except such parts as may affect the political government of this country." Accordingly in 1801 the English Articles with the change of the political parts, were unanimously adopted. From the history of the Church during the twenty-five years which followed the revolution, it must appear "that the object kept in view, in all the consultations held, and the determinations formed, was the perpetuating of the Episcopal Church, on the ground of the general principles which she had inherited from the Church of England; and of not departing from them, except so far as either local circumstances required, or some very important cause rendered proper. To those acquainted with the System of the Church of England, it must be evident, that the object here stated was accomplished on the ratification of the Articles." General Conventions of 1804 and 1808. In the diocesan Convention of Connecticut, held at Stratfield in 1799 it was "Voted that Dr. Smith be desired to prepare an office for inducting and recognizing clergymen into vacant parishes, and present the same for adoption to the next Convention of this diocese." This office was accordingly drawn up, and first "adopted by the Bishop and Clergy of the Diocese of Connecticut, in Convocation at Derby, November 20th, 1799." It was afterwards adopted by the Convention which met at Lichfield, the first Wednesday of June, 1804: "The Office of Induction," reads the Journal, "as agreed upon by the Bishop and Clergy in Convocation was adopted by this Convention." Two years before (Oct. 6th, 1802) the Convention of New York adopted the same office with some verbal alterations, and made its use obligatory by canon. In the General Convention which met in September, 1804, the New York Office was, with a few changes, adopted by the Church and made one of the offices of the Prayer Book. The most significant of the changes made was in the Letter of Induction. The Connecticut and New York offices made the Bishop the ultimate arbiter and judge in every case in which there was a desire, either on the part of the clergyman or the people, to dissolve the pastoral relation, thus seeming to imply that the Bishop had the power to forbid a priest leaving a cure which he desired to relinquish; but the General Convention so modified the wording of this letter that the Bishop was only to act as arbiter and judge "in case of any difference" between the priest and the congregation as to such dissolution. In the General Convention of 1808, in order to avoid any conflict with the rights of vestries as established by the law of certain States, its use was made optional instead of obligatory, and the title changed from "An Office of Induction" to "An Office of Institution." It is not known whether it was an original composition of Dr. Smith's, or drawn by him from some earlier form in use in England, or perhaps in Maryland where the Clergy had employed the right of induction and institution, and where he had been Rector of Stepney, and Somerset. Bishop Andrew's Manner of Induction may have suggested the general outline. General Convention of 1811. Hitherto the action of one General Convention sufficed to make alterations in the Prayer Book, but in 1811 an addition was made to 1 Memoirs of the Church, p. 33. 3 Vide, page 470. 2 Journal of Conn. * Vide Hoffman's Law of the Church, pp. 120-126, 279–293. 5 Minor Works, p. 162. the eighth article of the Constitution, requiring that "No alteration or addition shall be made in the Book of Common Prayer, or other Offices of the Church, unless the same shall be proposed in one General Convention, and by a resolve thereof made known to the Convention of every Diocese, and adopted at the subsequent Convention." The same provision was in 1829 extended to the Articles of Religion. The Prayer Book as set forth in 1789 with the additions made in 1792, 1799, 1801, 1804 (1808), remained without change until 1886. Corrections of what were thought to be errors were made from time to time by order of the Convention, or by Editing Committees, but these were merely verbal, or in matters of punctuation. Various attempts however were made to inaugurate a revision, or to secure alterations of one kind or other, but in every case the General Convention set its face against such efforts, and they came to naught. General Convention of 1814. In the Convention of 1814 it was thought good by both Houses to make a Declaration distinctly setting forth the organic identity of the Church in this country with the Church of England: "The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States is the same body heretofore known in these States by the name of the Church of England; the change of name, although not of religious principle in doctrine, or in worship, or in discipline, being induced by a characteristic of the Church of England supposing the independence of the Christian Churches, under the different sovereignties, to which respectively their allegiance in civil concerns belongs. But that, when the severance alluded to took place, and ever since, this Church conceived of herself, as professing and acting on the principles of the Church of England, is evident from the organization of our Conventions, and from their subsequent proceedings, as recorded in the Journals; to which accordingly this Convention refer for satisfaction in the premises." General Convention of 1820. In the Convention of 1820 the following instructions were adopted by both Houses to be observed in editions of the Book of Common Prayer:-"1. That special attention be paid to the title page and table of contents, so that nothing may be omitted or added. 2. That the Book of Common Prayer be distinguished from the Book of Psalms in metre, the Articles of Religion, and sundry offices set forth by this Church, viz. The form and manner of making, ordaining, and consecrating Bishops, Priests and Deacons,' The form of consecration of a church or chapel,' 'A prayer to be used at the meetings of Convention,' 'An office of institution of ministers into parishes or Churches-all of which are of equal authority with the Book of Common Prayer; but which, when bound up with it, ought not to appear as parts thereof." General Convention of 1826. In 1826 certain provisions for the shortening of the Morning Service, and for modifying the statements of the Confirmation Office were introduced by Bishop Hobart of New York, and proposed to the dioceses by the General Convention for final action in 1829.2 These proposed altera 1 Cf. a resolution of the House of Deputies in the Convention of 1886, Journal, p. 521. 'Appendix II. tions, stirred up no little controversy, and excited the gravest apprehensions. It was felt by many, to use the words of the then Bishop of Virginia, that "that uniformity of worship which has distinguished us as a society, should the proposed alterations be carried into effect, would be destroyed. Instead of uniting in the same devotional exercises as we hitherto have done, every clergymen will have it in his power to select his own lessons, and to read such portions of the Psalms of David as he pleases, by which means the public worship of God in these particulars, will be as various as the constitutions of our minds. The old members of the Church, who have been taught to view the Liturgy through a medium the most sacred, will be grieved. The guards to uniformity being once removed, one innovation will succeed another, until the people will lose that reverence for our incomparable services by which they have been actuated, and the Church receive the most vital injury." So general was the opposition manifested to these changes in the Prayer Book, that in the next Convention in 1829, they were on Bishop Hobart's own motion, "dismissed from the consideration of the Convention." General Convention of 1832. In 1832 a change was made in the text of the Prayer Book as a correction of an error. This was the omission, from the office for receiving children privately baptized, of the question and answer, "Minister. Wilt thou be baptized in this faith. Ans. That is my desire." The presence of this question and answer in this place was declared by a resolution of the House of Bishops to be a "mistake," which "should be corrected in future editions of the Prayer Book." Three alterations were proposed by this Convention to the dioceses for final action in 1835, viz.: The change of "the rubric before the selection of Psalms, so as to read, The following Selections of Psalms, or any one or more Psalms, or any portion of the 119th Psalm in the Psalter, may be used instead of the Psalms for the Day, at the discretion of the Minister;" and the omission of the fourth paragraph in the Order how the Psalter is appointed to be read. The second proposed change was to alter the last rubric before the Communion Service by substituting the word right for the word north." It was also proposed to move the Prayer for Conventions to a place among the Occasional Prayers and to append to it the rubric.* General Convention of 1835. The above alterations were finally adopted in 1835, except the first. In this Convention both Houses concurred in the opinion "that the Confessions, the Creeds, and the Lord's Prayer in the Liturgy of our Church should be the joint acts of minister and people, and be confirmed by their united declaration of assent in the word 'Amen.' And See Memoir of the Life of Bishop Griswold, by John Stone, D. D., pp. 332-336; The Episcopal Register, July, 1828, to August, 1829; The Gospel Messenger, 1829, and Memoir of the Life of Bishop Hobart, by Rev. Wm. Berrian, D. D., pp. 367-375. 2 Memoir of the Life of Bishop Moore, by J. P. K. Henshaw, D. D., p. 183. See Life of Bishop Hopkins of Vermont, by John Henry Hopkins, D. D., pp. 77-83. 4 Journal, pp. 92, 93. a Committee of the House of Bishops further proposed, in a report presented on the 29th of August, that in these parts, and at the end of "the Gloria in Excelsis, the Trisagion, and the last prayer for Ash-Wednesday, the word 'Amen' should be printed in Roman letters, and the Minister unite with the people in saying it; and that in all cases where the word 'Amen' is the response of the people to what the Minister alone says, it should be printed in italics." The report of the Committee was adopted by the Bishops, and sent to the House of Deputies "to be read therein." In this Convention it was proposed to the dioceses "to add to the note on the table of moveable feasts, according to the several days that Easter can possibly fall upon, the words, 'unless the table gives some day in the month of March for it, for, in that case, the day given in the table is the right day."" General Convention of 1838. The next Convention which met in 1838 adopted the above amendments, and enacted the following rules for printing all future editions of the Prayer Book, viz:-"I. The words 'Let us pray' to be always printed in the same type with the prayers. II. The word 'Amen' to be printed in the Roman character, besides in the cases mentioned in the action of the House of Bishops as recorded in the minutes of the proceedings of that House on the 29th of August, 1835, in the following cases, viz.: 1. After the Baptismal act, N. I baptise thee,' &c., in each of the baptismal services. 2. After the sentence in the marriage service, commencing, With this ring,' &c. 3. After the sentence in the same service, commencing, Forasmuch as M. and N.,' &c. 4. After the sentence pronounced by the Bishop, at the laying on of hands in the ordination of Deacons and Priests. It being understood by this Convention, that the word 'Amen,' in the above cases, is not properly a response, but proper to be used only by the party required to say the words to which it is attached. III. The rubric in the Institution Office commencing with the words 'If any objection,' &c., to be printed in three paragraphs, as follows: 'If any objection,' &c., to the word 'service' 'No objection,' &c., to the word 'institution' 'And then shall,' &c., to the end. "And whereas there is a difference in different editions of the Prayer Book in the mode of printing the word Amen after the words used by the Bishop at the laying on of hands in Confirmation, therefore, Resolved, As the sense of this Convention, that in this case the word 'Amen' should be printed in Italic character, as being properly a response." 12 General Conventions of 1841 and 1844. In the Convention of 1841 it was formally proposed to the dioceses "to erase the words 'Associated Rector,' and also the word 'State' wherever they occur in former editions of the Institution office;" which changes were ratified by the Convention of 1844. General Conventions of 1853 and 1856. We come next to the Convention of 1853, when the Rev. Dr. Muhlenberg and others laid before the House of Bishops the celebrated 1 Journal, pp. 24, 65, 102. 2 Journal, pp. 41, 81, 115. "Memorial" in favour of the inauguration of measures looking towards a comprehension of the various Protestant bodies. Liturgical relaxation was suggested as one of the means to this end: "It is believed that men can be found among the other bodies of Christians around us, who would gladly receive ordination at your hands, could they obtain it without that entire surrender, which would now be required of them, of all the liberty in public worship to which they have been accustomed." At the same time the House of Deputies requested the Bishops "to take into consideration the propriety of setting forth a form of Prayer for the increase of the Holy Ministry, according to the command of Christ, 'Pray ye the Lord of the harvest that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.' "' A similar resolution was offered by the Rt. Rev. Alonzo Potter of Pennsylvania in the House of Bishops. A Committee of Bishops was appointed to take into consideration the matters brought forward by the Memorial and the resolutions, and to report at the next Convention." 3 In their report in 1856,5 they say, that "It is the general voice of our Communion, that in adjusting the length of our public services, more regard should be had to the physical ability of both minister and people; and this is especially important in those parts of our country where the heats of summer are long-continued and debilitating, rendering mental exertion burdensome, and even perilous to health." They however proposed no alteration in the Prayer Book, quite the contrary: "It has been the purpose of the Commission, so far as their present labours go, to leave the Prayer Book untouched," and they "have come to the unanimous conclusion that some of the most material of the improvements which are loudly called for, and which commend themselves to our judgment, might be attained without legislation," and to this end they recommended the adoption of a series of resolutions. They also recommended "that Canon xlv. (1832) be so amended that the concluding sentence [which then read, ' And in performing said service (i. e. of the Pr. Bk.), no other prayers shall be used than those prescribed by the said book'] may read as follows: And in performing said service, no other Prayers, Lessons, Anthems or Hymns shall be used than those prescribed by the said book, unless with the consent of the Ecclesiastical authority of the Diocese.' The effect of this amendment would be to enable particular dioceses under the direction of the Ecclesiastical authority of the same, during such seasons as Passion Week, Christmas, and the like to substitute Lessons, Anthems, or Canticles more appropriate to the occasion." In order to meet the requests made in 1853 for a form of prayer for the increase of the Ministry and for other occasions, they also presented for consideration a number of forms of prayer, viz.: 1. A Prayer for Unity, 2. A Prayer for the increase of the Ministry, 3. A Prayer for Missions and Missionaries, 4. A Prayer for the Young, to be used on occasions of Catechising and the like, 5. A Prayer for a Person about to be exposed to special danger, 6. A Prayer in time of public calamities, dangers, or difficulties, 7. A Thanksgiving p 182. 1 Journal, 6 2 This was done upon two resolutions, one offered by a Rev. Mr. Scott, and the other by the Rev. A. C. Coxe of Maryland, afterward Bishop of Western New York. Journal, pp. 49, 74, 85.96. Journal, pp. 157, 216. 3 5 Journal, p. 340. * Ibid., pp. 216, 231, 232. |