PREFACE.

The present volume is mainly the reproduction in print of a collection of previously unpublished documents and letters illustrating the history of the period of the organization of the American Church. These papers, drawn largely from the correspondence and collections of the venerable Bishop White, preserved to the Church by the care of the late Francis Lister Hawks, D.D., LL. D., have been supplemented by the use of important MSS., in the possession of the families of Bps. Seabury and Parker. It will be borne in mind that these papers and letters were written with no thought of preservation, much less of publication, after an interval of nearly a hundred years. They are the more valuable from the freedom of style and allusion which gives to epistolary correspondence its special charm. As illustrating the history of the measures which brought about our ecclesiastical independence and secured the formation of our present Ecclesiastical Constitution, these letters are of peculiar interest and importance. By their aid we can trace step by step, the development of the principles underlying our present system of government. We are admitted, as it were, into the councils of those who gave us our Church in the form and perfectness it now possesses. We hear in their own words and in fullest detail the reasons for their legislation and the explanation of their course of action. The editor has been at pains to group together these interesting papers, adding only enough of his own to supply deficiencies in the narrative and to elucidate that which required explanation. It is with

peculiar pleasure that he can state in this connection that the volume as now produced was carefully read in MSS., and wholly approved, by the late Dr. Hawks, the Historiographer of the American Church, prior to his too early death. Not a letter appears on these pages without having received his examination, and it is with the sanction of his revered and honored name that these papers are given to the Church.

The press of duties incident upon the care of a large parish, together with the requirements of other official relations to the Church, must be the excuse for many imperfections in this work of which no one can be more sensible than the editor himself. He craves the indulgence of his readers for these infelicities of style, and for the occasional typographical errors which, in view of the impossibility of his supervision in person of these pages as they passed through the press, were inevitable. If the work, -the preparation of which has been wholly a labor of love, and for which the writer asks no other remuneration than the kind approbation of his brethren of the clergy and laity, shall serve to acquaint those who care to learn with the principles of our constitutional history, the labor of years will not be in vain. For the Church of God he would gladly "spend and be spent."

Trinity Rectory, Geneva, October 5, 1874.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

THE PRELIMINARY CONVENTIONS,

.3-68.

The "Broadside" proceedings of the Preliminary Meeting

of October, 1784, 3, 4; Additional particulars, 5; Meeting at

New Brunswick, May 11, 1784, 7, 8; Letters from the Rev.

Abraham Beach, 8-12; Early Conventions, 13, 14; "An ad-

dress to the Members of the Protestant Episcopal Church of

Maryland," 14-33; Election of a Bishop in Maryland, 34; For-

mation of a representative body of the Church in Pennsyl-

vania, 35, 36; Journal of Meetings leading to the institution

of a Convention of the Church in Pennsylvania, 37-40; An

Act of Association of the Clergy and Congregations in Penn-

sylvania, 40-43; Incorporation of the Church in Virginia, 44

-51; Convention in South Carolina, 52, 53; Convention in

New York, 53-55; Proceedings of the Convention in New-

Jersey, 55, 56; State of the Church in Massachusetts, 57-59;

Dr. White's letters to the Rev. Mr. Parker, 59-62; Proceed-

ings of the Clergy of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, 62—66;

Other efforts for organization, 66-68.

THE CONVENTION OF 1785,..

.69-212.

Invitation of the Connecticut clergy to their brethren at the

South, 69, 70; Letter from the Rev. Dr. Thomas Bradbury

Chandler to the Rev Dr. White, 79-75; The Bishop of Con-

necticut to the Rev. Dr. Smith, 76-82; The same to the Rev.

Dr. White, 82-84; The Rev. Dr. Chandler to Dr. White, 84-

87; Changes at the North, 87; The Rev. Benjamin Moore to

the Rev. Mr. Parker, 88; Correspondence between Dr. White

and the Rev. Mr. Parker, 88-91; Alterations adopted by the

Convention of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hamp-

shire, 91-99.

I. Alterations in the Book of Common Prayer, 99-208; Chan-

ges in the "State Prayers" inevitable, 100; Alterations adopt-

ed by Trinity Church, Boston, 101-103; Legislation in Virgin-

ia accommodating the Prayer Book to the change in affairs,

103, 104; Letters from the Rev. Edward Bass, 104-107; Let-

ters of the Rev. Charles H. Wharton, 107, 108; General dis-

position to proceed to a review of the Liturgy, 108, 109; Alte-

rations agreed upon in 1785 to render the Liturgy conformable

to the principles of the American Revolution and the Consti-

tutions of the several States, 109-113; Further alterations

proposed and recommended, 113-118; Articles of Religion,

118-124; The Table of Holy Days, 124, 125; Correspondence

of the Committee charged with the publication of the "Pro-

posed Book," 125-198; The Rev. Dr. Smith to the Rev. Mr.

Parker, 199, 200; Bp. White's "notice" of the alterations in

the Book of Common Prayer, 200-206; Account of the publi-

cation of the "proposed " Liturgy, 206-208;

II. The General Ecclesiastical Constitution, 209-212.

III. Measures for securing the succession of the Episcopate in

the English Line, 213.

The struggle for the Episcopate, 213; Notices of the election

of the Rev. Dr. Seabury to the Episcopate by the Connecticut

Clergy, 213, 214; The result awaited with interest and

anxiety, 216, 217; Granville Sharp's account of Dr. Seabury's

application to the Archbishop of Canterbury, 217, 218; The

Rev. Dr. George Berkeley to the Rt. Rev. John Skinner, 218

-223; The Clergy of Connecticut to the Archbishop of York,

224-228; Dr. Seabury to the Rev. Myles Cooper, 228, 229;

Further Correspondence, 230, 231; Overtures to the non- ju-

ring Bishops, 231-233; Opposition from America, 233, 234;

Record of Seabury's Consecration, 234-236; The Concor-

dat," 286-238; Letter from the Bishops of Scotland to the

Clergy of Connecticut, 238, 239; Correspondence from Bish-

op Seabury's Letter Book, 240-244; Allusion to Dr. William

Smith, 245; Reception of Bp. Seabury in Connecticut, 245—

245; Letter to the Scottish Bishops, 247, 248; Address of the

Connecticut Clergy to their Bishop, 248-251; Bp. Seabury's

Answer, 251, 252; The Bishop's primary Charge, 252-254;

Bishop Skinner to Bishop Seabury, 254, 255; Correspondence

relating to the Bishop of Connecticut, 256-258; Letters from

Drs. Inglis and White, 258–260; Dr. White's Correspondence

with the Rev. Alex. Murray and the Rev Jacob Duché, 260-

262; The Rev. Dr. Inglis to the Rev. Dr, White, 262-266;

Efforts to secure the succession in the English Line, 266;

Granville Sharp to the Archbishop of Canterbury, 267, 268;

Letters from the Rev. Mr. Duché, 268-270; Letters from the

Rev. Dr. Murray, 270, 271; Efforts of Granville Sharp, 272—

274; Sharp's letter to Benjamin Franklin, 275-277; Address to

the English prelates, 278, 279; Evidence of the concurrence of

the civil authorities, 279-282; Letters from the Rev. Samuel

Provoost to Dr. White, 283, 284; Alarm excited abroad as to

the nature of the alterations in the new Liturgy, 284, 285;

Letters from the Rev. Dr. Murray, 285-287; Letters from Mr.

Duché and Dr. Murray, 287-292; The omission of the Article

in the Creed excepted to, 292; The Rev. Dr. West to the Rev.

Dr. White, 293; Bishop Seabury to Dr. White, 293, 294;

The Rev. Mr. Parker to Dr. White, 294-296; Obstacles to the

acceptance of the " 'Proposed Book," 296, 297; The Rev. Mr.

West to Dr. White, 297-299: Correspondence with Mr. Pro-

voost, 299-301; Letter from the Rev. Dr. Inglis to Dr. White,

301-304; The Rev. Dr. Murray to Dr. White, 304, 305; Letter

from the Rev. Dr. West, 306, 307; Opposition to Bishops at the

South, 807; Alterations in the Liturgy distasteful at the North,

307, 308; The Rev. Edward Bass to the Rev. Mr. Parker, 309;

Jealousy of a Bishop from England existing at the North, 309;

Bishop Seabury to the Rev. Dr. White, 310; The answer, and

the Bishop's letter to Mr. Parker, 311, 312;

THE CONVENTIONS OF 1786.

Opposition to Bp. Seabury, 312-314; Original Draft of the let-

ter to the English prelates, 314-316; The New Jersey Memo-

rial, 316; Letters from England, 317, 318; Letters from the

Rev. Drs. Bowden, West, Griffith and Smith, 319-323; The

Rev. Dr. White to the Rev. Mr. Parker, 323; Letters from

the Rev. Mr. Parker, 324-326; Drs. Griffith, Wharton and

Provoost to Dr. White, 326-330; Dislike of the "Proposed

Book" at the South, 830; Drs. West and Griffith to Dr,

White, 331, 342; Letters from the Committee of Corres-

pondence, 332, 333; The Adjourned Convention, 333, 334; The

refusal to sign the testimonials of the Rev. Dr. William

Smith, 334, 335; Letters relating to the Wilmington Conven-

tion, 335-341; The Consecration of Bishops in the English

line, 341, 842; The feeling at the North, 342, 343: The letters

of congratulation written by Bp. Seabury to Bps. White and

Provoost, 343-345; Bp. Seabury to William Stevens, of Lon-

don, 345; Bp. White to Bp. Seabury, 346, 347; Rev. Drs. Clag-

gett and Griffith to Bp. White, 347-352; A proposition for the

consecration of Parker as Bishop of Massachusetts, 352, 353;

The Rev. Jeremiah Leaming to Bp. White, 353-355; Rev. Mr.

Parker to Bp. White, 355, 356; Mr. Leaming to Bp. White, 356,

357; Bp. White to Mr. Parker, 358; Apathy in Virginia, 359;

Dr. Griffith to Bp. White, 359, 360; Letter from Bp. Provoost,

360, 861; Rev. Drs. West and Griffith to Bp. White, 361-363;

Notices of the Alterations adopted in Massachusetts, 363, 364;

Rev. Mr. Parker to the Bp. of Connecticut, 364-366; The

Bishop's reply, 366, 367; Mr. Leaming to Bp. White, 367, 368;

Letters from Drs. Griffith, West and Purcell to Bp. White,

369-873; Rev. Dr. Murray to the Bp. of Pennsylvania, 373-

375; Bp. Provoost to Bp. White, 376; Correspondence of Bps.

White and Seabury with the Rev. Mr. Parker, 376-379; Dr.

Griffith to Bp. White, 379-381; Bp. Provoost to Bp. White,

381, 382; Dr. Murray to Bp. White, 382; Overtures for Union,

383; Mr. Leaming to Bp. White, 384; Bp. Seabury to Bp.

White, 384-388;-Bp. Seabury to Dr. William Smith, 388, 389;

Correspondence of Bps. Provoost and White and Dr. Griffith,

389-391.

THE CONVENTIONS OF 1789.

The Act of the Massachusetts and New Hampshire Clergy

electing the Rev. Edward Bass to the Episcopate, 392-394;

Action of the Convention, 394-396; Bp. White to Bp. Sea-

bury, 396, 397; Minutes of the Proceedings of the Committee

of Correspondence, 397, 398; Address to the Archbishops,

398-402; Bp. White to the Abp. of Canterbury, 402, 403; Rev.

Dr. Smith to Bp. Seabury, 404, 405; The Committee to Bp. Sea-

bury, 405-407; Bps. Seabury and Provoost to Bp. White, 407

-412; Letter to Dr. Parker, 412, 413; Union of the Churches,

413; Changes in the Constitution, 413-415; The return to the