'adopted.' And they profess in the Preface - It is far 'from the intention of this Church to depart from the

Church of England, any farther than local circumstances 'require; or to deviate in any thing essential to the true ' meaning of the Thirty-nine Articles *." "

Mr. Sharp did not delay to avail himself of this new advantage.

-

MS. July 17, 1786. Waited on the Arch'bishop of Canterbury, and left with him Dr. Frank'lin's letter, Dr. Rush's, and Mr. Mannings; also, the new American Prayer-book.

'27th.-Waited on the Archbishop of Canterbury. 'His Grace read to me the long letter, signed by 'himself and the Archbishop of York, to the Convention in America. He desired copies of the 'letters I had before left with him.'

These proceedings appear to have been conclusive.

"The Archbishop very obligingly took the trouble to read over to me the letter which he and the Archbishop of York wrote to the American Convention, and the forms of the certificates, or testimonials, which they proposed as being most satisfactory. The letter is exceedingly well drawn up, with all the solemnity and true Christian propriety that you could possibly wish on the occasion +."

* Letter to Dr. J. Sharp, July 15, 1786.

+ Letter to Dr. J. Sharp.

The Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the States of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and South Carolina, was in the mean, time opened on the 21st of June, when an appropriate sermon was delivered in Christ Church in Philadelphia, by the Rev. William White, the first Bishop elect of Pennsylvania. The two Bishops, Dr. White and Dr. Provost, then proceeded to England.

On their arrival, Mr. Sharp was still the organ of their communication with the English Primate.

MS.January 1, 1787.-Spoke with the Bishop ' of Landaff (Dr. Watson) about the Bishops of

'America.

"

'6th.-Dined with the Bishop of Landaff, and met there the two American Bishops, and the 'Recorder of London.

9th.-At Lambeth. Saw the Archbishop, and had a very satisfactory answer. I informed Dr.

'Provost.'

The two Bishops elect were finally presented by Mr. Sharp to his Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury, at Lambeth, and on the 4th of February received consecration from his hands. On the next day, they took an affectionate leave of their conductor, and set sail for America.

* The sermon was printed at the request of the Committee; and Dr. White sent a copy of it to Mr. G. S.

About three years afterwards, a third American Bishop, Dr. Madison, arrived in England for consecration.

MS. 1790. September 3d. - Received a letter 'from Mr. Donald, informing me that Dr. Madison, 'the Bishop elect of Virginia, is much obliged by offer of introducing him to the Archbishop of 'Canterbury.

my

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'5th. Sunday. This day I waited on the Archbishop, for leave to introduce the Bishop elect from 'Virginia, and informed his Grace, that the Episcopal 'Convention of America had written to him, and ' received no answer. He very kindly brought a copy ' of the answer signed by him and the Archbishop of 'York, and read it to me; and the heads of the opinions they had taken on the occasion. He gave ( me leave to introduce Dr. Madison that afternoon *. 'I went in search of him to Knightsbridge, and then ' into the city, and then back again to Knightsbridge, 'where I found him, and introduced him to the 'Archbishop at eight o'clock at night†.'

The consecration which followed enabled the American church to consecrate without further

* Some particular circumstances rendered the consecration of Dr. Madison interesting to the English Primates.-Correspondence.

These particulars are retained, as they show the unwearied activity so often remarked.

"A third Bishop," says

application to England. another minute, "Dr. Maddison of Virginia, was also consecrated by the Archbishop. Since that time, there being a sufficient number of Bishops in America for the performance of the sacred rite, two Bishops have lately been elected and consecrated there: viz. one for Carolina, and the other for Massachusetts Bay*."

* A summary of the circumstances that have been related, is contained in a letter from Mr. Sharp (addressed to a friend at a later period), which communicates some other curious particulars. The following are extracts:

"When Dr. Seabury left the Archbishop in the manner which I have mentioned, he hastened to Scotland, to be consecrated by the Scotch Bishops, who at that time had applied to the Pretender for writs of congé d'elire, though my own grandfather had assisted them during the cruel persecutions of the Presbyterians, and afterward obtained from Queen Anne a power for them to continue their Episcopal elections among themselves, without other interference of Government. This he obtained as Archbishop of York."

"About the same time I received a letter from Dr. Franklin, informing me that a general convention of the clergy and people of America, consisting of Presbyterians and other dissenters, was then assembled, to elect three bishops, one for New York, another for Pennsylvania, and a third for Virginia; who were to be sent to England for consecration. I immediately acquainted the Archbishop of Canterbury with this extraordinary circumstance, and he gave me authority to inform Dr. Franklin, that, if the Americans would send proper certificates of three years' good moral character and Christian conduct, and also of sufficient learning for so important a function, he (the Archbishop) would do every thing in his power to promote it. For Lord Chancellor Thurlow had opposed the measure, on the ground that the Act of Uniformity would not permit the

Few, if any, examples can be found of more momentous, or more successful, exertions in the service of the church. By the active intelligence of a single person, the mutual prejudices and doubts of the two countries were removed, and the functions of the Episcopal order duly established in America.

The fortunate result of Granville's efforts did

Bishops of England to extend their authority beyond the bounds of this kingdom; against which opinion I asserted, that the Act of Uniformity must have a legal construction, or else it must be deemed null and void; and if it contained any words which denied the right of the Bishops of England to extend the primitive apostolic church of Christ all over the world, that it must be deemed a mere nullity.-Soon afterwards, the Archbishop began to have doubts about the orthodoxy of these American Presbyterians; but, providentially, Dr. Franklin sent me one of the new American Prayer-books, which had been copied from an important record lodged in the Archbishop's own library at Lambeth by Archbishop. Tillotson, and the Bishops Tenison, Stillingfleet, Lloyd, &c., and had been drawn up 'under a commission issued by King William the Third, appointing an assembly of all the Bishops of England, to whom were added two persons not then bishops, one of whom was my own grandfather, Dr. John Sharp (afterwards Archbishop of York); when the Oxford Tories violently opposed them in a general convention of the clergy for the correction and improvement of the Liturgy. The American Prayer-book had thus been formed on the authority of all the Bishops in that Assembly (and the Archbishop was fully convinced of this when I presented it to him), so that it is really more valuable and correct than our present Liturgy."

"They have now six Bishops in the independent States of America. The English Government also has appointed Bishops for Nova Scotia, Upper Canada, and Quebec. The independent States first set the important example."