clauses of the charters, especially after the Declaration of Independence, required alteration; and particularly the following; viz. "We do hereby, for us, our heirs and successors, ordain, " order, and appoint, that the accounts and transactions of the " said Corporation, legally and properly vouched and authenti"cated, shall, from time to time, and as often as demanded, be " laid before the Lords Archbishops, of Canterbury and York, " and the Bishop of London for the time being, or such person " and persons as they may, from time to time appoint for that " purpose in America; in order that the said Archbishops of "Canterbury and York and the Bishop of London, for the time "being, or such person and persons, appointed by them as " aforesaid, may ratify and confirm the said accounts, or sub"ject them to such revisal, check and confirmation, as may be " thought just and reasonable." The charter-name, or style, was also exceptionable to many, viz. "The corporation for "the relief of the widows and children of Clergymen in the "communion of the Church of England in America." Added to this, so many of the Clerical as well as Lay members, whose names are contained in the Charters, having, after the Declaration of Independence, taken their option to become, or as they considered it, to continue British Subjects; the business of the corporation lay dormant, or suspended until the Definitive Treaty of Peace, and the Acknowledgment of our Independence by Great-Britain, in 1783. Our Church then, as set forth in the journals of the subsequent general convention of our Bishops, Clergy, and Laity, proceeded to organize itself, under the name of "The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America." Under that organization, it was attempted to revive the foregoing plan, for the relief of the widows and children of the Clergy, in its original extent, as comprehending the three contiguous States of New-York, New-Jersey, and Pennsylvania; but foreseeing difficulties in such revival, so as to answer the pious purposes of the charity in its full extent; it was unanimously agreed to divide the stock, and to leave the members in each of the three States, to organize themselves, under the original charters, into separate corporations, with the aid and sanction of he respective state legislatures; which has never been denied by any of them, but, with a truly liberal and catholic spirit, granted so far as applied for. The church, on this occasion, as well as many former ones, is indebted to the good services of Bishop White, who drew up the following plan for dividing the stock; which has been adopted by the committees appointed to negociate such division in each of the three States. CLERICAL CONTRIBUTIONS IN NEW-YORK. Note; the treasurer's account for 1792 is wanting. 5 years at Dolls. 24 Dolls. 120 Dr. S. Auchmuty, To ascertain the Demand of New-York call the present stock 1000; and say, As 8488, Amount of stock entire, is to 1000, so is 2798-Demand of New-York on stock entire, to 3294; that is so many thousandth parts of stock reduced. On the same principles the Demand of New-Jersey is 192 of such parts. And the Demand of Pennsylvania is 4774. SERMON XX. PREACHED IN CHRIST CHURCH, PHILADELPHIA, APRIL 6, 1795. AS THE INTRODUCTION TO A PLAN FOR THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF ITINERANT PREACHERS, OR MISSIONARIES, ON THE FRONTIER SETTLEMENTS OF THE UNITED STATES; AS AGREED UPON AT A CONVENTION OF THE BISHOPS, CLERGY AND LAITY OF THE PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN THE SAID STATES; HELD IN THE CITY OF NEW-YORK, FROM TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, TO WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1792. N. B. The Reason for placing this Sermon immediately after the foregoing one, notwithstanding their different dates, will appear in the Postscript. |