us briefly to put you in mind of some things which remain for you to do, and to which, if you do not attend, all our labours here must be ineffectual. To render our church truly respectable, and our institutions of service to the cause of Christianity, a general and regular attendance on public worship, and the constant practice of piety and morality, in all times and in all places, are indispensable. This is so obvious, that we trust we need only mention it to you. A moderate but adequate provision for your pastor, is another thing which must claim your attention and exertions. Both Scripture and common sense point out this to be your duty; and the omission of it involves consequences which no real Christian can think of without horror. The want of proper teachers must be the effect of this omission; and ignorance and error, with all their train of evils, will follow. The very idea of being the authors of so great an injury to the temporal and eternal concerns of mankind must rouse and alarm you; and we trust will excite your most seriou endeavours to provide for the preservation of the pure doctrines of religion. The general affairs of the church also require from you a small contribution. We have been careful to frame our institutions of a nature as simple and unexpensive as possible, but we could not constitute a church which would call for no support from its members. Recommending these things to your attention, and you to the Almighty guidance and protection, we are your affectionate brethren in Christ."

It will doubtless be remembered that in the convention of the preceding year, Dr. Griffith had been selected as the individual to be consecrated to the episcopate for Virginia. It had been originally contemplated that he should cross the Atlantic with the gentlemen who had been selected by the churches of New-York and Pennsylvania. These gentlemen had visited England, accomplished the object of their mission, and returned to this country invested with

episcopal authority; but Dr. Griffith did not accompany them; poverty presented an obstacle which he was not able to surmount; he was not supplied with money for the purpose, and the deranged state of his private concerns prevented him from undertaking the voyage.* The confidence of the church in Virginia was however still continued to him; and the convention, at its session in 1787, directed the standing committee to solicit his consecration at the hands of Bishops Provost and White,† by whom the request would have been granted, but for the obligation to the English bishops, to which they conceived themselves in honour pledged, not to admit any one to consecration until three bishops had been obtained from England.‡

Another measure, adopted by the convention of 1787, serves to indicate the deep sense entertained by the church of the necessity of making some provision for a supply of clergymen from among the native sons of the country. The former source of supply was now closed, they could henceforth look for but few clergymen from England, and an experience of which they were now reaping a portion of the bitter fruits, had probably induced them to think that Virginians would make the best ministers for Virginia. Poor therefore as they were, they notwithstanding resolved to recommend it to the parishes to provide funds for the education of two youths, from their early years, that they might be trained for the Christian ministry: the clergy were requested to preach annually a charity sermon in aid of the object; and the selected youths were to be under the direction of the bishop and standing committee. The fact is recorded to the honour of the Virginia church, for it is believed, that after the revolution, this was the first step made by any portion of the church in this country in the important work of education for the ministry. The spirit

Bp. White's Memoirs, 171, note. Journal of Virginia Convention, 1787.

note.

Bishop White's Memoirs, 172,

which prompted it is not dead in Virginia, and the future pages of ournarrative will furnish an agreeable manifestation of it in the history of the flourishing school of theology at Alexandria.

The convention having thus provided for the affairs of the church at home, it only remains to relate their proceedings with reference to the church at large, as founded upon the transactions of the two general conventions of 1786, which have already been brought to our notice. The Virginia church acquiesced in the propriety of the measure recommended by the general convention, that the church in the several states should not receive to a pastoral charge within their respective limits clergymen who professed canonical subjection to any bishop in any state or country, other than those bishops who might be duly settled in the states represented in the general convention; but they declined a compliance with the recommendation not to admit a clergyman who might receive ordination from any bishop residing in America, during the pendency of the application for the episcopate to the English bishops. Bishop Seabury had now been consecrated, and some young gentlemen from the South had received ordination at his hands, others might also apply to him for orders, and among them might be Virginians; and as the church of Virginia does not appear to have ever entertained a doubt of the validity of Bishop Seabury's consecration, she was probably unwil ling, in the dearth of clergymen, to preclude herself from the possibility of a partial supply from this source. This, however, is hazarded as a conjecture in the absence of certainty.

The opposition, which before had been manifested, to the introduction of the phrase," he descended into hell," in the Apostle's Creed, still continued; and the deputies appointed to the next general convention were instructed to move that the phrase should be expunged, and also to oppose the restoration to the liturgy of the Nicene Creed.

C C

As to the amended constitution of the church at large, Virginia assented to it substantially, declaring only that certain articles were for present emergencies, and therefore should be considered by her as of a temporary character merely; and she fully acquiesced in the propriety of conferring on the deputies to the first general convention which should meet, after a bishop or bishops had been consecrated, full power and authority to confirm and ratify a general constitution for the church in the United States.

Discipline had been long and shamefully neglected in Virginia, and the want of it had contributed more than any other cause to prostrate the church: it is gratifying therefore to meet with evidence which shows that under her new organization, and when permitted, and in fact obliged, to act for herself, the church was not disposed to tolerate offending clergymen. Such evidence is furnished in the fact that the records of this convention show the return of proceedings of an examining court, constituted under the canon, to examine into the alleged delinquencies of an offending presbyter. We are thus furnished with one more attestation to a fact written in letters of light upon the page of ecclesiastical history—that in the church, persecution from without is the parent of purification within; and wrong as it undeniably is, yet, (in the exercise of that high prerogative, by which God brings good out of evil,) even persecution is made in his providence to minister to holy and blessed uses.

CHAPTER XL

1789-1794.

Resignation of Dr. Griffith-Poverty of the Church-Death and Character of Dr. Griffith-Election of Dr. Madison to the Episcopate-Struggles concerning the Church Property-Condition of the Church at the time of Dr. Madison's Consecration-Bishop Madison's first Address-Clerical Education-Canon compelling the Bishop to hold a Parish-Prevalence of Infidelity and Fanaticism—Disastrous consequences to Religion after the War-Bishop Madison's Proposal of a Union among different Christian Denominations-His Plan of distributing Tracts-Revision of the Canons-Virginia refuses to give the House of Bishops an absolute Veto.

UNDER its new organization, the church proceeded, with but little to interrupt the uniformity of its toilsome progress; and the first incident, worthy of record, with which we meet, is the resignation of the Rev. Dr. Griffith to the convention of 1789. Three years had now elapsed since his election: the convention had from year to year recom. mended to the several parishes, contributions by which a fund might be raised to defray the expenses consequent on obtaining the episcopate; but whether it is to be attributed to indifference or poverty, or to both, so it was that funds had hitherto been wanting; and this circumstance, in connection with the private affairs of the bishop elect, led him to communicate to the convention of 1789 his relinquishment of the appointment. The convention was not prepared to appoint another in his place, and directed their deputies to the general convention to inform that body of the relinquishment of Dr. Griffith.