Our hearts were all glad to see so bright a day for the services. The church was crowded. At 10.30 the bishop with the clergymen entered the chancel, and I went with Mr. H and Mr. F to the chairs placed outside the chancel and took my place between the two. Rev. Mr. Cheney read the Morning Prayer to the Creed, the Rev. Mr. Freeman the remaining part. The bishop read the Ante- Communion Service, and then followed the institution office. The bishop made his address, then Mr. H advanced and presented the keys of the church, and I replied as prescribed on receiving them. Then I went wkhin the rails of the chancel, and the bishop presented the books, as directed in the office. Then he offered the prayers as prescribed, and I followed with my part. I preached the sermon, as requested by the bishop — although I invited him to preach — from the words ' We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the ex- cellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. ' Then followed the communion, and after that the congratulations of the vestry. The whole service was deeply impressive, and I hope will be productive of much good to pastor and people. In the afternoon I baptized four children, and at night preached to young men on ' David's Repentance.' " April 19. — We had a meeting of the gentlemen of the congregation last evening to consult and decide about the rec- tory. There were a number present, and they subscribed very generously — the most of them giving five hundred dollars each. It is a noble beginning, and we think there will now be no difficulty in building a comfortable home for us. " April 25, Monday. — Yesterday our church was con- 230 GEORGE DA VID CUMMINS. • secrated. The day was stormy, and we thought few would venture out ; but the congregation was large, and the services most interesting. Dr. S preached the sermon. Eight clergymen took part in the services. A collection was taken up for the rectory, and the offering amounted to nine thousand dollars.^ including the subscriptions at the meeting last Mon- day night. Rev. Dr. S preached again at night. This morning I breakfasted with Dr. Bishop, Mr. Cheney, and Dr. S at Mr. E 's. " The services yesterday were of intense interest to us all. Dr. S 's sermon will be published, and I will write a short history of the church to accompany it. Every one is inter- ested about a home for us. I never heard of such energy and liberality. Mr. F told me last night he would double his subscription, making it one thousand dollars. " April 26. — I am now each day in the vestry-room to see persons wishing to be confirmed. As yet there are few who seem willing to confess Christ, though I know many whose hearts have been touched and who are seriously im- pressed as to their duty. ' ' The obstacles to the progress of deep, vital religion are mighty in this community. If ever Christians were called to be witnesses for Christ, to shine as lights in the world, hold- ing forth the Word of Life, it is in a city like this, where all the mightiest forces of modern civilization are concentrated ; and where in the train of great prosperity wickedness follows, as in every such community. Christ has his own people here, however, and while he gives me strength I shall ' know nothing among men but Jesus Christ and him crucified.' The subscriptions to the rectory have reached twelve thousand dollars, and the vestry are now considering the question of purchasing a delightful house on Michigan Avenue. ''April 30. — It is Saturday evening, the hour when I love to commune with my loved ones so far away. The day has been wet and gloomy, and I am home-sick. When I am WOU/r FOR JESUS. 231 actively engaged in my work I can keep off such feelings, but there are many times when they come upon me very heavily, and my heart longs for those linked to me so closely, so ten- derly. How truly we are made for sympathy and friendship ! Our blessed Lord craved human sympathy in the hour of his agony when he said to the three disciples, ' Tarry ye here, and watch with me.' Still, to indulge in sad feelings in the midst of our abundant mercies would be sinful. Our lot is full of blessings ! Yesterday I delivered my third lecture on confirmation. Thank you for your words of encouragement concerning my work." The middle of May Dr. Cummins again visited his family at St. Catharine's, Canada, for a few days. On May 9th he writes of the war news, which at that time filled all minds : " The advance of General Grant on General Lee before Richmond — the second battle of the Wilderness — General Butler's march to City Point on the James River, confronted by Beauregard — and General Siegel's advance in the Shenan- doah Valley, where he is met by another Confederate army. 'The slaughter is fearful.' But 'the Lord reigneth, ' and ' the judge of all the earth will do right. ' . . . Rev. J G has been called to St. Peter's, Baltimore, and I am urging his acceptance. " May 10. — All has been intense excitement over the great battles of Thursday and Friday last ! It is said that fifteen thousand wounded soldiers are in Fredericksburg as yet un- cared for !" Dr. Cummins and his family were very anxious on receiving the news from Virginia, as many dear friends and relatives were exposed to the dangers that fol- low in the wake of a large army. He writes — 232 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. " May 12. — My confirmation class will be a small one. To add to the other causes operating against our work is the pres- ent intense excitement which absorbs every mind and drives all else out of the thoughts. But it is God's cause and he will take care of it. Jesus will yet gather to him all his people, and oh, that we may may be among his chosen ones, now and forever ! " Sunday, May 29. — This afternoon I go to the Mission Sunday-school. How precious was our meeting in your room last Sunday afternoon around the table of the Lord. May we meet thus in our Father's kingdom ! I found a large school gathered and a fine body of teachers. It was a very cheering sight. A converted Jew was addressing the school when I entered, and it was deeJDly interesting to listen to him. I followed him in an address, and then the children sang sev- eral beautiful hymns. They have a nice cabinet organ." June 3, 1864. — To a very dear friend Dr. Cum- mins writes, under the above date : " You have long since been able to lie passive in his hands, and desire to know no will but his. He has been with you very constantly of late, giving you great peace, and sanctifying your sufferings to your good, by drawing you nearer to him, and giving you to realize a Saviour's love and presence. How sweet to know that all the way he has led you these many years has been his way, a path chosen by him to accomplish his blessed purposes of love towards you — even your sanctification. You know and feel his discipline has not been in vain — you are nearer to God, more submis- sive to his will, more filled with his spirit — and what is equal to this ? In a few fleeting years what difference will it make to any one of us whether our days on earth were passed in sickness or in health ? One thought alone will then be up- permost— did our lot in life, our life-discipline, work for us WORK FOR JESUS. 233 everlasting life — a home and a place among the sanctified and ' the spirits of just men made perfect '? " For myself I find during the last few years my interest in earthly things, apart from Christ's cause, is exceedingly diminished. I long only to do my work for Jesus, and to be- come daily more weaned from earth. ''June 10. — On Wednesday evening I went to the hall where our Mission School is held, to another exhibition of our fine magic lantern. We had a large attendance, and a most unruly set of boys. The temptation to fun and noise was great when the lights were lowered ; we could scarcely keep them in order. It reminded me of Eleanor Powle's Ragged School in London, and the somersaults of the boys to relieve their nervousness, " I rode to the rectory lot this morning. It was a dis- agreeable day in the centre of the city, dusty and warm, but when I reached the lot the view was beautiful. The lake was agitated by the wind, and the water was a lovely shade of green. It is delightful to think we shall so soon be in our own home, if it be God's will. It is pleasant to watch the workmen laying every stone. The house is to be of the pretty cream-colored brick so popular here, with stone trim- mings, and is to have every modern improvement. The lawn has beautiful evergreen trees in it, and looks so nicely, I am hurrying the workmen as much as possible, as I know how you long to be settled in our own home. ' ' I am now very busy visiting the congregation, as I wish to see every one before I leave for my summer vacation. Be- sides this, I have to see to all the i:)arochial work, which, with the preparation of sermons, lectures, and other services, oc- cupies every moment of my time. I have now no assistant, but have written to Rev. Mr. G , hoping to secure him. "June 16. — How constant and complete ought to be our preparation to meet our God ! How near we are to the eternal world, and how ceaseless ought our care to be to keep 234 GEORGE DA VID CUMMINS. our lights trimmed and burning, waiting for the coming of our Lord ! Oh ! unspeakable blessing to be ready to go in with him when he calls us ! Thus let us strive to live, with our hearts ever fixed on Jesus ! And thus, whoever of our little circle goes first — for we must go alo7ie — it matters but little, for we will meet in heaven and spend an eternity to- gether. " June 20. — Had services yesterday — Sunday — at 10.30, baptism in the afternoon, and service again at night. Among the congregation was the Bishop of Prince Rupert's Land, who is on his way to England. He came into the vestry- room before the services, but declined to preach for me. He came back after the services to express his pleasure in them. His jurisdiction is the Hudson's Bay Company ter- ritory, and adjoins our country above Minnesota, and the best way to reach his diocese is through Minnesota." On the evening of July 4th, 1864, Dr. Cummins left Chicago for St. Catharine's, to join his family and pass his vacation with them. His church had been left in charge of an assistant, and it was with a very joyful spirit he turned his face once more towards his Canadian home. Since he left them, the latter part of May, they had all been ill ; but the news was kept from him until the great danger was overpast, as it would have seriously interfered with his plans to have left his people before July. God mercifully spared each member of his little home circle ; and on reach- ing St. Catharine's, July 5th, he found them convales- cent. The month of July was passed in their tempo- rary home, and in the early part of August they left St. Catharine's for Niagara Falls, where they re- mained several weeks. The first of September they were accommodated, through the great kindness of WORK FOR JESUS. 235 Mr. H. E. Sargent, then the General Superintendent of the Michigan Central Railroad, with a luxurious private car, in which they journeyed pleasantly, and with but little fatigue to their invalid, to Hyde Park, then five miles from Chicago. Here the party re- mained a week, at the very comfortable hotel immedi- ately on the Lake Shore. From Hyde Park they went to delightful quarters in the city, generously pre- pared for them by one of the vestry, where they were most lovingly cared for until late in October, when they again removed to lodgings. During this time of waiting their beautiful home on Calumet Avenue was being rapidly built. The health of Mrs. Cummins grew rapidl}^ worse as the autumn of 1864 advanced, and her physician advised country air. Dr. Cummins was so fortunate as to be able to rent a furnished house at Evanston, about twelve miles from Chicago, and to this delightful home he removed his family. Finding that his wife improved very soon after their removal to Evanston, it was decided by the no- ble and generous men who composed the vestry to sell the rectory on Calumet Avenue — which was near- ly completed — and purchase for their rector a home in Evanston, which was then for sale. A tasteful car- riage and valuable horse had been another proof of the untiring kindness and whole-souled liberality of this dear people towards their beloved rector. With these aids Dr. Cummins found he could easily attend to his work in Chicago, driving in every day, and re- turning in the evening. On the Sundays he re- mained chiefly with his friends in town. This home, beautiful in itself, was rendered still more so by the dear people of Trinity Church. CHAPTER XXIV. WORK IN 1865-6. A glorious harvest of sinners won A harvest worth securing — Rest for the toilers — their life-work done — Crowns for the victors, and near the throne, Peace, joy, and life enduring. M. B, SmithC Aged 43. IN March, 1865, Dr. Cummins was again tendered the rectorship of Grace Church, San Francis- co, Cal, with a very large salary. This call, after earnest and prayerful consideration, he felt it to be his duty to decline. Though he was fully sensible of the field there presented to him for almost unlimited influence, and the great need for earnest men in that new and important city, yet he could not think it wise or right to leave his beloved flock in Chicago, when God's blessing had so markedly rested on his labors in that no less important field. He therefore grate- fully and affectionately declined this second call. In the spring of this year, while their new home was being prepared for them. Dr. and Mrs. Cummins visited some dear friends in Toronto, Canada, and Dr. Cummins preached in St. Paul's Church in that city, at the request of his friend Rev. H. R . jvoj^nr IN 1865-6. 237 A happy summer was passed at Evanston in their country home, an unbroken circle. In September the Annual Diocesan Convention met in Chicago, and Bishop Whitehouse appointed Dr. Cummins the preacher for the occasion. The convention sermon was on " The Claims of the Prot- estant Episcopal Church upon the American Peo- ple," and at the request of the members of the Con- vention, both clerical and lay, it was printed in pam- phlet form for circulation. Dr. Cummins' s position in this sermon was a thoroughly honest one. He fully believed what he there stated was the truth. Several years after he came to think differently, and then as frankly admitted the change in his opinions and stated the cause. During the session of the Convention he had the pleasure of entertaining the clergy and laity, with the bishop, in his own home. It was a happy occasion, and all who were present cannot soon forget it. The first of October, 1865. Dr. Cummins left Chi- cago, accompanied by his family, for Philadelphia, to attend the General Convention as delegate from the Diocese of Illinois. Mrs. Cummins and the children visited her father in Virginia and friends in Baltimore while her husband was in Philadelphia. We have be- fore us most interesting letters written at this time, giving a full account of the debates, in which Dr. Cummins took an active part. We give extracts from these letters. Immediately after the close of the General Con^ vention he placed his son at school in Burlington, Vermont. This was a most pleasant trip, as he was accompanied by several friends and their sons, and 238 GEORGE DA VID CUMMINS. travelled in a private car from Baltimore, furnished with every comfort, entirely at the cost of one of the chief officers of the New York Air Line, who was a very dear personal friend. During his stay in Philadelphia he was the guest of a most earnest and devoted Christian gentleman. His fellow-guests were Bishop Eastburn and Rev. Dr. Nicholson, now Bishop Nicholson, of Philadel- phia. He writes : " Philadelphia, Oct. 3, 1865. " Went out to call on Bishop Hopkins, who received me very warmly — he asked very kindly after you — then to call on Bishop Whitehouse, and last to Miss F 's to see Dr. and Mrs. Clarkson ; there I met Bishop T . To-day the Convention opened ; the Bishop Of Montreal preached the sermon. Dr. C was elected President of the Conven- tion, and has put me on several important committees, so I shall be busy. Thursday night Bishop Coxe preached an interesting sermon before the Board of Missions in St. Luke' Church. " Friday morning, during the session of the Convention, I offered my resolution welcoming back the Southerners. The night before Bishop Lay had taken his seat in the House of Bishops, and on hearing this the Board sang the Gloria in Excelsis. My resolution passed, and a large majority of the delegates are full of joy and thanksgiving over it." One who was present in the Convention when Dr. Cummins offered his resolution thus describes the scene : " The finest display of eloquence was on Thursday last. The church was densely crowded. A pause, a momentary rustle, and then all is calm. Dr. Cummins, of Chicago, rises WORK IN 1865-6. 239 and addresses the chair. He has spoken once or twice be- fore, and there is an anxiety to hear him at length. The house is hushed as his melodious voice reaches ears painfully intent on catching every word that he may utter. His speech, voice, look, and manner show that he feels intensely the im- portance of the subject on which he is to speak. His natu- rally open, cheerful countenance displays a terrible earnest- ness. He rests with both hands on the back of the pew in front of where he is standing, and his figure bends, as he pours golden words of burning eloquence in the ears of the listening President and members of the Convention. He looks appealingly at the chair, and upon his brethren of the clergy and laity. He is logical and at times analytical, but it was when picturing the glory of the Church in the good and happier days that we thought him majestic. He tells his listening audience that it was the glory of the Church that she was the last body to break the ecclesiastical bonds of the Union, and let her be the first to restore these bonds. Let her gather them up, and weave them into a chain of love never again to be broken. ' How beautifully grand and sub- lime,' whispers a reporter as he ciphers each word on paper ! You realize you are listening to one of America's foremost orators. But in a moment he changes the scene, and intro- duces you to one whom he justly claims as the friend of his youth. You now learn that there beats a generous heart within the bosom of the captivating orator. He tells of the love he bears the memory of the saintly Bishop Meade, once Virginia's most distinguished prelate, and with filial tender- ness places him right upon the record of the rebellion. It was nobly said, and many hearts swelled with gratitude to the speaker for his appropriate eulogy of one who had been a father to many of them. Dr. Cummins takes his seat, and all feel that the case is at an end, and so it was. ' ' Dr. Cummins writes : 240 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. " The North Carolina delegation told me that it would have a great effect upon the South. Friday I dined with your brother, the Bishop of Montreal, Bishops Hopkins, Mc- Ilvaine, Potter, Eastburn, Clark, and Talbot, Judge Cham- bers, Dr. McVicar, your sister, and L . Speeches were made by Bishops Mcllvaine and Hopkins, telling us of their early visits to England and interviews with Wilberforce and Hannah More. At 7.30 p.m. an interesting missionary meet- ing was held in St. Luke's, and addresses were made by Rev. Mr. Hening, the blind missionary from Africa, and others. Sunday morning I preached in the Church of the Epiphany for Dr. Newton, and in the evening for the Rev. Mr. Atkins in Germantown. On Monday drove with Dr. Nicholson to the new Divinity School. At night there was a meeting at St. Mark's of the Society for the Increase of the Ministry. The feeling in the Convention towards the South is wonder- ful, and our hearts are filled with devout gratitude to God over it. " October 11, 1865. — Attended the business meeting yes- terday of the E. K. S., and at night the ' Anniversary ' was held in Holy Trinity. " Dr. Quintard was consecrated this morning Bishop of Tennessee. Bishop S preached the sermon. It was a noble testimony to evangelical truth. I read the testimonials of the Bishop-elect from the Diocese of Tennessee. " October 13. — Dined at cousin D 's and met Mr. G and A. C . In the evening attended the anniversary of the Church Missionary Society at Holy Trinity Church. Bishop V , Rev. Mr. W , of Nevada, and Dr. N spoke. Dr. N 's speech was a grand one. Yesterday went at 10 o'clock to the Convention, and at 12 spoke on the case of Bishop Wilmer for half an hour. It was a speech just warm from the heart, and I hope did good. It was received in profound silence, and some were in tears. I have received thanks from the oldest and most eminent men of the WORK IN 1865-6. 241 Convention, among them Dr. M , of Connecticut ; Rev. Dr. W , of Massachusetts ; W. H , ex-governor of New York ; Bishop C , and very many others. The vote on Bishop W was unanimous. The whole result is glori- ous, and seems to indicate the presence of the Holy Ghost in answer to prayer. ' ' Sunday, October 15th, Dr. Cummins passed in Reading, Penn., where he preached twice. Tuesday, 17th, he writes : " We had the Thanksgiving service for peace to the country and unity to the Church. It was held in St. Luke's. Twenty-seven bishops were in the chancel, and the church was full. There was no sermon. The Convention met after the service. " October 18. — Dined at Dr. H 's with Bishop and Mrs. S , of K ; Dr. C , of Boston ; Rev. Mr. D and Mr. W , of Baltimore. At five o'clock w^en.t to the Board of Missions. " This morning (19th) I breakfasted with the alumni of the Alexandria Seminary. " October 23. — Preached yesterday for Dr. H at St. Luke's. On Saturday Missionary Bishops were nominated for Nebraska, Nevada, and Colorado. Dr. C is greatly troubled to know what he ought to do. I shall be truly sorry to lose him, but I am so thankful / was not called upon to decide the question for myself ! " October 24. — The Convention adjourns to-night, when the closing services will take place. It has been a most mem- orable General Convention, and will be mighty in its effects on Church and country. The official reporter of the U. S. Senate came on with his corps of phonographic reporters, and has taken down every word, and will publish it in a volume of six hundred pages. The election of Dr. H and Dr. 242 GEORGE DA VID CUMMINS. R was confirmed last night, and the Rev. Channing Moore Williams elected Missionary Bishop to Japan. He is from Richmond, a brother of Mrs. L , and a noble man. " I have had such sweet communion with Dr. N , it has done my soul great good to learn from him, and to partake of his spirit. " October 25. — I go to Smyrna, and on Friday start for Baltimore. I shall preach on Sunday (29th), in St. Peter's and Emmanuel churches." After his visit to his friends in Baltimore, Dr. Cummins, with his wife and daughters, spent some time in New York and Philadelphia, and then re- turned to Chicago. CHAPTER XXV. ELECTION TO THE EPISCOPATE. Man may make bishops, Christ alone Makes those whom he vouchsafes to own. Like Paul then preach, nor aught beside Christ Jesus, and him crucified. So wear your lawn — no robe of state — A prophet's robe — in that be great. Rev. Dr. Muhlenberg. Aged 44, IN the spring of 1866, at the urgent advice of his physician, and with the generous consent of his vestry, Dr. Cummins took passage, for himself and family, on board the Africa, of the Cunard line, for Europe. The journey was undertaken with the hope that the sea voyage and residence abroad would permanently benefit Mrs. Cummins's health, while the recreation was needed by Dr. Cummins. It was also felt that the advantages to their children would be very great. Their plan was to be in Europe for a year, Dr. Cummins returning to his parish for several months in the winter. They sailed from Boston on the loth of May, and after a pleasant voyage reached Liverpool on the 20th. A day was spent in Chester, and from that quaint old city they went on to Leam- ington, where they passed some weeks. From Leam- ington the little party went to London, and thence to Paris, where two months and a half were most 244 GEORGE DA VID CUMMINS. agreeably passed, Mrs. Cummins being under the care of physicians. They had scarcely reached Paris, and settled comfortably in lodgings, when news reached Dr. Cummins which entirel)^ changed all their plans. We will tell the story in his own words : " Paris, Saturday, June i6, 1866. " This day I read in a New York journal, of June 2d, at the office of John Munroe & Co., No. 7 Rue Scribe, a telegram announcing my election, by an almost unanimous vote of the Convention of the Diocese of Kentucky, to the office of Assistant Bishop of the Diocese. " June 24, 1866. — To-day I read in the Church Journal of New York an editorial announcing the same fact. " Paris, June 26. — I received to-day the official an- nouncement of my election in the following letter from the Standing Committee of Kentucky : " ' Louisville, June i, 1866. " ' Rev. and Dear Sir : The undersigned, the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Kentucky, have just been ap- pointed by the Convention of the Diocese a Committee to make known to you that you have been elected this day, with the most gratifying and extraordinary unanimity, the Assistant Bishop of the Diocese of Kentucky. We perform this duty with great pleasure, and venture to urge your acceptance of this high office, and to assure you that in the event of your acceptance you will be cordially welcomed by a warm-hearted people. *' * Very respectfully, your friends and obedient servants, James Craik. Francis M. WmxTLE. J. J. Talbot. W. F, Bullock. Wm. Cornwall.' " ELECTION TO THE EPISCOPATE. 245 We have before us several very full accounts of the action of the Convention, from the daily papers. We give only a brief synopsis. The Convention met May 30th in St. John's Church, Louisville. In Bishop Smith's address he asked for an assistant, as he no longer felt able to fulfil the duties of so large a dio- cese at his advanced age. Resolutions were passed, and the Convention proceeded to elect an assistant. Several clerg)nnen were nominated, and three ballots were taken, resulting in the rejection of the candidate by the laity. No little feeling arose among the cleri- cal delegates when their candidate was rejected, and one of the clergy. Rev. Carter Page, made a speech expressing his surprise at the action of the laity. Rev. Dr. Craik urged the claims of Bishop Lay, and withdrew his own name in the bishop's favor. To avert all such feelings and to promote the harmony of the diocese, a proposition was then made by the laity in the Convention for the appointment of a com- mittee of conference on the subject. This proposal was accepted by the clergy, and a committee of six gentlemen of each order was appointed, to whom the whole subject was referred. Friday afternoon, June 1st, the Committee of Conference, through Judge Bullock, made the following report : " The Committee of Conference appointed by the Conven- tion of the Diocese of Kentucky to decide upon a suitable person for the ofifice of Assistant Bishop, beg leave to report the following unanimous action : " Resolved, That the Rev. George D. Cummins, D.D., of Chicago, Illinois, be recommended to the Convention of the Diocese of Kentucky as Assistant Bishop of said diocese, in 246 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. which they respectfully but earnestly solicit the concurrence of the Convention." Judge Bullock said: " I am further instructed to state that we have reached this result after the most careful con- sideration ; and in doing so we had in view the glory of God and the good of the Church ; that we were all willing to sur- render for ourselves, and the party we represent, all personal feeling and private ideas. It is our prayer that the unanimity which we have met in answer to secret prayer will also govern this meeting ; that in selecting this man, we knew that from his piety and his talents that Kentucky would adopt him ; and it is for that piety and other good qualities we have done so, and we have no other earthly motive in view. ' ' The Rev. F. M. Whittle then nominated the Rev. George D. Cummins, D.D., rector of Trinity Church, Chicago, as Assistant Bishop of this diocese, and the Rev. Dr. Craik seconded the nomination. A ballot was taken with the following result : For Dr. Cummins, 21 votes. Dr. Craik, i ; Mr. Whittle, i. The laity proceeded to ballot, with the following re- sult : For Rev. Dr. Cummins, 23 votes; nays, i. The chairman then declared the Rev. George D. Cummins, D.D., elected to the office of Assistant Bishop of the Diocese of Kentucky. Mr. Cornwall moved, that in view of the great unanimity in the choice of an Assistant Bishop, the Convention unite in singing the Gloria in Excclsis, and the whole assembly present united in this grand song of praise to God. In the journal kept at the time by Dr. Cummins we find the following entry : " Paris, July, 1866. " Letters have reached me from a number of bishops, ex- ELECTION TO THE EPISCOPATE. 247 pressing their pleasure at my election and earnestly urging my acceptance of the office. These letters are now given, though in several cases extracts only are made, as the entire letters are too long for publication. The first in our possession received by Dr. Cummins is dated "Claremont, N. H., June 4, 1866, " Rev. and Dear Brother : I beg your permission to express to you the satisfaction with which I learn that you have been elected Assistant Bishop of Kentucky. That the Spirit of the Chief Shepherd is the mover of this solemn pro- ceeding I cannot doubt. I pray you, then, listen to the call as one in which the Lord is telling you what to do. I have confidence in you that your work will be done to his gracious and full acceptance. " Your affectionate brother in Christ and the church, " Carlton Chase. " Rev. Geo. D. Cummins, D.D." The next document in order of date is a Prayer of Thanksgiving, prepared by Bishop Smith, of Ken- tucky, and was used in the Convention and in the churches in Louisville. prayer, " O Almighty Father, the giver of every good and per- fect gift, we render unto thee our hearty thanks that it hath pleased thee, as we trust, to hear our prayers in guiding us aright in the choice of our Assistant Bishop elect ; and most humbly we beseech thee to preserve him and his family whilst abroad, and when upon the mighty deep ; and to bring him to us in the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of peace. 248 GEORGE DA VID CUMMINS. " All which we ask for his sake who is the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls, thy Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen." The letter next in order is from the then Assistant Bishop of Ohio, and is as follows : " Gambier, June 5, 1866. " Rev. and Dear Brother : The papers state that you have been elected to the Assistantship of Kentucky. Thank God ! Nothing better could have come to them ! No holier work could have come to you ! No more blessed call from God could have reached your ear. The call is from God. You cannot say ' No.' I beg you to say ' Yes.' The field is a grand one. I have just visited two of your parishes. My earnest congratulations to you. " Affectionately, G. T. Bedell. " Rev. Geo. D. Cummins, D.D." A very kind note from the Rev. W. O. Lamson was received at this time, thanking Dr. Cummins for taking charge of the American Chapel in Paris while the rector had a rest and vacation. It is dated " 61 Rue de la Pepini^re, Paris, June 2. " My Dear Dr. Cummins : We are at home for a few hours en route for Switzerland ; in obedience to the urgent kindness of our flock, who feel such pleasure and confidence in your services as to know the interests of the Church are in good hands, I repeat my thanks for your services and congratulate you upon your election to the Episcopate, which I have heard with pleasure. I trust you will justify the wisdom of the choice by accepting. ' ' I am, very faithfully yours, " W. O. Lamson. " Rev. Dr. Cummins." ELECTION TO THE EPISCOPATE. 249 From a presbyter of the Diocese of Kentucky a cordial letter was received, from which we make a few extracts : " Louisville, June 6, 1866. " My Dear Dr. Cummins : Upon the announcement of your election the Gloria in Excelsis was sung. On last Sunday thanks were given in our churches for your election, and prayers offered for your preservation and safe return. There are three parties in the church here — the Virginia churchmen, the evangelical high churchmen, and the sacra- mentarian high churchmen. All, however, united up07i you. I am confident that by the blessing of God you can harmonize these conflicting interests. Moreover, your ecclesiastical sen- timents are admirably adapted to this diocese. Kentucky is the daughter of Virginia both in ecclesiastical polity and theology and in political sentiment. A conservative, evan- gelical churchman (as I know you to be) can at this time, as a bishop, wield a mighty influence for good by the blessing of God. I sincerely trust that your convictions of duty may prompt you to accept this high and holy office thus thrust upon you by the providence of God. You can be more use- ful than as pastor of a parish, however important, and an en- gagement however sacred with any particular church should — it seems to me — give place where the interests of an entire diocese and of the whole Church are so intimately concerned. Having felt an intense interest in this matter, and having watched events with prayerful attention, I am convinced that your election was ordained by the special providence of God. Oh ! that God may assist you to decide this important matter aright ! I believe you have been given us by the prov- idence of God for this position, and I. am confident that under such an administration as we may expect of you, most glorious results will be realized. We are all more anxious than I can express to hear your decision. " Truly and faithfully yours, G. D. E. M. " Rev. Geo. D. Cummins, D.D." 250 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. We give in full the letter from Rt. Rev. B. B. Smith, D.D., senior Bishop of Kentucky, and Presid- ing Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States : " Catlettsburg, Ky., June 8, 1866. " Rev. G. D. Cummins, D.D. : " My VERY Dear Brother in Christ : Before this reaches you you will doubtless have heard through some other medium of your almost unanimous election, on Friday last, June I St, to be ray assistant. ' * Had you been at home I should immediately have let you know, by telegram, how entirely agreeable to me the se- lection is — in which I would have no hand — and how cordially I shall welcome you to my side in the near and sacred relation which Timothy sustained to St. Paul. Oh ! that we could only hope that like grace may be upon us both, and a like measure of success attend our joint labors ! I inclose this to Mr. Sargent, of Chicago ; but in the course of a week expect to receive in New Haven, Conn., your address direct, when I shall write you a long letter, giving you a de- tailed account of the circumstances of the election from my standpoint, and also my views of the position and prospects of the Church in the diocese, urging the reasons which to my mind seem conclusive that it will be your duty to accept. " But so blind are we, and ignorant, that that is left to the decision of the great Head of the Church, by none more confidently and cheerfully than by your brother, shall I say ? or your father in the Gospel, " B. B. Smith." Bishop Clarkson, of Nebraska, who, since the ac- ceptance of the rectorship by Dr. Cummins of Trin- ity Church, Chicago, had, with his wife, been among his most dear friends, thus wrote : ELECTION TO THE EPISCOPATE. 25 1 " Nebraska City, June 11, 1866. " My Dear Dr. Cummins : I do not think I ever heard of the election of a bishop with more gratification and joy than that which filled my heart to overflowing when the news came to me of Kentucky's wise choice, unless, indeed, it was once before, when my now sainted uncle, Samuel Bowman, was chosen by Pennsylvania. ". . . Now I hope, dear Doctor, that you will see it to be your duty to accept. I know that you possess great and peculiar qualifications for the high and awful office, especially in the field to which you have been called, and I do not see how you can decline. ' ' I want you to be sure and let me know when and where the consecration will take place, so that I may make my ar- rangements to attend. ". . . I shall be very anxious until I hear of your de- cision. I wish that Kentucky were a little nearer to Ne- braska, so that we might be more together in the future ; but I am sure that if God spares our lives we shall have abun- dant call for mutual counsel in the blessed cause of our dear Redeemer and His precious Church. I am getting ready for a tour through Dakota Territory, and shall probably hear but little until my return of what goes on in the Church ; but it will be a sore grief to me if I shall learn that you had not accepted the call to the Episcopate of Kentucky. Mrs. Clark- son joins with me in all my gratification and in my congratula- tions. We have often spoken of you and Mrs. C and the children. Please give our most affectionate regards to Mrs. C . " May God bless and keep you in his fear and love. " Yours affectionately, Robt. H. Clarkson." By the same steamer came a letter from Bishop Kerfoot, of the Diocese of Pittsburg. 252 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. "New Brighton, Pa., June 13, 1866. " My Dear Dr. Cummins : I said ' Amen' to your elec- tion at once ; and I feel as though I must not longer postpone writing so to you myself. . . . But apart from that, I feel sure that you can and would do a great and good work in Ken- tucky. . . . But my brief experience makes me feel bold to say to any honest minister of Christ, go into this work if God calls. No man can safely seek it, but if it come unsought it comes a great mercy, a great grace to any true heart. It brings one very near the great First Bishop. It necessitates a nearer spiritual and self-consecration. It helps towards this. It brings so many new and wonderful opportunities to do good ; makes feeble efforts so availing ; is so evidently a divine ordinance to accomplish the thousand things the Church and her people need, that the privilege grows in one's esteem and grateful love daily. May God guide you now and ever, my dear brother. " So prays your faithful friend and brother, "J. B. Kerfoot." The following is the next in order of date : "Cincinnati, June 13, 1866. " Reverend and Dear Brother : I have heard with great satisfaction that the choice of Assistant Bishop of Ken- tucky has fallen on you. I had feared it would settle on some one whose views of divine truth and influence in the Church would be far less hopeful for good. " Supposing you will see it your duty to accept the office, I pray that the anointing of the Holy Ghost — the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and ghostly strength — may abide upon you, to make you strong for the truth, and brave against whatever exalts itself against God and his Gospe/. " I trust our two dioceses — so near to one another along ELECTION TO THE EPISCOPATE. 253 SO extensive a line of separation — may be joined together in oneness of spirit and work. " Yours affectionately, Chas. P. McIlvaine. " Rev. G. D. Cummins, D.D." Another letter from Bishop Smith reached Dr. Cummins at the same time ; it is dated " New Haven, Conn., June 18, 1866. " Mv Dear Doctor : In a letter, sent ten days ago to Chicago, to be transmitted to you, I expressed my thankful- ness to God that the choice had fallen upon you as my assist- ant in my old age, and promised a much longer letter when I arrived here, detailing the circumstances of your election, giving my impressions of the position and prospects of the diocese, and the reasons why I think you ought to accept. . . . After repeated ballots they agreed to a joint nominating committee, which after discussing several candi- dates finally accepted your name unanimously and with en- thusiasm ; and you were at once almost as unanimously, and with far more sacred enthusiasm, declared to be elected. ". . . The reasons why I think you ought to accept are, first — and the strongest — the most irresistible — is, that I re- gard it as the call of God in answer to prayer. . . . This field is very inviting. The climate, the people, the work are all as attractive as can reasonably be expected. But my mind is dwelling with very dark forebodings upon the conse- quences of your not accepting. May God bless you and put it into your heart to accept this call, and by his grace may you ' come to us in the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of peace. ' ' ' Very truly and affectionately your father in Christ, "B. B. Smith." 254 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. " Louisville, Ky., June 22, 1866. " Reverend and Dear Brother : I write a few lines simply to assure you of my most earnest prayer that you may feel it your duty to accept the call to the Assistant Bishopric of this diocese. " Your election was as good as unanimous. I can assure you of a warm and cordial reception by clergy and laity throughout the State, and there is no doubt of the field being one in which you will accomplish great good. On the other hand, should you decline, there is reason to fear the conse- quence must be immense mischief to the cause of Christ for all time. ' ' Should you desire any information which I may be able to give you, please call on me without hesitation, or make any other use of me you please. That God may preserve you in safety, and constrain you to become our chief pastor, to the glory of his name, is the prayer of ' ' Sincerely your friend and brother, Francis M. Whittle. " Rev. G. D. Cummins." The following letter from Bishop Stevens reached Paris a little later than those from the United States : " LiNDAU, Bavaria, June 30, 1866. " My Dear Doctor : I am not able to write you, as I desire, a long letter, but I cannot refrain from expressing my intense gratification at your election to the Assistant Bishopric of Kentucky. From the depth of my heart I bless God for putting it into the hearts of that committee to nominate you, and into the will of the Convention to elect you. It is a great gain for the Diocese of Kentucky — it is a greater gain for the Church in the United States, for your presence and counsels in the House of Bishops will, I am sure, tend to the extension of evangelical truth with apostolic order. i i ELECTION TO THE EPISCOPATE. 255 " I hope to reach Paris, with my daughter, on Saturday evening next, and to meet you on Sunday in church, should I be able to attend. " Very truly yours, Wm. Bacon Stevens. " Rev. Dr. Cummins." " San Antonio, Texas, July 10, 1866. " Rev. and Dear Brother : Permit me to assure you of the pleasure afforded me by the intelligence of your elec- tion to the Assistant Bishopric of Kentucky. While a posi- tion involving the heaviest responsibilities and most arduous labors, yet it is one to be desired by him who is called thereto in the providence of God, and for the sake of Christ and his Church. " I trust you see your way open to its acceptance, and be largely blessed in the discharge of its duties by him whose- grace is sufficient for us, and who demands our services as they may be wanted for his work. " Faithfully yours in Christ, " Alex. Gregg. " Rev. Dr. Cummins." To say that letters such as these were not most gratifying to Dr. Cummins would be a statement utterly at variance with his whole nature, but their reception, for a time, made it more difficult to decide this most important matter CHAPTER XXVI. THE BISHOPRIC ACCEPTED. '* I will follow at thy bidding, Only make the pathway plain — Let me know that thou art leading." Aged 44, IT had been but three years since Dr. Cummins had accepted the charge of Trinity Church, Chicago. To that generous people he owed much, and he fully appreciated this indebtedness. No pains or money had been spared to make him and his family happy and comfortable. God had most abun- dantly blessed his labors among them to the saving of many souls. His health had been much stronger since he had made Chicago his home ; and while he had been able to enjoy his second visit to Europe throughHhe liberality of his dear people, they were also caring for his church during his absence, that he might have no anxiety. Were these not sufficient reasons for his coming back to the hotel in Paris, and with a sad countenance saying to his wife, " I am called again to decide a most important question ; God only can help me to act wisely and for his glory "? The first feeling and desire of Dr. Cummins was to decide the call to the episcopate, and not to agitate the subject further. Indeed for many days THE BISHOPRIC ACCEPTED. 257 his mind was almost fixed upon this decision. The idea of leaving his noble congregation, the field so ripe for the ingathering, his peaceful country home, where every tree and flower was endeared to him, to go to a new and untried field, the responsibilities of which awed him at times, all for a while caused him to turn away from this call, not entertaining a thought of accepting it. He was far away, too, from those with whom he had ever taken sweet counsel. Situated as he was, he had no one to whom he could turn for advice and guidance. No, not so ; he had One on whom he always leaned, One who had hereto- fore been his unfailing Friend and Guide. Da}' after day, yes, hour after hour, he communed with this beloved Friend, this heavenly Counsellor. Most ear- nestly did he implore his direction, and his alone, and then he asked the fervent prayers of the dear ones around him. Before the question was finally settled in his own mind the above letters had reached him. They naturally had much to do with his decision. Without one thought of any such call being made, with no wish to leave his beloved peo- ple, and with a shrinking from doing aught that would even seem like ingratitude to the cherished friends from whom he had so recently parted, he could not refuse to listen to the earnest expressions of those whom he felt were well fitted to help him in this great and important decision. They came, too, at a time when it did not seem presumption to say they were GotVs messengers to tell him what to do. After a prayerful consideration of each letter. Dr. Cummins decided to accept the call to the episco- pate, though with a sad heart. Not sad because of 258 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. the honor done to him by Kentucky's churchmen ; not sad for the many kindly expressions from his breth- ren in the Church ; not sad for the great field lying before him ready for the husbandmen ; but sad that again his tent must be struck, and once more the good-byes be said, and dear hands again clasped for the last time. The rending of such ties was the saddest part of his life. He shrunk from it as few men do, and those who knew him most intimately felt this to be true. His was too loving a nature not to allow his heart's warmest affections to flow out to- wards his friends. Intensely did he suffer when called to part with them. We know well the strug- gle of those days in June and July, 1866, the hours he passed in discussing the all-absorbing question, and the fervency with which he besought his Father's guidance. In his journal we find this entry : "Paris, July 15, 1866. " To-day my letters of acceptance have been dispatched to the Standing Committee of Kentucky and to Bishop Smith, and also a letter to the Vestry of Trinity Church, Chicago, announcing my purpose to accept the ofifice of Assistant Bishop of Kentucky." Thus briefly he writes of what had cost him days of anxiety and perplexity. The official letters being dispatched, those to friends were written, and these were very sorrowful. Had he not had the hope that he was doing God's will in accepting the ofifice of bishop, the trial would have been far more severe. To these friends he frankly told all that was in his heart, and they, as generous as ever, wrote him sadly, but most affectionately, and continued his THE BISHOPRIC ACCEPTED. 259 warm friends even after years of separation. In August, Bishop Smith wrote him as follows : " New Haven, Conn., August 3, 1866. ' ' Rev. Dr. Cummins : " My Dear Doctor : It would be difficult for me to de- scribe the emotions of grateful delight with which, five days ago, I read your consent to become my assistant. I trusted the providence of God in advance ; I beheld the hand of God in each wonderful step as the movement advanced ; and I now bless and adore the mercy of God, which has brought it all so nearly to completion ; and, as I expressed it in a letter to the Presiding Bishop this morning, ' If our Lord God will only grant you a long life and a successful episcopate, my best and most earnest desires will be fully gratified.'! Your suggestion as to the place (in which your consecration is to be) is peculiarly gratifying to us all. " Your hopeful, loving brother in the Gospel of our Lord, " B. B. Smith." The next letter received by Dr. Cummins, when in England, is from his dear and reverend friend Bishop Hopkins : " Burlington, Vt., August 2, 1866. " Reverend and Dear Brother : Your welcome letter from Paris, announcing your acceptance of the office of Assist- ant Bishop of Kentucky, so unanimously conferred by their Convention, has just arrived, and gave me the most cordial pleasure. God be praised whose spirit guided them to the choice of one whom I esteem so highly. And may his abun- dant blessing attend your labors, and prosper them to the fullest extent desired by all who love you. " . . . With my earnest prayer that the protecting hand of the Lord may be with you, lead you back to us in 26o GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. health and safety, and guide you and yours to all good in time and in eternity, I remain, ' ' Your affectionate brother in Christ, " John H. Hopkins. " Rev. Dr. Cummins." The next is from Rev. Dr. Craik : " Louisville, August 2, 1866. " My Dear Doctor Cummins : I have the pleasure to acknowledge the receipt of your very welcome letters of the 14th ult. It is a subject of sincere congratulation to us all that God has put it into your heart to make this sacrifice for the good of his Church. It is a day of small things now in Kentucky, but we believe that the material is here, if properly addressed, v/ith which to build up the Church, " . . . We shall be very happy if you will bring Mrs. Cummins to our house immediately upon your arrival in Louisville, and leave her there while you make your visit to Chicago previous to the consecration. We live a little way out of town, and it may be more pleasant for her on that ac- count. Christ Church being the mother church of the city, and somewhat better arranged for such a service than any other, I should greatly prefer to have the consecration there. " Fervently praying that our Heavenly Father will direct us in all our doings with his most gracious favor, and further us with his continual help in this great crisis in the history of his kingdom, I am, very respectfully. Your friend and brother, James Craik. " The Rev. George D. Cummins, D.D," After a prolong'ed stay in Paris, Dr. Cummins and his family returned to England. His consecration was fixed for November 15th, in Christ Church, THE BISHOPRIC ACCEPTED. 26 1 Louisville. While at Sudbrook Park, near Richmond, he received another letter from Bishop Smith : " New Haven, Conn., August 17, 1866. ' ' Rev. Dr. Cummins : Mv VERY Dear Brother : Since I last wrote you, some correspondence has taken place between me and the Presiding Bishop which it is proper to report. ... I am assured, however, as I now do yo.u, and as I argued to Mr. W , that I regard all these things as the small dust of the balance compared with the preponderating mercy of the an- swer to prayer in an almost unanimous election, and in the gift of such a co-worker in the one great work of upholding the ark of God ! " God bless my dear son in the Gospel of our common Lord ! B. B. Smith." A letter from a friend and presbyter of the dio- cese contains the following sentences : " We congratulate you upon the improving health of Mrs. C . God grant she may be completely restored ! We are hopefully anticipating your settlement in our midst, and are sanguine of a prosperous diocese through God's blessing upon your labors. I send you by mail to-day a copy of the Journal of Convention (1866), which will afford you all the in- formation available. The months of August and September, and part of October, were passed most pleasantly in various parts of England, and in the middle of October they returned to the United States. Ten days were passed in New York, and then Dr. Cummins and his family turned their faces westwards for their new home. Arriving safely in Louisville, they were 262 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. kindly greeted by several friends, and at once taken to the country home of the Rev. Dr. Craik. Leaving his family there, Dr. Cummins went to Chicago, where he spent two Sundays with his dear people previous to his consecration. The generous congregation of Trinity Church presented him with a handsome set of bishop's robes, which he wore throughout his episcopate, and was clad in them when laid away in the cemetery near Baltimore, where he rests now awaiting the resurrection. The letter herewith given reached him while in New York: "Geneva, October 30, 1866. " My Dear Doctor : You are truly welcome home again, I trust with health renewed, and with strength for your great work. " I felt the high compliment of your request that I should preach at your consecration. It would have very pleasantly revived our old relations at Baltimore had I been able to take even an inferior part in your consecration, but it is not possi- ble. My appointments for November were all made, and my time is so preoccupied that I could not have prepared a ser- mon equal to so important an occasion. " May the Lord be with you and bless your episcopate. Farewell now to what makes the happiness of clerical life ! The episcopate is full of the happiness that arises from the noblest opportunities of doing the Master's work ; but it is so wearing., so incessantly absorbing, and so cut off from those near relations which we form in parochial life. I pray that as your day so your strength may be. " I shall never forget your brotherly course in Baltimore. " Yours sincerely and faithfully, " A. Cleveland Coxe. " The Rev. Dr. Cummins." THE BISHOPRIC ACCEPTED. 263 The Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Iowa writes as follows : "Davenport, November i, 1866. " My Dear Doctor Cummins : Yours from Leamington was duly received. I hope this will find you safe and well in Chicago. I hope to be able to accept your kind invitation to be present at your consecration, though my health is not very good. " May God bless you in your new duties and responsibili- ties I I never feel like congratulating any one upon his call to the episcopate, from my own experience of its cares and burdens ; but I can heartily welcome you to our number, and bid you God-speed in your important work. " Faithfully yours, Henry W. Lee." From an esteemed parishioner of St. James's, Rich- mond, Dr. Cummins received a valued letter at this time dated "Montgomery, Ala., November 6, 1866. " My Dear Sir : The news of your election to, and ac- ceptance of, the Assistant Bishopric of Kentucky truly re- joiced me. You are just the man for that field. Your zeal, your eloquence, and that warm heart of yours which draws everybody to you, will create in your diocese an influence which must greatly benefit our beloved Church. I only wish I could work by your side. " The voice of your old parishioner — of one whose sincere attachment time has never weakened — will, I trust, be welcome at this time. I will be with you in spirit at your consecra- tion, and will breathe the warmest prayer of my heart that God may bless you with all blessings and spiritual understanding, " Believe me, with great respect and affection, your friend, " Hubert P, Lefebvre." They have met long since in heaven. 264 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. The letter here given is from one whom Dr. Cum- mins loved and revered, and whose friendship and sympathy he enjoyed for many years : " Cincinnati, November 12, 1866. " Reverend and Dear Brother : I have fully expected to be at your consecration, and perhaps will be ; but I am now so unwell with a severe cold and cough that it is very doubtful. " I write this in order that should I not be there you may be aware of the cause. I hope the solemnity may be free from any of the ' novelties that disturb our peace. ' . . . May the Lord give you abundantly the anointing of his Spirit, and make you strong to be a defetider as well as teacher of the truth in its simplicity, in these days when the snares of Pop- ery and Infidelity on two sides, associated with and getting strength from the snares of the world and the flesh on all sides, give such responsibility to the office of a minister of Christ, and especially to the office of a bishop, ' set for the defence of the Gospel.' " The times demand great firmness and faithfulness, as well as zeal and diligence. " Your affectionate friend and brother, " Chas. p. McIlvaine. " Rev. Dr. Cummins." CHAPTER XXVII. CONSECRATION AND WORK. " Let thy soldier, still contending, still be with thy strength supplied ; Thou wilt not deny the quiet, when the arms are laid aside — Make me meet with thee forever, in that country to abide." From the GerDian. Aged 44-45. THROUGH the great kindness of a frieno, an elegant private car was placed at the disposal of friends from Chicago who wished to attend Dr. Cummins's consecration, and every exertion was made to make the party, consisting of some twelve persons, comfortable. They had a pleasant journey to Louis- ville, where they were most hospitably entertained by the members of the Protestant Episcopal Church in that city, and some of the clergy took part in the ceremony. There are numerous newspaper reports before us, from which we could take extracts, but we prefer giving the simple account from Dr. Cummins's jour- nal. He writes : " Louisville, November 15, 1866. " This day I was consecrated a bishop in the Church of God, in Christ Church, Louisville, by the Right Reverend John Henry Hopkins, D.D., LL.D., of Vermont, Presiding Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States, assisted by Bishops Smith, of Kentucky, Lee, of 266 GEORGE DA VID CUMMINS Iowa, Talbot, of Indiana, Clarkson, of Nebraska, Quintard, of Tennessee, and Kerfoot, of Pittsburg. " Morning Prayer to the Psalter was read by the Rev. E. F. Berkley, D.D., of St. Louis. The First Lesson, Zechariah, third chapter, by the Rev. J. W. Venable, of Versailles, Ky. ; the Second Lesson, Acts, first chapter, by the Rev. Clinton Locke, of Chicago ; the Nicene Creed and Versicles, by the Rev. J. N. Norton, D.D., of Frankfort, Ky. ; Pray- ers, by the Rev. H, N. Bishop, D.D., of Chicago ; io6th Psalm, by the Rev. J. S. Shipman, of Lexington, Ky. " Collect and Commandments, by Bishop Quintard, of Tennessee ; Epistle, by Bishop Talbot, of Indiana ; Gospel, by Bishop Lee, of Iowa ; 29th Hymn, by Rev. W. H. Piatt, of Louisville. " Sermon, by Bishop Lee, of Iowa, from the text St. John 20 : 21, 22, 23. " Bishops Clarkson and Talbot were my presenters. Rev, Dr. Craik and Rev. F. M. Whittle the attending pres- byters. ** The Litany was said by Bishop Smith, of Kentucky. " The Rev. J. J. Talbot, of Louisville, read the testimo- nials to my election. " Veni Creator Spiritiis was sung antiphonally by the Presiding Bishop and the bishops, clergy, and people. " I am the eighty-first in the order of succession of Amer- ican Bishops," We quote from the Church Journal, November 2ist, 1866 : " The Episcopal Oath was then taken, in a firm, clear, and manly tone, audible in every part of the church. The interrogatories were then put by the Presiding Bishop, the answers being made with great distinctness. Being then vested with the rest of the episcopal habit by the Rev. Dr. Craik and the Rev. F. M. Whittle, the Assistant Bishop-elect knelt, and CONSECRATION AND WORK. 267 the Veni Creator Spiritus was sung over him. , . , All the seven bishops united in the laying on of hands. . . After the delivery of the Bible and the Pastoral Charge, the new Bishop was received within the chancel rail and long knelt in private devotion before the altar, while the church rang with the triumphant strains of Mozart's Gloria in Excelsis, admi- rably sung by the choir. " Dr. Craik announced that the proceeds of the offertory would be devoted to the work of diocesan missions, and ex- pressed the hope that a large sum might be placed in the hands of the new bishop to encourage him at the beginning of his work. " The Communion Service followed, in which the bishops assisted the Presiding Bishop. After the singing of the old Gloria in Excelsis the Presiding Bishop offered the prayer for the new bishop, and gave the blessing of peace. The chan- cel steps were long thronged by those who wished to congrat- ulate the new bishop and bid him a hearty God-speed. ' ' The music was especially fine ; a choir of fifty voices — some of remarkable sweetness — rendered the chants with great artistic finish and joyous energy, in full keeping with the happy occasion." The spacious church was crowded to its utmost capacity. Just as the new bishop knelt before the communion table, a broad, bright ray of sunlight poured its golden light over him. All present re- marked the striking incident, and there were many who witnessed it with tearful eyes, and prayed fer- vently that the Sun of Righteousness might ever thus shed its beams upon the heart of him who had just assumed such great responsibilities. Besides the seven bishops, there were twenty-three clergymen from Kentucky, three from Indiana, eight from lUi- 268 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. nois, two from Missouri, two from Tennessee, one from New York, three from Ohio, and one from Mexico. In the evening there was a missionary meeting held in St. Paul's Church, Louisville. Bishop Smith presided, and addresses were made by Bishops Talbot, Clarkson, Kerfoot, Lee, of Iowa, and Bishop Cummins. On Friday evening one of the leading men of Louisville invited the visitors and members of the Protestant Episcopal Church to his house, to welcome their assistant bishop, and to confer together as to the best interests of the diocese, until the Convention of the following May. We quote from the Louisville Courier -Journal of November i6th : " The missionary meeting was held in St. Paul's Church. Bishop Cummins was the next speaker, and he spoke very eloquently and impressively. He designated the great want of the Church as being organization, with more love for Christ and more zeal for his Church. His words thrilled every heart, and assured every one that in the high ofifice to which he has just been called he will accomplish a noble work. Church people throughout the diocese will receive their new bishop with open arms. His presence and voice will awaken new life and zeal in every parish." The first entry in the diary of Bishop Cummins is dated Louisville, November i8th : ' ' This day — Twenty-fifth Sunday after Trinity — I officiat- ed in the morning at Christ Church, reading the Ante-Com- munion service — except the epistle — and preached from Reve- lation 3 : 8. Sunday night, November i8th, I preached in St. Paul's Church." The first letter we have after his consecration is CONSECRATION AND WORK. 269 dated November 17th. His family were in Chicago, having returned in the private car with the bishops and clergy, and the kind friend from Chicago who had cared most untiringly for the comfort of the entire party. From letters written at this time we extract the following : "Louisville, November 17, 1866. It seems as though the events through which we have passed in the last few days have made my precious family doubly dear to me. May God sanctify me for my new office. My ride back from Jeffersonville was a sad one. I trust a merciful Father's arm was around you, preserving you from harm. I dined at Mr. S 's with Bishops Hopkins and Quintard, and Rev. Mr. Shipman and Rev. Mr. Venable, Dr. and Mrs. Craik, Mr. T , and Mr. A of Dr. Craik's vestry. I felt too sad to be able to make myself agreeable. I took tea at Judge H 's with Bishop Hopkins, his son, and Bishop Quintard. Mr. S kindly invited me to make his house my home, and I consented. I only wish the invita- tion had come to all my little flock, but during this week their house was full of guests. " November 18. — My thoughts turn to-day with ceaseless longing to my precious ones, and my heart is with you, so far away ! To-day I began my work in the diocese at Christ Church. Dr. Craik made a noble appeal for the church at Maysville. I spoke also. The sum needed was raised, and even more than was asked for." Before leaving New York, and soon after "his ar- rival in the United States, Bishop Cummins had entered his son at the Lehigh University at Bethle- hem, Pa., of which Henry Coppee, D.D., LL.D., was then president. There the bishop's son remained until 1869. 270 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. The bishop's family spent several weeks in Chi- cago with friends, and as soon as his duties per- mitted he joined them and officiated several times for his former congregation. While this visit was, for many reasons, a sad one, yet it gave pleasure as well, as the circumstances of the bishop's election to the episcopate had rendered it impossible for him to return to Chicago imme- diately after his return from Europe, and he felt it to be due to these kind friends to be among them for awhile. "Louisville, November 19. " Rev. Mr. T called to ask me to confirm in pri- vate a man who is very ill — and this is my first confirmation. I also administered the communion to him." "Lexington, Ky., November 21, 1866. " Yesterday Mrs. W drove with me about the town and suburbs. Lexington is not a handsome town, but the country around is lovely. We drove to the cemetery, from the centre of which towers a lofty and noble monument to Henry Clay. There are many beautiful homes in the town. The people are refined and elegant in their manners, and just like Virginians. Dr. Totten has opened a church school for girls here. I preached in Christ Church. The church is a beautiful building and very large. In the evening there was a reception at Rev. Mr. S 's house, that the congre- gation might meet me. They all gave me a most warm and cordial welcome, and I like them very much. " I think we would find Lexington a happy home and the people very congenial. There is no great progress, as in Chi- cago, and no bustle ; but there is refinement and warmth of heart and much that makes life desirable. I go to-day to Louisville, and thence to Bowling Green ; and expect to CONSECRATION AND WORK'. 27 1 reach Chicago by the first Sunday in December, and will preach in Trinity Church. When I left Louisville for this place we were detained at Frankfort for some time, a freight train being off the track. I went up to see Dr. N : he received me very kindly, and we had a pleasant talk about church matters. He told me that in the committee that nominated me half were low churchmen and half high church- men, and after discussing many names with no agreement Governor S asked him how he felt about me. He re- plied favorably, and Governor S arose and nominated me with tears in his eyes, and Dr. N immediately sec- onded the nomination." " Bowling Green, November 23. " I am thus far safely on my visitation tour, and by God's blessing have been preserved from all harm. The robbers who assaulted the train on this road have all been arrested and are now in jail, and will be doubtless severely punished. " I found the little flock of our church people here wor- shipping in a very small frame school house, and this in a town of four or five thousand people. I have called all the people to meet me to-morrow night at the house of Mr. H , and I intend to see what can and will be done towards build- ing a church. I will try to aid them from elsewhere. The more I see of the diocese, the more I am impressed with the feebleness of our Church in this State. Outside of I-ouis- ville, Lexington, and two or three towns on the Ohio River, the Church scarcely exists. It has a nominal existence in a few towns like this, but little more than nominal. But there is a vast portion of the State where the population is sparse, the country inaccessible, with no railroads, and scarcely a town of three hundred or four hundred people in any county. In these portions of the diocese I am told that there is no prospect of a beginning for our Church perhaps for a genera- tion ; the population is very rude, ignorant, and demoralized. 2/2 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. Some counties on the border of Tennessee are the hiding- places of desperate men, who live by such deeds as that com- mitted on the railway lately. My work, of necessity, must lie in the towns, and in the strip of country lying just south of the Ohio River. The towns of Kentucky, where our work must alone lie for a generation to come, are all easy of access from Louisville or Lexington. Louisville is a far more beautiful city than you could' imagine from your brief sojourn there. It has pleasant society, and I think I could do more for the advancement of the Church by being in Louisville than in Lexington, in the way of establishing mission churches and new congregations by my own services when I was at home, and also by superintending charities, which we hope to estab- lish there, such as a Church Home and Hospital. The con- dition of the colored people has interested me deeply. We are going to do what we can to bring them under the influ- ence of our Church by schools and services, and doubtless a few years will work a great change in their condition. " Saturday. — Mr. W has just brought me L 's letter. What a journey ! and what an experience ! I am most grateful to God that you bore the tossings about so well." " Bowling Green, November 26. " Saturday evening I met the friends of our Church, and after an earnest conversation they determined to raise one thousand dollars among themselves towards a church edifice. There are only about twelve Episcopal families here. I in- tend to make an earnest effort to raise two thousand dollars more to put up the building. I preached twice on Sunday in the Baptist church, and confirmed a class. The congregation was large, and composed of persons of other denominations. I meet some of the people again to-day to talk over the prospects of the Church and to deepen their interest in the work. At one o'clock to-day I leave with Rev. Mr. W for Russellville. CONSECRATION AND WORK. 273 Tuesday I go to Clarksville, Tenn., and Wednesday to Hopkinsville, Ky. , to hold services. " I have had many thoughts of our future since we parted, and sometimes they have been sad ones. But I am sure this is wrong, and I try to dismiss them, and cherish brighter re- flections. If our way has been indeed chosen for us of God, and we try to do his work, he will make our path bright and blessed and cause all sacrifice to be a joy." " RussELLviLLE, November 28, 1866. " We reached this place at seven o'clock, and found the church already filled, indeed crowded. I preached, and con- firmed and addressed the class of candidates. Yesterday at 3.30 P.M. the people came to confer with me concerning the opening for our Church. The town has about fifteen hundred people in it, and those I have met with are very pleasant. They received me very warmly. I wish to establish here, in connection with Bowling Green, an associate mission, and to place a clergyman here to work in connection with Mr. W . The opening is promising for our Church. I preached again at night ; the people seemed deeply interested in the services." About this time Bishop Cummins received sev- eral letters from friends, from which we quote. The first is from a clergyman of the Church of England, and is dated November 22d, 1866 : " My very Dear Friend : Having lately heard that your consecration to the sacred office of a bishop in the Church of Christ was to take place the middle of this month, I desire to offer my sincere congratulations and my earnest prayers that the great Head of the Church, who has called you to that office, may abundantly replenish you with all the gifts and graces requisite to the successful administration of the holy 274 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. functions appertaining thereto. . . . Believe me, my dear friend, it was with unmingled feelings of joy and thankfulness that I first heard of your election, and I should have written immediately to express my feelings had I known your address. I did not know your whereabouts in England or the United States. I feel assured that your new position will, by God's grace, be profitable to those over whom he has appointed you overseer. Your sphere of usefulness is now much enlarged : may you be the honored instrument in God's hands of win- ning many souls to Christ. It would have given me much pleasure to have been present at your consecration, and added my prayers to those which undoubtedly went up from many hearts to the throne of grace for the new apostle of the Lord — the new leader of the Lord's hosts in the conflict with sin and Satan. Those prayers, though not presented then and there, have yet, I trust, reached the mercy-seat with acceptance. " It is a very great pleasure to write to you again, and I shall long to hear from you. Give our united love to our very dear friend Mrs. C , and each of your dear children, and believe me " Your very sincere friend, T. T. R. " The next in order of date is from Bishop Vail : "Atchison, Kan., November 24, 1866. " For the Right Rev. Geo. D. Cunmiins, Z>.Z>. , Louisville, Ky.: " Right Reverend and Dear Brother : I should have written you before your consecration had I not known that you were abroad, and if I could have learned in my prairie fields, where I spent the summer, how to address you. " I would now write to give you the welcome of a humble brother upon your entrance into the Episcopate. " In the confidence of your brethren I congratulate you. In the assumption of new responsibilities I sympathize with you. I pray that God may be with you, by his Holy Spirit, CONSECRATION AND WORK. 275 to bless you in your efforts to extend the knowledge among your people of the blessed Gospel of the Son of God, and that the glory of our dear Lord Jesus may be accomplished through you. " I know of none who, in the good old Diocese of Ken- tucky— old among our Western dioceses — could have been more fitly selected, or could effect, by God's grace, a larger blessing for the fold of Christ. " May the Holy Ghost speed and prosper you ! Believe me, affectionately, " Your friend and brother, Thomas H. Vail." The following is from Bishop Lee of Delaware : "Wilmington, Del., November 26, 1866. ' ' Right Rev. Geo. D. Cummins : " My Dear Bishop : It would have been exceedingly pleasant to me to have been present at your consecration, hav- ing always, since our first acquaintance, felt so much interest in your welfare and success. "My constant journeyings for the last eight months in Pennsylvania and Maryland, as well as in my own diocese, made it hardly possible for me to accept the invitation which I received from Bishop Smith. " I can hardly congratulate you on your appointment to an office involving so much labor and such dread responsi- bility, but I trust you will be mercifully sustained and greatly prospered in your work. At all times and in all places the work of a bishop is full of weight and difficulty. It must be particularly so in the field upon which you are now to enter. Commending you to him who is able to make all grace abound towards us, and assuring you of cordial sympathy and affectionate regard, " I remain vour brother in the Lord, " Alfred Lee." 2/6 GEORGE DA VID CUMMINS. The next letter is from a beloved friend, a lawyer in Washington, D. C, and a member of his congre- gation while rector of Trinity Church, one who had been as a brother to him for years : "Washington, November 25, 1866. " Right Rev. Geo. D. Cummins, D.D. : It is a holy title in which you have been clothed, my dear friend and teacher in sacred things. Yet I do not love you one whit the more for the dignity of your high office than when you were my own pastor. " Among all those who rejoice to hear of your election to the bishopric, I will give place to none in the joy and delight your promotion affords. You never will know what a com- fort it is to me to have you feel towards me confidence in my unabated affection, and to believe I retain your esteem. You are, and have been ever since we first met, my most helping and strengthening brother in Christ, and I can assure you I have missed you sadly in every way since you left your flock in Washington. But I see how plainly it was all or- dered by him 'who doeth all things well,' and how, when you were called to rend asunder ties you formed here — that will last through eternity — and how I felt and believed and even favored — with pain — the removal to Baltimore, it was but the step from stone to stone by which God was prepar- ing you to meet his call for a higher station of usefulness in his service. I know you realize far more than I can compre- hend the nature of your duties, and the preparation for the work. May he for whom you have heretofore labored guide you to all strength and fitness for your work. How I would have rejoiced to have witnessed the solemnities at Christ Church on the 15th ! My soul would have been lifted up by the deep emotion of my heart to see one I love so much — by the unanimous voice of his brethren in the Church, laymen and ministers — receive the ' commission ' anew, coupled with CONSECRATION AND WORK. ZJJ graver duties, and vested with larger powers for usefulness, I meant to write only about your new office, and to tell you how much talk and pleasant things your old friends have to say about it. It gratifies me to see how strong the love is they bear you. The newspaper is going around from hand to hand and house to house ; all are touched and charmed M'ith its accounts, and the excellent discourse of Bishop Lee ; and I was doubly glad the teacher of the hour was, as he claimed to be, ' your intimate friend.' " My dear mother charged me to say for her that she fully believes you are called to the office, and that God will furnish you with strength for your duties. Love to all your family." The following is from Bishop Cummins's kind friend for seven years, Ex-Governor Stevenson of Kentucky : " Covington, December 12, 1866. " My Dear Bishop : I wrote you a long letter in Octo- ber, and directed it to Chicago, hoping it would greet you upon your return from Europe. I fear it has been consigned to the Dead Letter Office at Washington. " It had no other merit than the sincere outpouring of the warm heart of a thorough Episcopalian, of the Virginia Bishop Meade stamp, to his beloved and newly elected dio- cesan ! Besides my gratitude at your election and a narra- tive of the peculiar and providential blessings which seemed to culminate in the glorious and closing work of our Conven- tion, I begged you always to consider my house your home, and to be assured of the affectionate greeting which would always await you in our family circle. . . . You have been called, under the providence of God, at a most auspicious and critical time to a responsible but noble field of labor. I trust and believe you will love and become endeared to the people of Kentucky ; you are precisely the bishop we need and de- mand. The work may be laborious, but God will give us the 278 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. increase. In these days of extravaganzas in Ritualism we want a father in God whose warm heart, sound judgment, and simple exposition of the Gospel is only exceeded by his unfaltering devotion and fearless orthodoxy to its precious truths. " Mrs. S joins me in kind and cordial greetings to Mrs. C and yourself, and I beg you to accept the assur- ance of that warm regard with which I am, ''Very truly yours, J. W. Stevenson." We give extracts from a letter written by Bishop Green, of Mississippi, and Chancellor of the University of the South : " University Place, Tenn., January 16, 1867. " Right Rev. Geo. D. Cummins, JD.D. : " My Dear Sir : It has been my intention ever since your consecration to write you a letter, not of congratulation, but of brotherly welcome to the arduous and responsible labors of the Episcopate. A multiplicity of other and more pressing demands upon my time has prevented my doing so until the present moment. " Let me now, therefore, if it be not too late, assure you, my good brother, of my confidence in you, and of my hearty prayers for your happiness and usefulness. You have a noble field, and I believe you will work it well. . . . The next meeting of our Board of Trustees will be at Montgomery, on the 13th February. Can you not be with us ? Your presence as a mere visitor and well-wisher would be highly gratifying to us all. . . . Do come, if you can. I have written a similar invitation to Bishop Smith. ' ' Affectionately your brother in Christ, " W. M. Green." Bishop Cummins returned to Chicago early in December, and, as we have said before, passed some CONSECRATION AND WORK. 279 weeks with his former charge, preaching for them regularly twice on Sundays, and holding services in the week. This he felt was due to the people of Trin- ity Church. They had been so generous, so liberal, so thoughtful for him, that he was all the more anxious to be with them as much as possible while they were without a pastor. January ist, 1867, he with his family returned to Louisville, where they remained with kind and most hospitable friends until the latter part of February, the bishop meantime filling all his appointments. In February he accom- panied his wife and daughters to Baltimore. Up to the second week in May he was occupied with visita- tions through the diocese. The first of April his family went to Virginia, to be with the parents of his wife. We have before us letters of Bishop Cum- mins written during the months of May and June. The first is dated "Covington, Ky., May 26, 1867. " I preached and confirmed in St. Paul's Church, New- port, this morning, and officiate at Trinity Church, Coving- ton, to-night. Rev. Mr. M called to take me to confirm a sick person before the morning service. . . . The con- gregation w^as large, and I confirmed eighteen persons. This makes sixty-eight persons confirmed in this church since Jan- uary last. The Convention meets in St. Paul's, Louisville. Rev. Mr. W has been elected Assistant Bishop of Vir- ginia. He has not yet decided to accept. I hope for Vir- ginia's sake he will go, as I think he is just the man for the diocese. " May 27. — Preached last night in Trinity Church, Cov- ington, to an immense congregation, and confirmed twenty- three persons, making in all fifty-six in this church since January last. The prospect before us in the diocese seems 280 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. very encouraging : all are impressed with the record of my work for the past six months, and we have now entire har- mony. Bishop Smith has appointed Thursday as the day for the Convention sermon and communion, as it is Ascension Day. Wednesday will be devoted to business. . . . Bear me ever in your heart in prayer. ... I desire to cultivate a spirit of unity and harmony among the congregations. I shall strive to bring the whole diocese into perfect harmony in our great work of extending the Church throughout the State." "Louisville, May 29, 1867. " At ten o'clock this morning the Convention assembled and tried to organize, but the question was started of the con- stitutionality of the bishop's call, and a lively discussion sprang up, lasting until eleven, the hour for service. At eleven o'clock I preached the Convention sermon : it was listened to with much interest. At 3.30 the Convention re- assembled. Bishop S was absent and I took the chair. The debate on the legality of the bishop's call was very ear- nest, but at last the Convention legalized his act, and thus all trouble was avoided. The Convention passed a unanimous resolution asking that my sermon be given for publication. " To-morrow is the day for unveiling the full life-size statue of Henry Clay, by Hart, and the ceremonies are to be very imposing. Judge B is to deliver the address. The Con- vention has been invited, and will go in a body, and accord- ingly we meet at eight o'clock to-morrow morning for service and the communion, as it is Ascension Day, but will have no session of the Convention until three o'clock. Every day some new call for my services comes to me. I am wanted to lay corner-stones for churches at Shelbyville and Georgetown. Rev. Mr. T , Mr. C , and Mr. W wish confirma- tion. I am very lonely without my precious ones, and long for a home of our own. On the 7th I go to Pewee Valley, on the 8th to Georgetown, and on the nth to Paris." CONSECRATION AND WORK. 28 1 At this time Bishop Cummins first met with Lyte's beautiful hymn, " Abide with Me, fast falls the Even- tide," and writes thus of it : " I send you this as a Sunday ni.sj;ht's breathing of my own soul. May it be yours and mine now and always until ' Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day.' Do try to learn it, and get L and S to learn to sing it for me. Good- night. He was very fond of music, especially sacred mu- sic. It was his custom to join with his family in sing- ing in the evening whenever he was at home. He had a correct ear for music, and could readily catch any tune which he Hked. His voice in singing as well as preaching was most melodious. Nothing pleased him more than to gather around the piano and sing hymn after hymn with his home circle. Some of Mr. Bliss's hymns were his special delight, and also some of Mr. Sankey's. " The Sweet By and By," " Oh ! to be Nothing," "The Gates Ajar," "The Ninety and Nine," and many others he never wearied of hear- ing. " Guide me, O thou great Jehovah," " Rock of Ages," " Lord, with glowing Heart I'd praise Thee," " Nearer, my God, to Thee," and others from the Praycr-Book collection he dearly loved ; but none were so dear as the one he so solemnly re- peated as he caught a glimpse of the " precious Sa- viour " on the portals of the house not made with hands. Writing from Elizabethtown on the 3d of June, he mentions his intention of visiting Henderson on the loth, and says : 282 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. " Then I shall have visited every parish in the diocese ex- cept one, Princeton, in the extreme south-west, where I can- not go at this season of the year. To-night I hold confirma- tion here. To-morrow I go to Owensboro. At Henderson we will have several days' services, and an ordination (Whit- Sunday) and confirmation. " This bright warm afternoon I am reminded of the cot- tage and the porch, with our improvements, and long to see the honeysuckle that we trained. I am glad to have some time to spend at the cottage before we leave for the North, for I enjoy the calm evenings there so much, and I am happy to be able to be with dear mother and father to cheer them by our presence. I preach here and confirm a class. Since I was last here, Mr. T , the rector, has made wiY/i his own hands a desk and pulpit, and they are very tasteful." " Owensboro, June 6. " The church here is very feeble and has no pastor. The hearts of the people Avere almost ready to despair, but my com- ing seems to have infused new life into them. I have con- ferred with the vestry, and they will call a rector at once." " Henderson, Ky., June 7, 1867. ' ' I am now at one of the most distant points of the dio- cese. The weather is intensely hot and very trying. We were received on reaching this place by two of the vestry. Henderson is a much more important place than Owensboro, and we have a tasteful church edifice here, but the church is in a low condition. I have called the vestry to meet me this afternoon to advise them concerning the future. The pres- ent rector is very old, and I shall advise them to call a younger man as associate rector. This community reminds me very much of Norfolk — a quiet town, with a warm-hearted, hospitable people. We have had services every day since I arrived, though the heat is intense. Sunday I ordained Mr. CONSECRATION AND WORK. 283 Ross to the presbyterate — 7ny first ordination. My visit to Henderson has awakened great interest. When I reached here there were hvii four candidates for confirmation, and I con- firmed twelve Sunday night." Almost immediately after completing his list of visitations, Bishop Cummins went to Virginia, and passed a week at his father-in-law's home. From there, accompanied by his wife and daughters, he went to Bethlehem, Pa., to be present at the Com- mencement of the Lehigh University. There they passed several days, and enjoyed greatly the inter- esting exercises. From Bethlehem they returned to Baltimore, and from there went to Northampton, Mass., where they spent the summer. In the au- tumn, Bishop Cummins with his family returned to Kentucky. CHAPTER XXVIII. A STAND FOR THE TRUTH — 1868. " O fear not in a world like this, And thou shalt know ere long — Know how sublime a thing it is To suffer and be strong." Aged 46. VERY soon after he returned to Kentucky a coun- try home was offered to Bishop Cummins, by its owner, at a moderate price. It was situated in Pewee Valley, sixteen miles from Louisville, on the railroad to Cincinnati, and possessed many attractions. The congregations of Christ's Church and St. Paul's, Louisville, chiefly assumed the responsibility of the debt ; and the bishop, with a very joyful heart, set about repairing the house and grounds, which had been allowed to fall into decay. Before the main building was ready for occupation he removed his family to " Oak Lea," and all the winter they were accommodated in the wing of the house. Through the generous liberality of friends and relatives in the East, he was enabled to make this home comfortable, and a bright future opened before him. Happy in his work, blessed of God in his labors, and with restored strength, the winter of 1867-8 was one of the brightest of Bishop Cummins's life. A STAXD FOR THE TRUTH— \%(iZ. 285 In February he attended a meeting of the House of Bishops, assembled in New York on the 15th, to elect a missionary bishop for Oregon. He writes : " Twenty bishops were present, and after balloting nine times they elected Dr. P . I know him and admire him very much ; he is a man of beautiful spirit, and full of mis- sionary zeal, and I know he is utterly opposed to the school of ritualists and Romanizers. I doubt, though, whether he will accept. Bishop P invited me to dine with him, with several of the bishops, but I declined, as a violent snow-storm was falling. I have not made any calls yet upon our friends. I wrote for G to come over from Bethlehem to-morrow. '' February d . — Our dear boy is with me: he came last night. I am very happy to have him ; it is bringing a part of home to me. I am truly glad to know that on Monday my face will be turned towards my fondly loved home !" The spring and summer of 1868 were passed in busy work throughout the diocese, with the excep- tion of a visit to Chicago, accompanied by his wife and youngest daughter. The country home of Bishop Cummins was too attractive to permit of his wishing to go elsewhere, and the entire summer was passed at " Oak Lea," with occasional visits to parishes in the diocese. When not otherwise engaged he preached in some one of the churches in Louisville, or in the school-house in Pewee Valley. Through the earnest efforts of the bishop, funds had been raised to finish a tasteful stone church in Pewee Valley. This was opened for services in 1869. In August of 1868, the sad news reached them by telegraph of the dangerous illness of Judge Balch. Mrs. Cummins was at that time too ill to leave her 286 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. bed, and the bishop at once started for Virginia. He writes ; " On board the Steamer, August 31, 1868. " It is with a sad heart that I turn my face eastward on this long journey. I have felt so deeply the sadness of going without you on this sorrowful mission. To feel that you are forced to keep your bed of suffering and denied the happiness of ministering to your father in his illness is very distressing to me. The precious consolation under such a trial is that ' it is the Lord's doing,' and though ' marvellous in our eyes' yet most assuredly a work of love, and only to be borne with a spirit of cheerful resignation. I said to G , just now, * Oh, that M ■ was only with us !' " If I find dear father still in this world 1 will tell him of all your deep love and intense yearning to go to him, and of your utter inability to travel. And if he has gone to his rest, I will do all in my power to comfort dear mother. My thoughts will be continually with you, and my prayers unceas- ingly offered for you. May our Heavenly Father bless and comfort you." The following brief note tells the sad story : " Kearneysville, Va., September 2, 1868. " I have just reached this place, and find that dear father is with his Saviour whom he loved so well. All that I can learn here is that he fell asleep on Saturday, and was laid away to rest on Monday afternoon. I am going up to the cottage at once on horseback. Your brother L arrived last night from Canada, too late, like myself, to see father or be present at his funeral. May God be with you and com- fort you under your great sorrow, a sorrow not as those with- out hope. ' ' A STAND FOR THE TRUTH— \%(i%. 287 In October, 1868, Bishop Cummins left his home for New York, to attend the General Convention. On his way he spent a Sunda}^ at Covington, Ky. From there he writes : " I met in the cars Governor and Mrs. S . Our con- versation was chiefly of the great issues before our Church. He is very earnest in his support of all evangelical interests. I preached at Trinity Church in the morning from the text, ' The simpHcity that is in Christ,' 2 Cor. 11:3. It was a sermon for these sad times. I spoke with great warmth and earnestness ; certainly this people will never be in any doubt as to my position on the vital questions at issue in our Church. This bright October afternoon I have been thinking how lovely our home must be looking under the rays of a cloudless sun. I am grieved to have to leave you when suffering so much, but if I succeed in getting help for our missionary churches from the Building Committee of the ' Church Mis- sionary Society,' I will be home sooner than you expect. I preached again at night from the words, ' My words shall not pass away.' The congregation was very large." "Baltimore, October 6, 1868. " I resume my journal. I left Cincinnati in company with a number of the clergy and other friends. Met Rev. Mr. C at Belle Air, and had a long talk with him upon the state of the Church. I was up in time the next morning to see the destruction wrought by the great flood in August. I should scarcely have recognized Ellicott's Mills and Elys- ville. Hundreds of workmen are still employed on the deso- lated portion of the road. I reached Baltimore at nine o'clock A.M., and went with Rev. Mr. C to the hotel, and thence to your sister's. The Doctor drove me out after dinner to see Rev. Dr. G , who kindly promised me help for our missionary churches ; then to Mr. R 's, who also promises 288 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. help ; then to see a number of dear old friends, and the site of the new St. Peter's, and the design. It will be very im- posing when finished. Mr. G is very happy about the new church." " New York, October 7, 1868. " We arrived here this morning about seven o'clock, and went to the Astor House for breakfast ; will go up to Dr. B 's this afternoon. All is excitement and intense in- terest concerning the Convention. Dr. G showed me several more memorials that he had received upon momentous subjects, and there is a promise of stirring discussion on all the great topics. We cannot doubt that God tvill take care of His truth j but ?ny stand is taken firmly on the old evangelical basis, now and ever, and to keep ' this Church ' upon the platform of the Reformation. ' ' ' " House of Bishops, October 8, 4 o'clock p.m., 1868. " I am now seated at my desk. We have a beautiful room, fitted up with forty-two very tasteful desks and arm- chairs. Each desk is furnished with a large portfolio with the name of the diocese on it, and filled with paper and envelopes. The room is very bright and cheerful. We have just organ- ized and are attending to mere routine business. I went down to the Bible House after writing to you, and had an in- terview with Rev. Mr. Rising concerning my application to the Church Building Committee, and he has arranged to have a meeting of the committee next Wednesday to meet me. To-day I introduced my resolution concerning the sending of our children to Romish schools, and it has awakened an ex- ceedingly able and interesting debate. Eleven bishops spoke. The debate is still going on, has lasted two hours, and has gone into mighty questions. I have never listened to a de- bate of more intense interest." A STAND FOR THE TRUTH— \Z(>^. 289 " New York, October 8. " At ten o'clock this morning the bishops and clergy as- sembled in the two robing-rooms of Trinity Church, and after robing went immediately into the chancel — no procession ex- cept one following the other. There were no choristers. All had evidently been arranged by the advice of Bishop Mc- Ilvaine and others who think with him. The chants were sung by a company of clergymen from the gallery. Bishoi) A. Lee preached a magnificent sermon, utterly condemnatory of all modern innovations, and especially the doctrine of priesthood, sacrifice, and altar. We thank God most heartily for this noble utterance. I preach in the Church of the Atonement on Sunday, i8th. I am staying at Dr. B 's, who belongs to Calvary Church. The family are very kind and attentive, and I am most pleasantly situated. At nine o'clock I went to a reception of the bishops and clergy at Bishop P 's. There I met many friends. Dr. E has sailed for France. I had an earnest talk with Dr. H and Dr. G , of South Carolina, concerning the errors in our Church — they are thoroughly with me. " October 9, Friday. — After the adjournment of our House we had a meeting of the Southern bishops to consider the question of the Freedman's Commission. After this I walked with Bishop Johns to Mr. A 's, to call on Mrs. J . She made many inquiries about you. Immediately after din- ner I Avent to Calvary Church to hear Bishop B preach in behalf of missions. After the service I went with Bishop B to Judge R 's reception. There was a great crowd present. I remained only a short time. This morning Bishop Mcllvaine rose and objected to the surpliced choir of boys at the daily service at Trinity Chapel. Some of the Bishops favored it strongly, but finally it was arranged as the evan- gelical bishops wished, by withdrawing the surpliced choir. I have been unusually busy to-day, and now M B is waiting for me to go to Dr. B 's to dine. To-night the Board 290 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. of Missions meets for business in the Church of the Transfigu- ration, and will meet for a long time. Our Evangelical societies meet on the 20th, 21st, and 2 2d. I am engaged to preach in Grace Church next Sunday at Dr. P 's urgent request, and will make a missionary address at St. Thomas's the same day. " October 10, Saturday. — Last night I attended the meet- ing of the Board of Missions. You may judge of my feelings when, upon entering the church, I saw before me in the chancel an altar, with a super-altar, and on it in the centre a brass cross three feet high, and two brass candlesticks of the same height on either side, with candles in them, but unlighted. And just in front of the altar was the venerable Bishop Mc- Ilvaine, within a few feet of what he had all his life so ear- nestly protested against. The feeling of indignation is gen- eral, and very great among all evangelical men, and some will not again attend the meetings if they are held in that church. It seems unpardonable to have selected such a place for the meetings of the Board, and thus compel us to countenance the very things we have so earnestly protested against in the declaration of the twenty-eight bishops. The Evangelical bishops hold a meeting to-day at two o'clock to consult to- gether upon these and other vital issues before us. There is intense feeling on all sides, and every day there are discus- sions bearing upon great questions — such as leaving out the term ' Protestant Episcopal, ' and using that of ' The Church ' in the United States. You see that it touches vital points. This morning I went down to the E. K. S. and met Dr. C , Dr. S , Dr. Sparrow, and many others. I learn that the most advanced and extreme men among the low churchmen will not press their own views and plans, but unite with us on the great platform of Evangelicism, and in an unbroken front towards the Romanizers." " House of Bishops, October 12. ' ' Yesterday I preached at Grace Church from the words, A STAND FOR THE TRC/T//- 1868. 29 1 ' The kingdom of God is within you.' Dr. T and Dr. C assisted in the services. After the services Judge S and Mr. M , lay deputies from Virginia, came to speak to me, also Mr. and Mrs. Charles R , and Mrs. D , from Norfolk. But the best news of all is that Dr, P has promised me two hundred dollars for the churches in Kentucky ! In the afternoon I went to St. George's with Bishop Eastburn. Dr. Tyng preached. I saw Bishop and Mrs. J . At seven I drove to St. Thomas's ; the church was filled. I spoke with great earnestness. This morning I met Rev. S H. T , jr., at the Bible House; he has promised me one hundred dollars ; so you see our little churches will go up yet ! I shall not cease my efforts to raise money, not only for the church in Pewee Valley, but for those which I need so much in other places, and for our needy ministers. I am not afraid of getting f(?o much, for I could use five thousand dollars for our imme- diate and pressing needs. " This morning several clergymen and others, who heard me speak last night, have urged me to take part in the great meeting to-morrow night at the Academy of Music, and Dr. has been here to beg me to deliver the same speech as at St. Thomas's. I consulted with Bishop , and he said ' That he would not have the slightest difficulty in speak- ing ; for though he was in active co-operation with the Amer- ican Church Missionary Society, he continued to work with the Board of Missions, and he thought there ought to be some one to speak for the Foreign Missions to-morrow night.' Acting under his advice I consented. It is intended to make it a great occasion ; two hundred singers are to join in a great missionary hymn, and other sacred music. The house holds three thousand people. I intend to dwell upon the memories of Boone and Hoffman, and on the foreign work generally. Dr. H came to me this morning to ask me to take part in a meeting in behalf of a movement to provide an order, or 292 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. body of men as Evangelists or Itinerants, to go into destitute places to preach. " October 13, 1868. — Went last evening to the meeting of the Board of Missions, and listened to the reports of Bishops C and R , read by themselves. Both reports were very interesting. As we were leaving. Bishop S , of P , took my arm, and as we walked together had a most earnest talk upon our position as evangelical men in this crisis. He is most decidedly opposed to the extreme men, but said ' he could and would die for the evangelical cause. ' I have been to-day to see about dear father's portrait and the memo- rial window. The business before the House was to elect a Missionary Bishop for Oregon and Washington Territory. " New York, October 14. ** Yesterday I went down at seven o'clock to the Academy of Music and found a vast audience filling the building from the floor to the ceiling. There are three galleries, and they were all crowded to the utmost, and on the stage were several hundred singers and a large orchestra. All the bishops, clergy, and laity of the Convention were there, almost without an exception. I send you a programme. I spoke only fifteen minutes. The meeting was a great success, and the music very fine, especially the singing ' From Greenland's icy moun- tains,' and a hymn to the tune of 'Coronation.' The solo ' Comfort ye, my people,' was sung by one of our clergy, and with the instrumental accompaniment was very beauti- ful. " 1.30 P.M. — We have just finished our lunch, and this is a very pleasant hour of the day, each party ignoring for the time all differences and indulging in bright and even merry intercourse. I meet people from almost every quarter of the country, some of them old friends from Virginia. I am so entirely absorbed in my duties that I can only speak to them, but have no time for visiting. The question of appointing a A STAND FOR THE TRUTH— iZdZ. 293 Committee on Church Unity has been discussed, but has met with great opposition from the high churchmen. " Love to all in our own dear home." " House of Bishops, October 16. " Yesterday called on Dr. and Mrs. M , they having left cards thinking you were with me. I did not go to Dr. Haight's reception, nor to Governor Fish's, on Monday night, on account of fatigue from the duties pressing upon me. You will scarcely understand me when I tell you that I am weary to get back to my own quiet peaceful home. The excitement is so great here that it wears upon one. And yet we have not touched the great questions of ritualism — all our exciting debates have been on the case, the question of sister- hoods, and surpliced choirs. Yesterday G arrived ; he is looking remarkably well, and is taller and stouter than when he left us in September. To-day I took G to the Bible House and introduced him to many persons, and then we went to the House of Bishops, before its organization, to let him see the room and our arrangements ; then to the House of Clerical and Lay Deputies, and went in to see that House in session. " October 19, Monday. — Yesterday at ten o'clock I drove to the Church of the Atonement — Rev. Mr. Sabine's. Mr. P read the service. I tried to preach as earnestly and faithfully as I could. In the afternoon I had to bid G farewell, as I had to leave at four o'clock for Staten Island. He has enjoyed his visit very much. At four Rev. Mr. R- called for me. There were three of us appointed for this missionary meeting. On reaching tlie landing about six o'clock we were met by friends. After driving through the beautiful grounds of my host, a warden of St. John's, I reached the house, the front of which looked out upon the water. I could see the distant light-houses. The w^ter proved to be the ocean itself ; for Mr. T 's house is be- 294 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. yond the Narrows, and the lights I saw were those on Sandy Hook and the Highlands of Neversink. After tea we drove to St. John's. We all three made addresses, and the collec- tion was good, amounting to three hundred and fifty dollars. I went to New York this morning with Rev. Dr. E , and had a good deal of conversation on church matters. I send you a card which has been sent to each bishop this morning in an envelope, and it has awakened much surprise among some of the bishops, who were not aware of my connection with the American Church Missionary Society. Bishops W and Q came to talk with me about it. I am glad that henceforth no one will be able to misunderstand my po- sition, " October 20, Tuesday. — This is an important day with us. We have had a report from the ' Committee on Memo- rials,* consisting of Bishops L , J , and C , in re- sponse to the memorial of certain of the low churchmen, ask- ing for the permission to use alternate forms in some of the offices in the Prayer Book. The committee reported that it was unwise and inexpedient to attempt any such changes, and their report was adopted. The debate of the House upon a report of the same committee upon a memorial sent by the vestry of Rev. Mr. T 's church asking for an interpreta- tion of the canon, and to declare the mind of the Church upon the subject, is very earnest. There is not the slightest probability of the canon being repealed, or amended in any way, but to make // more and not less stringent. This is the tendency of the whole current of feeling in the Convention. All that we can do is to plant ourselves upon the Prayer Book as it is, for thus we can save any movement Homeward or Greekward by any changes in the Prayer Book. We are sat- isfied with the Prayer Book that Bishops Meade, Griswold, and others of like mind used with entire satisfaction. ' ' At the time these words were written Bishop Cum- A STAND FOR THE TRUTH— \^6%. 295 mins fully believed what he then wrote. No charge can with any truth be made that in all he ever said or did he was not perfectly honest. Just so soon as he believed otherwise, the Church knew it. He was thor- oughly persuaded then, and years before and after this period, that the errors which had then crept into the Protestant Episcopal Church " must be fought against within her pale." It was not until years of untiring labor, of most faithful teaching had passed, and, with- out any judicial authority whatever in the Diocese of Kentucky, he saw these errors grow and strengthen day by day, until they no longer came with stealthy tread, but were blazoned with all the pomp and glitter of that school, that he turned away weary of a struggle of five long years. Had he possessed the authority, Ritualism would have been put down in Kentucky, though it would have still grown and flourished in other dioceses. CHAPTER XXIX. GENERAL CONVENTION — Continued. "And His truth endureth from generation to generation." Psalm ioo. w Aged 46. E resume Bishop Cummins's journal " Immediately after dinner I went to Calvary Church, where a meeting was held in behalf of the Society for sending out Evangelists. We had a spirited meeting. Dr. H is the president of the society, and presided. He spoke, as also did Bishops N , E , W , and myself, as well as the Rev. Mr. Fox, of Durham, England, the biographer of Mr. Hoffman. I hope Dr. W will aid me in my work in Kentucky. I spoke earnestly to him about it. This morn- ing I went to the Bible House and met many friends ; from thence with Mr. W , of Baltimore, to the communion ser- vice held in the Church of the Ascension, appointed as an introduction to the evangelical meetings beginning to-day. The Rev. B. Wistar Morris was elected Bishop of Oregon. " October 21, 1868. — I left our House yesterday at four o'clock and went down to the business meeting of the Evan- gelical Knowledge Society. The attendance of evangelical men was very large, from all parts of the country. At seven o'clock I went to the anniversary exercises ; the services were very interesting. Bishop Mcllvaine presided, and ten bishops were present. Bishop Mcllvaine, Bishop Stevens, and the Rev. Mr, K were the speakers. After the ad- GENERAL CONVENTION— Continued. 297 journment I met many old friends — Dr. N , Mr. El- and R. S , of Boston. Mr. H 's case in Rhode Is- land is not yet decided, but he is very cheerful. " This morning the debate on the subdivision of dioceses has been earnest and interesting. It is one of the most vital questions we have to decide. We have just had lunch, after which I had a very earnest interview with Bishop , with regard to my position towards the Evangelical Societies. He asked me if I had thought of the effect upon some of the lead- ing men in Kentucky. I told him ' yes,' that I had counted the cost, that I had acted from an urgent necessity laid upon me to give all my influence in favor of the Protestant element in our Church, and to resist the mighty tide of error in our midst tending towards Rome. The interview was perfectly friendly and cordial, but very decided on my part. I know very well I shall have to bear reproach for the stand I have taken, but I am not troubled by this. I believe I am stand- ing for the defence of the precious truth of the Gospel, now so sadly imperilled in our own Church by the growth of false doctrine. Our time on earth is short, and all our influence — so fleeting — is but an atom to be given to our Master." On Wednesday, October 21, Bishop Cummins de- livered an address before the American Church Mis- sionary Society, which was a reply to Dr. Ewer's three sermons entitled, " Protestantism a Failure." It was printed in the American Church Missionary Society's Register of December, 1868, in full. We quote a few sentences : " We are conscious, profoundly conscious, of the vital issues now pressing upon us. We whose heritage is this Re- formed Church of Christ, feel in the depths of our souls that we are passing through a crisis — solemn, momentous, awful — and you will bear with me while I add my voice in defence of 298 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. all that the Reformers of England in the sixteenth century bequeathed to us as our heritage and the heritage of our chil- dren. Within a short distance of where we are assembled, a course of sermons has been preached to prove Protestantism a failure ; and that by one who in the most solemn hour of his life made this declaration : ' I do solemnly declare that I will conform to the doctrine, discipline, and worship of the Protestant Episcopal Church.' I do not wish to give too great importance to the utterances of any one man ; but this sermon is but a sign of the times, but one indication among so many, of the deep, widespread effort to eliminate from this Church her distinctively Reformed or Protest.int character, and to place her where she stood before the Reformation, defiled by the corruptions of mediaeval times. " Three memorable attempts have been made within the last three hundred years to subvert the work of the Anglican Reformers. The first was in the sixteenth century ; the second in the seventeenth ; the third in the nineteenth. The first was an attempt by force ; the second by fraud ; the third by treachery." The address was printed in full in several of the New York secular papers, and awakened great, in- terest and enthusiasm on the part of those in sym- pathy with Bishop Cummins, and indignation and condemnation from the High church and Ritualistic party. The following letter was received from Rev. Dr. S. H. Tyng, senior : " Irvington, Friday, October 23, 1868. " My Dear Friend and Brother : May God be praised for your fidelity to Christ and His truth on Wednesday even- ing. Eternity alone can unfold the strength and confidence you were made the means of imparting to many of your brethren in the younger ministry. It was a noble testimony. GENERAL CONVENTION— Contimied. 299 worthy of the brightest and boldest of the great Reformers — and all the saints of God will thank you for it. . . . " We were all very sorry to feel the necessity of the ab- sence of our beloved friends in the Episcopate yesterday. We had a glorious assembly and occasion — in its spirit, its celebration, and its influence. . . . The brethren will go home wonderfully encouraged and cheered by all that they have heard and seen. "The Lord bless you and keep you, and prosper you much in your important and arduous work. " Your faithful friend and brother, " Stephen H. Tvng. " Right Rev. Bishop Cummins." We quote from a leading newspaper printed in New York at the time : " Bishop Cummins, of Kentucky, appears before the American Church Missionary Society in noble and fearless advocacy of evangelical truth, and in defence of the Protest- antism for which the Reformers braved the fires of martyr- dom. The noble words of Bishop Cummins and of other clergymen thrilled us as we listened. May God bless them and make them strong in His might." On the 23d October, Bishop Cummins went to Peekskill, on the Hudson, and preached in behalf of missions. On the 24th he returned to New York and writes thus : " I agree with you that we have done but little touching vital questions. We have made the new dioceses in New York and Maryland ; we have passed a Canon prohibiting our clergy from marrying divorced persons ; we have refused to make any changes in the Prayer Book to suit the views of low 300 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. churchmen on the one side, and of those who wish to change the Nicene Creed on the other ; we have refused to change the Canon which brought about the Tyng trial, and it stands just as it did before ; we have refused to alter the Canon concerning the officiating of other than our own ministers in our churches. This Convention will prove an era in my life, and may decide the whole future of my career. May God overrule it for His glory and the advancement of His pre- cious truth." On the evening of October 25th, at the urgent re- quest of many friends, Bishop Cummins repeated his address on " The Protestantism of the Protestant Episcopal Church," in the Church of the Incarnation. It was printed in pamphlet form for extensive circula- tion. The following is a notice of the meeting : " On Sunday evening, October 25th, the Church of the Incarnation, Rev. Dr. Montgomery's, corner Madison Avenue and Thirty-fifth Street, was filled by a vast audience to listen to an address from the Right Rev. Dr. Cummins, Assistant Bishop of Kentucky, in defence of the principles of the Eng- lish Reformation, now so imperilled in the Episcopal Church of England and the United States. Many of the most prom- inent laymen of different Episcopal churches of this city were present, and a large number of clerical and lay deputies to the General Convention now in session." In a letter dated October 27, he writes : " How unspeakably comforting your words are to me in the stand that I have taken for evangelical truth and Protest- ant principles in our Church. I am greatly impressed with what you say of the beauty of ' Oak Lea. ' I would rather live there than in Fifth Avenue. I am amazed at the growth, grandeur, and wonderful wealth of this city, but it is not to GENERAL CONVENTION— Coutinued. 3OI be named by the side of a home like ours, amidst the peace, the purity, the refreshing, elevating influences of God's works in nature. But to continue my journal. At 4.30 I returned to Dr. B 's to correct my address for the press. It is something that I shall be glad for my children to read in after years, as a testimony of my fidelity to the principles of the Reformation. I had a visit from Mr. , who is at the General Theological Seminary. He came to speak of things at the seminary that were most distressing to him as showing a leaning towards Romanism. The facts he stated to me ought to be brought out in our House ; but I have been so prominent already on the Protestant side that my moving in such a matter may be considered offensive. The House of Clerical and Lay Deputies have at last before them to-day the subject of Ritualism. Two reports are before them, both good, but the minority report is much stronger and more de- cided in condemning things by name. The majority report, however, will certainly pass. This morning I met Rev. Mr. Fox, from England, at the Bible House : he promised to send me interesting documents, and to write me. We went to see Dr. D , concerning the publication of his memoir of Mr. Hoffman, and of my memoir of Mrs. H , by the Evan- gelical Knowledge Society. The Executive Committee of the American Church Missionary Society desire me to lay before them the wants of the diocese. They will appropriate, as far as they are able, a sum to meet my needs, or rather needs for the work. This is very generous, and I am much encouraged. I go to-night to Englewood, and from thereto Smyrna, Del., to perform the marriage ceremony for F . " The lower House shirked most sadly the responsibility concerning Ritualism, but the ' pastoral letter ' was very de- cided, and for this we are very thankful. Moreover, an evangelical bishop was elected for Nevada — Rev. Mr. Whit- taker, a missionary in that country. The closing service was in Calvary Church, and Bishop Smith read the pastoral letter. " 302 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. At the close of the General Convention Bishop Cummins accepted an invitation from his friend, Rev. Dr. N , of Boston, to make him a visit. From there he writes : ' ' The weather was so inclement that I was unable to see any thing of Boston except the centre of the city. I went out to see Church's painting of Niagara, and was most deeply impressed with it. We dined at Mr. S 's, where I met Rev. C. G . Our conversation was chiefly about their visit to the East in 1866-7. They went as far as Jerusalem. On returning to New York I learned that the Evangelical Knowledge Society are about to print five thousand copies of my address at the Church of the Incarnation. Friday I go on to Baltimore, and Saturday to Washington, and Monday start for home. ' ' In a letter written November 5, 1868, Bishop Cummins tells of meeting again his old friend, Dr. Durbin : " At six o'clock I dined by special invitation with Dr. Durbin, who you know was President of Dickinson College when I was a student. ... I have been greatly blessed in my efforts to secure help for my poor churches in Ken- tucky." The following Sunday was spent in Washington ; he was the guest of a dear friend and former parish- ioner, and preached morning and night in Trinity Church, On Monday he turned his face homeward, accompanied by the widowed mother of his wife, who passed the winter with them. The effect of Bishop Cummins's course in the General Convention upon the leading men of his diocese was twofold — his work GENERAL CONVENTION— Continued. 303 suffered in a degree, and he was personally made to feel that he could no longer expect sympathy or kind- ness from some of those who only two years before had so warmly welcomed him to Kentucky. His home was sold in the spring of 1870, the promises of assistance in purchasing it having been withdrawn, and he had no means of his own beyond the salary of four thousand dollars, which he received, out of which all his travelling expenses had to be paid. " Oak Lea" was sold to the highest bidder for the sum originally asked for it, and all the cost of improvements was lost. In the spring of 1870 the Diocesan Convention passed a resolution offering to purchase the place as an episco- pal residence ; but it was then too late to accept the offer. Bishop Cummins having made all his arrange- ments to reside with his son-in-law, who had offered to build a house for their joint occupancy. To leave this home, where every tree and shrub and flower was endeared to him, and to which he ever returned after the weariness of travel, and the trials and cares of his office, to rest within peacefid Avails, was a trial none can fully understand. But the loss of his home, the averted look of some he knew so well, the bitter taunts and unkind spirit manifested by others, and the unwillingness of some of the clergy to allow him to officiate in their churches, made no difference to one who walked so closely with his God. He ever met all with the same loving smile and the same warm clasp of the hand, and felt towards each the same friendly feeling. Not the slightest differ- ence was allowed to appear in his manner, for he had taken the noble stand for Avhat he believed to be the truth, and the suffering of this present time was not 304 GEORGE DA VID CUMMINS. ■ to be compared with the peace and joy which possessed his soul. As earnestly, as faithfully as ever he labored for the Protestant Episcopal Church in Kentucky, making no difference whatever between high and low churchmen, so far as kindly aid and ready sympathy went. But while treating every one with Christian courtesy and love he suffered intensely, and nothing but the conscious presence of his Saviour and the daily strength given by Him, enabled him to bear the trials of that sad winter. Before this time of sorrow came to the little home-circle at ' ' Oak Lea, ' ' Bishop Cummins writes thus cheerfully : " Bowling Green, Ky., November 19, 1868. " It is hard to realize that I am again away from you and my home, now dearer than ever. I can only return unceasing thanks to God for such a home, such a family, and all my blessings. May I be able to consecrate my life more entirely to God, and the advancement of his own sacred truth in his Church ! " The memories of those few days spent at home are very sweet — no words can tell how dear they are. Yesterday I met Rev. Mr. P , and we talked of the meeting of the Convocation, and our anniversaries in Louisville. A letter has been received from Mr. Parvin changing their programme. They will put off their meetings in Cincinnati and Chicago until I can be with them. " I reached this place at twelve o'clock last night, having left Louisville at six a.m. It was a long and tedious ride. I cannot tell you my deep gratification at finding a comfortable brick church here, completed, where, two years ago, we wor- shipped in a little school-house. It is a tasteful building, and the interior really beautiful and so church-like. I am more than repaid for what I have done for the people of our GENERAL CONVENTION— ConHnued. 305 Church in this place, and rejoice over the good work. We had services last night, and again this morning, and will have another service this afternoon. Rev. Mr. R is with me, besides Mr. C . " In another letter, written from Paris, Ky., dated December 9th, he tells of a visit to Lexington and Cynthiana ; from these places he went on to Paris, where he preached and confirmed. " The congregation at Cynthiana was an excellent one notwithstanding the severely cold weather. We left Cynthiana at nine o'clock and reached here in an hour. I am at the rectory. To-morrow I go to Cincinnati, on my way to Mays- ville. I see by the Cincinnati papers that thirty-five bodies have been brought to the city, and I have telegraphed to keep them until I reach there to-morrow, that I may inspect them. I have great hopes of securing the remains of our dear breth- ren, and have so written to our friends in Philadelphia." The reader will remember the fearful accident which occurred in December, 1868, on the Ohio River. Two steamers collided, and almost all on board were lost, among them two young clergy- men, the Rev. Mr. Rising and the Rev. Mr. Parvin, who were on their way to Louisville to hold mission- ary meetings. Bishop Cummins concludes this letter with the following sentences : " In Mr. Rising's pamphlet, ' Romanizing Germs in the Prayer Book ' — for he wrote it — he has this forcible remark concerning the Reformers, which is now strikingly applicable to himself and Mr. Parvin : ' When Death knocked at the door of the studio where these diligent sculptors were at work, they dropped their chisels, took a last fond look at their 306 GEORGE DA VID CUMMINS. nobly-conceived but half-wrought statue, and making speed to obey the summons which was of God, left that statue to be finished in perfect symmetry by other hands.' Could any- thing be more beautiful or more descriptive of them and their work ? I will write you of my success in finding the bodies. Winter has set in early ; it is as cold as January, and heavy snow-storms are occurring in the East and North-west. I shall go to Covington to-morrow, and Saturday to Maysville." The Christmas joy that came to the household at " Oak Lea" knew no abatement, despite the threaten- ing trials that soon overshadowed it. All were together. The dearly loved grandmother, the father and mother, the dear student at home for the holidays, the minis- tering child, who carried so willingly the duties which belonged of right to the house-mother, and the " wee bairn," the pet of the house — all gathered around the Christmas-tree, welcoming to its gladness the stranger from afar, who was so soon to be one of their circle. It Avas a bright, happy time. Since then they have never all met again. The memory of those hours of gladness that never came again will keep green with those Avho remain, until the glory of the new Jerusalem will break upon their sight. CHAPTER XXX. CORRESPONDENCE WITH BISHOP WHITEHOUSE — 1 869. " I have not departed from Thy judgments : for Thou hast taught me. ' ' Aged 47. ON the 2d of January, 1869, Bishop Cummins re- ceived the following letter from Bishop White- house : " Chicago, December 31, 1868. " My Dear Bishop : An effort has been recently made in this city to establish a society entitled ' For the Promotion of Evangelical Religion in the North-west.' " I am obliged to regard this as a movement designed to disturb my diocese, and factious in its character. " I am informed that a general meeting has been an- nounced to take place in Trinity Church, and that you are ex- pected to take a prominent part in it. " Under the impression that this may be so, I venture to express my hope that you will decline to give it the sanction of your presence ; or in any way connect your influence and office, within the charge of a brother bishop, with a movement which he, in common with the large majority of the diocese, deemed schismatical and injurious. You are satisfied, I am sure, from the past, that you would be at any time a welcome visitor in Chicago, and honored in its pulpits. But as pre- 308 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. siding over or connected with such a meeting as the one pro- jected, your visit would be misconstrued and hurtful. " Faithfully, your friend and brother, " Henry J. Whitehouse, " Right Rev. Dr. Cummins, Assistant Bishop of Kentucky.'' On the receipt of this letter Bishop Cummins at once wrote to Bishop Mcllvaine and other friends, seeking advice from them. The following is Bishop Mcllvaine's reply : "Cincinnati, January 7, 1869. " My Dear Bishop : I have received your note and its three copies of letters, and am ready to give my opinion. I wish, with you, that the society had been made auxiliary to one of our general Evangelical societies. " But they have a right to establish such a society, no matter what bishop may object. For you to go, after his letter, would be unpleasant, to be sure ; but I think should Bishop W gain his point in this — whether it be yielded on grounds of principle or only of courtesy — we should inau- gurate a claim which would have no end. Now the request of Bishop W is a claim, and intended — that for the sake of making it less objectionable he puts in the form of a request — that you have no right to come into his diocese for such purpose. The claim is made the more offensive because of its calling the movement ' factious ' — that is, because it is contrary to his will — and ' schismatical ' and ' injurious,' because it is not in the interests of such societies as he considers Church. Now let us think what would be our position should we even seem to yield to such claims. First., We should seem to allow the factiousness and schismatical nature of the society in question. Secondly., Bishop Potter could as well object to our advocacy in New York of the three Evangelical societies, or any other CORRESPONDENCE— 1869. 309 he might not like. Bishop Whitehouse could as well forbid me, or you, or any clergyman going into Illinois for a day, and preaching for any clergyman, or speaking for any cause. When recently a clergyman from Nashotah was here — and he may be here yet — calling on people of my diocese for subscrip- tions to Nashotah, I might just as reasonably have forbidden him. What would Bishop Whitehouse have said ? There is a great principle of right and freedom involved, and we must not even seem to give place to such claims. " My advice is that you answer the Bishop's letter very kindly and frankly, stating that, however painful to appear in Chicago under such circumstances, you cannot do any thing which could be construed into an acknowledgment of the right claimed, whether claimed on the ground of law or courtesy. " Yours affectionately, " Charles P. McIlvaine." Bishop Cummins also wrote to Dr. D , of New York. His advice was " not to go to Chicago," but " to write Bishop Whitehouse protesting against his denunciations of the society," "that the society in question had no connection with any one of the three general societies. A letter from Rev. Charles Edward Cheney, rec- tor of Christ Church, Chicago, comes next in order of date : " Chicago, January 23, 1869. " My Dear Bishop : Yours of the 21st is at hand this moment, and I hasten to reply. I partially wrote you imme- diately on the receipt of your letter of the 12th, with its in- closures ; but owing to the fact that the Executive Committee of our society had held no meeting, I waited until I could re- port to you some definite action. As there seems to be such determined opposition on the part of Bishop Whitehouse, we 310 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. decided not to hold a public anniversary meeting. In defer- ence to the views expressed by Bishops Lee, of Iowa, and Mc- Ilvaine, yourself, and Dr. D , I proposed that we should resolve ourselves into an auxiliary to the Church Missionary Society. But this met with hardly any favor, especially with the working lay members of the organization. . . . The result of our deliberations was substantially this — to give up any attempt at a very public demonstration, but to go to work and obtain subscriptions, enroll as many members as we can secure, and in St. John's and Christ Churches hold meetings. Both Dr. Powers and myself would feel that in no way could these meetings be made so successful as by your presence and influence. At the same time I feel the delicacy of the position which you occupy, and do not feel at liberty to urge you against your own convictions of what courtesy towards another bishop or the good of the cause demands. " Affectionately yours, Chas. Edward Cheney." The letter herewith given is from Bishop Mcll- vaine. "Wilmington, Del., January 28, 1869. " Dear Bishop : Conversing this morning with Bishop Lee about Bishop Whitehouse's letter to you — as to which you wrote me — he called to my remembrance the fact that about the year 1 84 1 or 1842 there was a similar case. Bishop Hopkins was going to Philadelphia, from Vermont, to deliver a lecture or course of lectures on Romanism. It was a time of consider- able excitement in Philadelphia about Romanism — politically. Bishop H. U. Onderdonk thought the lectures would increase the excitement, and wrote to Bishop Hopkins strongly object- ing to his coming. Bishop Hopkins replied, and stood upon his right and argued it out, and came. I wish that letter could be found. It was no doubt published in the Recorder. But as CORRESPONDENCE— 1 869. 3 1 1 it applies exactly to your case I have thought you should have it recalled to your mind. " Yours affectionately, Chas. P. McIlvaine. " Right Rev. Geo. D. Cummins, D.D." A letter from the Rev. E, Sullivan, then rector of Trinity Church, Chicago, dated January 29, 1869, reached Bishop Cummins at this time. It is a letter of thanks chiefly, as the bishop had promised to occupy the pulpit of Trinity during Mr. Sullivan's absence in Canada, and adding : " I understand, however, that you have decided to post- pone your visit for the present, which, under the circum- stances, perhaps, is the wiser course. What the issue of all this will be, or whereto it will grow, it is hard to predict. May the Spirit of Wisdom be given to us to direct us aright." Bishop Cummins had not replied to Bishop White- house's first letter, as he wished to seek counsel of his brethren. Before he had decided upon his course, the following letter reached him from the Bishop of Illinois : "Chicago, February i, 1869. " My Dear Bishop : On December 31st I wrote you a letter stating that a society had been originated in this city which I was obliged to regard as a movement designed to dis- turb the peace of my diocese and as factious in its character. I also stated that a general meeting of the same had been projected to take place in Trinity Church, and that you were expected to take a prominent part in the meeting, etc. " This was written as a private letter, and to this day has remained so, as far as I am concerned ; but I regret to say that no answer to it has been received from you, nor any in- timation afforded me of your views and intentions. 312 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. " It has been currently reported that my letter, or copy of it, in whole or in part, has been in the hands of Mr. Cheney, of Christ Church, and of others in Eastern cities ; that you wrote to Rev. Mr. Sullivan your intention to fulfil your visit, with an offer to officiate for him on Sunday, the 17th ult. ; it has been reported through Chicago and elsewhere that I had officially inhibited you from officiating within my diocese ; an article in the Milwaukee Sentinel has made an abusive attack on me for so doing, which article I inclose ; that you were telegraphed by the rector of Christ Church not to come at present, and in consequence of this you did not fulfil the intention, which you otherwise would have done, of being in this city on Sunday, 17 th of January. " Under the circumstances I think I have a claim on you for an explanation of the matter, and for some distinct assur- ance of the character of any visit you may make to my juris- diction. If such a visit is to be honorably regarded as an indulgence of personal and social relations, you will be most welcome. If it is to commit you to any quasi sanction of partisan spirit and action in my diocese, I beg respectfully to say that I should regard it, after what has passed, as a serious breach of fraternal courtesy. And if you have, as rumored, consented to act, accredited by the ' American Church Mis- sionary Society ' or its kindred organizations, the exercise of such agency will raise questions still more serious, probably, in other jurisdictions as well as in my own. " Remaining very truly your friend and brother, " Henry J. Whitehouse. " Right Rev. Geo. D. Cummins, D.D." To this letter Bishop Cummins sent the following reply : " Pewee Valley, Ky., Februarys, 1869. " My Dear Bishop : Yours of the ist inst. has just reached me, and I hasten to give you a plain statement of CORRESPONDENCE— 1869. 3 1 3 facts, which, I am very sure, will relieve me of any seeming want of courtesy toward you, and at the same time will con- vince you of my earnest desire to promote the peace and har- mony of the Church in your diocese. " My first invitation to go to Chicago, for the purpose of addressing a public meeting in Trinity Church, came from the Rev. Mr. Sullivan, who informed me that an Evangelical missionary society had been organized in Chicago, and that I was invited to speak at its anniversary on the 20th of Jan- uary. He did not mention the official name or title of the organization, and I concluded that it was a society auxiliary to our three great societies, viz.. The Evangelical Knowledge Society, The Evangelical Education Society, and The Church Missionary Society. "Very shortly after Mr. Sullivan's letter, and after my acceptance of the invitation, a second letter came from Mr. Sullivan telling me of a visit of yourself to him, on which occasion you announced your purpose to oppose a prompt and determined resistance to the society. The same mail brought your letter of December 31st to me, in which you characterize the new society as ' factious and schismatical, and designed to disturb the peace of your diocese,' and you expressed your desire that I should decline to ' lend the sanc- tion of my presence, or in any way connect my influence and office with it.' This letter placed me in a most embarrassing position. To accede to your request would, in my judgment, be acquiescing, at least seemingly, in your judgment of the society, and condemning my brethren, whose reputation is very dear to me. I could not believe that such men as Che- ney, Sullivan, and Powers, faithful and long-tried presby- ters, could be guilty of designing to disturb your diocese or of promoting schism. At the same time it was painful to deny your request, especially in view of the past pleasant personal relations between us. " I determined to make an effort to induce the brethren 314 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. connected with the new society to change their organization, so as to make it auxiliary to the three societies alluded to above, and thus, as I supposed, to disarm all opposition from you. Hence the long delay in replying to your letter of De- cember 31st. I have corresponded with Mr. Cheney, Mr. Powers, and Mr. Sullivan ; but up to this time I have had no official reply to my suggestion. The Executive Committee had appointed a meeting for the 2d of February, but I have not heard of their action. They are aware that my consent to speak is held in abeyance, and depends very much upon a fuller knowledge of the character and aims of the society. I have not yet seen the constitution of the society, and only within a few days past have I met with a list of its offi- cers. Many of them are known to me, and command my en- tire confidence. From the published opinions of one of them / differ most widely. I refer to the articles i?i one of our Church papers advocating and urging that evaneglical men should leave the Protestant Episcopal Church.^ because their liberty in Christ is denied them within the Church. I do not believe that the emi- nent clergymen and laymen who are associated with him in this society have any sympathy with his views in this matter. / am very sure that they hold, ivith tnyself and every bishop of the evangelical school, that it is our duty to oppose those who seek to divide the Church, as well as those ivho seek to assimilate her to the corrupt and idolatrous communions of the Oriental and Papal Churches.* For myself, I love the Protestant Episcopal Church more fervently as life advances. To me she is the fair and pure bride of Christ, ' the glory of the Re- formed Churches,' as Bishop Hobart called her in i8i4in his sermon before the General Convention of that year ; lo5'-al to Christ and his truth in her articles, offices, and homilies, and probably as free from imperfections as a Church can be, com- * The italics are given by the author to draw attention to the views of Bishop Cummins at that time. CORRESPONDENCE— I 869. 3 I 5 posed of fallible men in whom the work of God's grace is always incomplete. " The above statement, I trust, will answer your call for an explanation of matters connected with your first letter. I sent it to Mr. Cheney, because I deemed it right that the society should know your feeling towards it, and as you did not mark it ' private, ' or express a desire to have it so re- garded, I did not think it a breach of confidence to permit others to read it. With regard to my promise to preach in Trinity Church on the 17th ult., it was based on the hope that the society would adopt iny suggestion and hold a meet- ing then in behalf of our general evangelical societies. Mr. Cheney's telegram was to inform me that the meetings of all kinds were postponed for the present. Your letter of Feb- ruary ist, however, raises a new and more serious issue ; and I am deeply pained to find that you have taken a position which my conscience compels me to oppose and resist. You say, in the concluding paragraph of your letter : ' And if you have, as rumored, consented to act accredited by the " Amer- ican Church Missionary Society," or its kindred organiza- tions, the exercise of such agency will raise questions still more serious, probably, in other jurisdictions as well as in my own.' "It is true, 'as rumored,' that I have consented, or rather promised, the societies alluded to by you to go to Cin- cinnati, Chicago, and other places to advocate their claims ; and it is my purpose to visit Chicago on Sunday, February 2ist, to preach for, and ask offerings in behalf of, ' The Amer- ican Church Missionary Society ' and ' The Evangelical Edu- cation Society, ' both of which have been so sadly bereaved of their secretaries by the awful calamity on the Ohio River in December last. If I understand your allusion, my dear Bishop, it is to raise a question as to my right to make such appeals in your diocese. If so, it involves a great principle of right and freedom, and I cannot give place to such a 3l6 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. claim for an instant. These three great Organizations are the legitimate modes in which a large portion of our Church seek to advance their principles and to extend ' the truth as it is in Jesus,' in all honest loyalty and fervent love to the Church. To deny them the right, at all proper times and places, to propagate and extend these principles, is a step fraught with imminent peril to the welfare of the Church, and as one who would sacrifice all but Christ's truth to preserve the peace and harmony of the Church, I earnestly implore you not to raise such a question, never before raised, and the agitation of which is to be most deeply deplored. ' ' I am, ever most faithfully yours, " Geo. D. Cummins, Assistant Bishop of Kentucky. " Bishop Whitehouse. " P.S. — To avoid misapprehension, I think it best to state now, that I shall feel at liberty to make any use of this cor- respondence that may seem desirable, to which I suppose you have no objection. G. D. C." The letter given herewith was received by Bishop Cummins February 7th. " Christ Church Rectory, Chicago, February 5, 1869. " My Dear Bishop : Your letter of the 3d inst., inclos- ing copies of Bishop Whitehouse's second letter to you, and of your reply, is just received. ... In regard to the new society, there is strong opposition on the part of such lay- men as A. G. T , G. S. H , and others whom you know, to any change of title — a change which I advocated after I learned that both Bishop Mcllvaine and yourself re- garded it as advisable. I proposed to make it an auxiliary to the A. C. M. S. But the main objection to this was that we desired to make \\. practically auxiliary to all three of the jj,eneral evangelical societies. For instance, our most liberal CORRESPONDENCE— 1 869. 3 1 7 layman, Mr. A. C , desires to establish at once an E. K. S. Depository, under the auspices of the new organization, and to give a room in his office for the purpose. Hence no formal action was taken toward changing the name of the society, but there was perfect unanimity in the committee in the opinion that our work was to be simply to act as a Western agency, to render more effective at the West the machinery of the old societies. . , . Bishop Whitehouse's letter is characteristic of the man. . . . But its arrogant tone relieves you, it seems to me, of the embarrassment which his previous request on the score of courtesy may have oc- casioned. ' ' Hoping to see you before many weeks, and fully believ- ing that God will overrule all these troubles to his own glory and the good of his kingdom, I am, " Most faithfully yours, " Chas. Ed WD. Cheney. " Right Rev. Geo. D. Cummins, Ti.V>., Pewee Valley^ Ky.'' Bishop Mcllvaine writes under date of "Cincinnati, February 6, 1869. " Mv Dear Bishop : I have just got home from the East and received yours of the 27th January, your telegram of February 3d, and now comes your most important commu- nication of February 3d, inclosing Bishop W 's letter of the 1st and your admirable answer. . . . The position taken by Bishop W in his letter of the ist is bold indeed, and raises an issue which if pushed by others as well as him- self would convulse and certainly divide our Church. It must be met at its first appearance. We can have no two ways about it. If there is to be war, let us have it, and let those who raise such pretensions bear the responsibility. Not for a moment must we seem even to acknowledge such claims. I commend most heartily the courtesy, calmness, dignity, 3l8 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. faithfulness, and firmness of your answer. And may the Lord our God give you, my dear brother, all the wisdom and strength to carry the right with unmovableness and faithful- ness through and over whatever difficulties and painfulness you may have to meet. It is a little comment on such pre- tensions that recently an agent of that voluntary society for the ' Increase of the Ministry ' came to Cincinnati, preached for it, made a collection, visited from house to house asking for money, and never in any ivay communicated with me. Before him came an agent of Racine College doing the same, and before him an agent of the American Churchman — none of them even making themselves known to me. Bishop Whitehouse's ground applies to all agencies, clerical or lay. Your going to speak in Chicago is no clerical work. It is an agency. How infatuated he is ! You will have more to back you than the Evangelical brethren. The Lord's grace go with you. Let me hear how the matter advances. " Yours very affectionately, " Chas. p. McIlvaine. " Right Rev. G. D. Cummins, D.D." "Cincinnati, February 9, 1869. " My Dear Bishop : When you come to the meeting in Cincinnati you must come and stay with me. On the night of the meeting we all may have to stay in town, for which due arrangements will be made. But I hope you will come soon enough to stay at least the night before with me. Please write me on receipt of this when you purpose reaching Cincinnati. If I could know the exact train and its arrival, I would have a carriage to meet you and bring you out. " Yours affectionately, "Chas. P. McIlvaine. " Bishop Cummins." CORRESPONDENCE— 1 869. 3 1 9 On the nth Februar)^ 1869, Bishop Whitehouse wrote a long letter to Bishop Smith, of Kentucky, giving him a detailed account of the matter at issue, to which Bishop Smith sent a brief reply Februar}- 15th, expressing his regret that any such trouble should have arisen, and hoping that God would " inspire all concerned with the wisdom of the serpent and the harmlessness of the dove." On the same day, February nth, Bishop White- house wrote the following letter to Bishop Cum- mins : "Chicago, February 11, 1869. " Right Reverend and Dear Sir : I received in due course your letter of February 3d. I regret to say that it is far from satisfactory to me in the explanation of the manner in which you deemed proper to use my first letter, or the re- lations you have assumed in my diocese. " The original cause for your visit having been withdrawn by the action of the body you promised to address, and your effort having failed to connect that Society as auxiliary to the ' three great Societies, ' I have more reason to be grieved that you force a new issue by the peremptory notice you give me of your purpose to visit Chicago ' to preach and ask offer- ings on Sunday, 21st inst., in behalf of " The American Church Missionary Society" and " The Evangelical Educa- tion Society." ' " I have forwarded full copies of the correspondence, with my remarks on the same, to Bishop Smith, Frankfort. I havi given him notice of my ' protest ' against the Assistant Bishop of Kentucky assuming, in virtue of a travelling agency from the American Church Missionary Society, the right to act without consent within the jurisdiction of another bishop, or contrary to his expressed wishes. I now respectfully pre 320 GEORGE DA VID CUMMINS. sent to you my protest against your assumed authority and your contemplated visit at the time indicated. " Remaining your friend and brother, " Henry J. Whitehouse, Bishop of Illinois. " To THE Right Reverend Geo. D. Cummins, D.D., Assist- ant Bishop of Kentucky. "Chicago, February 15, 1869. " Right Rev. George D. Cummins, D.D. : " My Dear Bishop : I inclose certified copy of a resolu- tion unanimously signed by the Standing Committee of the diocese. " A copy of the same has been forwarded to Bishop Smith, with copies of all the letters and papers. " By the mail of Saturday I addressed to you my own official protest to the position and action you have thought proper to assume in relation to the Bishop and diocese of Illinois. * ' Remaining your friend and brother, " Henry J. Whitehouse." Copy of protest of Standing Committee of Illinois : " Chicago, February 12, 1869. " Whereas, The Bishop of Illinois has summoned the Standing Committee of said diocese for counsel upon the proposed visit of the Assistant Bishop of Kentucky to this diocese ; therefore, ' ' Resolved, That we enter our protest against such visit, and trust with our Bishop that the Right Rev. Dr. Cummins will not persist in a course which, under the circumstances, will, in our opinion, infallibly lead to the disquietude and injury of the diocese. (Signed) " T. G. Carver, Geo. R. Chittenden, Clinton Locke, Henry C. Ranney, J. H. Rylance, A. C. Calkins." CHAPTER XXXI. CORRESPONDENCE — Continued. "Be strong and of a good courage, be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with thee, whithersoever thou goest." — Joshua i : 9. Aged 47. FEBRUARY 1 8th, Bishop Cummins left his home in Pewee Valley for Chicago, and on reach- ing that city writes thus : " Chicago, February 19, 1869. " I am safely in this city, and writing to you from a pri- vate room in Mr. W 's establishment. I left Cincinnati at three o'clock yesterday, and had a quiet journey to this city. I went to the Richmond House to breakfast, and then came round to Mr. W 's, who received me literally with open arms. I went with him to Mr. Sullivan's, but he had gone to the depot to meet me, having mistaken the hour of the train's arrival. I saw Mrs. S • We came back to Mr. W 's and found Mr. S and Mr. H there. Then I proposed to them to go with me to see Dr. R , who I learn said Bishop W was acting unwisely, but he was out of town. Then we went to find Dr. C , another member of the Standing Committee, and took him to see Judge O to talk over the matter. We talked an hour, and I think made an impression upon their minds, as they are going to see Bishop W . I told them I utterly disclaimed and disavowed the ' assumption of any authority ' within 322 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. Bishop W 's diocese ; I claimed the right which the Prot- estant Episcopal Church gives her humblest presbyter, to preach by the invitation of any rector to his people, and ask contributions for any lawful Church work. I told them of the peril of pressing this matter to an issue ; that if Bishop W was wise he would not do so ; that for twenty years our bishops had done the same thing in New York and other dioceses, and would never yield this right. " My course is now perfectly clear, and my mind at ease. I have answered Bishop W 's last letter and protest in the strain above alluded to, and now await the result with perfect composure. ' ' The arrangements for my work are as follows : I lec- ture in Trinity to-night, and preach there Sunday morning — but not for the societies — and at night at Mr. Cheney's church deliver my discourse on the Reformation, in behalf of the Education Society chiefly. ' ' I am so thankful now that I am here ; my claim is one that no wise man can dare deny, and my position one that will uphold our precious cause unflinchingly before the whole Church. Bishop W is the only one to dread the colli- sion. I wish you could have heard the plain words I spoke to Judge O and Dr. C , plain but utterly inoffensive and kind, yet firm and decided. May God bless and sustain his own cause ! All our friends are well. Chicago looks the same. Some magnificent blocks of marble buildings have gone up. Pray that God may bring me home safely. May he bless my loved ones and keep them near to him. Mr. Sullivan has arranged to have me stay at Mr. McK 's." The letter referred to above by Bishop Cummins is as follows : " Chicago, February ig, 1869. " Right Reverend and Dear Sir : Yours of the nth inst. reached me on the eve of leaving home for Cincinnati, CORRESPONDENCE— \Z6c^. 323 and up to this time I have not had the leisure to reply to it. You announce to me that you have given notice to Bishop Smith of your protest against my ' assuming the right to act without consent within the jurisdiction of another bishop, or contrary to his wishes.' And you present to me a ' protest ' against my ' assumed authority,' etc. " In reply to this I most earnestly disclaim and disavow any assumption of authority within your diocese. I have never made such a claim, nor do I now make it. I only claim the right which the Church allows to the humblest pres- byter, of accepting an invitation from the rector of any church to preach to his people and ask for contributions from them in behalf of any lawful Church work. This right I have not lost by becoming a bishop, and surely this is not the assump- tion of power within the diocese of any brother bishop. " As to the matter of courtesy, I claim to have granted you this when I have declined to speak for the new society lately organized in this city ; and in this course I have been moved by an earnest desire to promote peace and harmony in the Church. I now again earnestly entreat you not to raise the issue by denying the right I have claimed above. For twenty years past bishops have been in the habit of pleading the cause of The Evangelical Knowledge Society within the dioceses of other bishops without a word of pro- test being raised against their action ; I am very sure they will not now willingly surrender such a right. " Assuring you once more of my regret that any contro- versy should have arisen between us, and of my earnest desire to quiet all agitation, " I am, most faithfully yours, " George D. Cummins. " The Right Rev. H. J. Whitehouse, D.D." Under date of March ist, 1869, Bishop Mcllvaine writes to Bishop Cummins : 324 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. " My Dear Bishop : I was very glad to get your letter, having received before the Times containing your discourse. Your course was as plain as possible, and is perfectly impreg- nable. . . . The whole matter will do good. I sent you copies of the Hopkins and Onderdonk correspondence. It was published in the Episcopal Recorder., February 24th, 1844, and the Episcopalian. " Yours affectionately, Chas. P. McIlvaine." A presbyter of the Protestant Episcopal Churct in Tennessee writes thus : " Nashville, Tenn., March 4, 1869. " Right Reverend and Dear Sir : My heart was glad- dened by what I saw in the papers of your doings in Chicago. " I write this just to say that it would rejoice me greatly if you would visit this city to lift up your voice against the dangerous doctrines and practices of the ' Anglo-Catholics. ' " I think you might do great good to the cause by a visit here. " Very truly yours in the Gospel, " W. I. E ." The following letter from Dr. C. W. Andrews, of Virginia, was received by Bishop Cummins with great satisfaction, as Dr. A had been a warm friend for many years, and his judgment and large experience in Church questions made his opinion a peculiarly valuable one : " Shepherdstown, Va., March 5, 1869. " My Dear Bishop : I have just read your late corre- spondence with Bishop Whitehouse. " It was not an easy thing to go through such a corre- spondence under such Episcopal provocation without finding CORRESPONDENCE— 1 869. 325 something in the printed form which one might wish had been different : but by the divine mercy you were kept from any thing hasty, unjust, undignified, or unkind, and I do thank God for it. . . . No bishop in the Church has shown so despotic a temper as Bishop W , and he who yields to him betrays the liberties of his brethren. Trials you will have, but who escapes them who does his duty ? " May God in mercy give you wisdom and every grace. Soon the contest for his precious truth will be over. Abuse and opposition in this work used to give me trouble — it does not much now. " You have my affectionate sympathies and prayers, as you will have of thousands in the Church from whom you will never hear any thing. " Your friend and brother, " C. W. Andrews." From his revered and very dear friend Dr. Spar- row, then President of the Virginia Theological Sem- inary, Bishop Cummins received the letter inserted below, and which was most welcome at this time. The approval of this dear Father in the Church was a cause of great thankfulness : "Theological Seminary, Fairfax Co., Va., ) March 12, 1869. \ " My Dear Bishop : Most heartily do I sympathize with you in your endeavors to save our people from a retrogres- sion to Rome ; and also thank you for the stand you have taken against Illinois assumptions. I believe it costs a bishop more than it costs a presbyter to stand up against a bishop at the call of principle. I have long noticed this, and seen how perniciously it has worked. It has given arrogance a great advantage over moderation and fairness, and has insensibly led to an increase of pretensions and airs and assumptions 326 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. which our fathers knew nothing of, and which are utterly re^ pugnant to the spirit of Protestantism and the Bible, " In speaking of my readiness to do any thing for you, and my sympathy with you in your labors, I feel bound to add that personal obligations would strongly impel me in the same direction. I do not forget your kindness in ' ante-bel- lum ' times, when you were settled in Baltimore. ' ' I am, my dear bishop, most truly your friend and ser- vant, William Sparrow. " Bishop G. D. Cummins, D.D., Pewee Valley, Ky.'' On the 17th March Bishop Cummins received the following document : " New York, 130 E. 17TH Street, March 16, 1869. '' Right Rev. George D. Cummins ., D.D. : " Right Reverend and Dear Sir: It gives me great pleasure personally to forward to you the following resolution, which was passed at a meeting of ' The Protestant Episcopal Clerical Association ' : ' ' Resolved, That the Clerical Association have heard with satisfaction the principles advanced by Bishop Cummins in his correspondence with Bishop Whitehouse ; that they cor- dially approve said principles, and will stand by Bishop Cum- mins in their maintenance and defence. " Yours faithfully, W. N. McVickar, Secretary." The next letter in order of date is from the Prot- estant Episcopal Bishop of Delaware : "Wilmington, Del., March 17, 1869. " My Dear Bishop : I wish to let you know how fully I approve of the course you pursued in the Chicago affair ; and to thank you for the firm and manly resistance to the unwar- CORRESPONDENCE— \Z6(). 327 ranted demands of Bishop Whitehouse. You did all that could be expected of a Christian gentleman and brother, and at the same time vindicated our gospel liberty. I hardly think many of our bishops could be found to sustain Bishop Whitehouse in claims for which our canons give no color. But if there should be, you will not be without the sympathy and support of others. It would be just as proper and rea- sonable for Bishop Potter to interdict the meetings of evangel- ical societies in the city of New York. " Assuring you of my cordial sympathy and fraternal affection, I remain yours, Alfred Lee. " Bishop Cummins." A series of meetings was now proposed by the officers of the Evangelical Societies, to be held in the cities of the East— Boston, Philadelphia, Wilmington, Newark, Providence, Washington, and Baltimore. Very urgent invitations were sent to Bishop Cum- mins to attend and speak at these meetings. He wrote and asked advice from Bishop Mcllvaine, and Bishop Lee, of Delaware. Bishop Mcllvaine advises him, in a lengthy letter of nearly ten pages, 7iot to take part in the proposed meetings. He writes : "You have boldly, moderately, faithfully, courteously, and perfectly, within reasonable as well as rightful limits, as- serted your right as bishop against a most unlawful inhibition. The principle of right has been maintained. Had it not been that there was a crisis — that the time had come for assertion and defence, and to yield that once would have been exceed- ingly and lastingly injurious, it would have been well, under the circumstances, not to go. No such crisis now exists. If another comes we must meet it. But meanwhile I think you owe it to yourself and your future work to avoid seaning to 328 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. go out of your way to attend meetings of the Societies where they would be offensive. ' ' I say I think this your wisest course 7iow. Things may very much change in a short time, when a more asserting pol- icy may be duty. " As you say, the times in our Church become more and more perilous, and we need all the wisdom and firmness, calmness and decision we can get of him to whom it is our great privilege and consolation to go. " The delegate meeting is to begin here on Sunday, April 25th. I beg that you will not let any thing — not unavoidable — keep you away. . . . Your presence and aid will be of great importance. You know you are to be my guest." From Bishop A. Lee Bishop Cummins received the following : "Wilmington, March 27, 1869. ' ' Right Rev. Geo. D. Cummins : " Dear Brother in Christ : I have had the pleasure of receiving your letter of the 25th. It is a difficult matter to advise. There are always considerations known best to our- selves that shape our conduct. " I appreciate the trial to which you are exposed, and the conflict in your mind between the desire to do your duty as a good soldier of Jesus Christ and your reluctance to appear obtrusive. How would it do for you to participate in some of this series of meetings ? ... In Washington and Bal- timore you have had parochial charges, and may reasonably revisit your old friends. In Philadelphia, Boston, and Wil- mington you would be cordially welcomed by the bishops. . . . The reports of your speeches will reach and influence many in other dioceses. If you do accept the invitations, I shall certainly hope to have your aid and countenance, as I believe one of the meetings is to be held here in old St. An- drew's. CORRESPONDENCE— 1 869. 3 29 " Praying the Lord to guide and bless you, I am, faith- fully yours, Alfred Lee." A well-known presbyter of the Church of England writes ?is follows : " March 27, 1869. " My Dear Friend : I have to thank you for your letter of loth February, since when I have read in the Protestant Churchma7i your correspondence with Bishop Whitehouse. I have no patience with that dog-in-the-manger spirit which High Churchmen both in America and England are ever dis- playing. The love of power natural to man's heart, when strengthened by High Church ecclesiastical assumptions, never knows any limit, and is constantly making men tyrants. There are a good many would-be Hildebrands on both sides the Atlantic in this nineteenth century. ' ' I have contested with men on the same principle, and would not consent to give place to them, no, not for an hour ! I hope your ' White Owl ' is alive and well ! I wish you would put it in a cage and bring it over for an exhibition. We have plenty of Dr. E s to whom the sight of it would do good. But whether you come with or without your inter- esting specimen of ornithology, you will be welcome to Old England, and especially to my house. I have often regretted that 1 did not know of your last visit to England. " I remain yours most sincerely, " G. T. F ." During this month, and April and May, Bishop Cummins was constantly occupied with official duty in Louisville and the southern part of the diocese. The Diocesan Convention was held this year at Hen- derson in May. CHAPTER XXXII. LETTER TO BISHOP BEDELL. " I venerate the man whose heart is warm, Whose hands are pure, whose doctrines, and whose life Coincident — exhibit lucid proof That he is honest in the sacred cause. ' ' COWPER. Aged 47. BISHOP CUMMINS received at this time the fol- lowing letter, dated " Gambier, Ohio, May i, 1869. " Right Reverend and Dear Brother : Bishop Mc- Ilvaine has written a letter to a young clergyman in reply to strictures on the Prayer Book, and to conscientious difficulties arising from certain expressions in the Liturgy. Without go- ing at length into the subject, he has given some thoughts on which he bases a reaffirmation of his belief in the Evangelical character of our standards, and the inexpediency of attempt- ing to revise the Prayer Book at the present time. A copy of this letter will be sent to you in the next number of the Standard of the Cross. " The present exigency, and especially the danger to our Evangelical interests from rash movements among our brethren, who, in other particulars have our sympathy, have doubtless called your attention to this topic. I beg, therefore, to so- licit from you a response, however brief, to this forthcoming letter, which will indicate your general agreement in the LETTER TO BISHOP BEDELL. 331 bishop's views ; and which, together with his letter, may form a rallying-point for right-minded Evangelical men. We are sufficiently assured that these form a large majority, who only need the opportunity to speak. They will find it in this proposed individual yet united utterance of our Evangelical bishops. ' ' I propose to print these responses in the number of the Standard of the Cross next after they shall be received, and to distribute them as widely as the bishop's letter ; and there- fore beg you to do me the favor to respond by the next mail, addressed to the care of Rev. W. C. French, Oberlin, Ohio. " Very sincerely your brother, "G. T. Bedell. " Right Rev. Dr. Cummins." To this letter Bishop Cummins sent the following reply : "Diocese of Kentucky, Pewee Valley, May 14, 1869. " The Right Rev. G. T. Bedell, D.D. : " Right Reverend and Dear Brother : The admir- able letter of Bishop Mcllvaine to a young clergyman con- cerning certain scruples of conscience in using some expres- sions in the liturgy of our Church meets with my warmest and most cordial approbation. " The beloved brother who has elicited this most valuable and timely response is one whom we all love and esteem for his fidelity to gospel truth, and his earnest work in the min- istry. He has seriously entertained the question whether he can conscientiously remain in the ministry of a Church where he is required to use certain terms and expressions which seem in his judgment to teach error, and to be in conflict with the Word of God. " I learn that he is a representative of not a few earnest, faithful clergymen and laymen among us, who, while loving 332 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. ' this Church ' fervently and devotedly, feel the same consci- entious scruples concerning certain expressions in the Prayer Book. If I understand their position it is this : That while they admit that all these offices were composed by men who were thoroughly opposed to the modern and extreme inter- pretation put upon the expressions, and therefore such inter- pretation cannot be their meaning ; and while they hold that rightly interpreted by the views of the Reformers and in har- mony with the Articles — the Church's dogmatic expression of her faith — yet, that such interpretation is now denied by a large majority of the present generation of churchmen ; that the claim is urged that we must take these terms, not as the Reformers understood them, but as their plain literal language teaches, and in no other ; that he who does otherwise is a disloyal son of the Church, unworthy of a place in it ; that two or three generations of clergymen, in this country for the most part, have been trained in the belief that the term ' priest,' applied to a minister of this Church, means that he is a Sacerdos, a Hiereus, a priest ordained to offer a commemo- rative sacrifice in the Eucharist, and to stand between Christ and the soul as the only divinely-appointed channel through which grace can be conveyed and the benefits of Christ's death imparted ; that when in the office for Infant baptism we are required to give thanks to God that he hath been pleased ' to regenerate this infant by his Holy Spirit, ' the Church teaches that baptism and regeneration are inseparable ; that the life of God in the soul begins in baptism, and that to preach the necessity of being born again to adults who have been baptized in infancy is to teach doctrines hostile to this Church's teaching, and that when a man would ascertain whether he has ever been regenerated, he is to go to the parish register and see if he has been baptized, and if that be ascer- tained, he has, by virtue of his baptism, been regenerated. " These brethren whose consciences are aggrieved by these expressions feel that the apparent, not the real meaning of the LETTER TO BISHOP BEDELL. 333 terms alluded to, has been the fruitful source of the evils now afflicting the Church, and has given rise to the large and rap- idly growing school among us and in England who in the es- sential doctrine of the sacraments see no difference between our Church and the Church of Rome ; who teach, in the lan- guage of one of her most prominent champions, that * in the regeneration by holy baptism, in the spiritual and ineffable presence of our Lord in the holy Eucharist, with the mystical nutriment through his body and blood, as well as in the de- finition of the sacraments generally, there is virtual concur- rence in the accepted standards of the historical Churches, Eastern, Western, and Anglican. ' " Shocked and amazed at such teaching by men in author- ity amongst us, and alarmed by the advances of an idolatrous Ritualism, these dear brethren now are asking that a very few changes or alterations in certain expressions may be made, or the use of alternate forms may be allowed to them, to enable them to bear witness that they have no sympathy with these extreme views — views which, in their judgment, are contrary to God's Word, and destructive to the souls of men, " The writer of the letter to Bishop Mcllvaine is the rep- resentative of this class, a class seriously considering the question whether it has not become their duty to leave the Church of their fathers and of their first love, if no relief is granted to their consciences. " I earnestly trust that the most wise and godly counsel of our venerable father will be blessed of God to the removing of their difficulties, and retaining them within the Church. This is not a time when we can aff'ord to lose a single com- rade from our ranks in the great struggle with errorists. This Church of the Reformation needs the help of every son in this hour of her sore trial. To desert her now seems like desert- ing a parent assailed by faithless children. To go out of her communion because there is treachery within, is to lower the flag and surrender the citadel to her enemies. 334 GEORGE DA VID CUMMINS. " But the great question which I now seek to press is, Has the Church no duty to fulfil towards the men whom I have described 'i Has she no voice of sympathy or of kindness with which to respond to their cry for reUef ? Is she to remain silent, stern, cold, and deaf to the conscientious prayer of these her faithful sons ? Is she not wise enough, strong enough, tender enough to throw her arms about them and say, we will not drive you beyond our fold ; we will not re- peat the error of the eighteenth century, when the Wesleys and their followers found only a harsh mother in the Church, and reluctantly were constrained to turn away from her ; we will not bring back the St. Bartholomew's Day of 1662, when two thousand clergymen of the Church of England, including Baxter, Owen, and Flavel, went out from the Church because relief to their conscientious convictions was denied them ; we will grant your prayer for relief where it can be done so as not to impugn or deny any fundamental doctrine of the faith — any essential part of the order of the Church of God. Oh ! if this Church of ours could rise to the grand conception that she is wide enough and comprehensive enough to take such a stand, who can doubt that she would bind to her by hooks of steel every wavering son, make herself fitted to be the great American Church, and win to her vast multitudes now standing aloof from her, uncertain whither she is tending to the status of the mediaeval Church, or to a true Evangelical Catholicism — Reformed — Protestant — Free. '* My dear brother, I am not one of the class for whom I am pleading. I can use, and have ever used, the Prayer Book without conscientious scruples. I take the expressions which give trouble to my brethren to mean, not what extreme men now claim that they mean, but what the blessed Reformers intended them to mean and to teach ; and I can use them in a thoroughly evangelical sense. I can therefore plead with more fervor for others, for brethren dear to me. And I ven- ture to ask, has not the time come when this Church can afford LETTER TO BISHOP BEDELL. 335 to grant these brethren the relief which they crave ? Does it seem to you an impracticable thing ? I reply, twice in the history of this Church has action been taken which involves in prin- ciple all for which our brethren are contending. "I. In the first Prayer Book adopted by our American Church, in 1785, a Prayer Book tendered to England as the basis on which we were to be acknowledged as a true daughter of the Church of England, and our bishops-elect were to be consecrated, the baptismal service for infants was drawn up precisely as all evangelical men would now rejoice to see it. The Prayer of Thanksgiving immediately after the baptism read thus : ' We yield thee hearty thanks, most merciful Father, that it hath pleased thee to receive this infant for thine own child by baptism, and to incorporate him into thy holy Church. ' " In this prayer the words ' to regenerate this infant by thy Holy Spirit,' occurring in the Prayer Book of the Church of England, were omitted ; and this omission was sanc- tioned by a Convention presided over by the venerable Wm. White, D.D., the patriarch of the Church in this country. " This book was submitted to the English archbishops and bishops for their acceptance and indorsement as a basis for the consecration of the American bishops-elect. The English bishops replied, and complained of the omission of certain things found in the English Prayer Book, the chief of which were the omission of the Nicene and Athanasian creeds, and of the words, ' He descended into hell,' in the Apostles* Creed : they urged the restoration of these into our manual of worship. No complaint luas juade of the omission of the words in the baptismal office; and the English bishops proceed to state that they have caused to be introduced into Parliament a bill authorizing them to consecrate the American bishops, trusting that the objections they had offered would be removed. " Now, in the preface to this first American Prayer Book, it was declared that ' it is humbly conceived that the doctrines of 336 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS.] the Church of England are preserved entire, as being perfectly agreeable to the Gospel. ' And yet in this book the thanksgiv- ing for the regeneration of the child in baptism was left out ! ' Still, ' said our fathers in that Council, ' the doctrines of the Church of England are preserved entire. ' " The fifteen English bishops accepted this statement and omission, made no objection to it, and proceeded upon this basis to consecrate the American bishops. When the omitted words were restored we know not. But these facts are incontrovertible, says the Rev. Dr. Wharton. " I. The Convention of 1785 declared that in the pro- posed book, in which the term ' regenerate ' was left out from the thanksgiving in question, ' the doctrines of the Church of Englan-d are preserved entire. ' "2. The English bishops meeting in Council presented no specific objection to this change ; did not include it in the points as to which they asked a reconsideration, and finally imparted Consecration on the basis of the book in which this alteration was included. "3. The term ' regeneration ' in this thanksgiving appears not only thus to have been treated by the English bishops as an expression whose removal did not affect the general sense of the service, but it was first taken out and then put back by our own Convention, as far as we can gather, without partic- ular debate, and with no division recorded, just as we would do with equivalent or convertible terms. " Now does not this action of the original Council of our Church in this country, indorsed by the English bishops, con- cede all our brethren ask for ? Take away the words * to re- generate this infant ' from the Prayer of Thanksgiving after the baptism, and scarcely any ground of disquietude remains. " II, The second action of this Church to which I allude occurred in the year 1826. In the General Convention of that year a plan was introduced to secure greater uniformity in the use of the liturgy, and to ' provide against the injurious LETTER TO BISHOP BEDELL. 33/ misapprehension of certain terms in the first collect in the office for confirmation.' " Among other things this plan provided for the use of a single psalm instead of the Psalter for morning and evening ; the shortening the lessons so as to be not less than fifteen verses each ; the use of an alternate preface to the confirma- tion service ; and, most important of all, the insertion in the first collect, in the office of confirmation, the words ' in bap- tism, ' between ' hast vouchsafed ' and ' to regenerate, ' thus identifying baptism and regeneration, and declaring them convertible terms. " Bishop Hobart was the author of this plan, which passed both Houses of the General Convention of 1826 unanimously. In a letter to Francis S. Key, in January, 1827, Bishop Ho- bart says of this last proposed change : ' The object of the proposed prayer was not to relinquish the expression of re- generation as applied to baptism, but to guard against the misconstruction which would make this synonymous with re- generation, sanctification, conversion, or any other terms by which the renewing of the Holy Ghost might be denoted.' " Now, I beg you to regard the great significance of this action. In an addition to the Prayer Book prepared by Bishop Hobart, and unanimously adopted by one General Convention, it was declared that the regeneration for which we thank God in baptism is not to be taken in any sense as descriptive of the renewing work of the Holy Ghost upon the heart, but only a term equivalent to baptism, a sacramental change, a change of covenant relation, an ecclesiastical change. " Now if this could be authoritatively declared 770iv by the adoption of an alternate form, or allowing the omission of the words * regenerate,' etc., would it not satisfy the utmost demands of our brethren whose consciences are now trou- bled? " To them regeneration can have but one meaning, ac- 338 GEORGE DA VID CUMMINS. cording to its definition in the Word of God. It is a change of character, not a change of state, of ceremonial observance — it is a radical change, a spiritual change, a change in the man, the vital, the immortal part. It is an intelligible change. It is a change from sin to holiness. Scripture seems to strug- gle with the poverty of language to tell the greatness of this change. ' The truth seems to weigh down the most elastic tongue, and to exhaust the most voluminous vocabulary, and to search through the inventions of the most creative imagina- tions, and to pass from one emblem to another, from one king- dom of resemblance to a second, till by the very mysterious- ness of its drapery we are compelled to feel that the nalced truth as appreciated by the mind of God surpasses our reach of expression.' " It is a change figured by that which occurs in natural birth. 'Born again,' 'born of the spirit,' 'born of water and the spirit,' ' born from above,' ' begotten again into new- ness of life.' ' Marvel not ' at these, said the Master. " It is a change typified by the change from death unto life, ' You hath he quickened, who were dead in sins.' * We know that we have passed from death unto life. ' ' Risen with Christ.' " It is a change represented by passing from darkness to light. ' Ye were sometime darkness, now are ye light in the Lord. ' ' Children of light. ' " It is portrayed by a change in the physical organ — ' a new heart will I give you.' " It is a transfer from one dominion to another. ' Trans- lated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son.' ' Ye are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works. ' ' Transformed by the renew- ing of your minds. ' ' As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. ' ' Old things have passed away, all things have become new. ' * * Can men to whom all this is bound up in regeneration — LETTER TO BISHOP BEDELL. 339 to whom, as they receive God's Word, it teaches nothing less — can such men beHeve that such a mighty, wondrous work of God's Spirit is wrought inseparably in infant baptism ? It is mockery to expect it. If it is replied that the Church does not teach such doctrines, and that, as Bishop Hobart said, ' regeneration in baptism is not synonymous with any term by which the renewing of the Holy Ghost might be desig- nated, ' then let the Church so declare ; and let it, by the allow- ance of the use of an alternate form, give relief to the con- sciences of a large and most worthy class of men who long to live and die within her fold. * Bishop Cummins then adds : " You have asked, my dear brother, for the opinions of all the bishops of our Church who are in sympathy with the views of Bishop Mcllvaine, and whose united voice may have great weight in deciding the course of evangelical men at this crisis of our Church's history. Heartily sympathizing with every word in the letter of the emment Bishop of Ohio, I have ventured to express my views upon a subject not broached by him — the duty of the Church towards her own children thus troubled by conscience. I have only asked that she should grant them such liberty of action in the omission of words from the Baptismal office as were omitted in the first Prayer Book adopted by the first General Convention of the Church held in 1785, and to which omission no objection was made by the archbishops and bishops of the Church of England when the book was presented to them for their acceptance as a basis upon which they could consecrate the American bish- ops. Or, if this should be denied as too great a concession, I have ventured to ask for them that the Church should for- mally declare in some mode, as proposed by Bishop Hobart, and unanimously adopted by both Houses of the General Convention of 1826, that regeneration in baptism is not sy- 340 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. nonymous with renovation, sanctification, conversion, or any other term by which the renewing of the Holy Ghost might be designated ; in other words, that it is designed to indicate a sacramental and ecclesiastical change, a change of state and not of character. Who will say that the adoption of either of these courses would impugn or destroy one particle of the faith once delivered to the saints ? Who will deny that such action might tend in a vast degree to promote the harmony and unity of the Church ? " And now, while listening to the voices of those still on earth, it would seem to be a time to hearken to the testimony of two most distinguished of our brethren now at rest with God. Bishop Burgess thus wrote : ' It has been proposed that a similar option should be permitted between the prayer which immediately follows the Lord's Prayer in the baptismal office, and some form which should not state with so little qualification the regeneration of the baptized child by the Holy Spirit. If, without touching the doctrine of the Church, such a permission could relieve hereafter the anxieties of good men of a tender conscience, and put to silence all needless controversy on the subjects of baptism and regenera- tion, these benefits might not be too dearly purchased. ' * " And Bishop Meade — than whom no bishop, living or dead, has done more to strengthen and extend our Church in this country, and whose love for the Church of his fathers was a deep, self-consuming passion — wrote still more strongly to the same effect : " ' In the ordination of ministers two forms are allowed, according to the option of the bishop. Why not the same privilege of omission granted to the minister in baptism ; or the use of another prayer which might be proposed ? I am persuaded that nothing would contribute more to peace among ourselves, and to remove prejudices from the minds of those * Bishop Potter's " Memorial Papers," pp. 133, 134. LETTER TO BISHOP BEDELL. 34 1 who belong to other denominations and the community at large than such an arrangement. It would be in entire ac- cordance with what now seems to be generally admitted — namely, that a considerable latitude of opinion as to the meaning of certain expressions in the Baptismal service is al- lowed. If it be allowed, why enforce on all the use of words which by their sound seem to convey a meaning which is re- pudiated by many ? I have long known that a painful diffi- culty is felt in the use of these passages, not by one portion of our ministers and people, but by a number who differ from them in other points. I believe that public baptism would be more common but for the reluctance to use these expres- sions before so many who do not understand or approve them. Many parents, I believe, are prejudiced against the baptism of their children, and put it off on account of these words and their supposed meaning. I believe nothing stands more in the way of converts from other denominations, and especially such of their ministers as are worth having, than the required use of these words in our baptismal service. ' * " I had no idea of writing at such length when I began. But my heart is full of anxiety for the future of our Church, and I have written from a full heart. Whatever reception these-suggestions may meet with, liberavi animam meam. May the God of our fathers give us grace to act wisely in this great crisis of our Church i May he enable us who are like minded to be of one mind and heart in the defence of his precious Gospel, and whatever of trial or of suffering may be before us, to stand in an unbroken front, striving together for the faith of the Gospel. " Most faithfully your friend and brother, " Geo. D. Cummins, "t * Bishop Potter's " Memorial Papers," p. 155. f The Italics are the author's. 342 GEORGE DA VID CUMMINS. In the early part of this year the following corre- spondence took place between Bishop Cummins and a presbyter of the Protestant Episcopal Church. Re- vision and Reform, leading to a separation, such as fol- lowed five years later, were urged upon him. The bishop's views held at that time upon this mighty question are frankly given to his friend. " Paterson, February 12, i86g. ** Right Rev. Geo. David Cummins, D.D.: " Reverend and Dear Brother : The Clerical Associa- tion listened with great interest to your letter to the Bishop of Illinois, and at the close of its session passed unanimously the following resolution, offered by myself : ' ' 'Resolved., That this Association has heard with satisfac- tion the correspondence of Bishop Cummins with Bishop Whitehouse, and that they cordially approve of the principles advanced by Bishop Cummins ; and that they will stand by him in their maintenance and defence.* ** I refer to the right to advocate the interests of Evan- gelical societies in another diocese. " As in another part of your letter you appear to disap- point the present Reformers in the Church, allow me to pre- sent to you the reasons which induce a number of presbyters and laymen to seek such reform as will result in public action very soon. " We have resolved to revise the Prayer Book, and to modify the Episcopal system of our Church. What I shall say is with entire respect for yourself ; with admiration for your recent bold stand for a pure Gospel ; and with the belief that the Lord intends that you shall be of great service in the deliverance of his people from an intolerable spiritual bond- age. LETTER TO BISHOP BEDELL. 343 The writer enters at large upon the reasons which necessitated a Reform and Revision ; among others, the hopelessness of reform in the House of Bishops, an Order which history showed had almost uniformly resisted needful changes, as instanced in their treat- ment of the Reform Bill in England ; the rapidly diminishing proportion of moderate bishops, and the hopelessness of the election of others like minded ; the rapid spread of the doctrines of an essential, exclu- sive. Episcopal, tactual succession, of divine right, and of a human priesthood, with their cognate sacra- mental and sacerdotal errors ; the deliberate and scornful action of the General Convention with respect to the petitions of numerous venerable and distin- guished clergymen and laymen for greater liberty of action in the line of rubrical relaxation, and of cour- teous, fraternal relations with non-Episcopal minis- ters, on whose credentials the Holy Ghost had set his indisputable seal ; the official condemnation under most humiliating circumstances, of a zealous clergy- man for preaching in a non-Episcopal pulpit without contiguous rectorial permission, while at the same time semi-Romish, mediaeval ceremonies and doctrines were practised and taught without rebuke, and the offenders permitted to sit as legislators on equal terms ; the frequent, growing secessions of the laity to other Communions from loss of confidence in the Protestant- ism of the clergy, and their conviction that reform was impossible within the Church ; the refusal of Ro- man Catholic converts in Brazil to use the Prayer Book, from the presence of " Romanizing germs" therein contained, and, as a consequence, the secession to a more Protestant communion of a devoted mis- 344 GEORGE DA VID CUMMINS. sionary forbidden to vary the language of the offi- ces— showing the inherent inability of this Church to lead to the light, that vast portion of Christendom shrouded in spiritual darkness ; the failure of the Protestant Episcopal Church to affect the great West to any important extent after a trial of a generation ; the growing policy of the majority to crush out the Evangelical party, and to get possession of their par- ishes by harassing and hampering the clergy as far as practicable, and thus driving them from the fold ; the desire of great multitudes in the land for a free and moderate Episcopal Church, with a truly Protest- ant, Biblical liturgy ; the thinning out of the ranks of the Low Church party by the death of Rising, Par- vin, Bishop, and others, which made it imperative to organize a separation, while there was a sufficient nu- cleus of determined, fearless Protestants left within this Church. After the enumeration of these reasons for such a . movement, the writer proceeds : " In this controversy which Bishop Whitehouse has raised, it appears to me that the Lord has indicated Chicago as the place, and the present as the time, and that you are the bishop he has elected to effect the most important ecclesias- tical reformation since that of the sixteenth century. What, • my dear bishop, is the work in Kentucky, with so ineffective and lame a Church ; with your hands^ so tied ; with the lead- ing divines of your diocese opposing your principles ; and with the prospect of the results of your years of labor being overthrown by a Ritualistic successor ? What is the prospect compared with such a field and mission as in this Church, which is certain to be formed, and very soon ? . . . I want some of our bishops to take part in the work. I want LETTER TO BISHOP BEDELL. 345 a more scriptural and primitive Episcopacy than we have. We must not be obliged to go to the Moravians for a succes- sion, if a succession is thought necessary. Let some of our overseers have the spirit of Elijah, John the Baptist, and Paul, bearing persecution for the cause of Christ, conferring not with flesh and blood, and stimulating those who are ready to follow a bold and undaunted leadership in spreading a pure Gospel ; not wood, hay, and stubble, but gold and pre- cious stones. " When a Church forsakes the spirit and principles of the Word of God, as our Church did formally at the last Con- vention, with no prospect of retracing its steps, its bishops, presbyters, and laity are absolved from allegiance to it. I feel bound to withdraw from it. . . . I am resolved that my remaining years shall be spent in more effective work, not hampered as they have been by serving traditions, counte- nancing destructive errors, and upholding unfit men in au- thority ; but, standing fast in the ' liberty wherewith Christ has made me free,' to serve God to the best of my ability, and according to the light and grace granted me. " I am, my dear bishop, with the highest respect and re- gard, your servant in the Lord, " Mason Gallagher." In response to this letter Bishop Cummins writes thus : " Pewee Valley, Kv., March ii, 1869. " Reverend and Dear Brother : Your letter of Feb- ruary 1 2th has been lying in my portfolio, read and re-read with the deepest interest and solicitude. I have not answered it because I felt scarcely able to grapple with all the great questions it gives rise to, nor do I yet feel that I can see my way clear to a solution of the mighty issues that it raises. " I have lamented most deeply the divisions among the 346 GEORGE DA VID CUMMINS. ranks of the evangelical men on matters of policy, while we all were>agreed on great principles ; and I have earnestly desired that whenever the day should come that we were de- nied a place in this Church of our fathers, that we should act as a unit and present an unbroken front in the work of the Lord. " Your letter reveals to me facts of which I have been totally ignorant, such as that some of our best clergy are on the point of leaving us, and that we were losing many valua- ble laymen, who are conscientiously impelled to leave us. These are indeed startling facts, and should compel us to most serious consideration of our dangers and the duties before us. You tell me, moreover, that a number of our brethren, clergy and laity, have resolved to wait no longer, but will take mea- sures to establish at once an Evangelical Episcopal Church. " If this is undertaken with only a single desire to glorify God, and to uphold the pure and blessed Gospel, impelled by conscience and seeking earnestly divine guidance, none can fail to respect such motives, however they may differ as to the wisdom of their course. For myself, I regret the withdrawal of every Evangelical man from our ranks, already so thinned, and if there is sufficient ground for the withdrawal of any number of Evangelical men from our Church, there is ground for the withdrawal of all. " The question then arises, Is there such ground ? For myself, I have not yet been able to believe this, and as far as I have been able to learn their views, it is the belief of such noble Evangelical men as Bishops Mcllvaine, A. Lee, H. W. Lee, and other bishops. What changes of opinion the rapid movements of the day may have effected I know not." The bishop then proceeds to give his reasons for seeking within the Church the needed reforms, as given elsewhere in his letters, and adds : LETTER TO BISHOP BEDELL. 347 ' ' We all admit that the dominant party in our Church up- hold and countenance serious error, deadly error, error that obscures the glory of the Gospel and dishonors Christ. I be- lieve most firmly that a Protestant Episcopal Church, freed of all High Churchism, would be a mighty power, and by God's blessing a great success in this land ; and it may be that God designs that such a Church shall be. " Would it not be wise to call a Congress of all Evangeli- cal men — bishops, clergy, and laity — and discuss the subject ot our duty to God in this great crisis. Let us, dear brother, so act that we can confidently look for his blessing upon our labors. " May God bless you, and all our dear brethren, and give you wisdom to act so as to promote his glory and the success of his precious Gospel among men. " I am, most faithfully yours, " George D. Cummins. " The Rev. Mason Gallagher, Paterson, N. y." We have additional evidence here of the pressure brought to bear upon Bishop Cummins to take active measures in the work of Reformation. His language clearly shows how he clung to the Church of his love as long as there was any hope of improvement from within, and how fully he had deliberated upon the condition of affairs. As was natural to a nature such as his, he looked to the older evangelical bishops to take any decisive step, and patiently waited the lead- ings of Providence in the deliverance of his sorely tried and afflicted Church. CHAPTER XXXIII. AFTER THE DARKNESS — LIGHT. " For the Lord God will help me ; therefore shall I not be con- founded : and I know that I shall not be ashamed." — IsAIAH, 50 : 7. " Truth lives : for this Christ died ; And, e'en though crushed to earth Shall rise again, reglorified, Child of immortal birth !" Aged 47. IN response to the letter to Bishop Bedell, Bishop Mcllvaine writes as follows to Bishop Cummins : " Cincinnati, May 21, 1869. " My Dear Bishop : A letter yesterday from Mr. French, editor of the Standard of the Cross, moves me to write you. He writes that he has received your indorsement of my letter on the Prayer Book, and after speaking strongly of your ' cor- dial and eloquent ' indorsement, he says he fears that the strength of sympathy expressed for our doubting brethren (as to conscience, I suppose), and also the length and strength of your advocacy of rubrical relaxation, will give strength to the secessionists and neutralize the effect of what I have said. " He writes also that Bishop C (of Rhode Island) has in a few lines expressed his 'unqualified approval.' Now, my dear bishop, as the great object is to show a com- pact front on the great points made in my letter, and in that there is a tenderness towards the doubting brethren, and a certain measure of concession — as to revision, etc. — and there AFTER THE DARKNESS— LIGHT. 349 would be difference among us as to relaxation (how much, etc. . .) and to speak much on that head now is not called for by the object, and that is not with you or me a question so much of conscience as of expediency and wisdom, I suggest that you allow Mr. F to omit all except the indorsement, or that you send him a revision of your letter modified ac- cording to the above. " Yours affectionately, Chas. P. McIlvaine." Immediately following the above letter came this from Bishop Bedell : " May 27, 1869. " Mv Dear Brother : Mr. French has forwarded me your letter of response, with a proof-sheet of the notice, which its length compelled him to insert. I am indebted to you, as to all the brethren, for so readily entering into the scheme for making Bishop Mcllvaine's letter a rallying-point. Your elaborate and very able argument will come into play when the time has come for discussing the question of Revision. It is probable that the question will be broached in our next House of Bishops. Your communication would then become the basis of as strong an argument as can be made on that side of the question. . . . The Lord give you good success in your arduous mission. Believe me, dear brother, yours, " G. T. Bedell." On the 3d June, 1869, Bishop Cummins received a long and most eloquent and earnest letter from the Rev. Charles Edward Cheney, Rector of Christ Church, Chicago, in which he announces the fact that he " was to be tried, and — as the bishop assures me — deposed, for omitting the phrase in the Prayer Book office for infant bap- tism which ascribes regeneration to the act of baptism." 350 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. Mr. Cheney regrets deeply that Bishop Mcllvaine did not in his letter advise a revision of the Prayer Book, and also regrets that Bishop Cummins's reply to it was not published, and that he indorsed Bishop Mcllvaine's letter. Bishop Cummins's letter was published in The Standard of the Cross, in full, June 26th, 1869. At this time a prominent layman of the Protestant Episcopal Church — one who had contributed largely of his means towards her support, and who was deeply attached to her as the Church of his parents, and in which he had been a working member for twenty years — writes : " In regard to the contest now going on in the Episcopal Church, I assure you, dear bishop, I take a deep interest, and see no way out of it but a separation. The dead now are joined to the living, and it does not seem to me that it is possible for the body to be one — with such a difference in the spirit. And now I must thank you for your ministrations here, which did us all much good. Not a day passes with- out some of the instructions and sermons which you gave us coming to my mind. Though my professional engagements prevented me from hearing you always, yet I was greatly benefited. " Yours very sincerely, S. A. F . " Among the many letters received by Bishop Cum- mins in reference to his " letter," is the following from a presbyter of the Protestant Episcopal Church : " Chicago, June 26, 1869. " My Dear Bishop : I have this moment finished read- ing your admirable letter to Bishop Bedell. It is noble, mag- AFTER THE DARKNESS— LIGHT. 35 1 nanimous, unanswerable. To say just what I think, I must affirm that it is more truly apostolic in its scope and spirit than that of any of the reverend fathers on the same subject. You, for one, write like a true bishop, thank God ! ' ' For this letter you have the sincere gratitude of a man who is not seriously troubled with conscientious scruples in the use of any expressions in the Prayer Book, but who eagerly desires a Church that is so catholic, yet so evangelical, so true to Christ, yet so suited to this age and country as to make it in reality the Church of America. This I verily believe our beloved Church may become by a little wisdom — at the present junc- ture— in its rulers and legislators. In my opinion you have the power, under God, to accomplish great things for the Protestant Episcopal Church. " Affectionately your son, H. N. P . , " Right Rev. G. D. Cummins, D.D." July 3d, 1869, Bishop Cummins was gladdened by the receipt of a letter from Rev, Mr. Cheney, of Chi- cago. We quote largely from it : " My Dear Bishop Cummins : I have been hoping every day to see your letter to Bishop Bedell in print. Mr. P sent me a copy, but I only received it late last evening. I think I need hardly say that I thank you for it from the depths of my soul. We have had some differences of opinion in days past, my dear bishop, but, as I said last evening, ' I may be cast out of the Church of my inheritance, my educa- tion, and my settled preference ; I may be unable to testify my appreciation of this noble letter in the way I would like ; but I shall love and revere Bishop Cummins to my dying day.' " There seems to have been on the part of most of the evangelical bishops — unless it be Bishop Johns and Bishop Henry W. Lee — a strong impression that those who were de- sirous of liturgical revision only made it a cloak of their com- 352 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. plete alienation from the whole system of our Church. Such is not the case. Even with the most advanced men among us there is a love for the Episcopal Church which cannot be quenched, and you alone of the evangelical bishops have seemed to understand us, and to give us credit for a sincere, honest desire for such measure of relief as would enable us, without sacrifice of loyalty to God and the Bible, and the su- premacy of enlightened conscience, to be equally loyal to the Church of our fathers. . . . May God ever bless you, my dear bishop, both for the manly Christian utterances of your published letter, and also for your kind and sympathetic personal letter to me. " Affectionately and truly yours, " Chas. Edwd. Cheney." Another letter came at this time, and is as follows : "Christ Church Rectory, Bay Ridge, L. I.,) July I, 1869. \ " Right Reverend and Dear Bishop : I have only just seen your noble and truly manly letter which was sent in reply to the request of Bishop Bedell. Permit me, as one deeply in- terested, and concerned not a little in the present difficulties regarding which Bishop Mcllvaine has written, to send you a word of heartfelt thanks for your faithful plea in behalf of suffering in which you yourself have no share. It is very seldom in our day that men in any branch of the Church of Christ can so lay aside personal feeling and personal experience as that they can enter into the full sympathy of another's position and plead for them as you have done. In fact, dear bishop, did you not distinctly state in your letter that ' you are not one of the class for whom you are pleading,' I should, from the clearness and pathos with which you enter into their feelings most surely have considered you as in suf- fering with them. But it is not my intention to review AFTER THE DARKNESS— LIGHT. 353 your letter, but only to add my word of thanks for the unselfish and able plea you have made for just that which in charity to her ministers and people, and in fidelity to her Lord, our Protestant Episcopal Church must do — or else drive off from her a very large and useful baud of her sons, most dearly de- voted to her ways. '* Believe me affectionately yours, " J. A. ASPINWALL." In the record of Bishop Cummins's official work we find the following entry : " Sunday, July 4, 1869. — I preached twice in Trinity Church, Chicago, my former and beloved charge in that city." In the summary of his work we find the number of persons confirmed from May, 1868, to May, 1869, was 405 ; sermons and addresses, 142. Since his consecra- tion in 1866 twelve new churches had been erected, four new churches were in progress, one had been enlarged, and four new churches were projected. Thus in all twenty-one new church edifices have been completed, or are in progress, or are soon to be commenced within the diocese — more than one half the number of church buildings existing before May, 1866, within the diocese. In the city of Louisville, including Portland, the number of our places of wor- ship has been doubled within two years. In May, 1867, there were but six ; in May, 1869, there are twelve.'^ Before he left home for the East, Bishop Cummins received several letters, of which we give copies. * See " Journal of Diocesan Convention of Kentucky for 1869." 354 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. The first is from Rev. Richard Newton, of Philadel- phia : " Philadelphia, July 9, 1869. " My Dear Bishop : ... I have just now finished the reading of your right noble and manly letter to Bishop Bedell, and cannot rest until from the very bottom of my heart I have thanked you for that letter. They declined publishing it with the others, ostensibly on the ground of its length J but it is manifest that it was the strength of the letter rather than its length which caused it to be withheld. Dear, good Bishop Mcllvaine's letter is all very well, so far as it goes, but it doesn't touch the real point of difficulty at all. Conscientious men of this day and generation cannot shelter themselves behind the views which the Reformers and other good men have held. We shall not have to answer before God for the views of others, but for our own views. ' Every man shall give an account of himself to God. ' And after all that can be said of the different theories that may be forced on the words ' regenerate,' etc. in our service for infant bap- tism, the natural legitimate construction to put upon it — the construction which any honest jury of twelve men, with no theory to maintain on the subject, would put upon it — is that it does teach the horrible dogma that spiritual regeneration is inseparably connected v/ith the use of baptism. And when honest, conscientious, God-fearing men can take no other view of the language of that service than this, what can they ■ do but refuse to use it be the result what it may ? The re- jected expressions of this service, always a burden, have at length become a loathing., an abhorrence, to the minds of many men. If the choice were forced upon them of continu- ing to use these expressions or of laying down their lives, they would infinitely prefer the latter course. I ant myself in thorough sympathy with those ivho feel thus. If Bishop Whitehouse should proceed in brother Cheney's case, as he has said he AFTER THE DARKNESS— LIGHT. 355 would, to the extent of deposition, it will create a degree of excitement in our Church such as has never been witnessed. The penalty will be so out of all proportion to the offence that public opinion in this country will not allow it. It will be like cutting off a man's head because he has a sore finger. It seems to me that the reasonable penalty, if there is to be any at all for such an offence, would be for a bishop to prohibit a man from using the service for infant baptism until either he would agree to use it as it stands, or relief be granted to meet the emergency. ' ' I have said above that public opinion will " not allow of the course there indicated. I do not believe the civil law will sustain it. If I were thus dealt with I should instantly carry the matter into the civil courts. But thanking you again for your admirable letter, and praying for God's richest blessing to rest on you, I remain, affectionately yours, " Rich'd Newton." Another presbyter writes feelingly and earnestly thus : " Chillicothe, III., July 14, 1869. ' ' Right Rev. Geo. D. Cummins : " Very Dear Sir : I have just read your letter to Bishop Bedell in the Episcopalian, and I cannot help thanking you for your noble defence of the evangelical clergymen in the Church. You have stated plainly and feelingly the position and demands of those of us who desire revision as a relief. I am glad you have given the history of old attempts at ' Revision.' I well remember Bishop Hobart's efforts at defining the word ' regenerate ' in 1826 and 1827, and which has alone enabled me to use the term with any degree of quietness. For forty years I have been compelled to define and ex- plain away this error. I only wait to see what the will of the Lord is ; ready to go out, if need be, or to remain to do bat- 356 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. tie for truth, whichever may be the indication of the divine will. Oh ! had our Evangelical bishops stood up for Jesus in the Chicago Conference and saved the Church. But I shall never forget your honest defence, or cease to honor you for your other noble efforts in the cause of truth. I thank God for one bishop who may be of ' Apostolic succession ' in fealty to Christ and his Gospel of salvation. May he give you strength and courage to speak out in this crisis ; and to lead the little band of disciples who love Christ and his Gospel more than sacerdotal power or favor. The cause is God's, and glorious. ' ' Truly and affectionately yours, W. Y. J . ' ' CHAPTER XXXIV. INHIBITION OF BISHOP WHITEHOUSE. " I do not ask, O Lord ! that life may be A pleasant road ; I do not ask that thou wouldst take from me Aught of its load ; For one thing only, Lord, dear Lord, I plead, Lead me aright — Though strength should falter, and though heart should bleed- Through peace to light." ^ Adelaide Procter. Aged 47. BISHOP CUMMINS had arranged to take charge of St. Paul's and Emmanuel Churches, Boston, for the months of August and September of this year. He also had planned to visit Chicago again on his way to Boston, and fill the pulpit of Trinity Church. He left " Oak Lea" the latter part of July for Chi- cago. We give here a letter in its order of date, which was replied to by the bishop before leaving Ken- tucky : " 220 East Fifty-Eighth Street, New York, ) July 14, 1869. ) " Right Reverend and Dear Bishop : Allow one who is a stranger to you to congratulate you on your letter of last May addressed to Bishop Bedell. I congratulate you because you have had the Christian manliness to resist the outrageous attempt to bring the episcopal influence of the Evangelical 358 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. bishops to bear upon the minds of honest men, to compel them to suppress their conscientious convictions. I congrat- ulate you because of the position you have won for yourself, not only in the opinion of those whose conscientious convic- tions you have shielded and whose rights you have so ably de- fended ; but also in the good opinion you have won for your- self in the estimation of all right-minded men within and with- out the Church. And I congratulate you because it is evi- dent that the corrupting influences that so unhappily surround our Episcopate have not yet turned your head or narrowed your spirit. " The fact is impressing itself more and more fully on observant minds in the Evangelical party that we are not only to have a Revised Prayer Book but a Reformed Church. This means a neiv Church. The Lord is working out the problem. Our Evangelical bishops must not think that they can stand in the way and stay the progress of this movement. Before they know it, the swelling wave will sweep over them, and past them, and will leave them high and dry, without friends and supporters, in the old Romanized Church. In my judgment the new Church is a fixed fact. The men are deeply in earnest who are working and praying for this thing, and their numbers are on the increase, and when we get our new Church we want its foundations laid solid on the Word of God, and its doors opened wide enough to receive within them all who love the Lord Jesus Christ. We hope to see it, with God's blessing, the Church of this land. " Hoping, my dear bishop, that in God's providence you may be led to think as we do, and to cast in your lot amongst us, I remain, yours truly, " B. B. Leacock." To those who knew Bishop Cummins most in- timately it is needless here to say that he was very far from indorsing Dr. Leacock' s position at that time. His whole heart was with the Church of his choice, within whose pale he had labored for so many INHIBITION OF BISHOP WHITEHOUSE. 359 years ; and he still held firmly to the opinion that the Reformation so needed in the Protestant Episcopal Church xvas to be acconiplisJicd ivitJiin her fold. To this opinion he held with consistent firmness, hoping against hope ; seeing each new year, as it dawned, the great wave of error encroaching farther and farther ; and as the years died, to find even men of hitherto moderate views swept along with the tide. With a heart full of sadness, but with all the force of his great eloquence, and the strength born of pure, deep love for the Church of which he was a chief pastor, and which he so longed to see cleansed of her im- purity, he labored on, setting up his voice against the Romish errors, which, like the great arms of the octopus, were grasping the Church with a force not to be resisted. To those who have said that he ought to have fought the battle within the Protestant Episco- pal Church, we have only to bid them go back with us to his ministerial life in Virginia, Washington, Baltimore, and Chicago, to listen, as year after )'ear he preach- ed only Christ and him crucified ! How, even in those days, when High Churchism had not brought forth its legitimate fruit of ritualism, he steadily op- posed any thing that could be interpreted into sacer- dotalism, or the holding of any such doctrine as bap- tismal regeneration. He taught from the pulpit and in private life that he was, in the fullest sense, a Prot- est a?it minister. He never failed to let all know his true position. Yet, coupled with this strong evangel- ical teaching, there was so much in him of the charity that " is kind," that those of entirely opposite views loved and respected him. No words were too strong to express his abhorrence of such teachings as were 360 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. heard regularly from many Protestant (?) pulpits, yet no one ever heard an unkind epithet from his lips. Earnestly absorbed in his work, he was only bent on doing the will of him who had chosen him for this work. As the years rolled by, and the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour became more and more supplanted by the gorgeous ritual and offensive dogmas of Rome, Bishop Cummins was led to think that tliere was but one way to act. His whole nature was averse to strife, and he came to believe that for the sake of peace, as well as consistency, he must go out from the Church in which, twenty-seven years before, he had so solemnly prom- ised to be a faithful minister ! What a contrast from the days when the young deacon and presbyter took those vows ! Then the beautiful but simple ritual of the Protestant Episcopal Church impressed all with its Scriptural simplicity and dignity. Now, the strange new "altars" and "super-altars," the "crosses" and "candlesticks," the "credence-tables," the ge- nuflexions and crossings, the forms used in the cele- bration of the Lord's Supper, the Romish terms of " holy eucharist, " the "holy sacrifice," "matins," "vespers," "mass," "chasubles," "maniples," "albs" and "birettas," "priests," and, worse than all, the avowed belief in the " real presence" and "baptismal regeneration," fills every true Protest- ant heart with sadness. Were one to have witnessed the scene in St. Andrew's Church, Wilmington, in October, 1846, and then slept, and awaked to see the pomp and show attending an ordination in New York, or any one of the cities of this great country in 1878, would they have believed it possible that it was the same Church ? INHIBITION OF BISHOP WHITEHOUSE 36 1 The invitation to fill the pulpit of Trinity Church, Chicago, for several Sundays, had come from the vestry. The Rev. Mr. Sullivan was absent, taking his summer vacation, and the vestry and congregation naturall}' wished to have their former pastor fill his place. When Bishop Whitehouse learned of this invitation, on the part of the vestry of Trinity, he visited some of the members and urged them to re- voke the invitation, saying : "A vestry had no right to invite a clergyman to fill the pulpit of any church in the absence of the rector, unless the bishop of the diocese approved of the clergyman invited." On learning of Bishop Whitehouse's opposition to his preaching in Trinity Church, Bishop Cummins wrote to the vestry declining to fulfil his engagement. On receiving Bishop Cummins's letter one of the vestry — and an influential man — wrote thus : " Chicago, July 20, 1869. " Dear Bishop : This morning I have yours of the 17th. You had not then received mine of same date. I trust that the explanations therein will prevail on you to fulfil your engagement as originally expected. One of the congregation was so indignant on hearing of Mr. W 's letter and the bishop's course that he said ' he would leave the church ;' but I satisfied him that seven-eighths of the vestry were right on the question; and would not release you on any terms from your engagement. I told him I thought he might expect to hear you next Sunday, though I could not say what your con- clusion would be ; but believed you had manliness enough not to relinquish a duty to our congregation because your presence was not desired by our bishop. I trust you will be here. Mr. H informed me yesterday that he had written Aou that the resolution of the vestry was ' for you to fill the 3^2 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. engagement.' The bishop wished the vestry to meet last evening, that he might appear before them. This Mr. H declined to do ; but said if the bishop insisted he would con- vene the vestry Friday evening. The slip inclosed to you was published here in two papers. We shall not allow any such explanation from you to remain in the dark. Rev. Mr. Cheney wishes you to preach for him. I am happy to say that the people in this city, in and out of our Communion, are thoroughly awake to this matter. Press and people are with you. Our bishop is feeling the pressure, and is moving with all his energy to have his way. Now, my dear sir, do not, I pray you, desert us, but come and occupy Trinity Church pulpit. It is the wish of nine-tenths of your old parishoners, and they as well as myself will be sorely grieved and disap- pointed if you do not. . , . Matters are fast assuming a serious point. The deposition of Bishop Whitehouse will have to take place, or a disgrace will attach itself to our Church all over this Union, and cause us who are attached to its creeds and formulas — as understood by our venerated fathers — to hang our heads in sorrow and shame. " The hands of the laymen are tied ; but to you who are bishops belong the duty to right us. Who is a more fit person to move in this matter than yourself ? I am to you a com- parative stranger, and have no right to speak thus frankly ; but my heart is full and I must utter the honest convictions of my mind. " May God give you the light of wisdom to point out clearly your duty in the controversy going on in our Church, and strengthen you to act under the fear of the Lord and not of man. "Yours truly, G. S. H ." This letter was followed by one from Bishop Whitehouse, which we give verbatim : INHIBITION OF BISHOP WHITEHOUSE. 363 "Chicago, July 20, 1869. " To the Right Rev. George D. Cummins, D.D., Assistant Bishop of Kentucky : ' Right Reverend and Dear Sir : I am informed that on Friday evening last, by a majority of one of the vestry of Trinity Church, in this city, after a discussion lasting through two meetings, you have been invited to fill the pulpit of that church for certain Sundays during the absence of the rector. " It has involved the direct issue before that body whether the earnest advice of the bishop should be followed, not to venture on this dangerous course ; or whether, in defiance of that course, an invitation should be extended to you, which, with full knowledge of the facts, you have solicited. " This is connected with a train of interference in my dio- cese— of official and personal attack on myself — which has largely tended to disturb its harmony and create vexed ques- tions of springing bitterness. ' ' The aggression of last winter, against which a protest was raised in vain not only by myself but by the unanimous voice of the Standing Committee, might have an explanation of some weight in your esteem. "This continued aggression of the present can admit of none. It has degenerated into incidents which subject you to imputations of malevolent feeling, as well as of the disregard of what is gentlemanly and courteous. The principles which are involved in this interference and aggression I mean to submit, as you are aware, for such adjudication by our peers as they may deem to be expedient. " I have avoided, as far as in me lay, pursuing its issues through any personal altercation. " I shall, under no circumstances, resort to any penal charges, how satisfied soever I may be that reasonable cause for the same may exist. " I must content myself, in the name of God and his 364 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. Church, with entering my solemn protest against acts and temper so derogatory to the dignity of our office, our confid- ing brotherhood, the peace of the Church, and the well-being of the portion of it committed by the Great Head to my un- worthy charge. " I therefore hereby — as far as I can, to give it lawful and moral weight, and violating, I trust, no just claim of fraternal courtesy in the painful exigency so pertinaciously thrust upon me — do protest against your visiting my diocese to officiate in any manner within its bounds. " And may the blessed and merciful Lord forgive us each for our mistakes or misdoings in these humiliating issues. " Remaining faithfully yours in our common bonds, " Henry J. Whitehouse, Bishop of Illinois.'' To this letter Bishop Cummins sent a simple state- ment, saying ' ' that several weeks before, the vestry of Trinity Church had written to ask him to fill their pulpit in the absence of their pastor. That he had not for a moment supposed that Bishop Whitehouse would object to any bishop or presbyter preaching in Illinois ; but that just as soon as he, Bishop Cum- mins, learned of the great opposition on the part of Bishop Whitehouse, he wrote to the vestry declining to fulfil his engagement. That members of the vestry wrote, urgently begging him to preach for them, as he had promised, and that finally Bishop Cummins consented to fill the pulpit of Trinity Church one Sun- day." Accordingly he and Mrs. Cummins left Pe- wee Valley Friday afternoon, July 23d, reached Chi- cago the 24th, and the bishop preached twice on Sunday, 25th, for his old friends, and were the guests of one of the vestry. On Monday, 26th, they left for Boston. INHIBITION OF BISHOP WHITEHOUSE. 365 The excitement and indignation manifested in Chi- cago was very great and widespread against the course of Bishop Whitehouse. He brought the mat- ter before the House of Bishops at its next meeting ; but the general feeling was so great in that body against Bishop Whitehouse's conduct that it was not even discussed. The months of August and part of September were passed in Cambridge, Mass., at the Divinity School of the Protestant Episcopal Church. The students were all away on their vacation, and the dean — the Rev. Dr. Stone — kindly placed two of the pleasant rooms at Bishop Cummins's disposal. There they spent several happy weeks, living in true Euro- pean style, caring for themselves and enjoying the quiet and privacy of that beautiful place, with Dr. Stone and his family for their near neighbors. The second week in September they went to Manchester, Mass., where they were the guests of Mr. and Mrs. R. S , whose exquisite country home was most fully enjoyed in the congenial society of their valued friends. Bishop Cummins went from thence to Baltimore, and then returned to Kentucky, where he was constantly engaged in his duties. He visited Maysville, Flem- ingsburg. Mount Sterling, Cynthiana, Paris, Harods- burg, Danville, Richmond, Lancaster, and Elizabeth- town. The latter part of October Bishop Cummins re- turned to the East. We find the following entries in his journal of official work : " October 31, 1869. — Preached in St. Ann's Church, Brooklyn, in the morning ; at night addressed a meeting in the 366 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. Church of the Incarnation, New York, in behalf of the Evan- gelical Education Society. ''November 7. — Preached in Emmanuel Church, Balti- more, and at night lectured in St. Peter's, in the same city. " November 9, 10, 11. — At Anniversaries of the Evangeli- cal Societies in Philadelphia. ''November 14. — Preached in the morning in Trinity Church, Washington, D. C. ; in the afternoon in St. John's, Georgetown, D. C, and at night in Christ Church, George- town, and confirmed eleven persons." The record of work during the winter was as usual a full one. During the summer Bishop Cummings received a long letter from his friend and brother Bishop Clarkson. We quote some portions of it : "Omaha, July 29, 1869. " My Dearly Beloved Brother : It is no doubt true that a fellowship in misfortune makes us ' wondrous kind. ' Like you I had, for no good reason whatsoever, except fidelity in my duty to the diocese, fallen under the ban of our brother of Illinois, and for fifteen years suffered as patiently as I could under his misrepresentations and assaults. But entirely independent of the fact that we have both suffered alike, I think with all reasonable people that you have . been very badly treated, and I rejoice that you had the courage to stand up for your rights. However, I think that he — Bishop White- house — has entirely overstepped himself in his assaults upon you. The idea of charging you with ' malevolence ' and * want of courtesy' is so supremely ridiculous to all who know you that you need not be afraid of the judgment of all sensi- ble men. I only write to you to beg you not to be worried about this painful business. I know how a sensitive and gentle nature like yours shrinks from such an appearance of quarrelling with a brother bishop, or with atiy one ; but you INHIBITION OF BISHOP WHITEHOUSE. 3^7 may be sure that every one who knows you, knows that you would not do injustice to a dog, much less to a fellow-man and a brother bishop. " I am afraid that poor Cheney must go to the wall. And it is indeed a sad thing that an earnest, devoted, and success- ful minister of Christ can be trampled out of line by a man who has done more than any man in the American Church to defy its law. Nothing but the clemency and loyalty of the Illinois clergy saved him from trial in days gone by. I some- times think now that it should be done in order to vindicate before the world the power of the Church over unworthy occupants of her highest seats. I think he should be present- ed for trial for false teaching. In this question of veracity between himself and Cheney, as to the latter's admission or non-admission of the omission of the words ' regenerate ' or ' regeneration ' there may be an opportunity of presentment. " I received some time since Miss L 's wedding cards, and now send her, though tardily, my hearty congratulations. . . . With much love to the family, and the deepest sym- pathy for yourself in this conflict, I am, as ever, your attached brother, " Robert H. Clarkson." Bishop Clarkson refers in this letter to the mar- riage of Bishop Cummins 's eldest daughter, who on June 15th, 1869, was united in marriage to Thomas Chalmers Peebles, M.D., of Dublin, Ireland. A letter received by Bishop Cummins from Bishop Mcllvaine belongs to this period in the life of the former. "Cincinnati, August 25, 1869. " My Dear Bishop : I have not known where to address you since I last wrote, and said I had not seen any account of what new crime at Chicago had brought on you the new ' in- hibition' of the Bishop of Illinois. Soon after getting home. 368 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. some ten days ago, I saw your account of the matter. The only thing I question about it is the expediency, in the excited state of things in Chicago, of your going to preach in C 's church, or anywhere there. But that is no excuse for the extravagantly wrong and ill-advised course of the bishop. It would be most strange if he should bring such a matter before our House, and if he did, if any respectable number of bishops should side with him ! " I hope you will attend the meeting October 14th. Bishop Smith has written me that he will not be present. Dr. Whit- aker is to be consecrated about the same time, and I believe in St. George's. Be present then^ as I shall have to preside. " I have just read an article in the Church Witness or^ the state of things in our Church, which I think is from you. My sympathies are with it. Perilous times for our Church ARE AHEAD AND NEAR. / believe fully relief is needed, and rightly demanded for the consciences of our brethren, by some revision of the Prayer Book. After our letter is not some- thing MORE needed to give aid and countenance to some effort for some change ? " It is not true, as the papers say, that I have prepared any thing ; but there is a ' multitude of thoughts within me ' about what ought to be done. " Yours affectionately, Chas. p. McIlvaine." CHAPTER XXXV. HOME LIFE. " Therefore, whatso'er betideth Night or day — Know his love for thee provideth Good alway. Crown of sorrows gladly take, Grateful wear it for his sake ; Sweetly bending to his will, Lying still." From the German ^/Charles Rudolph HagenbACH. Aged 47. WE give extracts from letters written by Bishop Cummins at this time to his wife, that the reader may have a ghmpse into his " home Ufe," so soon to be broken up ! The first letter is dated : " Oak Lea, October 12, 1869. " I am at home agam at dear Oak Lea ! All is so lovely and sweet in nature that no words can tell how deep has been my longing to have you here. I left Paris at eleven o'clock, and reached the station here at 5.40 p.m. Dear G was there with ' Nellie ' and the carriage to meet me, with a happy and smiling face. We drove home, but it was quite dark be- fore we arrived at the house. The windows were all alight with their welcome, and darling L gave me a most loving reception. The house looked so bright with the lamps all lit and fires burning. Soon we had supper. The table and rooms 370 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. were adorned with our own beautiful flowers — heliotropes, geraniums, verbenas, etc., just like sweet L "s thoughtful care and taste. Then we gathered around the fire and had a long talk of our journeyings, the church here, and many other things. G had to go up to Covington on the mid- night train to meet Mr. T for a surveying excursion to do some work for the new bridge to be rebuilt at Cincinnati ; so we sat up late. The place is in excellent order ; most of the trees are yet green ; some are turning — the black gum and dogwood, crimson ; the sweet gum, yellow ; and the maples on the south among the locusts are beginning to be tipped with scarlet. The flowers are still lovely ; the geraniums in the rustic vase are splendid in size and beauty, the American hemlock is flourishing, and the wistaria and honeysuckle most luxuriant. The grass is still beautifully green on the lawn. I have been over to the church : it is a gem, and I am so glad it is so beautiful. I am going to try to have it finished by Christmas, and will take charge of it myself for the present, and give what the congregation can pay to an assistant. As I write I look out from the dining-room windows into the grounds, and the view is perfectly beautiful. The trees with their many-colored leaves are really gorgeous in their rich coloring. Oh ! that you were here to enjoy it." In a letter dated October 17th, 1869, written at Elizabethtown, he says : " I wrote you last from Richmond. That evening I preached again, and the next morning at four o'clock rose to take the cars for Lancaster. We were behind a freight train, and were five hours going twenty-five miles ! We reached Lancaster at ten o'clock, and went to the house of Colonel D , and there had breakfast. Lancaster is a new post in our mission work in Central Kentucky, and we have only a handful of Episcopalians there, the chief of whom is Mrs. HOME LIFE. 17 1 -, Colonel D 's daughter. In the evening we held service in the Presbyterian church. I preached and con- firmed one person. Most of the people there had never seen an Episcopal service before, and were not a little surprised at our vestments. The next day at seven o'clock we took the train, Mr. G leaving me at Danville station, and I went on to Louisville. I arrived at two o'clock, and found G awaiting me with your letter. He told me of his being sent to Covington to superintend the building of the bridge over the Licking River, and that he would have to remain there some weeks. This is a great responsibility for one so young, and shows how he has gained the confidence of Mr. T already. We will miss him sadly at home, though we ought to rejoice at his success. I dined at Dr. P 's, and had a talk with him of Church matters. I learn that the feeling in some of the churches towards me is very bitter, and that they are making great complaints of my absence this summer and of my receiving payment. This seems the refinement of cruelty — to give me nothing to live upon, and then blame me for receiving enough to keep us from suffering ! But God will overrule it all. I have no fears. I left Louisville at five, and reached here at seven. The church here is almost a cipher. I preached this morning, and am to preach again to- night. I found a letter from Walter W here, asking me to hold a confirmation for him on the 14th November, if Bishop W will consent. Thank you for every word of those twenty pages ! Such a balm to my soul when others treat me so bitterly ! But I ought to rejoice at their persecu- tion, for it is endured for /lis name's sake, and his precious truth's sake. I read it over after talking with Mr. , and it soothed me like sweet music. God bless you ! I am most grateful to God on learning of your being able to walk so far and feeling so strong. Oh ! that you may be fitted for active work in his Church in the future." 372 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. In another letter he writes : "Oak Lea, October 26, 1869. " I wrote you from Elizabethtown, and that evening preached again to a very full church. Yesterday I returned to Louisville, and after attending to some business took the train for Pewee Valley. I reached dear Oak Lea about dusk — the house was lighted up, and L and the Doctor ready to receive me. All looked delightful, and in the bay-window I found quite a little greenhouse. The Doctor had brought in the geraniums ; besides these there was your rustic vase, two baskets, and the Kenilworth ivy. The azalea is full of buds for winter blooming. L handed me Rev. Mr. Matlack's letter of October 13th, and after mature reflection and prayer I decided to accept the invitation. I wrote chang- ing the time of my visitation to Versailles and Georgetown, as it will make no difference to Mr. V ; he will only have a longer time to prepare his class for confirmation. I inclose a sweet letter from Dr. R. Newton, and have accepted Mrs. S 'skind invitation. I am so glad I can now see G in Covington. I want to look after his comfort and try to make him feel at home among our church-people. To-morrow I go to Louisville to attend the meeting of our Board of Mis- sions, and will be occupied all day. L and the Doctor long to have you back, and send their warmest love." Bishop Ciimmins's Annual Report for the year ending May 22, 1870 (see Report of Diocesan Conven- tion of Kentucky, 1870), contains the following sum- mary : " Parishes visited, 58 ; confirmations, 38 ; number con- firmed, 301 ; sermons and addresses, 211 ; baptisms, 83. In May, 1866, number of clergy in active parochial and mis- sionary work was twenty-four ; May, 1870, the number is thirty-five. In May, 1866, the number of church buildings in HOME LIFE. 373 the diocese was hvciity ; in 1870, thirty-five. Number of rec- tories was yfrr in i866_; it is now nine. The communicants then numbered two thousand four hundred ; they now will fall little short oi four thousand. In Southern and South-western Kentucky the renewed life is perhaps most gratifying. Now Henderson, Paducah, Hopkinsville, Bowling Green, Prince- ton, Eddyville, and the church in Fulton County are all alive and awake to their great work, and steadily advancing in strength and influence." " It would be most unreasonable to expect that our progress in a diocese like this should be rapid or in any degree commensurate with the growth of the Church in the new dioceses of the West and North-west. The tide of emigration passes us by, . . . while from our own diocese there is a constant movement of our people westward." " And yet the growth of this diocese within the past four years is such as to call for devout gratitude to God, and to incite us to renewed exertions for the future " "In Central Kentucky we need only additional laborers to secure rich returns to the Church. It will not be long before we shall have church buildings in Richmond, Lebanon, and Lan- caster. In Northern and Eastern Kentucky there are encourag- ing tokens of progress. St. Peter's congregation, in Paris, is building a new church. The church at Georgetown is almost ready for service. The new mission chapel at Covington is open for divine services, while the parish of Trinity Church, Covington, is about to build a new church with a larger num- ber of sittings to meet the demands of the city." " In the city of Louisville, Christ Church is about to be remodelled at a cost of twenty-five thousand dollars, and the new Grace Church, which has stood so long unfinished, is to be completed with- out delay. The Orphanage of the Good Shepherd, a home for orphan boys in the same city, is to be occupied this sum- mer. A Church Home and Infirmary for the Sick and the Aged will, I trust, be the next great work of charity to be in- augurated in that city." 374 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. At this time Bishop Cummins received the follow- ing letter from his valued friend Governor Stevenson, of Kentucky : " Executive Department, Frankfort, November 20, i86g. \ " My Dearest Bishop : Next to the approval of his conscience in the attempted discharge of official duty, nothing can be more grateful to a public servant than the approbation of those /le loves, and in whose candid judgment he can safely rely. " In this spirit I cordially thank you for your warm, affec- tionate, cheering sanction of my late Thanksgiving proclama- tion. The last paragraph gave great offence to the Jews, and the Cincinnati Commercial thought proper to indulge in a harsh criticism. How touchingly dear, then, to the heart of a genuine Episcopalian, under such circumstances, is the ap- proval of his bishop, and especially when that bishop is a warm, devoted, personal friend ! If the paper have no other merit, it was sincere, at least, in all its utterances. " In these days of demoralization and degeneracy what can we hope for if the Christian soldier dishonors his leader by being either afraid or ashamed to uphold his standard with the priceless, blood-stained tenets emblazoned upon its radiant folds ? To have proclamations read in Christian churches by God's ministers announcing a day of general thanksgiving for unnumbered blessings and mercies from on high, with an omission of the atonement, as the crowning gift of them all, strikes my mind as a paradox. Nay, more, it is downright Christian cowardice, only equalled by Peter's denial of his Master. I pray God that no such sin may mark my administration. I am pained to see even in the Church of Christ that policy prevails over principle in commending silence where Christian fealty demands loud protest against incipient errors and unwarranted innovations. HOME LIFE. 375 " Bur I did not sit down to weary you, but merely to thank you for your cheering words in my delicate and difficult posi- tion of official responsibility. " I want if possible to be in Louisville on the 2d, at the missionary meeting, not to speak, but merely by my presence to testify my approval of your course^ and the great cause of Protestantism, against dangerous and alarming assaults upon ' the truth as it is in Jesus.' With kind greetings to your family, believe me, dear bishop, sincerely and affectionately, " J. W. Stevenson." We give below, verbatim, a letter from Bishop McCoskrey, of Michigan, received by Bishop Cum- mins after his short visit to the East : " Detroit, November 29, 1869. " My Dear Bishop ; At the last meeting of the House of Bishops, in New York, the unpleasant relations between you and the Bishop of Illinois were brought to our notice. It was done in the most delicate manner by the Bishop of Il- linois. Your name was not even mentioned nor a single vord of unkindness uttered. Of course we had no power to settle or dispose of this case. As a House we refused to hear it. " Meeting together for a few minutes simply as bishops, without even hearing the case, it was unanimously resolved that the whole matter be placed in my hands, with the wish and hope that I could, by the blessing of God, bring you to- gether as Christian brethren, and reconcile all your difficulties and misunderstandings. " My dear bishop, I felt deeply the kindness and confi- dence of my brethren, and thought if I could only be success- ful I should never cease to give thanks to God. But, dear bishop, I have no power, and I can only approach you as fol- lowers of Christ and rulers in his household. As such I write to you, and ask you in all kindness and affection, can- 37^ GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. not I heal up the wounds which have been made, and remove, so far as possible, the injury which has been done to our be- loved Church ? " I think that a very few Christian concessions on your part, and also by the Bishop of Illinois, would accomplish the result, " I do not wish to go into the merits of the case without an agreement that each of you would abide by my decision. Any other course would widen the breach. But I think that if you would meet me, as Christian brethren and bishops, and simply express regret to each other for all that has occurred — all this to be kept to ourselves — and simply say in a little note that all the difficulties between you have been adjusted, why, my dear bishop, it would send a thrill of joy into a thousand Christian hearts. Then let us go into the house of the Lord together and join in offering the sacrifice of prayer and praise to God. My dear bishop, who can estimate the power such an act would have on the hearts, not only of God's children, but upon a sinful world ? " Most affectionately your brother in Christ, " Samuel A. McCoskry." Bishop Cummins's reply : " Pewee Valley, Ky., December 4, 1869. " My Dear Bishop : Yours of the 29th ultimo is re- ceived. I appreciate the kind spirit of your letter, but I think you have failed to place the issue between Bishop Whitehouse and myself upon its right basis. " I have no personal controversy or quarrel with the Bishop of Illinois, have never been a party to such a contro- versy, and my whole nature shrinks from any such thing. " The difference between us has its basis in questions far more vital and important. It is a question involving great HOME LIFE. 377 principles and rights affecting our freedom as bishops set for the defence of the Gospel. " I went to Chicago in February, 1869, at the invitation of one of the rectors of that city to deliver an address in be- half of the Evangelical Education Society ; a society that seeks to educate young men for the ministry of the Protestant Episcopal Church, and of which I am a patron. " The Bishop of Illinois opposed my going into his diocese for this purpose, and protested against the ' intrusion ' and ' aggression ' within his jurisdiction, and induced his Stand- ing Committee to unite in such a protest. " This at once raised the question of my right to make such an address within the jurisdiction of another bishop, and to this question I could give but one answer. The canons of our Church forbid any bishop exercising any Epis- copal offices within the jurisdiction of another without his consent, but limit the prohibition to official acts. But for a bishop to claim the right of forbidding any of his brethren speaking within his diocese in behalf of any lawful object, is an assumption of power that will never be allowed or sub- mitted to. " I felt then compelled to go to vindicate a right thus de- nied and impeached. " I did not go acting upon my own individual judgment. I went as the representative of all who are associated with me in the society in whose behalf I was to appear. I went sup- ported by the expressed opinion of two of our oldest and wisest bishops. These bishops, with others, have been in the habit for many years of speaking in behalf of this society and others kindred to it, within the jurisdiction of bishops differ- ing from them in sentiment, and yet no one heretofore has questioned their right to do so, or raised any opposition to their so doing. " Indeed, I have made addresses in the diocese of New York, both before and since the delivery of my address in 378 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. Chicago, with no word of protest from the bishop of that dio- cese. Thus much for my visit to Chicago in February last. In July I was invited by one of the wardens of my old church there to preach in the absence of the rector. Surely nothing could have been more appropriate than that I should occasion- ally minister to a congregation once so closely bound to me. " But even to this the Bishop of Illinois objected, and sought strenuously to induce the vestry of the church to deny me access to their pulpit upon the ground of my having com- mitted the ' aggression ' of the February preceding. This was indeed a severe blow aimed at my reputation by the Bishop of Illinois, and had he succeeded would have inflicted serious injury upon me. The vestry of Trinity Church, however, refused to yield to his demand, and I ofificiated, at their request, to my former flock. " You will see, my dear bishop, that the controversy be- tween Bishop Whitehouse and myself is an official and not a personal one. He has made claims that will never be allowed by many of his brethren. And if I have violated any of the canons of the Church, or committed any ' aggression ' upon the rights of another bishop, the matter must be adjudicated in the courts of the Church, and not by personal arbitration. No man will go farther than myself in a matter of personal courtesy, but in this instance all personal considerations are nothing in comparison with the great principles at issue. " Thanking you for your kind consideration, I am most faithfully yours, " Geo. D. Cummins, Assistant Bishop of Kentucky. " Right Rev. S. A. McCoskry, D.D., Detroit, Mich.'" Soon after the above letter was written by Bishop Cummins he received the following from his friend Bishop Mcllvaine : HOME LIFE. 379 "Cincinnati, Decembers, 1869. " My Dear Bishop : I received your letter of the 4th, yesterday, with that of Bishop McCoskry inclosed, and your answer. The former I return, as you will need to keep it. The latter I think yV/x/ the thing. ... I cannot but think that we Evangelical bishops are put in a very questionable position before the Church by being selected and made to look like a ' Committee of Vigilance ' — and if we are to seek disci- pline on bishops because we have promised to ' drive away all error,' etc., why should not presbyters who have promised the same thing seek discipline on presbyters ? The cases in New York are vastly stionger than any among the bishops. Why should not Cotton Smith and others in New York pre- ent, or seek to get presented, such men as Dix, Ewer, and Morrell, etc. ? * But what times are these ! We probably will outlive the Church of England — as established — and see it divided ! " Yours very affectionately, " Chas. p. McIlvaine. "Right Rev. Geo. D. Cummins, D.D." CHAPTER XXXVI. WORK OF 1870. " No life Can be pure in its purpose, and strong in its strife And all life not be purer and stronger thereby. The spirits of just men made perfect on high — The army of martyrs, who stand by the throne. And gaze into the face that makes glorious their own Know this surely at last. Honest love, honest sorrow, Honest work for the day, honest hope for the morrow — Are these worth nothing more than the hand they make weary .' The heart they have sadden'd, the life they leave dreary ? Hush ! the sevenfold heavens to the voice of the Spirit Echo : ' He that o'ercometh shall all things inherit.' " Owen Meredith. Aged 48. IT has been before said that the winter of 1869-70 was the last spent by Bishop Cummins in his own home. In May, 1870, " Oak Lea" was sold, and he and his family removed to Louisville. The trial of removal from his home was the heavier because of the offer made by the Diocesan Convention, through the influence of friends, to purchase "Oak Lea" as a permanent Episcopal residence. This offer, however, came too late. The spirit of persecution did not rest. Bishop Cummins had, through his own exertions, raised money among friends in the East to complete the tasteful church in Pewee Valley. The rector having IVOJiK OF 1870. 381 resigned, the bishop wished, for a time, to take charge of the parish until he could find a suitable pastor. Before the little congregation occu{)ied their church, service was held in a small school-house a mile distant. Bishop Cummins was kindly invited to occupy the Presbyterian church in the evening, a large and tasteful building. This invitation was ac- cepted, but the senior warden of St. James's Church — a High Churchman — objected to this, and wrote a letter of complaint to Bishop Smith. The following is Bishop Smith's letter to Bishop Cummins : "Frankfort, Ky., December 31, 1869. " My Dear Bishop : I have just received a communica- tion from Mr. V , senior warden of St. James's Church, stating the facts, in a very friendly manner, of certain ser- vices of yours in the Presbyterian church, which he and others hold to be in violation of canon 12, title i, sections 4th and 6th. " No one can doubt but what you put a different inter- pretation upon it, fully purposed, as becomes our office, to set an example in all such cases. " It has been a rule with me, and I write respectfully to inquire whether it would not be wise and well for you in this case, for the sake of peace, to accept a more stringent inter- pretation than your own, and not even seem to be irregular. " Praying for peace, harmony, and good-will, I remain, my dear bishop, very truly your friend and brother, " B. B. Smith.' To this letter Bishop Cummins sent this reply : " Pewee Valley, January i, 1870. " My Dear Bishop : I am truly grieved to find ' the senior warden of this parish and others ' have taken excep- 382 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. tion to my officiating in the Presbyterian church in this place, and have charged it to be a violation of the canons of our Church. The simple facts in the case are these. Desiring to do all the good in my power when at home, I have felt de- sirous of having a second service on Sundays, in the evening, when I might preach the Gospel to the whole community. The building used for our services is very uncomfortable, unsupplied with lamps, and is very difficult of access to most of our own church-people ; so that for several years the ser- vice has been held there only in the morning. A night ser- vice there would be almost out of the question and useless. On the morning of Sunday, November 21st, I received, through one of the vestry, an invitation to occupy the Presby- terian church at night. I accepted the offer gladly, and an- nounced that I would hold a second service in the Presbyte- rian church in the evening, requesting our own church people to bring their Prayer Books. They came, the senior warden among them, and the full evening prayer was read with the responses, the Rev. Dr. Chapman, of our Church, assisting me in the services. " On Sunday last I officiated in the usual place for our own worship, made the same announcement to the people, and conducted the service in the evening at the Presbyterian church in the same regular way. If our own new church edifice had been completed I should have occupied it, with the consent of the rector. As to violating any canon, I should have been most deeply amazed had any one suggested such a thing. The second service was a service for the parish ; the announcement was made in the presence of all the mem- bers of the vestry who are in the parish ; they raised no ob- jections, but all came and took part in the services. I con- ducted service as it is always conducted in our churches, and preached the Gospel as earnestly as it is in my power to do. Now what is the meaning of this charge against me by the senior warden of the parish of violating the canons of our WORK OF 1870. 383 Church ? The canon requires the permission of the vestry to the officiating of any minister within their parish when there is no rector. But is the complaint ' that I ought to have asked and obtained the permission of the vestry before mak- ing the announcement ' kind ? Surely this seems a harsh de- mand. If, even as a bishop, I could not make such an ar- rangement for services, was there not much in our relations to each other to cause the vestry to overlook this technical offence, if it l>e an offence ? I hold the relation to them of a chief shepherd ; my home is in their midst ; I have served them often and cheerfully ; I have aided largely in the effort to build their new and beautiful church ; my desire in holding the second service was to do good to the parish and commu- nity. Is it generous thus to demand of me a compliance with a canon that under all the circumstances seems humiliat- ing to one in my office and position ? In my own judgment the Church never designed to place her bishops in such a painful position. As the case now stands, before preaching again anywhere within the nominal bounds of this parish, I must go and ask permission of the five persons forming the vestry, and if they forbid it, I cannot preach the Gospel any- where in this valley — not even in my own house — save in the old Methodist church — now a school-house — where the regular service of the parish is held on each Sunday morning. Sure- ly, my dear bishop, there are other and higher canons, divine and not human, which ought to have been consulted ere the charge was laid against me of violating canon 12, title i, sec- tion 6, in the honest effort to do my Master's work. " I am, most faithfully yours, " George D. Cummins. " Right Rev. B. B. Smith, D.D." In a letter dated Henderson, Ky., March 27, 1870, Bishop Cummins tells ,of his " preaching Sat- 384 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. urday night, and making an address in behalf of Diocesan Missions ;" "of preaching again Sunday morning, and again Sunday night to a dense throng, many of them standing." " I confirmed," he writes, "a class of nineteen persons, and expect to confirm two persons to-morrow. Many were men, and from the very best people in the community ; and now, after confirming these two persons, my work for this visitation is done in Henderson — lasting several days. I trust it has been a faithful work, certainly it has been a steady one, for I have preached seven times during my sojourn here, and five times in Owens- boro, baptizing four infants, administering the com- munion, and confirming twenty-two persons. Late as it is, I could not go to my rest without communicat- ing with you in this quiet way. My earnest pray- ers will be offered for God's benediction upon you and my dear children this night. From the same place he writes, March 28, 1870 : " This is a morning of perfect beauty and brighness after the rain, and my thoughts turn to dear Oak Lea as I think how it must look under this bright sunlight. I remember, too, with sadness that I turn my face again towards the South-west this evening, and journey farther away from home. But duty calls me, and there is work for God to be done there, and so I go with a cheerful spirit. This morning I received a note from Mr. C , telling me of a number to be confirmed and baptized at Caseyville. " I have read in the Episcopalian with intense delight and interest a reply to Bishop Potter's ' pastoral,' by one of the ' nine bishops :' it is from Bishop Alfred Lee, and is most admirable and unanswerable. Do read it carefully. I send WORK OF iZjO- 385 you a few lines from a poem by Owen Meredith. They are to me very fine, and I think you will enjoy them with me : they express so beautifully the blessedness of the effort to do good to others ; to elevate and bless our fellow-men. But I must conclude my letter. My fervent prayers are ever offered up for you, and it is an unspeakable comfort to com- mit you to God. May he ever abide with you. Love to my dear children." In the same letter he thus writes, out of the ful- ness of his great heart : " I have been intensely interested in reading the ' Ameri- can Convent. ' I can only exclaim, after reading the story of the system of deceit, fraud, treachery, immorality, and apostasy from God, ' How long, O Lord, just and true, how long ? ' I feel like devoting my whole life to the exposure of the ' mys- tery of iniquity,' and fervently thank God that I have been able in some feeble way to warn men against the insidious ap- proaches of the awful iniquity in our Church ! Oh ! that he may break the power of this fearful tyranny over the souls and bodies of our fellow men and women. His next letter is from Caseyville, and is dated : "Caseyville, Kv., Tuesday Night, March 29, 1870. " I am writing to you from this far-away, isolated point on the Ohio River, and have had some strange and novel expe- riences. Before I left Henderson I conversed with some of the vestry concerning the interests of the Church, and the results have been good. The steamer was due at five o'clock, but it was eight before we got off. I was told the boat reached Caseyville at t/iree o'clock a.m.! Mr. C met me and took me in his boat up a creek to hix house. Mr. C and his brother own coal mines here. They have a village 386 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. near them of the miners and their famiUes, and employ one hundred and twenty men. Though Hving remote from civiU- zation they are refined people and most kind. Mrs. C has two little daughters, twins, named Faith and Hope. This morning after breakfast Faith came with some wild flowers to my room to give me. At twelve o'clock we started in the little steamer for Casey ville, and at 2.30 we had service in the Presbyterian church. It was filled. I read the service, baptized four adults and one child, preached, confirmed ten persons, and addressed them. And this in a place where we never had a service before. Bishop Smith was at Mr. C 's father's house in 1837 — thirty-three years ago — but held no public service. To-morrow I go at eight o'clock several miles to baptize and confirm in private an old gentleman who is ill, then hold service again at 2.30, and also the next day at 10.30 o'clock, and administer the communion, and the same evening take the boat for Uniontown, reaching there at one or two o'clock in the morfiing !" In another letter, written March 31st, he says : " I have never worked harder in my life, being alone, and such constant services. I feel very weary with this long- protracted and steady work. Yesterday I went four miles further up the creek in the boat, and then rode some distance to a log-cabin, desolate in the extreme. Here out of a tea- cup I baptized the old man, and then confirmed him ! We got back at twelve o'clock, and at 1.30 started for Caseyville, and at 2.30 held service and preached again. We reach- ed Mr. C 's at five, and I would have gone to bed early, for I was very tired, but four of the miners came to talk with me, and they stayed until nine o'clock. They are Englishmen, and were very glad to be present at the services of the old Church again. This morning at 10.30 I hold ser- vice and preach ; baptize adults and children, confirm, and WORK OF 1870. 387 administer the communion. Then I must wait until six p.m., when I take the steamer for Uniontown, and reach there at twelve o'clock to-night. I feel that I am doing my Master's work, and this ought to cheer me." From Fulton County he writes, May 2, 1870: " I am here far off in the country, in a quiet farm-house, surrounded only by trees, and with no sounds save the songs of birds that make the woods ceaselessly melodious. Satur- day evening I held service and preached. Sunday morning dawned brightly and beautifully, and early the people began to gather from all the surrounding country from a distance of ten miles. The church was filled, and all the grounds around. It was a striking scene, and a primitive one. After the services the people were dismissed to eat their dinners — which they had brought in baskets — in the woods ; and were again summoned at two o'clock to service. Mr. C and Mr. P read the service and I preached. At eight o'clock we had a third service, and I confirmed Rev. Mr. P 's son. I was very much impressed with the good work this mission is doing among this plain uncultured people. The school is training the young to love our Services ; and the chapel service will gradually bring them to love our Church. This morning is most lovely, and the birds are singing on every side. This afternoon Mr. C drives me into Hick- man, nine miles distant, where I am to stay until Wednesday. This bright beautiful weather brings before me Oak Lea in its spring dress, and then I think of our future home, where it is to be, and try to leave all in the hands of God. I am anxious to hear of G , and whether he got off to Chi- cago, but more anxious to hear of your own inner life, and whether God in his great mercy has granted you relief from your great sorrow. Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ be yours !" 388 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. A farther glimpse is herewith given of a bishop's life in the out-of-the-way nooks of a western diocese : " Hickman, May 3, 1870. ' ' I am sitting in my room in this little town, not thirty yards from the great and majestic Mississippi, which is rolling on most rapidly, impressing you vividly with its great force. I am at the hotel, as Mrs. H , with whom I always stay, is in the East. The town is built on the river bank, which is gradually being washed away. On the hill is a Baptist church, where we hold services, bare and forlorn. It is dreadful to think of people permitting a house of God to be in such a condition, and argues a low sense of reverence for sacred things. Mr. C drove me into town yesterday, and I en- joyed the trees richly. What a contrast to turn from the purity and delicacy of God's works to those of men ! Is it wrong thus to shrink from all that is coarse and unrefined, I often ask myself. Is it shrinking from going among those to whom our blessed Lord ministered chiefly ? I trust not. I do try to preach the Gospel to them earnestly. I preached last night, and again this morning, baptized an infant, and administered the Lord's Supper. To-night I preach again. To-morrow go to Fulton Station, Thursday to Mayfield, and Friday to Paducah. Last evening I was sitting in my room at the hotel and the servant came in — a young Irishman — and said, ' My Lord, supper is ready ! ' Would not his lord- ship of have been delighted with the greeting ! " You will never know how the life I now lead binds me to my home. How I recur to it in thought as to an earthly paradise. It would be a terrible trial to me to have no home to return to, after all my weary wanderings and heart-sore- ness. May we think thus of our Father's house of ' many mansions,' and seek to ripen in meetness day by day for it, and for companionship with its blessed spirits ! How many WORK" OF 1870. 389 are there, dear to us, who love us still, and will rejoice to wel- come us to their heavenly home !" From Fulton Station, Ky., May 5th, 1870, he writes : " I am almost beyond the reach of civilization in this out of-the-way place, on the border line of Tennessee, and em- phatically in the woods. I have now reached the very farthest point in my journeyings, and to-day turn my face northward, beginning my slow progress towards my home. I visited, while at Hickman, two old ladies, members of our Church, eighty and eighty-three years of age. One is insane, the other very feeble. They are very poor, and I shall write to Dr. R to try to get the insane one into the asylum at Hopkinsville, and will raise money for the relief of the other. At six we arrived here. I preached to a roomful of rude, rough people. I had a little table before me ; on it I put my hat, and my sermon on it, and thus I preached ! Children were running about laughing during all the service, and one of them came up to my table, while I was preaching, to get some water ! Oh ! it was primitive indeed !" " Mayfield, Kv., May 6, " I reached this place at one o'clock yesterday. It is a neat little town of twelve hundred inhabitants. We held ser- vice in the Presbyterian church, and I preached to a large congregation. We returned to Mr. T 's, where I am staying, in a severe storm of thunder, lightning, and rain. I have preached twelve times in eight days, and am oftentimes very weary ; still, thank God, I am well. I am trying to do God's work earnestly, and to bear all sacrifices patiently. Pray for me continually that I may not ' grow weary in well- doing.' ' From Paducah he writes : 390 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. " Your beautiful description of Oak Lea makes me long inexpressibly to get back to my home ; but I must, with you, try to wean myself from it, as it is so soon to pass from us. It seems a strange history, and I do not care to dwell upon it for my own soul's good. I prefer to commit this, and all our interests, into the hands of our loving Heavenly Father, believing that he has some purpose of love in all these, to us, inexplicable trials. His mercies have been so great and unspeakable in the past, that I cannot doubt his loving-kind- ness for the future. Last night we held service, and I preached to a large congregation, and to-morrow I preach twice and confirm. I have just read your comforting letters after waiting so long for them. G is now in Chicago. I pray God to prosper him, and raise him up friends ! I am charmed with the programme of the ' Evangelical Alliance, ' and am glad to be associated with it. I see Dr. W 's name (of Calvary Church) is on it : this is a cause of rejoic- ing. I think your advice about Frankfort very wise. I do not think any thing will come of that matter. A;i} change would give me more work, more care and anxiety. I should greatly prefer a home at Pewee Valley to any part of Ken- tucky, but I am willing to leave our future entirely in God's hands. May all our ways be ordered by him alone !" In January of this year Bishop Cummins received the following letter : " Diocese of Ohio, Kokosing, Gambier, ) January 25, 1870. ) " Right Reverend and Dear Brother : A letter from Bishop Mcllvaine, received to-night, requests me to invite you in his name to deliver the Baccalaureate sermon at our next Commencement. I add my own request very earnestly to his, and can also assure you it will be very agreeable to the senior class. WORK OF 1870. 391 " I hope nothing will interfere with your compliance with our wishes ; and Mrs. Bedell and I shall hope for the plea- sure of your company at Kokosing — the long anticipated visit ! " Sincerely and affectionately your brother, " G. T. Bedell." The next letter from Bishop Cummins is written from Gambier, and is dated, " y««^ 25, 1870. — Through God's great goodness I am here safe, after a day of much suffering from the intense heat and dust. Bishop B 's carriage was at the station await- ing j>'^« and me ! On reaching his charming home I found both him and Mrs. B at the door to receive us. They expressed ^r^a/ regret at not seeing you. I can scarcely give you a definite idea of Gambier. It seems one wild succes- sion of wooded hills and deep valleys, with a beautiful stream — the Kokosing — flowing through them. The bishop's home is an elegant one, built of hewn and dressed stone, and fitted up most tastefully. The heat among,these high hills is intense, and no prospect of a change. " June 27. — The service at the chapel began at 7.30, and I preached my sermon. The congregation was large. The graduating class sat in front, and rose at the close of the ser- mon when I addressed them. I think the sermon was calcu- lated to leave an impression upon the minds of the class not soon to be forgotten. This morning I went over to the Theological Seminary with the bishop, to hear him examine his class. He is the Professor of Pastoral Theology, and lec- tures during the winter. To-night there is to be a meeting of the two literary societies in the college at the Hall, and we are all expected to attend. I take tea at President Tap- pan's, with the bishop and others, and go from there to the exercises of the societies. The heat is too great to enjoy any thing. 392 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. " Gambler^ June 28. — I have just returned from an ex- amination of the theological students at the seminary that lasted from nine o'clock until half-past twelve. I felt an in- tense interest in hearing the examinations by the professors of the classes, as all the vital questions now agitating our Church came before them. The professors here are all thor- oughly Evangelical men, and it was most delightful to listen to their questions ; they brought out all the distinct doctrines of the Gospel, and views of our Church as held by Bishop Mc- Ilvaine. And yet at this very time examinations are going on in New York which teach almost exactly the opposite ! I expect to leave here Thursday afternoon, and hope to reach home Friday evening." In the summer of 1870 the rector of St. Peter's Church, Baltimore, preached a sermon upon the oc- casion of the congregation worshipping for the first time in their new and beautiful edifice. We quote a passage from the sermon : " The Rev. George D. Cummins, D.D., was elected as tht fifth rector of St. Peter's Church, and his ministry began in September, 1858. In July, 1858, less than half of the pews in the church were rented, and not all of them occupied. During his ministry the church was filled to overflowing, and the corporation of St. Peter's was never in a more flourishing condition, in every respect, with regard to its temporal and spiritual interests. At the end of two years of his ministry as rector of St. Peter's the vestry attempted to sell the church, and actually bought a lot near the Eutaw House, on Paca Street, for the erection of a new edifice, which was greatly needed. This enterprise was arrested by questions of law, and by the want of entire unanimity, as under the ministry of Dr. Atkinson — now Bishop Atkinson, of North Carolina. " Dr. Cummins, as one of the most eloquent and stirring wonic OF 1870. 393 preachers of the Episcopal Church, was a burning and shining light in our midst. For five years, as rector of St. Peter's, he was abundant in labors. There were baptized by him in that time, 136 ; married, 64 ; confirmed, 217 ; added to the communicants, 310 ; burials, 82 ; contributed to Church purposes, $22,058. " In August, 1863, Dr. Cummins resigned the rectorship of St. Peter's, and after being rector of Trinity Church, Chicago, for a few years, was elected Assistant Bishop of Kentucky in the spring of 1866. In that office he is known as not only one of our most eloquent divines, but as one of the boldest and most honored defenders of the doctrines of the Reformation and of the Protestantism of the Episcopal Church." A clergyman of the Protestant Episcopal Church wrote from Gambler of the Baccalaureate sermon preached by Bishop Cummins, and of his visit to that interesting place thus : " At the close of the sermon the graduating class came forward to receive their charge, which was delivered with great earnestness, simplicity, and affection. We shall indulge in no other eulogy on the bishop's effort than to say we are looking forward with intenser interest and anticipation to the feast of Wednesday morning, when we are to listen to the ' ordination sermon ' from the same eloquent lips which have so enchained us to-day. We have reason to know that Bishop Cummins is as highly delighted with all he sees at Gambler as we are with him." CHAPTER XXXVII. VISIT TO NEW YORK, AND CONFERENCES. ' Not myself, but the truth that in life I have spoken — Not myself, but the seed that in life I have sown, Shall pass on to ages — all about me forgotten, Save the truth I have spoken, the things I have done." BONAR. Aged 48. DURING the months of June, July, August, and into September, we find a continuous record of Episcopal duty through the northern part of Ken- tucky. In September Bishop Cummins and his wife left Pewee Valley for Chicago, and on Sunday, i8th, he preached in the morning at Christ Church, and at night at Trinity Church, and on September 25th, he preached in St. James's Church in the morning and at night at Trinity Church in the same city. " October 2. — Assisted at the Memorial Church, Balti- more, in the morning in the communion, and at night preached in the same church. " October 9. — Preached in the morning at Ascension Church, Baltimore, and the evening of the loth in the new St. Peter's in the same city. " October 16. — Preached in the Church of the Atonement, New York, in the morning, and at the Church of the Incar- nation at night. VISIT TO NEW YORK, AND CONFERENCES. 395 " October 1 8. — I preached the sermon at the anniversary of the Evangelical Knowledge Society in the Church of the Holy Trinity, New York. " October 23. — Preached in the Memorial Church, Balti- more, in the morning, and at night at St. Peter's Church, in the same city." Bishop Cummins remained in New York some time, the guest of Colonel and Mrs. D . While there the evangelical clergy met to confer with him, at the house of Colonel D , respecting the position of the party, and their action in the coming General Con- vention, which was to meet in Baltimore, October, 1871. While there was entire unanimity among them — there were present in all about thirty-six, chiefly clergymen — no action was taken, but a memorial was agreed upon, to be presented to the Convention, ask- ing for liberty of action in certain things. Bishop Cummins returned to Kentucky, October 25th, 1870. From there he writes to his wife : " LiN'DEN Home, Fewer Valley, October 28, 1870. " I am once more safe in our darling child's home, hav- ing been brought to the end of my journey safely by the lov- ing kindness of our Heavenly Father. I was detained by an accident on the Marietta Railroad. L met me at the door, with our own precious Maude in her arms — his little granddaughter, born July 20th, 1870 — so plump, and sweet, and merry ! You may imagine my joy at seeing her, and taking her in my arms once more ! She has the gentlest, most tender look out of her eyes, and is so perfectly lovely and good that she seems to belong to another and better world than this. It is sweet to listen to her soft ' Coo,' in 39^ GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. response to the slightest notice taken of her. She is indeed God's precious gift to us all. The place is looking very nicely, and the house is as tasteful as it can be. T has a number of fine flowers in his office window. L has cared for me as she only can. I leave to-morrow for Mays- ville." " Flemingsburg, Ky., November I, 1870. " This is a morning of rare beauty. I wish I were by your side to breathe the pure mountain air that comes in at the west window at the cottage ! I have a long ride of thirty- two miles in the stage to-day to Mount Sterling. 1 leave at eleven o'clock, and do not reach Mount Sterling until eight to-night. ' ' Mount Sterling, November 2. " The stage at Flemingsburg was delayed two hours in starting. We left there at one o'clock and rode through a beautiful country. Mr. C met me twelve miles from Mount Sterling, and I had a moonlight ride through these high hills of Eastern Kentucky. We are twenty-two miles from the nearest railroad. This town is in the midst of the finest scenery, and a railway is projected to Paris. To- night I hold service in the Methodist church, and to-morrow go to Paris. If the church there is ready for consecration, I will hold that service on Friday ; if not, I will go to Cynthiana and return here for Sunday. ' ' " Cynthiana, Ky., November 4, 1S70. " Mr. C drove me to Paris yesterday, a distance of twenty-two miles. I found the church not ready for consecra- tion, so came here. I am to hold three services here, and preach each time, and to-morrow return to Paris to spend Sunday, 6th. ' ' Friday night. — This has been a busy day with me. I have held service and preached twice, and had a baptism in the after- VISIT TO NE W YORK, AND CONFERENCES. 397 noon. I have preached six times since Sunday morning last, travelled parts of three days in stages and carriages. I have been received everywhere with the greatest kindness and re- spect, and listened to with apparently deep interest. The people in these parishes are generally unacquainted with the trou- bles in our Church. Very few of them take any Church paper, and know but little of the controversies in which I have been engaged. I am sure your visit to dear mother [Mrs. Balch] will be a great comfort. It is precious to be able to guide and comfort and minister to others, and I pray that we may grow daily in grace and likeness to our Master. That passage in scripture and in one of our collects is often in my mind, ' Purify ourselves even as he is pure.' What a model and incentive ! May he help us in this life-long struggle with sin, and sanctify us by his grace and Holy Spirit ! God be with you ! ' Mizpah.' The Lord watch between thee and me, when we are parted one from the other !" From "Linden Home," Pewee Valley, Novem- ber 8th, Bishop Cummins writes : " I went into tow^n this morning and saw Dr. P about some church business, and dined with him. Rev. Mr. B and Rev. Mr. G were there to meet me. ^Ve talked about our meetings in New York, the Conferences, and the state of the Church. Rev. Mr. T has gone back to the Methodists. You will remember he told me of his terrible servitude under Bishop . I went over this afternoon to look at the church, and like it very much. I go into town this evening, stay all night at the hotel, and take the early train in the morning for Harrodsburg. Friday I go to Leba- non, and Saturday to Danville." The letters before us, written from November 9th to the 24th, are filled with a record of constant labor, 39^ GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. going rapidly from place to place, preaching almost every day. In one Bishop Cummins says : " I have preached seven times since Thursday — I write on Tuesday, November 2 2d — baptized and confirmed sev- eral times, and administered the communion. My life is a busy one, and I am often very weary, but I trust good has been done for my Master." In October his sermon preached before the Evangelical Knowledge Society, in the Church of the Holy Trinity, New York, was published. It was entitled " The Bible Doctrine of the Lord's Supper, a Contrast to Modern Errors." On the 28th November Bishop Cummins left Ken- tucky for Baltimore, and on the ist December he returned to New York, where he spent some days. On Sunday, 4th December, he preached twice in the Church of the Incarnation, and assisted in the admin- istration of the communion. On Monday night, December 5th, he met again the clergy who were like- minded with himself at Colonel D 's, and they had an earnest conference for several hours. Among the most prominent of these brethren were Rev. Dr. John Cotton Smith, Rector of the Church of the As- cension, and Rev. Stephen H. Tyng, Jr. There were about thirty-five clergymen at this conference. At these conferences the project of establishing a new Episcopal Church was fully discussed, and there was scarcely a dissenting voice as to the great need of such a church, and the probability of the co-operation of the laity if the General Convention denied them what they asked. The great difficulty in the way was the necessity (as they then believed) for three VISIT TO NEW YORK, AND CONFERENCES. 399 bishops to legally organize and establish a new Epis- copal Church. This difficulty was soon entirely removed, when the " Old Catholics" of Europe were fully recognized by Episcopal Churches, although they had had but . one excommunicated Jansenist bishop to consecrate Dr. Reinkens, the first bishop of their church, on the i ith of August, 1873. Bishop Cummins returned to the diocese Decem- ber 6th, and continued his work throughout the winter and spring. His report of services held, and of the growth of the Protestant Episcopal Church during the year, may be found in the Journal of the Diocese, published in New York in the summer of 1 87 1 . It was a cheering outlook for the earnest worker ; a precious reward for the years of toil and weariness ! In the summer of 1871 Bishop Cummins received the following letter from his friend Rev. Dr. Dyer, of New York : " Long Branch, July 4, 1871. " Mv Dear Bishop : I have had so many things to think of that I have not felt equal to writing you at length upon the Cheney case. And now, though I am at this sea-side retreat, I can only give the result of my thinking upon this subject. " I have not the shadow of a doubt that the proceedings in Illinois against Mr. Cheney are anti-Christ, and believ- ing this I should sin against God if I did not in every prac- ticable way treat them as null and void. I believe my Sav- iour will stand by Mr. Cheney, and recognize and honor him as his own disciple and minister. And I will stand by him and recognize him, so help me God. If this be schism, let it be schism. There are many things worse than schism. If this be revolution, there are many things worse than revo- lution. Our fathers in Church and State were guilty of both 40O GEORGE DA VID CUMMINS. of these, and yet history has written them down as heroes and martyrs. " I signed the letter to Mr. Cheney, not because it ex- pressed all my views, but because it was a testimony before the world. I felt that it would do good to give expression to our convictions and sentiments, and I thought our brother was entitled to such expression. I should have been glad to see your name attached to the document. At the same time I can appreciate your reasons for withholding it, and feel no disposition whatever to criticise your action. " I think, however, the cause is a common one, and deeply involves the Episcopate. In the end no part of our system will suffer more from this awful proceeding in Illinois than the Episcopate. So deeply do I feel all this that, were I a bishop, I should without delay take some measures to practically ignore the action of the Illinois authorities, and thus make the issue as broad and deep as possible. If our ecclesiastical authorities are going to acquiesce in such pro- ceedings and give them the dignity and authority of law, then the sooner a stand is taken the better ! But I need not write more. My native caution and conservatism are aroused on the one side, but my convictions — deep and strong — are on the other, and I know they are right. " May a Divine wisdom guide, and a Divine strength sup- port us in the work we have to perform. " Affectionately and truly yours in Christ, " H. Dyer. " The Right Rev. G. D. Cummins, D.D." This summer Bishop Cummins visited Cincinnati, and preached in Christ and St. James's Churches in that city. The bishop, while the guest of the rector of Christ Church, visited Bishop Mcllvaine at his home in Clifton. As he was about to leave, and VISIT TO NEW YORK, AND CONFERENCES. 4OI after a most earnest conversation on the part of the two bishops concerning the approaching General Convention, the position that should be assumed by the Evangelical party, of Bishop Mcllvaine's in- tended visit to Europe for the benefit of his failing health, and of his probable return in time for the Con- vention, Bishop Cummins said : " We are looking to you, my dear bishop, to lead us, like another Moses, out of our present state of bondage to freedom and liberty." Bishop Mcllvaine laid his hand on the shoulder of Bishop Cummins, and said most impres- sively : " Ah ! I am too old for any such contest, and too feeble. The younger Bishops, such as you, must fight the battle which is inevitable." On the ist of September Bishop Cummins left the home of his chil- dren, and spent the 3d in Cleveland, Ohio, on his way to the White Mountains. Sunday, lOth, he preached at the Profile House. From there he went to Bos- ton, and thence to Westerly, Rhode Island, where he preached twice on the 24th for his friend Rev. Mr. H '-, in St. John's Church in that town. From Westerly he went to Newport, and passed some days with Colonel and Mrs. D , and thence to New York to be the guest of friends. From New York Bishop Cummins went to Bergen Point, where he preached on Sunday, October ist, for the Rev. G. Z. G . On Monday, October 2d, he left for Baltimore to be present at the meeting of the General Convention. The deep interest and intense excitement of those three weeks are well remembered. After the most earnest debate, the famous "Declaration" was adopted by both houses. By some members of the EvangeUcal party it was accepted as giving the Low 402 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. Churchmen the liberty — or at least a part of it — for which they had prayed. But Bishop Cummins saw no relief whatever in the " Declaration." He felt that it would never remedy the evils from which the Evangelical party were suffering, and plainly expressed himself to this effect. He came away from the Gen- eral Convention of 1871 sad and dispirited. He was not disappointed, for he had had no hope that any thing would be done to relieve the consciences of some of his brethren. His deep sadness was caused by find- ing that some Evangelical men were satisfied with a " Declaration" that admitted of two entirely opposite interpretations, as Dr. Dix, of New York, showed plainly in a sermon preached in Trinity Church in that city a Sunday or two after the Convention ad- journed. During the Convention Bishop Cummins preached twice in Holy Trinity Church, Philadelphia, and in Ascension, and in St. Peter's Church, Baltimore, and in Trinity Church, Washington, and St. John's and Christ Church, Georgetown, D. C. He also preached in the Church of Our Saviour, Baltimore, October i8th, and on October 29th in the Church of the Epiphany and Church of the Mediator, Philadelphia. He also took an active part in the meetings of the Evangelical So- cieties held in Baltimore in October, and made an ad- dress at St. Peter's Church in their behalf. Returning to the diocese we find a record of un- ceasing work through the late autumn, winter, and spring. In one of his etters written at this time he says : " Richmond, Ky., November 21, 1871. " Yesterday morning I left Danville for this place. Rev VISIT TO NEW YORK, AND CONFERENCES. 403 Mr. B joined me on the way. We were met at the sta- tion by Colonel R , and driven to his house, a beautiful home built fifty years ago. He reminds me of dear father, is tall and dignified. His father settled here in 1783, coming soon after Daniel Boone : the whole house reminds you of the olden time ! I have been reading the debates on Ritual- ism, and am delighted above measure with Dr. Vinton's no- ble speech. The first part ought to be printed separately and scattered broadcast over the Church. Do not fail to keep the Church papers ; I am so deeply interested in seeing the responses of different parties to the action of the Convention. At seven o'clock we held service again, and I preached to a still larger congregation. This morning Colonel R came in while it was yet dark to awaken us, and soon we set out to drive to the station. It wai. snowing and very cold. Reached Lancaster at nine o'clock, and drove over in a buggy to * Crab Orchard,' twelve miles distant. ... I long to get home to be with all my dear family. May our merciful Saviour prepare us to spend an eternity of bliss together in his presence. What a thrilling thought is that of Eternity ! Everlasting life ! How truly ' we know not what we shall be. ' But only this should be our care, to ' purify ourselves even as he is pure,' to be fitted to see him, and enjoy his pres- ence whom having not seen we do love, with all our frailties and imperfections. ' From Lebanon, Ky., November 24th, 1871, he writes : " I have had a week of rough travelling and constant ser- vices. The weather is very cold and disagreeable. I have preached every night since last Thursday, nine times, and have three more services to hold." We quote from Bishop Ciimmins's journal of official 404 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. work. Throughout the entire winter of 1871-2 he was scarcely ever at home, being constantly occupied in travelling from place to place : " February 19. — I commenced a course of lectures in St. Paul's Church, Louisville, occupying a fortnight. During this time I delivered twenty lectures and addresses." His work during the Lenten season was always heavy, as he particularly desired to make this time one of special blessing to the congregations in various parts of the diocese. The Convention met at New- port, Ky., in May, 1872, and was an unusually inter- esting one, as the question of the senior bishop's removal to Hoboken, N. J., was brought before the Convention. By his removal, however, no ju- dicial authority was conferred upon Bishop Cummins. This the High Church and Ritualistic party would not listen to, so that the entire work of the diocese was still to be done by the assistant bishop, while no power was given him whatever. This, of course, entirely prevented Bishop Cummins from putting a check upon the rapid growth of the novelties that so dis- turbed the peace of the Protestant Episcopal Church. In August Bishop and Mrs. Cummins visited Chicago, where Mrs. Cummins sought medical advice. In the autumn she was ill, and her physician decided that it was necessary she should spend the winter in Florida. The bishop conferred with the senior bishop and Standing Committee, and with their ap- proval left Kentucky late in November for Macon, Ga., where Bishop and Mrs. Cummins spent three weeks. The kind and sympathizing letter of the Standing VISIT TO NE W YORK, AND CONFERENCES. 405 Committee received by Bishop Cummins before he left home is here inserted : "Diocese of Kentucky, Louisville, November 16, 1872. " Mv Dear Bishop Cummins : At a meeting of the Standing Committee held to-day your letter of the 13th inst, was read. " The committee deeply sympathize with you in this painful call of duty to your dear wife, and in the privations and anxieties of a journey undertaken at this inclement sea- son to dwell among a strange people. With our earnest pray- ers that the Father of mercies will preserve and guard you, restore the health of your wife, and sanctify the trial, accept this testimony of affectionate sympathy from the Standing Committee of the diocese. " I am, very truly yours, " Wm. Cornwall, Secretary.'' At such a time of trial this letter was deeply appre- ciated by Bishop Cummins. He responded to it ex- pressing fully his grateful acknowledgment of the kind- ness of the Standing Committee. He also received an equally kind letter from Bishop Smith. Although not rightly belonging here, we give a letter received the previous spring from the senior bishop, as it belongs to the history of Bishop Cum- mins's episcopate and was overlooked. " Frankfort, April 16, 1872. '' Right Rev. Dr. Cummins., Assistant Bishop of Kentucky : " My Dear Bishop : I have seriously under consideration laying the following propositions before the approaching Con- vention : " I. Relinquishing one half of my salary, one thousand dollars a year. 406 GEORGE DA VID CUMMINS. "2. Asking leave to live out of the diocese the few re- maining days of my life. " 3. Devolving the administration of the diocese and all its work upon the assistant bishop. " B. B. Smith. " P.S. — This letter is not ofificial. Its object is to pre- vent surprise by the Convention. Reasons will be given when the subject comes up. B. B. S." The subject was not allowed to be fully discussed at the Diocesan Convention, which met the following May, at Newport, Ky., because the extreme men of the High Church party, hearing of Bishop Smith's intention of transferring the administrative power to Bishop Cummins, at once opposed it ; " for," said a very prominent layman, " Ritualism ivould be dead in twenty-four hours, if Bishop Cummins be allowed to exercise any power in the diocese." The one con- dition upon which this party consented to give their votes for Bishop Smith's removal from Kentucky was, ' ' that lie should retain ALL authority, ' ' and thus a majority of votes were cast allowing the non-resi- dence of the senior bishop. All business was there- after transacted by Bishop Smith while a resident at Hoboken. Thus Bishop Cummins, while doing all the work of the diocese, had no authority to forbid, or even to remonstrate against practices to which his whole soul was conscientiously opposed. And yet it has often been said, " Why did not Bishop Cummins remain the assistant bishop of Kentucky, and fight against these errors in the Church?" Had he not done so bravely and untiringly since October, 1868 ? It was the opinion of her physician in Macon, VISIT TO NE W YORK, AND CONFERENCES. 40/ Ga., that Mrs. Cummins should go to Florida. Accordingly, on the 19th December Bishop and Mrs. Cummins left Macon for Savannah, where the)^ spent several days, the bishop preaching twice in Christ Church in that c\X.y. From Savannah he and his wife went to Hibernia, Fla., on the St. John's River, where they remained until March ist, 1873. From Hi- bernia they went up the river to Palatka ; there they passed a fortnight, and then returned to Macon, eii route for Kentucky. Immediately on reaching the diocese Bishop Cummins commenced his visitations, which were continued without interruption until the meeting of the Convention, which was held that year in Christ Church, Lexington, May 27th and 28th. In a letter dated Paducah, Ky., April 26th, 1873, he thus sums up his work : " Thus I have had twelve days of steady work, almost without intermission. I preached three times at Owensboro, five times at Henderson, three at Uniontown, twice at Casey- ville, and three times here ; fourteen times in all, and six con- firmations. I have two more services at Hopkinsville, and then will be home ! May the same loving Hand that has shielded and protected us so often be over us now and bring us to meet again." Amid the record of unceasing work, we find this entry : " May 9. — Attended the funeral of Bishop Mcllvaine in Christ Church, Cincinnati." The death oi this great and good man was a se- vere trial to Bishop Cummins, who had loved and revered him much, and to whom he often went for counsel. 408 GEORGE DA VID CUMMINS. After the meeting of the Convention Bishop Cum- mins visited, preached, and confirmed in Lexington, Louisville, St. Matthew's Church, Jefferson County, Mount Sterling, Pewee Valley, Cynthiana, George- town, Elizabeth town, Versailles, Maysville, and Sep- tember 4th, preached the sermon at the reopening of St. Paul's Church, Louisville, after it had been re- modelled and enlarged. The title of the sermon is " Old and New St. Paul's Church," the text, Haggai 2:9, It was published in pamphlet form at the re- quest of the rector and vestry. " September 7. — -St. Paul's Church, Louisville — in the morning assisted in the communion, and preached at St. James's Church, Jefferson County, in the afternoon, and confirmed eight persons. In the evening preached in St. Paul's Church, Louisville. " Sepie/nber 14, 1873. — In the morning preached at St. Andrew's Church, Louisville, 'and confirmed three persons." This is the last entry of official work in Kentucky as the assistant bishop of that diocese ; but how un- conscious he was that it was to be the last ! Before passing on to the momentous history of the autumn of 1873, we give a general summary of Bishop Cummins's work for the year up to May 28th, 1873, as reported by him : " Visitations to parishes and missions, 54 ; number of confirmations, 36 ; number of persons confirmed, 366 ; ser mons and addresses, 170 ; administered the holy communion 15 times ; ordained presbyters, 2 ; laid corner-stones, 2 ; consecrated churches, 3 ; baptized, 11 ; funerals, 2." He then touches upon a number of topics, viz., VISIT TO NEW YORK, AND CONFERENCES. 409 " Changes among the Clergy of the Diocese." "Candi- dates for Orders," " Marks of Church Growth during the past Year," " The Consecration of New Church- es," " The Work of Missions within the Diocese, ' ' etc. , and then mentions tenderly and lovingly the deaths of three bishops — Upfold, Eastburn, and Mcllvaine — and further draws attention to " the need for caring properly for the Theological Library of the diocese," and " for establishing a Church reading-room," and finally he earnestly asks, " How our Annual Conven- tions can be made occasions more profitable to our- selves spiritually, and a source of good which shall be felt throughout the diocese as we return to our re- spective fields of labor?" CHAPTER XXXVIII. THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. " Here I stand— I cannot do otherwise — God help me," — Luther. Aged 51. THE meeting of the Evangelical Alliance in this country was to have taken place in 1871 ; but ow- ing to the disturbance in Europe, caused by the war then raging between France and Germany, it was decided to postpone it until the autumn of 1873. In 1 87 1 Bishop Cummins, with several other American clergymen, were chosen speakers on the occasion of the meeting of the Alliance, and his name was retained until 1873. It was to attend this most interesting assemblage that he left Kentucky the 15th September. Bishop Bedell had requested Bishop Cummins to hold a con- firmation for him in Hillsborough, Ohio, and on his way to New York Bishop Cummins passed several days among his friends there, and preached and con- firmed in the Protestant Episcopal Church in that town. From Hillsborough he went to Syracuse, N. Y., and Providence, R. I., to visit friends. In these cities he preached several times. From Providence he went to Hoosac, N. Y., to visit a dear friend, and while there preached and confirmed in the beautiful church erected by his friend as a me- THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 4II morial to his daughter. From Hoosac Bishop Cum- mins went to New York, and throughout the meeting of the EvangeHcal AUiance he was the guest of the Church of the Holy Trinity, Rev. Dr. S. H. Tyng, Jr., rector, and was pleasantly accommodated at the Windsor Hotel, Fifth Avenue. It is not intended to give in this memoir a history of the Reformed Episcopal Church, except so far as it is connected with Bishop Cummins personally. To others far better fitted for such a work this labor is left. A " Memoir of the Reformed Episcopal Church " has already been carefully prepared by Colonel Aycrigg, of Passaic, N. J., and doubtless in time other able pens will tell her story for future generations. Only so far as is needful to form a distinct chain of histori- cal evidence, as effecting the life and work of Bishop Cummins, will we make use of the valuable and abun- dant material before us. It will be evident to all how necessary such a course is in a work which is simply a record of the life of one who acted from a conscien- tious sense of duty. On Sunday, October 12th, 1873, Bishop Cummins took part in the joint communion service held in Rev. Dr. John Hall's church, in the city of New York. A clergyman, formerly a Protestant Episcopal min- ister, who had conversed with Dr. John Hall on the recent memorable communion in Dr. Adams's Church, mentioned to Bishop Cummins that it would give Dr. Hall pleasure to unite with him in the communion service, wMch was to take place in Dr. Hall's church on the following Sunday. Meeting Bishop Cummins during the week for the first time, at a public gathering of the Alliance at the church of Dr. Hepworth, Dr. 412 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. Hall invited the former to occupy his pulpit on the following Sunday morning. Bishop Cummins having engaged to preach for his friend Rev. Mr. Postle- thwaite, was unable to accept the invitation, but cor- dially acceeded to Dr. Hall's desire that he would be present to take part in the communion service in the afternoon. Rev. Dr. \Vm. Arnot, of Edinburgh, and Professor Dorner, of Berlin, also took part in the ser- vices. On Sunday, October 5th, the Rev. Dr. R. Payne Smith, Dean of Canterbury, assisted in a like service at Rev. Dr. Adams's Church, New York, and the Rev. Canon Freemantle, of London, Church of England, at Rev. Dr. Booth's church in the same city. In the col- umns of the New York Tribune, October 6th, appeared a letter from an English clergyman — Rev. Dr. Tozer — late Missionary Bishop to Zanzibar, to the Dean of Canterbury, and one to Bishop Potter, of New York, censuring the dean for his participation in the joint communion service. To this letter Bishop Cummins replied October 13th, in the Tribune as follows : A REPLY TO DR. TOZER, BY BISHOP CUMMINS, OF KENTUCKY. To the Editor of the Tribune : " Sir : In common with a vast number of Christian peo- ple, and especially of Episcopalians, I have been exceedingly pained to read in your columns this morning a communica- tion from the ' late missionary Bishop of Zanzibar, ' to Bishop Horatio Potter, of this city, severely censuring the Dean of Canterbury for his participation in a union communion ser- vice at the Rev. Dr. Adams's church, on the afternoon of October 5 th. * ' The eminent and profound scholar the Dean of Canter- THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 413 bury is able to defend himself against this attack. But I too am a bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church, and one of three bishops of the same Church who have partici- pated in the work of this Sixth General Conference of the Evangelical Alliance. On last Sunday afternoon, October 1 2th, I sat at the table of the Lord in the church of the Rev. Dr. John Hall, and partook of the Lord's Supper with him and the Rev. Dr. Arnot, of Edinburgh, and administered the cup to the elders of Dr. Hall's church. I deny most em- phatically that the Dean of Canterbury or myself have vio- lated ' the ecclesiastical order ' of the Church of England, or of the Protestant Episcopal Church in this country, or have been guilty of an act of ' open hostility to the discipline ' of said Churches. There is nothing in the ' ecclesiastical order * or ' discipline ' of the Church of England, or of the Prot- estant Episcopal Church in this country forbidding such an act of inter-communion among Christian people who are one in faith and love, one in Christ their great Head. The Church of England does not deny the validity of the orders of ministers of the non-Episcopal churches. Some of her greatest and noblest divines and scholars have gladly recog- nized their validity. For many years after the beginning of the Reformation, Presbyterian divines were received in Eng- land and admitted to parishes without reordination, as Peter Martyr and Martin Bucer, who held seats as professors of theology in the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. " I cannot believe that, as Bishop Tozer states, ' the larger part of the so-called Evangelical section of the [Episcopal] Church in New York share his feeling. ' As far as I know them, the liberal Episcopalians of New York rejoice in the action of the Dean of Canterbury, and thank God for it. When the Episcopal Church of England and the United States has been able to clear herself (which may God in his infinite mercy soon grant it !) of the deadly evil of Ritualism, whose last development is the revival of the Confessional, then, and 414 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. not till then, may she become a * haven of rest ' to many souls who would rejoice to see her the common centre and bond of organic unity to all Protestant Christendom. " George David Cummins, " Assistant Bishop of Kentucky, " N"ew York, October 13, 1873." Well do we remember the scene in the beautiful church that fair October Sabbath afternoon ! We entered the building ; it was crowded ; every seat oc- cupied by some of the most refined people of New York and other cities. In the chancel was arranged, on a large table draped with fair linen, the costly silver vessels for the celebration of the Lord's Supper. On one side sat the venerable Dr. Arnot, one of Scotland's most scholarly men, and by his side the Assistant Bishop of Kentucky ; on the other the well-known German professor. Dr. Dorner ; and the pastor occu- pied the centre. Hymns sung by the whole congre- gation, earnest prayers and short addresses formed the service. Before the bread was distributed Dr. Arnot made a short and impressive address ; before the cup was administered Bishop Cummins spoke for a few moments. A stillness that could be felt per- vaded that vast building ; not a sound was heard save the clear voice, so full of sweetness and the deepest fervor ; yet so low and solemn as to affect every one present. Tenderly he told of his joy in being there ; of the blessing of partaking of that precious feast of remembrance with those who were children of one Father ; of that great gathering of all who love the Lord Jesus hereafter " in the many mansions," and of this sweet foretaste of the " eternal union" in the THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 415 "house not made with hands." There were not many eyes there that were not filled with tears. Many wept as Bishop Cummins dwelt upon the union of those who love and follow Christ here. How need- ful when they must spend eternity together ! Dr. Dorner pronounced the benediction. Dr. Arnot, on leaving the church, embraced Bishop Cummins, and spoke loving words to him. The aged soldier of Jesus was soon after called to be with his Master, " ivhom not seeing he loved." The letter of Bishop Cummins of October 13th, brought out a severe article from Rev. Mr, Drumm, of Bristol, Penn., to which the bishop replied : ' * To the Editor of the Tribune : *' Sir : The Rev. Mr. Drumm, of Bristol, Perm., chal- lenges the truth of my statements concerning the attitude of the earliest Reformers of England toward the non-Epis- copal churches, and asks for authority to support them. " Professor Fisher, of Yale College, the latest and most scholarly English historian of the Reformation, sustains my statement in almost identical words. He says (pages 332 and 333, History of Reformation. Scribner, Armstrong & Co., N. Y., 1873) : ' The Episcopal constitution of the English Church for a long period put no barrier in the way of the most free and fraternal relations between that body and the Protestant churches of the Continent. Cranmer placed for- eign divines in very responsible places in the English Church. Ministers who had received Presbyterian ordination were ad- mitted to take charge of English parishes without a question as to the validity of their orders. ' Among easily accessible authorities I refer Mr. Drumm to Strype's Annals, vol. ii. page 514 ; Keble's Preface to Hooker, page 76 ; Hallam's Constitutional History, page 224 ; Macaulay's History of 41 6 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. England, page 132. The latter says : ' Episcopal ordination was now for the first time [1662] made an indispensable qual- ification for preferment.' Keble says : ' Nearly up to the time that Hooker wrote, numbers had been admitted to the University of the Church of England with no better than Presbyterian ordination. ' " If Mr. Drumm desires further authorities he shall not be disappointed. It is indeed a source of inexpressible sor- row to find that an effort to bring all believers together around the table of our common Lord should be met by reproach and contumely. " George David Cummins, ^'Assistant Bishop of Kentucky. " New York, October 16, 1873." To this letter many replies were made in the va- rious newspapers, both religious and secular ; some on the part of High Church Episcopalians; the others by non- Episcopalians and Evangelical men in the Prot- estant Episcopal Church. We are not willing that these pages should be sullied by the bitter invective, the ter- rible abuse hurled upon one who had only partaken of that supper instituted by our blessed Lord before the early Church had taken definite form — certainly very long before " Apostolical succession" was taught. As far as is possible we gladly draw a veil over the vast number of abusive letters which at that time filled many columns of the daily papers. Throughout the length and breadth of the land the excitement was felt. Editorials as well as communications from the clergy and laity were written. " Never before," says a prominent clergyman, " has any thing caused such intense excitement — every one is talking of it." THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 4^7 Bishop Cummins did not reply to any of these attacks upon himself. His position was most ably de- fended by his friend and brother, -' " Historicus," and others, and after his two letters of October 13th and i6th he felt it to be best that lie should take no notice all that was said against him. But he felt deeply that his position in the Protestant Episcopal Church was indeed changed. While he had for many years felt intensely the inroads made by the Ritualists into the church of his love, and while he had earnestly and to the utmost of his power combated those errors, and although the necessity of forming a new and thoroughly Evangelical Episcopal Church had been frequently discussed, yet to the very last inojucnt Bishop Cinnniins clung with ardefit affection to the Protestant Episcopal Church, hoping and praying each day that God would send him and others like minded deliverance within the Church, by allowing them the free use of alternate phrases in the Prayer Book, whereby they could \vithout scruple of conscience minister in her fold. It is a joy to be able to record here that no one — and we say it advisedly — who came in contact with Bishop Cummins at that or any other time ever heard him utter one unkind word of his assailants. Most deeply wounded his loving heart often was, es- pecially when the contemptuous expressions or un- kind words came from from those who had been his friends so long. The storm of bitterness had not spent itself when the great and momentous question arose in Bishop Cummins's mind, whether he could longer remain in * Rev. Mason Gallagher. 41 8 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. a church where he had been so harshly judged, and where he could not expect ever after to meet with any thing but censure and disapproval. This thought occupied his mind for many days. He most ear- nestly sought guidance from his Master. It was a time of deep heart-searchings on his part, and of close communion with his God. At last the decision was made — light came to him — he saw his way clearly marked out, but he went out of the Church in which he had so faithfully labored twenty-eight years alone, with nothing definite before him in the future, but knowing that the Lord guided him. This decision was reached November 9th, 1873. The next day the follow ing letter was written to Bishop Smith : " New York, November 10, 1873. " To the Right Rev. Benjamin Bosivorth Smith, D.D., Bishop of the Frotestajtt Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Ken- tucky : " Right Reverend and Dear Bishop : Under a sol- emn sense of duty, and in the fear of God, I have to tell you that I am about to retire from the work in which I have been engaged for the last seven years in the diocese of Ken- tucky, and thus to sever the relations which have existed so happily and harmoniously between us during that time. " It is due to you and to my many dear friends in the diocese of Kentucky and elsewhere that I should state clearly the causes which have led me to this determination. ' ' First, then, you well know how heavy has been the trial of having to exercise my office in certain churches in the dio- cese of Kentucky, where the services are conducted so as to symbolize and to teach the people doctrines subversive of the ' truth as it is in Jesus,' and as it was maintained and de- fended by the Reformers of the sixteenth century. THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 419 " On each occasion that. I have been called upon to offi- ciate in those churches, I have been most painfully unpressed by the conviction that I was sanctioning and indorsing by my presence and official acts the dangerous errors symbolized by the services customary in Ritualistic churches. " I can no longer, by my participation in such services, be ' a partaker of other men's sins,' and must clear my own soul of all complicity in such errors. " 2 I have lost all hope that this system of error, now prevailing so extensively in the Church of England and in the Protestant Episcopal Church in this country, can be, or will be eradicated by any action of the authorities of the Church, legislative or executive. The only true remedy in my judgment, is the judicious yet thorough revision of the Prayer Book, eliminating from it all that gives countenance, directly or indirectly, to the whole system of Sacerdotalism and Ritualism : a revision after the model of that recommended by the Commission appointed in England under royal au- thority in 1689, and whose work was indorsed by the great names of Burnet, Patrick, TiUotson, and Stillingfleet, and others of the Church of England-a blessed work which failed, alas ! to receive the approval of Convocation but was taken up afterwards by the fathers of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States, and embodied in the Prayer Book of 1785, which they set forth and recommended for use in this country. . , , " I propose to return to that Prayer Book, sanctioned by William White, and to tread in the steps of that saintly man, as he acted from 1785 to 1789. . "3 One other reason for my present action remains to be given. On the last day of the late Conference of the Evan- gelical Alliance I participated in the celebration of the Lord s iupper, by invitation, in the Rev. Dr. John Hall's church m the city of New York, and united with Dr. Hall, Dr. W m. Arnot, of Edinburgh, and Professor Dorner, of Berlin, in that 420 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. precious feast. It was a practical manifestation of the real unity of ' the blessed company of all faithful people' whom ' God hath knit together in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of his son Jesus Christ. ' The results of that participation have been such as to prove to my mind that such a step cannot be taken by one occupying the position 1 now hold without sadly disturbing the peace and harmony of ' this Church, ' and without impairing my influence for good over a large portion of the same Church, very many of whom are within our own diocese. " As I cannot surrender the right and privilege thus to meet my fellow-Christians of other churches around the table of our dear Lord, I must take my place where I can do so without alienating those of my own household of faith. " I therefore leave the Communion in which I have la- bored in the sacred ministry for over twenty-eight years, and transfer my work and office to another sphere of labor. I have an earnest hope and confidence that a basis for the union of all Evangelical Christendom can be found in a com- munion which shall retain or restore a primitive Episcopacy and a pure scriptural liturgy, with a fidelity to the doctrine of justification by faith only — Articulus stantis vel cadentis EccLESiiE — a position to which the Old Catholics in Europe are rapidly tending, and which has already taken a definite form in the ' Church of Jesus, ' in Mexico. " To this blessed work I devote the remaining years of life, content if I can only see the dawn of that blessed day of the Lord. ' ' I am, dear bishop, faithfully yours in Christ, " George David Cummins. ' ' My address for the present is No. 2 Bible House, New York." To this letter Bishop Smith replied, urging Bish- THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 421 op Cummins to reconsider his determination, and giving his views of Bishop Cummins' s action. A few brethren of the clergy and laity who had long felt it to be impossible to remain in the Protestant Episcopal Church, but who preferred a liturgy and simple ritual, conferred with Bishop Cummins in ''an upper chamber" in New York, and at i*as- saic, N. J., Out of these prayerful conferences grew the "Reformed Episcopal Church," which stands to-day the youngest, yet the well-beloved of the Evangelical churches of this country, England, and Canada. On the 15th November Bishop Cummins put forth a circular-letter which we give : " New York, November 15, 1873. " Dear Brother : The following circular-letter has been prepared in consultation with a few friends like minded with myself, who are now or have been ministers and laymen in the Protestant Episcopal Church. It is sent to you for your ear- nest consideration. If approved by you, please sign your name to it, and thus give your consent to the transfer of your name to the original document for publication and more gene- ral circulation. " Your brother in the Lord, " George David Cummins. ' ' No. 1 1 East Fifty-seventh Street. " New York, November 13, 1873. " Dear Brother : The Lord has put into the hearts of some of his servants who are, or have been, in the Protestant Episcopal Church, the purpose of restoring the old paths of their fathers and of returning to the use of the Prayer Book of 1785, set forth by the General Convention of that year. 422 GEORGE DA VID CUMMINS. u/ider the special guidance of the venerable William White, D,D., afterwards the first bishop of the same Church in this country. " The chief features of that Prayer Book, as distinguished from the one now in use, are the following : " I. The word ^ priest ' does not appear in the book, and there is no countenance whatever to the errors of Sacerdo- talism. " 2. The Baptismal Offices, the Confirmation Office, the Catechism, and the Order for the Administration of the Lord's Supper contain no sanction of the errors of Baptismal regen- eration, the Real presence of the body and blood of Christ in the elements of the communion, and of a Sacrifice offered by a priest in that sacred feast. " These are the main features that render the Prayer Book of 1785 a thoroughly scriptural liturgy, such as all Evan- gelical Christians who desire liturgical worship can use with a good conscience. " On Tuesday, the 2d day of December, 1873, a meeting will be held in Association Hall, corner of Twenty-third Street and Fourth Avenue, in the city of New York, at ten o'clock A.M., to organize an Episcopal Church on the basis of the Prayer Book of 1785 : a basis broad enough to em- brace all who hold * the faith once delivered to the saints, ' as that faith is maintained by the Reformed churches of Chris- tendom ; with no exclusive and unchurching dogmas toward Christian brethren who differ from them in their views of polity and church order. " This meeting you are cordially and affectionately in- vited to attend. The purpose of the meeting is to organize^ and not to discuss the expediency of organizing. A verbatim reprint of the Prayer Book of 1785 is in press, and will be i^3ued during the month of December. " May the Lord guide you and us by his Holy Spirit. " George David Cummins." THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 423 This circular-letter was distributed freely through- out the country. Most unexpectedly Bishop Cuimmns found a copy of " the Bishop White Prayer Book in the library of a friend who had at great pains obtained it from England. Through the liberality of another friend an edition was printed for circulation. ' ' On Sunday evening, November 9th [we quote from a lead- ing Methodist Episcopal Church paper P^^l^s^;^^ /^/^r' York] Bishop Cummins occupied the pulpit of St. Pauls Methodist Episcopal Church in this city. His sermon, which tas richly evangelical, was an exposition of the -penor value of the knowledge of Christ to all other ^no-ledge At d.e dose of his sermon a brief reference to the venerable Dr. Durbin-who was present-as the means of his conversion more than thirty years ago, excited deep emotions in the con- ^egation. Bishop Cummins should have the support of all Evangelical Episcopahans without exception; he has the sympathy of all evangelical Christians. We rejoice to see an Episcopal bishop throw compromise away, and dare to act out his honest convictions. But must he stand alone ? The editor of the same paper writes as follows, later : " With his strong convictions on this subject there was but one course open to Bishop Cummins, either to figh out the battle of true Chrisdanity in the Protestant Episcopal Church or to quit it altogether. . . . He niay have good reason for thinking that within the Church the battle is hope- less The disparagement of Bishop Cummins, which has been indulged in by some High Churchmen, will most surely react upon'the disparagers. The writer of this article ha known Bishop Cummins for nearly forty years^ He was educated in Dickinson College under Durbin, Emory, Mc- 424 GEORGE DA VID CUMMINS. Clintock, Allen, and Caldwell, men who had no superiors in their day. . . . The transition of Bishop Cummins to the Protestant Episcopal Church was perfectly natural, . , . and he left, if with the regret, yet with the good-will of his Methodist associates. His career as an Episcopal minister has been both brilliant and successful. He was at once made the assistant of Dr. Johns, of Baltimore — in his day the most important Protestant Episcopal clergyman of that city. As to scholarship, he is the peer of his impugners, which is quite sufficient for their objections. ... It seems to us that all churches should honor this conscientiousness, this breaking away from galling fetters and reaching forth for Christian fellowship. No one severs the associations of years without undergoing most severe trials." An article appeared at this time in a Baltimore daily paper, in which Bishop Cummins is represented as " having proposed to Bishop Mcllvaine so long ago as at the meeting of the General Convention held in Baltimore in 1871, that the Evangelicals should withdraw from the Church and set up a new ecclesiastical organization, but that Bishop Mcllvaine decidedly refused to give any encouragement to the project." The simple truth of this statement is what has already been given in these memoirs. Many of the Evangelical party in the Protestant Episcopal Church at that time, and for years previously, were far more advanced in their views than Bishop Cummins, and those most familiar with the history of the Church know this to be true. He most earnestly desired Bishop Mcllvaine to take n prominent and decisive part in the General Convention of 1871 ; but while their views were entirely alike on the subject of the great need of THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 425 either revision of the Prayer Book, or the subst.'tu- tion of alternate phrases (see Bishop Mcllvaine's letters to Bishop Cummins), thereby giving more lib- erty to the Evangelical clergy. Bishop Mcllvaine's health was then such as to preclude his encountering any mental excitement. His physicians had ordered him to go abroad again to avoid any such excitement, and this was why he said, " this work must be done by the younger bishops, such as you," etc. The writer was present and heard every word that passed, and during the entire interview nothing was said by either bishop respecting a new church. All the con- versation was upon the need of an earnest battle within the Church for the rights of the Evangelical party. Even at the conferences held in 1870, in New York, the idea of another Church was spoken of only as a dernier ressort, when every thing else had been tried. Those, however, who composed the House of Bishops in 1871 will remember the intensely earnest appeal made by Bishop Cummins for the relief of those of like mind with himself, and the grand speech of Bishop Mcllvaine in support of this appeal. On the 24th November Bishop Cummins received the following letter : " HoBOKEN, N. J., November 22, 1873. ''Right Rev. Geo. D. Cummins, D.D., late Assistant Bishop of Kentucky : " Upon the evidence of a printed copy of your letter to me, dated November loth, 1873, in the hands of the Rev. Dr. Perkins, a member of the Standing Committee of Ken- tucky, at a meeting of said committee duly convened in the vestry-room of Christ Church, Louisville, on the i8th day 426 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. of November, 1873, in accordance with the provisions of canon eighth, title eleventh, of the Digest, did certify to me that the Right Rev. George David Cummins, D.D.,for some time Assistant Bishop of Kentucky, has abandoned the communion of the Protestant Episcopal Church. " In accordance with the second paragraph of the same canon it becomes my painful duty to give you official notice ' that unless you shall, within six months, make declaration that the fact alleged in said certificate is false, you will be deposed from the ministry of this Church. ' " B. B. Smith, * Bishop of Kentucky and Presiding Bishop. ' ' Though not in regular order of date, we give herewith letters, or extracts of letters, received by Bishop Cummins about this time. The first was re- ceived while he was in Philadelphia attending the meetings of the Evangelical Societies, and some weeks before he determined to leave the Protestant Episco- pal Church. It is from the Dean of Canterbury : " Brevoort House, New York, October 18, 1873. " My Dear Bishop : I was exceedingly sorry I could not join your party for Niagara. It would have been de- lightful, but I leave on Wednesday next, and every interme- diate day is engaged. Unfortunately I did not return from Washington till you had started. " I must not conclude without thanking you for your letter in my defence against (he attacks of Bishop Tozer. " With every sentiment of respect and affection, believe me to be, "Very truly yours, "R. Payne Smith. The Right Rev. the Assistant Bishop of Kentucky." THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 427 We give an extract from a letter written by Miss Susan Warner, the author of "The Wide, Wide World," " Queechy," dic^ : " I congratulate you, dear friends, on the work Bishop Cummins is permitted to do for his Master. In old time the disciples were ' rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his Name,* and truly I reckon the same matter worthy cause of rejoicing now. There is work to be done on every hand — work to follow these Alliance meetings — work to show that they were the outcome of a reality. And certainly if we do our part the Lord will speed it. " Very affectionately yours in him, " Susan Warner." From Rev. Dr. Adams the following kind note came " 3 East Twenty-Fourth Street, Madison Square, | New York, November 12, 1873. " My Dear Dr. Cummins : I have read your noble letter with a suffused eye and a throbbing heart. I long to see you. Please favor me with a call at your earliest conve- nience, or tell me where I may call to see you. In the Even- ing Post of to-morrow will appear a letter from me in reply to Bishop Potter's most unwarrantable attack on Dean Smith and Dean Alford, of Canterbury. Most cordially and frater- nally, yours, W. Adams . " I want you to preach for me soon." The Rev. Charles E. Cheney writes thus : "Christ Church Rectory, Chicago, October 17, 1873. " My Dear Bishop Cummins : My heart is too full of gratitude to God for the noble position which I am sure he has led you to take, to refrain from just writing one word upon 428 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. the subject to you. I do not believe that you can maintain the right and privilege of an Episcopal clergyman of any grade, to take part with those of other Christian churches in the cele- bration of the Lord's Supper, without incurring great obloquy and possibly persecution. That He whose blood-bought chil- dren are equally dear to his heart, wherever they may be found, may bless and strengthen you to stand firm, is my ear- nest prayer. " May it not be that this may pave the way to the organi- zation of a free Episcopal Church ? " God bless and keep you, dear bishop, under his own divine care. " Most affectionately yours, " Chas. Edward Cheney." We quote from a letter written by Rev. M. B. Smith : " Passaic, N. J., November 9, 1873. " My Dear Bishop : Brother G has apprised me of your grand step in the direction of reform and progress. May God bless you for it ; you have my prayers. A valid Episcopacy, an historical Prayer Book, and ' the faith once delivered to the saints,' will meet the wants of every Evan- gelical liturgist." A letter dated Philadelphia, November, 11, 1873, was received by Bishop Cummins from a committee of three clergymen of the Protestant Episcopal Church appointed to communicate with him, urging him " not to act hastily, but to reconsider his deter- mination to leave the Protestant Episcopal Church." He also received letters from other friends to the same effect. But the conflict in his own mind Jiad long since passed, and he never for one moment wavered after that solemn midnight watch, when he THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 429 communed with his God alone, and for hours. Though, to quote a writer at that time, " the fiercest denuncia- tions were brought upon him we have ever read," he never fahered ; gently yet bravely he went on from day to day, bowing his head meekly to receive the storm of invective that was hurled against him, yet never feeling the want of that heavenly strength which is promised to all who seek it ! Many years before, a bishop of the Protestant Epis- copal Church left her communion for the Church of Rome, but scarcely a word was said about it. Later another of her bishops was degraded from his office for gross offences ; it produced only sorrow to those of pure hearts, but no abuse or bitterness was heard ; and later still, another Protestant Episcopal bishop fled the country to avoid trial for breaking God's com- mands, and after a few newspaper notices and a pri- vate meeting of a quorum of the House of Bishops to deprive him of his office, the world and the Church hear nothing more of the sad case. But after the fierce denunciations heaped upon Bishop Cummins, the bitter attacks, the opprobrious epithets of "apostate," perjurer," "fallen bishop," and many like them, the cruel predictions of his ruin, etc., there came the years of quiet yet steady persecution, the cold, contemptuous treatment, the refused recogni- tion socially — as though he was branded Cain-like — and for what ? Only partaking of the Supper of our Lord, which was instituted alike for Episcopalians, Presbyterians, and other Christian churches ! Ah ! when they gather around the Lord of that blessed feast in the New Jerusalem, will they think then of Apostolic succession, or of Episcopal ordination ? CHAPTER XXXIX. THE FIRST GENERAL COUNCIL. " And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room. . . . These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplica- tion."— Acts 1:13, 14. Aged 51. ON Saturday afternoon, November 29th, 1873, six bishops who were most accessible, met the pre- siding bishop at the vestry-room of Grace Church, New York, for the purpose of " deposing" Bishop Cummins, that by so doing they might prevent his organizing another Episcopal Church, and conse- crating other bishops. But after due delibera- tion they found that any such act would be illegal, as the canon of the Protestant Episcopal Church provides that after the lapse of six months a bishop shall be deposed, if he does not retract before then. The Protestant Episcopal clergy of the city of Philadelphia met at this time to express their entire disapproval of the course of Bishop Cummins. We give the article in full as published in the New York Times : - * * To the Editor of the New York Times : *' The inclosed card came to me to-day from Philadelphia, with a line from one of its signers requesting its insertion in one or more of the daily papers of New York, in order that the clergy and laity of our Church in this city, and especially any THE FIRST GENERAL COUNCIL. 43 1 sympalhi/ing with the movement of Bishop Cummins, might understand clearly and authoritatively the extent of the bish- op's following in Philadelphia. Thelist will be at once recog- nized as embracing the leading Low Church rectors of that city, radical as well as conservative. The note says, ' The list could be enlarged if there were time.' " What roots this new Church will strike in the strongest Low Church city in the country the circular will show to the most enthusiastic revolutionist. "R. Heber Newton, ' ' Rector of the Ant ho n Memorial Church. " December 1,1873. " A CARD. " The undersigned, having heard with profound sorrow of the movement now making by Bishop Cummins for the organization of a new ' Church on the basis of the Prayer Book of 1785,' desire to say that they have no sympathy with this measure, and that it does not represent the views and feelings of Evangelical men. ' ' Then follow the names of nineteen of the Low Church clergy of the city of Philadelphia. The " roots of this new Church " have, by God's blessing, struck deep into the soil of the City of Bro- therly Love. Within the walls of scz'en noble churches the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour, in all its purity and simplicity, may be heard each Sunday, and on other days. The beloved and revered bishop of that jurisdiction wields an influence mighty and far-reaching. One of the present pastors of the Re- formed Episcopal Church in Philadelphia was one of the signers of that card. Another has said " That of the acts of this life that signing was the one he-most regretted. * ' 432 GEORGE DA VID CUMMINS. On the ist December the following proclamation was sent forth : " Notice has been received from the Secretary of the Standing Committee of the diocese of Kentucky that a pre- sentment for trial of George David Cummins, D.D., has been prepared, for offences number three and five of section one, canon nine, title two, namely : First, for violation of the con- stitution and canons of the General Convention ; second, for breach of his consecration vow. " Be it known, therefore, that any Episcopal act of his, pending these proceedings, will be null and void ; and it is hoped that respect for law and order on the part of all mem- bers of this Church will restrain them from giving any coun- tenance whatever to the movement in which Dr. Cummins is engaged. " B. B. Smith, ''''Bishop of Kentucky a}id Presiding Bishop. HOBOKEN, December ist, 1873. It is scarcely needful to add here that no such presentment or trial was attempted, all legal advisers recognizing the fact that Bishop Cummins was no longer a bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church. Having by his own act separated himself from that body, he was no longer amenable to its laws. We quote from the Journal of the first General Council of the Reformed Episcopal Church : "Association Hall New York City, December 2, 1873. " On this day, the second of December, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, after a meeting of solemn praise and prayer, certain ministers and laymen, formerly connected with The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, assembled at ten o'clock a.m. in THE FIRST GENERAL COUNCIL. 433 the building of the Young Men's Christian Association, in the city of New York. " The Right Reverend George David Cummins, D.D., at the close of the devotional exercises said : ' Christian brethren, by the goodness of God, and under the protection of the just and equal laws of this Republic, and in the exer- cise of the invaluable ' liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free,' you are assembled here to-day in response to the circu- lar-letter which I will now read. ' [Bishop Cummins then read the circular-letter, which we have given before in these pages.] " Colonel Aycrigg was elected temporary President, and Mr. H. B. Turner, Secretary. After the meeting had been or- ganized, the following Declaration of Principles, as drawn up by Bishop Cummins, was read by him and referred to a com- mittee of five. " I. The Reformed Episcopal Church, holding ' the faith once delivered to the saints,' declares its belief in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the Word of God, and the sole rule of faith and practice ; in the Creed, commonly called the Apostles' Creed ;' in the Divine institu- tion of the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper ; and in the doctrines of grace, substantially as they are set forth in the Thirty-nine Articles of religion. " II. This Church recognizes and adheres to Episcopacy, not as of divine right, but as a very ancient and desirable form of Church polity. "III. This Church retaining a liturgy which shall not be imperative or repressive of freedom in prayer, accepts the Book of Common Prayer, as it was revised, proposed, and recommended for use by the General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church a.d. 1785, reserving full liberty to alter, abridge, enlarge, and amend the same, as may seem most conducive to the edification of the people, ' provided that the substance of the faith be kept entire.' 434 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. " IV. This Church condemns and rejects the following erroneous and strange doctrines as contrary to God's Word : " First. That the Church of Christ exists only in one order or form of ecclesiastical polity. " Second. That Christian ministers are ' priests ' in an- other sense than that in which all believers are a ' royal priesthood.' " Third. That the Lord's table is an altar, on which the oblation of the body and blood of Christ is offered anew to the Father. " Fourth. That the presence of Christ in the Lord's Sup- per is a presence in the elements of bread and wine. " Fifth. That Regeneration is inseparably connected with baptism. (Signed) "George David Cummins. "Marshall B. Smith. " Albert Crane. " GusTAVus A. Sabine. "Charles D. Kellogg." The report of the committee was then, on mo- tion, unanimously adopted. The President then rising, said : " By the unanimous votes of ministers and laymen present, I now declare that on this second day of December, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventy- three, we have organized ourselves into a Church, to be known by the style and title of T/ie Reformed Episcopal Churchy conformable with the Declaration of Principles adopted this day, and with the Right Rev. George David Cummins, D.D., as our Presiding Bishop." The temporary president, Colonel Benjamin Ay- crigg then retired, and the bishop took the chair. THE FIRST GENERAL COUNCIL. 435 The bishop presiding then offered prayer, after which he delivered the following address, from which we quote : " Brethren beloved in the Lord : Grace be unto you, and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, and grace be with them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen. ' ' We have met to-day under circumstances of deep solem- nity. Profoundly do we realize the overwhelming responsi- bility which rests upon us, as, in the name of the Lord, we set up our banner. Were it not in his name, and in simple, unfaltering trust in him, our hearts would indeed faint within us. But in God alone is all our trust. In a consciousness of loyalty to Christ is our only confidence. In entire depen- dence upon the Holy Spirit is our only hope. If the work we inaugurate to-day be of men, may it come to naught. If it be of God, may he grant us more abundantly ' the Holy Ghost and wisdom ' to make us valiant for the truth, strong to labor, and faithful in every duty, and ' rejoicing to be counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. ' " Let not our good be evil spoken of. We have not met to destroy, but to restore ; not to pull down, but to recon- struct. We would ' build again the old waste places, and raise up the foundations of past generations ;' we would ' re- pair the breach and restore the old paths to dwell in.' (Isaiah 58 : 12.) And one in heart, in spirit, and in faith with our fathers, who at the very beginning of the existence of this na- tion sought to mould and fashion the ecclesiastical polity which they had inherited from the Reformed Church of Eng- land, by a judicious and thorough revision of the Book of Common Prayer, we return to their position and claim to be the old and true Protestant Episcopalians of the days imme- diately succeeding the American Revolution. And through these, our ancestors, we claim an unbroken historical connec- 43^' GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. tion, through the Church of England, with the Church of Christ from the earliest Christian era." Bishop Cummins then gave a sketch of the history of the Prayer Book of 1785, as revised and recom- mended by Bishop White, going back as far as the treaty of September, 1783, at Paris, and following up the chain of events until the rejection of the revised book of 1785, and the acceptance of the one receiving the sanction of the General Convention of 1789, the present Prayer Book in use in the Protestant Episco- pal Church, " the Anglican Church," or the " Catho- lic Church in the United States," as it is variously styled by the parties within her pale, " excepting the Articles of religion, the Ordinal, the office of Institu- tion, and the form of Consecration of a church.* Bishop Cummins further gives at length the points of difference between the books of 1785 and 1789, and concludes thus : "Is the Prayer Book of 1785, then, perfect ? free from objec- tion ? By no means. Nothing human is free from imperfection. But this we claim, that, since the beginning of the Reformation of the sixteenth century, no Prayer Book has ever yet been set forth so unexceptionable and so near conformity to Holy Scripture. We accept it as a precious boon left to us from our fathers, older than the Constitution of the United States, and dating back to the very infancy of our existence as a na- tion. But we reserve to ourselves full liberty to amend, alter, enlarge, or abridge this book, as the Lord may guide us by his Holy Spirit. Nor do we purpose to make this liturgy so im- perative or obligatory on the consciences of men that it is always and only to be used, or that freedom of prayer is to be denied and repressed. We thankfully accept this book from our fathers. We will alter, amend, abridge, or enlarge it only THE FIRST GENERAL COUNCIL. 437 with great caution and discretion, and asking the guidance of the Blessed Spirit. " This, then, is our attitude towards our brethren of the Protestant Episcopal Church. We are not schismatics (no man can be a schismatic who does not deny the faith); we are not disorganizers ; we are restorers of the old ; repairers of the breaches ; reformers. . . . ' He knoweth, and all his people shall know, that not in rebellion or in transgression against the Lord have we done this thing, but that it may be a witness between us and you, and our generations after us, that your children may not say to our children in time to come. Ye have no part in the Lord. The Lord our God judge between us and you.' " Towards all other Christian people, of like precious faith, our attitude is that only of love, of sympathy, and of earnest desire to co-operate with them in the extension of the kingdom of the Redeemer — both theirs and ours. We regard our movement only as a step towards the closer union of all Evangelical Christendom. For this we shall labor and pray. We gladly acknowledge the validity of the ministerial orders of our brethren whom God has sent into his vineyard, and whose labors he has accepted and blessed. We shall invite all ministers of Evangelical churches to occupy our pulpits and to take part in our services. And we shall rejoice to meet them and their flocks as often as may be expedient around the Lord's table, and acknowledge that ' we, being many, are one body in Christ, and members one of another.' " 'And now may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. ' Amen. (He- brews 13 : 20, 21). " George David Cummins, ^^ Bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church** 438 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. At the conclusion of the address of the bishop the Council rose and sang the Gloria in Excehis. Prayer was then offered by the Rev. Dr. Leacock. Herbert B. Turner, of New York, was elected Secretary of the Council. Resolutions were offered by Mr. Albert Crane, of Chicago, which were as fol- lows : " Resolved, That there shall be a General Council of the Reformed Episcopal Church — which shall be representative of this entire Church — to be incorporated under that name, and under that name to hold and dispose of temporalities. " Resolved, That in future the General Council shall be held annually on the second Wednesday in May. ' ' Resolved, That we now elect four ministers and five laymen as a Standing Committee, and three laymen as a Committee of Finance, and one layman as Treasurer." These resolutions were seconded and carried unan- imously. The following Standing Committee was unani- mously elected : " Rev. Marshall B. Smith, of New Jersey ; Rev. B. B. Leacock, D.D., of New York ; Rev. Charles E. Cheney, D.D., of Illinois ; Rev. Mason Gallagher, of New Jersey ; Hon. George M. Tibbits, of New York ; Gustavus A. Sabine, M.D., of New York ; Mr. Alexander G. Tyng, of Illinois ; Mr. Gurdon S. Hubbard, of Illinois, and Mr. Charles D. Kellogg, of New Jersey. "Committee on Finance: Colonel Benjamin Aycrigg, of New Jersey ; Mr. Albert Crane, of Illinois, and Mr. James McCarter, of New York. " Mr. James L. Morgan, of New York, was elected Treas- urer." THE FIRST GENERAL COUNCIL. 439 After a number ot resolutions, touching the gov- ernment of the Church, were offered ^^d adopted the Rev Dr. Cheney was nominated as Bishop of the N:rfhwest. He .4s duly elected The hyinns "Nearer, my God, to Thee," and Come, Hol> Spirit, Heavenly Dove," were sung. Rev. M. ^. Smith and Bishop Cummins offered prayer, and after a vote of thanks was tendered to the\ oung Men s Chris- tian Association of the City of New York, for the r kindness in placing their comfortable rooms at the dis- posal of the Council, the concluding prayer was offer- ed by the Rev. Dr. Leacock ; the benediction was pro- nounced by the bishop, and the Council adjourned The room in which the f\rst Council met was the inner parlor of the Young Men's Christian Association of New York ; the outer parlor was crowded by per- sons who had come to witness the organization of the uew Church. . , At one end of the beautiful room, on the right as you entered, was a large table prepared for the presi- dent and secretary. To the left of this was a still larger table, which was filled by a number of report- ers of the secular and religious papers. The rest ot the room was filled by seats for the members of the Council At one end stood a group of students from the General Theological Seminary of the Protestant Episcopal Church, on the other side were a number of the friends of the movement. It was a most im- pressive scene. No one present could fail to be awed by the quiet dignity, the solemnity and impressive- ness of that Council ! On the face of each one was impressed the full realization of the responsibility rest- ing on that Uttle band assembled in that upper room. 440 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. A High Church clergyman acknowledged that " he had come to scoff, but left in tears." The writer saw him as he entered, and on his face was an ex- pression that ill became the professed follower of him who said, " By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.'' With a scoffing look and contemptuous smile he regarded the little assembly, refusing to kneel as the earnest pray- ers were so solemnly offered. But before he left tears were in his eyes, and with deep emotion he uttered the words given above. Joyfully, with overflowing hearts, the band of Re- formed Episcopalians dispersed, prepared for the conflict with God's own armor ; with hearts filled with love for all, yet strong in their determination to stand fast for the truth, they went forth to meet what- ever of trial or reproach awaited them. We give some quotations from the various papers of the time, written by eye-witnesses of the scene. The New York Tribune, December 3d, 1873, says: " The Convocation at the Association Building yester- day was one of deep interest ; it may be that its final issues will be momentous and influential." A distinguished Presbyterian minister speaks thus : " The Declaration of Principles set forth by this Reformed Church condemns and rejects many erroneous doctrines of the old Church. Its doctrinal basis is such as to commend it to all Christians. Every Christian ought to extend his hand to them and bid them God-speed. He had read the sermons of Bishop Cummins with profound interest, and as long as these brethren kept from error and held to the cross, they THE FIRST GENERAL COUNCIL. 44 1 would be sure of sympathy from Presbyterians and Method- ists, for they were all one Church." The leading Methodist Church paper of New York says : " The new organization, although small in numbers, in- cludes already some of the most liberal and intelligent min- isters and laymen of the age. It is not a mere clique of dis- contents. ... A New Testament principle lies deep and strong in the foundations of the structure. The right of private judgment is magnified, and the claims of Christian brotherhood are secured in the Constitution adopted by the Reformed Episcopal Church. The organization marks an era in ecclesiastical history, and deserves the recognition and sympathy of all true reformers. It represents principles, and promises results in which liberal Methodists are interested in common with all progressive Christians of whatever name. . . The Reformed Episcopal Church, therefore, is fairly instituted, and is worthy of the respect and confidence /)f the people whose rights and spiritual cultivation it offers to promote. . . . And so the Reformed Episcopal Church has been a necessity of the times. The whole move- ment has been the result of earnest thought and prayer. It will require courage in its leaders to withstand the oppro- brium to which they must necessarily be subjected. But by the spirit of patience and the grace of God bestowed, the new Church will grow and become a strong agent, we pray, toward the overthrow of every form of error and clerical assump- tion." One of the leading New York dail)' papers of De- cember 21st, 1873, writes thus, as an editorial : " Whatever the merits or demerits ^ the new movement of which Bishop Cummins and Bishop Cheney are now the 442 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. recognized leaders, it affords unmistakable evidence that our Christianity has in it the genuine elements of vitality, and that we have men in the midst of us who are as able and as willing as in the darkest days of the past to make for con- science sake needed effort and needed sacrifice. In the Epis- copal Church, Cummins and Cheney were men of recognized influence. That to that Church both were sincerely attached we have no reason to doubt, but every reason to believe. To sever themselves from that Church, as they have done, and to attempt to build up a new Church, required not a little of the spirit of the martyrs of olden times ; and, in so far as they have stood up for principle, fought for conscience, re- vealed daring, and made sacrifices, they have a right to be spoken of with the highest respect, and they have a claim on the public sympathy and support. . . . That they are men of ability, and that their characters are worthy in every respect of their sacred profession has been universally ad- mitted. In the Episcopal Church both men were pros- perous. . . . Finding it impossible to check the growing evil, they claimed their rights as men and as ministers of the Gospel, and retired from an association with which they were no longer in sympathy. The new Church is fairly launched : it has many friends and well-wishers." Another influential New York paper says : " The proceedings of the Convention which organized the new Church were conducted with dignity. The little company of organizers seemed to be of one heart and mind. ' ' A religious paper writes editorially thus : " We were present on Tuesday of last week when the ' Reformed EpiscopaJ Church ' was organized, and there were some noteworthy signs to be observed, of which we wiU say THE FIRST GENERAL COUNCIL. 443' a word. It was a serious business that the bishop and they that were with him were engaged in. They looked to God for direction. There was no self-sufficiency nor human am- bition apparent. The whole proceeding was that of humble, prayerful, conscientious men, who were not seeking their own advancement nor the applause of men, but the honor of God only. In the case of Bishop Cummins there was positive sacrifice of place, power, salary, and friends. He is poor in this world's goods, and goes out in faith for conscience sake. . . . But there was no unseemly haste in the pro- ceedings of the new Council last week. They moved slowly, and adjourned without any demonstration to challenge public attention. We have not a doubt but that it will work for good. It will rouse the Church to inquire into the causes of this movement, and if it is true, as Dr. Tyng, jr., alleges, that the tendencies are Romeward, every honest minister and man in the Church will set himself against the current." A presbyter of the Protestant Episcopal Church writes in the New York Tribune of December 12th thus : " Had any bishop been willing to aid in purifying the Church of its dross, at either of the great epochs when the opponents of prelacy ' contended for the faith once delivered to the saints,' the history of the past three hundred years Avould have been very different. But neither at the ' Resto- ration ' nor during the great revivals of the eighteenth century under the preaching of Wesley and Whitefield, was any bishop found willing to unite with the multitudes of clergy and laity who were ready to establish a ' Reformed Episcopal Church.' It has been reserved to our day to witness the spectacle of a Protestant Episcopal bishop voluntarily resign- ing for conscience sake the position, honors, and emoluments attaching to the prelatic rank, to aid in restoring to the Churches of Christ a primitive Episcopate and a scriptural 444 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. l*!tur^ purified from erroneous rites and phrases. Bishop Cummins is the first Protestant Episcopal bishop since the days of Edward VI. who has renounced ' the yoke of bond- age ' which has so long fettered the Episcopate, to become partaker of ' the full liberty of the Gospel. ' ' ' The above quotations will serve to show the spirit of the press and of individuals who were not con- nected with the Protestant Episcopal Church, with respect to the new organization. We have before us an immense amount of such matter, but it is needless to present more to the reader. With two more ex- tracts we will conclude. The Christian Union of December loth, 1873, says : " The attitude of the High Church party toward the new movement seems to us undignified and proscriptive, and the - pronunciamento of the senior bishop of the Protestant Epis- copal Church, declaring that any Episcopal act of Bishop Cummins will be ' null and void,' will probably fail of its ob- ject, since it is pronounced on high Episcopal authority to be without warrant of ecclesiastical law. Of the wisdom or un- wisdom of the step which Bishop Cummins and his friends have taken we do not presume to judge. Their right to form a new Church in accordance with their own convictions will be generally admitted ; and if, without antagonism or un- wholesome controversy, they proceed to do the work of a Christian Church in a Christian spirit, they will have the ear- nest sympathy and good wishes of all earnest Evangelical Christians." A venerable and beloved Protestant Episcopal cler- gyman of Pennsylvania writes as follows: "... The above discussion was closed at this point by providential circumstances. It is published now simply THE FIRST GENERAL COUNCIL. 445 as a fragment. There are other topics bearing on this theme which the writer would have touched ; but this cannot be at present. He would gladly have said something also in de- fence of his brethren — beloved and honored — who are Bishop Cummins's associates in his important movement. But their record is on high ; and there is a great work before them. " May the blessing of God be upon them and upon it ! As to Bishop Cummins himself, he can well afford to bide his time. His name will be a household word in the homes of thou- sands yet unborn, as, in the providence of God, the founder of a new and noble branch of the Church of Christ, when some who stand higher before the public now shall have passed from the world's thought ; to be only remembered, perhaps, when some painstaking Church antiquarian of a fu- ture age shall piously spend some of his leisure hours in the busy idleness of searching, amidst the dust and rubbish of history, for the missing links in the chain of Apostolical suc- cession." After Bishop Cummins left the Protestant Episco- pal Church, and while residing in Fifty-seventh Street, near St. Luke's Hospital, he saw Rev. Dr. Muhlenburg- frequently. The doctor was and had been a friend of the bishop's for many years, and naturally, at such a crisis, he sought advice from a man so much older and of such marked wisdom. We remember these interviews well — one particu- larly, when the venerable doctor came over late at night to give Bishop Cummins his advice. A letter received from Dr. Muhlenburg is here given in full : "St. Luke's Hospital, New York, November 25, 1873. " Dear Bishop : I have thought much on the momentous subject on which you are pleased to hear my advice, but really I am at a loss to give any. ' A movement is a thing 44^ GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. that moves,' and I cannot see whither your present move can move but towards the founding of another Church. This, as yet, I fear to think of, though it may be what the provi- dence of God designs. I have tried to write something for the Church and State which would not be misconstrued. Not succeeding, I must put it off until I see how things shape themselves, or rather how they are shaped by the Divine dis- poser, who, in his own way, will rule or overrule them to the glory and the good of his Church. " I will call and see you to express my thoughts on one point about which I am not sufficiently clear to write. " Earnestly praying for you the guidance of the Holy Spirit, giving knowledge as well as zeal, I am yours sincerely, in the one fold of the great Bishop and Shepherd of souls. " W. A. MUHLENBURG." CHAPTER XL. WORK IN THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. Jesus, while this rough desert-soil I tread, be thou my guide and stay ; Nerve me for conflict and for toil, Uphold me on my stranger-way. BONAR. Aged 51. WE cannot tell the brief story of Bishop Cum- mins' work in the Reformed Episcopal Church better than to preface it with the following interesting- letters. The first is from the Rev. Dr. Parker, a member of the Evangelical Alliance, who met Bishop Cummins in New York, October, 1873 : " London, December i, 1873. " My Dear Dr. Cummins : I have to-day received your printed letter, and though very deeply engaged must take a moment for the expression of my deepest sympathy with you in your new attitude and relationships. Wherein you have suffered for the Master your reward is sure. You know this, yet it does us good under trial to hear our own deepest convic- tions reiterated by a friendly voice. I congratulate you on your firmness and self-denial : there is a great work before you marked by specialties which cannot but excite very profound and devout interest throughout a wide circle. May the Holy One give you strength, boldness, and emphasis, that your 448 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. testimony may tell upon sectarianism with irresistible distinc- tiveness. " Your letter — which I am republishing in my paper this week — is admirable in temper. There is no flutter of mere petulance or excitement about it ; it is calm, moderate, and therefore strong. " Many of us will watch your movements with keen in- terest. They will not be without effect in this country — a country so little, yet so great ! " You and Mrs. Cummins must visit us, and tell your tale to British ears ; a warm welcome awaits you at many an Eng- lish fireside. " With most respectful regards to yourself and Mrs. Cummins, I am, ever cordially yours, " Joseph Parker. "31 Highbury Quadrant^ London/' The second is from the loved and honored Rev. Dr. Arnot, of Edinburgh, Scotland : " 8 Merchiston Avenue, Edinburgh, December 2, 1873. " Dear Bishop Cummins : A copy of your letter of re- signation reached me yesterday evening ; and I take the ear- liest opportunity of writing to express my deep sympathy with you in your effort to serve the Lord and do right in a very difficult position. I am able to comprehend in some measure the kind of struggle thfough which you have passed ; for I was a minister of the Established Church of Scotland more than four years before our exodus in 1843. ' ' While I sympathize with you I am much disappointed at the result. The inter-communion in Dr. Hall's church was an immense enjoyment to me. The act sent a thrill of joy through my heart ; for I took it to be a symptom of en- largement and liberality in the Church that is episcopally governed in the United States. I felt that community stretch- WORK IN THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 449 ing out its arms in your person to embrace the brethren in the common faith ; but, alas ! the result shows that it was the act of an individual, and not of the community. Your retirement, taken in connection with its grounds, constitute to my mind the strongest evidence I have yet seen that Rit- ualism is the paramount power in the Church known as the Anglican ; for if its strength on the soil of America is suffi- cient to eject you, what may it not accomplish with its anti- quity and prestige in the more conservative and aristocratic society of England. " I especially lament that even in the United States, where all the surroundings tend to foster freedom and liberality, the prelatic Church is not able to endure that measure of com- munion with brethren in the Lord which your act implied. " Although I have once in my life passed through a ' dis- ruption,' I do not think lightly of any such rending. Like yourself, we dreaded it, and shunned it to the utmost. It was only in the last extremity that we consented to take the step ; that is, when, according to our light, to have shunned it longer would have been to obey men rather than God. " For my own part, although all my education has been Presbyterian, the longer I live the more I learn to let Chris- tianity be predominant, and the lesser things subservient ; and in particular I should by no means despair of a reciprocal approach, even to the extent of union between the Episcopal Church and our own, provided, . . . and the conditions do not seem extravagant, . . . ist. That absolute errors should be eliminated from authorized P'ormulas. 2d. That the liturgy should not be oppressive in quantity, and not im- posed so as to exclude free prayer in the public assembly. And 3d. That the bishops should be the wisest and the gravest of the ministers chosen and set apart to superintend and in- struct— chosen by the Church itself. " I am, in Christian and brotherly affection, yours, " William Arnot." 450 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. The third letter is another from Rev. Dr. Parker, of London : "The Rosstrappe, Highbury, New Park, London,) January 14, 1874. \ " My Dear Dr. Cummins : Your letter, so welcome and so cheering, is now before me. I fear you did not receive the copy of the The Christian Shield^ in which I expressed hearty sympathy with you in your great work. The paper will be posted to you regularly, in token of deepest interest in your sacrifices and toils. If you will send a special letter about your position for insertion in the Shield, it will help your cause very much in the old country. You are being watched in England, both sympathetically and contrariwise, so it is very important that our information be complete and authori- tative. " It is pretty evident to me that the time will arrive when you must pay a visit to England on this business. When it comes pray remember my name, and that it means sympathy, welcome, and co-operation. " Mrs. Parker unites with me in kindest regards to Mrs. Cummins and yourself, and I am, in the bonds of the one cross, very sincerely yours, " Joseph Parker. "Right Rev. Bishop Cummins." Some weeks before Bishop Cummins left the Prot- estant Episcopal Church he met the Rev. Dr. Riley, founder of the " Church of Jesus," in Mexico, at Philadelphia. After Bishop Cummins's resignation of the assistant bishopric of Kentucky Dr. Riley met him frequently at his temporary residence, No. 1 1 East Fifty-seventh Street, New York. Dr. Riley was very desirous that Bishop Cummins should go to Mexico and take charge of the Evangelical Church in that WORK IN THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 45 ' country. They had frequent interviews upon this subject, and Dr. Riley was present when an informal meeting of a few earnest and devoted clergymen and laymen took place in Fifty-seventh Street. Had not these brethren rallied so readily round Bishop Cum- mins at this time, we believe he would have accepted Dr. Riley's proposition to become the Bishop of the "Church of Jesus." But naturally he preferred to accomplish the work which he felt himself called to do in his native land. The first candidate for Orders in the Reformed Episcopal Church was received December 7th, 1873. On the 8th December the following letter was re- ceived : " 40 Beaver Hall Terrace, Montreal, } December 8, 1873. ) " Dear Sir : I shall not weary you with congratulations upon the noble step you have taken, but come at once to the object of my letter. " On ist January a company of Christians are to issue the first number of T/ie Protestant, a monthly periodical to be devoted exclusively to combating Ultramontafiism, Romanism, and Ritualism. In Canada we have the germs of the evil which led you to take your noble stand. Will you send us aid in this battle ? One line from your pen would be as a thunderbolt in the camp, and I am urged to ask and beseech you to give us for our initial number a short letter or article —no matter how brief— even if only a God-speed. It will warm the hearts of thousands of your friends in our Church in Canada. The good you can do in this way will be great- er than you can imagine. With most sincere good wishes, and prayers that God may spare you to complete the good work begun, I am, with esteem and respect, truly yours, " H. V. H." 452 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. We give another letter of interest : " The Church of Ireland Protestant Defence Association, ) 14 Westmoreland St., Dublin, December 8, 1873. \ " Right Reverend Sir : Having seen it announced in the Romish Freeman of this day that you had seceded from the Episcopal Church on account of the prevailing Ritualism therein, we write to express our sorrow that you have felt it impossible to avoid doing so, while we, at the same time, de- sire to express our high appreciation of the noble stand you have felt called upon to make against this spiritual leprosy. " We send you by this mail a copy of all our papers, as their spirit is likely to fall in with your Protestant and Evan- gelical sentiments, and shall be glad to have your opinion upon this movement. " I am, right reverend sir, yours faithfully, " S. G. Potter, D.D., Clerical Secretary y Under the same date Mr. Alexander G. Tyng, of Peoria, 111., writes : ' ' I think the time has come to organize a church here. We can take some of the most influential members of St. with us. I have apphed for the use of a Baptist church here, until we can build a church. Already several leading persons from other churches have expressed their intention to join us. ' ' From a Protestant Episcopalian in New Jersey came a hearty God-speed. We quote a few sentences : " My father for forty-three years was a minister of Christ in the Protestant Episcopal Church. He was the co-worker with such men as Dr. Fowles, Bedell, Clark, and Newton, and, earlier, with Benjamin Allen, of old St. Paul's. Where now are we to find such men ? Under Rev. J. H. Fowles's ministry I joined the church, was confirmed by Bishop Alonzo WOEK IN THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 453 Potter. About this time I remember hearing you preach in the Epiphany, on the ' Denial of Peter. ' You are charged with being too hasty. I deny it, and wish it had been sooner, or that even now two more bishops, calh'ng themselves Evangel- ical, had the Godlike courage to stand up with you. But it matters not — the Lord ' can save by many or by few. ' It may be his plan that you shall be the ' Moses ' in so great and holy a cause. As Dr. Newton lately said in his church, ' There is no doubt but that 2ve are the Episcopal Church, as we are they who hold the real and true faith on which it was originally founded.' With loving Christian regard, I am, dear bishop, your brother in Christ, J. S . " From one of the oldest and most able and esteem- ed of the Evangelical Episcopal clergy he received the following strong indorsement of his course : " Philadelphia, December ii, 1873. " My Dear Bishop Cummins : I have had it in my heart several times since I saw you last, not to inflict a letter upon you but merely to wish you God-speed in the important work in which you are engaged. I cannot express the deep interest that I feel in its success. My heart goes with it, and if I were a younger man I should certainly go too. If wisely conducted it will, I am disposed to think, be the most far-reaching and important ecclesiastical event of the century. " Excuse me for another suggestion. I hope that there will not be too much delay in consecrating other bishops. If I am correctly informed as to your canonical status before the Church, you cannot be regularly deposed until six months have elapsed. If so, the validity of your official acts during that time cannot be questioned, however irregular they may be deemed. This, I think, will be a point of much importance in the future history of the new Church. I hope it will be well guarded. 454 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. " I heard one of the oldest and best of our evangelical brethren in this city say the day before yesterday, ' With Cummins, and Cheney, and as missionary bishops, men will begin to see that the new Church is likely to succeed. Why, they will be able to outpreach the whole House of Bishops ! ' I hope that strong triumvirate will be in the field as soon as may be. " Very respectfully and truly yours in the bonds of the Gospel. " P.S. — I spent a few days with my old friends. I wanted them to be in New York on the 2d inst. They held back. They (like a multitude of others) are waiting to see some signs of success. This they will have, I trust, shortly. ' ' But, after all, our main dependence must be in the prayers of faith. Let God be glorified, and it matters not what be- comes of }ne7i in such a matter. ' ' A gifted American authoress writes as follows : " Philadelphia, December 15, 1873, ' ' To Bishop Cummins : " Beloved Brother in Christ : In the sudden devel- opment of affairs in the Church of our love, doubtless there are many of us standing just where the children of Israel did on the borders of the Red Sea, waiting for the sure command of Moses. In this time of agitation we want information and direction, for the faith of Christians is sorely tried. Thousands have been deeply grieved and wounded by the corruptions which have been allowed to spring up among us, with no human hand to stay their progress, looking for some way of deliverance. But now that the guiding rod points the way, we are anxious to know whether it is really the hand of God, and what is duty. The cry of schism alarms many timid souls, and it seems as if there ought to be in this crisis some powerful pen writing, in a popular style, a series of WORK IN THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCh. 455 short simple tracts answering questions that are agitating many minds. Allow me to name some : " What is schism ? " The bishop of the New Testament. " The bishop of the ritualists. " The word priest. " The word altar. " The Lord's table. " The real presence. " The spiritual presence. " The baptism of the New Testament " The baptism of the ritualists. " The Romish confessional. " The modern confessional. " The Church, etc., embracing all the strong points of sacerdotal faith and practice. " There are many among us who are greatly disturbed, but who have neither time nor ability to wade through works of scholastic theology ; but it seems to me that if some one with a pen bold as Luther's, and loving as Melancthon's, would issue a series of tracts upon these subjects, close by the side of Scripture, they would be very useful. Let them be simple, scriptural, loving, sent broadcast all over the land, scattered freely, gratuitously, as Hannah More scattered hers 'in England. Is it not worth the trial ? If it is not tres- passing too much upon your time, please answer by a few lines giving me your idea of schism, and saying how this strikes you. " May the Good Shepherd of his flock guide us all, prays your sister in Christ, H. B. McK." From a missionary in China came this letter : " January 12,1874. " Mv Dear Bishop and Old Pastor : I have just seen your letter of resignation in the papers, and send a line of 45^ GEORGE DAVID CUMMIMS. sympathy and love. I do not know what your plans and the like are. I have written to Dr. Sparrow on the subject of your great step. Some sharp and trying work has to be done. May God help you and guide you aright, and keep you at every step. " Yours with prayer and love. " On December 8th, 1873, a parish meeting was held in Christ Church, Chicago, at which it was unanimously resolved that the Rev. Charles E. Cheney, D.D., should accept the bishopric to which he had been elected by the First Council of the Reformed Episco- pal Church, " provided it would not prevent the con- tinuance of his pastorate among that people. ' ' Accord- ingly, Bishop Cummins, four clergymen, and one lay- man left New York for Chicago, December nth. The journey was accomplished in safety, though the col- lision of two trains caused a delay of eight hours on the road. Mercifully no one was fatally injured. Some miles from Chicago the following telegram was put into the hands of Bishop Cummins : "New York, December 12, 1873. ' ' To the Right Rev. G. D. Cummins : " I hereby formally and officially withdraw all such Epis- copal authority as you have heretofore exercised under canon thirteenth, title first. " B. B. Smith, Bishop of Kentucky .'' The daily papers oi Chicago contained full ac- counts of the consecration. It would be out of place to quote here fully from the very lengthy descrip- tions of the services before us. We will only say that the interest was widespread and intense. The audi- won A' IN THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 457 ence was immense, crowding the church to the chan- cel railing ; a vast number stood throughout the long services. Bishop Cummins was assisted in the conse- cration by the Rev. Dr. Leacock, the Rev. Mason Gallagher, the Rev. W. V. Feltwell, and the Rev. Charles H. Tucker. The subject of the bishop's ser- mon was, " Primitive Episcopacy," from the text ist Peter 5 : i, 2, 3, 4 verses ; his address to Dr. Cheney was most impressive ; and the entire service was marked by great solemnity and dignity, so much so that those of the press who were opposed to the new Church acknowledged this. From Chicago Bishops Cummins and Cheney, with some of the clergy and laymen, went to Peoria, 111., and organized a church in that important town under the name of Christ Church. The church in Peoria at once became a flourish- ing and important parish. At the organization, De- cember i6th, of this church, Bishop Cummins made an address, in which he clearly set forth his reasons for leaving the Protestant Episcopal Church, giving a statement of his present position, and of those who were with him, and of their future work. At this time, and immediately after the resignation of his office of bishop in the Protestant Episcopal Church, as well as for months after. Bishop Cummins received hundreds of letters, which, if printed, would form many volumes. We cannot even make short extracts fr^m these, lest they should swell this record to an unwieldly size. Suffice it to say that among them are many condemnatory of his course, while a large majority bid him a hearty God-speed, and some gave m their names as adherents to the new Church. 458 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. It is now especially a cause of thankfulness that so many of these letters contain strong expressions oi sympathy for Bishop Cummins, and even on the part of those who could not go with him, sincere and lov- ing words, assuring him of their faith and confidence in his motives. When these letters are given to the public, there will be not a few who will be surprised to find that some of the bishops, clergy and laity of the Protestant Episcopal Church, as well as of other churches, wrote earnest words of kindness and encouragement to the bold and brave standard-bearer in this time of conflict and trial. On November 25th, 1873, the rector and vestry of St. George's Chapel, Chicago, met to express their entire sympathy with Bishop Cummins, and asking to be admitted into the new Church. This wasthe^r.?^ Reformed Episcopal church in Chicago. The winter of 1873-4 was passed by Bishop Cum- mins in New York, where he held regular services in Steinway and Lyric Halls. On the 21st of January the first Reformed Episcopal church in Canada was or- ganized by the Rev. W. V. Feltwell, at Moncton, N. B. The first Reformed Episcopal church of New York was formally organized in March, In February Bishop Cummins was invited to visit Ottawa, Canada, for the purpose of forming a congregation in the capita] of the provinces. A church at Sussex, New Bruns- wick, was soon after organized, and April 6th the first Reformed Episcopal church was established in Phila- delphia. In March Bishop Cummins's health began to fail. The intense excitement, as well as the care and anxiety consequent upon such a movement, coupled WORK IN THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 459 with the abuse of enemies, the coldness and desertion of friends, besides the regular services held in New York, the immense correspondence, requiring great wisdom and judiciousness, was more than one of his sensitive nature could bear. At first his ph3'sicians hoped that a short rest from constant labor would re- store him. Accordingly, he left New York for Phila- delphia, February 14th, where he spoke in behalf of the Reformed Episcopal Church several times ; but find- ing, as the weeks wore on, that he grew no better, he accepted the kind invitation of the Rev. Dr. Tyng, Jr., to occupy his country home for a time. On the 1 8th March the Bishop, with his wife and son, left New York for Summit, New Jersey, where they remained a fortnight. In the quiet of this lovely home Bishop Cummins grew stronger ; but hearing of the dangerous illness of his little granddaughter, he decided to go for a few weeks to Pewee Valley, the home of his daughter. While there, and when his little grandchild was still very ill, his mother-in-law, so truly beloved by him, was seized with an attack of apoplexy, and later his dear daughter was also taken ill. The strength that had been gained during his quiet rest at Summit was lost in part by reason of these new causes for anxiety. In April the Rev. W. T. Sabine, of New York, left the Protestant Episcopal Church, resigned the rectorship of the Church of the Atonement, and be- came rector of the first Reformed Episcopal Church in that city. In May the Rev. W. H. Reid began services of the Reformed Episcopal Church in Brook- lyn, organized June 3d. May 13th, the second General 460 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. Council was held in New York, at which Bishop Cummins presided. The latter part of June Bishop Cummms, accom- panied by his wife and young daughter, went to Clif- ton Springs, Western New York, where they passed eight weeks. Under the judicious treatment of Dr. Henry Foster he grew much stronger. June 24th, he was formally deposed by the bishops of the Protestant Episcopal Church. July 7th, his mother-in-law, who by her devoted love and many earnest prayers had cheered him in his path of trial, was called home to be with her Saviour and " the spirits of just men made perfect." There they have long ago met, mother and son, and all the weary pilgrim way has been forgotten in the glory not revealed to man. In July a church in Pittsburg was organized, and one in Louisville. The Rev. Dr. Neill, of Min- nesota, also began services in St. Paul and Minne- apolis. Letters were received during the autumn of 1873, and the spring and summer of 1874, from clergy- men and laymen of the Free Church of England, expressing a wish to unite with the Reformed Episco- pal Church. Bishop Cummins corresponded with these brethren for some months, and finally it was decided that Colonel Aycrigg should visit England as the accredited representative of the Reformed Epis- copal Church. The last of August, Bishop Cummins left Clifton, where he had passed ?» pleasant summer among many sympathizing friends, and in that atmosphere of Christian love and fellowship so congenial and grate- WORK IX THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 4^1 ful to him at that time especially, and went first to Hoosac to visit his friend, Mr. George M. Tibbits. From that lovely English-like home he went to Sara- toga for a few days, and sojourned at a quiet home there. While at Clifton the following editorial appeared in the Auburn, N. Y., Daily Bulletin. We quote from the article, July 31, 1874 : " The bishop is about fifty-five years of age, of fine phy- sique, an impressive and dignified bearing, but kindly and courteous, and readily accessible to all who approach him. He is precise in his use of language, but not pedantic, and impresses one as a gentleman of much thought and culture, but who has not buried in the study of books and dogmas his natural geniality of heart and large sympathy with and for humanity. He is evidently a man who is sincere in what he utters, and whose heart is in the movement in which he is engaged. He received our reporter cordially and readily, and frankly answered the questions put to him. The bishop throughout the interview expressed his views candidly and without reserve, but without any appearance of egotism, seeming rather to prefer talking about the Reformed Epis- copal movement, and the principles involved in it, than about himself." While in Ottawa Bishop Cummins ordained the Rev. John Todd to the presbyterate. The scene is thus described by one who was present : * ' A ceremony, the like of which has never been witnessed in the Dominion of Canada, and perhaps not in the wide world, was performed last evening in St. Andrew's Church, Wellington Street, viz., the ordination of an Episcopal pres- byter by an Episcopal bishop, assisted by non-Episcopal 4^2 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. clergymen. Notwithstanding the extreme heat, the church was filled with an attentive and devout audience. The usual opening service over, the Ordination service began, the bishop reading the collect, epistle, and gospel ; after which he ad- dressed the candidate in a most earnest and impressive man- ner. The clergymen present, four in all, united in the laying on of hands. The bishop then addressed the congregation and expressed his joy at being able to show that he believed that all Evangelical clergymen were validly ordained ministers of the Church of God. He spoke in high praise of Knox, Wesley, Calvin, and Luther, as being the shining lights of the Reformation. The service concluded by singing hymn 138, and prayer and the benediction." On the 8th September, 1874, Bishop Cummins laid the corner-stone of Emmanuel Church, Ot- tawa, Canada. The scene was a most impressive one. The arrangements were so complete that the large number of people present were comfortably accommodated, and the services were marked by deep emotion on the part of the congregation who had so bravely encountered reproach for the sake of truth. As early as the 12th February the little band met, and after organizing requested Bishop Cum- mins to visit them. This he was prevented from do- ing by illness ; but he sent Rev. Mason Gallagher, the brave pioneer minister of the Reformed Episcopal Church, in his place. This earnest and faithful cler- gyman remained in Ottawa until the congregation were strong enough to call a rector. In August Bishop Cheney visited this parish and held a confir- mation. In September this band of devoted Protestants were cheered by the arrival of the founder and pre- WORK IN THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 4^3 siding bishop, who remained with them some time. In the laying of the corner-stone of this beautiful Gothic church, Bishop Cummins was assisted by the pastor of the church and two clergymen of the Wes- leyan and Presbyterian Churches. An elegant silver trowel was presented to the bishop by the church, wardens and vestry of Emmanuel Church, and has this inscription : " Presented to the Right Reverend Bishop Cummins, D.D.,by the Church-wardens and Vestry, on the laying of the Corner-stone of the Re- formed Episcopal Church, Elgin Street, Ottawa, Sep- tember 8th, 1874." This trowel was given to the presiding bishop, the Right Rev. C. E. Cheney, D.D., July, 1876, to be used in laying the corner-stones of the Reformed Epis- copal churches. " Bishop Cummins's address," says one present on the occasion, " was a most able and eloquent one, being characterized by much force and vigor." From Ottawa Bishop Cummins went to Binghamton, N. Y., where he preached several times and confirmed a class in the chapel of the Re- formed Episcopal Church in that town. From Binghamton he visited Washington, D. C, and preached and addressed the congregation there, which met in a hall, and was the guest of a dear friend, one of the vestry of his old church (Trinity). After passing some pleasant days in this his old and well-loved home, he turned his face westward. In Louisville he officiated several weeks for the con- gregation in that city, and confirmed a class. From Louisville he went to Pittsburg, where he held ser- vices several times, and from there he journeyed to New Brunswick, Canada, where he visited the 464 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. churches at St. John, Moncton, and Sussex, holding a number of services and confirming classes. November 8th, assisted by Rev. M. B. Smith, he held services in Toronto, where a church was organ- ized— there are now two in that city. Mr. Smith and Colonel Aycrigg accompanied Bishop Cummins to New Brunswick also. This autumn Dean Cridge, of Victoria, British Columbia, and Rev. Dr. W. R. Nicholson united with the Reformed Episcopal Church. They are now bishops of that Church, the one having the jurisdiction of the Pacific coast, the other that of Pennsylvania and Delaware. The second Reformed Episcopal church in Phila- delphia assembled for services in this month (Novem- ber 25th), Rev. Dr. Nicholson, rector. After this extended tour Bishop Cummins took lodgings in Baltimore, for the purpose of establishing a church in that city. He began services at Lehman's Hall, Howard Street, December 27th, 1874, and con- tinued them as regularly as his other duties would allow. During this winter he was called to organize churches at Newark, N. J., and other places. In February the church in Baltimore was organized, and the Rev. Benjamin Johnson, of Macon, Ga., and formerly of the Proiestant Episcopal Church, was called to take temporary charge. Before the close of this year several churches were established, and a number of clergymen joined the new Church. We give extracts from letters received by Bishop Cummins during the winter of 1873-4, and later from clergymen of the Free Church of England. The first is dated : WORK IN THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 465 " Hertfokdshire, England, December if, 1873. " It was with the deepest interest that I recently read in the Church Times the noble letter in which you give the rea- sons of your secession from the American Episcopal Church. My heart responded to your every word. May God grant that your bold witness for Evangelical truth may help to stay that pernicious tide of Ritualism which I grieve to see is making rapid progress in your country as in our own. I perceive from your letter that you propose to form a truly Evangelical Church upon the basis of a thoroughly revised and purged Prayer Book. It is with regard especially to this latter sub- ject that I have felt moved to write to you." Another clergyman writes : "Surrey, England, December 17, 1873. " By the last mail I have forwarded documents descrip- tive of the principles and work of the Free Church of Eng- land. This Church was established some years ago to coun- teract the growth of Ritualism in the Church of England. It has been carefully organized, and is awaking considerable in- terest in this country, and many new churches are in course of foundation. It will appear to you, I think, from the infor- mation sent, that the Free Church of England in its consti- tution and aim exactly meets the case of the Reformers in the Church of America, and the points brought forward at the meeting in New York on the 2d inst^as far as I can gather from a short newspaper report — indicates a remark- able identity of views. The ground you desire to take is exactly the ground we occupy, and it seems to me that this circumstance may, in the hands of an All-wise Providence, be the means of effecting a powerful Protestant Union for the maintenance of Evangelical Church principles in both countries. I am writing unofficially, but I know the feeling of my brethren, and without waiting for our next Council 4^6 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. meeting, hasten to express my personal admiration of your courage and fidelity to the truth, my heartfelt sympathy and my earnest and prayerful hope that our blessed Lord will guide and sustain you. " I am, right reverend and dear sir, faithfully yours in Christian fellowship, F. S. M ." We give another letter written from England about the same time : "London, December 19, 1873. " Rev. and Dear Sir : We have just heard that you iind some other clergymen met at New York on the 2d inst., and resolved to establish a Reformed Episcopal Church for America, with the special design at the present of opposing Ritualism in your great and growing country. The stand you have made is worthy of the men to whose self-denying and devoted labors the Episcopal Church owes its origin in America — the men who founded the society, De promove?ido cvatigelio in partibus ininsmarinis, and who declared their de- sign to be ' the administration of God's Word and sacraments, . . to instruct the people in the principles of true re- ligion, aind to oppose divers Romish priests and Jesuits who had been encouraged to draw them over to Popish supersti- tion and idolatry.' " The principles of the new organization as reported to us appear to be — -the Word of God the sole rule of faith and practice ; the faith once delivered to the saints, on the basis of the Evangelical interpretation ; Episcopacy, not as of di- vine right, but as a very ancient and desirable form of Church polity ; a purified liturgy, etc. You reject baptismal regen- eration, the sacrificial theory of the eucharist, and that Chris- tian ministers are priests. " Hail to the Reformed Episcopal Church of America ! \Ve wish you good luck in the name of the Lord ! WORJi' IN THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 467 " I write on behalf of the Free Church of England. Your platform and ours are nearly identical. We offer you the right hand of fraternal salutation. We are willing to take counsel together and to co-operate — on the ground of perfect equality — in pursuit of the great object for which we ecclesiastically exist. May there be given us a sound understanding in the fear of the Lord. I have requested that our publications be sent to you forthwith, that you may see we have not been idle, and that we have not halted between two opinions in revising the Prayer Book. We have cut out the priestly element wher- ever we found it. We have revised the Catechism, utterly casting out baptismal regeneration, and placing in its stead the way of salvation as taught by Christ and his apostles. " May God, by his Holy Spirit, direct us in all things. " I am, yours faithfully, " T. C. T . " To THE Right Rev. Bishop Cummins, New York.''' Though other letters from which we make extracts were written later, we give them here in preference to separating them from those of earlier dates : " Ilfracombe, England, March, 10, 1874. ' ' To the Ri^ht Rev. Dr. Cummins : " My Dear Bishop : It gives me much pleasure to for- ward to you the inclosed document from the ' Council of the Free Church of England, ' and to add a few words of greeting from myself as expressive of the interest I take in your movement. " I have not been unacquainted with the undercurrent that has been secretly at work in your midst for some time past, and of the interest taken by many among you of our doings here on this side of the Atlantic. But I was not pre- pared for the bold course which, by God's grace, you have 468 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. been able to take, and which has so suddenly brought to the surface in a tangible form the workings of many hearts ; and the result shows that the time had come. I bless God for the grace he has given you, and I pray that you all may have wisdom to do the work God has given you to his glory. May he give you and us ' the spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind,' ' that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.' " I am, my dear bishop, faithfully and fraternally yours in Christ, B. P . " From a long and most interesting letter from a clergyman of the Church of England we quote the following sentences : " It is with feelings of thankfulness and pleasure of no common kind that many Protestant English Churchmen have heard of the origin and progress of ' The Reformed Epis- copal Church.' Alas ! alas ! that such a protesting Church should be so absolute a necessity in these days of nineteenth century light and freedom. Yet in England, as in America, the Ritualistic leaven is spreading among our churches with alarming rapidity. You must, I am sure, be glad to hear that in the mother country, as in your own land, Christian men have been found willing to utter indignant protests against the U7tscriptural and a«//- Protestant practices of the Ritualists. The object of my now addressing you is that through your kindness and Christian courtesy I may be better informed as to the organization of the Reformed Episcopal Church, and whether it would be possible for myself and con- gregation to join such Church. Your Episcopal title being as indisputable as any of the English Bishops, . . . would it be possible for you to consecrate two or three missionary bishops for England, who should form an English branch of the Reformed Episcopal Church, having yourself as president IVORA' IN THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 469 of the entire body ? I am not alone in the persuasion that could such a course be adopted it would be the commence- ment of an important religious movement in this country — a movement of all the more importance because of the inability of the Ritualists to question the orders of the Reformed Church clergy. With my best wishes for the success of your glorious work, I beg to remain, right reverend sir, your most obedient, . ' ' In a letter dated 17th April, 1874, to Bishop Cum- mins, we find the following : " We have held recently a meeting of the entire midland district of the Free Church of England. Your Reformed Church movement was one of the subjects brought before us, when great sympathy was expressed for you. There is in England a wonderful opening for this movement, and which we trust and believe that providence will make you the in- strument of using for the glory of God and the spread of the Redeemer's kingdom. My letter fairly represents the feelings and views of many, and will be followed shortly by a document of a more official character. Meanwhile, praying that the bless- ing of Almighty God may rest upon you and your great work, I am, right reverend and dear sir, yours obediently, Another clergyman sends this cordial invitation : " May 14, 1874. " Right Rev. and Dear Bishop : Your valued letter of April 25th has duly reached me, almost at the same time as the information that the union of your Church with the Free Church of England has been advanced a stage. I am very sorry to hear of your illness. After the excitement 470 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. incident to such a step as you have taken it is no wonder that health should fail. " Cannot our brethren in America spare you to us for a little ? We live on the most elevated and beautiful part of the hill, and I can only say how heartily my dear wife joins with me in urging you to spend a month with us. The voy- age, and the quiet you would get here, together with our fine air and the tonic effect of climbing our far-famed hills, would, I am sure, do much to restore you ; and but for one little ser- vice I will ask from you you may be as retired as you like while I enjoy the pleasure of driving you about the neighbor- hood. " It happens that I have been building a new church here, which is nearly completed, and will, we expect, be ready for opening at the beginning of July. It would serve me greatly if you could take some prominent part in the opening services. " In addition to this, it would undoubtedly help the work in England if you could meet the brethren here, and discuss with us personally the prospects and possibilities of the future. I do trust that you will be able to give us this pleasure. " Right reverend and dear sir, yours very faithfully, "Committee Rooms, Spa Fields, London, W. C, ) January I2, 1875. \ " Rev. and Dear Sir : We are authorized by the Coun- cil to give you a cordial invitation to meet us at our Convo- cation in June next, and to take part in the proceedings. " We hope nothing will hinder your coming, and we shall look forward to your arrival with great interest. " Please convey the full fraternal greetings of the Free Church of England to the beloved Reformed Episcopal Church of America. " In the name of the Council, on behalf of my fellow- WORK IN THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 47 1 secretary, the Rev. J. Sugden, B.A., and myself, I am, rev- erend and dear sir, yours faithfully, " Thoi\la.s E. Thoresbv. " Bishop George David Cummins, 38 Bible House, New York City.'' The two following letters were received from Prot- estant Episcopal clergymen : " Philadelphia, January 22, 1874. " My Dear Bishop : I have but a moment to write ; I wish to say that I have just met a number of our leading young men at dear Dr. Sparrow's funeral, and was glad to find such warm expressions of deep interest in the new Church as were openly uttered by several. The older men were not nearly so appreciative or cordial in their remarks. ... I have just read your Constitution, and rejoice to see that you have made the Church so thoroughly Democratic, by giving representation on the basis of the communion list, and by doing away with the upper House. These are very wise pro- visions, and will do much to popularize the movement and preserve the purity of the faith. " You know and appreciate my position. I w^ant to see this sister Church a great success though I should never join it. I feel it to be my duty to do all that lies within me to reform the old Church. I have hope in this direction, and shall invite a full and free discussion from now till October, when an honest and strong effort will be made for a relaxation of canons, revision of the Prayer Book, and discretionary use of it. This rejected, our Evangelical men will become united in other action, and the laity will be aroused to the necessity of supporting the clergy in such action. " Excuse, affectionately yours. 47^ GEORGE DA VI D CUMMINS. "Baltimore, February 4, 1874. " Dear Bishop : May I trouble you to send me the promi- nent attacks upon your movement ; the letters of Bishop Potter and Dr. Hall, or any thing you find at hand which tells the general tone and feeling in the Episcopal Church about it. " I do not write to express sympathy with you in your position. A clear mind and conscience, and a close walk with God lifted you above the fear of man, which brings a snare. And I am sure you are happy in the consciousness of duty to the truth. ' ' Truly and affectionately yours. The following fraternal communication was re- ceived from a clergyman of a sister Communion : " Princeton, N. J., February 19, 1874. " Right Rev. Geo. D. Cununins : " Dear Sir : The writer is pastor of the First Presbyte- rian Church, Princeton. He has observed with great interest the movement in which you are engaged, and greatly honors you for the course you have taken. " The object of my writing is to request you to visit Prince- ton, and unite with us in our worship on the first Sabbath of April next. It is the day of our regular communion, when the Rev. Drs. Hodge and McCosh, and the Professors and students of the seminary and college unite with us. My wish is that you should at least preach the sermon on that occa- sion, and preach also in the evening, when you will be likely to have all the members of both institutions, and as many of the people of our community as the church will comfortably hold to hear you. ' ' Please let me hear from you at an early day, and accept assurance of my sincere Christian regard. "Yours, J. M. Macdonald." WOR/C IN THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 473 The following communication appeared in a relig- ious paper from the pen of one of the most prominent and influential of the Protestant Episcopal laity — Stewart Brown, Esq. — fully justifying the action of Bishop Cummins : " New York, March 2, 1874. ' ' To the Editor of the Independent : "Dear Sir: In your friendly notice of Bishop Cum- mins's movement, which I have seen in the Church and State, taken from your paper, you say ' that the place for Re- formed Episcopalians is where there are Episcopalians who need reforming, and nowhere else.' This would be true if there were any possibility of reforming them in the present organization ; but, as one of the ablest seceders, the Rev. Mr. Latane, of Virginia, has well said, the battle has been fought /// the Church and lost by the evangelical party. There was a time when that party had such champions as Bishops Moore and Meade, of Virginia ; Doctors Bedell, Mil- ner, Mcllvaine, Cutler, Jackson, Eastburn, the two Johns, Tyng, and some others, who fought manfully for the doctrine of justification by faith alone. There was a time when Low Churchmen fully hoped the pure Gospel would have free course and be glorified in the Protestant Episcopal Church. But alas ! how they have been disappointed. They have been defeated ; and if, with such powerful and godly cham- pions and such comparative large numbers of adherents among the laity, all efforts to stay the errors in the Church did not succeed, what, since the death of the before-mentioned and condemnation of Bishop Cummins's course by others of them, are we to expect from continuing the fight with dimin- ished numbers and few clergy who proclaim distinctly the doctrines of grace ? It would seem that reformation and peace cannot be had in the Church, and that nothing was left for Bishop Cummins but departure from her organization. 474 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. " It may be, as you say, that those who remain in may occupy a position that is perfectly logical ; but what they will be, with the increasing strength of the dominant party, it does not seem to be difficult to predict, viz., either a small body, without influence, or an absorption into the ruling party, which will be a lamentable sequel for the cause of Christ. " While I say there was no other course for Bishop Cum- mins to pursue (as without it no changes would be made in the old Church laws and Prayer Book), his step may bring about a better state of things and prevent a violent disrup- tion. The action of the next General Convention will deter- mine. - S. B." In another published letter this same venerable lay- man emphatically remarks : " We must say that but for Bishop Cummins.'s brave step there would be no hope. Now there may be some hope, and we ought to thank him for opening up a place of refuge con- genial to our feelings, should we be driven from our Church. It appears to us his reasons are strong, and that to be consistent, in the present state of our Church's laws, all our evangelical bishops ought to follow his example. ' ' CHAPTER XLI. WORK IN REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 1875— {Co)itinHcd). " Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father." — i Thess. i : 3. Aged 53. IN April, 1875, Bishop Cummins rented a stone cot- tage at Lutherville, a village on the Northern Cen- tral Railroad, and removed with his family to that place. His son-in-law and eldest daughter gave up their sweet home in Pewee Valle}', Kj., to be with their parents, and soon after their removal to Luther- ville circumstances occurred which brought his son and daughter-in-law to his little cottage home. The summer of 1875 brought with it a large portion of the brightness and gladness of other days. With health in a great measure restored, united to his family after a long separation, the Church of his love growing as he had not even hoped for, the attractions of another country home in which he took such keen delight — all went to make these months peculiarly happy. In May the third General Council met in Chi- cago. While attending this Council Bishop Cum- mins wrote thus : 47^ GEORGE DA VID CUMMINS. " Chicago, May 15, 1875. "Yesterday, while in Council, your letter was handed me, and was most gladly welcomed. You give so pleasant an account of the trees at our home that it makes the con- trast here wonderful. It is winter here : cold, fierce winds are blowing over the lake, from the north. " It has been impossible for me to write to you since my last hurried note of Thursday. Yesterday we had three ses- sions— morning, afternoon, and night — and are in the midst of the discussion on the articles. Only about ten are passed, about two-thirds are yet to be discussed. Yesterday morning was consumed chiefly in receiving Dr. Thompson, delegate from the Dutch Reformed Church. He addressed the Coun- cil at length, and I replied. " The Council has divided the country into missionary jurisdictions, and under the canon each bishop must be as- signed to one. The Eastern, including New England, New York, and New Jersey, they will assign to me, as the head- quarters of the Church ; while, as Presiding Bishop, I will have all under my care where there is no bishop. To-mor- row night at Christ Church we are to have a missionary meet- ing to help the Sustentation Fund, and I shall try to induce the people to take up the work with mo?'e faith. I shall re- turn home immediately after the Council. Tuesday is the earliest day on which we can adjourn. I sent you yesterday the papers of Thursday and Friday containing accounts of our proceedings. I long to be at home, but must give myself to the work here. To-morrow morning I preach on the west side, and ordain Mr. Johnson, of Ottawa, a deacon. I preached the opening sermon at the Council. And now it is time for me to go to the Council. I will write again to-mor- row. May our Heavenly Father bless you and spare us to meet again. Fondest love to our dear circle. Kiss my two little pets." WORK IN THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 4/7 "Chicago, May i6, 1875. " I expect this is a balmy, beautiful day at Lutherville, with a warm sun, and the trees robed in the first fresh foliage. Here it is bright, but a cold north wind is coming over the lake, and the trees are almost entirely bare. I wrote you a short letter yesterday. We had quite an interesting day. In the morning Rev. Mr. G 's motion came up, to elect a missionary bishop for the Pacific coast. Mr. M offered an amendment, and a long debate followed. About three o'clock I took the floor and advocated an energetic prosecu- tion of our work by more agencies, either bishops or evan- gelists, and asked for a^committee to meet me at Mr. A 's. It was unanimously carried, and Bishop C and myself. Dr. N , Rev. H. S , A. G. T , Governor W , and Mr. M were appointed the committee. Mr. M , of Brooklyn, and Colonel A came as advisers. It was decided that Dean Cridge be elected missionary bishop of the Pacific coast. Rev. Mr. , missionary bishop of the South, and Rev. Mr. J be appointed evangelist in the South. We do not know that the Council will adopt the whole of the report, but it is believed that such action will arouse a very deep feeling of interest among our people. "This morning I preached in St. Paul's — the church formerly occupied by Dr. Bishop. It was very full. I or- dained Mr. J , assisted by Rev. Mr. Gallagher and Rev. Mr. Feltwell. The congregation has called Rev. Dr. Fallows to be their pastor ; he is a very eloquent preacher, and is now president of a college at Bloomington. He will enter on his duties in June. We have only passed twelve of the Articles, but I hope we will be able to finish by Tuesday night. I have seen but little of Chicago since I arrived, I have been so constantly occupied. To-day I was able to get a glimpse of it as I rode over to the west side. There are many noble buildings lately put up, but you can still see the traces of the great fire in 1871." 478 GEORGE DA VID CUMMINS. In the journal of Bishop Cummins we find the fol- lowing entries : ''May 23-30. — Preached morning and evening in the Church of the Redeemer, Baltimore. '^ Jmie 6 a7id 13. — Preached in the same church morning and evening. ''June 20. — Preached in Lincoln Hall, Washington, for the congregation under th€ care of the Rev. Wm. McGuire. "June 27. — At home resting. "July 4. — Visited Binghamton, New York. Preached in St. Stephen's Chapel, baptized three adults and one infant, and confirmed three persons. Preached at the Congrega- tional church in the evening. "July 6. — Preached in the Congregational church in Gloversville, and July 7th confirmed twelve persons in the same town. "July 8. — Spoke at Johnstown, in the Presbyterian church." The remaining portion of the month of July and the first week in August were passed at Lutherville. While there Bishop Cummins filled the pulpitof the Church of the Redeemer, Reformed Episcopal, Baltimore, until the Rev. W. M. Postlethwaite, formerly rector of a Protestant Episcopal Church on Washington Heights, New York, took charge, having accepted a call from the vestry to become their pastor. 4 After the first Sunday in August, 1875, Bishop Cummins went to Newburg-on-the-Hudson, at the invitation of several gentlemen of that city, to organ- ize a Reformed Episcopal Church. Here he re- mained several days, and we find the following record of his work in his journal : WORK IN THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 479 ''August 8.— Preached in Newburg twice in the Reformed church. ''August 9.— Addressed a meeting called to organize a church." The Reformed Episcopal Church was established in Newburg, and the Rev. Dr. Leacock was elected pastor. This congregation is chiefly composed of some of the most influential and cultured families in that beautiful little city. They have worshipped for three years in their own tasteful "Church of the Corner-stone." After his visit to Newburg Bishop Cummms went to New Brunswick to visit the churches in that province. We quote again from his journal : ''August 15.— Preached in the morning in St. John, New Brunswick. In the evening addressed a vast congregation in Mechanics' Hall, on the Reformed Episcopal Church. "August 17.— In Chatham, N. B. Spoke in behalf of our work in the Methodist Church. "August 19.— Preached in Sussex, N. B., in their taste- ful new church. "August 22.— Preached in Moncton, N. B., twice, and confirmed eighteen persons. This parish is in a most pros- perous state." Bishop Cummins returned to Newburg after this visit to Canada, and formally organized a church there. He preached again twice for the congrega- tion. Early in September he went to Ottawa, Canada, ' v.here he passed several most pleasant days. He L'l IS records his work in that city: 480 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. " Septeinber 5. — Preached in Emmanuel Church twice, the Rev. H. M. Collison, pastor. " September 6. — Preached in the same church, and or- dained. Mr. William Hartley, of. Muskoka, Algoma, deacon. " September 7. — Reception in the Knox Church, Ottawa Addresses, etc.; very pleasant evening. " September 8. — Addressed a meeting in Emmanuel Church." From Ottawa Bishop Cummins visited Toronto. Here he was greatly cheered by the state of the church under the care of the Rev. Dr. Ussher. He thus writes : " September \2. — In Toronto. In the morning preached at Emmanuel Church, in the evening at Christ Church, and con- firmed 7iine persons. Two were from Emmanuel Church. " September 19. — Preached in the First Reformed Epis- copal Church, New York, Rev. W. T. Sabine, rector, once, and in the' Mission Church, Twenty-sixth Street, in the evening. '' September 26. — In the morning at the First Reformed Episcopal Church, and in the evening at Twenty-sixth Street, Rev. George Howell, pastor." Bishop Cummins held services in the Rev. W. T. Sabine's church for three weeks, delivering a course of lectures. In this year Bishop Cummins's sermon, entitled "The Lord's Table, and not the Altar," was issued by the committee of "Reformed Episcopal Publica- tions." This sermon gives fully his views upon this all-important subject, and has been widely read. In October he visited Brooklyn, and preached in IVORK IN THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 48 1 tlie Church of the Incarnation, and at Williamsburg, or East Brooklyn, where a new parish was being formed. We further quote from his journal : " October 10. — Preached in Emmanuel Church, Newark, morning aad evening. " October 17. — Preached twice in the Second Reformed Episcopal Church, Philadelphia Rev. Dr. W. R. Nicholson, rector. " October 18. — Laid corner-stone of Third Reformed Episcopal Church, Germantown (Philadelphia), Rev. G. A. Redles, pastor. " October 21. — Laid corner-stone of Church of the Re- deemer, Baltimore, Rev. W. M. Postlethwaite, pastor. ''October 2^. — Preached twice in the Church of the Re- demption, Pittsburg, and confirmed three persons. " October 2,1- — Emmanuel Church, Louisville. Preached twice, and confirmed fiine persons. Rev. John K. Dunn, pastor." While in Louisville he wrote as follows : " Louisville, October 30, 1875. " I am here once more in the midst of the scenes of my memorable Kentucky life, grateful to God for my work and position, and all that he has done for me, and for the way that he has led me. I would not exchange my present for my former position for any earthly gain. " I left Baltimore at 4.10 p.m, in a Pullman car, and had a quiet ride to Martinsburg. We reached Parkersburg in the morning : the temperature was very cold and it was raining. We arrived at Cincinnati at 2.30, in time to take the three o'clock train for Louisville. Mr. Dunn and Mr. L met me at the station, and we drove to Mr. L 's home on Broadway. I will go up to Indianapolis on Tuesday after- 482 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. noon, and remain until Thursday. I send you dear G 's letter, asking me to make them a visit. I found a telegram here from Mr. Tyng. I shall go to Peoria before returning home and preach for them. ... I preached to a large congregation, and spoke to many old friends. The D s were there, except Miss L , who is not in Louisville, Mr. and Mrs. John T. M , Mrs. J , and a number of St. Paul's people. I take tea at Mr. D 's to-morrow even- ing. I hope to go out to Pewee Valley to-morrow, if possible. I confirmed nine persons for Mr, Dunn. He is doing well here : his spirit is very sweet. " I can write no more to-day. The Lord bless and keep you. Fondest love to my dear children, and many kisses for my t\fO peaches, so lovely and sweet !" November 3d, 1875, Bishop Cummins passed in Indianapolis, and preached once ; the 4th he visited Peoria, III., and held services ; the 5th in Chillicothe, 111., preaching once ; and the 7th in Chicago, where he preached twice in Christ Church, Right Rev. Charles E. Cheney, rector. November 14th, he preached in the Church of the Redeemer, Baltimore, and ordained Mr. W. L. Jett, of Washington, Virginia, deacon. November i8th, Bishop Cummins left his home in Lutherville for an extended visit to Charleston, S. C. The year previous a number of congregations, formed of colored people who had been mem- bers of the Protestant Episcopal Church, had been received into the Reformed Episcopal Church, and the General Council had appointed the Rev. P. F. vStevens pastor over them all, aided by the colored j^rcachers who had been ministering to them. "A iiishop Cummins's Training School " had been estab- IVOJ^K IN THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 483 lished by Mr. Stevens, for the purpose of educating the colored preachers more thoroughly, and to prepare them for Holy Orders in the Reformed Episcopal Church. Bishop Cummins had ahva3's felt a deep interest in this neglected race, and it was with great pleasure he undertook this journey, that he might be with them for several weeks. He took lodgings in Charleston, and accompanied by Rev. Benjamin Johnson and Rev. Mr. Stevens, visited in all about twelve congregations, besides preaching several times in Charleston, We have before us full newspaper accounts of his visit and services while in that old city by the sea, as also some interesting letters written by himself for the Episcopal Recorder, giving graphic and full details of this visitation. We quote first from one of Bishop Cummins's let- ters : " I saw Charleston in the light of early morning, and the first drive from the railway station to our lodgings revealed a most quaint and singular town, utterly unlike most Ameri- can towns, with the marks of age upon all things, and a style of architecture more like continental Europe than that of the New World. . . . The day of our arrival the thermom- eter marked 80° Fahrenheit, and we sat with open windows as in June. Orange and lemon trees are growing before the houses, laden with golden fruit. Large and noble trees of the magnolia grandiflora rise much higher than the dwellings. Japonicas are in full bloom and grow to an immense size. But the roses — what can I write to give you an idea of them ! Great vines of the superb cloth of gold run on frames twenty feet high, and the buds and full-blown flowers are wondrous to behold. We measured one of these buds, half blown, and 484 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. found it to be six inches in circumference ! Next to this, and scarcely inferior, come the La Marc, the Malmaison, and the Luxembourg. " My first stroll was to the Battery, overlooking the beauti- ful harbor and bay. I was unprepared for the view that pre- sented itself. Two rivers — the Ashley and Cooper — meet to form the harbor, which only needs a mountain to make it as beautiful as the Bay of Naples. Looking seaward, on the ex- treme left, could be seen Fort Moultrie and Sullivan's Island ; while in the centre, three miles away, the walls of Fort Sum- ter rise above the water, a memorable name in the annals of our country. " As the representative of our dear Church I have received in this city the most cordial and hearty welcome. Clergymen of all Evangelical churches have come forward to greet me and bid me God-speed. Many churches have been opened to me, and I have been urged to preach in their pulpits. On the morning of Sunday, November 21st, I preached in the Central Methodist church, and at night to our own colored congregation at Trinity Church. The congregation numbered over a thousand colored people, and I never spoke to a more attentive audience. The leading daily paper of Charleston says : " The Right Rev. George David Cummins, D.D., the Pre- siding Bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church, preached yesterday morning at Trinity Church, Halsey Street. The edifice was densely crowded, the congregation including large numbers from various denominations who had been attracted by the celebrity of the preacher. The text was St. John 10 : 16." Then follows a full and very correct report of the sermon. WORK IN THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 485 On the anniversary of the organization of the Re- formed Episcopal Church, Bishop Cummins put forth a letter to the members from which we quote : " The 2d day of December, 1875, completes the two years of the existence of the Reformed Episcopal Church as a branch of Christ's visible Church. " I response to the call of the last General Council, our congregations everywhere will celebrate the day as a day of special thanksgiving to the great Head of the Church for his goodness in restoring to us the ' old paths' and simple faith and practice of our fathers. The following facts may serve as food for reflection, and also to heighten our gratitude. " First. The Reformed Episcopal Church is the gracious answer of God to the prayers of many faithful souls who have felt the heavy burden of a Prayer Book which, while possessing so much that is precious and excellent, is sadly marred by the retention of unscriptural teachings. " Second. The Reformed Episcopal Church is not only God's gracious answer to prayer ; it was begun in prayer, baptized in prayer, and has been upheld by unceasing, im- portunate supplication. " Third. The Reformed Episcopal Church originated in no schemes or plans of man's devising ; it was preceded by no secret societies, no hidden conspiracy, no private consul- tations. No correspondence ever passed between individuals concerning its inception. It grew silently, like God's great un- seen working in nature, below the surface, in human hearts, known only to him. " Fourth. The Reformed Episcopal Church began by the work of God's Spirit upon individual souls, separated far apart from each other, each of whom was ignorant of the workings within the breast of the other. ''Fifth. The Reformed Episcopal Church has received marked tokens of the guiding hand of God shaping and di- 486 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. reeling its work by a Wisdom evidently coming from Above. What but this could have enabled a handful of men within eighteen short months to perfect the revision of the Prayer Book, which, though it is not claimed to be faultless, is the admiration of every unbiased, unprejudiced reader ; and to set forth Articles of Faith embodying the very marrow of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ ? ' Not unto us, O Lord, but unto thy name be all the glory, for thou hast wrought all our works in us !' " Sixth. The Reformed Episcopal Church was organized on the 2d day of December, 1873, with eight clergymen and a score of laymen, without a single congregation adhering to it. On the 2d day of December, 1875, it numbers fifty- two clergymen, and fifty congregations throughout the United States and the Dominion of Canada. " Thus has God caused this vine of his own planting to take root and to put forth the first-fruits of a rich return — precious souls redeemed and sanctified by the blood of the Lamb. " George D. Cummins." While Bishop Cummins was in Charleston he held two ordinations. He writes thus about the first : "Charleston, December 7, 1875. " Sunday last I ordained the first clergyman of the Re- formed Episcopal Church from among the ranks of the f reed- men of the South. " On Saturday, December 4th, Mr. Johnson and Mr. Stevens accompanied me to Pineville, about fifty miles north of Charleston. Four churches were represented in the con- gregation assembled in the new church, built by their own hands. We held the first service Saturday evening ; Mr. Johnson preached. Sunday morning dawned with cloudy, threatening weather, but the church was filled by our colored WORK IN THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 487, friends. Mr. Stevens read the service, and I preached. The candidate for deacon's orders was presented by Rev. Mr. Johnson. The newly ordained deacon, Mr. Frank C. Fur- guson, was an earnest and faithful worker in the Protestant Episcopal Church among his race, and is highly esteemed by both the white and colored people among whom he resides. He has been preparing himself by study for the ministry, while teaching a large school for colored children. After the ordmation the Lord's Supper was administered to a very large number of communicants, Rev. Mr. Furguson assisting. " It was a pleasant sight to me to see these people wor- shipping in their new church, built by themselves after they had been driven from their former place of worship for uniting with us. I consecrated it, as it is entirely out of debt. The ' Church of the Redeemer ' stands in a beautiful grove of live-oak trees. I hope all our churches will follow this pre- cedent of the freedmen, and beware of debt. " After the consecration I preached again, and confirmed a class of thirty-six persons. These people have been faith- fully prepared by their pastor, whose standard of Christian profession is a high one. They manifested deep feeling and seemed fully to appreciate the solemnity of the service. " A training school is about to be established by Mr. Ste- vens for the education of colored candidates for the ministry. The colored congregations will aid in its support. This train- ing school, if it can be maintained by a generous charity, may be the beginning of a blessed work among the freedmen, through the instrumentality of this dear church of ours. Let us help this brother by aiding in the support of the students by donations of books, and, above all, by fervent, unceasing prayer. ' ' We quote again from the journal of Bishop Cum- mins : ^'November 21. — Preached in Charleston, S. C, in the 488 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. morning ; in Trinity M. E. Church in the evening, to the col- ored congregation of Trinity (Reformed Episcopal Church). " November 25. — Thanksgiving Day. Preached in the Citadel Square Church. " November 26. — In evening at Trinity Church (colored). " November 28. — Preached in the morning in Second Presbyterian Church, and in the evening in Citadel Square Church. " December 3. — Preached to colored congregation. " December 5. — Preached at Pineville twice, ordained Mr. Furguson, and confirmed thirty-six persons. " December 9. — Preached to colored congregation, Trinity Church. ''December 12. — Preached at French Protestant church in the morning. At night at Hibernian Hall spoke on the claims of the Reformed Episcopal Church. " December 17. — Preached in Trinity Church and ordained Edward A. Forrest (colored) deacon. " December 19. — At Pineopolis. Preached twice, and or- dained Lawrence Dawson (colored) deacon, and confirmed forty-two persons." The sermon preached by Bishop Cummins in Hi- bernian Hall on the claims of the Reformed Episcopal Church, the need for such a Church, and wherein it differs from the Protestant Episcopal Church, was fully reported in the leading daily papers of Charles- ton. These' reports are far too lengthy for these pages. He writes of the service held in the Huguenot church. We quote his own words : " On Sunday, December nth, I enjoyed the privilege of worshipping in the French Protestant or Huguenot church in this city, the only church of the Huguenots remaining in England or America, except a little handful of the descend- WORX: IN THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 489 ants of that people wliich still holds a service in the crypt of Canterbury Cathedral. The first church — erected on the site of the one in which I preached last Sunday morning — was built in 1693, only eight years after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, and the people who sat before me are the descend- ants of those who were driven from their native land by the terrible storm of fire and blood which followed that dark day of 1685. " South Carolina was called ' the home of the Huguenots,' and became their principal retreat in the New World. A thousand embarked from the ports of Holland alone. These are the Huguenots who settled in Charleston. I have been deeply interested in the Service book of this church. It is a translation of the old liturgy of Neufchatel of 1732. As might be expected from a people who have suffered so much for their fidelity to the Gospel, it contains no trace of sacerdotal- ism. The order for morning prayer is not unlike our own. Thus does this venerable church stand in our midst, the only memorial left to us of the mighty struggle of a noble race to maintain the pure faith of the Gospel undefiled. " As a Reformed Episcopalian contending for the same precious faith, I have been most happy to find here a litur- gical Evangelical church, and to unite in the use of a Prayer Book hallowed by the memories of those ' who resisted unto blood ' the corruption of the Church of Rome, and who ' counted not their lives dear unto them, so that they might testify to the Gospel of the grace of God.' " On Friday, December i8th, Bishop Cummins, in company with the Rev. P. F. Stevens, visited Naz- areth Church, Pineopolis, where three congregations assembled on Sunday, 19th, to meet him. The weather was unusually cold for that latitude, ice could be seen everywhere. A vast congregation had gathered de- 490 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. spite the cold, some coming fifteen miles to attend the services. We quote from one of the bishop's letters : " I wished most heartily, after arriving at the church, that many who shrink from attending the services of God's house if they should be subjected to the smallest inconvenience, could have looked in upon the scene that presented itself to my eyes. The building still used for services is the old church, which they occupy until they can finish their own church. Five windows on each side were entirely without glass or sash, with the thermometer at 27°. Seats without backs were filled by a great company. I wore my overcoat and the gown over it and was only comfortable ; but I could have borne a greater degree of cold, for my heart was warmed to see the intense interest manifested in the services. After the service and sermon I ordained Mr. Lawrence A. Dawson a deacon, presented by his pastor, Rev. P. F. Stevens, who has long known and esteemed him. The Lord's Supper was then ad- ministered. In the afternoon I preached again, and con- firmed a large class. Mr. Stevens then addressed the people. He said he felt unspeakably thankful that after years of labor among them he had lived to see three set apart for the work of the ministry. Thus closes my month's sojourn in Charles- ton. It has been a time of much labor and of great joy in witnessing the progress of our cause among the freedmen. It has been a time of spiritual refreshment, moreover, in the intercourse I have enjoyed among the ministers and members of the evangelical churches. Right heartily and cordially have they received us as ' fellow-helpers to the truth,' recog- nizing our mission as one eminently fitted to bring into closer fellowship all the branches of Christ's visible Church who hold the like precious faith. How highly has God honored us in giving to us such a mission !" From December 19th, 1875, to January i6th, 1876, IVORK IN THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 49 ^ Bishop Cummins spent at Aiken, S. C, where he had taken his wife for the benefit of her health. While at Aiken he preached in the Methodist and Presbyterian churches, and made an address at a Christmas gathering of the Sunday-schools of the last- named church. On the 23d January he preached twice in the Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, N. C, where he was visiting some dear friends on his way home. Immediately on his arrival home Bishop Cummins took temporary charge of the Church of the Incarna- tion, Brooklyn, where he officiated for some time. We give here the entries in his journal : ''January 30, 1876.— Preached twice in the Church of the Incarnation, Brooklyn. "February^. — Lectured. " February 6.— Preached twice in the same church. "February 9.— In Baltimore. Ordained Rev. H. H. Washburn, presbyter, and Mr. F. H. Reynolds, deacon. " February 11.— Lectured in Church of the Incarnation. " February 13.— Preached twice *in the same church. ''February 20.— Opening of Emmanuel Church, Phila- delphia ; preached and confirmed twenty persons. Same evening preached in Second Reformed Episcopal Church, Philadelphia. "February 24.— Consecrated Rev. W. R. Nicholson, D.D., a bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church, assisted by Bishop Cheney ; Bishop Simpson and Rev. Dr. R. M. Hatfield, of the Methodist Episcopal Church ; Rev. Drs. Bea- dle and Blackwood, of the Presbyterian Church ; Rev. Drs. Leacock and J. Howard Smith, Revs. J. H. Latane, M. Gal- lagher, W. T. Sabine, and H. M. Collison. 492 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. " February 27. — Preached and confirmed at the Church of the Rock of Ages, Baltimore. " March 3. — Lectured in Church of the Incarnation, Brooklyn. " March 5. — Preached twice in same church, and admin- istered the Lord's Supper. " March 12. — Opening of Church of the Redeemer, Balti- more ; preached once. " We give extracts from letters written by Bishop Cummins while in Brooklyn. " Brooklyn, February i, 1876. " I looked earnestly this morning for a letter from you, but none has come. I wrote you yesterday, giving you an account of the services on Sunday and of my health. The weather was very unpleasant, cold, and raw. About three o'clock I went out for a walk, and made my first acquaintance with Brooklyn. After breakfast Mr. M asked me to go with him in his carriage, that he might show me that part of the city near our chapel. Mr. M thinks that part of the city very desirable for our work. This evening the social gathering of the congregation takes place. I do not expect to be much in New York ; but to-morrow a special meeting of our Standing Committee is called at three and a half o'clock to make arrangements for Dr. Nicholson's consecration, and I shall be obliged to attend. I had the meeting called because the regular meeting is on the 9th, and I must be in Baltimore then to hold the ordination. I long intensely to be with all my precious home circle, and should enjoy a play with our two little darlings. Ask ' Mo Peachy ' if I shall send her a black ' Kitty ' in a letter ? Fondest love to all. God bless you " " Brooklyn, February 12, 1876. " How ceaselessly my thoughts have been about you to- WORK IN THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 493 day ! I have thought of you as lying on your bed of suffer- ing during this bright lovely day, and I have longed to be near you to minister to you. How gladly would I exchange all the elegance and grandeur of the city for the simple home at Lutherville ! May our merciful Heavenly Father be very near to you in this your hour of need. " I went over to the 15ible House this morning to meet some of the clergy, and remained there several hours. Rev. Mr. H has arrived, so that I can only write a brief letter to-day, and it will be my last before seeing you, as I go to- morrow to Philadelphia." " Brooklyn, March 4, 1876. " I had a very quiet ride to New York, and on my arrival found Mr. M waiting for me at the ferry in his carriage. At seven o'clock Mr. M went with me to the chapel, where I found a good congregation. I lectured in the course on our Saviour's farewell discourses. To-day visited Mr. S , who was very glad to see me, and seemed comforted by my visit. He is a great sufferer, but cheerful and sub- missive. The regular meeting of our Standing Committee is called for next Wednesday. Important business will be brought before it. My presence is not essential, as I only sit as an adviser. I will not leave, however, until after the meet- ing, and therefore cannot be at home until Thursday. Much love to our children." " Brooklyn, March 5, 1876. " I am to administer the Lord's Supper to-morrow to Mr. S . I held service Sunday, preached and administered the communion. There was a good congregation. After the service I met four of the vestry, and talked with them about calling Rev. Mr. W . If he can come it will be a great blessing." " March 6. — I wrote to you yesterday telling you of my reasons for remaining over Wednesday, and after closing my 494 GEORGE DA VID CUMMINS. letter went out to Mr. S 's. I had not intended to ad- minister the Lord's Supper to him until to-day or to-morrow, but he is failing so rapidly that I determined not to delay it. " Last night I held service and preached again in the chapel. The position of this chapel is unfavorable to our work, and the vestry are looking now for a suita.ble building. A church has been offered us, very pleasantly located about half a mile from this portion of the city. I think the vestry will decide to take it. " This morning I went over to the Bible House and met Rev. Mr. S , Rev. Mr. H , Rev. Mr. B , and Rev. Mr. R . Rev. Mr. S 's vestry have determined to buy the church they are now worshipping in ; but some of the most influential members of his congregation and the largest subscribers prefer that a new church should be built in a more desirable location, so that they will probably rent the church by the year until their own is erected. I trust the Lord will guide them. I came back from the Bible House and rested. Mr. T invited me to take tea at his house this evening, so I am to go there at 6.30 o'clock. Rev. Mr. H takes the services here next Sunday. ' ' We find from the journal of Bishop Cummins that he preached in the Church of the Rock of Ages — now the Bishop Cummins Memorial Church — March 19th, 1876, and on the 26th March in the Church of the Redeemer, Baltimore. " April 2, 1876. — Preached twice at the Church of the Incarnation, Brooklyn. " April 9. — Preached twice in the same church. " April 16. — At home — no work. " April 23. — Morning at Emmanuel Church (Reformed Episcopal), evening at Church of the Redeemer, and con- firmed sixteen persons. IVORK IN THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 495 " April T^o. — In the morning, at First Reformed Episcopal church, New York, preached and confirmed twenty-nine per- sons. In the evening, at Second Reformed Episcopal Church, New York, preached and confirmed twelve persons. ''May"]. — In the morning preached at Church of the Rock of Ages, Baltimore. Evening, in I^utheran church, Lutherville. " May 14. — Inaugurated services of our Church in Cum- berland, Md., Rev. John K. Dunn, pastor. Preached morn- ing and evening." Bishop Cummins had been appointed by the Fourth General Council which met in Chicago, May, 1875, delegate from the Reformed Episcopal Church to the General Conference of the Methodist Episco- pal Church which met in Baltimore the latter part of May, 1876. On the 19th May he was presented to the Conference by the Rev. Dr. Lowery, of the Com- mittee on Reception of Fraternal Delegates, and was received with hearty applause, the entire body rising. The address delivered by Bishop Cummins, which was reported entire at the time, is too lengthy to be given here ; but we make a few extracts from it : " Fathers and Brethren : I count myself very happy to appear before this venerable Council this morning to bear to you the greetings of the youngest and the smallest of the sister- hood of Protestant Churches. The youngest and the small- est, but the representative of great principles, old as the Word of God, precious as the truth is in Jesus, and lasting as eter- nity. I come to you as the representative of the youngest and smallest Episcopal family in this land, to greet the largest Episcopal family. Your youngest sister, small indeed, but 496 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. bearing, I claim, a family likeness to her big sister, whom I address this morning. " Mr. President, shortly after the close ot the revolu- tionary war that great and saintly man, Bishop Asbury, found his way in his apostolic journeyings — and he ivas an apostle in the true sense of the word, a true successor to the apostles — to the County of Kent, on the eastern shore of Maryland, and a home in a family of the Church of England of the straightest sort, but who opened their parlors for Asbury to preach in, and when these would not accommodate all the people the spacious barns were, thrown open. Through his preaching that whole family was converted. There was one son, a boy, who was away at school when these meetings were started. He returned home to spend his vacation, and was converted also, and became one of the earliest travelling preachers of the Methodist Church in this land. That young man became my mother's father, and to-day, by inheritance, I have a part and a lot in you ; and perhaps because I am a grandson of one of the first travelling preachers of the Methodist Church I am here to-day, under God, representing the cause of truth. ' ' But that is not all ; not all of my obligations to Method- ism. It was my great privilege to be a student of Dickenson Col- lege in its palmy days, and I shall never forget the noble men who formed there a galaxy of grand names — the eloquent Durbin, the scholarly and most gifted McClintock, the saintly Christlike Emory. Under the preaching of these men I was first brought to the knowledge of Christ, and under the in- centive of their noble ministry first conceived the idea of consecrating myself to the work of the Gospel. I thank God for my studentship at Dickenson College. May my soul be with the souls of these dear brethren in the day of the Lord." Bishop Cummins then referred at length to the work in which he was engaged ; the need for such a WORK IN THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 49/ work ; the cause for establishing a new Church ; and gave a sketch of the steady growth of RituaHsm in England and America in the last thirty years, and some historical facts touching the Reformation under Henry VIII. and Edward VI., and also of that of the eighteenth century, led by Wesley, and of the great work done by the Methodist Church. He then says : " And above all, and this is my last thought, the great glory of Methodism to-day is that it is the Church, for the poor, the Church of the masses ; that she has reached a lower stra- tum of society than has been reached by any other Protestant Church in Christendom ; that she has done a work for the Master in this land that no other Church has been able to do. I have often thought what would become of the poor if those who claim to be the successors of the apostles had been intrusted alone with their salvation. Methodism has been the missionary, the pioneer of the Gospel to the poor. I bear my testimony to-day that in one of the great States of the West, where I labored for seven years, I never could get ahead of the Methodist preacher. I never entered into the wild fastnesses of Kentucky but I found a Methodist preacher had gone before me ; and I never found myself in one of those beautiful villages on the Ohio and the Mississippi, but the first sight that greeted my eyes was the small, humble Meth- odist church. Methodism has been an evangel to the poor, and it may take up to-day the language of her Lord and say without irreverence, ' The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor." Bishop Cummins's address was received with un- wonted pleasure by the Conference, and on motion of the Rev. Dr. Whedon, the following resolution was adopted by a rising vote : 498 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. " Resolved. That we have listened with great pleasure to the brotherly and eloquent words of the Rev. Bishop Cum- ins, of the Reformed Episcopal Church, communicating to us the fraternal greetings of the body he so worthily repre- sents ; and we extend to him and his Church the right hand of Christian fellowship, and cordially reciprocate his expres- sions of love and sympathy, and will, in due time, respond officially by our representative bearing our regards to his Church." The entire body of bishops seated on the platform then rose, and while the members of the Conference stood, gathered around Bishop Cummins, giving him the warmest greetings and wished him a hearty God- speed in his work. When he returned home he said, ' ' I am very thankful to have been permitted to be there to-day. It may be my only opportunity to ex- press my gratitude for what I owe to that grand Church." He was deeply moved,, and said, " Oh ! it was a wonderful scene ; I wished so much that all my family could have been present. May 2ist Bishop Cummins officiated in the Church of the Redeemer, Baltimore. On the 24th he left Lutherville for Boston. We find the following entries in his journal : " May 25. — Preached in Music Hall, Boston. " May 26. — Addressed the students of the Theological School of the Boston University. '' May 2%. — Preached twice at Park Street Church, Bos- ton, and in the evening addressed St. Luke's (Reformed Episcopal) congregation in Armory Hall." Two letters were received from Bishop Cummins by his wife while he was in Boston. They were the last WORK IN THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 499 ever received by any member ot his family. One is dated May 25th, the other the 26th, just one month be- fore he saw Jesus ! They are both very brief : "Trf.moxt House, Boston, May 25, 1876. " I am safely in Boston, and am truly grateful for the protecting care of God over m.-. I had a very weary ride. Colonel A did not meet me, so I am alone. I reached Boston at a quarter to six, and came to the Tremont House. I have not seen any one yet, but am expecting Mr. H ; indeed his card has just been sent in, so I must close this little note and try to get it in the mail that leaves to-night. " The Lord bless you and watch over us all while we are parted one from the other. So let ' Mizpah ' be our word of hope until we meet again. Fondest love to all. " Your loving husband, G. D. C. " Tremont House, Boston, Frid.w Afternoon, { May 26, 1876. S " I can scarcely tell you how wearily the time passes with me, even in the midst of this busy city ; and if it were possi- ble! would most gladly turn my face homeward this afternoon. " I wrote you'a hurried note last evening on arriving. Mr. H and Mr. C called about seven o'clock, and at eight I preached my sermon. The service passed off very pleasantly, and I spoke to a number of persons who seemed gratified. I got to rest as soon as possible ; for after a night and a day's uninterrupted travel and preaching the sermon I was very tired. I rested well, and this morning Mr. C called and passed an hour with me. He seems to be in ear- nest, and will reach a good many of a certain class. About eleven o'clock Dr. C came in and took me out over the ' Common ' and Public Gardens, and to the beautiful part of the city beyond them. I saw the (new) Old South Church, and the new Trinity (Protestant Episcopal) Church gomg up. 500 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. The style is all Moorish and Mohammedan. At six o'clock I am going to say a few words to the students of the Method- ist Theological School, a part of the Boston University. Dr. CuUis also called to see me this morning. " I shall return the very first moment, certainly by Tues- day morning, and earlier if possible. May our Father pro- tect us from all evil, and bring us to meet again. God bless you, my precious wife. Fondest love to all the circle. " Your loving husband, G. D. C ." The reader must not conclude from any expres- sion in his later letters that Bishop Cummins's whole heart was not in his work. This was by no means the case ; but we know that at times he felt more keen- ly the desertion of friends whom he had loved so long and so well, and at such moments his tender loving spirit longed for the wealth of affection that was peculiarly precious to him in his own family. June 4th Bishop Cummins dedicated Christ Church, Rahway, N. J., and preached at night of the same day ; he held service in the largest hall in the town, and all the Protestant congregations were present. It was a memorable occasion ; full reports of the services were given in the papers. The following account is given by a lady, a mem- ber of the Reformed Episcopal Church in Rahway, for which we are indebted : " The last official visitation made by Bishop Cummins was at Rahway, N. J. The congregation of Christ Church having secured a small chapel, and neatly fitted and fur- nished it, the bishop was invited to consecrate it to the worship of God, and for this purpose he visited Rahway, ar- riving there on Saturday, June 3d, a.d. 1876, and was enter- IVOHA^ IN THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 50I tained at the house of Judge George W. Savage senior war- den of the parish. The next day being Whit-Sunday, the form, according to the rites of the Reformed Episcopal Church, ' for the Consecration or Dedication of a church or chapel, was observed, after which the bishop preached from John 12 • 21, ' Sir, we would see Jesus.' He appeared to be in e.Kcellent health and spirits. The little chapel was crowded. Chairs were brought in, and every foot of space from the door to the chancel rail was occupied. Besides the regu ar con- gregation of the church, there were representatives from all the other churches, who came attracted by the fame of the bishop It would be difficult it not impossible to portray the effect of his eloquence. A fact will illustrate this. There happened to be present a reporter of a New York paper ; he was visiting a newspaper publisher in Rahway, and they came to the services on the invitation of one of the members of the church. The reporter brought his pencil and note-book, and when the speaker commenced the reporter began his work For a fevv minutes he plied his pencil rapidly and skilfully, but pres- ently his eyes were withdrawn from his note-book and rested on the preacher, and there they remained, and until the close of the sermon he sat and experienced a Gospel power never felt by him before. The following are some extracts from an account of the sermon which he wrote and published in the Rahway National Democrat in its issue of the following week. BISHOP GEORGE D. CUMMINS. " ^Dedicattonofthe Reformed Episcopal Church in Milton Ave- nue, on Sunday Morning, June ^-Elo<}uent Sermon upon the Text, 'Sir, we xvould see JesH>.' ■■ ' The return of the Chris'lnn festival of Whitsuntide was appropriately marked in th,s cty las. Sabbath by the ded.ca- Z, in the morning, of the Reformed Ep.-pal Chu^h .„ Milton Avenue. The services were condueted by the distm 502 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. guished Bishop George D. Cummins, and the Rev. Mr. Gal- lagher, the esteemed pastor of the church. Notwithstanding the sultry weather, the attendance was so large that extra seats were necessary in the aisles. The fame of the bishop had long preceded him, and high as were the expectations of his hearers, they were not disappointed. From beginning to end every eye was riveted upon the inspired Episcopal Re- former, whose great personal sacrifices in behalf of the cause he espoused about two years ago have resulted in signal suc- cess. " 'Without entering into a discussion of his theological views, or the simpler forms of worship and liberal spirit in- troduced in the Reformed Episcopal Church, of which he and Bishop Cheney are perhaps the most efficient pioneers and champions, it seems entirely due to this eminent man to say that, by his extraordinary combination of oratorical attri- butes, his zeal, logic, grace, learning, and genius, he must continue to prove a most powerful advancer of the more lib- eral views and modified forms of Episcopal devotion which he so lucidly interprets and courageously defends. " ' Unlike many apostles of religious or other reforms, it was agreeable to notice that Bishop Cummins, with all his fervor, fluency, and faith, entered upon no fanatical, unfraternal as- saults upon adverse creeds. There was nothing of cant in his phraseology, rant in his delivery, dogmatism in his argu- ment, nor bitterness in his manner. His ardent flights of eloquence spellbound every auditor. He is a master of elo- cution, of pathos, and of word-painting. With an enviable volume of voice, it is never raised to unnecessary or unpleas- ant loudness. It is flexible, musical, sympathetic, and so dis- tinct is his enunciation that his lowest tones are audible to re- mote listeners. Remarkably fervid in thought, speech, and action, he does not ever pain by any sign of exhaustion or overstraining for effect. Reserved physical and mental power are manifest throughout. His style is eminently, we WORK IN THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 503 had almost said pre-eminently, classic. His gesticulation and attitudes are distinguished for grace and dignity, and are powerful aids to an appropriate and almost faultless style of declamation. Refinement and propriety are seen in every detail of his manner. Although his diction is chastely choice and copious, it is never unduly florid ; and though his points are often startling and picturesque, they are far from being what is termed theatrical. He was evidently born for the pulpit, which he has graced for about thirty years. " ' His power of vivid delineation is one of his most im- portant merits. Numbers were moved to tears by his descrip- tion of the crucifixion ; and when, at the awful climax, he affirmed it to be his conviction that the Saviour died, not from bodily suffering upon the cross, but from a broken heart — ' the oppression of his mental agony broke his heart ! ' — every eye was strained toward him, every breast among the auditors seemed to heave with sympathetic emotion, as if the speaker was divinely inspired, so electric was his utterance and whole manner. His discourse was remarkable for felicity of illustrations, and the graphic manner of their recital ; among them the story of the painting of the Lord's .Supper, by Da Vinci, of the Dying Bishop Beveridge, and of the Shadow of the Cross, by Holman Hunt, described in terms so glowing, earnest, affecting, and concise that the scenes seemed almost really in presence of the hearers. ' ' ' The crystalline clearness of his explanations makes the ideas of Bishop Cummins intelligible on the instant of their utterance. Clearness and compactness are indeed leading characteristics of his style ; and more than any public speaker the writer has ever heard does this remarkable man embody the attributes of which Webster once said : " Clear- ness, force, and earnestness are the qualities necessary to pro- duce conviction ;" while, keeping company with all, and con- sonant with all his ideas and words and imagery, is that other ::itrii)ute, of which the great statesman said, " It is something 504 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. higher and better than all eloquence ; it is action, noble, sub- lime, godlike action ! ' ' " ' Judging by what we witnessed of the effect of that ser- mon upon the congregation, we should say that the commu- nicants of that society have reason of be thankful that the dedication occurred under such auspicious influences. A profound religious sensation was created, which, as it tends to mortal and immortal good, we hope will prove a lasting one.' " After the sermon the Lord's Supper was administered, and the little flock there present remember with thankfulness the occasion when they were privileged to come to the Lord's table with their beloved bishop, who was so soon called by the Father to sit in heavenly places and to eat the marriage supper of the Lamb. ' ' " In the afternoon the bishop administered for the last time the rite of baptism to a little child, who was named after him. In the evening he preached the introductory discourse to the Christian Union formed of seven churches of the city. The several pastors assisted in the services. From the paper above quoted we take the following : " The text was from St. John lo : i6 : ' And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold : them also must I bring, and they shall hear my voice ; and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.' The speaker considered that the word 'fold,' as first used, if rightly translated, would be ' flock, ' and that Christ meant, in this prophetic saying, to indicate that there would be many folds, but all belonging to one flock ; in other words, many denominations of Christians, but all really belonging to and forming only one Christian Church. ' ' His elaboration of this idea was an illustration of that liberal, anti-sectarian spirit which is becoming largely diffused by many of the most enlightened of the apostles of Chris- tianity in the various branches of the Protestant Church. WORK' IN THE HE FOR MED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 505 He welcomed this sign of tendency toward the ultimate unity of all Christians, and hoped the time would speed when all would worship together on the same basis ; and that the truth would be recognized, that mankind are to be made Chris- tians, not by being brought to Christ through the Church, but to the Church through Christ. He challenged the pro- duction of a single word or sentence, in the whole history or teachings of Christ, which sustained the theory that divine authority, the power to grant remission of sins, etc., were ever delegated to any one man or Church ; he disproved the fallacy of human infallibility, and illustrated the sophistry of those who argue the possibility of making all men think ex- actly alike upon religious topics, quoting, as worthy of con- sideration, the maxim : ' In essential things, unity ; in non- essential things, liberality ; in all things, charity. ' " Among the impressive illustrations in the discourse he quoted the anecdote of John Wesley, who was asked by some fanatical enthusiast of his church if he expected ever to meet Whitfield (with whom he disagreed on some points) in heaven. ' No,' was the answer ; ' for if I should be so fortunate as to be admitted into heaven, I should be unable to see that glorious spirit, he will be so far above me ! ' " Space is too limited for us to do any thing like justice to this remarkable discourse, and we will conclude by simply saying that both Bishop Cummins and the Church of whose doctrines he is so powerful an exponent, assuredly stand higher in the esteem of this community than at any previous period." June nth he preached in the Church of the Incar- nation, Brooklyn, in the morning, and at the Mission Church, Jersey City Heights, at night. '' June\%. — Preached twice in Bethany Methodist Epis- copal Church, Baltimore." 5o6 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. This is the last record of his work on earth. " Through labors into rest." We give here, as in its proper connection, the last important publication of Bishop Cummins, which ap- peared in the Chicago Appeal in reply to the charges of inconsistency which had been so persistently made against him, and everywhere industriously circulated. In a letter dated June loth he writes to a friend who desired its more extensive circulation, " that it be suggested to Mr. Powers to print it in tract form, with some such title as " How I became a Prayer-Book Revisionist." That beloved friend through whose liberality the Prayer Book and the tracts of the Re- formed Episcopal Church have been printed and so widely disseminated, and who has recently joined Bishop Cummins in the home above, published the letter with the title " Following the Light." " My Dear Bishop Cheney : I have just learned that a reprint of my sermon on the Prayer Book is about to be is- sued in Chicago, at the expense of a single individual, with the title-page as follows,* the sole purpose, doubtless, being an attempt to hinder the work of the Reformed Episcopal Church, by placing in contrast my fervent eulogy of the Prayer Book in 1867 with my earnest advocacy of revision in 1873. This is only one of the many reprints of this ser- mon which have been published and scattered freely in all parts of this country by the opponents of our work of reform. I think as many as six different editions have been published, one bishop alone circulating /i?//;/' thousand co^x^?,. * " The Prayer Book a Basis of Unity." By the Rt. Rev. Geo. D. Cummins, D.D., Assistant Bishop of Kentucky. Published by Resolu- tion of the Convention of the Diocese of Kentucky. Louisville, Ky., 1867. Reprinted in 1875, by a Communicant of the Protestant Episco- pal Church. IVORK LV THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. SO/ " The time seems to have come, in my judgment, to break the silence which I have kept when taunted with inconsis- tency, and to justify myself from the imputation, at least, in the minds of the dear friends whose good opinion I so highly esteem. To do this, I am compelled to obtrude myself and my personal experience before others in a way that I have heretofore shrunk from doing. Justice to myself and to the cause of our dear Church demands that I should keep silent no longer. " In the year i860, when rector of St. Peter's Church, Baltimore, I was invited to preach at the anniversary of the Bishop White Prayer Book Society, in Philadelphia, and de- livered the sermon which has just been reprinted in your city. It was preached again, revised and remodelled, before the Convention of the Diocese of Kentucky, in May, 1867, and published by order of the Convention. In both years, i860 and 1867, the sermon expressed the deepest and most honest convictions of my soul. The Prayer Book of the Protestant Episcopal Church was very precious to me, and I longed to see it become the heritage of all Protestant Christendom. The music of its words was like the music of old songs, of which the heart never wearies, or like the memory of sweet- toned church-bells heard in childhood, and forever echoing in the ear of the wanderer from home. I was not of the number of those who advocated Prayer Book revision, for I did not see the necessity for it. I accepted the teachings of the Prayer Book on baptismal regeneration, a human priesthood, the real presence, and apostolic succession, in the sense in which Evangelical men received them, denying the plain lit- eral meaning of the words, and giving to them an interpreta- tion utterly unwarranted. I had watched the rise and spread of the Oxford tract movement until it had leavened to a vast extent the whole English-American Episcopal Churches, but I firmly believed that this school was not a growth developing 508 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. from seeds within the system, but a parasite fastening upon it from without and threatening its very Hfe. " This was my position toward the Prayer Book up to the year 1868. That year brought with it a thorough change in my views of the Prayer Book and its relation to the rise and growth of the sacerdotal system in the Episcopal Church. How, then, were mine eyes opened ? By two instrumentali- ties, working together under the good providence of God. "I, In the year 1868 appeared in print a modest pam- phlet by an unknown author, entitled, ' Are there Romanizing germs in the Prayer Book ? ' The author was ascertained afterward to be the Rev. F. S. Rising, Secretary of the American Church Missionary Society, a saintly man whose early death and loss we have not yet ceased to deplore. A copy of Mr. Rising's tract reached me by mail, and I well remember the repugnance which the very title awakened, and with which I began its perusal. That simple agent Avas the first instrument for awakening my mind to the truths I had so long ignored, and to the facts of history, into the investi- gation of which I had shrunk from entering. The whole subject was reconsidered under a new light, from unimpeach- able facts, and these were the conclusions in which my mind firmly rested. " I. That the Reformation in the Church of England was never perfected, on account of the failure to secure a thoroughly purified Prayer Book, a Prayer Book in entire har- mony with the Word of God. "2. That the failure was not the fault of the early re- formers, but arose from causes over which they had no con- trol, chiefly from the subjection of the Church to the State. Under Edward VI. the work of revision was begun nobly and earnestly, but was cut short by the early death of that monarch and the restoration of the Papacy. Yet so zealous were the Edwardean Reformers, that within three years two WORK IN THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 509 prayer books were set forth, that of 1552 being much more distinctly scriptural and anti-Romanistic than that of 1549. "3. ' That the most prominent and essential difference between the Christianity of the New Testament and the Christianity of Church tradition, and therefore between the Christianity of the great Reformers and the Christianity of Romanism, is to be seen in the rejection or recognition of sacerdotalism^'' and yet in each revision of the Prayer Book since 1549 the changes have all been in favor of sacerdotal- ism, and not against. " Thus the third revision of 1559, under Elizabeth, re- stored the sacerdotal vestments of the ministers, expunged the. rubric explaining the posture of kneeling at the Lord's Supper, so as to free it from any sanction of eucharistic ado- ration, and provided a formula to be used in distributing the bread and wine in the communion which a Romanist could easily interpret as teaching his doctrine of the real presence. " The fourth revision of 1604, under James I., added to the calendar a large number of Saints' Days, and constructed a catechism which favored the sacramental teachings of the unreformed Church. The fifth and last revision of the Eng- lish Prayer Book, in 1662, under Charles II., was marked by- very decided retrograde or anti-reformation changes, such as the substitution of the term ' Priest ' for ' minister, ' the changing of the prayer in the litany for ' bishops, pastors, and ministers, ' to 'bishops, priests, and deacons, ' and the ?nanual consecration of the material elements in both the sac- raments, which had been discontinued in the Reformed Church from the time of the second Prayer Book of Edward VI., a hundred and ten years before. " The American revision of the Prayer Book, in 1785, by the General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church, purified the book from sacerdotalism ; but that good work failed to receive the approval of the subsequent Convention of 1789, which restored the word ' priest ' instead of ' min- 5IO GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. ister, ' the thanksgiving for the regeneration of the infant in the baptismal office, and substituted the Scotch communion office, with ' the Oblation^ ' in place of that of the English Church. " 4. Since the year 1868 I have never doubted wherein lay the strength of the sacerdotal system, which has gained such overwhelming preponderance and influence in the Eng- lish and American Episcopal Churches. I could then an- swer the question why, at the close of three hundred years of the history of the Reformed Church of England, and of her daughter in this land, the mighty struggle should still be go- ing forward, which is to determine whether the future of that Church shall be Protestant or Romish, faithful or unfaithful to the teachings of the earliest and purest reformers ? It was because the design of those Reformers had been frustrated by statecraft and priestcraft, and their work, begun so nobly under Edward VI., had been suffered to remain unfinished, unperfected. The strength of sacerdotalism in these Churches, the very ' hiding of its power,' is in the Prayer Book itself, in the germs of error which have never been eradicated, and which have now borne so baleful a harvest on both continents. " II. But another instrumentality arose in my pathway to aid in producing this profound conviction. " In the same year, 1868, a Ritualistic service was intro- duced for the first time into the diocese of Kentucky, and the unspeakable trial was placed upon me of being compelled to discharge my official duty in visiting this church and taking part in its services. Within a year or two a second service of the same order was established in the city of Louisville, and this time by one who had been a youth in my first parish in Virginia, and who had been personally very dear to me as a friend. " The terrible evil, so much dreaded, was brought in im- mediate contact with me in my highest and most solemn du- WORK IN THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 5 I 1 ties. I was compelled to stand in the presence of altar and super-altar, of brazen cross and candlestick, and to behold priest and people turning again and again toward that altar, and bowing in profound adoration toward it, while to my own soul such acts were idolatrous, dishonoring and insulting to Jesus, the Church's only Altar, Priest, and Sacrifice. " These men claimed to stand on the Prayer Book, to be satisfied with the Prayer Book as it is. They had been or- dained to the 'priesthood' by a formula which said, ' Receive the Holy Ghost for the office and work of a. priest, now com- mitted unto thee by the imposition of our hands. Whoseso- ever sins ye forgive they are forgiven, whosesoever sins ye re- tain they are retained.' If they were made 'priests,' they must have something to offer, a sacrifice, and an altar on which to present the oblation. The service provided for their institution into their office declared them invested with ' sacerdotal functions,' inducted into ' sacerdotal relations,' and appointed to serve at the ' Holy Altar. ' " I felt it in vain indeed to attempt to oppose the en- croachments of this system, while these and other offices of the Prayer Book remained unchanged. If remonstrated with, these teachers could answer that they stood upon the Prayer Book ; that the plain, literal meaning of the words of that book were on their side ; and that, as a great leader of the school, Dr. Pusey, had said, they had made their way by the Prayer Book. If told that their interpretation was wrong, they could reply that a great company of bishops, clergy, and laity held to the same interpretation and claimed to be loyal Prayer-Book Churchmen. " How was this evil system to be met and overthrown? Not by the administration of discipline. Alas, the Church seemed to have lost the power, inherent in a healthy organ- ism, to cast off the disease. The courage was wanting to grapple with the evil. Jt is a startling fact that up to the year 1875 110 two presbyters 0/ the Protestant Episcopal Church were 512 GEORGk DAVID CUMMINS. found willing to present for trial one of the men of this school, and the effort in Baltimore last year resulted in ignominious failure. Legislation, too, had utterly failed, and after a long and earnest effort of the General Conventions of 1868 and 1 87 1 to check the system, every plan, including even a canon forbidding eucharistic adoration, met with utter defeat. " A mighty change came over my views of the Prayer Book, and I could not have preached the sermon of 1867 one year later. If there be any disgrace in such a confession, I am content to bear it. For eight years past I have held the conviction most strongly, and never for a moment waver- ingly, that there is but one cure for the evils that afflict the Episcopal Church in England and America, and that is the purification of the Prayer Book, the thorough eradication from the offices of every word and phrase which gives coun- tenance to the sacerdotal system. If Ritualism and High- churchism be indeed of God ; if the teachings of the Oxford Tract School contain the very ' truth as it is in Jesus ; ' if the Christian ministry be a priesthood invested with supernatural powers, empowered to forgive and retain sins ; if justification and regeneration are by baptism ; if the real body and blood of Christ are present in the Lord's Supper, and received with the bread and wine by the communicant ; if the Holy Ghost be transmitted by and through human hands in an order of a hierarchy, and thus only can men have fellowship with the apostles and with Jesus ; if these be the doctrines which Jesus taught by the Sea of Galilee and in the streets of Jerusalem, if they constitute ' the unsearchable riches of Christ ' which St. Paul rejoiced to preach among the Gentiles, then verily the Prayer Book needs no revision, no purification. But if the dogmas of apostolic succession, baptismal regeneration, the real presence, and a human priesthood be ' another gos- pel,' as all Evangelical men hold and have ever held, then is it their highest and most solemn duty to cast them out of the Prayer Book, whatever may be the sacrifice. If freedom WORK IN THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 513 from the use of offices and formularies which in the plain literal sense deny and prevent the truth of God, can be se- cured in no other way than by rending the ties of a lifetime, and ' counting all things but lost,' there cannot be, there must not be, any hesitation. ' We ought to obey God rather than ffiaii,' is the only and the ultimate appeal. " III. I became, therefore, in 1868, an earnest advocate of revision, and co-operated heartily with all efforts to secure that great object by the legislative authorities of the Church. You are thoroughly familiar with all those efforts. We went before the General Conventions of 1868 and 187 1 with peti- tions signed by hundreds of clergymen and laymen from all parts of the land, asking relief for Evangelical men. We asked but three things, the use of an alternate phrase in the baptismal office for infants, the repeal of the canon closing our pulpits against all non-Episcopal clergymen, and the in- sertion of a note in the Prayer Book declaring the term 'priest' to be of equivalent meaning with the word presbyter. We were met by an indignant and almost contemptuous re- fusal. I was present when a report was made by the chair- man of the Prayer Book Committee of the House of Bishops, to whom these memorials had been referred in 1871, and that report was to the effect that it was not expedient to consider further these petitions, followed by a resolution forbidding the printing of them in the appendix of the Journal. And this was the deliberate reply of the authorities of the Church to the deep and almost agonizing cry of hundreds of burdened hearts and consciences. The door was closed in our faces. The hope of relief was utterly lost. I 'left the General Con- vention of 1 87 1, feeling that a revision of the Prayer Book as evangelical men desired, was an impossibility in the Protest- ant Episcopal Church. I returned to my work with a heavy heart, knowing that every effort to suppress the sacerdotal system by legislation had failed, and that I was more power- less than ever to resist its influence. Two more years passed, in 514 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. which I wa; compelled to give an indirect sanction and sup- port to the false system by participating in services which, to my soul, were treason to Christ, and to bear this heavy trial with no hope of deliverance. The burden was indeed intol- erable. " But deliverance was nigh at hand, and when least ex- pected. ' Then they cried unto the Lord, and he delivered them out of their distress, and he led them forth by the right way, and he brought them unto the desired haven. ' The Reformed Episcopal Church became the haven of rest to many souls. " The two years and a half which have elapsed since the organization of the Reformed Church have more than justi- fied the conviction which led us forth, the hopelessness of refortft within the Protestant Episcopal Church. The General Con- vention of 1874 almost contemptuously, and by an over- whelming vote, rejected the petition of five hundred clergy- men, asking only for relief in the use of certain phrases in the baptismal office for infants, and, as Bishop McLaren has told us, that question is settled finally and forever, and the Church holds to baptismal regeneration as one of the most precious jewels committed to her trust. In the short period we have existed as a separate branch of the visible Church, we have seen the rapid and unchecked progress of the sacer- dotal system in the old Church. You, in Illinois, have wit- nessed the election of a bishjp holding all the extreme views of Seymour and DeKoven, and the whole Oxford school. We, in Maryland, have lived to see six Ritualistic churches established within the limits of a single city, with altars and candles and strange vestments, with idolatrous prostration before material things, with auricular confession constantly practised without rebuke, with prayers for the dead openly offered, and the mass celebrated at funerals, and with even the error painted upon the windows, in the legend, ' Pray for the soul of sister of all saints.' Evangelical men have made the effort to bring to trial the offenders in the single WORK' IX THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 51$ point of offering prayers for the dead, but even this effort has failed, andthe false teachers find themselves receiving the sanc- tion and support of a large portion of the clergy and laity. Steadily and surely advances ' t/ie tidal wave,' as Dr. Mahan characterized this advanced movement in the General Con- vention of 1 868, sweeping away one after another of the old Evangelical landmarks, separating the Church of our fathers, each year more and more, from all the families of Protestant Christendom, and assimilating it more completely to the un- reformed churches of the Greek and Latin communions. " Faithful and true men among our old teachers and co- workers, men like Andrews and Sparrow, lift up a trumpet note of warning and alarm, but they fall at their posts, fight- ing in a most unequal and hopeless struggle, and there are no successors like-minded to prolong the conflict. Each suc- ceeding year the dogmas of apostolic succession, baptismal regeneration, and a human priesthood are held and taught by a larger number of ministers and people. While the men who reject ihQjure divino claim of episcopacy, and hold the Epis- copal Church to be only one among sister churches of equal dignity and validity, who cling to justification by faith alone as the very heart of the Gospel, and who abjure all idea of priest, altar, and sacrifice in the Christian Church, except as they are swallowed up in Jesus, these men are rapidly dimin- ishing, and in another generation will scarcely be found in the old Church. What a significance was there in the cry of Dr. Sparrow when he heard of the declaration of a number of Evangelical clergy of Philadelphia expressing ' profound sorrow and no sympathy ' with the effort to organize a Re- formed Episcopal Church. ' That declaration ! ' he exclaimed, ' the life for long years of its signers, proves the reverse of that disclaimer. All Evangelical Episcopalians have had and professed the same grievances, and have contemplated the possibility of secession in consequence. How, then, when one of their number makes possibility actual, can they, in a 5l6 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. moment, reverse the engine and move backward ? The Prot- estant Episcopal Church needs only to be liberalized and rid of Romish germs to overspread this Continent, at least in the upper and middle state of society.' — {Memoir of William Sparro7V, D.£)., page 352.) " The ' Romish germs,' as Dr. Sparrow calls them, will never be eliminated from the Protestant Episcopal Church, for nine-tenths of her clergy and people deny that there are any ' Romish germs ' within the Prayer Book, and hold the dogmas thus designated as the most precious truths of the Gospel. How, then, will they ever consent to have them eradicated ? " That work has been done in the Reformed Episcopal Church, thoroughly yet wisely done, and now, with a new meaning, we may take up the title of my sermon of 1867, and claim the revised Prayer Book as a most important step to- ward the union of Protestant Christians. Retaining all that has made the Prayer Book precious to devout souls for three centuries, and rejecting all that has been a burden to the consciences of evangelical men during all that period, it pres- ents in the ' clearest, plainest, most affecting, and majestic manner,' the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, as it is in Jesus. " In the serene confidence that our work is built on the one sure foundation, the tried and precious Corner-stone, ' Jesus only, ' I am, faithfully and affectionately, your brother in the Lord, " George David Cummins." CHAPTER XLll. THE END. I need not be missed, if another succeed me, To reap down those fields which in Spring I have sown ; He who ploughed and who sowed is not missed by the reaper, He is only remembered by what he has done." BONAR. " I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith." — 2 TiM. 4 ; 7. Aged 53. ON Sunday, June i8th, Bishop Cummins went in the morning to Baltimore, to preach for the congregation of the Independent Methodist Episcopal Church, at the request of a prominent member of that church. He had no appointment for that day, and acceded to Mr. B 's request as that important church was then without a pastor. Mr. B drove him, after the service, to his beau- tiful home, " Athol," near the city, where he passed the afternoon in most pleasant Christian communion with the family. Before leaving his home in the morning Bishop Cummins said, " I think I will come out to-night" — there was a night train to Lutherville. A fear was expressed by a member of his family lest he would take cold, driving after preaching ; but he said, " If I do not take the night train I cannot get back until one o'clock to-morrow, and our home is so sweet,'' 5l8 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. One of the family sat up for him. He reached home about ii o'clock, and spoke of the church being "so densely crowded," and that speaking so ear- nestly he had become very much heated. His text was, ' ' Sir, we would see Jems. Mr. B 's son had driven him very rapidly to the station to catch the train, and the carriage was an open one. He seemed impressed with the impru- dence of such exposure, and said, " I will not attempt this again." We feared that he would suffer from the night ride, but Monday morning he seemed bright and as well as usual, and during the day he did not speak of feeling badly, nor was there any symp- tom of his having taken cold. Tuesday he was as bright and cheerful as ever. After an early dinner we started for a drive in our little pony carriage, the gift of dear friends in Chi- cago in 1865. We took a new road and quite lost the way, and were late getting home ; but the bishop en- joyed the drive so much, remarking upon every beautiful tree or bunch of ferns by the wayside, as was his wont, seeing beauty in all the works of God. He went to rest quite early, and awoke Wednesday seem- ingly as usual, but later in the day said he did not feel well, though no marked symptom manifested itself. He passed the morning in the grounds around the cottage, with his wife and son-in-law, pruning and clearing away the undergrowth, taking the deepest interest in every little improvement. He continued to feel badly, but was bright and cheerful as ever. After dinner on Wednesday he again went out and cut down several small trees and trained the vines over the porch, and during the afternoon spoke of THE END. 519 how happy he was to spend that lovely day out in the open air. It was the first day his wife had been able to be out of the house since her long and severe ill- ness of three months. Later in the afternoon he came in and wrote in pencil a few pages of his report for the coming Gen- eral Council, which was to meet in Ottawa, Canada, the following month. These were read to the Coun- cil by Bishop Nicholson, the last record of labors among his beloved people. At 9 o'clock, Wednesday night, he was first at- tacked by severe pain. His son-in-law came afonce to his bedside and prescribed for him. At 10.30 he had another attack of pain more severe than the first. The doctor used prompt and vigorous remedies for his relief, and watched by him for several hours. For a time he seemed partially relieved, but from that time his sufferings steadily incrased. Nothing in the way of palliatives, used externally or internally, gave him entire relief. The anodynes controlled in a measure the agonizing pain, but his suffering was ex- treme. He was unable from the first to take food sufificient to nourish him. All through his illness he never uttered a word of complaint or impatience, but would smile on those who ministered to him, and thank them so tenderly for what they did for him. Once his wife said to him, " Pray to Jesus to help you bear this agony." "Oh!" said he, with a bright look on his face, '' I am doing that all the time.'' On Friday his son-in-law sent for a consulting physician from Baltimore ; he came, but suggested nothing that Dr. Peebles had not tried for the relief of the bishop. Saturday morning, June 24th, the anniversary of 520 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. his wedding-day — which he had planned to spend with his family at the Centennial Exposition at Phila- delphia— finding he was not relieved but grew worse, telegrams were sent to several of the clergy asking that prayers should be offered in the churches for his recovery. On these prayers his loved ones rested with fond hope. After the telegrams had been sent his wife said to him, " I have done something without consulting you, but I so needed the strength and comfort that would come to me if I knew your clergy and people were praying for you to-morrow, that I have telegraphed to Chicago, New York, Philadel- phia, and Baltimore, asking their prayers." He said, " I am glad you thought of it." Sunday was a day of extreme suffering, and remedies, though persistent- ly used, gave little or no relief. During his illness his son-in-law scarcely left his bedside, combining the skill of the physician with the watchful care of a nurse. His dearly-loved son watched also by him, aiding his mother and brother-in-law in ministering to the sufferer. On Sunday evening, while the family were at tea, his wife sang to him the hymns, " Come thou fount of every blessing," and " Rock of Ages ;" he enjoyed hearing them greatly. From the first hour of his illness his suffering was so intense as to require the unremitting services of those around him. He spoke but seldom, and chiefly to tell us what he wished done for him. Monday morning Dr. Peebles noticed a change for the worse had taken place, and at once sent the bishop's son for the consulting phy- sician from Baltimore. At one o'clock his eldest and dearly-loved sister arrived. At this time the bishop asked the doctor if there was no hope of his recov- THE END. 521 ery ? The doctor answered that "Nothing more could be done." He then said, " Then let me die," seemingly in reference to the uselessness of trying more remedies, and to assure us of his entire willing- ness to go. Turning to his wife he said, " We have had such a happy life together, and I am so sorry to leave you. I would have been glad to have worked longer for the dear Church, but God knows best." His children gathered around his bed, and his two little grandchildren, Maude and Florence, whom he loved so fondly, were brought to him to receive his last blessing. He smiled on seeing them, laid his hand on their heads, and then kissed them. His son had not been able to return from the city in time to receive his loved father's last words, but the rest of the family hushed their own agony to catch everv precious sen- tence that fell from his lips. He asked that all the win- dows should be thrown open. His consciousness was unclouded to the last, and the calm of his spirit won- derful. So sudden was his illness, and so intense his suffering, that all around him were completely stunned, except his faithful physician, who never allowed his own grief to interfere for one moment with his keen insight into the disease, or his unwearied ministra- tions for the relief of his loved father-in-law. Few even of Bishop Cummins's dearest friends knew of his illness, it was so short, so sudden. One of his children asked him what message he had for his Church ? He said, " Tell them to go for- ward and do a grand work." His wife then asked him, " Dading, do you know me ?" The eyes that had only looked upon her in tenderest love for so many years were now dimmed, but he answered readily, 522 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. "Yes, dear, I know you." She asked again, "Do you know Jesus f" His face lighted up at once, the dimmed eyes brightened, and he said earnestly, " Oh, yes ! I know Jdjji ! ' ' Tenderly, lovingly, he took leave of all his loved ones — he had sent his last message to the Church of his love, and now he turned from all earthly things to commune with his Saviour. Jesus seemed very near to that little group. Clearly and distinctly the bishop repeated the first verse of his favorite hymn, " Jesus, lover of my soul. " All sound was hushed save the sweet tones of the voice that had so often told the story of Jesus' love and soothed the last hours of so many who had gone before. The words grew fainter and fainter, and then, " Lord Jesus, receive my spirit," came from his lips, and the sorrowing ones waited. Silence that could be felt pervaded the room. The song of birds came in at the open windows ; the sum- mer breeze stirred the leaves on the trees surround- ing this his last earthly home ; the breath of flowers, so loved and cherished by him, filled the air. No unseemly sound reached the ear of him who was very near home. Nothing was heard save what spoke of God's work and tender care for those on earth. We all thought our beloved one was with Jesus, so quietly did he lie with closed eyes, when suddenly they open- ed, a brightness that was not of this earth irradiated his countenance, the face seemed glorified, and he ut- tered these words with ?ijoyo2isihss that was wonder- ful, "Jesus! precious Saviour!" These last words were those of recognition. We were assured that he was with Jesus, that before the spirit left the body he knew his Saviour and thus addressed him ! THE END. 523 Often through lite, in speaking of heaven, Bishop Cummins said, " that to him, the one idea of heaven was not that of a place of rest, not of unimagined beauty, or the entire freedom from suffering and trial ; neither was it so much that of exemption from the thraldom of sin and death— zV was the blessedness of being with Jesus. "Just gone within the veil, where we shall follow, Not far before us — hardly out of sight ; We down beneath thee in this cloudy hollow, And thou far up in yonder sunny height. Gone, to begin a new and happier story, Thy bitter tale of Earth, now told and done— These outer shadows, for that inner glory, Exchanged forever, oh, thrice blessed one !" His beloved friend Bishop Nicholson arrived Monday night, and was a comfort beyond words to the stricken household. On Wednesday they laid him away in the lovely cemetery near Baltimore. The last service was held in the church at the laying of whose corner-stone Bishop Cummins said : " That his work was nearly done, and that he could will- ingly go from earth, now that he had seen one and another beautiful church rising throughout the land from whose walls would be proclaimed the precious Gospel in all its simplicity and truth." The services at the Church of the Redeemer, Balti- more, were conducted by Bishops W. R. Nicholson and Charles E. Cheney. Rev. Messrs. Gallagher, Sa- bine, Washburn, Postlethwaite, and others assisting. Many of the bishop's friends were present ; some from his old church, St. Peter's (Protestant Episcopal), and also from other congregations. 524 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. " It is little matter at what hour of the day The righteous fall asleep. Death cannot come To him untimely who has learned how to die. The less of this brief life, the more of heaven — The shorter time, the longer immortality."* It would be impossible to give here more than ex- tracts— and they of necessity must be brief — of the many precious words spoken of their beloved bishop and founder, by the clergy of the Reformed Episcopal Church. In every church loving tributes were paid to his memory ; letters poured in in large measure to the desolate family, all telling the same story of deep sympathy for them and love for their departed leader ; and the "resolutions" passed by the vestries of the churches were all valued testimonies to Jus faithful- ness and their deep affection for him. None were more appreciated than those sent from his former dear church, St. Peter's, Baltimore. We quote from Bishop Nicholson's sermon, preach^ ed at the opening of the Council at Ottawa. At the conclusion of the sermon the bishop says : " Beloved Brethren : My heart interprets you that you would not be satisfied to have me release your attention until I had spoken a brief, loving tribute to him whose mem- ory just now, by a melancholy interest, is uppermost in our hearts. Passing, then, from the discussion of our glorious theme, and bearing with us its gospel blessedness into this, the hour of our Church's sorrow, permit me to say that it has been with somewhat of painful effort I have sought to discharge the duty of this occasion. " It was laid upon me by his appointment, and so fre- quently during the composition of my sermon my love for * Dean Milman. THE END. 525 him brought up his image before me, and I delighted myself at thinking how one with me he would be in the thoughts and truths which I was prepared to deliver here. But what unex- pected alternations of human experience ! It was while en- gaged upon the closing pages of my manuscript I received the startling telegram, ' Bishop Cummins is dying ; come in the first train.* Dropping my pen I hastened with all dispatch from Philadelphia to his home in Maryland, that, if possible, I might catch from his own lips his dying testimony. Alas ! it was too late. His redeemed spirit had been for some time with Jesus when I reached that stricken and desolate house- hold. Yet, although I had not the privilege of listening to his words, I learned of his triumphant departure from the vivid recitals of his weeping family. Our beloved bishop and leader was ready : not merely resigned, but acquiescent. His last utterance on earth was no more than what infant lips might have said, Jesus ! precious Saviour ; at once his farewell to the world below and his home greeting above ; the simplest of all expressions of the heart, yet the sublimest of all formulas of thought ; the shortest, yet the fullest. So he died, and so he lives. In such words as these, as in a chariot of fire, his ascending spirit went triumphantly ' far above all heavens,' and yet not until upon the Elishas left below had fallen the mantle of Elijah in that message to the Church, ' Tell them to go forward.' The very process of his dying was the march of victory. Within one hour and a quarter from his first knowing that he could not recover, all was over. The summons had come to him, and, as it were, in the twinkling of an eye he was required to answer it. Yet no consternation, no disturbance, all was so calm, so ab- sorbed into the sweet will of God, so blissful. He died as he had lived ; he lives as he died. . . . This is not a time to eulogize his character, neither to delineate his great work, neither to forecast the magnitude of its far-reaching results. The future will provide for the due rendering of 526 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. these services. . . . We recognize without delay how rich and sacred a bequest to us is his memory., so untarnished. We recall at once the sweetness of his character, his marked humility, his Christlike meekness, his long-suffering gentle- ness, his unretaliating speeches, his persistent patience. We remember his abiding /irz///; in God and his word, his under- standing of the Gospel, his present trust in Jesus, his reliance on Christ as his only righteousness, his rejoicings in the full blessedness of salvation experienced ; his moral bravery, his courage and faith, his self-abnegation, his sacrifice of self for truth and principle ; his fervid oratory, his eloquent defence and preaching of the Gospel, and his influence over all. We speak what we know, and testify what we have seen. Great indeed is our loss. No other man, be he transcendent as he may, can ever stand to the Reformed Episcopal Church in the same relations, for he was our Luther. Nor shall his name ever fade from the councils of the Church militant. He was spared sufficiently long to us that our Church might stand upon its own feet, and now his bannner is unfurled to the breezes of heaven, and on its gleaming folds is inscribed the legend, ' Jesus, precious Saviour.' From a sermon preached by the Rt. Rev. Charles E. Cheney, D.D., we take the following eloquent sen- tences : ' ' Oh, beloved, in this hour of sorrow, when God has taken from our yet infant Church its founder and presiding bishop ; when this mourning that draoes the walls of our sanctuary is but a poor and feeble token to the outward eye of the sorrow that fills our hearts, it is sweet consolation to know how God looks upon the death of the believer. ... I think we may best approach the one thought that fills our hearts to-day — the character of our departed bishop — through the vestibule of this divine consolation. I could not be .r to esti- THE END. 527 mate what we have lost did I not begin with the thought of how much richer heaven is for our bereavement. " I wish first to speak of the character of Bishop Cum- mins as a preacher of the Gospel. It is in that attitude that his memory is recalled by every member of this congregation The pulpit was his throne. There he was king ot nien He was an attractive preacher. There was in the man that which drew men around him by an irresisti- ble magnetism. Endowed by nature with a voice at once of power and sympathetic quality, he never weaned his au- dience with its loudest tones, yet never failed to penetrate the remote recesses of the largest congregation. It gave ex- pression to every feeling of his heart ; it pleaded, it roused, it startled, it wept, it reasoned. It was persuasive as a flute. It was triumphant as a trumpet. It was sad as an ^olian harp Then there was a natural grace of rhetorical expres- sion unstudied but finished, that not only presented truth but in its most attractive form. He was a born orator. . . His marvellous felicity of illustration rendered his preach- ing attractive to the great mass of men. His familiarity with hi'story served to furnish him with boundless stores of historic illustration. No poet ever revelled with more intense delight in nature's beauties than did he. Every mountain, rock, and stream, every tree, and flower, and blade of grass were full of voices that might be made to add new force to his ex- position of revealed truth. ... He was an intensely earnest preacher. He spoke from such conviction of the reality and importance of his message that the flippancy and trifling so characteristic of many so-called ' popular preachers was as unknown to his popular address as jesting amidst the solemn hush of a death-bed utterance. Men believed tn htm because he believed in what he told them. . • • Said one of the vestry of his old charge (Trinity Church, Chicago) to me • ' He was at once the greatest preacher and the most per- fect Christian that I ever knew in the person of one man. 528 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. " But the attractiveness of Bishop Cummins's preaching was only surpassed by one other quality — its sublime loyalty to Christ. ' Woe is me if I preach not the Gospel ' was the motive power in his ministry. He loved his work with a kind of chivalrous devotion. He inscribed the name of Christ on every public act of his ministry. ... I wish to speak briefly of Bishop Cummins's character as a man. He was a man of unfailing cheerfulness. His face shone with gladness. He was the happiest man I ever knew. . . . How many of the sheep for which Christ died seem to prefer the gloom. It was never thus him of whom I speak to- day. It was cheering to meet him — his presence dispel- led the clouds. It was impossible to resist the infectious influence of his buoyant faith in God. Out of that perfect faith sprang this perpetual sunshine. I fully believe that, under God, we owe much of the advance made by the Re- formed Episcopal Church to this sweet and beautiful spirit of sunshine in our presiding bishop. ... In the most try- ing hours, when others' faith had begun to fail, his cheery face and pleasant voice were like the arbutus of our Northern woods, blooming and fragrant under the clouds and snow- drifts of gloomy March. " I need hardly allude to his unselfishness. It seemed as though the fires of persecution and trial through which God had led him had purified the soul and left scarcely a trace of the dross of regard for self. He counselled not with flesh and blood when he voluntarily resigned his position as a bishop in the Protestant Episcopal Church. This man — whom some have charged with ambitious self-seeking — in the stress of conscience laid down the office to which kings have aspired ; relinquished position, honor, comfort, home, and friends, to go forth an outcast from the Church he had vainly hoped to purify. And from that hour to the moment when he went up to glory no sacrifice was deemed too great, no self-f orgetf ulness too complete. THE END. 529 " Bishop Cummins was remarkable for a courage that all posterity will honor as heroic. . . . For, beloved, while I know the heroism of the man who faces on open field the belching batteries, or dies at the stake a witness to the truth, I say there is another order of courage. It is his who, sensitive to every touch of defamation, yet follows the voice of God where he knows that friends will forsake him, and brethren repudiate him, and the Church and the world con- spire to impeach his motives and cast mire on the purity of an unsullied name. It was such courage that nerved Bishop Cummins to his work. Nor can I forget that he had within that great soul even a more heroic courage than that which faces reproach and shame. To taunt Bishop Cummins with inconsistency an old sermon of his was recently republished, in which he expressed his enthusiastic admiration of the Prot- estant Episcopal Book of Common Prayer. How few men would have had the courage to meet that subtle attack in just the way that he did. His noble letter to myself, recently pub- lished, is one that in its very conception bears the stamp of the true hero. He frankly says, ' Every word of that sermon I uttered from my heart. I was honest in my views when I preached it. But God opened my eyes, and to-day I admit I was mistaken.' It was the courage of Paul the Apostle when he said, ' I verily thought I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.* " His gentleness and charity were equal to his courage. 1^0 man ever heard from his lips one syllable of denunciation against the men who loaded him with obloquy. The Church, the country, the public press rang with the foul names that were heaped upon him. He never hurled them back. Sweet and gentle as he was heroic, he was ready to fling his arms of tender charity around the men who stabbed him with the dagger of their cruel slanders and reproach. " Beloved, my task is done. I know full well how im- perfect is the picture I have drawn. But what I have done I 530 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. have wrought with a reverent love to which all words give poor expression. Last Monday, at a quarter past two o'clock in the afternoon, our beloved presiding bishop breathed his last. . . . ' ' Two years ago our dear bishop seemed on the verge of the grave. . . . The plant he had set in new soil had hardly taken root, and God in mercy spared him longer to us and to the work. To-day we weep over his grave. But the work he began shall be carried on to a glorious completion. To have had such a leader is the privilege of those alone whom God makes more than conquerors. In the sacred consecration of this sorrowing yet rejoicing hour let us follow him, even as he followed Christ." We extract from the forcible and discriminating discourse of Bishop Samuel Fallows the following- passages delivered in St. Paul's, Chicago : " Bishop Cummins was a preacher of the highest order. " His style was remarkable for its crystalline clearness. The golden sands of his thought could ever be seen in its pellucid depths. " He selected, seemingly on the instant, the most happily fitting words to convey his meaning, as the magnet seizes the particles of steel out of the intermingled mass. " Sentences rounded, and golden periods apparently pol- ished with the most elaborate attention, followed each other in constant succession in purely extempore efforts. I have listened to most of the leading pulpit orators of our day, and in this particular I do not know his equal, let alone his su- perior. " The address, made on the spur of the moment, at the last General Council, in reply to the fraternal greetings of Bishop Harris, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a gem of beauty. It was like ' apples of gold in pictures of silver. ' THE END. 531 " Some of his finest efforts in the pulpit and on the plat- form were so largely extemporaneous that they have been lost to the Church. They will live only in memory. " He combined qualities as a speaker which are rarely found united in the same person ; a keen, discriminating, reasoning faculty ; a vivid imagination, and a fervid eloquence in delivery. " No theme, however abstract, was uninteresting in his treatment. ' ' With the rigorous logic of the Schoolmen he would fol- low his unbroken line of thought from beginning to end, but it would be along a way belted with flowers, shaded with trees, opening up vistas of attractive loveliness in every direction. " The dry bones of history he would cover with flesh, and living characters would move and have their being before the gaze of his enraptured audiences. " In word painting he especially excelled. Seeing vividly before him, as though they were actualized outside of himself, the scenes and images he drew, he exercised that marvellous power of realistic description which is the gift of all transcen- dent orators. " His illustrations were natural, apt, and forceful. They were, indeed, windows letting in the streaming sunlight, and yet not so numerous as to endanger the strength of the mental structure he was erecting, or mar its symmetry. " They were an integral part of his discourses, growing gracefully out of his subjects, as leaves from the tree or blos- soms from the bough. ** They were never artificial appendages, were never tacked on to produce an effect. " His whole manner was eloquent. It spoke out with power. His congregation was at once impressed with the subdued earnestness and the unmistakable sincerity of the preacher when the first sentence fell upon their ears. " As he unfolded some favorite theme his face began to 532 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. brighten, a deeper fire gleamed in iiis eye, his entire body was held and swayed by the overmastering thought, the voice, musical as a silver bell, gained in volume and power, the flow of ideas was like the rush of Niagara, and young and old were alike swept on by its resistless power. His every produc- tion bore the current stamp of high scholarship. It had the inspiring flavor of Attic salt. He had been a thorough stu- dent of the Classics, and had inherited the best life of the great and commanding past of antiquity. " ' Into his mental self he had incorporated the force of its intellect, the acuteness of its reasoning, the riches of its learning, the subtlety of its thought, and the exquisite taste of its artistic genius.' " But not from classic but from gospel Greek were his themes chosen. " Cowper complained of some ministers in his day who had forgotten they were Christian ministers. Of them he said : ' ' How oft, when Paul hath served them with a text, hath Epictetus, Tully, Plato preached." " Not so with Bishop Cummins ; out of the everlasting Gospel of the Son of God, ' the classics of the heart,' did he bring forth things new and old. All his learning was used to show forth the beauty and glory of Jesus, the Saviour of man- kind, as a costly setting the still more costly jewel. " He had made the cardinal feature of his ministerial life the grand utterance of the Apostle Paul, ' I am determined to know nothing among you but Jesus Christ and him cruci- fied.' Jesus, and Jesus only, was his commanding theme. " Did he preach about the Church ? It was only as she was the bride of Jesus. Did he dwell upon the sacraments ? It was only as they bound the heart to Jesus. Was he forced to take up the sword against error and engage in many a fierce polemical contest ? It was only that he might contend for ' the truth as it is in Jesus.' " He constantly felt the spirit of one of the strongest THE END. 533 preachers of our day, who wrote in his diary, ' If I take a text from the inspired volume, and do not to the utmost ex- tent of my capacity and power fathom and exhaust its mean- ing, I feel that I am a doomed man.' " No Christian minister ever went to the inspired Word of God to learn its meaning and to make it understood with great- er singleness of purpose, and with a more profound depend- ence upon the Holy Ghost than he. " With a resolute heart and a sure hand he sounded the spiritual depths of the Gospel. He laid hold with an unyield ing grasp upon its eternal truths. He brciught them home with unerring directness to the consciences and hearts of men. " He made no substitute of morality for saving faith in Jesus, or of the filthy rags of man's ' self-righteousness ' for the spotless robe of the righteousness of Christ. " He raised no clouds of doubt to obscure that central sun, no mists to semi-infidel questioning to veil that precious truth. " In the majesty of his versatile enthusiasm, ' like the apostle of old, he sought by all means to win some. ' Like the facet-cut diamond was the many-sidedness of his resplen- dent character. ' He wept with those that wept, and rejoiced with those that rejoiced.' ' ' The scholar found in him an eager, sympathetic listener. " The man of science found in him the open mind to re- ceive the latest, freshest fact in the world of nature, but found in him also the devout believer in the truth ' that through the ages one increasing purpose runs,' the purpose of an ever- living, ever-ruling, ever-loving God ; and the fact in which he delighted was but the envelope of the thought God had placed within it, ' when he spake, and it was done ; he commanded, and it stood fast. ' " The homes he visited were irradiated with the bright- ness of his presence and the diffusive cheerfulness of his glowing piety. 534 GEORGE DAVID CUMMIN'S. *' Little children felt the power of his attractiveness as the flowers the drawing of the sun. " His name is like precious ointment poured forth in the many Christian households which felt themselves honored in lavishing upon him their kindest hospitalities. " Every member took knowledge of him that he had been with Jesus. "With unaffected humility, with heartfelt thanks and beaming smiles he responded to the least attention showed him. " His countenance itself was a benediction. Its sunshine would dispel the cloud from almost any face or heart. ** To the sick and suffering he was the tenderest ' son of con- solation.' His arm of love was thrown around the penitent soul seeking salvation through the blood of Jesus. "His words of welcome to those who came through con- firmation and conversion into the Church were like chains of gold to bind them in duteous and joyful devotion to her ser- vice. *' To his brethren in the ministry he was uniformly the same patient, gentle, firm, devoted friend and brother. " No prelatical hauteur ever clung to him. By nature and by grace he would have flung it from him as though it were a deadly serpent." In a sermon preached by the Rev. W. T. Sabine, pastor of the First Reformed Episcopal Church in New York, he says : ** Thirty-one years ago, on an October day in the year 1845, ^^ one of the parish churches of our sister State of Delaware, a young man stood before the gathered congrega- tion to take upon himself the solemn vows of the Christian ministry. . . . Perhaps the youth of the candidate, his evident earnestness, and the hope which his ability and zeal THE END. 535 inspired of future usefulness may have lent to the occasion a special charm. But however this may be, we venture the as- sertion that none of those that day present dreamed of the successes and trials by which the ministry then begun would be attended, what should be its outcome, or thought that the youth who then stood before them would rise step by step in influence and esteem ; be advanced to the highest office in the gift of the Church he served, and then, like a second Luther, bringing light and emancipation to thousands of oppressed consciences and weary, waiting hearts, become the rallying centre for a Church thoroughly comprehensive, evangelical, consistently faithful to gospel truth ! . . . His ministry extended in these parishes over a period of twenty years. Everywhere he made himself hosts of friends. Everywhere his brilliant, eloquent — ^and what was better than either — faithful preaching attracted throngs of eager listeners. Every- where . . . many precious souls were brought to the knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus. The record of those years of earnest toil is written on high. He reaps to-day above with joy the harvest which he sowed below in faith and love. He was as faithful and successful in the Episcopal as he had formerly been in the pastoral office. But his Episco- pate was no sinecure ; in his administration he found himself confronted in active opposition by the forces of sacerdotalism and ritualism. It vvas a weary and harassing struggle. Often has he told us how it vexed his soul from day to day. At length the finger of providence pointed out the path of de- liverance. Three years ago, for an act of Christian love and fellowship, he, a Christian bishop, found himself arraigned as a violator of established ecclesiastical law, as a traitor to the Church to which for near a generation his best years and best powers had been given. It was enough — the crisis had come. . . . He burst the bonds that bound him, and stood forth a free man, his soul aflame with the spirit of the great Reformer, ' I cannot do otherwise, God help me. ' The 536 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. Reformed Episcopal Church was born December 2d, 1873, and from that day to the hour when he yielded his spirit into the hands of him who gave it, it was never absent from his thoughts and prayers, and was the unceasing object of his toil and effort." Mr. Sabine then speaks lovingly of " the singular humility of Bishop Cummins. He was ever ready to receive — and in the gentlest, sweetest spirit — the sug- gestions, advice, or remonstrance even, of men his juniors in age and his inferiors in information and experience. " In view of the success of his ministry, the high position which he attained, the caresses and applause which he re- ceived, caresses and applause that would have turned the head and proved the ruin of many another man, this spirit of humility must be regarded as a very signal evidence of the in- fluence of divine grace upon the heart and character. Rarely do we meet with a life in which the apostolic precept, ' be clothed with humility, ' was so sweetly realized, and in this respect he eminently resembled the Master he served. " Bishop Cummins was tende?-ly syitipathetic and warm- hearted. He had burdens enough of his own to have broken down twenty men, yet he never refused that which came upon him daily, the care of the churches. He shared the sorrows of his brethren, he entered into their toils, he made their griefs and joys his own, and every struggling parish had its place in his heart and in his prayers. We more than half believe this tenderness helped to kill him ; unsuspected by others, but perhaps silently and secretly it undermined and sapped the foundations of physical strength, and when the storm of dis- ease fell upon him exhausted nature had no power to resist the strain. " Bishop Cujnmins was ref?iarkable for his cheeriness. His coming, his ringing words, his cheery face, the good news he THE END. 537 had to tell — he did not like to tell the bad news — was like the coming of the sunshine on a misty day — the fog fled from it. So calm was his confidence in God, so firm his conviction of the justice of his cause, so bright his hope, that he never wav- ered for an instant. ' ' Bishop Cummins ivas true to his com'ictions. He did not study consequences, he only asked to know God's will, and for grace to do it. . . . " Bishop Cummins 7vas a brave man, brave in the best sense of the word. His was not brute bravery, it was high moral courage, the courage of martyrs and confessors in the olden time, such courage as is twin brother to loyalty to the truth. Do you wonder that we call him brave, do you wonder that he won men's hearts and held them for his own ? It was a part of a piece with that fidelity that, when he found he could not, with a clear conscience, exercise his ministry in the Church of his love and choice, he should withdraw. " It was just in keeping with that daring bravery that when judgment and reflection convinced him that there were thousands in that Church sighing over her sad relapse, and waiting for one to restore the paths of their fathers, he should issue that memorable call. But beneath all these — at the root of all these — this singular humility, this tender sympathy, this fidelity to conviction, this genuine bravery, Bishop Cummins ivas a man of sincere and simple-hearted piety. That sentence explains all — he loved Christ supremely. He walked with God from day to day. . . . Jesus, Jesus only, was the ground of his hope, the object of his faith, the grand theme of all his preaching. . . . His death was every way the just and fitting finish of his life, a top stone worthy of the noble temple which it crowned. " The messenger came quickly, but found him ready. In his peaceful home, in the bosom of his devoted family, in which he had ever been the devoted husband, the true and tender father, he passed away sweetly and gently as the sum- 538 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. mer evening fades into the summer night, leaving behind him the most precious testimonies of love and confidence in a di- vine Saviour. On Wednesday, June 28th, we bore him from his pretty suburban home to the Church of the Redeemer, Baltimore, where the burial service was performed — where, only a few brief weeks before, he had performed the first mar- riage service in the new church for his youngest daughter — . . . in the presence of a congregation which completely filled the edifice, and from whence we carried him to his grave in Loudon Park Cemetery." Among the papers of Bishop Cummins was found the following list of appointments : ' June 18. — Baltimore. ' June 25. — Newark. ' ////y 2. . ' J^^fy 9- — Toronto. ' July 16. — Council at Ottawa. ' July 30. . ' August 13. — St. John, Sussex, Chatham. ' August 20. — Moncton. ' August 27. — . A prominent layman of the Reformed Episcopal Church writes thus, speaking of Bishop Cummins •• " We have travelled together frequently and for long dis- tances. We have been together very frequently in consulta- tion both officially and unofficially, and corresponded by letter on important points. I have thus had full opportunities of learning his opinions and characteristics. In consultation Bishop Cummins was one of the mildest and most gentle of men, without the slightest appearance of egotism, and of wonderful self-control under trying circumstances. He re- THE END. 539 garded himself personally as nothing, and the cause of truth as the sole consideration. For this he made sacri- fices that appeared wonderful, when all the circumstances came to be known through others ; but he was as wonderfully protected by providence. " He nrver spoke of the sacrifices he had made in the cause of truth, neither did he dwell upon the trials that came to him, but frequently said, '\\tx).^\tx for one moment regretted the course he had taken.' " The following " Resolutions" were adopted by the General Council, July, 1876 : " At the session of the General Council of the Reformed Episcopal Church, held in Emmanuel Church, in the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, in the month of July, 1876, the following resolutions were unanimously adopted. " Whereas, In the providence of God the senior bishop of this Church has been called from his earthly labors to re- ceive his reward in heaven, it is right and becoming that the General Council should express its high appreciation of the magnitude and effectiveness of his work in behalf of this Church, and of the great loss it has sustained in his death ; therefore, " Resolved, That we recognize in Bishop Cummins a true gospel Reformer, raised up of God for the great and needed work which he performed, and owned of him in the wonder- ful blessing conferred upon his labors and sacrifices. " Resolved, That to the indomitable courage, faithfulness to high purpose, whole-hearted devotion to the cause of truth, and the abiding faith in God and his word of the late Bishop Cummins, we owe, under God, the present existence of our beloved Reformed Episcopal Church. ''Resolved, That in the sweetness of his character, his great humility, his Christlike meekness and gentleness, his untiring patience, his purity of life, and integrity of purpose, 540 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. Bishop Cummins has left to the Church and to the world a bright example, of which the memory should be preserved as a precious treasure. ''Resolved, That while we lament the loss of one whose personal and official relations to this Church have been so completely interwoven with its very existence as well as pros- perity, and we cannot yet see how the wound that his loss has made can be healed ; we will yet adopt the exhortation of his dying moments, even as the ancient people of God obeyed the divine command, ' Go forward ;' believing that he who divided the waters then will make a way for us through the sea of our troubles, and lead us to the full com- pletion of the great work before us. " Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be presented to the family of Bishop Cummins, together with the assurance of the heartfelt sympathy of the members of this Council with them in their great affliction. ' ' Certified from the minutes, " M. B. Smith, ' ' 'Secretary of the General Council of the Reformed Episcopal Church. ' ' A presbyter * of the Reformed Episcopal Church, one who had from the beginning been associated with Bishop Cummins in his work, writes thus : " He was incessant in labor in all his parishes. His ear- nestness and eloquence everywhere drew crowded audiences ; young men were especially attracted by the magnetism of his character, and by his cheerful, genial piety. While Assistant Bishop of Kentucky the number of communicants in his dio- cese doubled, and the contributions increased threefold. No bishop in the Protestant Episcopal Church has had greater success. When the hearts of men were to be stirred, and * Rev. Mason Gallagher. THE END. 341 their beneficence aroused, he was the orator selected. He took an active part in the Conferences of the Evangelical Alliance, and made one of the addresses on the theme ' The Romish and Protestant Doctrine of Justification contrasted.' . . Bishop Cummins has been unwearied in labors, travelling from New Brunswick, Canada, to South Carolina, from the Mississippi to the Atlantic. As in the ordering of providence it was permitted me to be intimately associated with Bishop Cummins in the inception and pro- gress of this latest branch of the Christian Church, your pas- tor has thought it would be interesting to his people to be- come more fully acquainted with the more important events of its history as they fell under his own personal observation. " I met Bishop Cummins for the first time in 1850, when visiting Wheeling, Virginia. I was introduced to him while he was Secretary of the Convention of that diocese, then in session. I heard him afterwards address a missionary meet- ing in Ascension Church, New York, and was impressed with him as a graceful, stirring, and effective speaker, I saw him at one of the Conferences of Evangelical Episcopalians held in Philadelphia in 1868. I heard his thrilling utterances on Rit- ualism about the same time, when he was endeavoring to stem the tide of Low Popery which was making such alarming advances in the Episcopal Church under the influence of Drs. Dix and DeKoven, and others like-minded. At the conclu- sion of his address he said : ' I implore you then, my beloved friends, by your love for the Gospel of Christ ; by the rever- ence you bear to the work of England's great confessors in the sixteenth century ; by the ashes that rest under the Martyrs' Monument at Oxford ; by the memory of John Wycliffe, the morning-star of the Reformation, to resist this tide of error coming in upon us as a flood, and with love to all and bitterness to none let us stand like a rock for the purity, the unswerving loyalty to the great Head of this Protestant Episcopal Church,' 542 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. " But the Protestant Episcopal Church answered this ap- peal by passing canons in her General Convention giving aid and comfort to the Romanizers, while the friends and sup- porters of Bishop Cummins were treated with contempt, their petitions laid on the table, and refused admission on the pages of the Journal. No voice at that time sounded the alarm so loudly, so effectively as his : we felt that he, if any man, was to be the leader in any movement which was to save the Protestant Episcopal Church from its tendency to the old doctrines from which it had been reformed, but which were allowed to be stealthily introduced into the Prayer Book by the degenerate successors of Cranmer, Latimer, and Ridley. ' ' Bishop Cummins was a great Reformer. He is the only bishop since Cranmer who has effected a permanent, thorough reform in the Episcopal Church. Other bishops have sought reform, but there has been wanting that combination of great qualities needed for such a mission — or there were obstacles insuperable in their paths. To Bishop White, pre-eminently, was afforded a similar opportunity, but he, too, was unequal to the exigency. With all his eminent Christian graces, and ministerial devotedness, yet neither in clearness of doctrine, energy of character, for far-reaching wisdom was he the peer of our departed leader. He succumbed to the stronger will of the imperious, narrow-minded Seabury, and the mag- netic, resolute, arbitrary Hobart ; and through the influence mainly of these two zealous, mistaken men has the work of the framers of the First American Prayer Book been de- faced and deformed, and their Communion, thus robbed of its rightful influence, and a prey to strife and discordant doctrine, been compelled to remain among the minor ecclesiastical bodies of America. " Bishop Cummins saw the growth of error ; saw the absolute need of reform ; saw the opportunity. There was in him that rare, God-given spirit which enabled him to face the frowns of fifty bishops, three thousand clergymen, and a multitude of THE END. 543 indifferent or incensed laymen, and to strike for truth and freedom. He struck the blow. He held up the standard. He fought the battle. His standard has gone down in the thickest of the combat ; but the heights are stormed ; Reform and Revision in an Episcopal Church are forever established ; and through the heroic act of this grand spirit, under God, the world at last possesses that rich, pure. Evangelical Anglo- Saxon Liturgy, for which so many hearts have been so long praying ; the priceless heritage, for all time, of a Church Episcopal, Protestant, Reformed, and Free. ' ' In looking at the results of Bishop Cummins 's work we have cause for deepest thankfulness. The Journal of the first General Council of the Reformed Episco- pal Church, held December 2d, 1873, and that of the Council held in Newark, N. J., May, 1878, pre- sent a striking contrast. The first, of scarcely twenty-six pages, with the names of one bishop, seven clergymen, and not twenty laymen — the other a large pamphlet of one hundred and thirty-eight pages, with a list of six bishops, ninety clergymen, and a large number of laymen. To read of the work accom- plished, of the new churches rising all over this land, in England and in Canada ; to listen to the reports of her bishops and committees, and know of the Christian spirit that binds this young Church together, we can only exclaim, " What hath God wrought?" So long as the mantle of their first bishop rests on the Church for which he sacrificed so much — yes, life itself — so long may we hope that it will grow and accomplish a olessed work in Protestant Christendom. While the same sweet spirit of gentleness, meekness, and humility so marked in him continues to pervade her Councils, and his earnest, whole-hearted piety is manifested by 544 GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS. her bishops, clergy, and lay members — so long may \ve feel assured that God, even our own God, is with us, and that his blessing will be our portion. Being knit together with one mind and one heart the Re- formed Episcopal Church will be to many a haven of rest ; to the storm-tossed followers of Christ a light that will be far-reaching ; a blessed inheritance to our children's children. A beautiful Memorial Church, erected to the memory of Bishop Cummins, stands in one of Balti- more's most attractive squares — a fitting monument to one who through abundant labors has entered the mansion not made with hands. " And there are souls that seem to dwell Above this earth — so rich a spell Floats round their steps where'er they move." " Welcome to heaven, dear brother, welcome home ! Welcome to thy inheritance of light ! Welcome forever to thy Master's joy ! Thy work is done, thy pilgrimage past ; Thy guardian-angel's vigil is fulfill'd ; Thy parents wait thee in the bowers of bliss — Thy brethren who have entered into rest Long for thy coming ; and the angel choirs Are ready with their symphonies of praise." " Therefore are they before the throne of God, and servb Him day and night in His temple." — Rev. 7 : 15. THE END. I 042 7559 '*■ ■-■"„">f^< \ i