The times., 1898-10-05


meeting of May "a. LISA. there grew, under
his fostering care. the organization or as
sociation of the Protestant Episcopal
Church in the State Of, /, Pennsylvania,
consummation which was reached one
year later, on May "A, 17s5.
The important docYment relating to this
named as the objects had in view by the
clergy and congregations in this act of
association the following: For MAIN
tanning uniformity In divine worship, for
procuring the powers of ordination and
for establishing and maintaining system
of ecclesiastical government" This was
the first step toward the formation of the
American episcopate as it now exists, and
the Protestant Episcopal Church in the
United States and the birthplace of this
great ecclesiastical organization was in
the city of Philadelphia.
Aroused Other States.
The example set at Philadelphia
aroused other States to like action and
the clergy of Massachusetts and Rhode
Island awaking to the necessity of con-
certed action. under the guidance of
the Rev. Samuel Parker, Of Trinity
Church, Boston. adopted the Pennsylva-
MIA fundamental principles. with some
slight additions, the first and most i'm
portant of these expressing "the opinion
of the convention that this Independence
be not construed or taken In so rigorous
a sense as to exclude the churches in
America separately or collectively from
applying for and obtaining from some
regular Episcopal foreign power an
American Episcopate."
The expression. this independence"
referred to a paragraph In letter writ
ten by DR.. White August TO- 1854, in
which he says: Fundamental principles.
which you have seen were merely meant
as instructions to committee in their
consultations with our brethren In the
other States for the forming a general
constitution for the continent, which We
think should be attempted before we
venture TO form constitution for this
State in particular.
1.-The independence asserted is intended
! in the most unlimited sense, but we do
| not think this precludes us from procur-
| ing a bishop from England, he becoming
| on arFNdl d clllZtl VI tic IililSo OhatCo
| Proper measures for procuring an Epis-
| copate we wish to see taken at the ensu-
| ing meeting in New York, but as to his
| support. / know no source for 1t but a
! parochial living"
The Philadelphia Convention.
AS a direct and natural consequence of
these meetings and the correspondence
f,a- 4
| 1884. al Aberdeen, Scotland, the Rev.
| Samuel Seabury DID, Oxon.. was conse-
| Grated the first American bishop by the
| bishops OF the Catholic remainder of the
| church in Scotland. Entering into a
| contract with the church from which he
| received his episcopate, Bishop Seabury
| lost no time in beginning his episcopal
work A formal welcome was extended
to him in Middleton, Conn., in August,
1885. In this connection. it may be stated.
! that Bishop seabury although a graduate
| of Oxford. was born at North Greton
| (now Ledyard, Conn was also a gradu-
! ate of Harvard and was the son of a
| Congregatlonalist minister, who became
a convert to the Church of England.
At the convention in Philadelphia, in
/ 1855. the pages of the Journal of that
/ body show a Proposed Plan for OBJ
tanning the Convention of Bishops, to-
| gether with an address to the Most Rev
erend the Archbishops and the Right
Reverend the Bishops Of the Church OF
/ England" for the purpose of attesting
the widespread desire of the churehmer
represented in that convention. for thC
episcopate as a necessary bond of union
In true republican simplicity. aad for
the removal of popular prejudices. the
trainers of the plan sought to prevent
the assumption on the part of future
bishops of the lordly titles of the Eng
lish prelates. The plea was summed VI
in the following words: THE petition
which we offer to your venerable body is