ing to obtain an Episcopacy for herself, and I have only done my duty in carrying her endeavours into execution. Political reasons prevented her application from being complied with in England. It was natural in the next instance to apply to Scotland, whose Episcopacy, though now under a cloud, is the very same, in every ecclesiastical sense with the English. His Grace of Cant. apprehended, that my obtaining consecration in Scotland, would create jealousies, and Schisms in the Church-that the Moravian Bishops in America would be hereby induced to ordain Clergymen and that the Philadelphian Clergy would be encouraged to carry into effect, their plan of constituting a nominal Episcopacy by the joint Suffrages of Clergymen and Laymen. But when it is considered that the Moravian Bps. cannot ordain Clergymen for our Church, unless requested so to do, and that when there shall be a Bp. in America there will be no ground on which to make such a request; and that the Philadelphian plan was only proposed on the Supposi tion of real and absolute necessity; which necessity cannot exist when there is a Bishop resident in America, every apprehension of this kind must I think vanish and be no more. My own Inclination is to cultivate as close a connection and union with the Church of England, as that Church and the political State of the two countries shall permit. I have grown up and lived hitherto under the influence of the highest veneration for and attachment to the Church of England, and in the service of the Society, and my hope is to promote the interest of that Church with greater effect than ever, and to establish it in the full enjoyment of its whole government and discipline. And I think it highly probable that I may be of real service to this country by promoting a connection with that country in Religious matters without any breach of duty to the State in which I shall live. I cannot help considering it as an instance of bad policy that my application for consecration was rejected in England; and I intend no offence when I say, that I think the policy would still be worse should the Society on this occasion discharge me from their Service; which his Grace of York, in my last interview with him, said would certainly be the case. That indeed would make a Schism between the two Churches, and put it out of my power to preserve that friendly intercourse and communion which I earnestly wish. It might also bring on explanations which would be disagreeable to me, and I imagine, to the Society also. However, should the Society itself be obliged to take such a step, though I shall be sorry for it, and hurt by it, I shall not be dejected. If my father and mother forsake me, if the Governors of the Church and the Society discard me, I shall still be that humble pensioner of divine providence which I have been through my whole life. God I trust will take me up, continue his goodness to me, and bless my endeavours to serve the cause of his infant Church in Connecticut. I trust, Sir, it is not the loss of £50. per Annum that I dread, though that is an object of some importance to a man who has nothing, but the consequences that must ensue-the total alienation of regard and affections. You can make such use of this letter as you think proper. If I can command so much time I will write to Dr. Morrice on the subject. If not I will see him as soon as I return to London, which will be in 10 days. Please to present my Regards to Mr. Stevens and all friends and believe me to be, with the greatest esteem your affectionate humble Servant, (1) Bishop Seabury's Letter-Book. S. S.(1) Following this interesting communication to an old friend and sympathizer, the Bishop of Connecticut addressed the manly letter we subjoin, to the Secretary of the venerable Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. BISHOP SEABURY TO THE REV. DR. MORICE. London, Feby. 27, 1785. Reverend Sir, When the Articles of the late peace were published in America, it is natural to suppose that the members of the Church of England must have been under many anxious apprehensions concerning the fate of the Church. The great distance between England and America had always subjected them to many difficulties in the essential Article of ordination; and the independency of that country gave rise to new ones that appeared insurmountable: Candidates for holy Orders could no longer take the oaths required in the English ordination Office, and without doing so, they could not be ordained. The Episcopal Church in America must, under such circumstances, cease, whenever it should please God to take their present ministers from them, unless some adequate means could be adopted to procure a regular succession of Clergymen. Under these impressions the Clergy of Connecticut met tegether as soon as they possibly could, and on the most deliberate consideration, they saw no remedy but the actual settlement of a Bishop among them. They therefore determined to make an effort to procure that blessing from the English Church; to which they hoped, under every change of civil polity, to remain united; And commissioned the Rev. Mr. Abraham Jarvis of Middletown in Connecticut, to go to New York and consult such of the Clergy there as they thought prudent on the subject, and procure their concurrence. He was also directed to try to prevail on the Revd. Mr. Leaming or me to undertake a voyage to England and Endeavour to obtain Episcopal Consecration for Connecti cut. Mr. Leaming declined on account of his age and infirmities; and the Clergy who were consulted by Mr. Jarvis gave it as their decided opinion that I ought, in duty to the Church, to comply with the request of the Connecticut Clergy. Though I foresaw many and great difficulties in the way, yet as I hoped they might all be overcome; and as Mr. Jarvis had no instruction to make the proposal to any one besides, and was, with the other Clergy, of opinion the design would drop if I declined it, I gave my consent; and arrived in England the beginning of July, 1783, endea vouring according to the best of my ability and discretion to accomplish the business on which I came. It would be disagreeable to me to recapit ulate the difficulties which arose and defeated the measure, and to enter on a detail of my own conduct in the matter is needless as his Grace of Cant'y and his Grace of York with other members of the Society, are well acquainted with all the circumstances. Finding at the end of the last Session of Parliament that no permission was given for consecrating a Bishop for Connecticut or any of the American States, in the Act enabling the Lord Bishop of London to ordain foreign candidates for Deacon's and Priest's orders; and understanding that a requisition or at least a formal acquiescence of Congress, or of the Supreme Authority in some particular State, would be expected before such permission would be granted; and that a diocese must be formed, and a stated revenue appointed, for the Bishop, previously to his consecration, I absolutely despaired of ever seeing such a measure succeed in England, I therefore thought it not only justifiable but a matter of duty to endeavour to obtain wherever it could be had a valid Episcopacy for the Church in Connecticut, which consists of more than 30,000 members. I knew that the Bishops in Scotland derived their succession from England, and that their Liturgy, Doctrines, and discipline scarcely differ from those of the English Church. And as only the Spiritual or purely Ecclesiastical power of Episcopacy were wanted in Connecticut, I saw no impropriety in applying to the Scotch bishops for Consecration. If I succeeded I was to exercise the Episcopal authority in Connecticut out of the British dominions, and therefore could cause no disturbance in the ecclesiastical or civil State of this country. The reasons why this step should be taken immediately appeared also to me to be very strong. Before I left America a disposition to run into irregular practices had showed itself. For some had proposed to apply to the Moravian, some to the Swedish Bishops, for Ordination: And a pamphlet had been published at Philadelphia urging the appointment of a number of Presbyters and laymen to ordain Ministers for the Episcopal Church. Necessity was pleaded as the foundation of all these schemes. And this plea could be effectually silenced only by having a resident Bishop in America. I have entered into no political engagements in Scotland nor were any ever mentioned to me: And I shall return to America, bound indeed to hold Communion with the Episcopal Church of Scotland, because I believe that, as I do the Church of England, to be the Church of Christ. It is the first wish of my heart, and will be the endeavour of my life, to maintain this unity with the Church of England, agreeably to those general laws of Christ's Church which depend not on any human power, and which lay the strongest obligations on all its members to live in peace and unity with each other: And I trust no obstacles will arise, or hinder an event so desirable and so consonant to the principles of the Christian Religion, as the union of the Church of England and the Episcopal Church of America would be. Such a union must be of great advantage to the Church in America, and may also be so at some future period to the Church of England. The sameness of religion will have an influence on the Political conduct of both countries, and in that view may be an object of some consideration to Great Britain. How far the venerable Society may think themselves justifiable in continuing me their Missionary, they only can determine. Should they do so, I shall esteem it as a favour. Should they do otherwise, I can have no right to complain. I beg them to believe that I shall ever retain a grateful sense of their favours to me, during thirty-one years that I have been their Missionary: and that I shall remember, with the utmost respect, the kind attention which they have so long paid to the Church in that Country for which I am now to embark. Very happy would it make me could I be assured they would continue that attention, if not in the same yet in some degree, if not longer, yet during the lives of their present Missionaries, whose conduct, in the late commotions, has been irreproachable and has procured esteem to themselves and respect to that Church to which they belong. The fate of individuals is however of inferior moment when compared with that of the whole Church. When ever the Society shall wholly cease to interest itself in the concerns of Religion in America, it will be a heavy calamity to the Church in that Country. Yet this is to be expected: and the Calamity will be heavier, if proper steps be not previously taken to secure to that Church various property of lands, &c., in the different States, (now indeed of small value but gradually increasing) to which the Society alone has a legal claim. It is humbly submitted to them how far it may be consistent with their views to give men, authority to assert, and secure to the Church there, the lands in Vermont and elsewhere. This it is hoped, might now be easily done, but a few years may render their recovery impracticable. The Society has also a library of books in New York, which was sent thither for the use of the Missionaries in the neighborhood. As there is now only one Missionary in that State, and several in Connecticut, I beg leave to ask their permission to have it removed into Connecti cut where it will answer the most valuable purposes; there being no li brary of consequence in that State to which the Clergy can resort on any occasion. Whatever the Society may determine with regard to me I hope it will not be thought an impropriety that I should correspond with them. I think many advantages would arise from such a correspondence both to the Church and to the Society. Their interests are indeed the same; and I trust the Society will do me the justice to believe, that with such ability as I have, and such influence as my Station may give me, I shall steadily endeavour to promote the interest of both. I am, With the greatest respet and esteem, Revd. Sir, To this dignified communication the following letter was returned. It is mainly noticeable from the studied unwillingness to recognize the Scottish Episcopacy, it displays in its address and close. "To the Rev. Dr. Seabury, New London, Connecticut." [So directed.] Hatton Garden, April 25th, 1785. Revd. Sir. Your letter of February 27th was read to the Society, &c., at their first Meeting subsequent to my receiving it. I am directed by the Society to express their approbation of your Service as their Missionary; and to acquaint you that finding They cannot consistently with their Charter employ any Missionaries except in the Plantations, Colonies, and Factories belonging to the Kingdom of Great Britain, your case is of course comprehended under that general rule. No decided opinion is yet formed respecting the lands you mention. For the rest, the Society without doubt will always readily receive such information as may contribute to promote their invariable object, the propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. I am, Revd. Sir, Your affectionate Brother and (1) Bishop Seabury's Letter-Book. Secretary.(2) (2) Ibid. The following extract from a letter from the Rev. Dr. T. B. Chandler to Bishop Skinner, dated April 23, 1785, gives us the date of the Bishop's departure, and furnishes us with a fragment of clerical scandal, for which unhappily there was only too much foundation. It "Dr. Seabury, of whom you cannot have so high an opin ion as I have, because you are not so well acquainted with him, left the Downs on the 15th of last month, and on the 19th he was 65 leagues west of the Lizard, with a fair prospect of a good passage, at which time he wrote to me. appears from the late letters from America, that there was great impatience for his arrival, and no apprehension of his meeting with ill-treatment from any quarter. In my opinion, he has more trouble to expect from a certain crooked-grained false brother, (of whose character you must have some knowledge,) than from any other person-I mean Dr. S――th, late of Philadelphia College, now of Maryland. He is a man of abilities and application, but intriguing and pragmatical. His principles, with regard both to church and state, if he has any, are most commodiously flexible, yielding not only to every blast, but to the gentlest breeze that whispers! With professions of great personal esteem for Dr. Seabury, made occasionally, he has always counteracted and opposed him as far as he dared, and I doubt not but he will continue to oppose him in his Episcopal character. He will be able to do this more effectually if he succeeds in his project of obtaining consecration himself, with a view to which he is said to be about embarking for Britain. His character is so well known by the Bishops here, that I trust they would have the grace to reject him, even were he to carry his point with the ministry; and I am sure there is no danger of his imposing upon your venerable synod."(1) Early in the spring of 1785, Bishop Seabury sailed from England for America, visiting Halifax, where several mem (1) Vide pp. 46-48, "Annals of Scottish Episcopacy, from the year 1788 to the year 1818, inclusive; by the Rev. John Skinner, A.M." 8vo. Edinburgh, 1818. |