English Prayer Book, practically, in the preparation of the new liturgy, 415, 416; Report of Committee on the means of perpetuating the Episcopal Succession in the United States, 416. THE PRELIMINARY CONVENTIONS. Ir was in accordance with the following recommendations and proposals, issued by a voluntary gathering of Clergy and Laymen, that the Convention of 1785 assembled. At a Convention of Clergymen and Lay Deputies of the Protestant EPISCOPAL CHURCH in the United States of America, held in New-York, Oct. 6th and 7th, 1784:-Present as follows; Revd. SAMUEL PARKER, A.M., Massachusets and Rhode-Island. Revd. SYDENHAM THORN, Revd. CHARLES WHARTON, Mr. ROBERT CLAY. MARYLAND Revd. WILLIAM SMITH, D.D. N.B. The Revd. Mr. GRIFFITH from the State of Virginia, was present by permission. The Clergy of that State being restricted by Laws yet in force there, were not at liberty to send Delegates, or consent to any Alterations in the Order Government, Doctrine, or Worship of the Church. (3) THE Body now assembled, recommend to the Clergy and Congregations of their Communion in the States represented as above, and propose to those of the other States not represented, That as soon as they shall have organized or associated themselves in the States to which they respectively belong, agreeably to such Rules as they shall think proper, they unite in a general ecclesiastical Constitution, on the following fundamental Principles. I. That there shall be a general Convention of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. II. That the Episcopal Church in each State, send Deputies to the Convention, consisting of Clergy and Laity. III. That associated Congregations in two or more States, may send Deputies jointly. IV. That the said Church shall maintain the Doctrines of the Gospel as now held by the Church of England, and shall adhere to the Liturgy of the said Church, as far as shall be consistent with the American Revolution and the Constitutions of the respective States. V. That in every State where there shall be a Bishop duly consecrated and settled, he shall be considered as a member of the Convention ex Officio. VI. That the Clergy and Laity assembled in Convention, shall deliberate in one Body, but shall vote seperately; and the concurrence of both shall be necessary to give Validity to every Measure. VII. That the first meeting of the Convention shall be at Philadelphia, the Tuesday before the Feast of St. Michael next; to which it is hoped, and earnestly desired, That the Episcopal Churches in the respective States, will send their Clerical and Lay Deputies, duly instructed and authorized to proceed on the necessary Business herein proposed for their Deliberation. Signed by Order of the Convention, WILLIAM SMITH, D.D. President.(1) To this, the printed account of the meeting in New York, we add, from a paper endorsed by Bishop White, "as in ye (1) Reprinted, VERBATIM ET LITERATIM, from Bp. White's copy of "the short printed account of the proceedings of this meeting," which the Bishop tells us in his Memoirs (p. 80)" was in very few hands at the time, and is probably at this time generally destroyed or lost." Hand writing of Dr. Wm. Smith, who presided," the following additional particulars. Octr. 6th, A. M. Upon motion, the Rev. Dr. William Smith was called to the Chair as President of this Convention; and the Rev. Mr. Benjamin Moore was appointed Secretary. The Letters of Appointment and other Documents produced by the several Members above mentioned were read; and also the following Letters from the Clergy of Massachusetts Bay and Connecticut. It being resolved that a Committee of Clerical and Lay Deputies be appointed to essay the fundamental principles of a general Constitution, the following gentlemen were appointed, viz., Revd. Dr. Smith, Mr. Clarkson, Mr. De Hart, Mr. Clay, Mr. Duane. The same Committee are desired to frame and propose to the Convention, a proper substitute for the State Prayers in the Liturgy, to be used for the sake [of] uniformity, till a further Review shall be undertaken by general Authority and Consent of the Church. Octr. 7th. Present as above. The Committee appointed yesterday to essay the fundamental Principles of an ecclesiastical Constitution for this Church, reported an Essay for this purpose, which being read and duly considered, and amended, was adopted as follows, viz., THE Body now assembled, recommend [etc., as above]. Resolved, that it be recommended to the Clergy in the respective Churches here represented, to appoint in each State a Committee of not less than two Clergymen to examine Persons who, in the present exigency, are desirous of officiating as Readers, and to direct them to such duties as they are to perform; and that it be recommended to the Congregations not to suffer any Lay Persons to officiate in their Churches, other than such as shall be certified by said Committee to be duly qualified. WM. SMITH, President. Earlier in the same year, on the 11th(1) of May, the preliminary step had been taken for effecting the union of the Churches in the various States. Several clergymen from the States of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, met by previous agreement at New Brunswick, in New Jersey, ostensibly to take measures for the revival of the Corporation. for the relief of the Widows and Children of the Clergy, but primarily for the discussion of principles of eeclesiastical union. These clergymen, whose names we give below, together with several prominent laymen of New York and New Jersey, who were invited to attend the meeting of the Clergy, found themselves at the outset unable to agree upon the fundamental principles of union. Not only were the more northern clergymen apprehensive of a disposition on the part of their southern brethren to deviate materially from the ecclesiastical system of England in the matter of Episcopal polity, but the previous application of some of the New York Clergy, in connection with those of Connecticut, to the English bishops, for the consecration of Dr. Samuel Seabury, was considered as a bar to any further measures, while this petition was pending. A single result was, however, attained. Before the separation of the Clergy, the appointment of a meeting in October was determined upon, and the recognition of the Laity as a co-ordinate branch of the deliberative and executive assemblies of the Church, was secured. The Minutes of this Meeting, so far as preserved, are herewith presented. Though they add little information to that which we have already presented, -as condensed from Bishop White's Memoirs, they serve to correct several trifling errors in the Bishop's account, and are of interest as the original records of our first preliminary Convention of the Churches in the different States. (1) Bishop White's Memoirs, page 21, says "the 13th and 14th of May." |