"I give tJu/e Books
\ for thefoufiding of a College in Ms Colony'
19 /L
JOHN HENRY HOBART
A
Century
of
Achievement
The History of
The New York Bible
and
Common Prayer Book
Society
for
One Hundred Years
ARTHUR LOWNDES
D.D.
EDWIN S. GORHAM
New York
L'MY I-;;: TORNIA
SAM A 15 Ail 15 All A
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
Foundation of Societies in England in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth
Centuries Thomas Bray His visit to America Christian Knowledge
Society Founded S. P. G. Founded The Moral and Spiritual Condition
of the People in England and New York Bradford Prints the First
Edition of the Book of Common Prayer Failure of Wesley and Whitefield
in Georgia Their Return to England Their Success and the Effects of
their Preaching Robert Raikes Society for the Support and Encour-
agement of Sunday Schools Founded Religious Tract Society Founded
Church Missionary Society Founded Dearth of Bibles in England
Religious Revival in Wales S. P. C. K. Prints Bibles and New Testaments
in Welsh Stock soon Exhausted Edition of Ten Thousand Printed
Even this Number Inadequate A Welsh Girl Walks Twenty- Five Miles
to Secure a Copy and Is Disappointed Her Disappointment Induces Rev.
Thomas Charles, of Bala, to Petition the S. P. C. K. to Issue Another
Large Edition Inability of Society to Do so Leads Mr. Charles and Other
Friends of the Movement to Found the British and Foreign Bible Society
First Religious Organization in England in which all Protestant Christians
Had Been Enrolled Its Immediate Success Branch Societies Organized
Its Constitution Opposed by Dr. Marsh and Others Letter from the
Bishop of London Criticising the Formation of the British and Foreign Bible
Society Reply from Joseph Lancaster Spread of the Controversy
Opponents of the British and Foreign Bible Society Plead that Churchmen
Should not Join with Non-Conformists in a Religious Society Survey
of the Work of the Church in New York at the Opening of the Nineteenth
Century Formation of The Bible and Common Prayer Book Society of
New York And of the Bible Society in Philadelphia First Meeting of
the B. & C. P. B. Society for Organizations Held in 1809 Election of Board
of Managers The First Regular Meeting of the Board Held in Trinity
Church, April 14, 1809 Minutes of this Meeting The First Address
iii.
iv. Contents.
CHAPTER II.
The Intellectual Activity of the Eighteenth Century A Century Re-
markable for the Great Foundations it Laid Danger of French and
German Rationalism Necessity of Grounding the Children of the Church
in Her Distinctive Principles Controversy over the Foundation of the
Bible Society Arouses the S. P. G. and S. P. C. K. to more Vigorous
Action Foundation of the National Society for Promoting the Education
of the Poor in the Principles of the Established Church Throughout England
and Wales Effect of English Religious Activity Immediately Felt in
America Foundation of the Society for the Promotion of Religion and
Learning Liberality of Corporation of Trinity Church The Society
Prints Nelson's Fasts and Festivals and D'Aubeny's Guide to the Church
Circulates Tracts on the Prayer-Book Foundation in Connecticut of
Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge and Learning Organized at
New Haven, October, 1808 First Society in America for Free Distribution
of the Prayer-Book Letters from John H. Jacocks to Bishop Hobart
Constitution and Bye Laws of the Bible Society Established at Philadelphia
First Board of Managers First Address Its Success Donation to
It from the British and Foreign Bible Society Meeting of Board of
Managers of the B. & C. P. B. Society in New York, May 31, 1809 Issues
An Appeal Meeting of February 14. 1810 Sermon by Bishop Moore 25
CHAPTER III.
Dearth of Small Prayer-Books For Distribution Books of I2mo and
24mo Printed in 1810 Letter from Father Nash to Bishop Hobart
Annual Meeting of B. and C. P. B. Society in New York, February 28, 1811
Report of Board of Managers Rules Regulating Proportion of Bibles and
Prayer-Books Passed Meeting of February 25, 1812 Report of Managers
French Edition of the Bible Recommended Repeal of Bye-Laws
Letter from the President of the New Jersey Bible Society Multiplication
of Bible Societies in Cities and Villages Letter from Father Nash to
Bishop Hobart Pastoral by Bishop Hobart on the Need of Teaching the
Distinctive Doctrines of the Church Insists on the Value of Distributing
the Prayer-Book with the Bible Pastoral Arouses Criticism in Many
Quarters Reply to Pastoral by "A Layman" Another Reply by "An
Episcopalian" Letters to Bishop Hobart from Judge Emott and the Rev.
John McVickar Organization of the General Bible and Common Prayer
Book Society of Albany and Vicinity Letter from the Rev. T. Clowes 43
CHAPTER IV.
The Rev. Barzillai Bulkley and the Flushing Bible Society His Letter to
Bishop Hobart Effect of the Bishop's Pastoral Formation of the Auxili-
ary New York Bible and Common Prayer Book Society Its Constitution
Annual Meeting of the Parent Society, 1816 Election of Officers Meeting
of the Auxiliary in Trinity Church Address by Bishop Hobart Purchase
of French Bibles Co-operation of the Two New York Prayer Book So-
Contents. v.
cieties Stereotype Plates for Prayer Book Proposed Their Manufacture
Discussions as to Advisability of a General Bible Society Memoir on
the Subject by William Jay Meeting of Delegates in New York General
Bible Society Formed Officers Elected Constitution Adopted Address
to the Public Address by Bishop Hobart His Opposition to Church-
men Joining the Bible Society William Jay's Reply to the Bishop's Ad-
dress His Appeal to Christians on Behalf of the American Bible Society
Effect on Churchmen of Bishop Hobart's Address Letters from the
Rev. Dr. James Abercrombie and "J. B. W." 73
CHAPTER V.
Address by the Rev. L. Bayard William Jay's "Dialogue between a
Clergyman and a Layman" "Some Questions and Answers" Annual
Meeting of the New York Bible and Common Prayer Book Society, 1817
Reports from Various Bible and Prayer Book Societies Seventh Annual
Report First Report of the Auxiliary Society Anniversary Service of
the Auxiliary in St. Paul's Chapel Address by the Rev. Dr. How
Sunday Schools in New York and in Trinity Parish Annual Meeting
of the N. Y. B. & C. P. B. Society, February, 1817 Alterations in the
Constitution Agreement Proposed with the Auxiliary as to Stereotype
Plates Letter from the Rev. Stephen Jewett Organization of the Wash-
ington and Essex Counties Bible and Prayer Book Society Also the
Dutchess County Auxiliary Society Annual Meeting, March, 1818
Eighth Annual Report Extra Meeting Called to Fill the Place of the Rev.
Dr. How Sermon by Mr. Lyell Intimate Relations of the New York
Bible and Common Prayer Book Society and the New York Auxiliary
Second Annual Report of the Auxiliary Society Second Anniversary
Meeting of the Auxiliary, January 26, 1818 Election of Managers and
Officers Address by the Rev. John McVickar 103
CHAPTER VI.
Auxiliary Societies Continuing to be Formed Under Bishop Hobarfs
Influence Other Diocesan Societies Also Formed First Annual Report
of the Common Prayer-Book Society of Pennsylvania Meeting of the
N. Y. B. & C. P. B. Society, February 24, 1819 Ninth Annual
Report Third Report of the Auxiliary New York Society Appointment
of an "Agent" by the N. Y. Society Mr. Henry McFarlan Elected
Annual Meeting of the Society in Trinity Church, 24 February, 1820
Tenth Annual Report Fourth Report of the Auxiliary Society The Li-
berian Colony Letters from the Rev. Samuel Bacon to Bishop Hobart
The Bible and Common Prayer Book Society of the Western District
Annual Report of the N. Y. Auxiliary for 1821 Meeting of the N. Y. B.
& C. P. B. Society, 1821, February 27th Eleventh Annual Report Estab-
lishment of the General Theological Seminary in New York and Perfected
Organization of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society Sixth
Annual Report of the Auxiliary Society Twelfth Annual Report of the
N. Y. B. & C. P. B. Society I4 o
vi. Contents.
CHAPTER VII.
Progress of the Auxiliary Societies Anniversary of the Society of
Auburn, September, 1822 Diocesan Convention Held at Troy, October,
1822 Address of Bishop Hobart Incorporating an Address from Bishop
White Names of English, Scottish and Irish Bishops Who Favoured or
Opposed the British and Foreign Bible Society Criticism of Dr. H. H.
Norris by Dr. Milnor Reply by Bishop Hobart Opposition to the Aux-
iliary Society Seventh Annual Report of the N. Y. Auxilary Address by
the Rev. George Upfold Thirteenth Annual Report of the N. Y. B. & C. P.
B. Society *75
CHAPTER VIII.
Bishop Hobart's Address to Diocesan Convention of 1822 Criticisms
It Attack by William Jay Jay's Interest in Bible Societies His Letter
signed "A Churchman of the Diocess of New- York" Extracts from It
Bishop Hobart Replies under the Signature, "Corrector" Correspondence
Between the New York Auxiliary Society and Dr. Milnor Bishop Hobart
Exposes the Fallacies Misrepresentations Rhapsody and Ostentation
The Want of Delicacy The Ungentlemanly and Unchristian Language
Of Jay's Letter 198
CHAPTER IX.
Second Letter from Judge Jay Illness of Bishop Hobart and His Trip to
Canada Reply of "Corrector" Answer from Judge Jay Bishop Ho-
bart's Reply in a "Note" 250
CHAPTER X.
Ill health of Bishop Hobart His Departure for Europe Address from
the N. Y. Auxiliary Society on this Occasion Annual Meeting of the Bible
and Common Prayer Book Society of the Central Part of the State, Septem-
ber 24, 1823 Sermon by the Rev. Lucius Smith Report of the Eighth
Annual Meeting of the New York Auxiliary Society, January 26, 1824
Prosperity of the Society Address by the Rev. Cornelius R. Duffle
Fourteenth Annual Report of the N. Y. B. & C. P. B. Society Report of the
September 22, 1824 Letter from the Rev. H. Anthon to Bishop Hobart
Address to Episcopalians in the U. S. from the Board of Managers of the
N. Y. Auxiliary Society, November, 1824 Ninth Annual Meeting of the
N. Y. Auxiliary Society Its Report Fifteenth Annual Report of the
N. Y. B. & C. P. B. Society, 1825 Sixteenth Annual Meeting and Report,
1826 Eleventh Annual Meeting and Report of the Auxiliary Society, 1826
Distribution of the Prayer Book in the Navy First Arrangement for Public
Worship on a Man of War Made Services Held on the "Ontario" On
the "Cyane" The "Erie" and The "Constitution" Correction of Plates
to Bring the Bible and Prayer Book up to the Standard Versions Death
of Mr. Gulian Ludlow 287
Contents. vii.
CHAPTER XL
Union between the N. Y. B. & C. P. B. Society and the Auxiliary
Recommended Seventeenth Annual Report of the N. Y. B. & C. P. B.
Society, February, 1827 Twelfth Annual Report of the Auxiliary Society,
April 1827 Minute on the Death of Mr. Cornelius R. Duffle Report of
Mr. Cave Jones on the Work in the Navy Annual Meeting and Report of
the Auxiliary Society, 1828 And of the N. Y. B. & C. P. B. Society
Inauguration by Bishop Hobart of the Meeting of all Church Societies on
the First Evening of the Diocesan Convention Success of the Plan
Joint Meeting, Held October 16, 1828, of the Auxiliary Society, the Missionary
Society, the Tract Society Establishment of a New York Protestant
Episcopal Press Advocated Its Report .Increasing Prosperity of the
Auxiliary Society Its Fourteenth Annual Meeting, October i, 1829
Annual Report Distribution of Prayer Books Among the U. S. Navy
Donation of Prayer Books to the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society
Resignation of Mr. Thomas N. Stanford as Agent Success of the Protestant
Episcopal Press Its Zealous Management Its First Annual Report
Meetings of the N. Y. B. & C. P. B. Society, 1829 and 1830 Measures for
Union of the Two Societies under Discussion Letter to the Christian
Journal from I. L. E. on the Bible Society Cause Fifteenth Meeting and
Report of the Auxiliary Society, October 7, 1830 Arrangements with the
Protestant Episcopal Press The Death of Bishop Hobart 328
CHAPTER XII.
Mourning over Bishop Hobart's Death Resolutions by the New York
Church Societies Meeting of the N. Y. B. & C. P. B. Society, May n, 1832
Committee Appointed to Consider the Advisability of Amalgamating the Society
with the Auxiliary Society, The Tract Society, and the Press Extended
Growth of the Auxiliary Its Sixteenth Annual Report Its Greater Vigour
than the Parent Society Anniversaries of 1832 Report of the Auxiliary
New Edition of the Bible Projected Report of Chaplain to Congress on
the First American Bible in 1782 Resolution of the U. S. Congress
Liberal Response to Appeal for New Edition of the Bible Proof Sheets
Read by Mr. Van Ingen and Rev. William R. Whittingham Annual Meet-
ing of 1833 Eighteenth Annual Report Appearance of the New Edition
of the Bible in 1834 Based on the Folio of 1616 Address by Dr.
Schroeder 37.1
CHAPTER XIII.
Joint Anniversary Meeting of the Societies at Utica in 1859 Twen-
tieth Annual Report of the Auxiliary Society Formation of a Bible
and Prayer Book Society at Wilmington, N. C, Donation of Books by
the New York Auxiliary to the Wilmington Society Constant Testimony
Borne to the Missionary Influence of the Prayer Book Results in Wil-
viii. Contents.
mington Society Formed at Providence, R. I. The Last Report of the
Auxiliary Probably Issued Apathy of Churchmen in General to the Two
N. Y. Societies Beginning to be Felt Society Compelled to Refuse a Grant of
Books to the Newly Organized Chapel in Paris Propositions from the Tract
Society Declined 1 Charter of N. Y. Auxiliary Society Expires March 28. 1837
Effects of the Auxiliary Society Transferred to the Parent Society, July
I, 1837 Conferences Held on the Matter of the New Society to Supersede
the Two Former Ones Constitution of the New York Bible and Common
Prayer Book Society Adopted, April 19, 1837 Arrangements Made with
the Tract Society Committee Appointed on an Edition of the Prayer
Book with its Rubrics in Red Form of Service Set Forth by Bishop
Onderdonk for the Meetings of the Society First Anniversary of the
New Society Held October 5, 1837 Its Report New Edition of 5,000
Prayer Books Pamphlet Edition of the Prayer Book in German Issued 409
CHAPTER XIV.
Second Annual Report, October, 1838 Grant to the New Diocese of Western
New York To the U. S. Frigate "Brandywine" Thirtieth Annual Report,
October. 1839 Anniversary Meetings, October 3. 1839 Election of W.
H. Bell as Secretary Death of Jacob Schatzel His Legacy to the So-
ciety and Action of His Widow Address of Bishop Onderdonk Cessation
of the Protestant Episcopal Press Anniversary Meeting, September 30,
1840 Act of Incorporation Desired Propriety of Distributing the New
Testament Apart from the Old Testament Considered and Referred to a
Committee Fourth Annual Report, October, 1840 Manuscript of a Ger-
man Version Submitted Act of Incorporation Passed Society Organizes
and Passes Bye-Laws Death of Rev. Lewis P. Bayard 447
ILLUSTRATIONS.
VOLUME I.
PAGE.
JOHN HENRY HOBART Frontispiece.
MATTHEW CLARKSON 5 o
HENRY HADLEY NORRIS 178
BENJAMIN I. HAIGHT 388
PREFACE.
THE History of a Society does not possess the same vivid
interest that the record of a human life does, yet there
is the element of struggle as much in the one as in the
other. No biography is worth the telling, or the reading, unless
the record of the life struggle against evil and for higher things
is honestly told. In the History of this Society we see running
right through the hundred years of its existence the constant
struggle to be true to its foundation principles, to be loyal to
its inherited trust. Men of varying temperaments and differing
ranks of life succeed one another as officers of the Society, they
hold different views on minor matters, but down the Hundred
Years there is no faltering in the fulfillment of the trust com-
mitted to the First Board, that of spreading broadcast through-
out the land the Bible and Prayer Book. Time and time again
the funds ran so low that year after year closed with a deficit,
but by devotion and self-denial on the part of some of its mem-
bers the Society was kept alive until finally the faithful laity
rallied to its support by donations and bequests, and assured the
stability of its work. It encountered bitter and unreasoning
opposition in the early days of its existence, but little by little
as the work of the Society progressed, this opposition ceased
and there is now not to be found a single voice raised in detrac-
tion of its objects the dissemination of the Bible and the Prayer
Book.
In dark times and in bright days, in good report and evil re-
port, the men in charge of the interests of the Society have one
and all been mindful of the trust committed to their hands, and
wrought as a unit to increase its operations upon no other than
the lines laid down by its founders.
This it seems to me, to be a great thing to say of any Society,
and delving in the records of the past as I have, I can unhesi-
tatingly bear witness to its truth.
Loyalty and self-sacrifice are the rarest of qualities in man or
woman, and seldom, I fear, found in societies or corporations,
xi.
2 Foundation of Societies in England. [1698
ments in England which led to the foundation there of various
Societies which had for their primary objects the religious educa-
tion of the people, their moral uplift and the general betterment
of their social conditions.
The close of the eighteenth century, like the close of the seven-
teenth, saw an awakening of the conscience of England to duties
and responsibilities which had been neglected.
The work of the great societies founded more than two hun-
dred years ago, was primarily for the benefit of the "Plantations,
Colonies and Factories beyond the Seas" of Great Britain. The
chief object of those formed as the nineteenth century was dawn-
ing, was the elevation of the poor and outcast within the realm
of England.
There was, however, no narrowness in them as there had been
none in those great missionary agencies which had then for a
hundred years been doing effective service in ministering to the
spiritual wants of Englishmen beyond the confines of their native
land, furnishing Bibles, Prayer Books, Catechisms and books of
devotion, as well as engaging with vigour in the conversion of
Indians, Negroes, and others who knew not the blessed Gospel of
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
The formation of these seventeenth century societies can be
traced directly to the zeal, energy, and devotion of one man,
Thomas Bray, whose soul was stirred to its depths by the irre-
ligion and immorality which he witnessed in the greater part of
the American Colonies, on his visits there as Commissary of the
Bishop of London for Maryland.
To deepen devotion and to counteract the influence of the
scoffing literature of the day, Dr. Bray formed the plan of found-
ing parish libraries in the Colonies. For this object, he and
others form in 1698 The Christian Knowledge Society.
After an existence of more than two hundred years of varied
usefulness, it is still carrying out its purpose as set forth in its
charter.
If the immigrants to the colonies were to retain their religious
and moral principles they must have churches and ministers.
Those living in colonies where the government was hostile to
the Church of England with no provision made for the support of
the Established Church would be as sheep without a shepherd
1701] S. P. G. Founded. 3
unless their scanty means were supplemented by the free-will
offerings of their wealthier brethren in the Mother country.
The conversion of the roaming tribes of Indians, whose ideas
of the Deity were vague, to a real knowledge of Almighty God
as revealed in Jesus Christ, was also greatly to be desired.
At the suggestion of Dr. Bray, the Archbishops, Bishops, and
other dignitaries in England organized another Society in Eng-
land under the name of The Incorporated Society for the Propa-
gation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, chartered in 1701.
It had for its double object the conversion of the Indians and
Negro slaves and the care of the English Churchmen in the Colo-
nies by providing, as far as its means would allow, clergymen,
churches and glebes.
The well-planned and systematic efforts of this Society for the
evangelization of the world is well known to every one of the
Anglo-Saxon race. America, India, Africa, Australia, New
Zealand, China and the Islands of the Sea, bear witness to its
faithfulness to its original purpose. With unabated energy it
maintains an increasing band of mission clergy and workers in
various parts of the world.
Dr. Bray's efforts for the good of his fellow men are still bear-
ing fruit, and his life of unselfishness deserves to be better known
in this generation.
It is hard for us to realize the conditions in England when
George the Second ascended the throne. Drunkenness, gluttony,
and licentiousness were so common in every rank of life that they
excited no comment. The gaols in England were crowded with
men and women, some of whom were imprisoned for no more
heinous offence than owing a few shillings. These places were
the hotbeds of all kinds of vice and disease. Members of Par-
liament, Squires and Merchants all frequented the tavern and
rarely left it sober. In their endeavour to check the importation
and use of French brandy, the government had removed all taxes
on the sale of gin. Immediately over six thousand gin shops were
opened in London and Westminster, and gin was hawked about
by peddlers from door to door. The streets were lumbered with
men and women sleeping off their potations. The. talk and jests,
even among the educated people, were ever seasoned with the
grossest coarseness. The squibs, the cartoons, and the novels
were all alike coarse and licentious. The sports had no charm
4 Religious and Social Conditions. [1706
unless they were cruel, and the greater the cruelty promised, the
greater the crowd. The hangings at Tyburn were the fashionable
matinees of the period. Everything that was vile, that was
degrading, that was brutal, was so much a matter of course that
no one was shocked. The clergy of the Church of England, the
Ministers of the Nonconformist bodies were all apparently asleep.
It was a day when zeal was a crime; and the best preaching of
the day consisted of well written essays against Deism or Ration-
alism. In the country, church buildings were neglected and in
decay because pluralism was rampant. A well connected clergy-
man, or one who had political influence had several livings, visit-
ing none of them, but drawing their endowments, and paying a
scanty fee to some unfortunate cleric to take his duty for him.
The Sacraments were neglected, and all Missionary work was at
a complete standstill. In the year 1743 there was an arrear of
twelve years' neglect of Confirmations which had to be worked
off in Yorkshire alone. 1
In New York the conditions were not as bad as in London,
because New York was then a little provincial town; but they
were bad enough, as any one can see who cares to read the ac-
count given by the Rev. John Miller of the state of New York
in 1695. Zeal was equally at a discount, and apathy brooded
over the Church. The community at large had no conscience.
It had not yet begun to realize, what we are now dimly perceiv-
ing, that the community is a trustee for the welfare of every
individual unit in it. Imprisonment for debt was of constant
occurrence, and the gaols were but on a smaller scale what these
dens were in England. Charity sermons were actually preached
in Trinity Church to relieve the great distress of the prisoners.
An added complication, unknown in England, was present in
New York. Slavery and the Negro. If the Negro was well fed,
his master considered he had done his duty. His mental, moral,
or spiritual education was never considered. It was not until
about 1706, that Mr. Neau, notwithstanding the opposition of
the masters, began to instruct the Negroes, and to teach them the
rudiments of Religion. The first regular Sunday school for col-
oured children- in Trinity Parish was not held till about 1850,
when Miss Maria Forbes gathered a number of these children
I. See Memoirs of a Royal Chaplain. 1729-1763. p. 88.
1739] New York in the Eighteenth Century. 5
together in the belfry of St. John's Chapel, because there was
too much opposition to her having her class in the body of the
Church. As for bettering or improving the condition of the
Negroes and poor whites, nothing was done, even in a limited
way. On the occasion of the Negro riots in 1712, the statement
was constantly made by persons of position that Christianity
made the Negro worse, and the argument was boldly advocated
that the Negro should not be made a Christian. Strange as it
may seem to us nowadays the herding and overcrowding had
already begun in the little community which then lived between
the Battery and the City Hall.
Between August 23 and November 15, 1731, when Colonel
Cosby was Governor of New York, and Mr. Vesey in charge of
Trinity Parish, small pox carried off 478 white people. This
will indicate the unsanitary and crowded condition of the poor.
Later on, under Bishops Provoost and Moore, matters were
somewhat better, but while Provoost was an excellent adminis-
trator, and Moore a gentle kind hearted man of blameless repu-
tation, neither of them were men of large visions. Bishop Moore,
it is true, recognized that the Church should be extended, but it
is to be admitted that whatever missionary enterprise there was
under the first two Bishops of New York was of a timid and
halting character. A hundred years ago there were resident in
the city of New York, besides the two Bishops, Dr. Moore and
Dr. Provoost, only ten clergymen, and in the State outside of the
city limits about twenty-six in all, most of whom were in the
immediate vicinity of the city.
Curiously enough, it was the failure of John Wesley and
Whitefield as Missionaries in Georgia, that led to the awakening
of the lower and middle classes in England, and to the conse-
quent betterment in America. It was on their return from
America that they began their effective open air preaching. In
February, 1739, Whitefield preached his first out-of-door sermon
to the colliers at Kingswood, and in the following April Wesley
preached from a little mound at Bristol.
Dr. Hobart, the third Bishop of New York, did not take
to open-air preaching, but he conducted a campaign on
behalf of the Church just as effective, and even more so.
He was not only an indefatigable preacher, but he made
use of printer's ink. Under various pen names he con-
6 First Edition of the Prayer Book. [1785
tributed articles to the Press, he wrote tracts and treatises, edited
works, in a word, he made such a vigorous use of his pen that he
woke up the Laodiceans in the Church, and aroused an enthusi-
asm and zeal, the effects of which have not yet passed away.
Once his attention was drawn to the literary campaign in Eng-
land, he was brought to pursue the same methods over here and
threw himself heart and soul in the establishment of societies
and agencies that had for their object the diffusion of the Holy
Scriptures, the Book of Common Prayer, and all literature that
expounded the doctrines of the Church or defended its claims.
In this connection with printers ink it is well to remember
that William Bradford, Vestryman of Trinity Church, has the
honour of being the first in America who proposed to print the
Holy Bible complete, Apocrypha and all, and "for those who are
minded to have the Common Prayer Book shall have the whole
bound up for 22 shillings."
This was in 1688. Prior to 1711, through the assistance of
Trinity Church, an edition of the Book of Common Prayer was
actually printed. As. Mr. William Wallace says in his address
on the Two Hundredth Birthday of William Bradford : "The
first edition of the Book of Common Prayer ever actually printed
in America was printed under the auspices of Trinity Church, by
one of her Vestrymen ; an assistant Minister of the Church, being
himself the surety for the fidelity of the Printer's contracts." 1
The preaching of Wesley, Whitefield and their companions,
began to be seen, not only in the greater regard paid to personal
religion through the Methodist societies and classes, but in the
desire for the welfare of others as shown in the formation of
general societies for the common good.
One of these was to carry out the benevolent plan of Robert
Paikes for the secular and religious instruction of the children
of the poor in Sunday Schools. It was formed in 1785 as "The
Society for the Support and Encouragement of Sunday Schools."
It enjoyed the support of those high in station in England,
and in fifteen years had spent more than fourteen thousand
pounds in organizing and supporting Sunday Schools. Five years
before, a Bible Society for work among the soldiers and sailors
had been organized. It found abundant opportunity for a much
I. Pages 44, 82.
1791J Dearth of Bibles in England. 7
needed work. To this was added in 1799 the Religious Tract
Society whose publications were of great service to many in the
crowded city, for some would read a short tract when they would
rot open the Holy Bible.
As the London Missionary Society was principally designed
to provide Missionaries for the Islands of the Southern Pacific;
another Society, composed chiefly of members of the rapidly
growing Evangelical School in the Church of England, with the
special intention of providing for the promising work in India
and other parts of Asia was formed in 1799 under the name of
the Church Missionary Society.
One of the special purposes of the Society for promoting
Christian Knowledge was to supply the people of Great Britain
with copies of the Holy Scriptures. Even that great Society
could not print for themselves, but had to buy their supplies from
the King's Printers or the Universities, who alone even to this
day are authorized to print the Holy Bible in English. 1
Early in 1791 there commenced in the principality of Wales a
religious awakening which affected all classes, but especially
those who were entirely ignorant of the English language. As
they were aroused from indifference and carelessness they desired
to read for themselves the word of God. The faithful men who
had instructed them in the principles of the Christian life sought
from the Christian Knowledge Society donations of the whole
Bible and of the New Testament in Welsh, and as far as their
means allowed them purchased hundreds of copies for distribu-
tion. So great was the demand that the number left in stock
was soon exhausted. Many gladly paid large prices for them.
Orders sent by clergymen in Wales could not be rilled and as the
revival continued appeals were made to the Society to print an
edition of ten thousand.
I. In England the printing of Bibles (without Commentaries or Anno-
tations) is strictly limited to Three Presses : The King's Printers, the Univer-
sity of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, and special arrangements
of a similar nature are made for Scotland and for Ireland If the
Bible is printed in any language other than English, or if there is a Com-
mentary or Notes, or References, then any one may (in Great Britain or
Ireland) print a special edition of the Bible.
The Church Electic, May, 1906, Volume xxviii, No. 2, English Bible Ver-
sions, by the Rev. Henry Barker, M.A., p. 123.
8 British and Foreign Bible Society. [1804
In 1796 the plea was finally heard and three years later an
edition of ten thousand Bibles and two thousand New Testaments
was printed in Welsh. But even this did not supply one-fourth
of the demand.
The story is told of a young Welsh girl who for years had been
saving from her scanty wages the money to purchase a Bible,
but who after walking twenty-five miles in wintry weather found
to her dismay that they were all sold, not one copy left. Her
keen disappointment, and tears of sorrow made such a deep
impression upon the Rev. Thomas Charles of Bala, a man who
had given himself to the work of evangelisation in Wales, that
he again most earnestly besought the Christian Knowledge
Society to print a still larger edition. On the announcement of
the Society that it could not, in consideration of other claims
upon its funds, undertake that task, he consulted with various
friends, especially the Rev. Thomas Jones, one of his fellow
workers, and the officers of the Religious Tract Society, hoping
that from it a new supply of Bibles in Welsh might be obtained.
The suggestion of the Rev. Thomas Hughes, of Battersea, a
member of the Committee of that Society, "Surely a Society
might be formed for the purpose," and the inquiry of Mr. Joseph
Hardcastle, President of the London Missionary Society, con-
cerning the prospect for evangelistic work in Paris, stirred the
consciences of devout men in London and elsewhere. They
perceived the urgent need for a more uniform and available
supply of copies of the Holy Scripture in various languages.
Instead, therefore, of a Society to meet the actual demand
from Wales, the scope of the proposed society was broadened.
The principles upon which it was to be formed were carefully
considered. The discussion and determination of the details of
an organization broad enough to include both members of the
Church of England and non-conformists extended over two years.
Finally a representative company of clergymen and laymen met
in London and organized on March 7, 1804, The British and
Foreign Bible Society.
On Wednesday, March 7, 1804, there was a public meeting
at the London Tavern, No. 123, Bishopgate street. About three
hundred persons of various beliefs were present, Mr. Granville
Sharpe presided, and after Mr. Robert Cowie, Mr. William
Alers, Mr. Samuel Mills, and Mr. Hughes had spoken on the
1804] Meeting at the London Tavern. 9
need for the Society and the nature and range of the contemplated
work, Mr. Steinkopff, pastor of the German Lutheran Church
in the Savoy, described the scarcity of the Scriptures in the for-
eign parts he had visited, and appealed to the compassion and
munificence of British Christians on behalf of the spiritual wants
of his fellow German countrymen.
The Rev. John Owen, Curate and Lecturer of Fulham, and
Chaplain to the Bishop of London, who had attended with much
hesitation, now arose on the spur of "an impulse," which, as he
expressed it, "he had neither the inclination nor the power to
disobey." What he felt may be best described in his own words :
"Surrounded by a multitude of Christians whose doctrinal and
ritual differences had for ages kept them asunder and who had
been taught to regard each other with a sort of pious estrange-
ment, or rather of consecrated hostility; and reflecting on the
object and on the end which had brought them so harmoniously
together, he felt an impression which no length of time would
entirely remove. The scene was new; nothing analagous to it
had perhaps been exhibited before in public since Christians had
begun to organize against each other the strife of separation, and
to carry into their own camp that war which they ought to have
waged in concert against the common enemy. To him it
appeared to indicate the dawn of a new era in Christendom ; and
to portend something like the return of those auspicious days
when the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and
one soul; and when as a consequence of that union, to a certain
degree, at least the Word of God mightily grew and prevailed." 1
The Right Honourable John, Lord Teignmouth, was elected
President, and the Vice Presidents included the Bishops of Lon-
don, Dr. Charles Manners Sutton, Exeter, Dr. George Pelham,
St. David's, Dr. Thomas Burgess, Sir William Peperell, Vice
Admiral Gambier, and Mr. William Wilberforce. In its first
announcement it plainly set forth the reasons for its formation,
which were chiefly "the prevalence of ignorance, superstition and
idolatry, over so large a portion of the world, the limited nature
of the respectable societies now in existence, and their acknowl-
edged insufficiency to supply the demand for Bibles in the United
1. History of the British and Foreign Bible Society, by William Canton.
Vol. I. pp. ii. ; xii.; 512. Vol. II. pp. xii. ; 496.
10 Grants of Bibles. [1804
Kingdom and foreign countries, and the recent attempts which
have been made on the part of Infidelity to discredit the evidence,
vilify the character, and destroy the influence of Christianity."
It declared that the exclusive object of the society is, to diffuse the
knowledge of the Holy Scriptures by circulating them in the
different languages spoken throughout Great Britain and Ireland.
And also according to the extent of funds by promoting the
printing of them in foreign languages and the distribution of
them in foreign countries."
In conclusion the announcement says : "The principles upon
which this undertaking will be conducted, are as comprehensive
as the nature of the object suggest that they should be. In the
execution of the plan it is proposed to embrace the support of
Christians at large; and to invite the concurrence of persons of
every description who profess to regard the Scriptures as the
proper standard of faith." 1
The success of the society was immediate. It was the first
organization in which all "Protestant" Christians had united. At
first some conservative churchmen stood aloof, but without
making formal remonstrance. The leaders of the Evangelical
school heartily supported it. Every prominent non-conformist
became an enthusiastic advocate of its whole design. In its first
year it received in subscriptions nearly 700, of which 366, 2s.
lod were granted in money and Bibles to supply those who could
not pay. In its fifth year the grants of the Society had increased
to 9,749, 175. At the end of ten years its total grants had
reached the large sum of 79.543, 155. 5d.
Branch societies were organized in many of the towns and
cities of Great Britain and Ireland, and on the continent of
Europe.
The number reported in 1815 in the British dominions was
four hundred and six.
It had issued in Great Britain four hundred and twenty-six
thousand two hundred and eighty-six Bibles and six hundred
and forty-four thousand one hundred and fifty-five New Testa-
ments. The number distributed on the Continent by the agents
i. These extracts of the "Original Statement", 1805, are taken from an
Abridged Statement of the leading Transactions of the British and Foreign
Bible Society, in the Pamphleteer (vol. vi., pp. 270, et seq.).
1805] Opposition to the Bible Society. 11
of the Society and affiliated organizations made the whole num-
ber circulated through this Society one million two hundred and
eighty-seven thousand five hundred and ninety-six (1,287,596).
This beneficent work was not done without controversy and oppo-
sition. Many Churchmen looked askance upon an organization
in which Churchmen and Nonconformists were united for a com-
mon religious purpose.
When Lord Teignmouth issued his first Presidential address
and invitation to all "protestant Christians, especially the clergy,"
to join in the general circulation of the Holy Scriptures by mem-
bership in the Society and contribution to its funds, he was
answered in a temperate manner by "A Clergyman." 1
But the most serious and bitter opposition came at a later
period, when Dr. Herbert Marsh, then a scholar of high reputa-
tion and Margaret Professor of Divinity at Cambridge, and
afterward, successively, Bishop of Llandaff and of Peterborough,
contended that any union between the Church of England and
non-conformity would tend to obscure its distinctive principles.
He thought that the Book of Common Prayer with its large
measure of Scripture passages and its treasury of devotion should
also be circulated.
In an essay upon "The Education of the Poor," according to
the system of Dr. Joseph Lancaster, a writer in The Edinburgh
Review, in commenting upon a sermon by Dr. Marsh upon "The
National Religion the Foundation of National Education," on
June 15, 1811, before the London Charity School Children and
members of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge,
thus satirises the preacher: "The Daubenys, Trimmers, and
Sprys, with the strange mystical personage who lectured against
education at our Institutions, being now found quite unequal to
the office of raising this alarm, recourse has been had to the
greater engines of the Church. And first appears Mr. Professor
Marsh, a person adorned with various and weighty titles, and
occupying the Divinity Chair in one of the Universities cele-
brated too, we have no doubt, for his attainments in science,
which have placed him in the Royal Society distinguished, it
I. An Address to Lord Teignmouth, President of the British and Foreign
Bible Society, occasioned by his address to the Clergy of the Church of
England. By A Clergyman. 1805.
12 Controversies. [1810
may be presumed, among his reverend brethren, for a peculiar
devotion to the duties of the Church whose dangers seem upper-
most in his thoughts, but unquestionably a good deal better
known to the world as the author of a bulky ministerial pamphlet
in defence of the war than in any of his other capacities. This
very circumstance, however, of his political services, the noted
fact of his being a favoured writer in the interests of the Court,
and consequently belonging to the class of safe and flourishing
politicians, pointed him out as the proper person to begin this
new charge a sort of dignitary of the Church, one designated
for its most snug, if not most splendid gifts a Prebendary, if
not a Bishop elect, would not only lead the cry with authority but
would show the way to others, inducing them to fill up the con-
cert, by setting before them the edifying example of a flourishing
man devoted to this work. When Mr. Professor Marsh walks in
this way it is safe to follow is a thought that has probably
passed already in the mind of many a score in our universities
and parsonages." 1
He was supported by writers of varying ability and courtesy
and the answers were sometimes pertinent and acute, at others
merely arrogant and abusive. One of the stronger defenders of
the Church system of "The Bible in the Church" was the Rev.
Dr. Christopher Wordsworth, Dean of Bocking, and Domestic
Chaplain of the Archbishop of Canterbury, a brother of the poet,
the father of two Bishops, and himself a graceful writer. He
represented in a day of spiritual declension the survival of the
sound theology and reverent devotion of the Caroline divines
among the old county families of the remote portions of England.
The Bishop of London 2 in a letter to the Rev. P. Yorke states
the reasons why he could not become a member of the British
and Foreign Bible Society. As the best brief presentation of the
conscientious scruples of a man of high character, and as voicing
1. The Edinburgh Review, November, 1811. No. xxxvii. Edinburgh,
Printed. New York: Reprinted for Ezra Sergeant. 1812. p. 25.
2. Dr. John Randolph, Regius Professor of Divinity in the University
of Oxford, was consecrated for the See of Oxford on September i, 1799,
by Dr. John Moore, Archbishop of Canterbury, assisted by the Bishops of
Winchester, Dr. North, and Rochester, Dr. Horsley. He was translated to
Bangor, 1807, and to London, 1809. He died July 28, 1813.
1810] Opposition of Bishop of London. 13
evidently the sentiments of the opponents of the Society, it de-
serves consideration as a part of the history of the controversy.
To the Rev. P. Yorke, to be communicated to the other members
of the meeting of the clergy at Colchester.
Dear Sir : I am very sorry to differ from the respectable body
of clergymen who have signed the memorial to me respecting an
Auxiliary Bible Society, and especially to differ from them on
such a subject. But thinking otherwise, as I do, after mature
deliberation upon a subject not new to me, and after consulting
with some of my brethren of the same bench, on whose opinion
I much rely, I will not hesitate to give my reasons (trusting that
I may write with confidence, openly and plainly), as far as the
limits of a letter will allow.
Now, from the first, I have always considered the institution
of the British and Foreign Bible Society as unnecessary ; because
every good purpose of the same might have been accomplished by
an orthodox society of long standing; separate funds (if such
were expedient) being formed for any new purposes : for which
measure there are several precedents in the proceedings of that
Society. I do not approve of multiplying societies for the same
purpose. But it was further objectionable, because it was estab-
lishing a rival society (whilst there was no complaint of mis-
management, as far as I have heard, in the other) with no other
difference than the departing from a fundamental rule, and a very
judicious one in my opinion, that the members should be of the
Church of England. This new Society admits, I believe, dis-
senters of any denomination, and thus conveys an implied censure
on the aforesaid rule. I think it better to leave the dissenters to
themselves. When admitted into religious society with us, they
will, and it is natural for them (without any disparagement, be
this spoken, either to the whole bodies or individuals among them,
many of whom, no doubt, are very respectable), endeavour to
gain the ascendancy, and to supplant us, whenever they find an
opportunity.
These were my original objections, and I see not but that they
remain yet in full force. It is said they are not substantiated by
facts, and that no practical evil has followed. I do not agree in
this ; but I must observe, that if the evil be gradually creeping on,
it will be palliated from time to time, and not appear to every
14 Opposition of Bishop of London. [1810
one in its true colours till it be difficult or too late to remedy it.
This Society, it is further said, will secede upon any act of mal-
administration in the British and Foreign Bible Society. They
cannot find a reason for doing so, unless such act be notorious
and flagrant (which is not likely to be for some time), and not
even then, with any advantage, if the dissenting part among
them, or in the other society to which they are an appendage,
shall have gained the ascendancy. But, as I said, I do not agree
in this. The very first act, or one of the first acts of the British
and Foreign Bible Society was to undertake a Welsh Bible, at
the time when the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge,
in conjunction with the University of Oxford, was preparing as
large an edition as could be wanted, under the patronage of the
Welsh Bishops; and to place it in the hands of a most noted
leader of the dissenters in that country. And when put to shame
on this head, they still persisted in forwarding their edition : an
act, as it seems to me, of undue rivalship, by means which the
University of Oxford could not take, in order to give an advant-
age to the dissenters ; for it is a fact, though it may seem improb-
able to you, that the very distribution of the Bible was made an
instrument of influence to the sectaries, who in my opinion, have
been the cause of more injury to society, and to sound religion,
than anything which has happened for centuries before. I say
these things from personal experience and knowledge.
Much practical good, it is also said has been done. I know of
none which might not have been done as well through the medium
of the other Society; and with respect to the accounts of good
done abroad, I own I look on them with much doubt and sus-
picion, and not the less, because the proceedings, and, indeed, all
the meetings of this new Society, are set forth in the public
papers with much pomp and parade ; at which I am the more dis-
gusted when I compare it with the simplicity and modes of the
old society ; the silent progress of which I am persuaded is more
effectual towards the support and propagation of religion, and
productive of more substantial good.
You must allow me also to observe, that the object of the pro-
posed auxiliary society is not distinctly stated, nor is it explained
what purposes it is to answer, nor under what rules to be con-
ducted ; but this is of less importance. Upon the main question
I have given my opinion decisively, and I hope clearly, which I
1811] Controversies. 15
trust therefore will be taken in good part, whatsoever differences
of opinion there may be between us.
I remain, &c.,
January 28, iSio. 1 J. LONDON.
In his prefatory note to the Letter, the editor of that strongly
conservative and "establishmentarian" periodical, The Anti-
Jacobin Review, says : "We feel particular satisfaction in laying
the following truly excellent and pastoral letter of our Metropoli-
tan Bishop before our readers. The sentiments which it contains
are, we are happy to say, perfectly conformable with those opin-
ions which at various times and on various occasions we have
submitted to the public. Let sectaries do all the good they may
feel disposed or able to do, in the circulation of the Scriptures;
and let the members of the Church of England do the same ; but
no possible good can accrue from the indiscriminate union of the
one with the other ; while the evil effects attending such apparent
indifference to religious principle is culpable in itself, and mis-
chievous in its consequences." 2
As an indication of the method of answering the writers for the
Church in the controversy concerning the Bible Society, this
passage from an article in The Edinburgh Review upon "The
Education of the Poor'' in accordance with the plea of Mr. Joseph
Lancaster, is significant : "When the question is of educating
the poor, of erecting schools of erecting schools where all poor
children may learn to read and study their Bibles of forming an
institution which may spread such seminaries over the Empire,
and put down ignorance and vice among those orders, where
ignorance, most prevailing has planted the chief nursery of
crimes those alarmists step forward and bid us pause. They
warn us that we endanger their Church, if we join with the dis-
senters in forwarding the best of good works tell us, that
Churchmen must only associate with Churchmen in promoting
such charities, and that Sectaries must be left to associate to-
gether. The work shows the motives that lead to it its manifest
effects. All go for nothing if the Sectaries bear a part in such
labours of love the stream is polluted and must run to mischief.
1. Quoted on pp. 353-355, The Churchman's Magazine, September and
October, 1810, Vol. vii., No. 5, from The Anti-Jacobin Review.
Dr. Hobart's Introductory Note will be given in another connection.
2. The Churchman's Magazine, vii., 5, p. 353.
16 Controversies. [1811
So when the project is to disseminate the Scriptures among the
poor, and among the heathen ; to diffuse the blessings of religion
in countries yet sitting in darkness, and over those classes of our
country which have not the means of reading the Bible forth
come the same alarmists and require that no friend of the Church
shall join with Sectaries in such an indiscriminate exercise of
charity ; that no man who values the Establishment, shall be acces-
sory to distributing Bibles unless with the Scriptures there shall
be circulated the Articles, the Catechism, the Liturgy, and all
those formulas of the Establishment, which no conscientious dis-
senter can have any hand in diffusing. Tests are the delight of
these holy bigots ; and no work of charity is pleasing, or even tol-
erable, in their eyes, unless it is strictly confined to the members
of their own body, by the imposition of terms which, however
great his love of charity may be, no Dissenter can possibly com-
ply with." 1
In a note the essayist says : "The analogy here stated between
the two questions of Lancaster Schools and the Bible Society is
too striking to escape any reader : the same persons have accord-
ingly taken part in each discussion, if discussion we can call it,
where all the argument lies on one side." 2
He also commends the "Letter" of the Rev. William Dealtry
to the Rev. Dr. Wordsworth, as "one of the ablest and most sat-
isfactory pieces that we have ever seen, and only unfortunate in
the unequal force with which it has to contend." 3
The literature of the controversy is large, and many eminent
men engaged in it on both sides. Several of the writers viewed
the subject from a political rather than a religious point of view.
The Church of England was the bulwark of the Constitution,
and non-conformity was an attacking force to wrest from the
Church her pre-eminence and power in the nation. It is to be
remembered that the early years of the last century were full of
excitement, wars and threatened invasion kept Englishmen in a
state of perpetual anxiety, and dread.
The intrigues of parties and factions made any progress toward
better social conditions or the systematic elevation of the peas-
1. The Edinburgh Review, November, 1811. Volume xix., No. xxxvii.,
P. 38.
2. The Edinburgh Review, November 181 1 (American reprint.) Note, p. 39.
3. Ibid.
1809] Churches in New York. 17
antry and Commoners by a more general extension of knowledge
whether secular or religious, exceedingly difficult. It shows then
the triumph of religion over the petty affairs of the period, that
the Societies organized at that time did not languish but advanced
with steady tread until opposition was overcome, and their suc-
cess became a part of the glory of England.
After this brief survey of religious thought in England let us
see what the religious outlook was in New York at the com-
mencement of the nineteenth century.
The mother parish of Trinity having already its two chapels of
St. Paul's and St. George's, had found it necessary to build
another chapel in the upper part of the city, St. John's Chapel,
the foundation of which was laid in 1803. Christ Church, the
first independent parish, was extending its usefulness under a
new Rector, the Rev. Thomas Lyell. The ancient site of Gov-
ernor Stuyvesant's Chapel in his "Bouwerie" was now occupied
by St. Mark's Church with Dr. Harris as Rector. The venerable
Church of the Huguenot refugees, "L' Eglise du Saint Esprit,"
with its minister, the Rev. Pierre Antoine Albert, and its congre-
gation conformed in 1804 to the doctrine, discipline, and worship
of "the Protestant Episcopal . Church in the United States of
America." St. Stephen's Church was built, in 1805, in Chrystie
street, for the accommodation of the rapidly growing population
of the east side. At Bloomingdale, then adorned with the country
seats of many gentlemen of the city, St. Michael's Church was
built in 1806, to whom the Rev. John V. Bartow ministered. In
1806 Grace Church was erected, where once had stood the Luth-
eran Church, on the corner of Broadway and Rector street, imme-
diately south of Trinity Church, and Dr. Nathaniel Bowen be-
came its rector in 1809.
To the parochial clergy must be added the genial and polished
Dr. Bowden, who had refused the Episcopate of Connecticut,
and was professor of Moral Philosophy in Columbia College ; and
the versatile Dr. Edmund Barry, a teacher of unusual success
and force of character.
The assistants to the Bishop in administration of Trinity
Church, Dr. John Henry Hobart, the Rev. Cave Jones, and the
Rev. Thomas Y. How, were all strong men ; but it soon became
evident that the ardent enthusiasm of Dr. Hobart, with his facil-
ity for making and keeping friends, was rapidly gaining for him
(2)
18 Bible and Common Prayer-Book Society. [1809
the leadership in the city among both clergy and laity. His cor-
respondence even in the earlier years of his residence was widely
extended, and he was consulted by many clergy and laymen upon
ecclesiastical, religious and moral topics. While others were
thinking of plans for the benefit of the Church, he was putting
them into effect.
It is then no reflection upon the other clergy of the city to give
to the young priest of thirty-four the honour of suggesting the
first general society for the distribution of the Bible with the
Book of Common Prayer.
His pupil and friend, the Rev. John McVickar, says :
"In 1809 was established the Bible and Common Prayer Book
Society of New York, the earliest association it is believed with
the exception of the Bible Society of Philadelphia for the distri-
bution of the Scriptures in our country. Of it Bishop Moore was
ex-officio President, and all the clergy managers ; but it is doing
injustice to none to say that Mr. Hobart was the originator and
soul of the association." 1
Every step was carefully taken, the principles of the Church
were to be upheld not only by the voice of her authorized minis-
try, but by her chosen Book of Common Prayer.
The Meeting for Organization was held early in 1809. It was
undoubtedly attended by representative Churchmen. There seems
to be no minute of that primary gathering, but we learn both
from the Churchman Magazine of April and May, 1809, and
from the opening pages of the first Minute Book of the Society
that a Board of Managers was elected to serve until the first
annual Election, and a Constitution was adopted. The Constitu-
tion reads as follows :
1. Every person who pays two dollars at the time of subscrib-
ing, and five dollars annually afterwards, shall be a Member of
the Society. The payment of fifty dollars, or more at the time of
subscribing, shall entitle a person to be a member for life, without
any further contribution.
2. The contributions, at the time of subscribing, with such
donations as may be received from benevolent individuals, shall
be the permanent fund of the Society, and not subject to dis-
I. The Early Life and Professional Years of Bishop Hobart. By John
McVickar, D.D. p. 286.
1809] Meeting for Organization. 19
bursement. The interest of the permanent fund, with the annual
contributions, shall be appropriated to the purchase and distribu-
tion of Bibles, and Common Prayer Books, and when deemed
expedient, of religious tracts.
3. The business of the Society shall be conducted by a Board of
Managers, consisting of the Clergy of the Protestant Episcopal
Church resident in the City of New York, and of ten Laymen, to
be chosen annually by ballot, by the members present, on the
first Tuesday after the 24th of February, the festival of
St. Matthias. The Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church
in the diocese of New York shall be President of the
Society, and of the Board of Managers, and in his absence, a
Chairman shall be appointed. The Board of Managers shall
meet on the day after the annual meeting, to choose from their
own number a Secretary and a Treasurer, and shall meet after-
wards according to their own rules. Seven of the Man-
agers shall constitute a quorum to do business. The Board of
Managers shall make all laws necessary for the government of
the Society, and shall cause a statement of the receipts and ex-
penditures of Money with such other matters as they may deem
proper to be laid before the Members of the Society at the annual
meetings.
4. On the day of the annual meeting of the Society, or on some
other day to be fixed by the President or Chairman, the Morning
or Evening Prayer shall be celebrated, and a suitable Sermon
preached, after which a collection shall be made, to be appropri-
ated to the funds of the Society. The Preacher shall be appointed
at the first meeting of the Board of Managers, subsequent to the
annual meeting, by the Bishop, or in case of his absence, by their
chairman. And, the Bishop or Chairman, shall also appoint the
time and place of Service, of both which, as well as of the annual
meeting, public notice shall be given by the Secretary.
5. The Constitution of the Society shall be unalterable, except
by a vote of two-thirds of the Board of Managers, and a concur-
rent vote of two-thirds of the Members of the Society present at
the Annual Meeting.
The Board of Managers were :
President, The Right Rev. Benjamin Moore, D.D., Bishop of
the Diocese.
20 First Board of Managers. [1809
Managers, The Clergy of the Protestant Episcopal Church in
the City of New York, who were at that date :
The Right Reverend Samuel Provoost, D.D.
The Right Reverend Benjamin Moore, D.D.
The Reverend Edmund D. Barry, Principal of the Episcopal
Academy.
The Reverend John Vanderbilt Bartow, Deacon of St. Mich-
ael's Church. Bloomingdale.
The Reverend Abraham Beach, D.D., Assistant Minister,
Trinity Church.
The Reverend Nathaniel Bowen, Rector, Grace Church.
The Reverend John Henry Hobart, Assistant Minister, Trinity
Church.
The Reverend Thomas Yardley Howe, Assistant Minister,
Trinity Church.
The Reverend Cave Jones, Assistant Minister, Trinity Church.
The Reverend Thomas Lyell, Rector, Christ Church.
The Reverend Richard Channing Moore, D.D., Rector of St.
Stephen's Church.
The Reverend William Smith, D.D.
Laity:
Gen. Matthew Clarkson.
Henry Rogers.
Thomas Harvey.
George Dominick.
Jacob Le Roy.
William Bayard.
John Onderdonk.
David B. Ogden.
John Slidell.
Gulian Ludlow.
The first regular meeting of the Board was held in Trinity
Church on April 14, 1809. It appears from these minutes that
at the previous meeting, Mr. Slidell had been chosen Treasurer,
but on his declining to serve, Mr. Gulian Ludlow was elected.
At this first meeting there were present the "Rev. Dr. Hobart,
Rev. Mr. Jones, Rev. Mr. Howe, Mr. George Dominic, Mr.
Gulian Ludlow, Dr. John Onderdonk, Mr. Henry Rogers, David
B. Ogden, Esq., Mr. Thomas Harvey, and the Rev. Mr. Lyell.
1809] First Meeting in Trinity Church. 21
"The Bishop being absent in consequence of indisposition of
body, the Rev. Dr. Hobart was appointed Chairman." (Page 2.)
We transcribe the account of the transactions of this first re-
corded meeting:
A letter was received from Mr. John Slidell declining the
appointment of Treasurer of the Society and enclosing a dona-
tion of $10, in addition to his annual subscription as a member
of the Society; whereupon Mr. Gulian Ludlow was by ballot
appointed to that office.
Resolved, that a Committee consisting of four of the Clergy,
and four of the Laity be appointed to solicit donations for the
Society, and that the Rev. Dr. Hobart, Rev. Mr. Jones, Rev. Mr.
Howe, and the Rev. Mr. Lyell of the Clergy; and Mr. Henry
Rogers, Mr. Thomas Harvey, Gen. M. Clarkson, Mr. Jacob Le
Roy of the Laity compose that Committee.
Resolved, That the Secretary be authorized to employ some
person to circulate, as soon as possible, through the congregations
of the Protestant Episcopal Church in this City, the Constitution
of the Bible and Common Prayer Book Society.
Resolved, That a Committee be appointed to draw up rules
and regulations for the government of the Society, and that the
Rev. Mr. Jones, the Rev. Mr. Howe, and Dr. John Onderdonk
compose that Committee.
Resolved, That the Secretary be authorized to procure a Book
in which to record the proceedings of the Society, and to furnish
himself with blank notices for calling meetings of the members
of the Board of Managers of the Society.
"Adjourned till the fourth Wednesday in May, half past u
o'clock A. M.
An address, probably written by Dr. Hobart, appears in the
Churchman's Magazine for March and April, 1809. It deserves
to be perpetuated not only for its soundness and common sense,
but because it anticipated in its arguments much of the objec-
tions afterwards raised against the need of such a Society.
It is prefaced with this note: "In imitation of the Bible
Society of Philadelphia, the Managers of the following Society
are taken from the city of New York, for the obvious purpose of
ensuring their ready and punctual co-operation. The benefits of
22 Address. [1809
this institution are designed to extend throughout the country,
and we therefore recommend it to general patronage."
ADDRESS.
To prove the utility of a society for distributing the Bible
and Book of Common Prayer, it can only be necessary to sug-
gest the importance of these volumes, and to state the fact, that
many from poverty, or other causes, are destitute of them. The
duty of establishing means for their distribution will be an obvi-
ous consequence.
The Bible claims veneration as the oldest HISTORY extant;
containing an account of the origin and destination of man, and
of many other interesting facts, for which we search in vain
among uninspired records. Tracing the events of the early ages
of the world, it unfolds to us the laws, policy, and history, of a
people, who were established by the miraculous agency of the
Most High; and who still remain, amidst the ruins of contem-
porary empires, a monument of his power, and a striking evi-
dence of the divine character of that volume which predicted
their varying fortunes, and their present unparalleled condition.
The series of PROPHECY laid open to us in the Bible renders
it still further an object of the highest veneration. The charac-
ter and fate of individuals, the rise and fall of nations, were
clearly delineated in the sacred volume, long before they appeared
on the stage of the world. And one most interesting personage,
predicted in the beginning as the Saviour of fallen man, occupied
the strains of prophecy until his glorious manifestation in the
flesh. Then the Church which he established became the theme of
prophetic inspiration, displaying its history, and the important
changes of the world, subservient to it, until the final period
when its militant state shall be exchanged for its triumphant state
in heaven.
In all the events and characters recorded or predicted in the
sacred volume, man is intimately concerned. For its distinguish-
ing excellence and authority consist, in its being the REVELATION
OF THE WILL OF GOD. From it is derived whatever portion of
religious truth adorns the pages of that philosophy which is
sometimes set up in opposition to it. In the Bible alone we find
revealed the consoling truth, that "God is in Christ reconciling
1809] Address. 23
the world unto himself;" in it alone are "life and immortality
brought to light." What ever view, therefore, we take of the
Bible, it commands our highest reverence, and our implicit faith.
For "there is depth enough therein to exercise the wise, and
plainness enough to instruct the weak." And, still more justly
to characterize it, in the words of an eminent scholar, 1 who de-
voted to it his most serious attention "It has God for its author,
salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture of error for
its matter."
These are excellencies of the sacred volume familiar to Chris-
tians, and which, to be duly appreciated, require only to be men-
tioned. But are those Christians who revere their Bible as bear-
ing the stamp of divine authority, and cherish it as the only basis
of their immortal hopes, aware that there are numbers wholly
ignorant of its truths? Such is the lamentable fact. Many are
the abodes of wretchedness, which no light of consolation from
this divine volume cheers. Many are the receptacles of vice,
which neither the judgments of God revealed in the Bible alarm,
nor his blessed promises of mercy to repenting sinners console.
Not a few of those who disturb by their passions or their crimes
the peace of society, have never learnt from their Bible to obey
every lawful "ordinance of man for the Lord's sake" ; and to
practise those virtues of sobriety, contentment, and humility,
which are essential to the preservation of civil order. Friends of
your country! Christians! the temporal interests of your fellow
men, their immortal welfare demand that you exert your efforts
to disseminate among them the knowledge of God's revealed will.
And next to the Bible, which contains this revealed will, those
who have established this Society have been accustomed to revere
the Book of Common Prayer. This book, containing much of
the pious sentiment and language which animated primitive mar-
tyrs, and in which they poured forth to their God and Saviour,
their prayers and praises, was compiled by the care and labour of
the Fathers of the Reformation in the Church of England. Uni-
versally admired for its simplicity and its pathos, it is acknowl-
edged even by many who reject it, to be an affecting and correct
display of evangelical doctrine, and to breathe the pure emotions
of the devout soul. What better method then can be adopted to
disseminate the truths of the Bible, than by dispersing a book
i. Locke.
24 Address. [1809
which, exhibiting these truths in the affecting language of devo-
tion, impresses them on the heart as well as on the understand-
ing?
Is this book in the hands of all who value it? The contrary is
the fact. The clergy in the city are often applied to by their poor
parishioners, for a Book of Common Prayer. Many also prize it,
and would improve it as a gift, who will not go to the expense of
purchasing it. These remarks are obviously more applicable to
parishes in the country, particularly to those which are forming
in new settlements. From these quarters the calls are frequent
for this admirable summary of evangelical truth.
The importance and duty of advancing Christian knowledge,
by the dissemination of Bibles, Common Prayer Books, and relig-
ious tracts, have been long confessed among Christians generally,
and particularly in Great Britain. There, large sums of money
are annually expended in promoting these objects. In a new
country, it is of immense consequence, even in a civil point of
view, that religious and moral principle should keep pace with
the increase of population and wealth. In regard to the eternal
interests of man, the importance of this truth rises above all cal-
culation.
Christians ! your .sympathy is often awakened for the bodies of
men. Have compassion on their souls. Minister to their spiritual
health. Provide for their eternal welfare. At the last day an
inquiry will be instituted, Have ye fed the hungry? Have ye
clothed the naked? Remember! a more important inquiry will
be, Have ye fed the hungry with the bread of life? Have ye
clothed the naked with the garments of salvation ?
The earnest prayer is offered to him who holds in his hands the
hearts of all men, that he would dispose Christians to aid an insti-
tution, humbly devoted to his glory, with the means of perma-
nently and extensively diffusing the knowledge of his word. 1
I. Vol. VI., No. 2, p. 154 et seq.
CHAPTER II.
CONTENTS.
The Intellectual Activity of the Eighteenth Century A Century Re-
markable for the Great Foundations it Laid Danger of French and
German Rationalism Necessity of Grounding the Children of the Church
in Her Distinctive Principles Controversy over the Foundation of the
Bible Society Arouses the S. P. G. and S. P. C. K. to more Vigorous
Action Foundation of the National Society for Promoting the Education
of the Poor in the Principles of the Established Church Throughout England
and Wales Effect of English Religious Activity Immediately Felt in
America Foundation of the Society for the Promotion of Religion and
Learning Liberality of Corporation of Trinity Church The Society
Prints Nelson's Fasts and Festivals and D'Aubeny's Guide to the Church
Circulates Tracts on the Prayer-Book Foundation in Connecticut of
Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge and Learning Organized at
New Haven, October, 1808 First Society in America for Free Distribution
of the Prayer-Book Letters from John H. Jacocks to Bishop Hobart
Constitution and Bye Laws of the Bible Society Established at Philadelphia
First Board of Managers First Address Its Success Donation to
It from the British and Foreign Bible Society Meeting of Board of
Managers of the B. & C. P. B. Society in New York, May 31, 1809 Issues
An Appeal Meeting of February 14, 1810 Sermon by Bishop Moore.
TERRIBLE as were the moral and social conditions in
England at the opening of the eighteenth century, it
must not be forgotten that it was a century remark-
able for great intellectual achievements. It was a
century which saw the foundation, not only of great relig-
ious societies, as we have seen in our last chapter, but of
other institutions, and which witnessed the first beginning of
the wonderful mechanical inventions which so affected social,
economic, and religious conditions of the masses in England and
America during the nineteenth century. Without glancing at
other countries, let us see what England and America achieved
in that century.
The first year of the eighteenth century saw the founding of
Yale College. In 1721 Thomas Guy founded the great hospital
in London which still bears his name. In 1737 the Radcliffeian
25
26 Intellectual Activities. [1760
Medical Library at Oxford was founded. Three years later the
Foundling Hospital was established, and thirty-four years after-
ward the Royal Humane Society was instituted. In 1751 the
Antiquarian Society was founded, and two years after the nation
accepted the bequest of Sir Hans Sloane which was the founda-
tion of the British Museum. In 1762 the American Philosophi-
cal Society was established at Philadelphia. The "Daily
Courant," the first daily newspaper published in England, ap-
peared in 1/09, ten years after the Clarendon Press was founded
at Oxford. In 1744 William Ged invented the stereotype and
printed an edition of Sallust from plates. The first American
Bible was printed in Philadelphia in 1782, and in 1788 the Lon-
don "Times" was founded by John Walters. In the field of
research and invention, the century saw the introduction of the
atmospheric engine by Newcomen, and a silk-throwing machine
by Sir Thomas Lombe containing 26,586 wheels put in motion by
one water wheel; the discovery of the aberration of light by
James Bradley; and of oxygen by Priestly; the granting of a
patent to Jonathan Hulls for the first idea of steam navigation;
the awards by the Government of 20,000 to Harrison for his
chronometer, and of 1,200 to Henry Greathead for his life-boat;
the improvement on Necomen's steam engine by James Watt by
the condensation of steam in a vessel separate from the cylinder ;
the invention of the spinning- Jennie by James Hargreaves; a
telegraph system discovered by Lovell Edgeworth; the improve-
ment on Hargreaves' spinning-Jennie by Arkwright; the inven-
tion of the mule-jennie by Samuel Crompton ; the discoveries .by
Benjamin Franklin ; the composition of water discovered by Cav-
endish; the first use of coal gas for illuminating purposes, and
gas lights actually introduced in London and Westminster by
Boulton and Watt. Herschel discovered Uranus and the ten
satellites of Saturn and completed his great telescope. The cen-
tury did not close before Jenner had introduced vaccination
against the small-pox scourge, nor before John Howard and
Elizabeth Fry had reformed the horrible prisons of England.
Anson, Cook and Vancouver had circumnavigated the world.
Sir Christopher Wren had lived to see St. Paul's Cathedral com-
pleted, Handel had written his oratorios, Reynolds and Kneller
had given us their canvasses, Blackstone his commentaries, Cru-
den his Concordance, Samuel Johnson his great dictionary, and
1800] The Free Bible. 27
a work very dissimilar but fruitful in world-wide results had been
begun and completed by Diderot and D'Alembert, the "Encyclo-
pedic," mentioned here owing to its great influence on English
and American thought. The list cannot be complete without the
mention of such names as Isaac Newton, Edmund Halley, James
Bradley, David Hartley, John Smeaton, William Whiston, John
Woodward, Adam Smith, David Hume, Joseph Butler, Edward
Gibbon, Richard Bentley, Daniel Waterland, Bishop Berkeley,
DeFoe, Addison, Steele, Gibber, Pope, Swift, and Goldsmith.
Marlborough ended his career, and Nelson and Wellington were
on the eve of their crowning victories of Trafalgar and Waterloo.
Wesley and Whitefield had accomplished their life's task. A new
nation had been born, and the death of its Founder closed the
century, passing away on December 14, 1799.
The American Church had won. its Episcopate and was cau-
tiously feeling its way amid a nationality inclined to misjudge it.
The century was one of great beginnings, and it will be seen
from this very brief list of its achievements one of remarkable
intellectual activity. With the dawn of the nineteenth century
came the free Bible. Tt came as a revelation. Men and women
received the gift with a joy which we cannot comprehend in these
days. Convicts and outcasts penned letters expressing their
gratitude in the pathetic words that they were thus "assured that
they were in no wise cast out." The Bible Society we are told,
spent the large sum of 6,588 in distributing the Holy Scriptures
among the prisoners of war captured during the Napoleonic and
American Wars. The Roman Catholic Church was swept into
the current, it had to provide the Bible for its own people. In
1759 the Pope permitted the Bible to be translated into the lan-
guages of the Roman Catholic States; and in 1766 the Italian
translation of the Bible was completed.
Mr. Canton, in his interesting story of the Bible Society, says :
"One of the earliest grants of the Society was a thousand
copies of the English New Testament to Roman Catholic Schools
at half the cost price. A bishop not only authorized but recom-
mended the admission of the books; Roman Catholic as well as
Protestant children attended the Sunday Schools opened in vari-
ous places ; and in one chapel, after reading the gospel of the day
from an Irish Testament the priest went on to explain that the
difference between the Roman Catholic Testament and the Eng-
28 French and German Rationalists. [1811
lish and Irish Testaments was the difference between 'four and
two,' and 'two and four' making six. Indeed, in England and
Scotland as well as well as in Ireland there were priests who
availed themselves of the facilities offered by the Society to pro-
vide their schools with the Scriptures; and both on the Conti-
nent and in the United States there were appearances which war-
ranted the hope that the Church of Rome would in some measure
co-operate in the Biblical movement." (Page 29.)
The attitude which Bishop Hobart and Archdeacon Norris,
and that of his friends took, was that the time was especially
propitious for the distribution of the Book of Common Prayer,
and that as Churchmen, they ought, while fully realizing the
value of the free distribution of the Bible by other Societies, to
bend all their energies to the distribution of both books together.
They felt that the Bible and Prayer Book ought to be side by side
in every house. That each book complemented and illustrated
the other. It was malicious to say they wished to curtail the
distribution of free Bibles ; on the contrary, they wanted to make
not one gift, but two gifts.
The influence of the Encyclopedists and of Voltaire was enor-
mous not only in England, but even more so in this country,
where at the close of the War of Independence it was considered
a compliment to their French allies to ape French modes of
thought. In Germany Wilhelm Martin Lebrecht de Wette was
one of the boldest oppugners of the divine element in the Holy
Scriptures in the opening years of the nineteenth century and
rapidly grew into prominence as one of the foremost leaders in
the onslaught against Revelation.
Loyal Churchmen in England speedily saw that the only way
to counteract this destructive influence was to ground the young
in the principles of religion and in the distinctive doctrines of
their Church.
The controversy over the new Bible Society came, therefore,
at the right moment. It had the good effect of arousing to more
vigorous action the Christian Knowledge Society and the vener-
able Propagation Society. It brought together Churchmen in
retired districts for the defence of the national Church from
covert and open attack. A new designation, "Friends of the
Church," was heard, and the agitation was a premonition of
the awakening that was to take place twenty-five years later.
1811] Foundation of the National Society. 29
It also banded together the clergymen and laymen of high char-
acter and large fortune for the purpose of seeing that the children
of England were educated properly. Wednesday, October 16,
1811, a meeting was held at Bow Church under the presidency
of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Charles Manners-Sutton,
at which was formed "A National Society for Promoting the
Education of the Poor in the Principles of the Established Church
throughout England and Wales." For very many years this
Society maintained schools in districts too poor otherwise to edu-
cate their children, in them.
The origin of the National Society is to be attributed to the
meeting of three friends at the house of Joshua Watson. The
resolution to attempt the great work was shared first by only
three counsellors, John Bowles, H. H. Norris and Joshua Watson.
Mr. Norris is well known to American Churchmen as the friend
and confidant of Bishop Hobart. It was a time when much pub-
lic attention had been called to the mode of organizing large
classes of children in schools and using the help of the elder ones
in teaching the younger, introduced by Dr. Andrew Bell and
Joseph Lancaster. Trifling as this improvement may now appear
to those who are familiar with it, the change which it then
effected in the general diffusion of the elements of knowledge
was something previously incalculable, and it is no doubtful mark
of the discernment of this little knot of friends that they saw
immediately how it could be turned to the best purposes.
Joshua Watson was the Treasurer of the National Society
from the date of its foundation ; he watched over its prosperity
and efficiency with unceasing and laborious care from the begin-
ning; and his interest in it survived when after thirty years of
diligent service he resigned the care of its funds to other hands. 1
To understand the religious condition of England at that time
and the influence it had upon benevolent and Church work in
America, a careful study of the pamphlets issued in the discussion
over the Bible Society is essential. 2
The effect of the formation of the English Societies upon
American religious activity was not at once perceptible. The
early years of the century were for the American nation full of
1. Memoir of Joshua Watson. Edited by Edward Churton. pp. 56, 57.
2. See Appendix for this list
30 The New York Society. [1802
political excitement and very many persons in the United States
were then bitterly incensed against England.
It was among Churchmen of New York that the very first
movement was made to aid in the elevation of the young men of
the nation, but particularly of the State of New York, by the
association of prominent clergymen and laymen into a Society
for the Promotion of Religion and Learning. Organized on
August 1 6, 1802, it was soon after duly incorporated. Primarily,
its objects were to aid young men studying for the holy ministry,
to increase the number of candidates, to encourage such students
as "may distinguish themselves by extraordinary attainments,"
"to receive all donations for pious purposes," "superintend the
application of them," and "to provide funds for procuring a The-
ological Library, for the establishment of schools, and of one or
more fellowships in Columbia College."
The original incorporators were: The Rey. Abraham Beach,
D.D., the Rev. John Bowden, D.D., the Rev. John Henry Ho-
bart, the Rev. Cave Jones, the Rev. William Harris, the Rev.
Joseph Pilmore; with John Charlton, M.D., Mr. Peter Kemble,
Mr. Robert Watts, John Onderdonk, M.D., Mr. Frederick De
Peyster, Mr. Richard Harison. Mr. Jacob Le Roy, Mr. Francis
B. Winthrop, Gen. Matthew Clarkson, Mr. Herman Le Roy,
Mr. William Jauncey, Mr. William M. Seton, Mr. Martin Hoff-
man, and Mr. John Jones.
With such a wide scope for its activity and with the provision
made for its support by the liberality of the Corporation of
Trinity Church, the Society began a prosperous career. It soon
found that the need for the books of instruction in Church prin-
ciples was very great, and through the firm of Thomas and John
Swords it provided at least a portion of the cost of printing such
safe and sound treatises as Daubeny's "Guide to the Church,"
Nelson's "Festivals and Fasts," and others which could be widely
circulated. It seems in its early days to have also taken part in
the distribution of the Book of Common Prayer in a small and
convenient form.
The laudable attempt of the New York Society to circulate
tracts upon Church doctrines as well as the book of Common
Prayer, was soon supplemented by the formation by clergymen
and laymen in Connecticut of a society for promoting Christian
Knowledge, which intended to do the same kind of work as its
1808] The Connecticut Society. 31
great English prototype. Organized at New Haven, in October,
1808, it commenced a vigorous and successful career. It has the
distinction of being the first Society in the American Church
which had for its avowed object the free distribution and wide
circulation of the Book of Common Prayer. The Church was
then daily gaining new adherents in Connecticut who needed
instruction in her doctrine and method of worship. Many par-
ishes were inadequately supplied with Prayer Books.
While few particulars of the work of the Society as a volun-
tary aid in the furtherance of the Church's work have survived,
these letters from a zealous member, whose love for the Church
appears in every line, show the kind of literature it wished to
circulate among the thoughtful men of that staid and conserva-
tive State. They also confirm evidence from other sources that
many supporters of the "Standing Order" were inquiring for a
religious faith deeper and broader than the tenets in which they
had been brought up.
New Haven, Dec. 22d, 1808.
REV. DR. HOBART,
Dr. Sir:
The Committee of publication of the Society for the Promo-
tion of Christian Knowledge, after examining the work you put
into my hands upon the Church Service, contemplate its republi-
cation; presuming from the observations made to me that you
will not be displeased with their intention. You will please make
such additions or alterations as you may think proper; and as
soon as convenient forward them to the Committee. You may
possibly believe 1 that the work may be improved by adding a few
remarks on the necessity of forms, and on the inconveniences
arising from extemporary prayers. Will it be necessary to retain
that part which treats which treats 2 of a third or evening service ?
It must be well known to you that an evening service is not
attended in this State. It is believed that you will not consider
this conduct of the Committee as presuming to dictate to Dr.
H ; but rather, as a suggestion, which if regarded, in our opinion,
would enhance its value, by extending its circulation in our State.
1. Erased in original.
2. So in the original.
32 Letters from Rev. J. H. Jacocks. [1809
They would just state that your Magazine is viewed by them, as
entitled to their warmest approbation, and that it shall receive
their utmost support.
On behalf of the Committee,
Yours very respectfully,
JOHN H. JACOCKS.
It is well ascertained that about 150 persons, many of them
wealthy and respectable heads of families, in various parts of this
State, within 2 or 3 months have conformed to the Episcopal
Church. Yrs. J. H. J.
New Haven, February 27,' 1809.
March 6,
REV. DR. HOBART,
Dr. Sir:
I wrote you a few weeks since in behalf of the "Committee
of Publication" requesting you to make some additions to yr
work on forms of prayer, and to leave out that part of it which
treats on a third or evening service. The subject of adding to
the work would not have been suggested, had I not understood
you as saying that was your intention. As to the Evening ser-
vice, the Committee presume you are not anxious to have it
retained. They are very willing to publish it with the exception
just mentioned, should it meet your approbation, without any
additional remarks. Will you be good enough to write us with-
out delay, since we are only awaiting yr answer previous to its
going to the Press? In behalf of the Committee
I am very respectfully yr
obliged servt
JOHN H. JACOCKS.
Since writing you, instead of 150 persons chiefly with families,
then stated as having conformed to the Episcopal Church in this
State, within a few months, it is believed I may be warranted in
assuring you that an addition of 200 have followed their example.
There are also in many other Parishes strong symptoms of disaf-
fection to Galvanism; which when well grounded produces sub-
stantial converts to our Church. The effrontery, sophistry, &
bombast of the meek Dr. Mason, it may be presumed from yr
I. Erased in original.
1809] Letters from Rev. J. H. Jacocks. 33
last Magazine, now occupy yr attention. His comments on Jer-
ome's account of Episcopacy, this analogical argument drawn
from a supposed enquiry at a future period, what was the form
of government, which the U. S. commenced, furnish full evidence
of his ability to sophisticate & misrepresent. But why do we
talk of the writings or sentiments of the Fathers of the Episcopal
Church, since the unassuming Doctor has absolutely demonstrated
that the Episcopal claims cannot be supported from the testimony
of Scripture ! ! The humility, teachableness & self abasement of a
rigid Calvanist are faithfully displayed in almost every page of
his work. How delighted must be his readers with his puns and
pure zvit! For instance, "Thus endeth the first lesson Thus
endeth the second lesson So much for the Bishop Now let us
hear the Priest " Oh, how fine!! Not having his Magazine
before me I may not have his words in exact order; but I have
done him no injustice The Christians Magazine is read by
many of our Presbyterian Clergy, because it abounds with bitter
invective against the Episcopal Church ; but by many of the best
men of their Communion, for its unabated rancor & total deser-
tion of the Christians temper it is severely reprobated. I am
happy to see yr determination not to pursue him in the Church-
man's Magazine. You can fill it with much more popular & im-
portant matter; altho the prominent subject I am sensible is of
the utmost consequence. Controversy with such an opponent is
liable to degenerate 'into personal altercation.
It has occurred to me that our publication of the proposed
work may be displeasing to Mr. Mesier & in consequence to your-
self. Should this be the case it is not my wish to publish it.
With respect yr sert
JOHN H.
It is a curious fact that the influence of the formation of the
great Bible Society in England was not perceptibly felt even
among those Christian bodies who made Chillingworth's aphor-
ism, "The Bible and the Bible only the religion of Protestants,"
the basis of their practice and profession, for more than four
years. There is a tradition that among the Baptists of New
York City there was formed, in December, 1804, a Bible Society
I. Hobart Manuscripts, Archives of the General Convention.
(3)
34 Philadelphia Bible Society. [1808
upon the English model, but there seems to be no definite knowl-
edge of it, and their standard historian, Dr. Armitage, does not
mention it.
The first movement for a Bible Society came from Philadel-
phia. Many of those well known for their religious integrity,
their abundant philanthropy, their social distinction, and national
reputation, held in the fall of 1808 several meetings to devise a
plan for such an institution. Finally on December 12, 1808, a
Constitution and By-Laws were adopted and officers elected.
The venerable Bishop of Pennsylvania accepted the presidency.
On the Board of Managers were Churchmen, Presbyterians,
Lutherans, Moravians and members of other "evangelical
Churches." It was thought by those who formed the Society
that all Christians could work together harmoniously in the dis-
tribution of the Holy Scriptures "without note or comment."
The name adopted was:
THE BIBLE SOCIETY ESTABLISHED AT PHILADELPHIA.
The direction of its affairs was entrusted to a Board of Man-
agers, twenty-four in number, including Churchmen, Presbyter-
ians, Lutherans, Moravians, and members of other Evangelical
Churches.
The first Board elected was : Right Rev. William White, Rev.
Dr. F. H. C. Helmuth, Ashbel Green, Joseph Pilmore. William
Staughton, James Gray, Rev. Archibald Alexander, Thomas
Ware, Philip F. Mayer, Samuel Helfenstein, Joseph Zerline,
Jacob J. Janeway, Dr. Benjamin Rush, Mr. Edward Pennington,
Peter Van Pelt, Robert Ralston, George Krebs, Lawrence Seckel,
William Shuffiebottom, Thomas Allibone, Francis Marker, Fred-
erick Schucker, Thomas Montgomery, Benjamin B. Hopkins.
The preparation of an address setting forth its desires and aims
was among its first acts. The diction is clear and polished and
the argument for such a society logical, and, from the point of
view of the writers, convincing. These extracts give its most
significant passages. In some of its parts the well known style
of Bishop White can be detected.
ADDRESS OF THE BIBLE SOCIETY.
The Bible Society, established at Philadelphia, solicit the seri-
ous attention of the Christian public to a short statement of the
1808] Address of Bible Society. 35
origin and design of their institution, and of the consideration
which they hope for the patronage of the pious and the liberal. It
has been remarked that every good action or effort is valuable,
not only from its inherent excellence and immediate effects, but
because it may draw after it a train of beneficial consequences of
endless extent. We hope this remark will receive some confirma-
tion from the existence of this Society. Its origin is unquestion-
ably to be attributed to the example offered and the efforts made
by "The British and Foreign Bible Society" instituted in London
about five years since. The plan of that Society, now that it is
delineated and carried into effect, is seen to be so important, so
practicable, and productive of so much good, that we hardly know
how to account for the fact, that it was not sooner devised and
executed. The example thus set has already been followed in
several countries of Europe, and we trust will soon be imitated in
various parts of these United States. From the time that it was
known in this City, it attracted the marked attention of several
persons accustomed to take an interest in whatever is calculated
to extend the influence of revealed truth. ( Page 3. )
It was immediately seen that the necessity for such an institu-
tion was the same here as in Europe, and that there was every
reason to believe that if suitable exertions were made it could not
fail of encouragement. The principal difficulty was to concert the
most promising plan for rendering the contemplated charity ex-
tensively useful. Two systems were deliberately considered. One
was to endeavour to form a large Association consisting of mem-
bers selected from all the States in the American Union, to raise
a common fund, and to distribute Bibles in every part of our
Country. The other was to establish a Society on a smaller scale,
in Philadelphia, the attention of which should be principally
directed to the State in which the City belongs, and to those por-
tions of the States of Jersey and Delaware which are contiguous
to Pennsylvania'. The latter system, on mature consideration,
appeared in every view to claim the preference ; and it has accord-
ingly been adopted. A Society for the whole of the United States
seemed liable to almost insuperable objections. (Page 5.)
The design of our Society has been partially explained in
stating the origin. We farther remark more particularly that it
is a fundamental Article of our Constitution that all the copies
of the Bible which we distribute shall be separated from all notes
36 Address of Bible Society. [1808
and commentaries whatsoever, and, except the contents of the
Chapters shall contain nothing but the sacred text. It is there-
fore manifestly a design in which all denominations of Christians,
without exception, may unite. Finally : As the Bibles to be sent
abroad by this institution are purchased and distributed by an
extensive union of Christian denominations, so a blessing on the
use of them will constantly be implored, in a confederacy of
earnest prayer for that end. This is stated not only as an ani-
mating consideration to Christians to lend a portion of their
property to the furtherance of a design on which the smile of
heaven will be thus generally and importunately sought, but to
remind every donor, and every Christian who may read this
address, of another and an important duty, incumbent on him-
self, the duty of preferring his fervent supplications to 'Him from
whom cometh down every good and perfect gift,' that the grace
of his Holy Spirit may accompany the gift of his word. (P. 9.)
It is only by this that our purpose, in the charity we recom-
mend, can at last be fully accomplished. With a zeal then,
more earnest than for any other object, we beseech our fellow
Christians to help us with their prayers; their prayers that the
friends of religion may cheerfully supply us with the means of
widely distributing the Holy Scriptures; that we may be su-
premely influenced in all our doings by a regard to the Divine
Glory and the best interests of mankind; and that every Bible
which shall be given through our instrumentality, may prove to
its possessor the word of everlasting life.
With these requests we commit our address to the candour of
the public; and our undertaking to the protection and patronage
of Almighty God.
Signed on behalf of the Society,
WM. WHITE, President. 1
The Society at once met with popular favour, subscriptions
were liberal, and as the consequence of letters of Mr. Robert
Ralston to the British and Foreign Bible Society detailing the
successive steps of its organization that Society on January 16,
I. An Address of the Bible Society established at Philadelphia to the
Public; to which is subjoined the Constitution of the Society and the
names of the Managers.
1809] Committee Report. 37
1809, made from its funds a donation of two hundred pounds to
the first Bible Society in the United States.
The work done by the managers of the New York Society in
a few weeks is shown in the proceedings of the adjourned meet-
ing.
At a meeting of the Board of Managers of the Bible and
Common Prayer Book Society, held in Trinity Church the 3ist
of May, 1809.
The Right Rev. Bishop Moore, President, the Rev. Mr.
Jones, Rev. Mr. Howe, Rev. Mr. Chapman, Rev. Dr. Smith,
Genl. M. Clarkson, Mr. Henry Rogers, Mr. George Dominic,
Dr. John Onderdonk, Mr. Thomas Harvey, & the Rev. Mr.
Lyell.
A letter was received from the Treasurer stating that he had
received for the Society Five hundred & Seventy dollars.
The report of the Committee appointed to draw up rules and
regulations for the government of the Society was then read and
adopted, viz.
I. There shall immediately, and at every annual meeting of
the Board of Managers, be appointed by the President a
Standing Committee of Three members, who together with
himself & Secretary shall carry on the correspondence of the
Society; make the necessary purchases & distribution of Books,
and aid and counsel the Treasurer from time to time in putting
out at interest the monies coming into the fund of the Society.
II. The President shall call such occasional meetings of the
Board of Managers as may be necessary for the conducting of
the business of the Society, giving the requisite notice by the Sec-
retary, or in case of the absence or death of the President, the
Standing Committee shall be invested with the same power.
III. The Treasurer shall give such security to the Board of
Managers every year, or as often as there is required, as the
Board of Managers may judge sufficient for the faithful dis-
charge of the trust reposed ; and to be reposed in him, and he shall
also, at each meeting of the Board immediately preceeding the
annual meeting of the Society, exhibit his accounts for their in-
spection and approbation.
Resolved, That The Right Rev. Bishop Moore, The Rev. Mr.
Chapman, The Rev. Dr. Beach, The Rev. Dr. Richard C. Moore,
38 Committee Report. [1810
and The Rev. Mr. Bartow of the Clergy, and Mr. Gulian Ludlow,
David B. Ogden Esqr, Dr. John Onderdonk, and Mr. George
Dominic of the Laity be added to the Committee appointed at the
last meeting to solicit donations for the Society.
Pursuant to the first article of the rules and regulations for
the government of the Society, the President appointed The Rev.
Mr. Howe, Dr. John Onderdonk and Mr. Thomas Harvey, a
standing committee until the next annual meeting who together
with himself & Secretary are authorized to carry on the corre-
spondence of the Society, make the necessary purchases & distri-
bution of Books & consult the Treasurer from time to time in
putting out at interest the monies coming into the fund of the
Society.
The Committee appointed to solicit donations for the Society
agreed to meet on Monday the 5th of June at 6 o'C P. M. in
Trinity Chh. of which meeting the Secretary was directed to
notify them.
Adjourned. THO. LYELL, Sec. 1
The members of the Society, and Churchmen throughout the
State, had been so aroused by the address and forcible appeal it
made, that the Society, at its annual meeting in 1810, was able to
present an encouraging report, and from the experiences of a year
devise a better method of distribution.
At a meeting of the Board of Managers of the Bible & Com-
mon Prayer Book Society, held in Trinity Church February the
I4th, 1810.
Present, The Right Rev. Bishop Moore, Pres., The Rev. Mr.
Jones, The Rev. Mr. Harris, The Rev. Dr. Hobart, The Rev. Mr.
Howe, Mr. Gulian Ludlow, Mr. Thomas Harvey, Mr. Henry
Rogers, Dr. John Onderdonk & The Rev. Mr. Lyell.
Whereas it is represented to the Board that the sum of 190
dollars is subscribed to the Society in Books; Resolved, That
the Books, thus subscribed be taken immediately for distribu-
tion, and that the annual contributions be applied to the perma-
nent fund until that amount be made up.
Resolved, That the following rule shall be observed by the
I. Page 5.
1810] Annual Meeting. 39
Committee of distribution, in distributing the Bibles & Common
Prayer Books & religious Tracts, viz, One half of the Bibles,
Common Prayer Books, & religious Tracts to be distributed
equally among the congregations of this Church in the State
Situated without the City of New York ; One fourth to be depos-
ited with the Bishop for distribution in those parts of the State,
which in his opinion may stand most in need of this aid, and the
remaining one fourth to be deposited equally among the members
of the Board of Managers to be distributed as they may think
proper.
Resolved, That the Bishop be requested to transmit several
copies of the address and Constitution of this Society to the
President, or one of the vice presidents of the British & Foreign
Bible Society, respectfully soliciting the aid of the said society to
this institution, and stating that any grant of money would be
faithfully appropriated to the purchase and distribution of Bibles
only.
Adjourned. THO. LYELL, Sec. 1
The Annual Meeting for 1810 was held in Trinity Church,
February 27, 1810. The Minutes read:
After reading the constitution of the Society, and the pro-
ceedings of the different meetings of the Board of Managers,
since its institution. The members present, agreeably to the third
article of the constitution of the Society, proceeded to the election
of Ten Laymen who, together with the Clergy of the Protestant
Episcopal Church in the City of New York, shall compose the
Board of Managers for the ensuing year, when it appeared that
Matthew Clarkson, Henry Rogers, Thomas Harvey, George
Dominic, Jacob Le Roy, William Bayard, John Onderdonk,
David B. Ogden, John Slidell, & Gulian Ludlow, were unani-
mously chosen.
On motion, Resolved, That the first article of the constitution
of the Society be amended and that five dollars annually instead
of two, be required in future of every person to enable him to be
a member : Two thirds of the members present voting in the
affirmative, it was referred, agreeably to the Fifth Article of the
i. Page 7.
40 Sermon by Bishop Moore. [1810
constitution, to the Board of Managers of the Society for a con-
current vote of two thirds of their body. 1
Bishop Moore had been greatly interested in the development
of this new agency. From his sermon preached at this meeting,
in Trinity Church, on behalf of the Society, the necessity for
it is plainly set forth.
In the course of his argument, he says :
If we be disposed to employ our time and our estate for the
relief of our wretched brethren of mankind who are labouring
under bodily disease, or any other temporal evil ; with how much
more readiness ought we to exert every faculty with which
heaven has blessed us, in order to cure the maladies of their souls,
to save them from the wrath to come? If our liberality be ex-
erted in giving bread to the hungry, and clothing to the naked,
how much more effectually shall we yield comfort to the poor, by
putting into their hands the precious Word of God, and teaching
them to rely on those consoling promises, by which they are
encouraged to hope, that the short affliction of a moment may
work out for them a far more exceeding and eternal weight of
glory. Let cruel infidels attempt to wrest out of their hands this
heavenly support; but let kind-hearted believers exhort them to
hold fast a rod and a staff which will sustain them, even when
they are passing through the valley of the shadow of death.
The present times demand extraordinary exertions, in order
to enable the Word of God to run and be glorified, to dissipate
the mists of ignorance and prejudice, and to warm the torpid
hearts of fruitless professors with the flame of vital piety. Infi-
delity, with equal art and industry, is attempting to make inroads
upon the Church of Christ. Be assured, while you are contribut-
ing to the support of truth in opposition to error ; while you are
endeavouring to prevail upon the ignorant to consider all Holy
Scripture as written for our learning, and teaching them to pray,
that "they may in such wise read, learn, and inwardly digest them,
as to be induced to embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope
of everlasting life" ; while you are thus furnishing an antidote to
the poison which the infidel is diffusing round him; you not only
discharge your duty as good Christians, but you act the part of
most useful members of civil society. Anarchy, rapine, murder,
i. Page 9.
1810] Sermon by Bishop Moore. 41
crimes of every sort decry Christianity as useless to mankind;
because, with a stern look and tremendous voice, she denounces
against them the judgments of Almighty God; but peace and
happiness, truth and justice court her influence, and perpetually
hail her as their best friend and surest support.
We, my Brethren, when contemplating our religious advant-
ages, may well adopt the language of the holy Psalmist, "The
lines are fallen unto us in pleasant places ; yea, we have a goodly
heritage." We live in the full enjoyment of all the ordinances of
our religion, while many of our brethren, in the more unculti-
vated parts of our country, are not only deprived of the blessing
of public social worship ; but, it is to be feared, that many families
are destitute even of a Bible, by which alone the rising generation
can be best instructed in the duties which they owe to God and
their neighbour. And are you not disposed to inquire, "What
reward shall I give unto the Lord for all his benefits bestowed
upon me?" While ye are receiving the cup of salvation, and
drinking to the refreshment of our souls, let us express our grati-
tude by extending it to others who are fainting in the thirsty
wilderness where no water is. 1
The resolution to alter the first article of the constitution was
agreed to on the special meeting held on March 3, 1810. (Folio
130
At the meeting of February 28, 1810, it was Resolved, that
the following be added to the Bye-Laws, viz: There shall be a
meeting of the Board of Managers of the Society, on the Wed-
nesday in the week preceeding the annual meeting of the Society,
when the standing Committee shall lay before the Board a state-
ment of their proceedings during the past year.
Whereas a vote of two thirds of the whole number of the
Board of Managers together with a concurrent vote of two thirds
of the members of the Society present at the Annual Meeting is
necessary to alter the Constitution of the Society ; and that num-
ber of the Board of Managers not being present; Resolved that
a special meeting be called for that purpose, to meet in Trinity
Church on Saturday evening, the 3rd of March at 7 o'clock p. M.
I. A Sermon Preached before the Bible and Common Prayer Book
Society of New York, in Trinity Church, February 27, 1810; and published
at the request and for the benefit of the same. By Benjamin Moore, D.D.
42 Various Resolutions. [1810
Resolved, that the first article of the rules and regulations for
the government of the Society be annexed by adding the words
"be appointed by the President" so as to make it read : There shall
be appointed by the President or Chairman a Standing Commit-
tee; whereas
Resolved, that the Sexton of St. John's (Mr. Wenman) be
allowed Twelve Shillings for serving the notices, making the
fires, and attending the Board of Managers of the Society at each
meeting.
Resolved, That a vote of thanks of this Board be returned to
the President (The Right Rev. Bishop Moore) for his sermon
preached before the Society at their annual meeting, and that he
be requested to furnish a copy for publication.
Resolved, That a committee of three members be appointed
to wait on the Bishop to request a copy, and that the Rev. Mr.
Howe, Dr. John Onderdonk and the Rev. Mr. Lyell compose that
Committee.
Pursuant to the third article of the rules and regulations for
the government of the Society, Resolved that the Treasurer be
requested to give to Bishop Moore in trust for the Society, secur-
ity in the form of Five thousand Dollars for the trust reposed in
him.
The President agreeably to the fourth article of the Constitu-
tion of the Society appointed the Rev. Dr. Beach to preach at the
next annual meeting.
CHAPTER III.
CONTENTS.
Dearth of Small Prayer-Books For Distribution Books of I2mo and
24tno Printed in 1810 Letter from Father Nash to Bishop Hobart
Annual Meeting of B. and C. P. B. Society in New York, February 28, 1811
Report of Board of Managers Rules Regulating Proportion of Bibles and
Prayer-Books Passed Meeting of February 25, 1812 Report of Managers
French Edition of the Bible Recommended Repeal of Bye-Laws
Letter from the President of the New Jersey Bible Society Multiplication
of Bible Societies in Cities and Villages Letter from Father Nash to
Bishop Hobart Pastoral by Bishop Hobart on the Need of Teaching the
Distinctive Doctrines of the Church Insists on the Value of Distributing
the Prayer-Book with the Bible Pastoral Arouses Criticism in Many
Quarters Reply to Pastoral by "A Layman" Another Reply by "An
Episcopalian" Letters to Bishop Hobart from Judge Emott and the Rev.
John McVickar Organization of the General Bible and Common Prayer
Book Society of Albany and Vicinity Letter from the Rev. T. Clowes.
BISHOP Moore's earnest words had their effect, sec-
onded as they were by the enthusiasm of Dr. Hobart. In
the midst of anxieties of all kinds, and notwithstanding
the exacting duties of his parish, he gave to the Society
time and anxious thought. The method of distribution was
devised by him, though it was modified as occasion required.
There was at that time a lack of copies of the Prayer Book 1
i. So far as known the only editions of the Prayer Book issued up to
the year 1810, in New York and Brooklyn, are these:
1710. I2mo. N. Y. William Bradford, Printer.
1801. 8vo. Brooklyn, Thomas Kirk, Printer.
1803. i6mo. N. Y., for Wm. Durrell (George Forman, Printer).
1803. 24mo. N. Y., Samuel Campbell.
1803. 641110. N. Y., for T. & J. Swords.
1805. 4to. N. Y., Peter A. Mesier.
1805. i6vo. N. Y., T. & J. Swords.
1806. 8vo. Peter A. Mesier.
1806. I2mo. N. Y., Alexander Ming.
1808. 24mo. N. Y., Campbell & Mitchell.
1810. I2mo. N. Y., T. & J. Swords.
1810. 24tno. N. Y., T. & J. Swords.
Copies are preserved in the Custodian's collection in the Church Missions
House, New York.
43
44 Letter from Father Nash. [1810
suitable for general circulation. They were bulky octavos or
very small twenty-four mos. It was not until 1810, possibly at
Dr. Hobart's suggestion, that a book of convenient size and clear
print was issued, which was admirably adapted for the purpose of
the Society. It was in both twelve and twenty-fourmo form,
and was issued by the old firm of Thomas and John Swords.
A letter from the Rev. Daniel Nash, whose title of "Father of
the Church in Western New York" was justly earned by his
abundant labour and privations in establishing and serving mis-
sions in the southern tier of counties of the State until they ac-
quired strength and permanence, gives an excellent example of
this method of work and the value of the Book of Common
Prayer in such a field.
Rev. and Dear Sir :
The books you was so kind as to send me last year I have dis-
tributed and am happy to inform you that they apparently had a
good effect, as they enabled us to perform the service with more
solemnity. The Book of Common Prayer is the most useful
Book; next to that an old Book entitled "The Poor Man's Help
and the Young Man's Guide." If this could be distributed under
the recommendation of our worthy Bishop (as it undoubtedly
would meet his approbation), it would do much good. Your
Companion to the Altar is used by people of the best information
and highly esteemed by them. If you have books on hand to
send into the country, I request you to send me some.
No people are in more need for vigorous efforts are made to
shake the faith of almost every one. The task before us is un-
bounded. I am truly in want of your friendship in affording me
all the means in your power to disseminate correct principles.
But it is seldom I hear from the City, and know but little respect-
ing the state of the Church. Could information be afforded it
would be highly pleasing to, Rev. and Dear Sir
Your obliged friend,
Exeter, Otsego County, DANIEL NASH.
May 1 2th, 1810.
So earnest and persistent were the exertions of those who man-
aged the new venture of faith, so greatly was the need of Prayer
1811] Report of 1811. 45
Books as well as of Bibles felt by the Missionaries and their
flocks of pioneers in the "Western Country," as the region be-
yond Albany was called, that the funds of the Society grew rap-
idly and the treasurer in his report for 1811 made the very cheer-
ing announcement that the receipts had been $3,405. "This,"
says Dr. McVickar, "was a sum at that day unprecedented for
such purposes." 1
At the meeting of January 9, i8n, it was announced that the
British and Foreign Bible Society had made the Society a grant
of 100 sterling in Bibles. A note of thanks to the English So-
ciety was accordingly passed; and at the same meeting it was
resolved. That the following be added to the Bye-Laws, viz. : "Be-
sides the annual meeting, there shall be stated meetings of the
Board of Managers of this Society, the last Wednesday in May,
August and November, and the First in February in every year,"
of which due notice shall be given by the Secretary. (Folio 16.)
The annual meeting of "the Bible and Common Prayer Book
Society established in the City of New York" was held in Trinity
Church, on Thursday, the 26th February, 1811. The following
Report of the Board of Managers was submitted to the Society.
It was, of course, 'the first object of attention with the Board
to procure funds. For this purpose committees were appointed,
in the different wards, to wait upon the members of the Episcopal
Church residing in the city, and solicit their support. The work
is still but imperfectly executed. Nevertheless, we have reason
to be thankful that so considerable a sum has been procured. The
following report of the treasurer will show the state of the funds :
The Treasurer of the Bible and Common Prayer Book So-
ciety has received, since the commencement of this institution,
the following sums for the use of the Society, viz.
For subscriptions and donations $2,848.50
A collection in Trinity Church, Feb. 27th,
1810 191.84
Dividends of stock in the Eagle Fire
Company 211.50- $3,251.84
I. The Professional Years of John Henry Hobart, D.D., being a sequel to
his Early Years. By John McVickar, D.D. p. 183.
46 Report of 1811. [1811
And has expended in the purchase of
twenty-seven shares in the Eagle
Fire Company, at different times, as
per account rendered $3,056.60
Insurance on 100 sterling worth of
Bibles, sent by the British and For-
eign Bible Society, per do. do 24.70 $3,081.30
The balance remaining in his hand is. ... $170.54
The total amount of subscriptions, donations, and collections
to this date, as far as returns have been received, is as follows :
Subscriptions of two dollars annually $150.
Ditto of five dollars 60.
Ditto for life 1,950.
Donations 1,053.50
Collections in Church 191.84
$3,405.34
Feb. 2Oth, 1811. GULIAN LUDLOW, Treasurer.
Besides this, the sum of 192 dollars has been subscribed in
Common Prayer Books, most of which have been received and
distributed. And the British and Foreign Bible Society, with
their characteristic generosity, have granted us, in Bibles, a dona-
tion of one hundred pounds sterling. The books have not yet
been received, but are expected every day.
By the constitution of the Society, the contributions at the
time of subscribing, and the donations which may at any time be
received, constitute a permanent fund, and are, of course, not
subject to disbursement. The dispensable monies of the Society
consist of the annual contributions, and the interest of the perma-
nent fund. It will be seen, therefore, that the Society could not
be in a situation to purchase and distribute books, until a year
after the commencement of its active operations. This will ac-
count for the fact, that no purchases have yet been actually made.
The managers, however, have voted an appropriation of the
interest which shall have been received upon the permanent fund
on the first of this month, and of the annual contributions of the
past year, to the purchase and distribution of Bibles and Common
Prayer Books in such proportion as the standing committee shall
think proper. As soon as the annual contributions shall be re-
1811] Meeting of December 2, 1811. 47
ceived, the committee will see that the appropriation in question
be carried into immediate effect. 1
Much of the success was due to the marked efficiency of the
Managers.
At the meeting of December 2., 1811, it was on motion,
Resolved, That the rule relative to the distribution of
Bibles, Common Prayer Books & religious Tracts be re-
pealed, & that the following be substituted viz, That one half of
the Bibles, Common Prayer Books & religious Tracts be divided
equally, among the Managers for distribution, and the other half
be deposited with the Bishop for distribution in those parts of the
State which in his opinion may stand most in need of this aid.
Resolved, That the Treasurer be authorized to have the Bibles
granted to this Institution by the British & Foreign Bible Society
bound, and also to settle with Messrs. Swords their account of
the 1 6th of August last against this Society.
Resolved, That the Standing Committee be directed to invest
the disposable money of the Society, which may now be in the
hands of the Treasurer, with whatever he may receive before the
next annual meeting of the Society in the purchase and distribu-
tion of Common Prayer Books.
Resolved, That the Standing Committee be impowered to pur-
chase Common Prayer Books upon credit, if they shall deem it
expedient, to the amount of one hundred dollars to be paid out
of the disposable monies of the Society of the ensuing year.
Resolved, That the Treasurer be directed to pay all accounts
for incidental expenses brought against the Society.
Adjourned. THO. LYELL, Secretary.
Without noisy declamation or frantic appeals the Society grew
into the confidence of Churchmen. It was ready even then in its
infancy, to respond to any calls upon it from any part of the
United States, but was practically confined to the State of New
York, where was the most promising outlook and where Dr.
Hobart after his elevation to the Episcopate had developed a
greater area to be covered by both men and that "silent mission-
ary" the Book of Common Prayer. The annual meetings were
occasions of great interest. These minutes show how the Society
i. The list of Donors and Subscribers to the Society at this time, will be
found in the Appendix.
48 Books for Children. - [1813
aimed to reach all classes of society and to train children in the
way of truth.
At the annual meeting of February 25, 1812, the following
gentlemen were appointed Managers for the ensuing year:
Matthew Clarkson, Thomas Harvey, George Dominick, William
Bayard, David B. Ogden, Henry Rogers, Jacob Le Roy, John
Slidell, John Onderdonk, Gulian Ludlow. 1
At the meeting held in Trinity Church, February 3, 1813
The president informed the Board that arrangements were
making to provide seats in the different Episcopal Churches in
this City for the Children in the New York Free School, who
belong to the Episcopal Church, and urged the propriety of the
said Chidren being provided with Prayer Books from those in
the hands of the managers of this Society,
Whereupon, on motion,
Resolved, That a member of this Board be appointed to make
arrangements with those who have the superintendence of said
Children, for the preservation and proper use of the Prayer Books
which may be given them : and also to apply to the members of
this Board, for the Prayer Books which they may have to be thus
disposed of.
The Rev. Mr. Onderdonk was accordingly appointed.
However, at the next meeting, that of February 24, the Rev.
Mr. Onderdonk stated to the Board that he was proceeding in
the business for which he had been appointed at the last meeting,
when he was informed that the Corporation of Trinity Church
had granted a sufficient supply of Prayer Books for the purpose
contemplated. It was thereupon
Resolved, That this donation from Trinity Church renders
unnecessary any provision from the members of this Board.
(Folio 35.)
At the annual meeting, March 2, 1813, the following gentle-
men were appointed Managers for the ensuing year: Matthew
Clarkson. Gulian Ludlow, George Dominick, John Slidell, Henry
Rogers, Robert Troup, T. Harvey, David B. Ogden, Jacob Le
Roy, John Onderdonk. (Folio 36.)
At the meeting of November 24, 1813, a letter was received
I. Folio 27. Mr. George Dominick's name is spelled in the minutes some-
times "Dominic" and at other times "Dominick."
1814] Bye Laws. 49
from the Bible Society of New York on the subject of a French
edition of the Bible, which was read & referred agreeably to the
ist article of the rules and regulations of this Society to the
Standing Committee, to report thereon at the next meeting of the
Board.
The next meeting was on February 2, 1814, when the Stand-
ing Committee to whom was referred the letter from the
Bible Society of New York on the subject of a French
edition of the Bible, Reported, That it be recommended to the
Board of Managers to become Subscribers on the part of this
society for TOO Copies of the said edition of the Bible, to be at
the disposal of the Board of Managers.
On motion, Resolved, That the above report of the Standing
Committee be accepted.
On February 23, 1814, it was, on motion.
Resolved, that the 4th & 7th Bye Laws be repealed, and that
the following be substituted in their stead.
Bye Law.
One half of the Bibles, Common prayer books and religious
tracts shall be distributed among the congregation in the Western
District of the State, and among the Missionaries ; and the other
half shall be distributed equally among the congregations in other
parts of the State, except those congregations which may be
otherwise provided with Bibles and Common Prayer Books.
"At the annual meeting of March i, 1814, the following were
elected Managers for the ensuing year: Matthew Clarkson,
Henry Rogers, Gulian Ludlow, Thomas Harvey, David B. Og-
den, Jacob Le Roy, Robert Troup, George Dominic, John Slidell,
John Onderdonk. (Folio 43.)
At the meeting of May 24, 1814, the Secretary presented to
the Board a printed copy of the Semi-annual report of the Bible
Society of Nassau-Hall, adopted at their Semi-annual meeting
April 2nd, 1814. Ordered, that the Secretary be requested to
send, in return, to the Secretary of the Bible Society of Nassau-
Hall the printed copy of the constitution, and first report of the
New York Bible and Common Prayer Book Society. (Folio 44.)
At the same meeting, a doubt having been suggested whether
the letter of acknowledgment formerly requested by this Board
to be sent by the Rt. Rev. Bishop Moore, then President of the
(4)
50 Letters from the Auxiliary. [1816
Society, to the British and Foreign Bible Society, had not been
omitted in consequence of Bishop Moore's indisposition, it was,
Resolved, That if that has been the case, The Rt. Rev. Bishop
Hobart be requested to address a letter to the British and For-
eign Bible Society stating the circumstance, and returning the
thanks of this Society for the donation of Bibles made by that
body.
At the meeting of February i, 1815, a letter was received from
Mr. Boudinot, President of the New Jersey Bible Society, on the
subject of appointing Delegates to constitute a General Associa-
tion of Bible Societies in the United States.
Whereupon, Resolved, that the President be directed to state
to the President of the New Jersey Bible Society, that the design
of this Society embracing the distribution of the Book of Com-
mon Prayer as well as the Bible, it is not expedient to appoint
delegates for the purpose aforesaid. (Folio 46.)
At the annual meeting of February 28, 1815, the managers
elected were : Matthew Clarkson, David B. Ogden, Gulian Lud-
low, Robert Troup, George Dominick, Henry Rogers, Thomas
Harvey, John Slidell, John Onderdonk. (Folio 48.)
At the annual meeting, February 27, 1816, the managers ap-
pointed were : Matthew M. Clarkson, David B. Ogden, Gulian
Ludlow, Robert Troup, George Dominick, Henry Rogers, John
Slidell, John Onderdonk, Isaac Carrow, William Bayard. (Folio
53-)
On April 15, 1816, The President laid before the Board "two
communications from the Auxiliary New York Bible and Com-
mon Prayer Book Society, signed 'Benj. Haight, Corresponding
Secry.' The one bearing date March i8th, 1816 (see papers
on file A) informing of the Organization of that Society,
and of the disposition of its members to cooperate with the parent
Institution in any measure which may require their joint funds
and to preserve a friendly intercourse in their ordinary opera-
tions: The other dated March 21, 1816 (see papers on file B)
gave information of the appointment of a Committee by the Aux-
iliary Society to enquire into the expediency of purchasing a set of
stereotype plates for the Book of Common Prayer, and requested
this Board (if it should think proper) to appoint a Committee on
the same subject.
"Whereupon on Motion of Gen. Clarkson, Resolved unani-
MATTHEW CLARKSON
1814] Letter from Father Nash. 51
mously that the Standing Committee of this Board be requested
to express to the Board of Managers of the Auxiliary New York
Bible and Common Prayer Book Society the great satisfaction
this Board feels on the organization of their Society, its best
wishes for the divine blessing on their exertions, and its willing-
ness to cooperate in any measure which may require the joint
counsel or funds of the two Societies : and also that the Stand-
ing Committee be requested to confer with the Committee of the
Auxiliary Society on the subject of the Stereotype plates." (Folio
55-)
As Bible Societies multiplied both in cities and villages and
reproach was cast upon those who were unwilling to join them as
unevangelical, Bishop Hobart saw that plain words were neces-
sary to explain the stand taken by himself and others. He viewed
with alarm the avowed purpose of many of the Bible Societies to
unite all Protestants in a common cause as an ignoring of essen-
tial differences of doctrine and polity. The effort to inculcate
Church principles in the great mission field of the diocese was
greatly nullified by this so-called spirit of charity and fraternal
comity, as the correspondence of Bishop Hobart at this period
fully shows. In this letter Father Nash unconsciously exhibits
both his own prudence and Bishop Hobart's persistence. This is
evidently one of those letters which urged the Bishop to present
to the Diocese his "Godly admonition and advice."
Exeter, Otsego County, July ist, 1814.
Right Rev. and Dear Sir :
Undoubtedly you will recollect that you urged me last year to
establish a religious Society in the Western District, chiefly for
the purpose of disseminating the Prayer Book. I then judged,
perhaps erroneously, that nothing worthy of notice could be ef-
fected by any such Institution.
I had proposed it to some of the leading members of the
Church, and they had appeared very indifferent whether any
such Society was established. This led me to judge as I did. We
have now an accession of Clergymen who are zealous in the cause
of their Master and of His Church. I have assurance from more
than one of them that they will lend all the assistance in their
power. Some of the laymen think favourably of the plan.
To give it as much weight as possible I wish the Constitution
52 Letter from Father Nash. [1814
may be forwarded by you. All will then be ready to subscribe to
it, and to afford their aid. This Society, altho extensive, will
embrace many similar Societies in the Western District. An
enquiry will then be made in every Church, in every family, and
of all who can read, whether they are furnished with Prayer
Books and whether they unite in reading aloud in public.
An address from you urging them to comply with their duty
in that particular will do much good, thus a wonderful accession
of strength will, in a short time, be obtained to the Church. We
shall look to you, who, ex officio, will be our President, to urge
forward the business. I will go as you direct me. I presume all
will comply with alacrity.
On condition you appoint me to attend the institution of Mr.
Clarke of Geneva, I shall have opportunity of conversing with
most of the clergymen on the subject and the Society will be
formed either then or when they attend the Convention.
Your obliged friend and servant,
DANIEL NASH.
Mr. Nash sent the Bishop this paper :
New Berlin Sherburne
Capt Jabez Beardsley Willard Wilton
Jonathan Habley Attorney at Law
Unadella Hamilton, Madison County.
Abijah H. Beach, Esq Hubbard
Capt Thatcher Attorney at Law, son
of the Rev. Doctor
Curtis Noble Hubbard of New
Isaac Hayes * Haven
3
Richfield Butternuts jg j
John Pringle Jacob Morris Esq u g
Capt John Smith Capt Vine Botsford = S
Capt Amos Palmer ^ I
cd
a
Chenango Point New Lisbon
Mason Whiting Esq Elnathan Noble Esq
Major Martin Noble
Cyrenius Noble
1815] Pastoral Letter. 53
Windsor Cooperstown
Capt Doolittle Isaac Cooper
Titus Thomaston John F. Ernst
Wm. Jarvis Edson 1
From Bishop Hobart's endorsement we know that this list was
sent to him in October, 1814.
The urgency of the clergy and others in the "Western Dis-
trict," as expressed by Mr. Nash and some of the most earnest
and Judicious workers in that field, led the Bishop to consider
the preparation of a pastoral letter explaining his views and giv-
ing his advice to the laymen of the Diocese in a way it could not
be given by the parish priest.
Such a letter had never been issued in the Diocese of New
York.
Some might cavil at the authority with which it came, since Dr.
Hobart was only the Assistant Bishop, and both the retired
Bishop, Dr. Provoost, and the Bishop of the Diocese, Dr. Moore,
were still living. But to him the full charge of the Diocese had
been committed and he felt the weight of responsibility for every
one under his care. He knew that some excellent men, Church-
men of the old-fashioned kind whose sympathies were entirely
protestant, and some who boasted of their breadth and freedom
from narrow prejudice and bigotry, would oppose his godly
counsel and advice. Conscious of his duty, Dr. Hobart did not
hesitate because his ideas were unpopular.
His friend and biographer, Dr. Berrian, says : "The great in-
difference to the distinctive principles of the Church, even among
many of our own people, from an ignorance of their nature and
importance : the false notions of liberality prevailing among those
who were better informed, and the general disapprobation at that
time, among other denominations of a policy which was regarded
as narrow, selfish, and almost intolerant, would have made such
an appeal to the clergy themselves a bold and startling measure.
But confident that he was right, and sure of their general support
when the matter should be duly weighed, he determined to ad-
dress himself to his people at large to whom it was still more new
and strange. He always had a strong reliance on the good sense
i. Hobart MSS. Archives of the General Convention.
54 Pastoral Letter. [1815
of the community, and was persuaded that the just and reason-
able cause when properly supported would prevail over prejudice
and error. In the present instance he was not deceived." 1
Dr. McVickar, also a pupil and friend, says : "Though well
aware how hostile at first sight the measure would appear to all
other denominations, how easily it might be perverted to party
purposes within the Church, and the outcry of 'bigotry' be raised
against both it and him, though well aware, too, that it was a
question in which he stood in the minority, perhaps a small one,
certainly with the laity of his Church, and most probably even
with his clergy, still he faltered not." 2
In the Spring of 1815 the Bishop issued his long expected Pas-
toral Letter.
So completely did the Letter set forth the principles upon which
he had consistently acted, so careful was he of the honour and
welfare of the Church, and so full is it of truth, as necessary now
as when first written, that it is almost fully incorporated into this
History. Bishop Hobart's words and opinions are known to
very few in this generation but they deserve both recognition
and remembrance.
A PASTORAL LETTER.
Brethren,
By a Canon of our Church it is deemed proper that her Bish-
ops should from time to time address Pastoral Letters to the
People of their respective diocesses, on such subjects as may ap-
pear interesting and useful. The General Pastoral Letter from
the House of Bishops at every General Convention seems in some
degree to supersede the necessity of these particular addresses.
There may be cases, however, in which addresses of this nature
will be expedient and necessary. The present address is occa-
sioned by the request of some of the clergy in the western part
of the State. They propose forming a Society the principal
object of which shall be the gratuitous distribution of the Bible
and Book of Common Prayer, and they are solicitous that their
1. The Posthumous Works of Bishop Hobart. With a Memoir of his
Life, by the Rev. William Berrian, D.D. Vol. I., p. 162.
2. Early Life and Professional Years of Bishop Hobart. By John
McVickar, D.D. p. 373.
1815] Pastoral Letter. 55
pious and benevolent design should be explained and enforced by
the Bishop of the diocese in a Pastoral Address.
I comply with this request the more readily, from a wish to
call the attention of Church people generally to the importance
of establishing Bible and Common Prayer Book Societies, and of
aiding these institutions by their contributions.
The present age is distinguished by the unparalleled .efforts
which are made for the distribution of the Word of God. The
Bible alone contains that knowledge which is able to make us
wise unto salvation, it reveals that mercy which extends pardon
to the guilty, it confers that grace which is the source of holiness
and virtue, and it confirms all the deductions of reason, and all
the desires of nature concerning the state beyond the grave, by
ensuring to us, on the promise of God himself, through his Son,
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the hope of everlasting bliss.
The sacred volume thus provides for "the life which is to come."
It secures, also, the individual and general happiness of man in
the life "which now is," controlling by its divine influence those
passions which are the foes of man's peace; adorning him with
those virtues which render his social relations beneficial and inter-
esting, and a source of enjoyment to him ; and, both in its injunc-
tions and its sanctions, furnishing the civil government with
means of commanding obedience, which no human authority, and
no temporal sanctions can supply. In the distribution of the
Bible then, the Christian is engaged in promoting the eternal sal-
vation of his fellow men; and the patriot and philanthropist in
advancing the best interests of his country and the world.
The members of the Protestant Episcopal Church who consti-
tuted the Bible and Common Prayer Book Society, were deeply
impressed with the duty which seemed to call forth all the ener-
gies of the Christian world, of diffusing the knowledge of God's
revealed will by the gratuitous distribution of the sacred volume
which contains it. They were, however, naturally led, at the
same time, to consider that the Book of Common Prayer contains
the purest exhibition of that evangelical truth which the Bible
reveals, and therefore resolved to devote their exertions to the
distribution of this invaluable summary of divine truth and for-
mulary of devotion in conjunction with that sacred volume whose
contents it faithfully exhibits and whose spirit it has imbibed.
Accordingly a Bible and Common Prayer Book Society was
56 Pastoral Letter. [1815
instituted in the City of New-York, in the year 1809, and soon
after a similar institution was established in the City of Albany.
It is perceived with pleasure that efforts are making for forming
a Bible and Common Prayer Book Society in the western part of
this State, and the earnest wish is cherished that societies of the
same nature may be instituted in other places. It will be proper
therefore to display the various considerations which justify and
enforce the distribution of the Book of Common Prayer as well
as the Bible by the same Societies.
The first consideration which enforces the propriety of the
measure, is that among Episcopalians there is a greater want of
the Book of Common Prayer than of the Bible. Few families
belonging to the Church are destitute of a Bible; a single Bible
may answer for a family, but in order to enable all its members
to unite in public worship several Common Prayer Books must be
provided.
In every place where there is an Episcopal congregation there
may be some persons desirous of becoming acquainted with the
principles and worship of the Church, and perhaps disposed to
attach themselves to it, who are yet unwilling or unable to pur-
chase a Prayer Book. Even where the head of a family of this
description furnishes himself with a Prayer Book he may not
have it in his power to purchase one for every member of hjs
household.
These remarks apply with peculiar force to congregations re-
cently formed and to new settlements. In such situations there
are numbers destitute of Prayer Books, and destitute also of the
means of procuring them. A missionary will labour under the
greatest disadvantages in forming new congregations and in
augmenting and establishing those already formed, unless he is
furnished with Prayer Books for distribution. The argument
therefore for the gratuitous circulation of the Bible founded on
the fact that numbers are destitute of this sacred volume or unable
to procure a copy of it, applies with even greater force to the
Book of Common Prayer.
The distribution of this book, and also of the Bible, as joint
objects of the same Society, appears proper, because the connec-
tion is a natural and judicious one.
Both these volumes exhibit divine truth, the one as the founda-
tion, the other as the pure stream issuing from it ; the one as the
1815] Pastoral Letter. 57
divinely constituted standard, the other as the model approaching
the nearest to it, of any human talents have framed; the one as
the original code which contains the various commands of the
Most High, and which alone as the law and testimony speaks
with supreme authority; the other as the invaluable digest, in
which the truths and precepts of the sacred volume are arranged
in lucid order, set forth with the most perspicuous simplicity, em-
bellished with all the graces of diction, and animated by the
purest and most sublime fervours of devotion. It would be
absurd, and indeed impious, to exalt the human compendium
above the inspired original, but as Churchmen we deem it unnat-
ural and injudicious to separate what are thus closely allied. We
wish to send them forth in their natural and interesting union,
by the blessing of Heaven to enlighten and to save the world.
The propriety of connecting the distribution of the Book of
Common Prayer with the Bible as joint objects of the same So-
ciety derives great force also from the consideration that in dis-
tributing the former ^ve circulate in a conspicuous and interesting
manner large portions, and those the most important, of the
sacred word.
We present the Bible at large, and with the Bible, in the Book
of Common Prayer, an abstract of it, comprising, in the words of
inspiration, a succinct but complete summary of the plan of re-
demption; of the character, the history and the offices of its
Divine Author; of its principles, its duties, and its hopes many
of these the Psalter displays in the affecting strains of penitence,
supplication, and praise. They are all fully exhibited in the
Epistles and Gospels contained in the Book of Common Prayer.
These, while they lead us from the contemplation of the first
Advent of the Son of God, in great humility, contrasted with his
second Advent, in great glory, through the successive stages of
his life, of his passion, and his resurrection, to the final contem-
plation of his work, by his Ascension, as our Intercessor and
Ruler, to the right hand of the Most High, display also his
divine power in the gifts and graces of the Holy Comforter, the
incomprehensible glory of the eternal Trinity, and all the princi-
ples, duties and privileges of that great salvation which Jesus
Christ proclaimed.
Many important passages of Scripture, establishing faith, or
58 Pastoral Letter. [1815
enforcing obedience, are scattered through the various offices in
the Book of Common Prayer. The authority, the nature, and
the privileges of the sacrament of Baptism are set forth in scrip-
tural language in the forms of administering that holy sacrament,
and while the order for the Holy Communion proclaims the moral
law in the words of God himself, delivered on the Mount Sinai,
it addresses, from the hill of Zion, his penitent transgressor of
that law, in the soothing language of the Saviour "God so
loved the world as to give his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish but should have everlasting
life."
In distributing the Book of Common Prayer, then we circulate
the most interesting and valuable passages of Scripture lucidly
and appositely arranged, so as to present not a perverted view of
divine truth, but in simplicity and force the fundamental princi-
ples and privileges of the great Charter of our salvation, and the
character and benign offices of its divine Author. It is not haz-
arding too much to assert that he who will read the portions of
sacred writ contained in the Book of Common Prayer, and in the
offices usually connected with it will ' become acquainted with
every part of Scripture arranged in perspicuous and impressive
order, which can be necessary to form his faith, to regulate his
obedience, to inspire his hopes, and to guide his devotions. We
distribute them, the Holy Scriptures in a manner best calculated
to diffuse a knowledge of their sacred contents, when we distri-
bute the Book of Common Prayer.
This will more fully appear from the further consideration,
which renders this book a suitable companion for the Bible, that
the Evangelical truths of Scripture are set forth in this book with
clearness, fidelity, and force.
I speak now of those truths which are considered funda-
mental. the corruption and guilt of man, the divinity, the
atonement, and the intercession of Jesus Christ, and salvation
through a lively faith in him, and through the sanctifying power
of the Holy Ghost. To quote all the passages which set forth
these doctrines would be to transcribe the Liturgy. They consti-
tute the spirit that gives life to every page, that glows in every
expression of this inestimable volume ; they are set forth, not in a
form addressed to the understanding, but in that fervent language
1815] Pastoral Letter. 59
of devotion which reaches and sways the heart. Its opponents
yield to it the praise of evangelical correctness. They think they
bring the most decisive evidence of the want of evangelical fidelity
in the preaching of the Ministers of the Church, when they assert
it contradicts the Articles and Liturgy ; that the pulpit is at vari-
ance with the desk. It is a singular glory of our Liturgy, that it
is the only formulary which all Protestants acknowledge as a
correct exhibition of evangelical doctrine. What greater service,
then, can we render to a benighted and ruined world, than to
circulate, in conjunction with the Bible, this admirable summary
of its renovating truths? *****
But what are the objects of Bible Societies? The general ob-
ject the distribution of religious truth the particular object the
distribution of the Bible. In Bible and Common Prayer Book
Societies Episcopalians make provision for the distribution of the
Bible, and thus discharge this part of their duty ; and by provid-
ing also for the distribution of the Prayer Book, they fulfil the
general duty of diffusing truth more effectually than by the cir-
culation of the Bible alone. What particular reason, then, can be
urged for their relinquishing the most effectual mode of diffusing
religious truth, in order to unite in Bible Societies with other de-
nominations of Christians? Is this measure necessary to accom-
plish their pious and benevolent designs ? By no means.
Numbers, individual wealth, and a liberality worthy of praise
and of imitation, render our aid unnecessary. Is the union of
Episcopalians in Bible Societies with other denominations desir-
able and proper, because the only differences between them and
us are on subordinate and non-essential points? Let me entreat
your candour, my Brethren, while I point out the fallacy and
danger which lurks under this specious profession of liberality.
There are differences, there will be until it shall please the great
Head of the Church to lead all his people to glorify him with one
heart and one mouth. That all the differences among Christians
are on points subordinate and non-essential, is an unfounded
assertion. It is not demanded by Christian charity, for this very
reason, because it is unfounded. Christian charity can never
demand a sacrifice of the truth. It can never be inconsistent with
Christian charity to obey inspired injunctions ; and to "hold fast
the form of sound words" ; to contend earnestly for the faith once
delivered to the saints; to keep the unity of the spirit; and to
60 Pastoral Letter. [1815
abide in the fellowship of the apostles ; by submitting to that min-
istry, which in pursuance of the power committed to them by
their divine Master, they are constituted in the Church. What
that form of sound words, that faith, that fellowship are Chris-
tian communities must determine for themselves. But this deter-
mination being made each member of that community is bound
as well by the principles of social order as by the sacred claims
of truth, not merely to act in conformity to this determination,
but to justify and advocate it, until, he is convinced after full and
honest inquiry that it is erroneous.
Christian charity is violated not by contending for what each
individual deems the truth, but by conducting the contest under
the influence of an improper spirit. In this alone consists that
bigotry with which the advocate of controverted opinions is gen-
erally branded, however mild and catholic his spirit, and decorous
and liberal his manner.
To apply these remarks to the case of Episcopalians. They
are distinguished from other denominations, among other things
by three orders in the ministry, Bishops, Priests and Deacons,
which they declare have been since the apostles' times ; and by a
Liturgy, or form of prayer, which they think, is sanctioned by
apostolic and primitive usage ; and as to its materials, is in great
part of primitive origin, and of unequalled excellence. Is it not
a dictate of prudence, to decline associations which may insensi-
bly weaken his attachment to these principles, and in which he
may be compelled either to act inconsistently with them, or to
engage in unpleasant collision with those who think differently
from himself? It is certainly correct as a general remark that
Christian truth and Christian harmony are best preserved when
Christians of different religious communions endeavour to ad-
vance the interests of religion in their own way.
I am aware that the British and Foreign Bible Society, whose
stupendous efforts have astonished and called forth the homage
of the world, is established on a comprehensive plan, and includes
in its bosom, all denominations of Christians. But there may be
particular reasons which render such a measure expedient in that
country; and it would be easy to point out many circumstances
which exempt the Episcopal interest there from inconveniences
and dangers to which it would be here subject by the comprehen-
sive plan. Yet so impressed were the members of the British and
1815] Pastoral Letter. 61
Foreign Bible Society with the danger to which they would be
exposed, either of committing their principles or of violating
Christian harmony that they have taken the precaution of exclud-
ing entirely all religious exercises from their meetings. And it
is a remarkable fact, that at the numerous auxiliary Societies
there is no praying or preaching on any occasion. This precau-
tion was doubtless designed to prevent the danger of those col-
lisions which might arise from the variety of religious opinions
and modes of worship.
But preaching and praying enter into the plans, it is believed,
of all Bible Societies in this country. They seem to be constituted
not solely for the purpose of distributing Bibles but with the view
of uniting the various denominations.
In all associations of men professing different principles the
most numerous will silently, gradually, but effectually bear sway
and perhaps eventually absorb the smaller divisions, considering
how numerous, respectable and powerful the Presbyterian de-
nomination is in this country, and considering the general divi-
sion between those who receive Episcopacy and those who are
opposed to it, between those who adopt a liturgy and those who
reject one, it is not difficult to determine with whom in any asso-
ciation would be the strength and advantage of numbers.
In all these associations the minority will glide insensibly into
the larger mass unless they are constantly on their guard, and
then their safety can be secured only by a tenaciousness which
may incur the stigma of bigotry and interrupt unity and har-
mony. A profession of liberality pervades all such associations
which renders it unfashionable, unpleasant and unkind for the
Episcopalian to doubt the equal excellence of Presbytery and
Episcopacy, of extempore worship and a Liturgy.
When Episcopalians are brought into this state of liberal indif-
ference, if they are not prepared to renounce their principles, they
are at least deterred from laying peculiar stress upon them, and
from advocating and enforcing them. The power of habit is
wonderful, and the progress is not difficult or uncommon from
indifference to neglect, and even to dislike. *******
Fidelity to our principles, and an earnest desire to preserve
Christian harmony, seem to justify us in the separate manage-
ment of our religious concerns. The important points of differ-
ence among Christians should never interrupt the harmony of
62 Pastoral Letter. [1815
social and domestic intercourse, nor check the exercise of Chris-
tian benevolence.
We should always be ready to do homage to the talents and
piety of individuals of all denominations and to the zeal with
which their efforts are consecrated to the Master's glory and the
diffusion of sacred truth. We wish to emulate them in this holy
work, we wish to rise to efforts of equal power and effect, we
wish to be co-workers with them in the extensive field of Gospel
benevolence. We only desire to be permitted without the imputa-
tion of bigotry to proceed according to our own principles and
views, perfectly persuaded that differing as it is our misfortune
to do, with other denominations on many points of doctrine,
Church order, and public worship, this separation of our efforts
is the best mode of preserving our principles, and indeed of secur-
ing Christian harmony and charity. *********
Where is the Churchman who can be indifferent to the exten-
sion of his Church, who can refuse to contribute to the diffusion
of that pure system of doctrine and worship contained in the
Book of Common Prayer? Where is the Christian who has
found in the Bible the words of truth and consolation, who is not
animated with the desire to open to all men this divine fountain
of life? What is the crime of withholding relief from the perish-
ing body! What must be the crime of withholding salvation
from the perishing soul !
My brethren, let not this crime rest on your consciences ! En-
joying as you do the institutions of your Church, a system of
divine truth, pure and evangelical, and means of grace apostolic
and primitive, let not others less favoured excel you in efforts of
liberality and zeal. You are equal to them in individual wealth,
let them not go before you in the career of pious beneficences.
There must be an account given of your privileges; and re-
member, of those to whom much is given much will be required.
New-York, April 3rd, 1815. JOHN HENRY HoBART. 1
The Bishop received the cordial approval of thoughtful
I. A Pastoral Letter to the Laity of the Protestant Episcopal Church in
New York, on the subject of Bible and Common Prayer Book Societies. By
John Henry Hobart, D.D., Assistant Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal
Church in the State of New-York.
1815] A Layman's Strictures. 63
Churchmen, and of some not of this Church, both in letters and
personal intercourse.
There was, however, much adverse criticism of the Pastoral in
public and in private. "Charges of ambition, formalism, bigotry,
and persecution were freely poured out against him. That these
were made by men equally sincere with himself, there is no need
to question ; but that in truth they were unfounded, the event, and
the knowledge of his private character may sufficiently show.'' 1
The opposition soon found a champion in "A Layman," who
wrote his "Strictures" with a very caustic pen and in a spirit of
virulent bitterness. He dedicates his pamphlet to the New York
Bible Society and the Auxiliary Bible Society. His criticisms
are preceded by this Introduction :
Brethren,
The Bible Society of Britain first appeared a "radiating point in
the bosom of the ocean" ; it has risen like the sun in meridian
splendour to warm, cheer, and bless the world. The spark en-
kindled in our Western hemisphere, already shines a star of the
first magnitude, and darts its benignant rays to distant shores.
The parent Society formed like the Church of the First born,
whose names are written in Heaven, of Christians of every name,
but bound together by one common ligament of love proclaimed
the message announced by the angelic host, "Glory to God in the
highest; on earth peace, good will towards men." They spread
the news of salvation to the benighted nations, and received in
their own bosoms a rich recompense of reward. Their progress
has been uninterrupted, and they have given to the world a
specimen, and but a specimen, of what Christians when united
are capable of effecting.
You, brethren, are treading in their steps; breathing their
spirit and contributing your exertions to the one great aim, you
become partakers with them in their glory.
As a member of your Society I exult in my privilege; and in
the ardour of affection for the cause, present to you my individual
attempt to resist the spirit of disunion; that spirit assiduously
hatched by the demon of party, and threatening the destruction
of all those kindly and benevolent principles that have hitherto
i. Dr. McVickar's Early and Professional Years, pp. 379, 380.
64 A Layman's Strictures. [1815
marked the character of the Bible Society. I view with awful
apprehensions, the approach of the fiend toward the fair garden
in which Christians, by the sweetest exercise of mutual confidence
and mutual forbearance, have partaken of its pleasant fruits, and
been refreshed with the streams of that river which maketh glad
the city of God. ;
I would raise my warning voice, and call on all who love our
Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, to rally round the standard of his
Word, and hold it up to the nations in its native simplicity, purity
and grace.
"Unadorned, adorned the most."
I would beseech them by all that is dear to the Christian heart,
to repel the first suggestion of a spirit of discord ; it is the spirit
of the pit ; and though it comes in the guise of an angel of light,
should be challenged at the point of a spear. The following
pages are designed to expose the fallacy of those arguments,
which would persuade Christians that their principles are endan-
gered by union ! a sentiment so repugnant to every feeling of the
Christian and every dictrine of the Gospel that it needs some dis-
guise to shroud its deformity. It is hoped that its exposure will
be sufficient to counteract its influence, and that the Bible Society
may long continue the nursery of that fairest grace of the Chris-
tian character CHARITY.
These extracts represent fully and fairly the force of his argu-
ment and the power of his invective :
STRICTURES, ETC.
"Divide and Conquer" is a maxim of universal truth; for as
union of effort produces the most stupendous results, so scattered
exertions, however well meant and however vigorous never can
produce effects disproportioned to their cause, the stream cannot
rise higher than its source. This a first principle, a fundamental
law, felt and acknowledged by men in every age and country,
and hence we find, wherever anything of magnitude is to be
accomplished men have always resorted to the combination of
their powers for its production. In this is seen the vast advant-
age of the social principle of our nature ; and it exhibits, at once,
the wisdom and goodness of God in bidding mankind from the
1815] A Layman's Strictures. 65
very necessity of their being, into one great whole where the
weakness of each member is made the pledge of his attachment
and the support derived from each individual to the common
good creates a mutual dependence resulting in the harmony, the
security and the happiness of all.
It may therefore be held as an axiom that whoever would seek
to disturb this grand economy and interrupt the operation of this
primary law of action, when directed to beneficial purposes is an
enemy of the common good ; and by whatever plausibility of pre-
text his designs may be covered, this single feature is of itself
sufficient to detect the real character of the undertaking when
ambition would trample on the rights of the people, and erect its
standard on the ruins of liberty, its first approaches have uni-
formly been disguised. The inference from all these facts is
plain : that whatever in its own nature has a tendency to prevent
the joint exertions of men engaged in a good cause is to be re-
garded not only with suspicion, but with a determined frown; is
to be met not only by mild response but resolute opposition.
It is with these impressions that I feel constrained from a
conviction of duty to notice the attempts of the right reverend
assistant Bishop of the Episcopal Church in this city, to draw off
from the great body of Christians, engaged in the noble design
of spreading the Scriptures, a large and respectable proportion of
brethren in the Common Salvation, and to martial them under
the banner of a particular sect. I have read with great attention
all he has urged under colour of argument for unanimity, and
zeal for the truth, in behalf of such a separation, and blush even
at the recollection of its imbecility.
Coming from a person so distinguished for talents as this gen-
tleman is allowed to be, it affords a conclusive proof of the bad-
ness of his cause, if indeed such a proof could be necessary. It
matters not how desperate the attempt, advocates may always be
found, whether influenced by local or personal interest, or swayed
by prejudices or misled by erroneous conceptions; and hence it
did not surprise me to find a second champion coming out on the
same side, and echoing the same statements
The first thing that must strike the reader of Dr. Hobart's let-
ter is the caution with which his subject is introduced. He writes
not to expose himself alone to animadversion, for attempting to
draw off a tributary stream from pouring its waters into the
(S)
66 A Layman's Strictures. [1815-
great river of life, whose majestic course he affects so much to
admire; he is aware that such an attempt is most ungracious and
accordingly raises a shield of unknown dimensions against which
the arrows of rebuke and expostulation may strike innoxious, he
is requested by some of his clergy in the western part of the state,
to explain and enforce their pious and benevolent design, in a
pastoral address; he does not indeed issue a papal bull; it goes
for the present by another name, and is modestly styled a compli-
ance with a request to explain and enforce the wishes of some
clergymen of his own denomination, in their co-operation with a
Society, originally set on foot in this city ; thus drawing the circle
in a manner well calculated to give the greatest effect to indi-
vidual influence.
Aware, too, of the weight of objection which would lie against
the proposed plan of separate interest, the prudent pastor prefaces
it with a eulogium on the Scriptures ; showing that the Bible pro-
vides for the life which is to come, and secures the individual and
general happiness of man in this life; and also as the courtier,
who means to deny a request first soothes the feelings by great
civility and ardent professions of friendship; so this high com-
mendation of the Bible is made the passport to still more exalted
strains in favour of the Psalter, which have a direct tendency to
impeach, if not the value of the Scriptures, yet at least the wis-
dom of their distribution unless accompanied by that invaluable
digest, in which its truths are arranged in lucid order, set forth
with the most perspicuous simplicity, embellished with all the
graces of diction and animated by the purest and most sublime
fervours of devotion It is curious to see with what
art he endeavours to involve the arguments for the Prayer Book
with those which properly apply to the Bible alone; the feeble
vine does not more closely twine itself around the majestic oak,
than this frail production of poor worms of the dust is made to
cling to the sacred Word of God, and, while it spreads itself over
the trunk impedes the circulation of the vital current
Can there be any longer a doubt as to the real design of this
"Pastoral Letter"? Is it not manifest that it is prompted by a
narrow jealousy that trembles for the fate of the hierarchy, if its
members are allowed, in this country, the same liberty that they
enjoy on the other side of the Atlantic, of meeting with other
Christians in Bible Societies? by the fear of being absorbed.
********
1815] An Episcopalian's Answer. 67
God forbid that any consideration of policy, however speci-
ously advanced, however cloaked by professions of respect and
attachment, should operate in this our favoured land to divide the
great Christian interest in the prosecution of so exalted a plan
that any jealousy of sect should alienate the minds of Christians
engaged in so august an enterprise; but animated by one spirit,
and pursuing one aim, may their conduct demonstrate to all the
world, that however divided by name, Christians are still one,
brethren of one family, members of one body, heirs of one glory,
and united to one living Head, are only emulous to show forth
the praises of Him who hath called them "out of darkness into
his marvellous light." 1
A much more temperate "answer" was written by "an Episco-
palian," of whom Dr. McVickar says that he was "one, who, if
report rightly indicates the author, was the very last who should
have found fault with an act of unpopular official independence
in another, as being himself one whose whole course has exhibited
the same conscientiousness in judgment, and fearlessness in duty
with him whom he here opposed ; whose motto like that of Bishop
Hobart has ever been 'fiat justitia, ruat coelum/ " z
He thus commences his "Answer," and sets forth the proposi-
tions he attempts to prove :
ANSWERS, ETC.
Right Reverend Sir,
Born and educated in the bosom of the Episcopal Church, 1
am not conscious of any feelings towards her form of govern-
ment, her articles, or her rites, but those of veneration and affec-
tion. Deeply interested in whatever concerns my church, I have
perused your late Pastoral Letter to her members, with all the
attention due to a communication emanating from such a source ;
and regret to say, that the impression made on my mind, was,
that it would tend to lower the character of the church over which
1. Strictures on a Pastoral Letter to the Laity of the Protestant Episcopal
Church, on the subject of Bible and Common Prayer Book Societies. By
John Henry Hobart, D.D., Assistant Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal
Church in the State of New York. By a Layman, pp. 3-5, 7-9, 18, 19.
2. Dr. McVickar's Eearly and Professional Years, p. 379.
68 An Episcopalian's Answer. [1815
you preside, and by contracting the circulation of the Scriptures,
affect, in some degree, the cause of religion itself. While, Sir, I
thus candidly, and I hope not disrespectfully, express this opinion
of your Letter, suffer me to say, that of the sincerity and purity
of the motives which dictated it, I entertain not the slightest
doubt.
There will, as you justly observe, be differences among Chris-
tians, "until it shall please the great Head of the Church to lead
all his people to glorify him with one heart and one mouth" ; and
yor are not now to learn, that on the subject of your Letter there
are many and important differences among Episcopalians them-
selves; and what may seem more extraordinary, even among
their Bishops. I shall not, therefore, I trust be deemed either
presumptuous or disrespectful, in venturing to oppose sentiments
sanctioned by your name, when it is recollected, that these same
sentiments are discountenanced by a large portion of the bishops,
clergy, and members of the Church in England, and by many
eminent clergymen and laymen of the Church in this country.
I will endeavour, in the following letter, to establish these
three positions, viz.
I. That the Prayer-Book was not designed, and is not calcu-
lated, to answer the purpose of a religious tract, to accompany
the Bible in its universal distribution.
II. That in order that Episcopalians may be amply supplied
with a book so necessary for them, Prayer-Book Societies should
appropriate no part of their funds to the purchase of Bibles.
III. That it is the interest and duty of Episcopalians, to unite
with their fellow-christians of all denominations, in spreading the
knowledge of the Word of God. 1
While maintaining the sentiment then prevalent that "it was
the interest and duty of Episcopalians to unite with their fellow
Christians in spreading the knowledge of the Word of God," and
citing the very active work of Dr. Bathurst, Bishop of Norwich,
for the British and Foreign Bible Society, "An Episcopalian"
argues for exclusive societies for the distribution of the Prayer
Book within the Church.
A reply was made to him by "Another Episcopalian," whom
I. An Answer to Bishop Hobart's Pastoral Letter on the subject of
Bible and Common Prayer Book Societies. By An Episcopalian.
1815] Reply by "Another Episcopalian." 69
his biographer identifies with Bishop Ilobart himself. After an
expression of his satisfaction that the writer appreciates and
loves his Prayer Book, he traverses the argument that it should
not be distributed with the Bible by showing that it would be the
readiest way to strengthen and cherish the attachment to the
Church of those already favourably disposed to it. Placed in the
hands of those "who object to our form of government and dis-
approve of our sacraments and rites, this would be one of the
most effectual methods of giving them correct views of our prin-
ciples, disabusing them of their prejudices and subduing their
opposition." 1
The Bishop considers at length the case of the heathen who
may be perplexed with the variety of Christian teaching, who
would find in the Prayer Book "the best key to the proper under-
standing of the Scriptures, improving and confirming the knowl-
edge which the Bible gives of their Saviour, and at the same time
furnishing them with the most affecting invocations to implore
the mercy of that Saviour on their perishing souls." 2
He thus continues : "One invaluable characteristic of our
liturgy, is its admirable fitness, not only for worship, but instruc-
tion. It is not only a guide to devotion but a formulary of faith ;
a correct exhibition of evangelical doctrine, in language gratify-
ing to the taste of the most refined, and level to the capacity of
the most humble, enlightening the understanding and swaying
the affections of the heart. Can a book unrivalled in its simple,
correct and forcible display of the truths contained in the Bible,
be an unfit companion to this sacred volume? The Prayer Book
is the best religious tract that can accompany the Bible." 3
The eulogium of the Bishop of Norwich for his "warm com-
mendations" of the British and Foreign Bible Society draw forth
from the Bishop this criticism :
"Christian liberality extends its charity not to opinions, but to
men ; judging candidly of their motives, their character and con-
duct. Tenacious of what it deems truth, it earnestly endeavours
in the spirit of Christian kindness to reclaim others from error.
But there is a spurious liberality whose tendency is to confound
entirely the boundaries between truth and error.
1. "A Reply," as quoted, Dr. Berrian's "Memoir." Vol. I. p. 171.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
70 Reply by "Another Episcopalian." [1815
"It acts under the influence of the maxim, not less pernicious,
because it allures in the following harmony of numbers :
" 'For modes of faith let gracious zealots fight,
He can't be wrong, whose life is right.'
"Christian unity is a fundamental principle of the Gospel and
schism a deadly sin. But Christian unity is to be obtained not by
a dishonorable concealment or .abandonment of principle, where
there is no real change of opinion, nor even by an union in doc-
trine, could such an union be sincerely effected, of religious sects
who continue to differ in regard to the ministry of the Church.
The Episcopalian believes, in the language of the Church: that
Bishops. Priests and Deacons have been from the Apostles' times ;
that God by his providence and Holy Spirit appointed these
Orders. He knows no Christian unity but in submission to this
ministry. Judging the heart, and still less determining the final
destiny of no individual, he deems it his duty to avoid and dis-
countenance separation from this ministry which he considers the
sin of schism, that sin from which in the Litany of the Church
he prays to be delivered. He declines with mildness and pru-
dence but with decision and firmness, all proffered compromises
and associations which do not recognize these orders of the min-
istry, and which may tend to weaken his attachment to the dis-
tinctive principles of his own Church. He respects the con-
sciences of others. He guards their rights, but he will not sacri-
fice or endanger his own. He defends and enforces these true
principles of Christian unity which characterizes his Church.
"He does his duty and leaves the rest to God in the prayer
and in the belief that the gracious Head of the Church will, in
his own good time, overcome the errors, the prejudices and the
passions of men, to the advancement of Christian fellowship and
peace ; so that at length, the whole of his dispersed sheep shall be
gathered under one Shepherd, Jesus Christ our Lord." 1
With this reply the controversy ended for a time. 2
It was very pleasing to Bishop Hobart that in several of the
1. Dr. Berrian's Memoir, p. 173.
2. The full title of the Bishop's pamphlet is: A Reply to An Answer
to Bishop Hobart's Pastoral Letter on the subject of Bible and Common
Prayer Book Societies: in a Letter addressed to the Author of An Answer,
by Another Episcopalian.
1815] Letter from Judge Emott. 71
counties of the Diocese Societies were now organized. These
letters from Judge Emott of Poughkeepsie and the Rev. John
McVickar, then at Hyde Park, show how the Dutchess County
Society was formed.
Poughkeepsie, June 19, 1815.
My dear Sir,
An intimation of a wish on your part that I should engage in
the formation of a Bible and Common Prayer Book Society for
this county, would have been quite sufficient to have made me
embark with all necessary zeal in the undertaking, and I needed
not therefore the reasoning of the pastoral letter, for which I
however thank you.
It happens that measures have already been taken by Mr. Reed
and Mr. McVickar under your printed letter for an association
and your plan will be carried into effect to the extent of your
wishes. The opposition you have met with and which I fear has
given you some uneasiness has made no impression here by those
to whom it is known. Permit me to remind you that in aid to
the Societies for the distributing the Common Prayer Book,
measures should be adopted to have it printed in cheap form and
in great numbers. The funds of the Societies in the County will
necessarily be small and unless the most is made of them the
benefit to be derived from the Societies will be nothing worth. I
am not myself acquainted with any cheap and good edition of the
book which remains in any considerable number, and I would
suggest the propriety of getting up one or more new editions. If
this is thought advisable my neighbour Mr. Potter who is one of
our vestry may be induced to engage in the undertaking, and if
he does it will be done well, expeditiously and cheaply.
Present my best respects to Mrs. Hobart and believe me to
remain,
With the highest respect,
Yours most faithfully,
JAMES EMOTT. 1
Hyde Park, 5th July, 1815.
Right Revd. & Dear Sir.
I am happy to inform you that we have organized
i. Hobart MSS. General Convention Archives.
72 Letter from T. Clowes. [1815
a Bible & Prayer Book Society on the Principles you mention.
I am this day just returned from attending its first meeting. Our
Church has the honour of giving it its President in Dr. Bard,
whose zeal & liberality for the Church I think deserved the com-
pliment.
The alteration of the constitution of these Societies by making
them Assistant Bible Societies, is a great practical improvement,
it will render them more popular at any rate & satisfy the scruples
of a great man.
The Rector of Saint Peter's, Albany, who was already active
in the General Bible and Common Prayer Book Society of
Albany and Vicinity, which had been organized soon after the
parent Society in New York, now used his energy to promote a
parish society. It was soon after formally organized and re-
mained in active existence until 1830.
Albany, I2th August, 1815.
Gentlemen
With great pleasure I forward you a copy of the Constitution
of our Society; although it is expected that we shall reorganize
this Spring under another constitution, or this somewhat modi-
fied. We have found some difficulty in not having the customary
officers. We shall probably make the lieutenant Governor, Presi-
dent, and some of the clergy Vice Presidents, but put the whole
under the patronage of the Ecclesiastical Authority of the Dio-
cese.
During the last Winter and before, we have obtained a num-
ber of Prayer Books by way of presents from the Booksellers
and others in the City, and have bought several hundred from
Mr. Norman. We shall probably have need to purchase some
this Summer. If we do, I will endeavour to induce the commit-
tee to purchase of you. I am sorry you did not send a greater
number of the Forms of Prayer and Thanksgiving. We have
had five hundred printed in this city.
In great haste, I am, Gentlemen,
Yours truly and sincerely,
Messrs. T. & J. Swords, T. CLOWES.*
I. Hobart MSS. General Convention Archives.
CHAPTER IV.
CONTENTS.
The Rev. Barzillai Bulkley and the Flushing Bible Society His Letter to
Bishop Hobart Effect of the Bishop's Pastoral Formation of the Auxili-
ary New York Bible and Common Prayer Book Society Its Constitution
Annual Meeting of the Parent Society, 1816 Election of Officers Meeting
of the Auxiliary in Trinity Church Address by Bishop Hobart Purchase
of French Bibles Co-operation of the Two New York Prayer Book So-
cieties Stereotype Plates for Prayer Book Proposed Their Manufacture
Discussions as to Advisability of a General Bible Society Memoir on
the Subject by William Jay Meeting of Delegates in New York General
Bible Society Formed Officers Elected Constitution Adopted Address
to the Public Address by Bishop Hobart His Opposition to Church-
men Joining the Bible Society William Jay's Reply to the Bishop's Ad-
dress His Appeal to Christians on Behalf of the American Bible Society
Effect on Churchmen of Bishop Hobart's Address Letters from the
Rev. Dr. James Abercrombie and "J. B. W."
THE Reverend Barzillai Bulkley, who was for many years
the faithful Rector of St. George's Church, Flushing, on
Long Island, describes with a keen sense of the humours of
the situation, the manner in which the Flushing Bible So-
ciety was formed. The difficulties encountered in providing a
basis for the common worship of various Protestant denomina-
tions are undoubtedly typical of those found elsewhere and amply
confirm the opinion of Bishop Hobart that any union for such
work was incongruous.
Flushing, 21 Sept., 1815.
Rt. Rev. and Dr Sir,
I write merely to state to you some circumstances which trans-
pired yesterday at the Court House, relative to the establishment
of a Bible Society. Various denominations met, and at the first
outset some of the Presbyterians proposed prayer; it was ob-
jected to and they did not succeed : but instead they agreed to
have a portion read from the Bible. A Dutch clergyman was
called on. and what was pleasing, he hit upon one of the Psalms
contained in our Liturgy God be merciful unto us and bless us,
&c.
73
74 Auxiliary Society Founded. [1815
When they came to adopt a Constitution, they agreed in an
article to have the meetings of the Society begin and end with a
chapter in the Bible. This is all the religious exercise they are
going to have, and I must say such an arrangement as this I
could not help being pleased with.
After they got through the Constitution I came away, and
what further they have done I do not know : but it is my de-
termination not to have anything to do with its management and
direction I shall only give my mite as an individual merely
upon the principle of its being established upon the basis of the
exclusion of any religious exercises but that of reading the Bible
at the opening and close of the different meetings of the Society,
and of its being an aid to our Bible and Common Prayer Book
Society, as it will supercede the necessity of our purchasing such
a large number of Bibles, and thereby enable us with our funds
to procure a greater number of Prayer Books.
Viewing it in this light, Presbyterians, Quakers, &c., will aid
our Bible and Prayer Book Society, although they may not be
aware of it: we shall put a greater number of Prayer Books
into circulation. 1
The glowing and heartfelt words of the Bishop in his Pas-
toral had upon the young men of the Church an immediate and
lasting effect, and brought about one of the earliest laymen's
movements in the American Church. Some of the young men of
Trinity Parish with several from the other city parishes deter-
mined that they could effectively aid the cause of Prayer Book
distribution, and that their money, energy and business ability,
should be freely given for this purpose.
Among those active in this new enterprise for the Church
were Clement C. Moore, Luther Bradish, Edward R. Jones,
Cornelius R. Duffie, Wm. E. Dunscomb, David A. Clarkson, Dr.
John Watts, Duncan P. Campbell, John H. Hill, Lewis Loutrel,
David Austin, Ferris Pell, Alexis P. Proal, John Anthon, Jona-
than Goodhue, Charles Nichols, Charles Keeler, Robert C. Barfe,
Floyd Smith, Benjamin Haight, William Onderdonk.
Anyone who knows New York will recognize in this list the
names of men who as Churchmen and citizens contributed
I. Hobart MSS. Archives of the General Convention.
1816] Constitution of Auxiliary. 75
largely to the religious and moral life of the city. John Henry
Hill we know less as the pious layman than as that patient mis-
sionary, who in Athens revived the spiritual life of that ancient
seat of civilization and organized the educational system of the
present Kingdom of Greece.
After some preliminary and informal gatherings the meet-
ing for organization was held on January 26, 1816, and this
Constitution adopted :
CONSTITUTION.
Article I.
This Society shall be known and distinguished by the name of
the Auxiliary Nezv-York Bible and Common Prayer Book So-
ciety; and its object shall be to aid the "Bible and Common Prayer
Book Society," established in the City of New York, in the year
of our Lord, 1809, in the distribution of the Bible and Book of
Common Prayer.
Article II.
Every person wishing to become a member of this Society
must be proposed at a meeting of the Board of Managers; if no
objection be offered, he shall be admitted; if objection be made,
he can be admitted only by the vote of two-thirds of the members
present at said meeting of the Board.
No person shall be admitted to the privilege of membership
until he pays the sum of two dollars to the Treasury.
Every member shall also pay the sum of two dollars per
annum, which shall entitle him to one Bible and one Prayer
Book (or to three Prayer Books, at his option) annually. For
every additional sum of one dollar and fifty cents per annum, a
member shall be entitled to an additional Bible and Prayer Book.
The subscriptons shall fall due to the Society, and the Bibles
and Prayer Books to the members, on the day of the annual
meeting of the Society.
No book shall be delivered to any member until his dues be
fully paid. And if such dues be not paid in less than one month
after the annual meeting, the books apportioned to the delinquent
shall be considered as forfeited to the Society. If the dues be
paid, but the books not claimed in less than said month, they
76 Constitution of Auxiliary. [1816
shall (in this case also) be considered as at the disposal of the
Society.
The sum subscribed by any member may be paid annually,
semi-annually, or quarterly, at his option.
Provided, that those members who pay their dues in advance
shall be entitled to their proportion of books at or after the time
of payment within the above limitations.
Females who contribute the same sums as members shall be
considered subscribers, and be entitled to books under the oper-
ation of the above rules.
Article III.
The business of the Society shall be conducted by a Board of
Managers, members of the Protestant Episcopal Church, con-
sisting of a President ; a first, a second, and a third Vice Presi-
dent ; a Corresponding Secretary, a Recording Secretary, a Treas-
urer, an Agent, and eighteen Managers, to be chosen by a plur-
ality of votes of the members present at the annual meeting, to
be held on the Festival of the Conversion of St. Paul, or on the
following day, if that festival fall on Sunday, at such time and
place as the Board may appoint, of which public notice shall be
given.
The Bishop of the Diocess of New- York shall have an hon-
orary seat at all meetings of the Board and Society, and shall
be entitled to one-fifth of the Bibles and Prayer Books at the
disposal of the Society.
Clergymen of the Protestant Episcopal Church, resident in
the City of New- York, who may be members of this Society,
shall be entitled to seats at the Board of Managers as honorary
members.
The Board shall meet on the Wednesday next after their
election, and at such other times (not less than once in two
months) as they may appoint, and seven members shall consti-
tute a quorum : Provided, that one or more attending at the time
and place of a meeting, regularly called, shall be able to adjourn.
The Board shall make all laws necessary for the government
of the Society, and shall cause a statement of the receipts and
expenditures of money, and of their proceedings generally, to
be laid before the Society at the annual meeting. A copy of
this report shall also be transmitted to the Bible and Common
1816] Constitution of Auxiliary. 77
Prayer Book Society of New-York, and another copy to the
Bishop of this Diocese.
All vacancies in this Board, occasioned by the resignation or
otherwise, between the stated meetings of the Society, shall be
supplied by the Board.
Article IV.
The Constitution of this Society shall be unalterable, except
by a vote of two-thirds of the members present at the annual
meeting. 1
In the meantime the parent society went on quietly with its
work, rejoicing that such a helper had been given to it. At the
meeting of the Managers held on February 7, 1816, the sum of
$436.00 was voted to be expended in equal proportions for
Bibles and Prayer Books.
The annual meeting is thus recorded :
February the 27th, 1816.
This being the day appointed by the Constitution for the
annual meeting of the Bible and Common Prayer Book Society,
the meeting was accordingly held in Trinity Church. The
president took the chair. The report of the Board of Managers
for the past year was read.
On motion, Resolved, That the said Report be referred to the
Board of Managers to be disposed of as they may see proper.
The Society then proceeded to the annual election of ten lay-
men to be connected with the clergy of the Protestant Episcopal
Church of this city as managers. The following gentlemen
were chosen, viz: Matthew M. Clarkson, David B. Ogden, Gu-
lian Ludlow, Robert Troup, George Dominick, Henry Rogers,
John Slidell, John Onderdonk, Isaac Carrow, William Bayard.
Adjourned.
The Rev. Thomas Lyell, of Christ Church, who had served
as Secretary from its organization, resigned his position at the
meeting of the Board of Managers on the following day, and
I. From the Manuscript Archives of the Society, where it is entitled:
The Constitution of the Auxiliary New- York Bible and Common Prayer
Book Society. Established in the City of New- York. January 26th, 1816.
78 Bishop Hobart's Address. [1816
the Rev. Benjamin T. Onderdonk, of Trinity Parish, was chosen
in his place.
The practical character of the new Auxiliary was shown in
its immediate circulation of subscription books among the
church people of the city. Solicitors were appointed for the
several wards. They met with a generous and ready response
both in securing annual subscriptions and donations as the
lists 1 taken from the original records show. They will also
serve to show the strength of the Church in the City of New
York ninety-three years ago.
Upon the evening of Friday, March 8, 1816, the Auxiliary
celebrated its organization by a service in Trinity Church, at
which the Bishop preached and a collection was taken up which
added $376.61 to the treasury of the Society.
The address of Dr. Hobart was one of his very best and is
an essential part of the history of the times and of this Society :
ADDRESS, &c.
The circumstances connected with our present meeting are
peculiarly interesting.
We are convened to celebrate the organization of an institu-
tion, which seeks to diffuse that religious truth which destroys
the reign of error and sin; and, while it sheds celestial light on
man's path in this world, conducts him to immortal glory. It
may not be necessary to magnify the importance of any par-
ticular object of benevolence by contrasting it with others. But,
undoubtedly, a peculiar lustre surrounds institutions which pro-
vide for that better life of man, which will endure when all that
here interests him shall be buried in the silence of the grave.
But who are the individuals that, animated by the glow of
sacred benevolence, are engaged in this meritorious work? Not
only the ministers of the sanctuary, who, if they were indifferent
to such designs, would basely desert the cause to which they are
devoted by the most solemn engagements. Not merely the
Fathers in Israel, who, it is to be supposed, could be more easily
induced to withdraw from that world the vanity of which ex-
perience must have taught them, in order to advance plans that
secure for themselves and their fellow mortals, imperishable
I. See Appendix.
1816] Bishop Hobart's Address. 79
treasures and durable enjoyments. Did I see only these engaged
in the hallowed purpose of extending the blessings of the Gospel,
gratifying as would be the scene, it would be only what could be
reasonably expected. But when I look around me, and behold
the younger part of society withdrawing from pursuits to them
so promising, and from pleasures to them so fascinating, in order
to bring their tribute to the altar of the Saviour; when I see
them devoting to the glorious object of diffusing the truths and
blessings of God's word, a zeal, an assiduity, a perseverance that
leave far behind their fathers and their elder brethren, and even
those from whom they have been accustomed to catch the spirit
of religious ardour, my heart is filled with unutterable delight;
and from my soul I bless them for their pious emulation, and
implore on them the blessing of God.
But let not the institution which they have organized with so
much judgment, in which they have engaged with so much zeal
and perseverance, rest for its support solely on the impulses of
feeling. Let us expose its design and its objects to the strictest
scrutiny.
The object of the institution is, the joint distribution of
Bibles and Common Prayer Books. Organized and promoted
principally by young men, in aid of other institutions previously
established, it is styled the Auxiliary Bible and Common Prayer
Book Society. With a view to ascertain the necessity and utility
of this institution, let us consider,
The general effect of institutions having for their object the
distribution of the Bible and Common Prayer on the WORLD AT
LARGE on the CHRISTIAN CHURCH on OUR OWN CHURCH
in particular and on the MEMBERS WHO COMPOSE THESE INSTI-
TUTIONS.
********
In translating, then, and publishing the Liturgy in conjunction
with the Bible, and distributing them throughout the world, we
follow the scriptural plan of evangelizing it. We present to
them God's Word and God's Church. For the Liturgy contains
and recognizes the doctrines of the Church, its ministry, and its
worship. This is not the occasion for proving this point. They,
however, who believe that the Liturgy does present the Christian
Church as to doctrine, ministry, and worship, in its apostolic
and evangelical form, ought to admit the duty, according to the
80 Bishop Hobart's Address. [1816
scriptural plan, of associating it with the Bible in the great work
of evangelizing the world.
This is also the course common sense points out. In pre-
senting to an individual an instrument of great length, of great
variety of matter, written by different persons, in different
styles, at a remote period; would not common sense dictate that
a summary of its contents, sanctioned by the judgment of wise
and learned men through a long course of ages, should also be
presented? Is it in the nature of things possible, or is it the
design of Providence that every man should form his religion
solely from the Bible, without any aid or instruction? Is this a
case in other arts and sciences; and is not Providence uniform
in his operations? Let me not be misunderstood. I do not say
that an individual, by the blessing of God, from the mere perusal
of the Bible, cannot become convinced, on the ground of its in-
ternal excellence, of its divine origin, and acquire a knowledge
of its leading truths. But my position is, that ordinarily it is
not possible, nor is it designed by Providence, that every indi-
vidual, without aid or instruction, should become convinced of
the divine origin of the Scriptures, or form his religion from
the Bible alone. He must have information of various kinds
from others; and particularly he must have a summary of the
truths contained in the sacred volume to aid him in his exami-
nation. Are not Catechisms for the young; more extended for-
mularies of doctrine for those of mature age; confessions and
articles of faith among all Christians, predicated on the principle
that these summaries are judicious and necessary as guides and
auxiliaries in the study of the Bible? Here, again, let me not
be misunderstood. Let it not be supposed that I advocate the
papal tenet of the infallibility of the Church, of the necessity of
implicitly receiving her interpretations of sacred writ. What,
indeed, the great body of Christians in every age, and in all
places; what the universal Church, universal as to its numbers,
to time, to place, has received, may be morally demonstrated,
must be founded in the Word of God. 1 But this is very differ-
ent from admitting the claims of a particular Church; as, for in-
stance, the Church of Rome, to infallibility. *****
I. This position is advanced and maintained in a work of Vincentius
Lirinensis, translated and published in Reeves' Apologies.
1816] Bishop Hobart's Address. 81
Will it be said that the idea of distributing the Book of Com-
mon Prayer among all nations is chimerical ? But what possible
ground is there for such an assertion? May not this book be
translated as well as the Bible? Must not the Heathen, when
converted, have some formulary of faith and devotion? And
what better formulary can be provided for them than the Book
of Common Prayer? It enjoys the singular advantage for the
purposes of universal distribution, that all Protestants acknowl-
edge it to be pure in doctrine, and fervent and pathetic in devo-
tion, however they may object to it as a form, and to some of
its ceremonies and rites.
Do we place this book on an equal footing with the Bible, and
contend for its universal and unchangeable reception? By no
means. We place it next to the Bible as an invaluable digest of its
truths, and exhibition of its institutions and worship. As such,
we recommend its universal use and distribution. We offer it
to the Heathen as a pure and admirable system, which may be
traced, in its most important features, to the primitive times.
But the Churches which may be established among them will
have a right to prescribe their own formularies of faith and
worship; and, of course, they may either adopt our Liturgy in
its present form, or make such alterations in it as their views of
propriety and expediency may dictate. ******
But, my brethren, these fields of benevolence we must neces-
sarily at present leave to others to those parent institutions in
a foreign country, from which flow those perennial streams that
make glad the desolate places of the Christian Church. Such
are the wants of our own country, and of our own Church, that
they far exceed all the resources of benevolence that have
hitherto been brought into operation; and these wants are likely
to increase with the increasing population and settlement of our
country.
Let us proceed, then, to consider the effect of the Bible and
Common Prayer Book associations in reference to OUR OWN
CHURCH AND COUNTRY.
It ought to be our desire and aim that this Church should
spread through every part of this immense continent. What,
then, are the limits of your pious zeal and munificence? To
diffuse merely the religion of the Bible considered in the abstract,
(6)
t
82 Bishop Hobart's Address. [1816
can be the ultimate aim of no denomination of Christians.
They all connect the religion of the Bible with those particular
truths and institutions which they deduce from it. You. my
brethren, I trust, are solicitous for the extension of your Church,
not from views contracted or sectarian: not from the feelings
merely of religious partizans; but from a conviction that its
doctrines and institutions are sanctioned by the sacred volume,
and best calculated to preserve in purity and vigour its divine
truths. You are desirous to spread the Bible, because thence
your Church deduces the doctrines which she dispenses; and
because to this holy book she refers her members as the
standard by which to test her doctrines; and the divine source
from whence must proceed spiritual strength and consolation.
You are disposed to distribute the Bible to all who need it, be-
cause, like charity which you dispense to the sufferer, by what-
ever name he is called, for the relief of his corporeal necessities,
this spiritual beneficence will convey the bread of life and the
waters of salvation, to the hungry and perishing soul.
With respect to the Book of Common Prayer there is a pecu-
liar and urgent call upon you. The distribution of it is essential
to the progress and prosperity of our Church, as well as to the
diffusion of the truths and ordinances of the Gospel, in what we
conceive is their spiritual and most edifying form. * * * *
But the situation of those members of our Church who arc
scattered through the neiv settlements of our country, where
there are no regularly organized Episcopal congregations, is
peculiarly calculated to excite our sympathy and to arouse our
pious zeal. The Episcopal emigrant whose lot is cast in a
spiritual as well as a natural wild finds himself deprived of that
evangelical worship by which, in a more favoured situation, he
kept the unity of the faith, and worshipped the God of his
fathers. You, who value the Liturgy as one of the ties that con-
nect our hearts with God, and your hopes with Heaven, can
judge what must be the feelings of the pious member of our
Church who is in danger of being deprived of this inestimable
service. Yet if the Episcopal emigrant were furnished with
Prayer Books, he could not only enjoy the worship of the
Liturgy in his family, but inducing others to unite in it, would
thus, gradually, lay the foundation for a regularly organized
congregation.
Bishop Hobart's Address. 83
Unless attention is paid to the new settlements, which are
rapidly becoming extremely populous, by sending missionaries
and by furnishing them with a large supply of the Book of
Common Prayer, the few Episcopalians who are now scattered
there, will be compelled to connect themselves with other denom-
inations of Christians; and our Church will be unknown in ex-
tensive districts, which will soon be ranked among the most
important portions of our country. My young friends, here is
a call on your sympathy, and a noble incentive to your pious
zeal. The institution which you are now organizing, and from
which similar institutions, we trust, will soon spring, will be the
means of furnishing the members of our Church who are dis-
persed through the new settlements of our country, with that
spiritual worship which is endeared to you and to them as the
legacy of your Fathers; of Martyrs, and Primitive Saints; who,
doubtless, in some of its sacred hymns, now pour forth their
praises, in the resting place of the just. ******
In this view, gratifying are the hopes which may be indulged
with regard to you, my young friends. With your efforts to
distribute the Bible, we trust, your reverence for it will increase.
While you bestow it to save the soul of a perishing brother, re-
member that you have souls to save to which this sacred volume
must, through divine grace, be the means of salvation. You
present it to him that he may find instruction, light, consolation,
peace in its sacred pages. Do you not need these celestial bless-
ings? And will you not seek for them in the sacred book to
which you direct the attention and hopes of others?
You answer the entreaties of your fellow Episcopalians by
the liberal gratuities of Prayer Books. They ask for this volume
as the best human guide in the way of salvation, the best com-
panion in the sanctuary of God, and the best safeguard against
error in faith, and extravagance in devotion. And while you
join in their commendations of it, and participate in their fervent
affection for it, will you never use it as your guide to salvation,
your safeguard from error, and your companion in the sanctuary
of your God? Yonr benevolence furnishes others with the
means of access to Heaven take heed lest ye fall short of its
glories; and while you contribute to the salvation of others, be-
come castaways yourselves. ********
Go on, then, meritorious young men our wishes, our prayers
84 Bishop Hobart's Address. [1816
shall go with you. THE BIBLE AND THE BOOK OF COMMON
PRAYER. Let this be your cacred motto. 1
The distribution of them, by God's blessing, will be the means
of shedding celestial light on a world dark and ignorant; and of
bringing to the world disconsolate and dreary, the comforts of
Heaven. The distribution of these may be the means of re-
moving from the Christian Church the errors, corruptions, and
divisions that deface and distract her; and of restoring her to
purity, to* order, and peace. Thus also will you be instrumental
in the more immediate good, of diffusing in your own Church
and country, the means of religious knowledge, grace, and sal-
vation; and of saving that country from the curse of irreligion,
profligacy and vice. To these objects devote your time accord-
ing to your ability, devote you wealth. Time and wealth em-
ployed in the cause of God and of the souls of men, will be
returned to you an hundred fold, in the approbation of your
own hearts, and in the blessings of eternity.
Go on your labours shall not be solitary and unpatronized.
Already you have received the liberal countenance of many of
your seniors in station and in years. They must applaud your
pious zeal they must honour it. They will furnish you with
the means of indulging it. I think I see a pledge of this in their
presence on this occasion. I trust that we are all awakening to a
lively and permanent conviction, that we ought not to be outdone
I. It will not follow from this position, that the Bible and Book of Com-
mon Prayer should never be distributed separately. They should be dis-
tributed together, where they are both wanted, and will be received; and in
other cases, separately, as expediency may dictate. Among Episcopalians,
and among those friendly to the Church, and those inquiring concerning its
principles and worship, they can both be distributed. Among the Heathen,
as has been shown in this address, they can also be jointly distributed.
There is great propriety, indeed, in the Heathen being furnished with the
Liturgy as a correct manual of faith and devotion, at the same time they are
provided with a Bible. Among non-Episcopalians, who are opposed to our
Church, or indifferent concerning it, it may not always be prudent or practi-
cable to distribute the Prayer Book; and in such cases the bounty of Bible
and Common Prayer Book Societies must necessarily be confined to the
distribution of the Bible alone. The distribution of the two books as
the object of the same institutions is the principle which is advocated in
this address. The particular cases in which they are to be jointly or separ-
ately distributed, must be left to the exercise of a sound discretion.
1816] Stereotype Plates. 85
by other communities of Christians in pious liberality and zeal.
May I not indulge the hope that 1 shall find an evidence of this
in the accession of members to your most laudable association,
and in the contributions which this evening will be offered to it.
My brethren of the congregation the cause that solicits you
is the cause of God, of his religion, of his holy Church, of the
temporal and eternal felicity of your fellowmen. Is there a
heart that can be unmoved ? Is there a hand that can be closed P 1
Upon April 22, 1816, one hundred French Bibles, the pur-
chase of which had been previously authorized, were reported
to the Board of Managers as having arrived. They were de-
posited with the Bishop to be distributed in his discretion.
The intimate relation which was established between the
parent society and the Auxiliary is shown by these entries upon
the minutes during the spring and summer of 1816.
The President laid before the Board two communications
from the Auxiliary New York Bible and Common Prayer Book
Society, signed Benj. Haight, Corresponding Secretary. The
one bearing date March i8th, 1816 (see papers on file A), in-
forming of the organization of that Society, and of the dis-
position of its members to cooperate with the parent institution
in any measure which may require their joint funds, and to
preserve a friendly intercourse in their ordinary operations; the
other, dated March 2ist, 1816 (see papers on file B), gave in-
formation of the appointment of a committee by the Auxiliary
Society to enquire into the expediency of purchasing a set of
stereotype plates for the Book of Common Prayer, and request-
ed this Board (if it should think proper) to appoint a committee
on the same subject.
Whereupon, on motion of General Clarkson, resolved unani-
mously that the Standing Committee of this Board be requested
to express to the Board of Managers of the Auxiliary New York
Bible and Common Prayer Book Society the great satisfaction
I. Address delivered before the Auxiliary New- York Bible and Common
Prayer Book Society, in Trinity Parish, in the City of New-York, on Friday,
the 8th day of March, A. D. 1816, by John Henry Hobart, D.D., Bishop of
the Protestant Episcopal Church in the State of New- York. Published by
the request of the Society. New-York: Printed by T. and J. Swords, No.
160 Pearl-Street. 1816.
86 Stereotype Plates. [1816
this Board feels on the organization of their Society, its best
wislies for the divine blessing of their exertions, and its willing-
ness to cooperate in any measure which may require the joint
counsel or funds of the two Societies; and also that the Stand-
ing Committee be requested to confer with the Committee of the
Auxiliary Society on the subject of the stereotype plates.
The Board adjourned until Monday next at 12 o'clock.
BENJ'N T. ONDERDONK, Secry.
(Folio 55.)
The President, from the Standing Committee, reported that
that Committee had had a conference with the Committee of the
Auxiliary New York Bible and Common Prayer Book Society
on the subject of purchasing a set of stereotype plates for the
Book of Common Prayer; and such facts in reference to the
superior advantages of stereotype printing had been cited at that
conference, as induced the Committee respectfully recommend
to the Board to aid the Auxiliary Society in the purchase of the
plates in question. The Committee further suggested the pro-
priety of devoting to this object the sum that may be collected
at the preaching of the anniversary sermon for this Society for
the present year.
Whereupon, on motion, resolved unanimously, that this Board
concur in the report of the Standing Committee, and will, in the
way proposed by them, aid the Auxiliary Society in the purchase
of stereotype plates of the Book of Common Prayer. (Folio 57.)
The Society ultimately appropriated the sum of $246.53 for
the proposed stereotype edition of the Book of Common Prayer.
The Auxiliary then devoted its whole attention to the super-
vision of the preparation of stereotype plates which were very
carefully made at the establishment of Daniel and George Bruce,
a firm noted for well finished work.
The plates were of sixteen mo. size, and the type chosen was
of a size sufficiently large to be clear. It was the first attempt
to make a Prayer Book which could be sold at a small price and
yet be of convenient size.
Its title page is : "The Book of Common Prayer, and Adminis-
tration of the Sacraments and other Rites and Ceremonies of
the Church, according to the use of the Protestant Episcopal
1816] General Bible Society. 87
Church in the United States of America: together with the
Psalter or Psalms of David. Stereotyped by D. and G. Bruce,
New-York. From the stereotype press of the Auxiliary New-
York Bible and Common Prayer Book Society. New-York,
1816." 16 mo. pp. 318.
The discussion of the advisability of a general Bible Society,
which should be for the United States what the British and
Foreign Bible Society was for Great Britain, had been long and
animated. Finally delegates were appointed to a convention to
be held in the city of New York with authority to take action
upon it. Mr. William Jay issued, just prior to the meeting in
New York, a pamphlet entitled "A Memoir on the subject of a
General Bible Society for the United States of America. By a
Citizen of the State of New York. New-Jersey Printed in 1816."
This "Memoir" contains a draft of a constitution for the pro-
posed Society and is a forcible appeal on behalf of its necessity.
Forty-seven delegates, duly appointed from the various Bible
Societies in the Atlantic States, eight others not formally
appointed, and four representatives of the Society of Friends,
met in the Consistory Room of the Reformed Dutch Church on
Wednesday, May 8, 1816. Among those sitting in the Conven-
tion were several Churchmen, including the Rev. John P. K. Hen-
shaw of St. Ann's Church, Brooklyn, the Rev. Simon Wilmer,
of Trinity Church, Swedesboro; Hon. Joshua M. Wallace,
Senior Warden of St. Mary's Church, Burlington, New Jersey;
Mr. William Jay, of Bedford, N. Y. ; Mr. Joshua Sands. Senior
Warden of St. Ann's, Brooklyn, and General Swift, of the same
parish.
After an opening prayer by the Rev. Dr. Eliphalet Nott, the
Convention organized for business. The Hon. Joshua M. Wal-
lace was chosen President, and the Rev. Dr. John B. Romeye and
the Rev. Lyman Beecher were elected Secretaries.
After some deliberation it was
"Resolved unanimously. That it is expedient to establish with-
out delay a general Bible Institution for the circulation of the
Holy Scriptures without note or comment."
The Rev. Dr. Nott, Dr. John M. Mason, Mr. Samuel Bayard,
the Rev. Simon Wilmer, the Rev. Lyman Beecher, Mr. Charles
Wright, the Rev. J. H. Rice, the Rev. Dr. Jedediah Morse, Mr.
William Jay and the Rev. Dr. J. Blythe were appointed a com-
88 General Bible Society. [1816
mittee to prepare the plan of a Constitution of the said .Society;
and an address to the public on the nature and objects thereof.
Upon Friday, May 10, the Committee reported "the draft of
a Constitution, which after reading as a whole and in para-
graphs, was adopted unanimously."
The first Article was:
"This Society shall be known by the name of the American
Bible Society, of which the sole object shall be to encourage a
wider circulation of the Holy Scriptures without note or com-
ment."
The Committee also presented a draft of "An Address to the
Publick," which after being "read in the same manner was also
unanimously adopted."
Its opening sentences are :
"Every person of observation has remarked that the times are
pregnant with great events. The political world has undergone
changes stupendous, unexpected, and calculated to inspire
thoughtful men with the most boding anticipations. That there
are in reserve occurrences of deep, of lasting, and of general
import appears to be the common sentiment."
The address shows that under these circumstances the Chris-
tians of the United States should stand together in opposing the
forces which may disintegrate the moral and spiritual weapon of
the Holy Scriptures, and appeals to all Christians to unite in their
circulation, without note or comment, in the current English
version, throughout the country and in heathen lands. It justi-
fies a General Society for this purpose and makes a strong plea
for moral and financial support as Christianity was the main
bulwark of the Republic. Among the thirty-six managers
chosen were such staunch Churchmen as the Hon. Rufus King,
Mr. Joshua Sands, Dr. John Watts and others.
A meeting was held in the City Hall, on Saturday, May u,
when the Hon. Elias Boudinot, of Burlington, New Jersey, was
elected President, and Vice Presidents for each State chosen.
The Hon. John Jay and General Matthew Clarkson repre-
sented, with the Hon. Smith Thompson, the State of New York,
the Rev. Dr. John M. Mason was chosen Secretary for Foreign
Correspondence, and the Rev. Dr. John M. Romeye, Secretary
1816] Address to Episcopalians. 89
for Domestic Correspondence, and Colonel Richard Varick was
elected Treasurer. 1
Bishop Hobart had foreseen that such an organization would
be formed. He knew the eminence, the personal integrity, and
purely benevolent motives of those who were its chief pro-
moters. His biographer says: "Notwithstanding the imposing
array of overwhelming numbers, of rank, talent, and influence,
which that Society presented, he was neither intimidated nor
silenced. The principles which he had before advocated, were
now rendered still more unpopular by this general union in op-
position to them. It not only had the cordial support of all the
other religious denominations, but of some of the respectable
clergymen and influential laymen of our own communion. But
as the love of what he deemed the truth had always prevailed
over his regard for popular favour he was only roused to a
more vigourous defence of it, by the danger to which it was
exposed. No man ever acted upon higher and nobler prin-
ciples." 2
Upon the very day upon which the officers of the American
Bible Society were elected, he sent forth his warning cry and
his godly counsel to the laity of the Church in New York in this
"Address" first printed a periodical of the day. 8
ADDRESS, &c.
My Brethren,
It appears from the public prints of this day that an "Ameri-
can Bible Society" has been organized in this city. Before you
connect yourselves with this institution, permit me, in a sincere
solicitude for the interests of our Church, and for the extention
1. These particulars of the organization of this Society are taken from
its first publication, a pamphlet now rare : Constitution of the American
Bible Society, formed by a Convention of Delegates held in the City of
New York, May, 1816, together with their Address to the People of the
United States ; a Notice of their Proceedings and a list of their Officers.
New York : Printed for the American Bible Society by G. F. Hopkins, 72
William Street. 1816.
2. Berrian's "Memoir," Volume I. p. 175.
3. Its full title is: An Address to Episcopalians on the subject of the
American Bible Society, by John Henry Hobart, Bishop of the Protestant
Episcopal Church in the State of New- York. New- York: Printed by T.
and J. Swords, No. 160 Pearl-Street. 1816.
90 Address to- Episcopalians, [1816
of the Gospel in its primitive purity, to call your attention to
the following considerations : which the urgency of the occasion
compels me to address to- you through the same medium. Per-
mit me to ask, What is the necessity for this institution? There
are Bible Societies already, instituted in every part of the
United States, and others are constantly organizing. These in-
stitutions, I presume, are fully adequate to all the purposes for
which Bibfe Societies are wanted. The idea of a National Bible
Society, which is in fact, to represent every part of this exten-
sive country, is perfectly visionary. It will be, in its spirit and
management, the Bible Society of the particular city or district
where it is established. This is already proved by the circum-
stance that the persons named as managers of the "American,
Bible Society," with two or three exceptions, reside in the city of
New-York, or its vicinity.
But what necessity can there be for another Bible Society in
tbis city. There already exist here The New-York Bible So-
ciety, The New-York Auxiliary Bible Society, The New-York
Bible and Common Prayer Book Society, The New-York Aux-
iliary Bible and Common Prayer Book Society. And, besides
these, it is believed that there are Bible Societies or Bible and
Common Prayer Book Societies in almost every county in the
State.
What necessity, I ask again, can there be for the establish-
ment of another; particularly in a city where four already exist?
Zeal in a good cause is always commendable ; but it is the nature
of zeal, like everything else, which excites the passions of our
nature, to run into excess. Is there any great object to be ac-
complished, to which these institutions separately are inade-
quate? Let any one of these institutions propose this object;
and the others will cooperate in it to the extent of their means.
This has been already done. The "New- York Bible Society" pro-
posed the publication of a French Bible, and they received aid
from other institutions. The New- York Bible and Common
Prayer Book Society aided them, to a small amount, indeed,
but with the utmost cordiality, and to the extent of their means.
********
If, indeed, this National Society is to be national in any thing
more than in name, it can be so only by delegation ; and who will
believe that gentlemen will come from every part of the United
1816] Address to Episcopalians. 91
States to the city of N,ew-York,. or any other city, merely to
hear a report from the managers of a society, which they may all
afterwards see in print ? No, they must have some other busi-
ness ; some more powerful motive. The present measure of a
national Bible Society, was, proposed last year in the manner
already stated, and then, and since, pressed with great zeal, by
a respectable Presbyterian gentleman of New-Jersey. The
present time of meeting was again so fixed as to happen about
the time of the meeting of the General Assembly of the Presby-
terian Church in. Philadelphia, which will take place in a few
days. And some of the most active members of the present
Convention in this city are delegates to the General Assembly of
the Presbyterian Church. But if there is no delegation sent to
this society, at an annual meeting, it cannot be, in any sense, a
national society. If the annual meeting takes place at any other
time than about the time of the meeting of the General Assembly
of the Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, to which body clergy-
men and laymen come from every part of the United States, I
venture to predict there will be no national delegation. And if
the meeting should be held at the time mentioned, then, I ven-
ture to predict, that however others may be honoured with
offices, the spirit and influence, and the credit of the institution
will eventually be that of the very numerous and respectable
Presbyterian denomination.
But if this denomination and others think proper to institute
another Bible Society, you can have no objection to the measure.
Indulge me while I state some further considerations which
should deter you from engaging in it.
Your patronage,, your zvealth, your influence, and your exer-
tions arc wanted for similar institutions in your own Church.
The "Auxiliary New- York Bible and Common Prayer Book
Society," recently instituted by Episcopal young men, calls for
the support and countenance of Episcopalians in this effort of
commendable zeal. The "New- York Bible and Common Prayer
Book Society" was instituted, it is believed, before any Bible
Society in the United States. And though it has received very
respectable patronage, yet its funds are by no means commen-
surate to the demands upon its benevolence. Its managers have
only been deterred, by the pressure of the times, from an appeal
to public liberality. Here then, Episcopalians are institutions
92 Address to Episcopalians. [1816
in your own bosom which need your patronage, your influence,
and your bounty. By these institutions you may distribute the
Bible, and, in addition to this, the Liturgy of your Church.
These institutions need, and can usefully employ, all that you can
spare for this species of benevolence. Why, then, should your
bounty be bestowed upon others? *******
Before any Bible Society was established in the United
States the "New-York Bible and Common Prayer Book Society"
was organized in this city, during the administration of the
late Bishop Moore. The union of the Liturgy with the Bible
as the object of distribution by societies consisting of Episco-
palians, was the result of much serious reflection and consulta-
tion of that venerable Bishop with the clergy and others. 1'he
course then adopted by him, it has been deemed by his successor
an act of duty to pursue; both in accordance with the opinion
of the clergy of the diocess generally, and of many respectable
laymen of the Church. It has appeared to them that Episco-
palians, managing all their religious concerns by themselves,
would be in no danger of unpleasant collision with others; of
committing their principles in any degree; or in any measure
relaxing a spirit of attachment to the distinctive principles of
their own Church. This attachment may exist in perfect charity
for others, and with due respect for their rights, and when it
operates with zeal, firmness, and perseverance, experience
proves that the Church will flourish and in proportion as this
attachment sinks into that "indolent indifference which some
men dignify with the name of moderation," will the Church
decline. Those who instituted Bible and Common Prayer Book
Societies were of opinion that an association of Episcopalians
among themselves for religious purposes was the mode best cal-
culated to preserve this distinctive attachment so essential to
the prosperity of their Church. They considered that the spirit
which pervades all indiscriminate associations for religious pur-
poses, affects to place all denominations on the same level, and
denounces all differences among them as non-essential, as the
"Shibboleths of sect," as promoting "the views of party." Epis-
copacy, as their Church declares in her ordination services, is
derived from "the apostles' times," and instituted "by God's
providence and his holy spirit;" and her Liturgy they value as
a preservative of evangelical doctrine, and sober devotion.
1816] Address to Episcopalians. 93
These are points of difference between them and others. And
they were not willing to be placed in situations in which the
inculcating these peculiarities should be considered as "pro-
nouncing the Shibboleths of a sect," and as "advancing the views
of a party." Their apprehension of danger from these indis-
criminate associations to their Church, was not diminished by
reflecting, that in all similar associations, it is the invariable
tendency of the more numerous and more powerful party to
break down the spirit, and the distinctive principles of the less
numerous and less powerful; and that, therefore, while in Eng-
land, the numbers, the wealth, and the influence of the Episcopal
Church might, in an association with Dissenters, not only secure
her from injury, but increase her numbers, th eeffect would be
directly the reverse in this country, where the Presbyterians are
by far the most numerous and most powerful. They also per-
ceived that precisely by this system of association that respect-
able and influential denomination was amalgamating with itself,
the various subordinate sects of Presbyterians, and the numer-
ous body of Congregationalists, and was rapidly extinguishing
the ancient peculiarities of the Dutch Reformed Church. Pure
and apostolic as is our Church, she is to be preserved, under
God, by the instrumentality of human means. In such circum-
stances, to fear these associations, seemed a dictate of prudence;
and those, therefore, whose duty it was in the first case to act,
and who feels the interests of their Church pressing on their
conscience with awful weight, deemed it their duty to organize
"Bible and Common Prayer Book Societies," and to urge Epis-
copalians to connect themselves exclusively with those institu-
tions. These institutions have accordingly been established, two
in this city, and others in various parts of the State. In order
to excite a zeal in their favour, it seemed necessary that the
principles on which they were instituted should be explained and
supported; and in the discharge of my official duties, this has
been accordingly done on various public occasions; I trust not
in a manner incompatible with a sincere respect for the rights
and opinions of others. *********
Their Bishop, and a great body of their clergy, supported by
many respectable laymen, have advocated the institution of
"Bible and Common Prayer Book Societies," and have called on
Episcopalians to connect themselves exclusively with these in-
94 Address to Episcopalians. [1816
stitutions, believing great danger was to be apprehended from
the contrary course, to the principles of the Church. Admitting
that they were in error, is the error of such a nature as to de-
mand decided opposition? If the course -to which Episcopalians
have been urged, involved any sacrifice of principle, no human
regard ought to silence opposition. But in connecting themselves
exclusively with "Bible and Common Prayer Book Societies" there
can be no sacrifice of principle or of conscience. In this mode
they may circulate Bibles, and follow, also, the scriptural and
apostolic plan of extending, with the Word of God, the Church
of God. as exhibited in primitive purity in the Liturgy. In this
mode they will act in unison with many of their brethren, with
the spiritual guardians of the Church in this diocess, and avoid
the humiliating and injurious spectacle of a divided household.
It was the duty of the guardians of the Church in this diocess
to make known their views on this subject. They have done so,
with much solicitude and reflection. Admitting they have been
mistaken, is their mistake so fundamental as to demand the
public and decided disapprobation and opposition of a respect-
able portion of their brethren of the Laity, of the same diocess ?
Will this disapprobation and opposition advance their means
of usefulness ; hold them up to confidence and respect ; remove
all cause of triumph from those unfriendly to the Church ; and
tend to promote the harmony and prosperity of the diocess?
"The beginning of strife is like the letting in of water ;" and no
one can calculate the strength of the flood, or the extent and
deepness of its ravages.
Some Episcopalians have been placed on the board of mana-
gers, without their knowledge. An individual, who stands on
the highest eminence of public and private worth, and whose
name appears on this list, has not, it is believed, returned to this
state. What course he may pursue, with regard to this Bible
Society, it would be presumptuous for me to say. 1 But I deem
it my duty to state, that the course adopted with respect to "Bible
and Common Prayer Book Societies" received his decided appro-
bation and countenance.
My brethren of the -Laity -when I commenced writing this
i. The Bishop here refers to the Hon. Rufus King, then serving as
United States Senator at Washington.
1816] William Jay's "Appeal." 95
address to you, it was nay intention that it should be anonymous.
But I deem it more consistent with honourable frankness to an-
nex my name. I am aware that I may be exposed to unworthy
imputations. But if I am charged with an illiberal or unchari-
table spirit, he who knows my heart, knows, I trust, that the
charge is unfounded. I think I am doing my duty and my
duty, "through good report, and through evil report," I ought
not to fear to perform. I think I am doing my duty to my
Master to the Church, a portion of which, in his Providence,
is entrusted to me and whose interests I would most solicitous-
ly guard, in the firm persuasion that she is a pure branch of His
mystical body, which is finally to convey the blessings of grace
and redemption to every quarter of the world.
JOHN HENRY HOBART
New-York, May ii, 1816.
Writing evidently in some haste the Bishop in his desire to
claim pre-enainence for the Bible and Common Prayer Book
Society is led into an erreor of fact. The Philadelphia Bible
Society was founded in December, 1808. The Author of "An
Appeal to Christians of America, in behalf of the American Bible
Society,"who was Mr. William Jay, makes effective use of this
error. He, however, curiously enough, errs also in his dates by
placing the date of the organization of the Prayer Book Society
in October, 1809, whereas the records show that it held its first
meeting on April 14, 1809, and was evidently organized prior to
tha tdate. A few of the most pertinent portions of the "Appeal"
are here given :
Let us now direct our view to Great Britain, where we are
apt to suppose that the "darkness is past, and the light now
shinetli."
Prom an actual inquiry made by order of the Bishop of Dur-
ham, it was discovered that there were 5,800 families in that
diocese without Bibles; estimating the rest of England and
Wales in this .proportion, they must contain 350,000 families
destitute of the -Scriptures. ********
Let us now look at home, and let us begin our inquiries with
that section of our country, which is the most distinguished for
the religious habits and information of its citizens. From the
96 William Jay's "Appeal." [1816
estimates which have been made it appears that in 1814, one
sixth part of the population of New England was destitute of
the Scriptures. 1
The report of the Connecticut Bible Society for 1812 informs
us that there were more in that State without the Scriptures
than the funds of the Society could supply; and let it be here
remembered, that this Society is one of the oldest and ablest in
the United States, and the State itself better supplied with
Bibles than probably any other district of the same population
in the world.
The Massachusetts Society, in their report for 1812, say,
"when this institution was first proposed, there were some who
objected that it was not needed: that the poor in this country
are as well supplied with Bibles as the rich; but inquiry has
proved the objections false. Many ministers who had the same
impressions, have expressed their surprise at the want of Bibles
in their Societies." In their report for 1813, they state that
they had heard of ''many settlements in Maine in which only
one or two Bibles could be found." "On every side of us," say
they, "are fellow-beings who want the best blessing God has
bestowed on men." During the year preceding this report they
had distributed 2,296 Bibles and 532 Testaments, and they de-
clare that, "however improbable it may seem, this number was
needed."
In 1809 the Philadelphia Society declared it to be their
opinion that one-fourth of the families in this country were
without Bibles. They state that the "deficiency of Bibles has
been found to be much greater than was expected."
A few weeks since, 87 families in one ward in the City of
New-York were visited, and 58 were found without Bibles.
Jn 1814 it was estimated that there were in the Mississippi
Territory 5,000 families destitute of the Scriptures; 8,000 in
the State of Louisiana; 10,000 in Tennessee; 12,000 in the Ter-
ritories of Indiana, Illinois and Missouri; 13,000 in Ohio;
and 30,000 in Kentucky; and so late as 1815, in many of the
principal towns in the Western States andTerritories, there was
not a Bible for sale! Surely, "darkness has covered the earth,
and gross darkness the people." *******
I. Panopolist, x. 119.
1816] William Jay's "Appeal." 97
But to love others besides ourselves, is the peculiar character-
istic of Christianity; let us, therefore, inquire to what extent
we have diffused the light of Revelation beyond our own
borders. In order to send the Bible to foreigners, we must
publish it in other languages than our own. It is believed that
the American Bible Societies have not distributed the Bible in
more than four languages, viz: English, French, Dutch, and
German. 1 The exact number of Bibles which have been sent
out of the country cannot be ascertained, but it is probable that,
with the exception of some sent to Canada, scarcely any in any
language have been sent beyond our own frontiers; and that
the French, Dutch and German Bibles which have been distrib-
uted, have been given to those of our own citizens who speak
these langauges.
Thus it appears, that since 1808, when the first Bible Society
was established in our country, the Christians of the United
States have, through the medium of their Societies, distributed
not more, and probably less, than 150,000 copies of the Scrip-
tures in four languages, and chiefly among their own country-
men. Such is our return to heaven, for the public and indi-
vidual blessings we enjoy! ********
Our Societies were not only unable to concentrate their funds,
but were actually without any common plan of operation. The
Connecticut Society sent Bibles into New -York; and the New-
York Society into the Eastern States ; the Eastern Societies sent
Bibles into Ohio; and the Ohio Society into Louisiana. So far
were our Societies from co-operating that they did not even
correspond, and were often ignorant of the existence of each
other. The report o fthe New-York Society for 1812 states that
the Society had, in the course of the year, received a report
from but one Bible Society. The next year, it seems, their cor-
respondence was enlarged, for they then heard of the proceed-
ings of as many as three Societies. The reports of our So-
cieties afford ample evidence that they were generally better ac-
quainted with the transactions of the British Society than those
of Societies in their own vicinity. As our Societies moved in
small and distinct spheres, their reports were, for the most part,
I. The Philadelphia Society imported a few Welsh and Gaelic Bibles,
but their number was very inconsiderable.
(7)
98 William Jay's " Appeal." [1816
destitute of interest and were seldom found beyond the con-
fines of the district in which they were written. But while the
reports of our Societies have not possessed sufficient interest to
command general attention, the reports of the British Society,
condensing the religious intelligence derived from its numerous
auxiliaries and correspondents, are among the most popular pub-
lications of the age; have already passed through two editions
and are read with avidity both in England and America; and
several of them have been translated into foreign languages.
********
There are three classes of persons who oppose this Society.
The first consists of those who, either disbelieving the Bible, or
being unwilling to be governed by its precepts, throw every ob-
stacle in the way of its diffusion. The second embraces those
who, from the purest and most conscientious motives, object to
a national Society, because they doubt the possibility of carry-
ing its^ plan into execution. The third class refuse to support
the Society from a fear that it will diminish the numbers and
influence of the particular denomination to which they belong.
This class, it is believed, is confined exclusively to a small num-
ber of the Protestant Episcopalians; for although it was prob-
able that many among the Roman Catholics will withhold their
support from the Society, they will act from no hostility to this
Society in particular; but in compliance with a common opinion
of that Church condemning the indiscriminate use of the Scrip-
tures *************
In addressing Episcopalians, the author addresses his brethren.
Attached to the Episcopal Church, by the influence of parental
example; by the prejudices of early education; by a firm belief
in her doctrines, and by an unshaken conviction of the apostolic
origin of her government; he rejoices in her prosperity, and
laments whatever interrupts her harmony and lowers her repu-
tation. An attempt has been made to induce you, my brethren,
to believe that your co-operation in Bible Societies, and in the
American Society in particular, will prove injurious to your
Church. Whenever it shall be demonstrated that Bible So-
cieties, in the pursuit of their legitimate object, the distribution
of the uncommented Scriptures, will undermine the Protestant
Episcopal Church, it will be the indispensable duty of every
conscientious Episcopalian to abandon not Bible Societies, but
1816] William Jay's "Appeal." 99
a Church which, it will then appear, is not founded on the Word
of God.
The only Episcopalian in this country, who has publicly, and
in his own name, and on general principles, opposed the co-
operation of Episcopalians in Bible Societies, and particularly
in the American Bible Society, is the Bishop of New-York. It
will therefore be paying but a proper respect to the rank and
character of this distinguished prelate, to give his arguments a
candid and deliberate examination.
No sooner was the American Bible Society organized, and
before the address of the convention explaining their motives
and views, or the constitution of the Society, exhibiting its nature,
had issued from the press, than Dr. Hobart inserted in a New
York newspaper an Address to Episcopalians, dissuading them
from joining the new Society. Let us examine his arguments
and see if they are sufficiently cogent to drive us from a Church
which we have hitherto believed to be both scriptural and apos-
tolic. We will state his principal arguments, in the order they
present themselves in his Address, and in his own words.
There is one evil consequence which the Bishop apprehends
from this Society, and which he is himself labouring to produce;
and this is, that the credit of the institution will eventually be-
long to the Presbyterians. At present the credit of establishing
a great national Institution for the diffusion of the Scriptures,
is divided between the Presbyterians and Episcopalians. The
first proposal was made by the New-Jersey Bible Society, of
which the President is a Presbyterian, and an Episcopal clergy-
man, Dr. Wharton, a Vice President. In the Convention which
formed the Society, an Episcopalian presided, and several Epis-
copal clergymen and laymen were present as delegates. In the
Committee which drafted the Constitution we find an Episcopal
clergyman and layman. In the Board of Managers, and among
the Vice Presidents of the Society are many of the most dis-
tinguished Episcopalians in the country. Which denomination
is to enjoy the high credit of supporting the Society remains yet
to be seen ; but should the Bishop succeed in depriving it of Epis-
copal patronage, who ought to be blamed, should the credit of
the Institution "eventually be that of the very numerous and
respectable Presbyterian denomination?" *****
100 William Jay's "Appeal." [1816
As to the manner in which the Bible Society will endanger
the Church, we must remain wholly in ignorance until the
Bishop shall inform us ; especially as we can hear of no Church,
either in this or other countries which has suffered from these
alarming associations.
"Before any Bible Society was established in the United
States the New York Bible and Common Prayer Book Society
was organized in this city."
Had this assertion been true, it is not easy to understand how
it could affect the question at issue ; but the fact is misstated, and
haste and "excess of zeal" must be the Bishop's apology for
his incorrectness. On the I2th December, 1808, the Philadel-
phia Bible Society was instituted; on the nth May, 1809, the
Connecticut Bible Society; and the I3th July, 1809, the Massa-
chusetts Bible Society; and it was not till the month of October,
1809, that the "New-York Bible and Common Prayer Book So-
ciety" appeared; an antidote to the spreading influence of Bible
Societies! ************
We have now examined the arguments of the Bishop, and
have shown that many of them are founded on erroneous views
of the constitution of the American Bible Society; and that,
even admitting the soundness of the rest, it would at least be
good policy in the Episcopalians to lose no time in connecting
themselves with that Institution.
If in this discussion we have treated the opinions of Bishop
Hobart with freedom, it ought to be remembered that the time,
and the mode, which he selected for giving those opinions to
the public invited freedom of remark. We have said nothing
of the Bishop's motives, for whether good or bad, they could
not affect his arguments; we are, however, too well acquainted
with his character, and have too often witnessed his exertions
in the cause of religion, to suspect for a moment, that they are
any other than what he declares them to be; and we are fully
persuaded that he differs from his venerable and right reverend
associates, not in zeal for the glory of God, but only in opinion
as to the best means of promoting it.
The effect of the Address and the Appeal seems to have been
to stimulate the formation of Bible and Prayer Book Societies
1816] Letter from Dr. Abercrombie. 101
in places where they did not exist before, and also to make, some
more decided in their determination to foster "the Bible cause." 1
Dr. McVickar prints in his "Professional Years" two letters
to the Bishop on this subject. One is from the learned Dr.
James Abercrombie, one of the assistants of Bishop White in
the United Churches of Philadelphia, whose sound judgment in
ecclesiastical matters was universally recognized:
Philadelphia, May 29th, 1816.
Right Rev. and dear Sir :
I received two days ago a packet, either immediately from
you, or transmitted, I presume, by your order, containing your
Address at the interment of Bishop Moore, and two on the sub-
ject of your recently established Bible Society. I have read them
with the same high degree of pleasure and improvement which
I have always derived from your publications. I perfectly
coincide with your opinion with respect to the duty and expe-
diency of our (Episcopalians) connecting our Prayer Book with
the Bible, as its true and proper companion and expositor.
Go on, my good Sir, in supporting, defending, and extending
our Church. The prayers of its orthodox members will assured-
ly ascend to heaven in your behalf, and the blessings of its
divine Head will as certainly await you both in this world and
that which is to come. I most cordially thank you, my great and
good friend, for your kind attention to me, and am,
With the most profound respect,
And sincere affection, yours
JAMES ABERCROMBIE.
I. An Appeal to the Christians of America in behalf of the American
Bible Society, including a Defence of Its Constitution, a Number of Facts
proving the Necessity of its Establishment, and an Answer to the Objections
which have been made against it.
"The love of Christ constraineth us." 2 Cor. v. 14.
"Now I say unto you, refrain from these men, and let them alone; for if
this counsel or work be of men, it shall come to nought; but if it be of
God, ye cannot overthrow it, lest haply ye be found to fight against God."
Acts v. 38, 39.
By a Lay Member of the Convention which formed the Society. New-
York: Published by A. T. Goodrich, No. 96 Broadway. J. Seymour, Print.
1816.
102 Letter from "J. B. W." [1816
The other is from a gentleman whom Dr. McVickar designates
as "J. B. W." but is evidently the distinguished Philadelphian,
the Hon. John Bradford Wallace, a statesman and a scholar.
Philadelphia, June 8th, 1816.
Right Rev. and dear Sir :
I received, a few days since, through the hands of Mrs. Mc-
Pherson the little packet you were good enough to send to me,
and read the pamphlets which it contained with that interest and
pleasure which I do everything which comes from the same pen.
The arguments in favour of uniting the distribution of the
Prayer-Book with the Bible I am riot able to answer, nor have
I met with any who could do it satisfactorily to me.
Far be it from me to limit the circulation of either, and, if
only one could be distributed, no man can hesitate which it
should be ; but in a given number of books distributed in a neigh-
bourhood, especially in new settlements a few Bibles and the rest
Prayer-Books, would, probably, be more useful than the whole
number being Bibles. We all know to what extravagances the
people in most of our new settlements are occasionally led by
the ignorance and fanaticism of itinerant preachers. With the
Prayer-Book in their hands, in which the doctrines of the Bible
are succinctly and clearly displayed, especially with it to pray
from, there would be no great danger of their going much out
of the way. Besides which it is the best substitute for living
teachers. Truly "the Liturgy preaches."
Your dissertation, by way of appendix to the Address at
Bishop Moore's funeral, gave me much satisfaction. It estab-
lishes the position it undertook to establish, most clearly. I al-
ways knew it to be a doctrine of our Church but never before
had it fully and satisfactorily explained. 1
I wish much to see your sermons upon baptism which you
have promised us.
With great esteem and affection,
J. B. W. 1
1. The doctrine of the intermediate state.
2. Early Years of Bishop Hobart. p. 420.
This letter does not appear to have been preserved as it is not among those
in the General Convention Archives, so far as research has been made.
CHAPTER V.
CONTENTS.
Address by the Rev. L. Bayard William Jay's "Dialogue between a
Clergyman and a Layman" "Some Questions and Answers" Annual
Meeting of the New York Bible and Common Prayer Book Society, 1817
Reports from Various Bible and Prayer Book Societies Seventh Annual
Report First Report of the Auxiliary Society Anniversary Service of
the Auxiliary in St. Paul's Chapel Address by the Rev. Dr. How
Sunday Schools in New York and in Trinity Parish Annual Meeting
of the N. Y. B. & C. P. B. Society, February, 1817 Alterations in the
Constitution Agreement Proposed with the Auxiliary as to Stereotype
Plates Letter from the Rev. Stephen Jewett Organization of the Wash-
ington and Essex Counties Bible and Prayer Book Society Also the
Dutchess County Auxiliary Society Annual Meeting, March, 1818
Eighth Annual Report Extra Meeting Called to Fill the Place of the Rev.
Dr. How Sermon by Mr. Lyell Intimate Relations of the New York
Bible and Common Prayer Book Society and the New York Auxiliary
Second Annual Report of the Auxiliary Society Second Anniversary
Meeting of the Auxiliary, January 26, 1818 Election of Managers and
Officers Address by the Rev. John McVickar.
CHAMPIONING the cause of Bible and Prayer Book
Societies the Rev. Lewis P. Bayard, Rector of Trinity
Church, Newark, delivered an Address before the New-
ark Female Bible and Common Prayer Book Society,
at the adoption of their Constitution, May 23, 1816. This Ad-,
dress was subsequently printed. In it he sides with Bishop Ho-
bart, and cites authorities and arguments in favour of Liturgies
and precomposed prayers. He says in conclusion :
"Convinced of the excellence of that Liturgy which we use in
our Churches, of its soundness in Doctrine, and its admirable
solemnity and propriety in the worship of the sanctuary ; you will
not hesitate to send it forth with the Bible, to assist by the bless-
ing of God, the uninstructed and unenlightened in the important
development of divine truth, and to stand among the people as a
witness of the primitive faith, and the Apostolic orders of the
Ministry." 1
i. Page 16.
103
104 "A Dialogue." [1817
The Address of Mr. Bayard was noticed by Mr. William Jay,
in a pamphlet entitled "A Dialogue between a Clergyman and a
Layman on the Subject of Bible Societies. By A Churchman.
New York: Published by the Author. 1817." This pamphlet is
bound up with the volumes of pamphlets issued by Mr. William
Jay and now in the library of Bedford House. As the selection
of the pamphlets and their binding was done by Mr. Jay himself
we are thus enabled to assign the right authorship to many
pamphlets now very rare and scarce. The writer of this History
desires to take this opportunity of expressing his thanks to the
present owner of Bedford House, Colonel John Jay, for his cour-
tesy in placing at the writer's disposal pamphlets, documents and
correpondence belonging to his grandfather.
In the "Dialogue" the witer naturally makes the Layman have
the best of the argument. The Clergyman takes the side of
Bishop Hobart and the Prayer Book Societies, while the Layman
espouses the cause of the Bible Societies. Towards the end of
the Dialogue Layman says :
"If Mr. Bayard and Dr. How may without sin utterly contemn
and set at defiance 'the godly admonitions of the Bishops of the
Church, and represent that effort in favour of which the Bishops
declare themselves called forth by the high duties of their sta-
tion to bear their testimony, the one as an attempt to separate
what God has joined; and the other as an unscriptural plan to
diffuse the light of religious truth ; why may not I take the liberty
of consulting my conscience, and in obedience to its dictates, to
reject the advice of a single Bishop, and to follow the advice and
the example of all the rest?" 1
Among the other pamphlets now at Bedford House is one en-
titled "Some Questions and Answers on the Subject of the
American Bible Society. By A Clergyman. New- York: Print-
ed for the Author, by Van Winkle and Wiley, No. 3 Wall-
Street. 1816." This was probably written by the Rev. Samuel
Nicholls, who became Rector of Bedford in 1817, as it bears
throughout marks of Mr. William Jay's style. The only other
clergyman who might have written it is the Rev. Dr. Milnor, but
he had an individual style of his own.
The writer devotes most of his space in replying to the argu-
i. Page 26.
1817] Annual Meeting. 105
ments adduced by Dr. Hobart in his "Address to Episcopalians."
He quotes also from an "Answer to Presbyter by An Episcopa-
lian," a pamphlet which the present writer has been uable to find.
At the Annual meeting of the New York Bible and Common
Prayer Book Society, February 15, 1817, the Secretary laid be-
fore the Board the following documents received by him in his
official capacity :
"The Second Report of the Female Bible Society of Philadel-
phia."
"The Third Annual Report of the Bible Society of Frederick
County, Virginia."
"List of Bible Societies in the United States of America."
"The Second Annual Report of the West Chester Auxiliary
Bible Society."
"Second Annual Report of the Board of Managers of the Fred-
ericksburg Bible Society."
"An Address delivered before the Newark Female Bible and
Common Prayer Book Society, May 23, 1816, by the Rev. Lewis
P. Bayard, A.M., Rector of Trinity Church, Newark."
"Second Report of the Trustees of the Connecticut Reserve
Bible Society."
"Constitution, Address and First Report of the Bible Society
of Delaware."
"Circular from several members of the New York and Aux-
iliary Bible Societies informing of those Societies having en-
gaged Stereotype plates of the Holy Bible."
"Sixth Report of the Board of Managers of the New York
Bible Society."
"The First Report of the Saratoga County Bible Society."
"Fifth Annual Report of the Board of Managers of the Orange
Bible and Tract Society."
"The First Annual Report of the Providence Auxiliary Bible
Society."
"The Second Annual Report of the Female Auxiliary Bible
Society of Baltimore."
"The First Report of the Bible Society of Rensselaer County."
"Report of the Directors of the East Tennessee Bible Society."
"Seventh Report of the Board of Managers of the New York
Bible Society."
"Report of the Bible Society of North Carolina."
106 Annual Meeting. [1817
"The Fifth Report of the Directors of the Oneida Bible So-
ciety."
"The Eighth Report of the Bible Society of Philadelphia."
"Seventh Report of the Connecticut Bible Society."
"The Secretary also read a letter (see papers on file) from Mrs.
Eliza Dugan, Secretary of the 'Protestant Episcopal Female
Society of Baltimore/ giving information of the establishment
of that Society for the purpose of distributing religious tracts,
and the Book of Common Prayer." (Folio 60.)
The Secretary from the Standing Committee submitted, Feb-
ruary 19, 1817, the following resolutions recommended by that
body to the adoption of the Board :
"Resolved that a set of stereotype plates of the Book of Com-
mon Prayer, of the octavo size, be procured by this Society ; and
that the Standing Committee be authorized to have this resolu-
tion carried into effect."
"Resolved, that the following be added to the rules and regula-
tions of this Society ; viz : Any person contributing the sum of
One Dollar to the funds of this Society, shall be entitled to one
Bible or one octavo Prayer Book ; and for every additional contri-
bution of One Dollar, an additional Bible or Prayer Book. The
Octavo stereotype Prayer Books to be distributed only to con-
tributors as above directed; and to Auxiliary or other Bible and
Common Prayer Book Societies on the same terms."
"Resolved, that it be proposed to the Society to alter the first
article of the Constitution, so that every person who contributes
$i or more per annum, shall be a member of the Society." (Fo-
11063.)
These resolutions were respectively adopted.
The Board of Managers presented this as their
SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT.
On the recurrence of the anniversary of the New York
Bible and Common Prayer Book Society, the Board of Man-
agers have again the pleasure to remind her of the part she
is bearing in the characteristic efforts of the present day, which
are so largely promoting the interests and glory of the Church
of the Redeemer. What can more properly comport with the
encouraging spirit of the times, than diffusing the words of
everlasting life, and a knowledge of the primitive constitution,
1817] Seventh Annual Report. 107
doctrines and worship of that Catholic Church, whose universal
reception and evangelical influence among men is to constitute
the blessed reign of millenial glory; and whose exalted halle-
lujahs, in its triumphant state, are to celebrate the eternal
praises of God and the Lamb! With this animating view of the
character of their institution the Board respectfully submit to
the Society a report of their proceedings during the past year.
The permanent fund of the Society has received but little
augmentation during the past year, in consequence of a large
donation to the Auxiliary New York Bible and Common Prayer
Book Society. Still it has somewhat increased, and now amounts
to the sum of $4,301.89.
During the past year 340 English Bibles, and 570 Prayer
Books have been gratuitously distributed.
One hundred French Bibles, mentioned in the report of last
year, as having been purchased, have been placed with the
Bishop to be disposed of by him. Some of them have been given
to Mr. Eleazar Williams (who is employed by the Church in
this Diocese as school master, catechist, and lay reader to the
Indians), to be distributed among the Indians on the borders of
Canada, and in that province, where the French language is
generally better understood than the English. The Rev. Mr.
Peneveyre, Minister of the French Church du St. Esprit, in this
city, has also been authorized by the Bishop to apply for any
number of those Bibles which may be usefully distributed by
him.
The sum of $246.53 has been granted to the New York Aux-
iliary Bible and Common Prayer Book Society to aid them in
the purchase of a set of stereotype plates of the Book of Com-
mon Prayer.
At a late meeting of the Board of Managers the sum of $430
was voted for the equal purchase of Bibles and Prayer Books,
to be gratuitously distributed according to the established rules
of the Board on that subject.
A resolution has lately passed the Board to procure stereotype
plates of the Book of Common Prayer of the 8vo size.
The Board has been for some time deliberating on measures
for the augmentation of the funds of the Society. The situation
of our country, and various circumstances connected with it,
have led to the postponement of this business from time to time;
108 Seventh Annual Report. [1817
but the Board hopes that some effectual plan will soon be adopted
for the accomplishment of so desirable an object Still the
Board are persuaded that the Society will join them in gratitude
to God for the good which they have been instrumental in doing.
The Bibles gratuitously distributed by this Society, since its
foundation, amount to 1,990, the New Testaments to 590, and the
Prayer Books to 2,766. Total number of Bibles, New Testa-
ments and Prayer Books, 5,256.
We may surely indulge the pious and animating hope that our
labours have not been without effect in awakening the careless
sinner, in comforting the penitent, in encouraging the humble
and faithful ; and also in diffusing the practical influence of the
evangelical doctrines, the primitive order, and the Scriptural
worship of our Church.
It is gratifying to see our fellow members of this portion of
Christ's Church animated by its blessed spirit, and uniting to
diffuse a knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus. Since the last
report most satisfactory proof has been afforded of the zealous
and beneficial effects of the Auxiliary New-York Bible and
Common Prayer Book Society. Too much cannot be said of
this very encouraging and animating evidence of the pious
emulation of the young members of our Church. The stereotype
plates of the Book of Common Prayer which they have pro-
cured have materially lessened the expenses of that inestimable
volume, and aided its extensive circulation. It appears from
their report that during the first year of their operations no less
than 521 Bibles, and 2,750 Prayer Books have been distributed
through that Society, an extent of operation surpassing, it is
believed, that of any similar institution in this city. May God
be with them in their work and labour of love !
Within the past year information has been received of the
institution of Female Bible and Common Prayer Book Societies
in Newark and Elizabeth Town, New-Jersey, auxiliary to the
Episcopal Society of New-Jersey for the distribution of Bibles,
Prayer Books, Religious Tracts, &c., of the Prayer Book and
Tract Society of Newport, Rhode Island of the Bible and
Common Prayer Book Society of Connecticut of the Albany
Female Prayer Book and Tract Society of the Protestant Epis-
copal Female Society of Baltimore for the distribution of Prayer
Books and Religious Tracts and of the Common Prayer Book
1817] Seventh Annual Report. 109
and Tract Society of Virgina. And with particular pleasure
we notice the establishment of Bible and Common Prayer Book
Societies, as auxiliary to ours, in the towns of Windham and
Greene ville, in the County of Greene, in this State. It will
doubtless also be gratifying to you to hear that two Bible and
Common Prayer Book Societies have been lately established in
the British Province of Upper Canada, and are patronized by
the most distinguished provincial officers.
As founded upn the same general principle, and having in view
the same ultimate object, it affords us pleasure to notice, also, the
recent establishment of an Episcopal Tract Society in Boston,
of the Episcopal Missionary Society of Philadelphia, having
principally in view the establishment and maintenance of our
Church in the Western States of the Episcopal Missionary
Society of Delaware of the Newark (N. J.) Church Mission-
ary Society, and especially of the Protestant Episcopal Mis-
sionary Society of yong men and others lately established in
this city, for the purpose of aiding the ecclesiastical authority of
the Diocese in the support of missionaries.
These facts are communicated to the Society with the tender
of sincere congratulations on the spirit which thus seems to pre-
vail among the members of that portion of the Church which
He hath planted in this State. Let them but be truly influenced
by her principles of love to the mystical body of the Redeemer
her holy zeal in His cause and her regard for the souls of
men; let them but suffer her prosperity, and the glory of her
divine Head to have their just proportion of claim to liberality;
and she will be enabled to stand foremost in this new world
among the advocates of the Cross of Christ; she will be most
efficient in spreading the Knowledge of the Word of God and
faith in a divine Redeemer. Be it our prayer, be it our vigor-
ous and determined effort that she may be thus honoured, for
His sake who hath redeemed us by His own most precious
blood. By order of the Board.
BENJ. T. ONDERDONK, Secretary.
New York, Feb. 19,
i. This seems to be the second printed report which can be found. It is
printed on pp. 154, 155, 156, of The Christian Journal, Vol. I., No. 10, Sat-
urday, May 24, 1817.
110 Auxiliary's First Report. [1817
The allusions made in this report to the Auxiliary make of
special interest the record of work done by that organization.
The most essential portions of the report are here given:
FIRST REPORT.
Upon this, the first anniversary of our Association, the Board
of Managers cannot refrain from expressing their gratitude to
the Supreme Disposer of events for affording the opportunity
to tender their congratulations that PEACE continues to shed 'its
fragrance upon the Christian world. Its benignant smile is
meliorating the human heart. DIVINE TRUTH beams with
brightened lustre, and idolatry is crumbling before its effulgent
and majestic march.
Amid the splendours of so holy a triumph, it is cheering to re-
flect that we have not been idle; alhough difficulties have ob-
structed our path, we feel justified in pious exultation. Our
Institution is indeed in its infancy; but its infancy presages a
vigorous and useful maturity. It presented its claims to atten-
tion at a moment peculiarly inauspicious; when public opinion
was engaged in support of a National Association, and public
sympathy plighted to a host of beneficent charities. It came
like the religion it professes to recommend, without the patron-
age of age inspiring veneration; of talent enlisting confidence;
or wealth imparting power. A system was to be organized; in-
formation to be laboriously acquired; and disciples ascertained,
who were at once to seek, and competent to relieve religious
penury.
But the smile of Heaven has cheered our path, and inclined
the hearts of our fellow citizens to cherish our exertions. We
have appealed to their pious patronage; and, in despite of the
general pressure, the appeal has been munificently sanctioned.
Our Treasury Report exhibits an aggregate in receipts and
dues, during the year, of $2,753.01.
Of this sum $330.50 were derived from collections volun-
tarily made by ladies, members of the Church; $20 from the
Episcopal Society of New-Jersey; and the residue partly from
subscriptions, but principally from gratuitous contributions.
Under the animating influence of so bountiful a patronage,
it will not surprise you that we have proceeded with confidence.
We have opened a correspondence with almost every section of
1817] Auxiliary's First Report. Ill
this and the adjoining States, and, in general, throughout the
United States; and laid, we fondly hope, the basis of much
future usefulness. Our communications to the British and
Foreign Bible Society have been reciprocated with benedictions
upon our undertaking, and a donation of books. We have ad-
dressed circulars to most of the congregations in the United
States, soliciting co-operation, and recommending the establish-
ment of similar Institutions.
We have been emboldened to purchase a set of
STEREOTYPE PLATES FOR THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER.
The inducements were powerful, and, we hope, will meet your
approbation. The quality has been improved, the price dimin-
ished, and our ability to be useful enlarged. The Book of COM-
MON PRAYER formerly cost us forty-seven and a half cents; we
can now furnish it of superior quality at thirty-eight cents. The
type is durable, and the possession of it enables our Institution
to become the fountain of supply to every other in the Union. It
was the first, and is, we believe, the only now used in this
country. We have taken measures to apply to the Legislature
for an Act of Incorporation, and anticipate many facilities from
its attainment..
We have sought information abroad and at home. From al-
most every quarter the intelligence is cheering and impressive.
A rich and animating fervour seems kindling everywhere. In
various parts of the State our scattered spiritual brethren are
forming themselves into congregations, or associating for wor-
ship, and have solicited that aid which it is the object of our
Society to afford. At Newbern, North-Carolina, our com-
munications have been received with gratitude, and an Asso-
ciation organized in conformity. The accounts from various
other quarters are not less pleasing. Our distributions have
been various and extensive. During the year there have been
issued from the Depository 521 Bibles and 2,750 Common
Prayer Books; a large portion of which has been disposed of
at home; but when opportunity offered, solicitations from
abroad have received attention.
********
The principles to which we are attached may forbid us to
co-operate on all occasions with others; but we venerate their
112 Auxiliary's First Report. [1817
motives, and admire their zeal. In giving, we solicit charity of
construction. We believe that the Bible has power to subdue
the wickedness of man; and that it is destined to force its
triumphant way, and stand in the moral, as the sun in the
physical firmament, the source of light, and the emblem of Di-
vinity. But we also believe that the Book of Common Prayer
is the purest exposition of its sublime doctrine that human
wisdom has ever presented to human weakness. It is recom-
mended for our judgments by the devotion it inculcates; and
embalmed in our hearts by the benedictions of our fathers, who
sleep in death. It is the vestibule through which we pass to the
altar and worship of God. The same duty therefore that ani-
mates us to distribute the Bible impels us to accompany the
blessing with the Book of Common Prayer; and, in presenting
the one as the Word of God, to recommend the other as an in-
centive to its perusal. But the duty is in meekness, and the
recommendation in peace and persuasion.
In meekness and in peace let us persevere, and cherish the
belief that the disciples of our Church, under the auspices of a
beneficent Providence, will aid in diffusing the blessings they
enjoy, and the doctrines of salvation they profess.
By order, FERRIS PELL, Chairman. 1
From the Treasurer's statement, annexed to the Report, we
learn that donations had been received from the Female Prayer
Book Societies of Elizabeth Town and Newark, the Long Island
Bible and Prayer Book Society and the Prayer Book and Tract
Society of Massachusetts, aggregating $298.00. The cost of the
stereotype plates was $1,221.70, and in addition there had been
spent for Bibles $335.87, and for Prayer Books $686.68, leaving
a balance in the Treasury of $137.71. The proceedings of the
annual meeting which are also appended show that Bishop
Hobart offered resolutions of congratulation and commendation
to the Board of Managers, and for the printing of 1,500 copies
of the report.
These officers were elected under the title of Board of Man-
agers :
i. The Christian Journal, Vol. i., No. 3, pp. 42, 43, Saturday, February
15, 1817.
1817] Address by Dr. How. 113
Edward N. Cox, President.
Guy C. Bagley, First Vice President.
Gerardus A. Cooper, Second Vice President.
Floyd Smith, Third Vice President.
Benjamin Haight, Corresponding Secretary.
William Onderdonk, Jun., Recording Secretary.
J. Smyth Rogers, Treasurer.
Thomas N. Stanford, Agent.
Managers : Clement C. Moore, Luther Bradish, Edward R.
Jones, Cornelius R. Duffie, Wm. E. Dunscomb, David A. Clark-
son, John Watts, Jun., Duncan P. Campbell, John H. Hill, Lewis
Loutrel, David Austen, Ferris Pell, Alexis P. Proal, John An-
thon, Jonathan Goodhue, Charles Nichols, Charles Keeler,
Robert C. Barfe. 1
The Auxiliary held on the evening of Tuesday, January 18,
1817, an anniversary service in St. Paul's Chapel. The ad-
dress was delivered by the Rev. Thomas Y. How, D.D., Assistant
Rector of Trinity Church. It was a consideration of the state
of the world at that time based upon the prophecies of Daniel.
Using Faber as his guide he unfolds the meaning of those ob-
scure utterances, denouncing the great Papal Apostacy, glancing
at the rise of Mohammedanism, the spread of infidelity from
France, which had been counteracted by the extraordinary zeal
which had been aroused among Christian people for the good
of mankind. He used as an illustration the Bell-Lancaster
system of instruction of the young. He further instanced the
wider circulation of the Holy Scriptures through the great
British Societies, and the extended and beneficial effects of Sun-
day School instruction both in England and America. After
reviewing the Biblical plan of redemption until it culminates in
the Christian Church, and a brief survey of the history of
the Christian Church he returns to the special agencies for the
diffusion of Christian faith and knowledge at that time, and
thus continues:
"The establishment of Sunday Schools deserves also to be
mentioned as likely to raise the moral character of all the places
in which it may be effectually maintained. Nor can I pass this
subject without expressing an ardent hope that a complete sys-
i. The Christian Journal, Vol. I., No. 3, p. 44, Saturday, February 15, 1817.
(8)
114 Address by Dr. How. [181 7
tern of these schools may be organized and prosecuted in the
Episcopal Churches of this city with all the energy and perse-
verance which its importance deserves. 1
"But among the circumstances which do honour to the present
time, it is my particular duty to mention the zeal which has
sprung up for diffusing the light of the Gospel through heathen
countries, and for bestowing upon the inhabitants of Christian
countries themselves those advantages of the word and ordi-
nances of God, of which so many of them have been altogether,
or in a great degree deprived.
"And here it gives me great pleasure to state, that the first So-
ciety for the gratuitous distribution of the Bible in this city was
established by the members of our Church. The Bible and Com-
mon Prayer Book Society was instituted so long ago as the year
1809. The plan of that Society was not hastily adopted; on
the contrary, the subject was well considered. It appeared to
the founders of the Society to be the true and primitive course
to connect, in imitation of the venerable Society in England
for Promoting Christian Knowledge, the faith and the Church;
and to present them in that united form to the world. Religious
truth has been thus invariably promulgated by divine authority;
it has not been merely held forth in the abstract, but has been
connected with visible ordinances, and embodied in a visible
1^ Hi 1 T"f* M -'K'K 5 ^ 5jC5JC575*C5}C5jC53|3lC
"Again what has been the result where the reformation from
popery was not conducted upon primitive principles? Look at
the state of many of these Societies, on the continent of Europe,
which laid aside the divinely constituted order of Bishops, and
thus lost the ministry and ordinances of the Christian Church.
How grievously have they fallen from the distinguishing doc-
trines of the cross! Passing from one extreme to another, they
have exchanged the absurdities of Calvinism for a system still
I. When Sunday Schools were -first proposed, some persons, friendly to
the objects of these institutions, were desirous, before engaging in them, to
ascertain, by experiment, how far they were practicable, as well as most
eligible method of conducting them. They have been established in various
religious congregations in the city. There are now, and have been for some
time, two large and flourishing Sunday Schools in Christ Church, two in
St. George's, and two in St. Stephen's. May they be speedily organized in
all the other Episcopal Churches !
1817] Address by Dr. How. 115
more frightful the impious system of Arius and Socinus, which
denying the divinity of our blessed Saviour, extinguishes all
fervour of piety, and destroys that deep humility which nothing
but the doctrine of gratuitous salvation through the merits of a
crucified Redeemer can ever implant in the heart. If we direct
our attention to England, what a scene of confusion, impiety,
and heresy is presented to our view at the period when, the bar-
riers of a primitive episcopacy being thrown down, no less than
sixty different sects sprung up; maintaining, many of them, the
most absurd and the most licentious principles.
"Turning to our own country, we shall find additional reason
to be confirmed in the view we have taken of the intimate union
between primitive truth and primitive order between the apos-
tolic faith and the apostolic church. What a lamentable defec-
tion from the distinguishing doctrines of Christianity has taken
place in the Eastern section of the union! The Congregational
Societies of Boston, which, half a century ago, were wedded to
the most rigid principles of Calvinism, have not only thrown off
those principles, but have proceeded to the other extreme of
denying the divinity of Christ, and salvation through the pro-
pitiary merits of his atonement. It is much to be feared that
this departure from the true faith will pervade the Congrega-
tional Societies of New England, and that it will, sooner or
later, find its way into other religious bodies. It can never, my
brethren, enter our Church, while she retains her apostolic con-
stitution, and her evangelical liturgy. They will forever pre-
serve to her, under God, those precious doctrines of the cross,
without which Christianity loses it peculiar character, and be-
comes nothing more than a well digested system of natural reli-
gion. May we not, then, be permitted to hope that this pure
branch of the Catholic Church of Christ, which it has pleased
God to establish in our country, is destined to be the bulwark of
the true faith that she will imbibe more and more deeply the
spirit of pious fervour which animates her services, and thus
grow, and flourish, and fill this new world ? But, in order to this
glorious result, we must, at once, drink deep of her evangelical
spirit, and firmly contend for her primitive faith and apostolic
order. "Hold fast the form of sound words" "Contend earn-
estly for the faith." It is absolutely necessary, my brethren,
116 Address by Dr. How. [1817
that we should unite zeal with charity; equally avoiding the
extremes of indifference to the truth on the one hand, and the
maintenance of it in an unchristian temper on the other. Cher-
ishing for our brethren of other denominations the most sincere
good will, admiring their zeal, and honouring their exertions,
we must at the same time bear testimony against what we esteem
their errors, and expostulate with them, in the meekness of the
Gospel, upon their unjustifiable separation from the Apostolic
Church. ************
"It affords us most sincere pleasure to state that the example
set by the New-York Bible and Common Prayer Book Society
in 1809, has been followed already to a considerable extent, and
promises generally to prevail. There are now seven Bible and
Prayer Book Societies in this Diocess; 1 in the neighbouring
Diocess of Connecticut a similar Society has been formed, co-
extensive with the State; and upwards of an hundred agents
appointed in its different parts to procure subscriptions. Two
Societies have also been recently established in the Diocess of
New-Jersey, within a few miles of this city. Let us hope that
the time is not far distant when there will be a Bible and Prayer
Book Society in almost every Episcopal congregation in our
country; employing part of its funds in supplying its own
wants and granting the remainder to some central Society in
each Diocess, which, furnished with an abundant revenue, will
be enabled to supply the means of building up our Church in
those recently settled districts which are now so destitute of the
blessings of Christian worship, and which \vould receive the
ministrations of our apostolic Communion with the utmost joy
and gratitude. ***********
"And you, excellent young men! founders and conductors of
this Institution ! how shall I speak your merited panegyric !
Instead of devoting your time and substance to the pursuits of
i. Since the delivery of this Address, intelligence has been received of the
formation of two Bible and Prayer Book Societies ; one at Greenville, and the
other at Windham, in Greene County parishes under the care of the Rev.
James Thompson ; and also of the formation of a Bible and Prayer Book
Society, on an extensive scale, in Kingston, the capital of Upper Canada.
The two Societies, formed by Mr. Thompson, are auxiliary to the Bible and
Prayer Book Society of this city.
1817] Address by Dr. How. 117
sensual or even intellectual pleasure, how noble to consecrate
them to the service of God! Go on with increasing ardour in
your laudable career ! The Church will pour her benedictions on
your heads. Your Redeemer will aid and bless you with the
influences of his Holy Spirit. In labouring with pious care for
the salvation of others, the love of Christ will, more and more,
constrain your own hearts. I think I see a glorious day begin-
ning to dawn upon our Church I think I see a spirit arising
within her which will lead her members to regard no labours too
severe, no sacrifices too costly, no sufferings too great in the
cause of their Lord and Master. To you, young men, we look
to set an example of pious ardour, of generous self-devotion.
You have just exhibited another proof of your zeal in the Mis-
sionary Society which you have established in this city. Will
you pardon me for again pointing out to you an object eminently
deserving of your attention, and for urging you to lose no time
in its accomplishment? I mean the establishment of a complete
system of Sunday Schools in the Episcopal Churches of this city,
connected together by some board, which without improperly
interfering with the particular management of each school, shall
exercise a general care over the whole, and bind them into one
harmonious body. Perhaps there is no institution better calcu-
lated than this to improve the moral and religious character of
the community.
"Let us work while it is day the night cometh, when no man
can work. The constant examples before our eyes of sudden
and early death, should make us feel the utter vanity of the
world, and animate us in our labour of love. You have lately
seen one of the greatest ornaments of your Society, possessing
the esteem and affection of all who knew him, cut off in the
very bloom of youth. 1
"Oh then! let us increase our zeal, and multiply our efforts,
while God shall spare us in mercy ; looking to Him who died for
us for light and strength; surrendering ourselves without re-
serve to his guidance and devoting ourselves to his glory.
"Lord! we are thine by the most endearing of ties! Thou
didst purchase us with thine own blood ! Fill us, then, with thy
I. Dr. John W. B. Murray, son of Mr. George W. Murray, of this city.
118 Sunday Schools. [1817
spirit ! Constrain us with thy love ! So shall we live and die for
thee!" 1
It must not be inferred from the note that Dr. How put to his
sermon, in which he refers to the Sunday Schools in Christ
Church, St. George's, and St. Stephen's, that there were no other
Sunday Schools in New York or that there were none in the
mother parish of Trinity Church.
This was far from being the case, as the reader may see by
referring to Dr. Dix's History of Trinity Parish. He says :
"It has been the practice in Trinity Parish to gather the chil-
dren monthly at the altar rail, to hear them recite the catechism,
and then to give such explanation of various parts of the Ser-
vices as the Rector deemed fit. Dr. Hobart was always happy in
his addresses and intercourse with children, and he trained the
two younger assistants, Mr. Berrian and Mr. Onderdonk, in his
methods. The Bishop compiled, primarily for the children of
that Parish, the series of instruction books known as The New
York Catechism, which only recently has been superseded by
more modern publications. The children of that generation had
the blessing and privilege, which seems to be denied to those of
the present age, of living in homes where family prayer, religious
conversation, and instruction were the rule. Conservative parents
looked upon Sunday-schools as an innovation, and thought that
they could never do the work which had been done by the pastor
and the parents in the home.
"This is evidently the reason why the organization of Sunday-
schools in the Parish was deferred until the beginning of 1817.
In February of that year a meeting of Churchmen of New York
was held to consider the expediency of promoting the formation
of such schools, the intention being to have them under the con-
trol of an efficient board of managers, with the Bishop as Presi-
dent. After deliberation, it was determined to form 'The New
York Protestant Episcopal Sunday-school Society.' In addition
to the President there were to be three Vice-Presidents, a Secre-
i. An Address delivered before the Auxiliary New- York Bible and Com-
mon Prayer Book Society, in St. Paul's Chapel, in the City of New- York, on
Tuesday, the 28th day of January, A. D. 1817, by Thomas Y. How, D.D.,
Assistant Rector of Trinity Church, New- York. Published by the Request
of the Society. New- York: Printed by T. and J. Swords, No. 160 Pearl-
Street. 1817.
1817] Annual Meeting. 119
tary, a Treasurer, and a Board of Managers consisting of clergy-
men and laymen. Under the auspices of this society, and with
the hearty co-operation of the Rector, a school was organized in
St. John's Chapel late in February, 1817, for which competent
teachers volunteered their services. It opened with an attend-
ance of one hundred and twenty children of both sexes, who had
been 'collected through the diligence of committees appointed for
that purpose, in the short space of three days.' This school grew
so rapidly that it had to be divided into departments. The enroll-
ment in the male department in July, 1817, was two hundred and
forty-one, of whom twenty were blacks; and in the female de-
partment one hundred and forty-four, of which twenty-six were
blacks.
"The scholars with their teachers attended divine service on
Sunday. For their accommodation, with the approval of the
Vestry, the Board of Directors of St. John's Sunday-school
erected, on either side of the organ loft, stages with seats rising
in tiers. By this method better attention could be paid them by
their teachers. All who could read were taught to find the places
in the Prayer Book and to respond audibly.
"The Sunday-school of St. John's was then the largest in any
Parish of the Church in the city." 1
Among the papers in the possession of the writer of this His-
tory are lists of books selected by Bishop Hobart as peculiarly
suitable for gifts to Sunday School Scholars, or to be placed in
Sunday School libraries. There are also several lists of books
actually given as "premiums" at Christmas. One of the shortest
of these lists is reproduced in the Appendix as interesting not
only because it shews the kind of books then given but as pre-
serving the names of scholars from families who are still proud
of their connection with Trinity Parish. 2
At the Annual Meeting, February 25, .1817, the following reso-
lutipns were laid before the meeting :
"Resolved, that in Article I. of the Constitution, instead of the
words 'Five Dollars at the time of subscribing, and five dollars
annually afterwards' be inserted the words, 'to the funds of this
Institution a sum not less than one dollar annually.' And instead
of the words 'Fifty Dollars or more at the time of subscribing,'
1. Dix's History of Trinity Parish, Volume III. p. 10.
2. See Appendix.
120 Annual Meeting. [1817
be inserted the words 'A sum not less than 15 Dollars at one
time/ "
"Resolved, That in Article II. of the Constitution, instead of
the words The contributions at the time of subscribing/ be sub-
stituted the words 'The contributions of members for life.' '
"Resolved, That in Article V.of the Constitution, instead of the
words 'two thirds of the Board of Managers' be substituted the
words 'two thirds of the members of the Board of Managers
present at a meeting duly convened.' '
"A Constitutional majority of this meeting acceding to the
above resolutions, they are, agreeably to Article V. of the Consti-
tution, laid over for the decision of the Board of Managers, and
if acceded to by two thirds of that body, will become valid amend-
ments to the Constitution of this Society." (Folio 65.)
At this meeting the following managers were elected: Mat-
thew Clarkson, John Onderdonk, Gulian Ludlow, Henry Rogers,
George Dominick, William Bayard, John Slidell, Robert Troup,
Isaac Carow, Thomas L. Ogden. (Folio 67.)
February 26, 1817. On motion, Resolved, "That in the addi-
tion made at the last meeting of the Board, to the rules and regu-
lations of this Society, the clause next following the words 'as
above directed' be so altered as to read 'and to Auxiliary or
other Bible and Common Prayer Book Societies, and other Insti-
tutions embracing the distribution of the Book of Common
Prayer within their objects, and the same terms.' '
The following resolution was also laid before the Board, and
unanimously adopted, viz :
"Resolved, That the Standing Committee be authorized to
treat with the Auxiliary New York Bible and Common Prayer
Book Society, for Prayer Books for gratuitous distribution, from
their stereotype plates of the i6mo size, with a title page bearing
the name of this Institution ; and to make an agreement with said
Society on this subject, if they think proper; and if they m.ake
such agreement, to procure a stereotype page of the above de-
scription, and proceed immediately to obtain the books above
mentioned, to the value of $215, lately appropriated." (Folio 69.)
May 5, 1817. The Secretary from the Standing Committee,
reported that an arrangement had been made with the Auxiliary
New York Bible and Prayer Book Society, for obtaining Prayer
Books from their stereotype plates of the i6mo size, with a title
1817] The Rev. Stephen Jewett. 121
page bearing the name of this Society ; and that said books would
soon be ready for distribution; also, that Bibles had been pro-
vided to the value of the sum lately appropriated, of stereotype
print, with a title page bearing the name of this Society. (Folio
73-)
At the meeting of the Board of Managers held on February 4,
1818, the sum of $412 was appropriated, one half for the pur-
chase of Bibles and the other half for Prayer Books.
The President from the Standing Committee reported that the
two stereotype plates of the Book of Common Prayer which that
committee was authorized to obtain, were ready for use.
On February 25, 1818, the Secretary laid before the Board a
copy of the "Second Annual Report of the Managers of the Aux-
iliary New York Bible and Common Prayer Book Society,"
transmitted to this society agreeably to the constitution of the
said Auxiliary society. Ordered, that the reception of it be en-
tered on the minutes, and that the report be preserved among the
papers of the society.
The Secretary, from the Standing Committee, read a report
which that committee proposed to be adopted as the Report to be
made by this Board at the approaching meeting of the society.
On motion Resolved, unanimously that, with the consent of the
requisite number or numbers present at the approaching meeting
of the society, in the third article of the constitution, instead of
"The day after the annual meeting" be substituted "the Friday
next after the ^annual meeting." (Folio 77.)
"Resolved, that in order more effectually to provide for defray-
ing the expense incurred by the recent procuring of two stereo-
type plates of the Prayer Book, the Rectors of the several par-
ishes in the City be requested to allow (if they deem it expedient
and proper) the annual sermon and collection in behalf of this
society, for the present year, to take place in their churches at
such a time in each, as the Rector of the same may think most
suitable.
The Rev. Stephen Jewett, a man of singular and manifold
gifts, who was made deacon in 1810 by Bishop Jarvis, of Con-
necticut, and ordained priest by Bishop Hobart in 1813, com-
menced his ministry in an extensive region including Washing-
ton County and all the territory to the north of it. He founded,
in 1811, Christ Church, Hampton, and extended his labours over
122 Dutchess County Society. [1817
the line into the State of Vermont and established the Church in
the town of Paulet. Of him it was said :
"In the then scarcity of Episcopal clergymen he was a mission-
ary for all the region from Fort Edward on the south to Platts-
burgh on the north. I have heard him say that a child had been
brought to him the distance of one hundred miles to be baptized,
and that he had himself gone forty to attend a funeral." 1
In his extensive field he had learned the value of the Book of
Common Prayer as a Missionary agent. This zealous worker
on the borders of the State and diocese determined that the mem-
bers of his flock should do their part in providing for needs of
others. Associating with himself the Rev. Charles W. Hamilton,
his nearest clerical neighbour, resident of Sandy Hill, they or-
ganized in September. 1817, "the Bible and Common Prayer
Book Society for the Counties of Washington and Essex and
parts adjacent." The Bishop of the Diocese, Dr. Hobart, was
elected President, the Rev. Stephen Jewett, First Vice President,
Dr. Zina Hitchcock, Second Vice President, the Rev. Charles W.
Hamilton, Third Vice President, Mr. Wadsworth Bull, Treas-
urer, Mr. Martin Lee, Recording Secretary, and the Hon. Henry
C. Martingale, Corresponding Secretary.
Its work at once told upon the whole region.
The wide scope of usefulness for such a Society is shown in
the plans and aims of the Dutchess County Auxiliary Bible and
Prayer Book Society, of which the distinguished Dr. Samuel
Bard was President, as given in its report for 1817:
"The first object of the Society is to supply as far as practi-
cable every person within the County, who cannot conveniently
supply himself, with at least a copy of the Scriptures, and all such
as shall wish it, with a copy of the Common Prayer. This
although a local is by no means a limited object. When it is
considered how great the population of this County is, how im-
portant it is that every individual should have a Bible of his own,
and how many families there are who can ill afford to purchase
one copy of the Holy Scriptures, much less one for each of their
members, the object is magnified in our view, and shows us that
i. The extract is from Dr. Beardsley's sermon, "The Tabernacle Dis-
solved," preached in St. Thomas' Church, New Haven, Conn., on September
I, 1861, commemorative of the Rev. Stephen Jewett. It will be found on p.
134 of "Addresses and Discourses, Historical and Religious." By E. Edwards
Beardsley, D.D.
1817] Annual Meeting. 123
what has been already done, is but a beginning of the good work ;
and that to complete the benevolent design will require the indus-
try, the liberality, and united exertions of all the members of the
Society. In our undertaking we are secure of at least the good
wishes of all men. For no one who has the honour of religion
and the greatest good of man in view can forbear saying to a
body of men who have associated for the gratuitous distribution
of the uncommented Scriptures, 'God speed' 'V
It was under the cheering effect of such encouraging tokens of
the interest taken in the great cause they had at heart that the
Board of Managers of the parent Society met to arrange for the
annual meeting, which took place March 3, 1818.
The following Managers were elected : Matthew Clarkson,
John Onderdonk, John Slidell, Henry Rogers, George Dominick,
William Bayard, Gulian Ludlow, Isaac Carow, Thomas L. Og-
den, Richard Whiley. (Folio 79.)
On March 6, 1818 the following resolutions were passed:
"Resolved, that the report read at the last meeting of the society,
and referred by that meeting to this board to be disposed of at
its discretion, be published, in such way as the standing commit-
tee may direct.
"Resolved, that the Treasurer be authorized to appropriate the
sums that may be collected at the preaching of the annual sermon
in behalf of this society for the present year, to defraying the
expense incurred by the recent procuring of the stereotype plates
of the Book of Common Prayer.
"Resolved, that the standing committee be, and they hereby are
authorized, to have immediately printed such a number of the
Prayer Books from the stereotype plates as they may deem
proper & to enter in the name of this board, into a contract with
Messieurs T. & J. Swords for their use of the plates belonging to
this society."
The Managers using the discretion given to them printed the
report in The Christian Journal. It is a document full of inform-
ation and shows that Eastern Churchmen were not, as has often
been said, indifferent to the interests of laymen like Mr. Green
and Mr. Griswold, and priests like Roger Searle and Philander
Chase, to plant the Church in the Western Country.
i. The Christian Journal, Friday, October 31, 1817. Volume I., No. 20.
P- 319-
124 Eighth Annual Report. [1818
EIGHTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE BOARD OF MANAGERS OF THE
NEW YORK BIBLE AND COMMON PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY.
To preserve and disseminate a knowledge of the true God and
of Jesus Christ whom he hath sent to procure to the world the
inestimable benefits flowing from the pure system of Gospel
morals to bring men by faith in Jesus Christ, and through the
sanctifying influences of the Holy Ghost to walk religiously in
good works during their earthly pilgrimage and finally to ad-
vance them to the eternal inheritance purchased by the sacrifice
of the Lamb of God : these are the objects for which Scripture
declares the Church of God was established upon earth. Ad-
mitted into that Church by baptism men are received into cove-
nant with God through Christ. In the various ordinances duly
administered, they have means of attaining unto the conditions
of the Covenant and receiving through the promised blessing of
Heaven, those aids of divine Grace by which the conditions can
be performed, and the everlasting blessing that is covenanted, be
received. This is the gracious plan, simple, indeed, in appear-
ance but full of wisdom and mercy, whereby God hath revealed
his purpose "to deliver from curse and damnation those whom
he hath chosen in Christ out of mankind, and to bring them by
Christ to everlasting salvation, as vessels made to honour."
Bearing this in mind we perceive the consistency and propriety
of making the command to baptise co-extensive with that to
spread the Gospel ; and of the care which the Acts of the Apos-
tles and their several Epistles evince that they took thoroughly to
organize the Church as inseparable from the fulfilment of their
great commission to disseminate the religion of their Master, and
from securing the benefits thereby designed.
In the purpose of Providence, thus clearly evinced, we see
marked out the plan to which the members of the Christian
Church in all ages should adhere, in their efforts to promote the
diffusion of religious truth and practice.
The Church as a visible society, should ever be recognized;
her enlargement and due organization should be sought, as one
with the promotion of the religion of the Gospel : thus shown to
be God's chosen instrument in furthering the spiritual and eternal
interests of men, she should be strengthened by her members in
this great work, and her honour sought in its promotion.
It was this evangelical principle that gave birth to the Society
1818] Eighth Annual Report. 125
/
on whose concerns we are now called to report. Humbly and
gratefully cherishing the belief that they were attached to a com-
munion possessing a ministry proceeding in an unbroken line
from that set apart by our Lord in person ; and in doctrine, disci-
pline and worship approaching nearer than any in its day to those
which were hallowed by Apostolic usage; her first members
thought it their duty to stand forth in the name of their Church,
in the cause of God and by their efforts make her an humble
instrument of promoting his glory, and the spiritual and eternal
interests of men.
To further this pious design, they organized the Society now
assembled, in the early part of the year 1809, having for its
object the distribution of the Bible and the Book of Common
Prayer. The former their Church had taught them to regard
as the only and sufficient source of religious and moral instruc-
tion, of sanctifying and saving faith of cheering and consol-
ing hope of righteousness unto life eternal. By her large and
characteristic use of it in her daily and occasional services, she
had taught them to consider its general dissemination as the only
effectual means of extending the influence of pure religion and
morality. In no way, then, could they regard their Church more
legitimately occupied, or acting in greater consistency with her
principles and practice, than in the distribution of this sacred vol-
ume. They were glad to aid her, and were happy to advance
her honour in so good and great a work.
Their second object was the distribution of the Book of Com-
mon Prayer. They naturally concluded that when the serious
perusal of the word of God had been blessed with the happy effect
of rousing the careless to a sense of their danger, and exciting
them to ask "What shall we do to be saved ?" Then to put into
their hands this book which they regarded as familiarly and
affectingly explaining and enforcing the truth of the Gospel; as
providing them with the best prayers for pardon, for thorough
conversion, for divine illumination and guidance; as instructing
them in the primitive doctrine and organization of that Church,
in union with which, and in the devout participation of whose
ordinances, their Bible taught them, are to be found the blessing
of God's covenant with man, as immediately preparing the way
for the purist, most affecting and most edifying ministrations of
the Ambassadors of Heaven : they naturally concluded that then
126 Eighth Annual Report. [1818
to second the encouraging impression made by the inspired vol-
ume, by the gift of this next best book, would be using the mean
most promising success, of bringing to perfection the work of
grace upon their hearts.
In the anticipation of the continued existence and operations of
the Society, they chose to establish a permanent fund the interest
of which should be disposable, and thus lay the foundation of
permanent and much greater ultimate usefulness, rather than to
enlarge their immediate operations by the disbursement of what
was early collected by the liberality of their fellow members of
the Church. The good effect of this provision is shown in the
fact appearing in the subjoined report of the Treasurer that we
have a permanent fund of $4,509.85. Notwithstanding the tem-
porary check which the establishment and maintenance of this
fund has necessarily given to the active operations of the Society,
they have been enabled to expend upwards of $3,000 in the pur-
chase of Bibles and Prayer Books.
Including a donation of 500 Bibles and 500 New Testaments
from the extensive and characteristic benevolence of the British
and Foreign Bible Society, the number of volumes gratuitously
distributed by this Institution since its establishment, is 2,240
English and 100 French Bibles, 600 New Testaments, and 3,331
Common Prayer Books. Grand total 6,171. Of these 350 Bibles
and 565 Prayer Books have been distributed in the course of the
past year.
By the divine blessing upon the operations we may humbly
hope that good has been, and still will be effected, in the dissemi-
nation of religious knowledge, in the increase of practical piety,
in the enlarging of the borders of the Church of Christ, in the
improvement or preservation of her members in evangelical doc-
trine and holiness. We are cheered, indeed, by the certain knowl-
edge, that in a degree, our exertions have been thus blessed.
By an arrangement of the Board for that purpose, the Bibles
and Prayer Books distributed within the past year, bear the name
of this Society on their title pages. The same will hereafter be
uniformly the case.
A difficulty has been found to arise from the smallness of the
type in the Prayer Books generally distributed; rendering them
in a great measure useless to those whose eyes are affected by
disease or the natural infirmity of age. We hope this difficulty
1818] Eighth Annual Report. 127
will soon be obviated by the use of the stereotype plates of the
8vo size, the determination of the Board to procure which was
last year reported. We have anticipated an increase of patronage
by obtaining them and hope that the friends of the Church will
manifest their approbation of a measure which we deemed of
essential importance, by favourably answering the application,
which it will be necessary to make, for contributions to meet the
expense thereby incurred.
A plan has been adopted for the distribution of the 8vo Prayer
Book, which appeared to the Board to possess advantages over
that of the ordinary gratuitous circulation. It is given to mem-
bers of this Society, to Auxiliary Societies, and to all institutions
which embrace the distribution of the Prayer Book within their
objects, at the rate of one copy per annum, for every dollar annu-
ally contributed; leaving the contributor the choice of a Bible
instead of the Prayer Book. Thus while the Prayer Book is
given at a cheap rate to all similar institutions the members of
the Society will be furnished with it for their use or distribution.
The small sized Prayer Book will continue to be gratuitously dis-
tributed as usual.
What this Society has been enabled through the Divine bless-
ing to effect, has brought to our knowledge the immense field of
usefulness yet unoccupied. From every quarter we are continu-
ally importuned for the Word of Life and the invaluable Liturgy
of our Church. Will her friends endure to hear that we are fre-
quently obliged to be importuned in vain? Will they suffer it to
remain an unhappy fact, that even this Diocese (to which the
labours of this Institution have been confined) is suffering for
want of aid which it is not in our power to extend ? Will they be
indifferent to the circumstance that an increase of patronage will
enable us to be powerfully instrumental in planting and nourish-
ing our Church in every newly settled town and village in this
State? The Liturgy compared with the Bible will speak for it-
self will subdue prejudices will excite pious attachment will
prepare the way, and powerfully second the faithful services of
the missionary or settled pastor.
Reflection on the immense field which yet exists for the opera-
tion of this and similar institutions, and on the great interests
which are at stake, gives us much pleasure in reporting the addi-
tion to the Bible and Common Prayer Book Societies in this Dio-
128 Eighth Annual Report. [1818
cese of that for the Counties of Washington and Essex and parts
adjacent established within the past year. We are also happy
again to notice the Auxiliary Society of this City. It continues
not merely to exist itself but to increase its exertions. It has
reduced the wholesale price of the Prayer Book originally dis-
tributed, to the low sum of $30 per 100. The recent report of
the Board of Managers, forwarded by them to this Board, states
that 623 Bibles and 5,239 Prayer Books have been issued from
their depository during the past year. Of the latter a large pro-
portion were sold at the reduced price.
It is further, a source of pleasure to record, among our most
zealous coadjutors, the Congregation of St. John's Church, Can-
andaigua, Ontario County. From funds raised among them-
selves (it is believed the balance of their communion collections,
after the necessary appropriations for the relief of the poor),
they have, within a few months, distributed 30 Bibles, 200
Prayer Books, and 2,700 religious tracts : and all this, immedi-
ately after erecting, solely at their own cost, one of the handsom-
est Churches in the diocese : and connected with very liberal con-
tributions for meeting parochial expenses. The thanks of this
Society and the Church at large, and the approbation of all good "
men are due to them. Their example is worthy of imitation, and
it is sincerely to be hoped will provoke it.
The institution of "The Protestant Episcopal Missionary So-
ciety of Troy, Lansingburgh, and Waterford," and of "The
Ladies' Association of the City of Troy for the assistance of
students who intend to take Orders in the Episcopal Church,"
has given further and pleasing evidence of well directed zeal for
the great and good cause in this diocese.
In sister states, also, the members of our Church have mani-
fested their regard for her, by exertions having for their object
her efficiency in the promotion of Christian knowledge and piety.
We are confident you will hear with pleasure of the establishment
of a Bible and Prayer Book Society in the town of Worthington
(Ohio) and its vicinity. Your Board (in answer to a communi-
cation from them) have expressed to the Managers of that So-
ciety the pleasure its institution affords them; and their wishes
and prayers for its success in the all important work of promot-
ing the pure and primitive religion of the Gospel in that interest-
ing section of our Country. This we have done. Our hearts'
1818] Eighth Annual Report. 129
desire was to do more, to send them that aid in the prosecution of
their pious objects for which they naturally look to this favoured
portion of the Church. But with ability greatly unequal even to
the supply of wants at home, we were denied the rich satisfaction
of lending a helping hand, in their efforts to these distant
brethren.
Information has also been received of the existence of the fol-
lowing Societies formed for pious purposes, by members of our
Church ; all of them it is believed instituted within the past year :
"Prayer Book and Tract Association of the Eastern Diocese,"
"St. Peter's (Salem)" and "Merrimack" Branches of the above;
"Massachusetts Episcopal Missionary Society," "Massachusetts
Episcopal Prayer Book and Tract Society," "Protestant Episco-
pal Society of New Milford, Connecticut," "The Female Episco-
pal Society of Shrewsbury and Middletown for promoting Chris-
tian Knowledge and Piety, auxiliary to the Episcopal Society of
New Jersey," "The Paterson Church Missionary Society, in aid
of the Missionary Fund of the Church in New Jersey," "The
Episcopal Female Tract Society of Philadelphia," "The Mission-
ary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church of North Caro-
lina."
We are confident that our fellow-members will rejoice with
us in the success of every effort for diffusing the religion of the
Gospel; and unite with us in admiration and gratitude for the
zeal in this great work which characterizes the present age, and
is shared by all who profess the name of Christian. At the same
time, a conscientious regard for the evangelical sentiment, that
the Church should be recognized in these efforts, and that she
should be strengthened in them, as the instrument designed by
Providence ultimately to effect the victory of the Gospel, and
establish its universal reign, excites in us peculiar interest for
those associations of her members which recognize this funda-
mental principle. As of this character, and established with
views for which every pious heart must rejoice, we notice, lastly,
the Protestant Episcopal Sunday School Society. Under the
general superintendence of the Bishop of the Diocese, and a
Board of Clergy and Lay Managers, and with each School under
the particular charge of the minister of the Congregation to
which it is attached, and of Directors chosen from the same; it
exhibits the delightful spectacle of the Church taking the Chil-
(9)
130 Sermon by Mr. Lyell. [181&
dren of poverty from idleness, vice and misery, and bringing
them to Christ for his blessing in time, and through eternity.
These institutions, and many others of earlier date, afford en-
couraging evidence of piety and zeal on the part of the members
of our Church. They cannot adopt a method for the promotion
of the objects they have in view, more proper or more useful
than by thus strengthening her hands for the promotion of the
interests of religion. Can this be better effected than through
such an agent? "All glorious within," and with "clothing of
wrought gold," justifying the pretensions to identify with the
spouse of Christ, bearing in her right hand the blessed volume of
inspiration, and in her left a system of doctrine and practice
drawn from that volume, preserved from earliest times, and
sealed by the blood of martyrs ; she would call men from the ser-
vice of sin and offer them guidance in paths of holiness and
virtue; she would reinstate them in that unity of spirit and bond
of peace, which were once the characteristics of the disciples of
the Lamb. Receiving them into covenant with God, exhorting
them to a true and living faith, dispensing to them appointed
means for the conveyance of the strengthening and sanctifying
influences of the Holy Ghost the Comforter; she would minister
to their purest happiness, their consolation in every trial, their
victory "over every assault of the Spiritual enemy, their support
and hope in the awful hour of dissolution, and their everlasting
joy in the inheritance of the saints in light.
By order of the Board,
BENJ. T. ONDERDONK, Secretary.
New York, Feb. 25th, iSiS. 1
The sad and startling episode of the moral lapse of Dr. How,.
assistant Rector of Trinity Church, whose brilliant gifts it was
thought would long adorn and edify the Church, made necessary
a meeting of the Board of Managers, which was held on May 25,
1818, when the Rev. Mr. Lyell was appointed a member of the
Society committee in the place of Dr. How. A vote of thanks
was tendered to Mr. Lyell for his recent sermon on behalf of the
Society.
The sermon so commended had been prepared with a great
I. The Christian Journal, No. i, for March, 1818. Volume II., No. 5..
pp. 76-80.
1818] Sermon by Mr. LyeU.
deal of care by Mr. Lyell. After the delivery throughout the
City and neighbouring Parishes with the most gratifying success
in arousing interest, it was published and circulated widely. It
is still worthy of perusal, as this extract shows :
Men of Israel, help. Acts xxi. 28.
HELP! To do what? That which the Asiatic Jews, in their
rage, wished to have done? To thrust from the temple, and
banish from among us, an apostolic ministry? To support a
sinking system of ecclesiastical polity a Church, the glory of
which has departed, and the term of whose very existence has
reached its utmost limit ? No, my Brethren, you are called upon
to diffuse that Gospel, and cherish those institutions, in defence
and support of which the zealous Apostle laboured long, suffered
much, and died a martyr; to promote the interest of a Church
destined in the counsels of heaven, having been coextensive in
her existence with the duration of time, to be the glory of all
lands, to shed lustre over the nations of the world, to receive
within her pale the heathen as her inheritance, and the uttermost
part of the earth for her possession.
You are called upon to aid her to send out the light and truth
of the Gospel, and to lead hundreds and thousands to offer, on
her consecrated altars, a "freewill-offering with a holy worship."
Men of Israel, help. This is the business to which, with warm
hearts, and liberal dispositions (if the most laudable of all chari-
ties can warm the heart, and make liberal the disposition), we
are called at this time.
I am requested to make the annual appeal to your sense of
duty and sentiments of liberality, in behalf of the Society for the
distribution of the Bible, a book "containing all things necessary
to salvation," and consequently dear to Christians of every de-
nomination; and also for the distribution of the Book of Com-
mon Prayer, the closet, the family, the sanctuary companion and
directory of all Churchmen ; that it may be enabled to continue
and extend its work of faith and labour of love. * * * *
Not help to circulate the Bible? O that we could give it the
wings of the morning! The Bible! To what else shall we as-
cribe it, that we are not at this day involved in the darkness and
ignorance of former ages ? To what institution to what system
of instruction, of all those which the benevolence and wisdom,
132 Auxiliary's Second Report. [1818
the piety and charity of the age have devised and put into opera-
tion? And no age ever devised more for the improvement of the
mind, or the melioration of the circumstances of man. From
among them all select the most excellent; that around which
wisdom throws her brightest beams, and in the operation of
which, benevolence and charity exercise and gratify their most
ardent and expansive wishes take that one nay, take them all
together, and what are they without the Bible? Your Charity
Schools, both parochial and public ; your Sunday Schools, though
last not least in worth and excellence, whether we consider the
tenderness of their care or the wisdom of their plans, what are
they, valuable as they are, but the voice of one crying in the wil-
derness but the means and instruments to prepare the way of
the Lord for religious instruction? Deprived of the Bible, of its
co-operation and impulse, they are impotent as a machine de-
prived of its spring; their force would soon cease to reach the
mass of the people. Take the Bible away, and you strike from
those systems of wisdom, instruction, and benevolence, the sun
to whose radiance and warmth they owe their splendour and their
worth; the natural darkness and corruption of the human heart
would soon prevail against them, and those clouds of superstition
and barbarism which enveloped former ages, would speedily
return, thick and dark, and settle on the most enlightened nations
of Christendom.
"Men of Israel," shall we help this Society to distribute the
Bible? 1
So intimate was the relation between the parent Society and
the New York Auxiliary that its work was practically comple-
mentary to that of the older Society.
It is then a necessary part of the narrative to insert here an
account of the anuual meeting, and a portion of the
SECOND ANNUAL REPORT.
As all institutions for the diffusion of Christianity are
I. A Sermon delivered in several Churches and Chapels of the Protestant
Episcopal Church in the City of New-York, for the Benefit of the New-
York Bible and Common Prayer Book Society. By The Rev. Thomas
Lyell, A.M., Rector of Christ Church, New- York.
1818] Auxiliary's Second Report. 133
founded in charity, it has been deemed proper in the formation of
this Society, that this heavenly virtue should not be limited to the
distribution of the Bible only but also that by distributing the
Book of Common Prayer to extend to others the same Gospel
privileges we ourselves enjoy. The great object in separating
from the Church of Rome, was not only that the Scriptures
should be read and widely disseminated, but also that The Church
should be restored to its primitive purity. Should we not then
as Protestant Episcopalians throw away the precious fruits of
the reformation, did we not stand with the Bible in one hand,
and the Book of Common Prayer in the other. The Liturgy was
drawn from the Scriptures by those great men, who were chief
promoters, and finally martyrs in the cause, of the reformation,
and by the identity of its principles, it is capable of being resolved
into the Scriptures again. As the view in distributing the Bible,
is to point out the way of peace and of eternal life, and to bring
men to the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son Jesus
Christ ; so the great object in distributing the Book of Common
Prayer, is to point out that ark of our salvation, that spiritual
Building instituted by Christ, into which he has commanded all
men to enter into which the Scriptures are designed to lead all
who read and believe them, and whose rule of faith and practice
they are.
The more fully to accomplisli the pious purposes of this
Society, the Legislature of the state, at its last session, passed an
act of Incorporation, and also provided a mode by which institu-
tions, having the same laudable purposes, can partake of the
same benefits and privileges. 1
In the late establishment of Sunday Schools in this city, the
Board rejoice that the field of their labour has been enlarged,
and they anticipate with pleasure, the time when these Schools
shall be formed in every part of the Union, and by instilling into
the tender mind, principles of piety, become efficient pioneers for
the extensive dissemination of religious knowledge. We are
confident, that to rescue the young from ignorance and vice, to
make them useful members of society, to promote their interest
in this life and that which is to come, present such strong mo-
tives for the general establishment of Sunday Schools, that they
i. The Act of Incorporation and revised Constitution and By-Laws will be
found in the Appendix.
134 Auxiliary's Second Report. [1818
cannot be disregarded ; and we' are inspired with the hope, that
this beneficial system will, at no distant day, shed its blessings
upon every city and village of our country.
During the last year, your Board of Managers have gratuit-
ously distributed 623 Bibles ; and the number of Common Prayer
Books issued from our repository, during the same period, is
5,239. The annexed account of the Treasurer, exhibits the num-
ber of Prayer Books supplied by us to societies and individuals,
for gratuitous distribution. These distributions have been prin-
cipally made in the most destitute parts of our state ; and as our
operations are not confined to prescribed limits, we have paid
every attention to the Spiritual wants of other states. The most
gratifying accounts came from the Clergymen who were travel-
ling into, and intrusted with our distribution in the new settle-
ments of our country. Through the industry of these gentlemen,
many congregations have been formed for divine worship, and the
most important results may be expected. Our distributions have
also been liberal in the state of Connecticut, and the acknowledg-
ments of the Clergy very gratifying.
It will appear, by the annexed Report of the Treasurer, that
the receipts during the year, amount to $3,497.78, and that the
disbursements amount to $3,346.22, leaving in the treasury a
balance of $151.56. The present demands on the treasury will
nearly absorb this balance; we confidently rest, however, in the
assurance that the liberal patronage hitherto extended to us by
our fellow-citizens, will still be piously afforded.
Your Board of Managers have lately concluded an arrange-
ment for the printing of the Book of Common Prayer from their
stereotype plates, by which not only this Society, but sister socie-
ties and charitable individuals will be enabled much more exten-
sively to promote their views. In the completion of this arrange-
ment, your Board are inspired with the hope, that these prayers,
which have obtained universal reputation, and have been deserv-
edly admired among Protestants in every 'age, will be more
widely circulated, and by the religion infused and embodied
therein, the hearts and lives of many will be transformed and
brought to the worship of God with zeal and knowledge, spirit
and truth, purity and sincerity.
The second anniversary of the Auxiliary New York Bible
and Common Prayer Book Society was held in Trinity Church,
1818] Election of Officers. 135
on Monday Evening the 26th inst. The minutes of the last anni-
versary were read and approved, the Annual Report was then
read by Wm. E. Dunscomb, Esq.
Whereupon, on motion of the Right Rev. Bishop Hobart,
seconded by the Rev. Mr. Lyell, the following resolutions were
unanimously adopted :
Resolved, That this Society receive, with much satisfaction,
the very interesting Report of the Board of Managers.
Resolved, That the thanks of the Society be presented to the
Board of Managers, for the zeal and fidelity with which they
have prosecuted the objects of the institution.
Resolved, That in the opinion of this Society, the increasing
number of Episcopalians, who are scattered through the new set-
tlements, and the wants of many in the other parts of our coun-
try, render necessary augmented zeal to provide them with the
means of religious knowledge and worship, by the distribution of
the Bible and Book of Common Prayer; and that these consid-
erations, while they afford to the Society, and to the Managers,
a powerful stimulus to perseverance, under the Divine blessings,
in their labours, will, they trust, induce the friends of Religion,
and the Church, to co-operate with them in their pious and benev-
olent work, by extending to the institution their patronage and
beneficence.
The Society then proceeded to the election of a Board of Offi-
cers and managers for the ensuing year when the following
gentlemen were elected, viz :
Edward N. Cox, President.
Luther Braclish, ist Vice President.
Dr. Gerardus A. Cooper, 2d Vice President.
Floyd Smith, 3d Vice President.
Wm. E. Dunscomb, Corresponding Secretary. 1
Wm. Onderdonk, Jim., Recording Secretary.
John Smyth Rogers, Treasurer.
Wm. H. Harison, Agent.
Managers: Dr. John Watts, Jim., Cornelius R. Duffie, John
Anthon, Benjamin Haight, Thomas N. Stanford, Lewis Loutrel,
Duncan P. Cambell, John H. Hill, Ferris Pell, Charles Nicholls,
I. B. Haight, Esq., the former Corresponding Secretary, having declined
a re-election.
136 Address by Professor McVickar. [1818
Charles Keeler, Alexis P. Proal, David A. Clarkson, John J.
Lambert, Charles W. Sanford, John M. Aspinwall. Murray
Hoffman, Henry Barclay.
On motion, Ordered that the proceedings of this evening be
published in the daily papers, and that 1,250 copies of the Annual
Report, together with the proceedings, be published in the form
of a pamphlet, for the use of the Society.
By order of the Society,
WM. ONDERDONK, JUN.
Recording Secretary.
New York, January 27th, 1818.
In the address of the newly elected professor of moral philoso-
phy in Columbia College, the Rev. John McVickar, there are
given some additional particulars of the wisdom and care with
which the Society ministered to the actual necessities of the City
and diocese.
But to the Society itself: The Auxiliary Bible and Common
Prayer Book Society arose in the beginning of the year 1816, as
an aid to the Society of the same name already established. How
well they have redeemed that pledge of aid, I need not say: it
would not be going too far to assert, that instead of auxiliary
they have become principal; that they have outrun those, whose
footsteps they were but to follow : and this I say, not in dispar-
agement of one, but in praise of the other ; in praise of an ability
and zeal, which, in an age of increasing fervour, has few equals
I know of none superior.
This Society, although instituted at a period of pecuniary
distress and commercial pressure, did yet, through the zeal and
respectability of those to whom the management of it was in-
trusted, so win upon the public confidence, that it wanted not for
a liberal support. Nor was that confidence misplaced : in their
first annual report, they announced the distribution of above
3,000 volumes, besides the accomplishment of a plan, from which
abler societies had shrunk a plan long-desired, but desired in
vain; I mean, the securing, by Stereotype Plates, a permanent
supply of correct copies of the Book of Common Prayer.
Of the importance of this task, you may form an idea from
this simple fact, that it has lowered the price of that book from
1818] Address by Professor McVickar. 137
75 t 37^2 cents : the effect of which reduction will be to increase
the number disposed of, almost in the ratio of the reduction it-
self: one proof of which assertion exists in the report of the
present year laid before me in MSS. ; by which it appears that
5,239 Books of Common Prayer have been disposed of, or dis-
tributed by them through the past year, besides an equally large
edition struck off by a Bookseller, who hired their plates for that
purpose. I mention this latter fact with a double view; to illus-
trate the prudence as well as zeal of the Society. Their plates,
which cost them $1,221, have thus, by prudent arrangements,
already repaid them near 20 per cent, of their original cost, and
will, I doubt not, eventually replace the whole of that sum.
In such hands, charity is no wasteful fund, and we may safely
make those our almoners, who bring all the economy of private
management into their public expenditure. In truth, this is no
ostentatious charity : no wanton disbursement of money earned
without labour, to catch the public eye : but it bears the marks of
the orderly arrangement of well regulated and pious minds; it
copies the wise provisions of beneficent nature, which gathers
with one, while she disperses with the other; it resembles the
great luminary of Heaven, who while he sends down rain on a
thirsty land, is ever drawing to himself new stores of vapour,
from the bosom of the exhaustless ocean.
The number of Bibles distributed by them through the course
of the past year, is 693 making the whole amount for the scant
two years of the Society's existence, 1,190 Bibles, 7,989 Books
of Common Prayer, forming an aggregate total of 9,179 vol-
umes.
But I should do injustice to the labours of this Society, were
I to stop here : their distribution has been as judicious as it has
been extensive.
The wants of our own State first demanded, and first met
their attention ; the adjoining States, in proportion to their needs,
came in for a share of their liberality; and finally, the great
western States have opened to them a field of usefulness, more
adequate to their zeal, than to their pecuniary means to cultivate.
In this boundless territory, where, peradventure, future em-
pires lie in embryo, the labour of Apostles, and the zeal of Mar-
tyrs, is not wanting to build up the Christian Church; the seed
has indeed been sown, and the vegetation is rapid; but without
138 Addreas by Professor McVickar.
some fostering care, it will be choked by the wild weeds of a
luxurious soil ; and anxiously does this Society look to have the
honour of cultivating it with the hand of zeal, and watering it
with stores of liberality. But that hope, as well as all its other
prospects, rests, under the good Providence of God, on the deci-
sion you, my brethren, shall make this night on the merits of
their past labours. **********
This is indeed an era of religious zeal and moral improve-
ment. It is a period in which the overruling power of Provi-
dence stands marked and signal, carrying on, with a high though
secret hand, its gracious designs; fulfilling the predictions of
ancient time turning visions into realities prophecy into pres-
ent story; preparing for that blessed consummation, when "from
the rising to the setting of the sun, Christ's name shall be great
among the Gentiles."
Christianity is on its march to universal empire; but have we
no task to perform in it? Are we idle spectators of a contest in
which we should bear our part? God forbid! If we share not
in the contest, we share not the crown. In our aids to this
Society, we pay a portion of our quota we roll on the mighty
scheme we press forward that great work, that for 1,800 years
has been advancing we help to cap that Christian temple, which
built up by the lives and labours of Martyrs and Apostles, is
soon, we trust, to be prepared for the reception of its Lord.
Through us, this night, some shall hear of the name of Christ,
who never heard it before, some heir of sin shall be rescued from
the paths of vice; some child of sorrow shall dry its tears', and
look up with comfort to a reconciled God. Through us, this
night, some bed of sickness shall be smoothed of its thorns ; some
grave robbed of its terrors; some fellow creature be better pre-
pared to pass down in pious resignation into the mansions of the
dead.
Have you ever witnessed, my brethren, a dying bed? Have
you seen the restless workings of an unquiet mind, the rackings
of a guilty conscience? If you have, you will agree with me, that
no liberality is so well applied, no charity so nobly exerted, as
that which prepares comfort and peace for a dying hour.
I need not remind you that that hour awaits us all that on
one bed every head must rest on one pillow every eye must
close in one dark and narrow chamber we all must rest ; but I
1818] Address by Professor McVickar. 139
will remind you, that no better plan hath ever been found to
smooth to ourselves that fated path, than to smooth it before-
hand for others.
Give then to this charity, according to your means, to your
feelings, to your convictions. "Cast thy bread upon the waters,
and after many days thou shalt find it." Thou shalt find it this
night in the comfort of an approving conscience; thou shalt find
it in years to come in the increase of virtue and religion, and all
the blessings which follow in their train ; and to crown all, that
charity thus cast abroad for others, thou shalt find, in thine hour
of need, laid up for thyself. 1
i. An Address delivered before The Auxiliary New- York Bible and
Common Prayer Book Society, in St. Paul's Chapel, in the City of New-
York, on Thursday, the 2o.th day of January, A. D. 1818. By John McVickar,
Coll. Col. Prof. Published by the Request of the Society: New- York:
Printed by William A. Mercein, No. 93 Gold-Street. 1818.
CHAPTER VI.
CONTENTS.
Auxiliary Societies Continuing to be Formed Under Bishop Hobart's
Influence Other Diocesan Societies Also Formed First Annual Report
of the Common Prayer-Book Society of Pennsylvania Meeting of the
N. Y. B. & C. P. B. Society, February 24, 1819 Ninth Annual
Report Third Report of the Auxiliary New York Society Appointment
of an "Agent" by the N. Y. Society Mr. Henry McFarlan Elected
Annual Meeting of the Society in Trinity Church, 24 February, 1820
Tenth Annual Report Fourth Report of the Auxiliary Society The Li-
berian Colony Letters from the Rev. Samuel Bacon to Bishop Hobart
The Bible and Common Prayer Book Society of the Western District
Annual Report of the N. Y. Auxiliary for 1821 Meeting of the N. Y. B.
& C. P. B. Society, 1821, February 27th Eleventh Annual Report Estab-
lishment of the General Theological Seminary in New York and Perfected
Organization of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society Sixth
Annual Report of the Auxiliary Society Twelfth Annual Report of the
N. Y. B. & C. P. B. Society.
THE opening of the year 1819 found the Society making
marked progress. The Diocese of New York was aroused
to the necessity for country and town societies, and under
the invigorating and cheering suggestions of the Bishop,
many were formed. In other Dioceses Prayer Book Societies
were organized and did their work efficiently.
The first annual report of the Common Prayer Book Society
of Pennsylvania is printed in the Christian Journal for February,
1819. It mentioned the circumstances of its formation "toward
the close of the year 1817," the purchase from D. and G. Bruce,
of New York, of a set of stereotype plates, the issue of an edition
of one thousand copies, of which five hundred were sold to
Messrs. S. & P. Potter, booksellers of Philadelphia, and the
remainder distributed to subscribers according to the design of
the Society.
Its President was the Hon. Chief Justice Tilghman. Bishop
White was its Patron; its Vice Presidents were Daniel Smith,
Charles N. Bancker, Dr. F. P. Glentworth; the Rev. George
Boyd was its Corresponding Secretary, Mr. Charles Wheeler its
Recording Secretary, and Mr. Richard P. Smith its Treasurer. 1
I. The Christian Journal, 1819, pp. 46, 47, 48.
140
1819] Ninth Annual Report. 141
It was under these encouraging circumstances that the Mana-
gers held their meeting on February 24, 1819.
The Secretary from the Standing Committee read a report
proposed by the committee as the report of this board, to be read
at the approaching meeting of the Society.
The report was adopted by the board, for the purpose pro-
posed by the Standing Committee, and the following is the text
of the report as found in the Christian Journal :
NINTH ANNUAL REPORT.
Two hundred and sixteen Bibles, and six hundred and eighty-
six Prayer Books have been gratuitously distributed within the
past year.
The following report of the Treasurer, rendered to the Board
of Managers, will show the state of the funds.
By a reference to the Treasurer's accounts herewith presented,
it will be seen, that the receipts for the last year, on account of
the disposable fund of the Bible and Common Prayer Book So-
ciety, amount to $1,310.19, and the expenditures to $1,405,30,
viz.
For the purchase of stereotype plates for the Com-
mon Prayer Book $992 oo
For 216 Bibles, and 686 Prayer Books 41 1 80
For advertising I 50
$1,405 30
The balance of this account, $122.53 (which includes the bal-
ance of the last year's account), was borrowed from the perma-
nent fund. This the Treasurer was enabled to do, by the receipt
of the last payment on the State 7 per cent, loan, belonging to
the Society. He consequently did not avail himself of the author-
ity given by the Board of Managers, to make a loan to pay the
deficiency in the appropriation for the purchase of the stereo-
type plates.
The receipts on account of the permanent fund of the Society,
amount only to $175, of which sum $170 were the balance due
on the State 7 per cent loan. The state of that fund varies but
little in amount from the last year, being composed of
142 Ninth Annual Report. {1819
32 Shares in the Eagle Fire Company, cost $3,667 60
10 Shares in the Mutual Fire Insurance Company.. . 598 60
Due from the account of disposable fund $122 53
Cash 126 12 248 63
85
The sum to be disposed of the ensuing year, may be
calculated at about $285 oo
Arising from dividends of stock,. .$333 oo
Annual contribution TOO oo $433 oo
Due the permanent fund 122 53
Contingent expenses 25 oo 147 53 $285 47
GULIAN LUDLOW, Treasurer.
New York, Feb. i, 1819.
The Managers have prepared a circular, addressed to the
members of our Church in this city, soliciting further patronage
to the Society ; and another to the several clergymen and vacant
parishes in the diocese, suggesting the formation of Auxiliary
Societies. The encouragement held out to our members, and to
Societies, by the cheapness of our 8vo Prayer Book, we hope will
insure to these efforts considerable success. We trust it will
please the Divine Head of the Church, to excite among us a spirit
of pious and zealous liberality, more proportioned than what has
yet appeared, to our religious privileges, and in greater con-
formity with the dictates of gratitude and love to God, of regard
for the Redeemer's Church, and of solicitude for the temporal
and eternal good of men.
We are gratified at the additional evidence the past year has
afforded to the Church, of the fidelity of her members, in aiding
her in the dissemination of Christian truth and practice. In-
stances have come to our knowledge, in the formation of "The
Connecticut Protestant Episcopal Society for the Promotion of
Christian Knowledge" ; the "Female Bible and Common Prayer
Book Society of St. Andrew's Church, Orange County" ; "The
Johnstown Auxiliary Bible and Common Prayer Book Society" ;
the "Protestant Episcopal Sunday School Society of Philadel-
phia" ; the "Common Prayer Book Society of Pennsylvania," and
the "Female Tract Society of Worthington and its vicinity."
It is in the highest degree gratifying to see the members of the
1819] Ninth Annual Report. 143
Church thus interested in extending the inestimable benefits de-
signed by its establishment. Let us supplicate for these efforts
the Divine direction and blessing; that they may be successful in
spreading the pure and undefiled religion of the Gospel ; in pro-
moting the glory of God the Father, who made us, and all the
world God the Son, who redeemed us, and all mankind God
the Holy Ghost, who sanctifieth us, and all the people of God;
and in advancing the present and eternal welfare of the human
race. Let us beseech him who honours men, by making them
instruments in effecting the designs of his providence and grace,
to infuse into the hearts of his people a spirit of willing and zeal-
ous devotion to his cause, manifesting by consecrating to it the
personal exertions for which circumstances may fit them; and
especially by contributing they that have much, plentifully, they
that have little gladly of that little, to the institutions of the
Church designed to promote the glory of God, and the good of
men.
By order of the Board.
JOHN H. HOB ART, President.
BENJ. T. ONDERDONK, Secretary.
New York, Feb. 24, 1819.
The report having been read and accepted, the following gen-
tlemen were elected to unite with the Bishop and Clergy of the
city, as the Board of Managers for the ensuing year : Matthew
Clarkson, John Onderdonk, John Slidell, Henry Rogers, George
Dominick, Gulian Ludlow, Isaac Carow, Richard Whiley, Henry
M'Farlan, Richard Platt.
At a meeting of the Board of Managers, held on Friday. March
5, the Rev. Benj. T. Onderdonk was chosen Secretary, and Mr.
Gulian Ludlow, Treasurer. 1
NEW YORK BIBLE AND COMMON PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY.
The New York Bible and Common Prayer Book Society offer
to Subscribers, Auxiliary Societies, and other Institutions embrac-
ing within their objects the gratuitous distribution of the Book
of Common Prayer, one Bible, or one octavo Prayer Book, neatly
bound, for every dollar which they contribute.
The New York Bible and Common Prayer Book Society has
i. The Christian Journal, February, 1819. Volume III., No. 2, pp. 45, 46.
144 Ninth Annual Report. [1819
recently procured a set of Stereotype plates of the Book of Com-
mon Prayer, of the octavo size. There has long been felt the
want of a Prayer Book printed with a large letter, sufficiently
cheap to promote its gratuitous circulation among the aged, and
others whose sight is affected. The Society hopes to accomplish
this object with the present edition, through the medium of its
own members, and of Auxiliary and other Institutions. The
terms of membership, are the annual payment of a sum not less
than one dollar, or an immediate payment of a sum not less than
fifteen dollars. For every dollar annually paid, a member is
entitled to a Bible or an octavo Prayer Book. A member for life
is entitled to the same, annually, for every fifteen dollars he con-
tributes. Thus, while the octavo Prayer Book is afforded to
members at a very reduced price, a small profit, which the Society
derives from each, will be a means of increasing its usefulness.
Members will be hereby enabled, not only gradually to supply
their own families at a very moderate cost, with large Prayer
Books, but also, with the least possible inconvenience, to exercise
their pious benevolence, by bestowing them on the poor, to whom
the small book, usually circulated, may be useless, in consequence
of the difficulty of reading its diminutive print.
The hope is confidently cherished, that a plan thus combining
the interests of both the Society and its members, with the grati-
fication of the charitable dispositions of the latter, will secure
success to this renewed effort for obtaining the liberal support of
the Church.
The present application is made, and the success of it rendered
peculiarly necessary, on account of the insufficiency of the collec-
tions made to meet the expenses of these plates.
The gratuitous distribution, throughout the Dioceses, of the
Bible and the small Prayer Book, will be continued as heretofore.
By order of the Board.
JOHN HENRY HOBART,
Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal
Church in the State of New York,
President.
B. T. ONDERDONK, Sec'ry.
New York, Feb. 12,
I. The Christian Journal, 1819, pp. 62, 63.
1819] Third Auxiliary Report. 145
The notice referred to was given a wide circulation both in the
city and Diocese, and printed in the diocesan paper, The Chris-
tian Journal.
In the report of the Auxiliary Society will be found much of
interest. It shows what a devoted body of young men were able
to accomplish :
THIRD AUXILIARY REPORT.
On presenting the third Annual Report to the Auxiliary New
York Bible and Common Prayer Book Society, the Managers
feel it incumbent upon them, first, to acknowledge the Divine
blessing upon their exertions, and to express their sense of grati-
tude for the prosperity, which, under Providence, has attended
the labours of the past year.-
In the infant state of the Society, it became the duty of the
Managers to reflect upon the several methods of accomplishing
their objects. Repeated and mature deliberations determined the
course to be pursued. The smallness of their funds precluded the
purchase of stereotype plates of the Bible. Stereotype copies of
it were to be had at a moderate price, while the Book of Common
Prayer had not yet been stereotyped in this city. The copies of
the Prayer Book, which were obtained during the first year of
the Society's operations, were disadvantageously circulated, as
they were found, relatively speaking, to exceed greatly the price
of stereotyped works. With due consideration, therefore, to the
usefulness of the Society, and the economy and increase of its
funds, in accomplishing its two-fold object, viz., the more general
circulation of the Bible, and also of the Book of Common Prayer,
they resolved to possess themselves of stereotype plates of the
Prayer Book. Since that time, the Managers have had reason to
believe, that a similar advantage to the Society from an improve-
ment in the economy and increase of its funds, would attend the
possession of stereotype plates of the Bible also. They had long
contemplated and ardently wished to procure them; their funds,
however, still remained inadequate to the object, and they did not
feel themselves authorized to withdraw any part of the money
then employed in circulating the Book of Common Prayer. The
necessity of an appeal to the members of the Church was urged,
and the result has fully justified the appeal.
By the bounty of the individuals emulating each other in their
patronage of the Society, the Managers have been enabled to con-
do)
146 Third Auxiliary Report.
elude a contract for a set of stereotype plates of the Holy Scrip-
tures in duodecimo; to be completed by the month of July next.
The type and convenient size of the volume, adapt it to almost
even- age and condition of life, and render it appropriate for the
school, the closet and the church. Directions have been given to
commence the execution of the plates with the Xew Testament,
so as to enable the Society to furnish an edition of that part of
the holy volume, for the use of schools, and of such persons and.
societies as may desire to have it, in a cheap and convenient form.-
These plates will be finished in the course of five or six weeks r
and shortly thereafter, the Xew Testament will be ready for
delivery. By this arrangement the ability and usefulness of the
Society have been consulted and enlarged, and an additional evi-
dence is given of the unceasing desire of its members to aid irt
distributing the word of life. The list of subscribers to this work
of Christian charity will be published as soon as the subscriptions
are completed. Eighteen hundred dollars have already been col-
lected and paid by the Managers on account of those plates five-
hundred dollars more will become due on the final delivery of
them to the Society : for this sum the Managers have made them-
selves responsible, in full confidence that it will be subscribed by
those to whom application has not yet been made.
By an arrangement made the last year with Messrs. Kirk &
Mercein, for the printing and sale of the Book of Common
Prayer, a great reduction of its price was obtained, with a view
to the benefit and increase of that denomination of Christians
throughout the United States, whose wants, interests and relig-
ious feelings could not be separated from those of the same per-
suasion in this State. In relinquishing all profit arising from the
sale of the Prayer Book, in surrendering this source of revenue^
and thus diminishing the number and extent of their own immedi-
ate distributions, the Managers it is believed have greatly extended
the circulation of the Book of Common Prayer. The pleasure
and credit of being themselves the public instruments of spreading
it, coextensively with the funds that might be derived from the
loan of their stereotype plates in this city, was superseded by the
paramount duty* of rendering the Book of Common Prayer acces-
sible to every Episcopalian throughout the Union, either by
gratuity-, or by cheapness of price, as might best comport with
the feelings or ability of the individuals. The operation of this-
1819] Third Auxiliary Report. 147
plan, in relation to the price of the book, has realized the expecta-
tions of the Managers: instead of a diminution of the sales of
Booksellers, they have witnessed an unexampled ilnn.mil t.i the
Book of Common Prayer : in addition to the number circulated
in the name of the Society, it is l>elieve<l that twenty thousand
copies have been sold in this city, and that the amount of sales of
the Prayer Book during the last year is wholly unprecedented.
The interests of individuals have been made subservient to the
worship of the Church, and the homage of private sacrifice is
paid to the public dissemination of the truths of Christianity.
Some astonishment having been expressed at the great number
of Prayer B<x>ks stated in this report to have been sold in this
city in the course of the past year it may be proper to remark, that
this is about the number sold by three Booksellers only. Since
the report was submitted it has been ascertained that there is
another set of stereotype plates of the Prayer Book, which have
been in use during the last eighteen months, and that near ten
thousand copies have been struck from them; and nearly the
whole number sold within that period. If six thousand of them
were sold during the last year, there is an aggregate number of
twenty-six thousand copies sold by four Booksellers alone during
the last year. If four thousand copies only be allowed to have
been sold by all the other Booksellers within that time, there it a
total of thirty thousand Books of Common Prayer sold during
the year, exclusive of those sold and distributed by this Society. 1
A society doing its work by the circulation of books does not
present any strange or new incidents to startle and interest
When once the consciences of the men and women of the Church
had been aroused to the Ixnmden duty and necessity of providing
the people of the land with Prayer Books, and the offerings large
or small had l>een made, it is only as that Society reports to its
constituents that we can learn how fully it has achieved its pur-
pose. Its success depended largely upon the faithfulness of the
parish priest, the activity of the missionary and the enlightened
discernment of the thoughtful laymen. I lie principles of the
Church were then being instilled into the minds of many in the
I. The Third Annual Report of the Managers of the Auxiliary New York
Bible Society and Common Prayer-Book Society. 1819.
148 Agent Appointed. [1820
"western country" by pious laymen and true pioneers of the faith.
The correspondence of Bishop Hobart shows that from every
part of the State there was enquiry concerning the Church and
in almost every new settlement people were ready to form a con-
gregation. The great need then was more clergy, more Prayer
Books, and of works treating of the Church and its ways. The
members of the Society took in 1820 an important forward step
in the appointment of an agent.
In Mr. McFarlan they found a man admirably adapted to keep
closely in touch with the forward movement of the Church, and
through whom the benefits of the Society could be most wisely
extended.
At a stated meeting of the Board held February 2, 1820, it
was
Resolved, that the sum of $500, stated by the Treasurer to be
the probable disposable amount for the ensuing year, be applied,
in equal parts, to the purchase of Bibles and prayer books for
gratuitous distribution.
Resolved, that the following be added to the Rules and Regula-
tions of this Society :
An Agent shall be appointed by the Board of Managers, whose
duty it shall be to see that the orders for Bibles and Common
Prayer Books are executed, and furnished to the subscribers and
others, agreeably to the directions of the Board of Managers, and
that the dues are collected. For this purpose he shall cause every
subscriber to be furnished with the annual Report, with a copy
annexed of a rule relative to the number of Bibles or Common
Prayer Books to which he may be entitled, and shortly thereafter,
with a printed demand for his annual dues, and with an order for
the number of Bibles or Common Prayer Books to which he may
be entitled, which order, when his dues are paid, shall be executed,
provided it be presented within three months after the date of
the receipt for his dues ; and if not presented within that time, he
shall be considered as giving his consent that the Bibles or Com-
mon Prayer Books to which he may be entitled, shall be at the
disposal of the managers for gratuitous distribution, all which
shall be specified in the orders respectively. The agent shall,
also, from time to time, take measures to increase the subscribers;
and at the meeting on the first Wednesday of February in every
year, he shall make a report to the Managers of the number of
1820] Annual Meeting. 149
subscribers, and the amount of their subscriptions, of the number
of Bibles and Common Prayer Books furnished to subscribers,
and distributed, and of all other particulars connected with the
duties of his office.
Mr. Henry McFarlan was appointed Agent.
New York, February 29th, 1820.
This being "the first Tuesday after the 24th February, the
Festival of St. Matthias," *he annual meeting of the Society was
held in Trinity Church.
The President having taken the chair, the minutes of the last
annual meeting were read.
The Secretary then read the Tenth Annual Report of the
Board of Managers.
The report was accepted, and the Secretary directed to have it
published in such way as he may judge best.
There was laid before the meeting the following proposed addi-
tion to the 4th Article of the Constitution, which had been
adopted by the requisite majority of the Board of Managers, and
to which in order to its final passage, a concurrent vote of two
thirds of a meeting of the Society is essential :
The President shall have the power of dispensing with the
preceding provisions of this article, and adopting some other
mode of obtaining the annual public contribution.
This amendment was unanimously adopted.
The Society then proceeded to the election of ten laymen to be
associated with the Bishop of this Diocese, and the clergy resident
in the City of New York, as a Board of Managers for the ensu-
ing year. The following gentlemen were duly chosen :
Matthew Clarkson, John Onderdonk, John Slidell, Henry Rog-
ers, George Dominic, Gulian Ludlow, Isaac Carow, Richard
Whiley, Henry McFarlan, Richard Platt.
This account of the Annual Meeting is found in the Christian
Journal :
The annual meeting of the New York Bible and Common
Prayer Book Society was held in Trinity Church, New York, on
Tuesday, February 29, when was read the
TENTH ANNUAL REPORT.
In submitting a statement of their proceedings during the past
year, the attention of the Board of Managers is first directed to
150 Tenth Annual Report. [1820
the fidelity with which a committee of their number have prose-
cuted the soliciting of increased patronage. The result appears
in a collection of $695 ; so that the permanent fund, which was
reported last year to amount to $4,514.85, is now $5,157.35, and
the disposable sum this year is $599.40; whereas it amounted,
last year, only to $285.47.
Among the members, however, of several of the congregations
in the city, the subscription books have not yet been circulated.
It is expected that this will be done early in the present year. It
is hoped that the advantage attending subscription to this Society
(the procuring, at so low a rate, of octavo Prayer Books) will
insure full success to the application.
Five hundred dollars have been recently appropriated, in equal
parts, to the purchase of Bibles and Prayer Books for gratuitous
distribution.
One hundred and fifty-eight Bibles, and 475 Prayer Books
have been distributed during the past year. Since the institution
of the Society, in 1809, it has gratuitously distributed 2,714
Bibles. 500 New Testaments, and 4,492 Prayer Books; making
an aggregate of 7,706 volumes.
Such a number of volumes, we may gratefully hope, have not
gone in vain into the world. The knowledge, so necessary to
salvation, of the Word and Church of God, which they impart
the sound doctrine, the pure morals, the evangelistic order, and
the holy worship, in which they are calculated to interest the
understanding and affections, we cannot doubt, have produced,
and are continuing to produce, through the divine blessing, fruit
unto holiness here, and everlasting happiness hereafter.
It surely is no small honour to aid the Church of God in pro-
moting the objects for which she was appointed, his glory, and
the spiritual and eternal good of men. It surely is a most inter-
esting consideration that, by so doing, we make to our Heavenly
Father an offering of his own gifts that he has been pleased to
promise he will accept and bless. These privileges our Society
confers on her members. Recognizing the Church as an institu-
tion, divinely established, for preserving and extending pure and
undefiled religion, she consecrates her efforts to making it instru-
mental in disseminating a knowledge of the "holy writ" of which
it "is a witness and keeper" 1 in recommending that "truth, of"
I. Twenty-second Article of Religion.
1820] Tenth Annual Report. 151
which it is "the pillar and ground" 1 and bringing men into
that connection with "the body of Christ," in which is to be pre-
served "unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of
-God" ; in which is the only security against being "carried about
with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning
-craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive" ; and in which,
""fitly joined and knit together," grace derived from "Christ the
Head" ministereth "nourishment unto edifying," unto "the per-
fecting of the saints," and increasing "with the increase of
God," till there be attained "the measure of the stature of the
fulness of Christ." 2
Such are the comprehensive and infinitely momentous objects
of our institution. To place within reach these inestimable bless-
ings, the Son of God took our nature, suffered, and died. To
-enable men to attain to them, the Holy Ghost offers the direct-
ing, sanctifying and aiding influences purchased by the Redeem-
er's merit. We may contribute to bring to our perishing fellow
creatures a knowledge of these blessings, to interest them in
seeking them, to draw them to an humble and faithful use of the
means appointed for their attainment. Will we be remiss?
Civil Society dreading the ills of infidelity, vice, and ignorance
the Church, asking of her members to give every facility to secur-
ing the full benefits designed by her establishment immortal
souls, in danger of losing the happiness, and incurring the awful
condemnation of eternity our God calling on his intelligent
creatures not to be indifferent to his honour, on his redeemed
ones, to interpose in rescuing the cross from being despised, and
the blood of the covenant from being counted an unholy thing,
and on those who have experienced the sanctifying influences of
his grace, to feel for them who, unrenewed in the spirit of their
minds, are going to perdition : these, in accents such as infinite
importance dictates, put to the conscience of each one the serious
inquiry Wilt thou be remiss?
Signed by order of the Board,
]. H. HOBART, President.
Attested, BENJ. T. ONDERDONK, Secy.
New York, February 23, i82O. 8
1. I Tim. iii. 15.
2. Eph. iv. 12-16; Col. ii. 19.
j. The Christian Journal, April, 1820. Volume IV., No. 4, pp. 124, 125.
152 Meeting of the Auxiliary.
This report should be supplemented by that of the Auxiliary
Society prepared by Mr. Cornelius R. Duffle. Its compiler was
a man highly esteemed by his associates, who after very long
consideration, late in life entered the holy ministry and became
the founder and first Rector of Saint Thomas's Church. He
gave liberally of his own means for its erection and its support.
New York, January 25, 1820.
This being the fourth anniversary of the Auxiliary New York
Bible and Common Prayer Book Society, pursuant to public
notice the Society assembled in Trinity Church, at seven o'clock
p. m. Floyd Smith, 2d Vice President in the chair, and Charles
Keeler, Secretary, the minutes of the last annual meeting were
read and approved. The Annual Report of the Board of Mana-
gers was then read by Mr. Cornelius R. Duffle; whereupon on
motion of the Right Rev. Bishop Hobart, seconded by the Rev-
Mr. Montgomery,
Resolved. That the Report just read be accepted.
On motion of the Rev. Mr. Onderdonk,
Resolved, That the Report just read, together with the pro-
ceedings of this meeting, be published, and that the mode of its
publication be such as to render its circulation as extensive as
possible.
On motion of the Rev. Dr. Harris, seconded by the Right Rev.
Bishop Hobart,
Resolved, That the thanks of this Society be presented to the
Board of Managers for the zeal and prudence with which they
have executed the trust reposed in them.
The Society then proceeded to the election of a Board of Man-
agers for the ensuing year, the Rev. Thomas Lyell and Joshua
Jones, Esq., being appointed inspectors. On counting the ballots
it appeared that the following gentlemen were unanimously
elected :
Luther Bradish, President; Floyd Smith, ist Vice President;
Cornelius R. Duffle, 2d Vice President; Henry Barclay, 3d Vice
President ; William E. Dunscombe, Corresponding Secretary ;
J. Smyth Rogers, Treasurer ; Thomas N. Stanford, Agent.
Managers : Edward N. Cox, John Watts, jun., Benjamin
Haight, Charles Nichols, David A. Clarkson, John J. Lambert,.
William Onderdonk, jnn., William H. Harison, Peter Kean,
1820] Fourth Auxiliary Report. 153
Lewis Loutrel, Samuel W. Moore, Cornelius S. Bartow, Gerard-
us A. Cooper, Charles W. Sanford, Thomas T. Groshon, Charles
N. S. Rowland.
FOURTH AUXILIARY REPORT.
One of the many benefits which flow from the annual review
of our united operations, is the evidence presented to each of us
individuals, at how small a sacrifice of time or money very ex-
tensive good may be produced.
This Society has been established only four years, and in that
short time, without interfering with individual avocations, with-
out being burdensome to individual resources, it has spread
among the community advantages which could with difficulty be
compassed by the best ability and zeal confined within the period
of an individual life.
The small share which we bear in this work respectively, leaves
no room for self gratulation : yet the institution which our com-
mon efforts have raised, may well call forth our pride and our
joy ; while we regard not merely the great results it has already
effected, but the steady pursuit promised to its objects from the
permanence of its character.
To exhibit a statement of these results is now the duty of the
Board, and they perform it in the assurance that the members of
this Society will believe their past liberality to have been well
dispensed, and knowing how much remains to be accomplished,
will still "be ready to give and glad to distribute."
The last report informed you that by the operations of this
Society the price of Prayer Books had been reduced from 38 to
30 cents per copy, that 1,591 Bibles and 12,287 Prayer Books
had been distributed, that we were the owners of a set of stereo-
type plates for the Book of Common Prayer, which cost $1,200,
and that we had contracted for a set of stereotype plates for the
Holy Bible, towards the payment of which 1,800 dollars had
been subscribed.
These were the effects produced by your bounty continued to
the Managers for three years. .
Another year has elapsed during which we have distributed
286 Bibles, and 1,378 Prayer Books, making a total of 15,542
volumes, placed in almost as many needful hands. During the
past year also the plates for the Bibles have been completed, and
154 Fourth Auxiliary Report. [1820
the cost thereof, $2,357.18, has been paid. The Board are in
advance, however, by this payment about 350 dollars, to reim-
burse which, they must solicit the contributions of those who
have not yet subscribed.
These plates, which are admirably executed, and highly spoken
of by judges, are in the hands of Messrs. T. and J. Swords, with
whom the Board have authorized a contract to be made for pub-
lishing an edition from them. An arrangement has also been
made with Messrs. Swords, by which our Depository has been
removed to their store, No. 160 Pearl street, where application
must be made for the Bibles and Prayer Books of this Society.
The Report of the Agent shows, that the Bibles and Prayer
Books were distributed to the Sunday Schools of this city and its
vicinity, to convicts in the State prison, to attendants upon the
Mariners' Church, and to various individuals by the hands of the
Managers. Besides these a large proportion was sent to the
northern and western counties of this State, for the use of new
and remote Churches, to the New England States, to New Jer-
sey, Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, and the Western Terri-
tories.
The Prayer Books furnished to the Mariners' Church were
very cheerfully granted by the Board, at the request of the
Directors of that institution, who have expressed to us the earn-
estness with which they were sought for by seamen, to whom
they were given with Bibles and Tracts when on the eve of going
to sea.
The Board are aware that some explanation is necessary to
account for their limited distribution during the past, compared
with those of former years. Several causes have tended to pro-
duce this effect. The unexampled depression of the mercantile
community affecting the resources of all classes, has very materi-
ally interfered with the collection of subscriptions and the ability
of our patrons. The prevalence of yellow fever, and closing of
the depository at the most active season of the year were not
without their influences. But the principal cause is to be found
in the necessity the Board were under of advancing out of the
Treasury the sum before mentioned to complete the payment on
the Bible plates, by which so much money was diverted from
being employed in the ordinary operations of the Society. The
demand for books continues as pressing as formerly, and we
1820] Fourth Auxiliary Report. 155
cherish the hope that our ability to meet it may be so increased
as to atone for the past disappointments which have unavoidably
occurred. 1
The Report of the Treasurer, which on the 25th of January
last showed a balance in the Treasury of one hundred and twenty
dollars and thirty-three cents, now exhibits a deficiency of one
hundred and eighty-four dollars and fifty cents.
It were to be wished that besides giving the aid of their contri-
butions the members of the Society could be incited to increase
the means of its usefulness by making more generally known its
objects, by soliciting co-operation, by communicating such in-
formation as they may acquire as to this most advantageous field
for its benevolence, by distributing, in person, among proper
objects, the quota of books to which their subscription entitles
them.
Are inducements wanting to interest ourselves or others in
thus promoting the objects for which we are associated? They
present themselves on every side. We speak not of the benefits
which flow to society in general from the diffusion and practice
of the best system of morality the world ever knew. We address
ourselves to Christians and therefore assume a loftier ground.
We remind them that to the eye unenlightened by religion human
life presents an inexplicable mystery. To spend it in vice, folly,
or weariness, and to close it in gloomy insensibility, in trembling
apprehension, or in absolute despair, is the brief history of multi-
tudes of our race. Ignorance and toil seek no disclosure of the
object of existence, content to forget or alleviate its ills. Human
reason cannot lift the veil which hangs over our destiny. Ex-
tolled by the pride of false philosophy, and confided in by the
inconsiderate and vain, she proves herself an erring and deceit-
ful guide, whose meteor gleam serves first to bewilder and then
to blind. The grave is not shrouded in gloom more profound
than that which rests on life's brightest paths where Revelation
beams not. But in the midst of this darkness the Bible is opened
and immediately a great light shines around us. The Gospel of
I. The Board have been under the necessity, very recently, of declining a
request for two hundred Prayer Books, made through the Bishop, for the
use of the Expedition fitted out by the Government for the African Coast,
owing to the want of funds.
156 Fourth Auxiliary Report. [1820
Jesus Christ is proclaimed, and all mystery and doubt have van-
ished. Every part of the conduct of life rises in awful import-
ance, and is dignified by motives and sanctions before unknown.
The unthinking and unrepenting are warned of their accountabil-
ity. Rest, hope and joy are promised to the weary, the despond-
ing and the wretched; while visions of blessedness and peace
sustain the spirits of departing Christians.
The Bible, which thus transforms earthly sorrows into celestial
consolations is an invaluable blessing; and not to feel deeply the
responsibility of its diffusion were to undervalue the message of
God, and the mission of his Son.
The well meant comforts we bestow to relieve the wants of a
brief life, "perish in the using" ; yet the claims of earthly wretch-
edness ever deserve our affectionate and soothing regard. To
minister to spiritual wants is a sublimer work, the fruits of which
shall endure forever.
The extremity of worldly misery even increases the obligation
to this duty : for the more pitiable the sufferer in this transitory
scene, the more earnestly should he be invited, through this means
of grace, to seek that hope of glory, in the view of which suffer-
ings, and death lose their power.
The Bible, we repeat, is an inestimable gift, and if in prosperity
it can gild even our best enjoyments with the sunshine of cheer-
fulness, and free us from the fearful uncertainty of irreligion, if
in adversity it can pierce the darkest clouds and disclose to us
the prospect of our immortal hopes, if at all times it can irradiate
our hearts with that peace which passeth all understanding; can
we be insensible of our privileges, or just to our obligations, if
we are slow in communicating our tidings of joy?
But our duty stops not here. We are members of the Church
of Christ. In its communion we enjoy doctrines, worship, sacra-
ments, pure, primitive, scriptural, and proclaimed and dispensed
by orders of the ministry, derived through the Apostles from
Christ himself. These advantages we are bound to impart to
those who have not received them ; and to confirm those who but
partially possess them. The Book of Common Prayer, in which
this Church is set forth, is therefore a fit companion of the Holy
Scriptures. In this belief we present it with confidence to all who
wish to become acquainted with the Church of God, desiring them
to compare it with his sacred volume, and fearless of the result.
1820] Fourth Auxiliary Report. 157
For ourselves as Churchmen, our attachment to the Prayer
Book is deeply fixed in the feelings it has inspired from the
earliest knowledge of its contents ; and has been increased by the
maturer judgment of added years.
It is associated in our recollection with the devotions of the
best men of years long gone by. We regard it not only as the
best standard but the safeguard of our Christian faith. It is at
once the incentive and the guide to a fervent, rational, and, we
trust, an acceptable worship. Its unrivalled strain of unaffected
piety; its sublime, yet tender eloquence, have power to touch the
heart like a father's last blessing, or a mother's earliest prayer.
Next to the Bible in our esteem, shall not it accompany the Bible
in our gift?
The cause of this Society has claims to interest our best feel-
ings. We are incited by its principles of conscious duty. We
learn the approbation and blessing of those whom God has made
overseers of the Church. 1
The lay efforts rejoice the whole heart of the Christian com-
munity, and have called forth the public expression of the most
affectionate regard from a convention whose praise is worthy of
our ambition. 2
After the approbation of our own consciences, of our own
spiritual guides, of the Christian Church, can we have higher
inducements to awaken our zeal? Yes! the approbation of him
who taught us, when we lift up our daily supplications to pray
for the coming of his Kingdom, his approbation will contribute
the best motive and the highest reward of our exertions.
1. See particularly a Pastoral Letter to the Laity of the Protestant Episco-
npal Church in the State of New York, on the subject of Bible and Common
Prayer Book Societies. By the Right Rev, Bishop Hobart. 1815.
2. Extracts from the Minutes of the Convention of the Protestant Episco-
pal Church in the State of Rhode Island, held at Providence, June, 1819:
Resolved unanimously, that this Convention do entertain for the Auxiliary
New York Bible and Common Prayer Book Society, the most affectionate
regard, and view with lively gratitude to the Supreme Being, the benevolent
exertions of the said Society for the more free and extensive dissemination
of our excellent Liturgy by procuring the first set of stereotype plates for
the Book of Common Prayer, whereby the price of that formulary of public
worship has been so reduced that the poor can now be provided therewith.
Resolved unanimously, that the Secretary of this Convention do communi-
cate to the Corresponding Secretary of that Society the above public ex-
pression of our sincere and Christian friendship.
158 The Liberian Colony. [1820
By his blessing let us persevere, until all within our influence,
enlightened by the knowledge of his will, shall be received with
us into the ark of his Church ; that "being steadfast in faith, joy-
ful through hope, and rooted in charity, they may so pass the
waves of this troublesome world that finally they may come to
the land of everlasting life."
Respectfully submitted,
CORNELIUS R. DUFFIE, Chairman. 1
In further explanation of the incident referred to in the note
to the foregoing Report, it may be said that the Rev. Thomas
Thompson resigned his Mission at Christ Church, Monmouth,
New Jersey, in 1750, with the evangelistic zeal of spreading the
Gospel on the West Coast of Africa. He did good work there
for many years.
In 1791 Granville Sharp, William Wilberforce, and other
philanthropic men founded Sierra Leone, with the idea of form-
ing a home more especially for the Negroes who had remained
loyal to the British Crown. A Society for the organization of
free Negroes on the West Coast of Africa was organized in
Washington, December 21, 1816, and Mr. Samuel ]. Mills and
Mr. Ebenezer Burgess were sent by this Society to explore the
country and determine, if possible, upon a suitable site. As a
result of their report the Society founded Liberia. In 1819
President Monroe sent a ship to establish a Colony in Africa,
and the Colonization Society joined hands in this effort. The
bark "Elizabeth" was chartered by the United States, who ap-
pointed as its agents the Rev. Samuel Bacon and the Rev. John
P. Bankson, and the Society appointed Dr. Samuel A. Crozer.
The Rev. Samuel Bacon, while the ship was waiting at the
foot of Rector Street to receive its cargo, wrote these letters to
Bishop Hobart:
New York, 20 Jan. 1820.
Right Rev. Sir,
Being now in such a state of readiness as to be able to say we
shall doubtless sail in 6 or 8 days, and being desirous to carry
with us a supply of Prayer Books both for the use of the
Church we have a prospect of forming amongst ourselves, and
for those who may be reclaimed from heathen idolatry (for
I. The Christian Journal, February, 1820, pp. 53, 54, 55, 56, 57.
1820] Letter from Rev. S. Bacon. 159
which purpose we pray God to bless our labours), I take the
liberty of requesting the Prayer Book Society, through you, to
make us a donation of 150 or if convenient 200 Prayer Books.
There are about 12 native Chiefs, Kings or Headmen on that
part of the coast of Africa to which our attention is directed,
whose friendship we wish to conciliate and for whose religious
instruction we shall feel anxious, two or three of whom were
educated in England and can read and speak, and I believe
write the English language, to all of whom I wish it to be in my
power to present Prayer Books. If therefore it be possible, t
beg you to procure from that Society about one dozen Prayer
Books, of larger size, and superior binding than those in the most
common use. We shall also be obliged by any advice you may
think proper to impart to us as well as for any countenance
and encouragement you may give us now or at any future op-
portunity. So far as our Church is interested in this great
undertaking we think we may calculate on your zealous co-
operation. Should this request be complied with, any com-
munication relative to it may find me at 6 Garden Street near
the Post Office, or at No. 325 Bowery. I would gladly call and
make a personal request, but felt doubtful whether your multi-
plied engagements would enable you to see me.
I have the honour to be
Your obt. humble servt.
S. BACON.
N. York, 27 Jan. 1820.
Right Rev. Sir,
I acknowledge the receipt of a package of small Prayer
Books (not marked as to quantity) and one dozen of extra
Prayer Books for the African expedition. This last donation
I have been informed is from yourself. To those gentlemen
who have thus contributed for our supply, I beg leave, through
you, to tender our united thanks. In the name of those chiefs
for whom the extra books are intended, I beg you to accept my
acknowledgements. As these donations will probably excite re-
plies on their parts and a request from them to be instructed
in their contents, I shall take care to make a proper report of the
same, if of sufficient importance; and shall take the liberty of
saying that the Church whose Bishop has thus presented them
160 The Western District Society. [1820
with books will doubtless feel interested in sending them Gospel
Preachers too.
With respect I am,
Your obt. servt.
SAMUEL BACON.
The bark sailed February 6, 1820, with eighty-nine emigrants
and a large quantity of tools, supplies and stores, conveyed by
the United States Sloop of War "Cyane." The location selected
proved unhealthy, the three agents and many of the Colonists
died. The dispirited remnant 'were finally rescued by the United
States Ship "Alligator" in 1821.
The Bible and Common Prayer Book Society of the Western
District had for some years previous to 1820 been in existence,
but without arousing the enthusiasm or devotion of many of its
members. At its annual meeting in Trinity Church on Wednes-
day, June 21, 1820, at which a sermon was preached by the Rev.
Hugh Smith, Rector, a special appeal for larger appreciation of
its work was made. Though hitherto little known this Society
has existed for several years, during which time it has been
silently scattering its blessings in every part of this extensive
district; its object is such as must approve itself to the hearts of
every sincere, enlightened Christian, and command the zeal, the
prayers and efficient support of every conscientious Episcopalian.
At the meeting it elected the Bishop, ex officio. President; the
Rev. Amos Purdee and Samuel Colt, Vice Presidents; the Rev.
Orin Clark, Corresponding Secretary; the Rev. William Barlow,
Recording Secretary, and the Rev. John C. Spencer, Treasurer.
It was soon after this annual meeting that clergymen and lay-
men of the central part of the State determined that a new So-
ciety would be expedient.
These extracts from a circular letter of Judge Miller of Utica
show the energy with which the new enterprise began :
Utica, 28th July, 1820.
Dear Sir,
On the i8th of this month at the Episcopal Church in Manlius
a Society was formed having for its object the gratuitous distri-
bution of the Bible and Book of Common Prayer. This Society
1821] Fifth Auxiliary Report. 161
comprises within its limits the counties of Oneida, Madison,
Onondaga and Cayuga. Before this letter reaches you, you will
no doubt have received an official notice of your appointment as
of the Society. A meeting of the Board of Officers
is expected at the Episcopal Church in Onondaga on Wednes-
day, the 1 3th September, at ten o'clock in the forenoon of that
day. The friends of the Society look with confidence for the
prompt and vigorous efforts of every member of the Board of
Officers, and you will no doubt agree in the opinion that the
respectability and usefulness of the Society may, in no small
degree, depend on the zeal and exertions of those to whom its
affairs have been confided for the present year. Permit me,
therefore, most earnestly to request your attendance at Onondaga
on the 1 3th Sept On the question of ways and means,
it is to be observed that the Society has no funds, except its pro-
portion of the funds of the Western District Society, which are
to be distributed among the Auxiliary Societies
I am, Sir, respectfully, your friend & Obt. Servt,
M. S. MILLER. 1
The Bishop makes this allusion to it in his convention address :
"The Bible and Common Prayer Book Societies continue to be
instrumental of much good, by the distribution of the Word of
God, and of that invaluable digest of its sacred truths and best
comment upon them, the Book of Common Prayer. A new
Society for these purposes has been recently organized in the
Western District, in which distinguished laymen unite with the
clergy in zealous attention to its concerns." 2
The same activity and energy as in the central part of the State
is shown in the recorded proceedings of the Auxiliary Society
and these portions of their Annual Report for 1821.
FIFTH AUXILIARY REPORT.
By referring to the last report of the Board of Managers, you
will observe that when the affairs of the Society were committed
by you to our management, the Society was possessed of a set of
stereotype plates of the Holy Bible, and another of the Book of
Common Prayer, which together cost upwards of three thousand
1. Hobart MSS., General Convention Archives.
2. Address of Bishop Hobart to Convention of 1820, quoted on pp. 10, 1 1,
The Christian Journal, January, 1821. Volume V. No. I.
162 Fifth Auxiliary Report. [1821
five hundred and fifty dollars : the former of which was then but
just completed, and the latter had been possessed and used by the
Society for several years, and had enabled it to afford the Book
of Common Prayer at a very reduced price. The set of stereo-
type plates of the Bible are of a duodecimo size they were exe-
cuted after a pattern copy which was published by the British
and Foreign Bible Society, and which was obligingly lent for the
purpose by the Agent of the American Bible Society. The plates
are believed to be remarkably free from errors, and the type is
clear and distinct. A sample page is annexed to this report.
Stereotype, besides enabling books to be published at much less
cost, has had the effect of making them very correct. The
Prayer Books published by this Society are distinguished in this
respect only two errata, and those but trivial, have ever been
discovered in them.
When the Society was first formed, the price which it had to>
pay for Prayer Books was forty-seven and a half cents, and the
same books were sold at seventy-five cents for a single copy. By
a condition in the contract for printing the Prayer Books from
the plates of the Society, subsequently entered into with the pub-
lishers, they are obligated to sell Prayer Books for distribution :it
thirty cents per copy. A neat, full bound, and most correct copy
of the Book of Common Prayer, with the whole of the offices and
the ordinances of the Church, containing upwards of four hun-
dred close printed pages, can thus be purchased, in quantities by
Societies and others for gratuitous distribution, for the small sum
of thirty cents. The price of the Book being thus reduced, it is
placed within the reach of almost every person, and a public
benefit has been derived from the labours of your Board of Man-
agers, and from your munificence, which we believe to be alone
an object for the formation of the association, and worth the
contributions of its members.
But this is not all. Besides rendering this service to the public
at large, upwards of seven thousand books have been gratuitously
distributed by the Society, and, assisted by the liberal benefac-
tions of several of your number, a former Board of Managers
were enabled to purchase the set of stereotype plates of the Bible,
which we have mentioned to have received into our charge.
We found at the time of our appointment a demand upon the
Treasury amounting to three hundred and two dollars and sixty-
eight cents: and the amount of arrears of annual subscriptions
1821] Fifth Auxiliary Report. 163
due to the Society was, at the same time, about two hundred and
fifty dollars.
Since the last anniversary of this Society, twelve hundred and
eighty Prayer Books have been issued from its Depository; of
which number seven hundred and thirty were sold to other asso-
ciations, having the same object; and five hundred and fifty were
gratuitously distributed in the following manner :
Fifty were given (in compliance with the condition of a dona-
tion of a benevolent person), to the people who went to settle on
the coast of Africa; about fifty were delivered to members and
subscribers of the Society, to be distributed by them; and the
remainder, excepting a few which were sent away, were divided
amongst the several Sunday Schools, public institutions, and
charitable associations of our city. One hundred and thirty
Bibles have been purchased for, and sent to the Newbern, in
North Carolina, Bible Society. The whole number of books
which have been delivered out of the Depository of the Society
since its formation, is two thousand seven hundred and fourteen
Bibles, and fourteen thousand nine hundred and forty-five Prayer
Books.
The Treasurer has received eight hundred and forty-three dol-
lars and seventy-three cents. Of this the sum of one hundred and
fifty-one dollars and eighteen cents, being the receipt of two
concerts given by a select choir, for the benefit of the Society,
has come into his hands within a very few days; and, together
with the sum of forty-eight dollars and twenty-two cents (mak-
ing together one hundred and ninety-nine dollars and forty
cents), still remains in the Treasury, subject to your disposition.
Two hundred and one dollars and ninety-eight cents were col-
lected in St. Paul's Chapel on the evening of the second of Feb-
ruary; two hundred and sixty-four dollars have been collected
by the members and subscribers; thirty-six dollars and thirty-
eight cents is the amount of three donations, one of which was
for the purpose of furnishing the settlers on the coats of Africa
with Prayer Books, as we have before mentioned ; and one hun-
dred and fifty-nine dollars and sixty-nine cents were in the Treas-
ury on the last Anniversary.
The demand of three hundred and two dollars and sixty-eight
cents existing against the Society last year has been liquidated;
one hundred and sixty-five dollars have been paid for Prayer
164 Eleventh Annual Report. [1821
Books ; and one hundred and six dollars and nine cents have been
paid for insurance of the Stereotype plates, expenses of the Anni-
versary, and of printing the Annual Report, and the ordinary
expenses of the Society. 1
At the annual meeting held in Trinity Church, on February 27,
1821, the Secretary laid before the meeting the following extract
from the minutes of the meeting of the Board of Managers, held
on the 2ist inst. :
On motion, resolved unanimously, that if the constitutional
majority of the Society accede thereto, the word "and" between
the words "Secretary" and "Treasurer," in the third article of
the constitution, be erased and the words "and Agent" be inserted
after the word "Treasurer," in the said article.
On motion, resolved unanimously, that this meeting accede to
the alteration in the constitution proposed by the Board of Man-
agers.
The minutes of the parent Society show a desire to make their
organization more perfect and thus increase its efficiency.
ELEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT.
Twelve years have now elapsed since the establishment of the
New York Bible and Common Prayer Book Society, the first
institution in this city which had for its declared object the gratui-
tous distribution of the Holy Scriptures. During the period of
its operations it has been so far blessed as to be enabled to raise
a permanent fund of $5,295.35 cents, to obtain a set of 8vo.
stereotype plates for the Book of Common Prayer, and to ex-
pend, in procuring Bibles and Prayer Books for' distribution,
nearly $4,000.
The result has been the circulation, through the medium of
this Society, of 2,966 Bibles, 500 New Testaments, and 5,485
Prayer Books, making an aggregate of 8,95 1 volumes.
Of the above, 252 Bibles, and 630 Prayer Books, have been
gratuitously distributed, and 101 8vo. Prayer Books, from our
stereotype plates, given to members and donors, on the terms of
the Society, since its last meeting.
x. The Fifth Annual Report of the Managers of the Auxiliary New York
Bible and Common Prayer Book Society.
1821] Eleventh Annual Report. 165
Our operations, during the past year, have been much facili-
tated through the instrumentality of the office of Agent, recently
established by the Board, and the very faithful discharge of its
functions by the present incumbent.
The sum of $250 has been appropriated by the Board to the
purchase of Bibles, and the like sum for that of Prayer Books,
for gratuitous distribution, the ensuing year.
The operations of the Society, in consequence of the urgent
and perpetually increasing wants of our own diocese, have been
almost exclusively confined within its bounds. The Managers
would have rejoiced at ability to extend them more widely, but
have found themselves incapable of even approximating to the
full supply of the necessities at home. They regret that such
should have been the state of things in the largest, wealthiest,
and most flourishing diocese in the Union. They would respect-
fully, but most earnestly urge upon their brother Churchmen
and hope to be not wanting in their own attention to it the
Christian obligation which lies upon so highly favoured a sec-
tion of the Church, to employ the ability entrusted to it by a
bountiful Providence, not only to the care of its own children,
but, also, to the extending of its aid to dioceses from which God's
mere goodness has made us to differ in the possession of means
for advancing the cause of Christ.
With these feelings, however, we would mingle and call upon
our fellow-members to add theirs emotions of lively gratitude
to him from whom cometh every good and perfect gift, for what
he has enabled us to do. The circulation of nearly 9,000 copies
of the Scriptures, and of a Liturgy carrying to the heart, in every
variety of most interesting and impressive form, their divine doc-
trines and precepts, cannot have been without effect. The bless-
ing of God has gone forth with them. His grace has awakened
attention to their sacred contents has brought them home to the
heart has thus blessed them to the conversion of the sinner, to
the comforting of the penitent, to the confirming of the faithful,
to the reclaiming of the wandering, to the encouragement of the
striving, to the consolation of the sick and afflicted, to the sup-
port of the dying, and, perhaps, to the furnishing of the departed
soul with its first hallelujah, when delivered from the prison of
the body.
In the enlargement and increasing prosperity of the Church in
166 Eleventh Annual Report. [1821
this diocese, we see cause to cherish the humble hope, that these
effects may have been produced to no very inconsiderable extent.
In the year 1809, in which this Society was formed, there were,
in this State, but 42 clergymen of our Church. There are now
78. The number of congregations has increased in about the
same proportion. To this encouraging state of things, although
we delight to perceive in it the Divine blessing upon a well regu-
lated system of ecclesiastical concerns, and upon Episcopal and
pastoral fidelity, we may, also, humbly hope that our Society has
been not a little conducive. It gives us great pleasure, indeed, to
acknowledge as powerful, and, in some instances, more effectual
auxiliaries, those sister establishments of our Church, in various
parts of the diocese, which have for their objects this same good
work of circulating the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer
the support of missionaries and the distribution of religious
tracts. And it now gives us the highest satisfaction to hail, as
an enterprise surpassing them all in magnitude of importance,
and in probable extent of beneficial influence, the measures com-
menced at our last convention, and prosecuting, under the aus-
pices of managers appointed by that body, for affording the
means of securing, by competent provision of their education, a
pious, orthodox, and learned clergy. 1 . When we consider the
order set forth in the Word of God, as that by which he designs
the blessings of the Gospel to be disseminated and preserved
among men, we cannot but regard the various and momentous
functions of the ministry of his Church, as most intimately con-
nected with the interests of evangelical piety, with regard both
to the sanctification and salvation of the individuals, and to its
benign influence on communities. Hence the state of religion,
and its practical influence, have ever been graduated by the char-
acter and abilities of the clergy. In this noble institution, there-
fore, we see an effort for an advancement of the Redeemer's
cause, which we all should most heartily bid God speed ; and the
interests of which, we should all, according to our respective
ability and opportunity, endeavour to be God's honoured instru-
ments of promoting. This will be perfectly consistent with the
continuance, and even increase of our exertions in behalf of those
other excellent institutions, by which our Church aims, though,
I. The reference is to The New York Theological Education Society.
1822] Sixth Auxiliary Report. 167
indeed, in an humbler sphere, at the furtherance of the same great
object the spiritual and eternal welfare of the sons of men.
When we contemplate the resources of this diocese, possessing
upwards of 120 congregations, and these including no inconsid-
erable share of the wealth of our State, and then suppose that
deep influence of religious affection, which its everlasting
moment deserves, our minds, at once, form the idea of a magni-
tude of exertion in the various methods for advancing the inter-
ests of religion and the Church, commensurate to the just ex-
pectations which should be entertained, of a diocese so peculiarly
favoured with means and facilities. May God put it into the
hearts of those whom he has blessed with this world's goods, to
consecrate a liberal share of them to the glory of the all-bounteous
Giver. Gratitude to him demands this offering. His promised
blessing urges to it. His Church asks it, as a return of temporal
for spiritual things; and as furnishing her with the means of
accomplishing the blessed and eternally momentous objects for
which she was established.
Signed by order of the Board.
MATTHEW CLARKSON, Chairman pro tern.
BENJAMIN T. ONDERDONK, Secretary.
New York, Feb. 21, I82I. 1
During the year no special events in connection with the work
of circulating the Prayer Book occurred.
It was, however, an important year in the annals of the Ameri-
can Church, for it saw the General Theological Seminary perma-
nently established in the city of New York, and the perfected
organization of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society.
The publication of the stereotype Bible by the Auxiliary So-
ciety disproved the charge of indifference to the circulation of the
Holy Scriptures. Copies of the first impression do not seem now
to be in any collection.
SIXTH AUXILIARY REPORT.
The Board of Managers of the Auxiliary New York Bible and
Common Prayer Book Society, in presenting to their constituents
the Sixth Annual Report of the transactions of the Society, regret
I. The Christian Journal, May, 1821. Volume V., No. 5, pp. 142, 143, 144.
168 Sixth Auxiliary Report. [1822:
to observe that the pressure of the times, and the numerous and
urgent demands upon Christian charity, have tended to restrict,
in no ordinary degree, the labours and usefulness of our institu-
tion.
Immediately after the last anniversary, your Board of Mana-
gers printed an edition of one thousand copies of the Bible, from
the new stereotype plates of the Society. Of these a large num-
ber was due to subscribers and members on account of their
annual subscriptions; and one hundred and twenty copies were
forwarded to the Society for the Advancement of Christianity in
South Carolina, in payment of one hundred dollars advanced by
them to us in the year 1820, towards the completion of the stereo-
type plates. The receipt of these has been acknowledged by that
Society, with an expression of their satisfaction in having aided
us in the production of so beautiful and correct a copy of the
Holy Scriptures. Of the residue of the edition, a proportion has
been sold to Societies and individuals for gratuitous distribution,
the finances of the Society not authorizing the Board to indulge
their feelings by yielding to any of the many urgent applications
for donations of the sacred volume.
One hundred and six Prayer Books have also been delivered
from the Depository of the Society, to members and subscribers
since the last anniversary; and, during the same period, sixteen
hundred and seventy-four copies have been sold to Societies and
charitable individuals for gratuitous distribution.
These, with the former sales and distributions of the Society,
make an aggregate of three thousand and twenty-six Bibles, and
sixteen thousand nine hundred and twenty-five Prayer Books,
which have issued from our Depository since the formation of
the institution in the year 1816.
We still continue to sell the Prayer Book to those who pur-
chase for gratuitous distribution, at thirty cents per copy; and
we have fixed the price of the Bible, bound in a durable and
handsome manner, at eighty-five cents, which is considered to be
cheaper than any other edition of the Bible ever published in this
country.
At the last anniversary meeting of the Society its bye-laws^
were so amended as to provide for the establishment of a perma-
nent fund, by the appropriation of such sums as should be there-
after received for life subscriptions to the Society. The sum
1822] Sixth Auxiliary Report. 169
required to constitute a member or subscriber for life, was fixed
at twenty-five dollars, and the amount received for such subscrip-
tions is directed to be invested in such manner as to produce an
annual income to the funds of the Society. Under this regulation
the sum of two hundred dollars has been since subscribed, and,
for the present, has been deposited in the Savings Bank. The
Board of Managers fondly hope that many of the members and
subscribers of the Society will be induced to add to this fund, so
auspiciously commenced, and thus ensure the future usefulness
and stability of our institution.
In addition to the above amount of life subscriptions, the re-
ceipts of the Society for the past year, together with the balance
in the Treasury at the last anniversary, amount to the sum of
six hundred and sixty-five dollars and three cents. Of this sum,
ninety-five dollars and fifty cents were collected in Trinity Church
on the evening of the i8th of February last, when the Anniver-
sary sermon, for the benefit of the Society, was delivered by the
Rev. Mr. Feltus ; thirty-two dollars and twelve cents, the balance
of the proceeds of the Concert in Grace Church, and the sum of
three hundred and thirty-eight dollars has been received from
subscribers and members.
The payments of the Treasurer for the same period amount to
the sum of six hundred dollars and fifty-nine cents, chiefly for
paper, printing, and binding, leaving a balance in the Treasury
of sixty-four dollars and forty-four cents.
The Society is, at the same time, indebted to its printers in the
sum of one hundred and seventy-eight dollars, and there are some
small outstanding bills for contingent expenses, to the amount of
twenty-five or thirty dollars.
Under these circumstances, with an exhausted treasury, and a
diminished subscription list, your Board of Managers would
almost despair of being enabled to resume those active and benefi-
cent labours which have heretofore, with the blessing of Heaven,
shed the light of the Gospel, and the purity of Christian worship,
on the remotest borders of our land. But this despair in our
hallowed cause is forbidden by the Master whom we serve; and
animated by His promises of assistance, we will endeavour to
arouse your minds to the importance of our cause, and stimulate
you to renewed exertions.
********
170 Twelfth Annual Report. [1822
We have been solicited to distribute the Liturgy of our Church
among Episcopalians in our distant settlements, who, deprived
of the ministrations of the Gospel, and far removed from the
Sanctuaries where their fathers worshipped, are forgetting the
discipline and faith of the Church in which they were trained to
the knowledge of grace and salvation. The limited Missionary
establishment of our Church is insufficient to supply the wants of
the rapidly increasing population of the west, and many, who,
with the Liturgy in their hands, would adhere to the worship
which we venerate, wanting even this support to their principles,
soon fall into the ways of irreligion and vice. 1
At the meeting of February 6, 1822, the sum of $600 was
appropriated for the coming year for the purchase of Bibles and
Prayer Books. At the annual meeting, February 26, 1822, the
report was read and adopted and the following Managers elected :
Matthew Clarkson, John Onderdonk, John Slidell, Henry
Rogers, George Dominick, Gulian Ludlow, Isaac Carow, Rich-
ard Whiley, Henry McFarlan, Richard Platt. (Folio 104.)
TWELFTH ANNUAL REPORT.
Twelfth Annual Report of the Board of Managers of the New
York Bible and Common Prayer Book Society, read at a Meet-
ing of the Society in Trinity Church, New York, on Tuesday,
February 26, 1822.
So lately as the commencement of the present century, it is
believed there was not in this diocese, or any part of our country,
a voluntary association of individuals, formed on a permanent
basis, for the purpose of aiding the Church in promoting the
great interests of the Gospel. This seems the more surprising,
as the experience of the Mother Church of England had, for
more than a century, exhibited the extensively beneficial influ-
ence which might thus be exercised. The venerable Societies for
Promoting Christian Knowledge, and for Propagating the Gos-
pel in Foreign Parts had during that period been her most pow-
erful auxiliaries, not only in advancing her interests and the
spiritual welfare of her children at home, but also in carrying to
I. The Sixth Annual Report of the Managers of the Auxiliary New York
Bible and Common Prayer Book Society.
1822] Twelfth Annual Report. 171
far distant lands, and among them to our own, the inestimable
benefits of her communion.
The Convention of this diocese had, indeed, in the year 1796
organized a Board under the title of the Committee of the Prot-
stant Episcopal Church, for propagating the Gospel in the State
of New York; and from that time this Committee has had in
charge the disposal of the sums collected in the several parishes
for the support of Missionaries.
In 1802 the Corporation of Trinity Church in this city, vested
a liberal sum in a Board of Trustees, denominated the Protestant
Episcopal Society for Promoting Religion and Learning in the
State of New York. The proceeds of this endowment continue
to be appropriated by the Society in aid of the support of Mis-
sionaries, in the distribution of religious books and tracts, in
assisting young men in their preparation for holy orders, and in
other ways conducive to the interests and increase of the Church.
It is obvious, however, that neither of the above mentioned
institutions, although of great and extensive utility, can be classed
with voluntary associations supported by the contributions of
their members.
The first establishment of that kind attempted in our diocese,
and, it is believed, in the American Church, is that, in the busi-
ness of which we are now assembled. It was organized in the
beginning of the year 1809. Since that time, and especially
within the last six or seven years, the example has been very
extensively followed. In all parts of the country societies have
been formed, and are still forming, by members of the Church,
for the distribution of the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer,
and approved religious books and tracts; for the support of
Missionaries, for aiding young men in their preparation for holy
orders, for extending the benefits of gratuitous daily and Sunday
instruction; and for other objects connected with the enlarge-
ment and prosperity of the Church.
It is believed there is not now a diocese in the country, and
hardly a parish in a diocese, in which the members of the Church
are not directly or indirectly engaged in the support and manage-
ment of some such establishment. These institutions are recom-
mended to our notice and regard from the two-fold considera-
tion of the good they do and the manner in which they do it
It must be perfectly obvious that the good done in the various
172 Twelfth Annual Report. [1822
modes above enumerated must be of vast extent and of infinite
importance. It is no less than promoting the glory of God, and
the spiritual and eternal welfare of men ; and in connection with
these the best interests of society.
But the manner in which this good is done presents also an
object of peculiarly gratifying reflection. No truth is more obvi-
ous on the face of Scripture, than that the blessings of religion
are appointed to be enjoyed by man in a holy community, where
they are connected with each other by the bond of a common
faith, a common ministry and a common worship.
This community styled the Church and Body of Christ is rep-
resented as the established mean for conveying to individuals the
spiritual and eternal blessings designed by the Gospel, and the
appointed instrument of its extension and preservation in the
world. And we esteem it a peculiar recommendation of the
Societies we have noticed that by recognizing, in their own estab-
lishment and operation, the same bond of faith, ministry and
worship, they do good in that evangelical and primitive way
which, while it promotes the great interests of the Gospel, fails
not also to cherish and enforce that unity of faith and order,
which the first Christians deemed essential to the religion they
professed, which the apostles strenuously urged, and for which
the Saviour prayed, and which are among the most prominent
characteristics of the Church for which he shed his blood.
Tn accomplishing the good purposes designed by its establish-
ment, this Society has through the divine blessing, been enabled
since its institution to raise a permanent fund of $5,348.35, to
expend, in the immediate prosecution of its objects, nearly
$4,500; to procure in addition to the expenditure just mentioned,
a handsome set of stereotype plates of the Book of Common
Prayer, and to distribute, principally gratuitously, 3,195 copies
of the Bible, 500 of the New Testament, and 6,151 of the Book
of Common Prayer, making an aggregate of 9,846 volumes.
Of these, 229 Bibles and 490 Prayer Books have been gratui-
tously distributed, and 176 octavo Prayer Books from the
Society's plates have been delivered to members, on the terms of
the Society within the past year.
, The Board at a late meeting appropriated $600 for procuring
Bible and Prayer Books for the distribution during the ensuing
year.
1822] Twelfth Annual Report. 173
In this way we may humbly hope that we have been instru-
mental in doing some good to the Church, and through that to
the religion of the Redeemer. It is impossible to say how far
the distribution of these books may have gone in bringing sin-
ners to repentance; in reclaiming the erroneous, and confirming
the wavering, in the faith, in guiding man in the peaceful paths
of the commandments and ordinances of the Lord; bringing
them in his appointed way, into covenant with God; and thus
forwarding them through the militant towards the triumphant
state of his holy Church.
But extensive as we may hope that this good has been, we
cannot suppress the confidence that it might and ought to have
been greater.
When we consider what portion of the wealth of the com-
munity is possessed by members of our Church, and her peculiar
advantages as a means of promoting the great interests of relig-
ion, we would naturally expect that her institutions would be
foremost in extent of operation among those designed to benefit
the cause of the Gospel. Certain we are that her members can-
not better employ their ability to promote that great and grand
cause, than by enabling her to extend more widely the sanctify-
ing and saving influences of her primitive and evangelical doc-
trines, order, and worship.
With this view, we cannot but regard with the most lively
interest every facility which she receives, in advancing in any
way the great cause which she has in charge. It gives us, there-
fore, most heartfelt satisfaction to advert to the distinguished
instance of individual liberality which since our last meeting has
gladdened the hearts of the true friends of the Church, and con-
secrated to the perpetual affectionate remembrance of her sons,
the name of Jacob Sherred. The effect of his munificence in his
permanent location of the General Theological Seminary of the
Church, where peculiar facilities are afforded to the promotion
of its objects, and its establishment upon principles best calcu-
lated to insure its harmonious and successful operation.
We also esteem it an object of sincere felicitation. To the name
of this revered benefactor it is our privilege to add that of an-
other, who devoutedly attached to the Church in life did not in
death forget it, Mrs. Sarah Startin, long a pattern of walking in
the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, has set her seal
174 Twelfth Annual Report. [1822
to the sincerity of her desire for the diffusion through the Church
of the inestimable blessings of religion by a liberal bequest to
that high and important object.
Such instances of beneficence cannot but warm the Christian
heart with gratitude and admiration ; and must be viewed by the
true patriot and enlightened statesman as the best evidence of
love of country; inasmuch as they tend to diffuse that religion
which forms the most upright citizens and best members of
society. Let them encourage us in this sphere of usefulness
which has fallen to our lot ; and excite our hopes, and warm our
prayer, that our labour may not be in vain, but in the Lord.
Signed by order of the Board.
J. H. HOBART, President.
Attest: BENJAMIN T. ONDERDONK, Secry.
New York, Ash Wednesday. Feb. 20, 1&22. 1
I. The Christian Journal, April, 1822. Volume VI., No. 4, pp. 119, 120, 121.
CHAPTER VII.
CONTENTS.
Progress of the Auxiliary Societies Anniversary of the Society of
Auburn, September, 1822 Diocesan Convention Held at Troy, October,
1822 Address of Bishop Hobart Incorporating an Address from Bishop
White Names of English, Scottish and Irish Bishops Who Favoured or
Opposed the British and Foreign Bible Society Criticism of Archdeacon
Norris by Dr. Milnor Reply by Bishop Hobart Opposition to the Aux-
iliary Society Seventh Annual Report of the N. Y. Auxilary Address by
the Rev. George Uphold Thirteenth Annual Report of the N. Y. B. & C. P.
B. Society.
THE notices found of the work of Bible and Prayer Book
Societies in other parts of the State show the strength of
conviction of their members and their approval of the
views of their diocesan concerning these aids in the exten-
sion of the Church.
The Christian Journal gives this account of the second anni-
versary of the Bible and Prayer Book Society which was held in
September, 1822, at Auburn; when a sermon adapted to the
occasion was delivered by the Rev. Henry Anthon, Rector of
Trinity Church, Utica.
The Society was formed at Manlius in July, 1820. In conse-
quence of the general distribution of the Bibles by the laudable
exertions of others and the pressing demand for the Book of
Common Prayer, the attention of the Society since its commence-
ment has been turned to the distribution of that invaluable
manual of devotion. Between 600 and 700 copies have already
been distributed. It must be gratifying to every friend of the
Church to hear that the zeal manifested by our friends in the
County of Otsego equalled every expectation which has been
raised regarding them. They came forward with a promptness
and eagerness worthy of all imitation. They contributed to the
funds of the Society about $60, and it should be observed that
this sum was advanced by a few individuals. It is confidently
believed that every Churchman will become a member of the
Society. Although the operations of this institution have neces-
176 Diocesan Convention at Troy. [1822
sarily been limited, still we trust that they have been so far useful
that we may safely rely upon the patronage of every friend of
the Church, and that we hazard nothing in saying that however
humble in its beginnings, it is destined, if properly supported, to
extend its cheering and benign effects over every portion of the
Church in the sphere of its influence.
HON. MORRIS S. MILLER, Utica, President.
THE REV. Lucius SMITH, Auburn, ist Vice President.
THE REV. RUSSELL WHEELER, Butternuts, 2d Vice President.
THE HON. NATHAN WILLIAMS, Utica, Treasurer.
THE REV. HENRY ANTHON, Utica. Secretary. 1
In October, 1822, the Convention of the Diocese met in St.
Paul's Church, Troy. This was one of the few occasions when
a session was held outside the city of New York. The Bishop's
address dealt with the progress of the Church during the year
and made suggestions for increased work as opportunity offered.
He inserted a long extract from an address of Dr. White,
Bishop of Pennsylvania, disapproving the union of Churchmen
and other Christians under certain circumstances for religious
and benevolent purposes. In approving and commenting upon
it he said :
The views founded on this opinion, the propriety of which
seems to me so obvious, which originally influenced me with
respect to the union of Episcopalians with other denominations
in Bible societies, have gained strength by subsequent reflection
and observation. These societies seem to me erroneous in the
principle on which, in order to secure general co-operation, they
are founded the separation of the Church from the word of God
of the sacred volume from the ministry, the worship, and the
ordinances which it enjoins as of divine institution, and the in-
struments of the propagation and preservation of Gospel truth.
As it respects Churchmen, the tendency of these societies has
appeared to me not less injurious than the principle on which
they are founded is erroneous. They inculcate that generous
liberality which considers the differences among Christians as
non-essential; and they thus tend to weaken the zeal of Episco-
palians in favour of those distinguishing principles of their
i. The Christian Journal, October, December, 1822. Volume VI. Nos.
10-12, pp. 367, 368.
1822] Bishop Hobart's Address. 177
Church which eminently entitle her to the appellation of apos-
tolical and primitive.
The success of institutions which are erroneous in the principle
on which they are founded, or in the measures which they adopt,
cannot vindicate them ; except on the maxim, that "the end justi-
fies the means." Nor is this success to be considered as evidence
of the favour of Heaven : for then, divine sanction would be
obtained for many heretical and schismatical sects which, at vari-
ous times, have obtained great popularity, and corrupted and
rent the Christian Church.
It is a satisfaction to me, that in withholding my support from
Bible Societies I act with those in the highest stations in the
Church from which we are descended, and with the great body
of its Clergy. But it is a source of painful regret to find myself
differing, on this subject, from many of the Clergy and members
of our own communion whom I greatly esteem and respect. I
would wish to guard against the supposition of any design on my
part to censure these Episcopalians who deem these societies
worthy of their support, and the proper channels of their pious
munificence. Among the Episcopal laymen of this description,
I recognize in the President and acting Vice President of the
American Bible Society, individuals who are not for a moment
to be suspected of acting from any other principle than a sense
of duty, and whose pure and elevated characters adorn the
Church of \vhich they are members. My object is not to censure
others, but, in the discharge of my official duty, to state and
defend the principles on which I think Churchmen should act in
their efforts for the propagation of the Gospel; and to ask for
those who do not act on these principles, the credit of an adher-
ence to the dictates of conscience, and an exemption from the
imputation of being unfriendly to the distribution of the oracles
of truth. No imputation can be more unjust, injurious, or un-
kind. It is not to the distribution of the Bible, but to the mode
of distribution that our objections apply. We deem ourselves
not warranted in sanctioning what appears to us a departure
from the apostolic mode of propagating Christianity in the sep-
aration of the sacred volume from the ministry, the ordinances,
and the worship of that mystical body which its Divine Founder
has constituted the mean and the pledge of salvation to the
world. And we think that Episcopalians will best preserve their
(12)
178 Bishop Hobart's Address.
attachment to the distinctive principles of their apostolic Church,
and thus best advance the cause of primitive Christianity, and
most effectually avoid all collision with their fellow Christians
who differ from them, by associating for all religious purposes
only among themselves.
The Bible and Common Prayer Book Societies continue their
eminently useful operations; and one in the Western District is-
distinguished for its zealous exertions. It is highly gratifying
to see Churchmen uniting their efforts and their contributions in
the extension of our Church ; and with it, of the truths, the min-
istry, and ordinances of that Gospel, which is the power of God
unto salvation, in their primitive purity. 1
The names of the following Bishops of the Church of England
and Ireland appear among the supporters of the British and For-
eign Bible Society:
Most Rev. Poer Trench, Archbishop of Tuam; Honourable
and Right Rev. Shute Barrington, Bishop of Durham; Right
Rev. John Buckner, Bishop of Chichester; Right Rev. Thomas
Burgess, Bishop of St. David's ; Right Rev. John Fisher, Bishop
of Salisbury; Right Rev. Henry Bathurst, Bishop of Norwich;
Honourable and Right Rev. Henry Ryder, Bishop of Gloucester ;
Honourable and Right Rev. Thomas Lewis O'Beirne, Bishop of
Meath ; Honourable and Right Rev. Charles Lindsay, Bishop of
Kildare; Honourable and Right Rev. William Knox, Bishop of
Deny. 10.
The names of the following do not appear among the support-
ers of the British and Foreign Bible Society :
Right Honourable and Most Rev. Charles Manners Sutton,,
Archbishop of Canterbury; Right Honourable and Most Rev.
Edward Venables Vernon, Archbishop of York ; Most Rev. Lord
George Beresford, Archbishop of Armagh; Most Rev. William
Magee (author of the work on the Atonement), Archbishop of
Dublin; Right Honourable and Most Rev. Richard Laurence
(author of the celebrated Bampton Lectures on the Articles),
Archbishop of Cashel ; Right Honourable and Right Rev. Wil-
liam Howley, Bishop of London; Right Rev. George Tomline,
I. Address of The Rt. Rev. John Henry Hobart, D.D., to the Convention
of the Diocese of New York, October 15, 1822, pp. 31, 32, 33, Journal, 1822.
HENRY HADLKY NORRIS
1822] Bishop Hobart'e Address. 179
Bishop of Winchester; Right Rev. William Henry Majemlie,
Bishop of Bangor; Right Rev. Richard Beadin, Bishop of Bath
and Wells ; Right Rev. John Kaye, Regius Professor of Divinity,
Cambridge, Bishop of Bristol ; Right Rev. Samuel Goodenough,
Bishop of Carlisle; Right Rev. George Henry Law, Bishop of
Chester; Right Rev. Bowyer E. Sparke, Bishop of Ely; Right
Rev. William Carey, Bishop of Exeter; Right Rev. George Isaac
Huntingford, Bishop of Hereford ; Honourable and Right Rev.
J. Cornwallis, Bishop of Litchfield and Coventry; Honourable
and Right Rev. George A. Pelham, Bishop of Lincoln; Right
Rev. William Van Mildert, Bishop of Landaff; Honourable and
Right Rev. Edward Legge, Bishop of Oxford ; Right Rev. Her-
bert Marsh, Bishop of Peterborough; Right Rev. Walter King,
Bishop of Rochester ; Right Rev. John Luxmoore, Bishop of St.
Asaph; Right Rev. F. H. W. Cornwall, Bishop of Worcester;
Right Rev. George Murray, Bishop of Sodor and Mann; Hon-
ourable and Right Rev. R. Ponsonby, Bishop of Down and Con-
nor; Right Rev. William Bisset, Bishop of Raphoe; Right Rev.
Nathanael Alexander, Bishop of Clogher; Right Rev. George
De La Poer Beresford, Bishop of Kilmore; Right Rev. James
Saurin, Bishop of Dromore; Right Rev. Robert Fowler, Bishop
of Ossory ; Right Rev. Lord Robert Tottenham, Bishop of Ferns ;
Right Rev. Thomas Elrington, Bishop of Limerick; Honourable
and Right Rev. Richard Bourke, Bishop of Waterford; Hon-
ourable and Right Rev. Thomas P. Lawrence, Bishop of Cork;
Right Rev. Charles Mungan Warburton, Bishop of Cloyne;
Right Rev. Richard Mant, Bishop of Killaloe; Right Rev. John
Leslie, Bishop of Elphin ; Right Rev. Christopther Butson, Bish-
of of Clonfert; Right Rev. James Verchoyle, Bishop of Killala.
To whom are to be added the Bishops of the Scotch Epis-
copal Church; Right Rev. George Gleig, Primus, Bishop of
Brechin ; Right Rev. Alexander Jolly, Bishop of Moray ; Right
Rev. Daniel Sandford, Bishop of Edinburgh ; Right Rev. Patrick
Torrey, Bishop of Dunkeld ; Right Rev. William Skinner, Bishop
of Aberdeen ; Right Rev. David Low, Bishop of Ross. Total 45.
No immediate reply was made by any champion of the Bible
Society. In the winter of 1822-23 the Rev. Dr. James Milnor,
Rector of St. George's Church and Secretary of the American
Bible Society, made an address in which he severely criticised the
letter of the Rev. Henry Hadley Norris of Hackney to Lord
180 Annual Auxiliary Meeting. [1823
Liverpool, condemning the Bible Societies which had recently
appeared; in it he used the phrase "infidels or blinded Chris-
tians."
Bishop Hobart then wrote anonymously to the New York
Daily Advertiser in condemnation of this address and inserted
the extract from his Convention address upon Bible Societies.
After some correspondence, Mr. Theodore Dwight, the editor,
declined to publish it unless the Bishop should sign it with his
own name. Finally the Bishop sent it to the Evening Post, in
which it was published on February I, 1823. 1
In the meantime the Auxiliary Society found itself opposed by
those Churchmen who advocated Bible Societies. Dr. Milnor
refused to read the notice sent to him of the annual meeting and
to close St. George's on the evening when the Rev. Dr. Upfold,
Rector of St. Luke's Church, was to preach in St. Paul's Chapel
a sermon in its behalf. It found subscriptions were withheld.
Like other societies in the Church it needed all the devotion
which a confidence in the worthiness of its work could give to
overcome the obstacles it encountered. But its members were
full of faith and not easily discouraged. In full expectation of
the hearty co-operation of all Churchmen it printed this notice
in the daily papers :
NOTICE.
The annual meeting of the Auxiliary New York Bible and
Common Prayer Book Society will be held in Trinity Church
TO-MORROW, 26th inst. at 7 o'clock P. M., when the annual
Report of the Board of Managers will be presented. The attend-
ance of the members, and all others friendly to the object of the
Society is respectfully solicited.
CHAS. KEELER, Recording Secry. 2
The report as printed gives this day for the meeting as Satur-
day, but the notice is evidently correct and we must conclude that
Sunday is the right date.
The proceedings of the Annual Meeting and the Report of
1. This outline is taken from a Letter of the Hon. William Jay to Bishop
Hobart, which will be noticed more fully.
2. The Commercial Advertiser, New York, January 25, 1823.
1823] Seventh Auxiliary Report. 181
which a large portion is here given, show the determination to
persevere in its work notwithstanding all the trials and diffi-
culties it had recently encountered.
The Report is gloomy in tone, and it must be remembered that
the poor showing of the past year was due not to so much to
the opposition which it so unreasonably encountered among
church people who ought to have upheld and fostered its work,
but to the scourge of scarlet fever which joined to the general
financial depression had disheartened the whole of the com-
munity.
At the seventh annual meeting of the Auxiliary in January,
1823, Dr. John Smyth Rogers, for five years past the Treasurer
of the Society, and to whom it is indebted for his valuable exer-
tions from the period of its establishment, having relinquished
his office, Mr. Floyd Smith, late first Vice President, yielded to
the unanimous desire of the Board and undertook the office of
Treasurer.
The seventh annual Report is in part as follows :
The Managersof the Auxiliary New York Bible and Common
Prayer Book Society come before their constituents with diffi-
dence and regret. On former occasions they have had the satis-
faction to present reports of their proceedings, which warmed
their hearts with gratitude for the blessings of which they were
made the instruments and proudly carried forward their views to
labours of future usefulness : for then they contemplated only
the rapid progress and rising hopes of this Society. From the
tender plant of the forest, they had seen it advancing to the
vigour of confirmed strength, its roots seemed to have fixed in a
kindly soil, and, in their fond imagination, they looked forward
to the time when its branches should spread rapidly, and its fruits
supply the wants of many who looked to it for spiritual nourish-
ment and strength.
Surely this was not an idle nor unjustifiable expectation for
this Society had received the patronage of Churchmen of every
degree. The rich had given it their bounty, the zealous their
exertions, and the poor their prayers. With such encouragement,
an institution whose first organization was effected by a few indi-
viduals, was raised into public favour, solely from a sense of its
importance to the interests of religion, and of its usefulness to
the Church. In two years 10,000 volumes, distributed by its
182 Seventh Auxiliary Report. [1823
care, had "made its name known and coupled with honourable
appellation to the furthest limits of our federal union." 1 Even
then this seedling was "found to be of the true species and of the
right kind" ; and the Society was declared to need "no higher
encomium than the unvarnished tale of its recent origin and
widespread labours."
On our Sixth Anniversary, however, with an exhausted treas-
ury, and a diminished subscription list, your Board of Managers
began almost "to despair of being able to resume those active and
beneficent labours which, with the blessing of Heaven, had shed
the light of the Gospel and the purity of Christian worship on
the remotest borders of our land." Still, "trusting in their hal-
lowed cause," the Board then put to you the question, "Shall we
ask in vain for the means of continuing our labours? Shall we
in vain address to Christians our supplications for relief for those
who are treading the thorny ways of wretchedness, and the dark
valley of death ? Shall the beacon which your bounty has erected
to light the traveller on his way, and to guide the wanderer to a
haven of rest, be extinguished; now when the solitary places
have been made glad by its rays, and its beams have begun to
shed the light of glory on the ocean and the wilderness ?" 2
The seventh year has just elapsed, and we are now compelled
to confess that the appeal has been in vain, and that our expecta-
tions are disappointed. So far from being supported by increas-
ing liberality, a large proportion of our members, when called
upon for their subscription, have withdrawn their names; and
while our resources are thus continually decreasing, very few
subscribers are added to our list. Until the last month, not a
single Bible or Prayer Book had issued from our Depository
during the whole of the past year. And unless Churchmen feel
it their duty to renew and extend their aid, the Board must yield
to the prevailing apathy; their plates must be permitted to lie
unemployed ; they must close their ears to the calls for aid, and
shut the doors of their Depository against the demand for that
knowledge which "maketh wise unto salvation."
********
Yet we are assured by abundant evidence, that there is among
1. Rev. Mr. M'Vickar's Address before the Society, January, 1818.
2. Vide Sixth Annual Report.
1823] Seventh Auxiliary Report. 183
Churchmen a spirit of liberality of which our Church might boast,
but its effects are not generally seen nor appreciated, because it
is diverted and scattered through the inconsiderate kindness of
an exclusive charity. The Church of our choice, so far from
being preferred, is placed last in the participation of our bounty ;
and, abandoning all that we profess to value, our contributions
give impulse to the current of other streams, but leave dry and
forsaken their own channels, whose banks they might enrich and
adorn.
This disposition to aid others in their work of piety and benevo-
lence argues an amiable and liberal character, and were it an-
swered by a correspondent return of benefits, it might be also
desirable and wise. The very name of charity is lovely, as that
of sect is odious; and next to a frank and honest rivalry of
benevolence, we would delight in a mutual interchange of benefits
and gifts. Either one of these plans would be productive of
advantage to the common cause, and either would be honourable.
But to be useful and wise, the system of interchange should be
equal and reciprocal. Episcopalians have long set the example of
contributing most generously and nobly to forward the views and
purposes of their brethren of other denominations ; but it is due
to the sincerity of truth to declare that their views of charity
never extended to reciprocity in our schemes; that while thou-
sands of dollars are given by Churchmen to forward the projects
of their fellow Christians, scarcely a dollar finds its way back in
acknowledgment of our courtesy, or in advancement of our plans. 1
Meanwhile the fabrics which Christians have contributed to rear
to magnificence, are compared with the deserted ruins of their
own enclosure, and while strangers affect to mark the contrast
with pity or with scorn, our own household is dishonoured, her
spirit extinguished, her efforts paralyzed.
i. To say nothing of Bible Societies, subscriptions for building churches,
for mission families, etc., the missionary and tract societies of other denomi-
nations exhibit the names of a great number of Churchmen as life subscribers
or liberal supporters; but among similar societies of our Church, it is a most
unusual circumstance to find a single subscription out of our own com-
munion. This Society is proud to record one name in honourable exception
to this general rule. It is that of Richard Varick, Esq., who was an early
and generous contributor to our funds.
184 Seventh Auxiliary Report. [1825
With the funds in their hands at the close of the year, the
Board have ordered the purchase of 800 Prayer Books, a part of
which have been divided amongst the most pressing of the calls-
urged upon them ; and the remainder are pledged for further dis-
tribution. They have also directed 500 Bibles, the residue of the
edition of 1,000, which remained in sheets, to be bound. The
Agent reports the gratuitous distributions actually made out of
the recent appropriations to be, 93 Bibles and 242 Prayer Books,
The Bishop of the State of Ohio, whose earnest application could
not before be met, has been apprised that 50 Prayer Books are
subject to his order ; and the residue of the appropriation will be
applied, with a prudent caution, to other demands which have
been long unanswered. The Sunday Schools of the several Epis-
copal Churches, the Orphan Asylum, the State Prison, the Mari-
ner's Church, and the Missionary service are among those claims
which have been, in part, supplied. The sales from the Deposi-
tory, during the past year, have been 1,675 Prayer Books, and
the total of the sales and distributions since the organization of
the Society is 3,119 Bibles, and 18,842 Prayer Books.
The Treasurer's account shows a balance in the treasury of
$116.58, and there is due from the Sunday School Society, for
Bibles sold them, $85 ; but these sums will be insufficient to meet
the debt incurred in the purchase of Prayer Books, and in binding
the Bibles as before mentioned.
Besides their plates of the Bible and Common Prayer Book,
the Society possesses a permanent fund of $425, deposited in the
Savings Bank, being the proceeds of twenty-one life subscrip-
tions, only the interest of which is at the disposal of the Board of
Managers.
The Board would abandon, with reluctance, a field white for
the labour of benevolence, and which will repay, with the sub-
stantial fruits of a rich harvest, those who are permitted to enter
upon it. On every hand the Bible and Prayer Book are con-
stantly called for. The good Samaritan would find objects for
his bounty without wandering from his immediate path. At our
very doors, in our very temples, are large Sunday Schools, which
have never yet been sufficiently supplied. Around us in our city
are the wants of public charities, public prisons, the solicitations
of seamen, and the individual claims of hundreds of others to be
attended to. In the country, almost every Church has similar
requirements with our own here; and in the new settlements
1823] Seventh Auxiliary- Report. 185
where the faithful missionary conveys the good news of salvation,
and forms Churches and congregations, Bibles and Prayer Books,
the necessary concomitants of his success, if furnished at all,
must be furnished by the common exertions which we have en-
deavoured to call forth. 1
Few sermons of the first Bishop of Indiana are in print.
George Upfold was the son of English parents and passed his
boyhood in Albany. He received his early religious training in
old St. Peter's, of which his father was Vestryman and Warden.
After passing through the General Theological Seminary, he
with his friend George Washington Doane founded St. Luke's
Church, New York, and then succeeded Mr. Duffle at St. Thom-
as's Church. He afterwards became Rector of Trinity Church,
Pittsburgh, from which place he was called to the Bishopric of
Indiana. In Indiana he met with great discouragement, but
worked with undaunted perseverance to plant the Church in the
waste and neglected places of the middle West.
Among his brother Bishops he was affectionately known as
"Uncle George."
This sermon or address will be read with pleasure and interest
both for its matter and for its author's sake.
This notice is found in the daily papers :
BIBLE AND PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY.
The annual sermon and collection for the benefit of the Auxil-
iary New York Bible and Common Prayer Book Society will
take place in St. Paul's Chapel on Sunday evening next, the gih
inst. at 7 o'clock.
N. B. The seventh annual Report of the Society is now ready
for delivery gratis at the office of the agent, No. 99 Pearl Street. 2
The following address of the Rev. George Upfold, delivered
before the Auxiliary New York Bible and Common Prayer Book
Society, 3 at the 7th anniversary of that institution, is published
1. The Seventh Annual Report of the Managers of the Auxiliary New
York Bible and Common Prayer Book Society. New York: Printed by T.
& J. Swords. 1823.
2. The Commercial Advertiser, New York, Wednesday, February 5th,
1823.
3. We are requested to remind our readers that the treasurer of the
Society is Mr. Floyd Smith, No. 182, Broadway, by whom subscriptions and
donations for the pious objects of the institution will be gratefully received.
186 Address by Rev. G. Upfold. [1823
at the solicitation of the Board of Managers. It is presented not
only as a happy specimen of that earnest style of preaching which
is justly considered appropriate to the recommendation of a pub-
lic charity, but also in the hope that it will still further subserve
the interests of the excellent Society whose claims to patronage
it so clearly and eloquently urges.
From the "Christian Journal."
An address delivered in St. Paul's Chapel on Sunday evening,
February Qth, 1823, for the benefit of the Auxiliary New York
Bible and Common Prayer Book Society, by the Rev. George
Upfold, M.D., Rector of St. Luke's Church, New York.
When we contemplate the world in which we live, without the
instruction of revelation, we find it filled with contradictions and
mysteries which involve us in perplexing conjectures, and fill our
minds with wondering agitations. To natural reasoning there
is nothing in the present state of things reconcilable to any har-
monious design or justly proportioned system; and wherever we
turn our eyes, whether on the earth itself or its inhabitants, all
appears discordant and out of place. In this perplexing exhibi-
tion, man exalted above all other earthly beings is the mystery of
mysteries we behold him endowed with a soul, exalted in its
views, great in its comprehension, immortal in its principle, filled
with desires which Omnipotence alone can satisfy, possessed of
faculties which seem to place no limit to his capacity for happi-
ness, and yet we see this being, so elevated in the scale of exist-
ence, and so adorned, the slave of the meanest and most degrad-
ing passions ; grovelling with the beasts that perish amid the sen-
sual gratifications of the earth, and sharing with them in its final
dissolution; and by far the greater part of the mysterious race,
indulging in no one care beyond present and transient enjoy-
ments, nor ever seeming to feel that they came into the world but
just to eat, drink, and die. But on this dark and mysterious
prospect a clear and explanatory radiance has been shed. Revela-
tion unfolds the wondrous secret, rolling away the impervious
clouds which rest upon our natural condition and conceal the
mournful cause of this mystery, it shows us a world not as origi-
nally contrived and harmoniously arranged, but a world in ruins.
It exhibits a race of beings in rebellion against their Almighty
Creator. It represents the earth as the scene of an awful and
1823] Address by Rev. G. Upfold. 187
universal apostasy from God; presenting to angels and men a
mingled spectacle of divine wrath and divine mercy and disclos-
ing the terribleness of God's indignation in connection with the
power of his redeeming love. Throwing aside the veil of former
concealment it tells us that "by one man's disobedience sin entered
into the world and death," and all its mournful train of conse-
quences came "by sin" ; that the ground was cursed for man's
sake; and that "the whole earthly creation groaneth and travail-
eth together until now" on account of his transgression and guilt.
Revelation, however, in this explanatory process does not stop
here. It makes known to us truths more animating, more excel-
lent, more joyous and consolatory than these. It tells us that the
world, though ruined, and exhibiting a prospect of mournful
desolation, is not without a remedy; that man though fallen,
depraved, guilty and wretched, is not utterly undone ; that obnox-
ious as he is to divine wrath, and amenable to punishment, there
is a way provided for his restoration to favour, and for his escape
from the fearful consequences of his disobedience. It announces
a Redeemer, one who is willing and mighty to save ; and through
him proclaims a remedy for guilt, a sure and certain way of
return from our wanderings, an effective antidote to all our
misery. It preaches to us the doctrine of peace, and tells us of
one, who, when there was no eye to pity, no hand to help, nor any
to bring salvation, became the propitiation for our sins, and the
author of everlasting life to all that obey him. It reveals to us the
interesting act of the descent of "the only begotten son of God
full of grace and truth" to bear the chastisement for our peace
and to reconcile us to God by the sacrifice of Himself. It tells us
that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not
imputing unto them their trespasses.
Joyful indeed, brethren, are these tidings, and satisfactory to
the soul perplexed with doubtful conjectures on its natural con-
dition, its present sensibilities and future destiny. This is that
"hidden wisdom" which was kept secret since the world began,
until brought to light by the Gospel; this is the mystery which
was concealed from ages and generations ; this
"the joyful sound,
which Kings and prophets waited for
and sought but never found."
188 Address by Rev. G. Upfold. [1825
This the transcendent
"heavenly light,
which Kings and prophets long desired,
But died without the sight."
"Blessed are our eyes," my brethren, for they see, and our ears
for they hear.
To us the mystery of godliness is fully disclosed. That revela-
tion of mercy and truth, which dispersing the clouds of error and
of wrath from the moral firmament hath brought life and immor-
tality to light, is ours, and in its instructions, its privileges, and
its blessings we are enabled to rejoice.
But to multitudes the Gospel is still "the hidden wisdom" ; and
its offers of pardon and reconciliation, its instructive doctrines
and consoling truths are unknown. Clouds and darkness still
rest upon very many of earth's inhabitants and envelope in
gloomy ignorance their mental vision and their spiritual prospect.
Numbers still bow the knee of adoration to "dumb idols," and
seek from "stocks and stones, the work of their own hands," a
refuge from that wrath which they are conscious they deserve,
and the gift of that mercy which they are sensible that they need.
This spiritual destitution is not confined, however, to the heathen
world. In Christian lands it is felt. In our own country there is
a lamentable dearth of the bread of life; and within the circle of
our immediate observation, thousands are groaning under the
destructive bondage of sin and Satan and perishing for lack of
knowledge. Do you doubt the truth of this assertion? Do you
hesitate to admit the extent of that moral desolation which over-
spreads so large a portion of this highly favoured country?
Peruse the annual reports of those heralds of the cross, who leav-
ing the comforts of a more refined life, have gone forth to preach
the Gospel of reconciliation in our new settlements. Contemplate
with serious attention the mournful picture which they draw of
the spiritual condition of the inhabitants of those remote districts.
See how many there are excluded from the privileges and ordi-
nances of our holy religion ; with no hand to guide them into the
paths of righteousness and peace; with no sanctuary to frequent
for the offering up of their prayers and praises to the Most High
and the hearing of that word, which maketh wise unto salvation ;
"with no Bible to supply the place of other instruction ; with no
approved formulary of devotion to aid them in rendering rational
1823] Address by Rev. G. Upfold. 189
and acceptable worship ; with no messenger of grace" to reprove,
rebuke, exhort them, to warn men of their danger, to convince
them of sin, to lead them now in wisdom's ways, and in a dying
hour, to infuse into men's souls "a hope full of immortality."
But we need not contemplate this scene of spiritual want and
ignorance at such a distance. Nearer home there is enough to
excite your concern and call forth your compassion. Go wander
through many parts of this metropolis enter the abodes of
numbers of its inhabitants ask the wretched inmates of their
God and they do not know him speak of their Saviour, and
his precious offices and they have never heard of Him ask
them of their hopes beyond the present transitory scene and
they have none. From their miserable dwellings no morning
orison is lifted up to God, no evening offering of praise ascends
as grateful incense to the skies; but all within them is desolate
and comfortless ; they are dead in trespasses and sins ; heaven and
all the joys it offers are matters of an unknown import ; salvation
a strange and unintelligible tale; earth bounds their highest
pleasures, and their highest prospects. God is not in all their
thoughts. Such, my brethren, is the wretched condition of many
of our fellow creatures. And must they remain in this deplorable
ignorance of divine things? Have they immortal souls, to be
saved or to be lost, and shall they continue strangers to him who
is the only "Way, the Truth and the Life," and through whom
alone cometh salvation? Shall accountable human beings be
suffered to live in this habitual commission of sin without a soli-
tary warning of their danger? Shall they be left to die unac-
quainted with that precious gift which alone can render their
passage into the eternal world safe, and their exit glorious and
happy ? Is a revelation so important in its nature, and so salutary
in its tendency as the Gospel of peace; so indispensable to the
everlasting welfare of man ; so full of comfort, of hope, and of
joy ; to be confined in its operation to those whose lot happens to
be cast in fairer ground, and its holy momentous truths be with-
held from the less fortunate? Surely not! Such, brethren, was
not the intention of its divine author, of Him who sealed its
precious truths with his blood. Nor must such selfishness per-
vade the hearts and influence the practice of any of his followers.
"Go ye," said he to his immediate disciples, "go ye into all the
world and preach the Gospel to every creature." The benevolent
190 Address by Rev. G. Upfold. [1825
command has lost nothing of its force, nor of its importance in
the lapse of ages. Calculated and intended for universal dif-
fusion, the Gospel of Jesus Christ demands the zealous and con-
tinual efforts of all in its dissemination, of all who participate in
its privileges and enjoy its blessings. The gift of infinite love ta
a fallen and ruined race, it embraces all mankind in its intended
influence, and must be spread by faith and charity from man to
man, until all shall know Him whom to know aright is eternal
life. Yes, my brethren, Christianity imposes upon its votaries
peculiar obligations to extend its benefits and blessings, and its
appeal, in this respect to their hearts is awakening and forcible.
And blessed be God ! at the present time this appeal is sensibly
felt, and these obligations duly appreciated and faithfully prac-
ticed. Christians now appear alive to this part of their duty, and
from their awakened sensibility we have reason to hope for the
happiest results to the cause of humanity, of religion, and of God.
That charity which regarding with the tenderest solicitude, the
spiritual wants of our fellow creatures, extends its ready aid to
all within the sphere of its influence, is a prominent and dis-
tinguishing feature of the age in which we live, and the events
to which it has given rise, form an interesting and honourable
epoch in the moral history of the world.
A spirit of benevolence of the highest and purest species of
benevolence, has been elicited and is gaining ground among the
professors of the Christian faith ; and its efforts, holy and useful
in their intention, extensive in their plan, enlarged in their opera-
tion, and beneficial in their effects, reflect a bright and dazzling
lustre for the religion which calls forth their exercise, and directs
their movements. To the Christian philanthropist, the present
aspect of the religious world is indeed imposing and animating;
and in the prospect which it presents of extensive and multiplied
and zealous exertion in the cause of Christ, and particularly the
active co-operation of the laity in the various plans of "doing
good," which is a peculiar trait in the spiritual character of the
age. Every friend of the Redeemer must rejoice. Hope contem-
plates the sublime spectacle with ardent, delightful emotion.
Faith looks forward with eager anticipation to the fulfilment of
prophecy, and hails with rapture the period, as not far distant
when the kingdoms of this world shall become the Kingdoms of
Christ, and the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the
Lord, as the waters cover the sea.
1823] Address by Rev. G. Upfold. 191
Such, my brethren, is the enlivening spectacle which every-
where meets our eyes and animates our hearts. And shall our
lethargy detract from the glory, and obscure the brightness of
this prospect ? Sensible as we must be of the value of salvation,
and the benefits of the Gospel, and knowing, as we do, the obliga-
tion imposed on us to disseminate the knowledge of a crucified
Saviour, and the wonders of redeeming love; shall we remain
inactive spectators of this busy scene of benevolence?
Shall the lamp of Christian zeal burn with a bright and holv
flame in every heart but ours ? God forbid ! Such apathy would
argue but a very imperfect conception of our religious obliga-
tions, a very feeble sense of gratitude for mercies we receive, and
the exalted privileges we enjoy. Surely you will not permit it
to become an inmate of your bosom, nor suffer it to influence
your conduct. Surely your hearts will not refuse to respond
with good will towards any plan which has for its object the
building up of the Redeemer's Kingdom, and the promotion of
the present and eternal welfare of your fellow men.
In this trust suffer me to direct you at this time to a specific
application of your charity and solicit your patronage and sup-
port for an institution which in the great work of moral renova-
tion, holds out a prospect not of remote, but of immediate and
certain and extensive benefit.
This institution is the Auxiliary Bible and Common Prayer
Book Society of this city; an association which while it refuses
its gifts to none who ask, directs its charitable efforts principally
to the relief of the destitute of our own communion. In the exe-
cution of this charitable design it has engaged with a zeal and
ardour which does it honour ; and the effects which have already
been produced by its work of faith and labour of love are numer-
ous and beneficial. We have good reason to believe that, through
its instrumentality, many a benighted wanderer has been rescued
from that gloomy path which leadeth down to death, and been
brought to offer upon the consecrated altars of the Christian
Church "a free will offering with a holy worship." We have
good reason to think that many a child of sorrow, and of sin,
hath been comforted by its benevolence ; and many a broken heart
healed, and taught to look up with the confidence of faith, and
the assurance of hope to a reconciled God; that many who
never knew a Saviour's name, have been made acquainted with
192 Address by Rev. G. Upfold. [1823
his saving grace, and interested in that great covenant of mercy,
whose blessings are better than life itself. But we will not detain
you, brethren, by descanting on the beneficial influence this
Society has exerted, and the good it has done. We turn to what
constitutes a more important topic now its present prospects.
These, alas, are marked with a character of hopelessness,
which was it not for the expectation of your generous aid, would
almost induce an abandonment of its efforts. Holding forth the
word of life in intimate connection with the Church of God, the
organization of this Society was hailed with rapture by the
friends of religion, and the Church, as affording an animating
promise of extensive benefit.
Calling forth the pious zeal of the younger members of our
Communion, and engaging them in deeds of noble achievement
in the best of all causes, it formed a new era in the history of
our exertions for the amelioration of the spiritual condition of
our destitute brethren, and this anticipation has been more than
realized. The efforts of its indefatigable managers in the distri-
bution of the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer have given
rise to other efficient measures; and the zeal of our young men.
thus called into activity has been directed to other objects of
primary importance in the diocese, which have been productive
of and still promise the happiest results. Out of their active par-
ticipation in the work of Christian benevolence, has arisen the
Missionary Society, with its several auxiliary associations, which
now afford not a little aid to ecclesiastical authority in meeting
the demands which are constantly made for ministerial service by
our destitute congregations. Thus useful in its own particular
sphere of operation, and eliciting other means of doing good, the
Society had for a time no reason to complain of a want of encour-
agement or support. It grew up like a well-watered plant, shot
deep its roots, rose high, and bid fair for fruitfulness. But just
as it began to tower in increasing luxuriance and strength, and
to promise ere long to become the pride of the forest, and the
prince among the neighbouring trees, the axe is laid at its root
a fatal blow threatened and all its branching honours about to
be prostrated in the dust. A melancholy reverse has taken place
in its means and prospects of usefulness; and instead of the
gratulatory accents with which it has before greeted your ears,
of good done and greater good in anticipation, it comes to you
1823] Address by Rev. G. Upfold. 193
now with a tale of destitution, of neglect, of blighted prospects
and paralyzed exertions. With an increasing demand upon its
bounty and an extended field of usefulness, the Society for the
past year has been obliged to remain comparatively idle, for the
want of pecuniary means to carry on its operations ; and a dimin-
ished subscription list and an exhausted treasury afford but little
encouragement for future exertion.
"Until the last month," says the very able and eloquent Annual
Report, "not a single Bible or Prayer Book had issued from our
Depository, during the whole of the past year, and unless Church-
men feel it their duty to renew and extend their aid, the Board
of Managers must yield to the prevailing apathy ; they must close
their ears to the calls for aid, and shut the doors of their Deposi-
tory against the demand for that knowledge which maketh 'wise
unto salvation.' '
And shall these things be so? Shall a zeal so holy, so well
directed, be suffered to expend itself in fruitless wishes for want
of means to carry its designs into effect? Shall this Society be
suffered to languish and die for want of patronage?
Will you as Churchmen, as Christians, permit an institution so
eminently useful in doing good, so well calculated to disseminate
the glad tidings of salvation, and shed on the minds of the ignor-
ant and destitute the cheering radiance of pure and undefiled
religion, to suspend its efforts? In the language of a former
appeal Shall this Society in vain address you their supplica-
tions for relief for those who are treading the thorny ways of
wretchedness, and the dark valley of the shadow of death ? Shall
the beacon which your former bounty has erected to light the
traveller on his way now, when the solitary places have been
made glad by its rays and its beams have begun to shed a light
of glory on the ocean and the wilderness ?
We will not willingly believe, my brethren, that your support
has been or will continue to be withheld from the very deserving
institution because in comparison with some other plans which
now engage the public attention it is exclusive in its object ; and
that you deem it a violation of Christian charity to contribute
your aid to the furtherance of its philanthropic designs. We hope
you are not afraid of the imputation of bigotry, in consecrating
your bounty to subserve the interests of your own Church, and
to supply the crying and urgent wants of the destitute of your
d3)
194 Address by Rev. G. Upfold. [182&
own household. Christian charity is not necessarily of that dif-
fusive nature which some would represent it to be. Such was
not the light in which it was viewed and practiced by the holy
men of old. An inspired apostle expressly teaches us, that while
we "do good unto all men" we should do good "especially unta
them who are of the household of faith." And though it is now
the custom of some in the exuberance of their charity, to reverse
the order of the admonition, we trust you will not jeopardize the
spiritual welfare of your brethren of the same family for the sake
of a little ephemeral popularity with other denominations; nor
be induced by their prevalent flattery of the day, of being liberal
in your sentiments, and Catholic in your efforts, to refrain from
directing a part at least of these efforts, and giving a portion of
your bounty to objects connected with your own communion, and
thereby justly exhibiting strong and peculiar claims to your re-
gard and patronage. It cannot be that you will so determine.
No; you will enable these zealous individuals by your generous
bounty to resume their active and beneficent labours and to con-
tinue to hold forth the "word of life." You will enable them to
persevere in their work of faith and labour of love, "to continue
to cheer the hearts of the "mourners in Zion," to give light to
them who sit in the darkness and shadow of death," to reclaim
the sinner from the error of his ways; and to shed the radiance
of evangelical truth, and the purity of Christian worship, on the
remotest districts of our land are we mistaken in this charitable
conjecture? Is there no Christian feeling in this assembly? No
sympathy for spiritual misery and destitution; no concern for
God's glory, the prosperity of his Church, and the good of men ?
Shall immortal souls be jeopardized through your indifference?
Walking in the fulness of the heavenly light, and enjoying those
inestimable privileges of which so many of your fellow creatures
are deprived, and which their poverty at least prevents them
from obtaining, will you refuse to impart of your abundance to
their necessities? O let it be favourable!
Withhold not your boon of charity from this deserving insti-
tution; but let your present bounty be abundant, for it is much
needed, and will be faithfully applied; and let our names be
again inscribed on the Society's list of contributors, your best
wishes follow these praiseworthy efforts, and your fervent
1823] Thirteenth Annual Report. 195
prayers ascend to the mercy-seat of God for a blessing on their
pious undertaking. Amen. 1
The work of the parent Society had been continued along the
lines it had marked out for itself. By mutual agreement and
forbearance the two societies did not interfere with each other,
but were mutually strengthened.
The meetings of the Managers seem to have been formal and
little more than routine matters were brought before the Board,
most of the work being done by the Agent.
New York, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 1823.
A stated meeting of the Board was held this day in Trinity
Church.
The Agent submitted his report, from which it appeared that
246 Bibles and 615 i8mo. Prayer Books have been gratuitously
distributed during the past year.
The report was accepted.
The Treasurer submitted his report and account current, from
which it appeared that the receipts into the disposable fund, dur-
ing the past year were $379.48, and into the permanent fund $15 ;
and the expenditures $488.61. It also appeared from the same
report, that owing to the prevalence of yellow fever, the sub-
scriptions of members for the past year had not been collected.
New York, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 1823.
This being the day appointed by the Constitution, the Annual
Meeting of the Society was held in Trinity Church at 12 o'clock
M. The President being absent, the Rev. William Creighton
was called to the Chair.
The minutes of the last meeting of the Society were read and
approved.
The Thirteenth Annual Report of the Board of Managers was
then read.
On motion, Resolved, that the report of the Managers be ac-
cepted, and be printed under the direction of the Board.
The Society proceeded to the election of ten laymen to be
associated with the Episcopal clergy of the City, as Managers
for the ensuing year.
The following gentlemen were chosen : Matthew Clarkson,
i. The Christian Journal, May, 1823. Volume VII. No. 5, pp. 129-134.
196 Thirteenth Annual Report. [1823
John Onderdonk, John Slidell, Henry Rogers, George Dominick,
Gulian Ludlow, Isaac Carow, Richard Whiley, Henry McFar-
lan, Richard Platt.
The Society adjourned.
The following is the Report :
Thirteenth Annual Report of the Board of Managers of the
New York Bible and Common Prayer Book Society.
Another year, the Divine Head of the Church has honoured
this Society with being an instrument for promoting the great
ends designed by the establishment of his Kingdom.
Two hundred and forty-six Bibles and six hundred and fifteen
Prayer Books have been distributed gratuitously. They have
gone into various parts of our State; and have conduced, we
trust, to disseminate a knowledge of the true God and of Jesus
Christ whom he hath sent of the doctrines and precepts of
his religion and the nature and constitution of the Church, which
he has established as the channel of his grace and mercy to a
fallen world.
In promoting such objects we perform the best species of
charity. We improve the condition of our fellow men as intelli-
gent, and promote their affection as immortal beings. We rescue
them from the degradation and misery of irreligion and vice, and
open to them the pure pleasures and heavenly consolations of
piety here and its infinite reward hereafter. We make those
who might become the pests and disgrace of society creditable
and useful to it. We promote all the good to individuals and the
community, which cannot but flow from the extension of a
Church, holding and disseminating evangelical truth in its primi-
tive purity, and dispensing in the divinely appointed way the
means and pledges of salvation provided by the Redeemer of
mankind. And if he has promised to regard as extended to
himself the relief which we afford to the bodily necessities of our
brethren, we surely may hope that when we bestow our efforts
on turning men from darkness to light, and from the power of
Satan to God; reclaiming them from the way of spiritual and
eternal destruction, and presenting them to Christ to be sancti-
fied by his grace, and saved by his merits, he will mercifully re-
ceive it as an offering to himself. We may surely trust that he
will receive as done to him whatever we do to promote the unity,
purity and prosperity of the Church, which he loved, and for
which he gave himself.
1823] Thirteenth Annual Report. 197
Of this character we humbly hope are the operations of our
Society. The Board would have rejoiced in the means of having
them more extensive. They have done what they could. They
have endeavoured faithfully to apply the resources with which
they were provided; and hope that the prayers of their fellow
members will be united with their own, that the divine blessing
may attend their efforts. The operations of the past year make
the aggregate of distributions by the Society, since its establish-
ment, 10,707 copies of the Bible, the New Testament, and the
Book of Common Prayer.
In consequence of the sickness which prevailed in the city last
fall, the subscriptions of members in the past year have not been
collected. Their collection will be combined with that of those
due for the current year. The Board would express the hope
that all the present members will gladly continue their patronage
to so excellent an object, and that others will be added to the
number who thus lend to the Lord.
An immediate advantage to the members and their families
will be found in the allowance of one Bible or one octavo Prayer
Book for every dollar thus contributed. For the reason stated
above the receipts into our Treasury during the past year have
been small, being limited to the permanent fund, which fund
amounts to $5,374.56. The Board at its last meeting appropri-
ated $450 to the procuring of Bibles and Prayer Books for dis-
tribution. May the blessing of God go with them, and sanctify
them to his glory, the good of his Church, and the spiritual and
eternal welfare of his people.
Signed by order of the Board.
THOMAS LYELL, Chairman pro tern. 1
The Board organized for the year three days after the annual
meeting.
At a regular meeting of the Board held February 28, 1823,
the following officers were elected for the ensuing year: The
Rev. Benj. T. Onderdonk, Secretary; Gulian Ludlow, Treas-
urer; Henry McFarlan, Agent.
The Chairman appointed the following gentlemen to be asso-
ciated with the President, the Secretary and the Agent, as the
Standing Committee for the ensuing year: The Rev. Thomas
Lyell, D.D., Henry Rogers, John Slidell.
l. The Christian Journal, April, 1823. Volume VII. No. 4, pp. 120, 121.
CHAPTER VIII.
CONTENTS.
Bishop Hobart's Address to Diocesan Convention of 1822 Criticisms on
It Attack by William Jay Jay's Interest in Bible Societies His Letter
signed "A Churchman of the Diocess of New York" Extracts from It
Bishop Hobart Replies under the Signature, "Corrector" Correspondence
Between the New York Auxiliary Society and Dr. Milnor Bishop Hobart
Exposes the Fallacies Misrepresentations Rhapsody and Ostentation
The Want of Delicacy The Ungentlemanly and Unchristian Language
Of Jay's Letter.
APPARENTLY there was no public comment upon the
strong and bold utterance of the Bishop concerning
Bible Societies in his address of 1822, until after the
publication of the Journal of the Convention of 1822.
His opposition had been so frequently expressed, both publicly
and privately, and attempts made by the advocates of those So-
cieties to prove him entirely in the wrong as we have seen in the
course of this narrative, that it is most remarkable that the par-
agraph in his Convention address should have been made the
occasion of a violent attack upon his principles and methods.
The author of it was a son of that eminent jurist and statesman,
John Jay, who had served both the State and Nation with a pure
and disinterested patriotism. While the son had inherited the
legal acumen of his father, he was more ready than the Chief
Justice to engage in public discussion of measures and insti-
tutions which he approved or disapproved of. His interest
in Bible Societies had been early shown, and a pamphlet
from his pen aided in the foundation of the American Bible
Society. It was in the early spring of 1823 that he issued "A
Letter to the Right Reverend Bishop Hobart" under the signa-
ture of "A Churchman of the Diocess of New York." The con-
troversy excited by it was the last in which the Bishop of New
York engaged. Its ultimate effect was to strengthen the cause
he advocated and increased the interest of Churchmen in the
recently formed Bible and Prayer Book Societies, and particu-
larly in the parent Society. Bishop Hobart's biographer says:
198
1823J William Jay. 199
"The address was made the occasion of an attack on the part of
an anoymous writer under the signature of a Churchman of the
Diocese of New-York, in a temper and style which were alto-
gether unsuitable to his own character and pretensions, to the
subject itself, and to the sacred views and dignity of the person
assailed. It is this subject, which, provoking recrimination,
often renders religious controversy so odious as to indispose men
to inquiries after the truth, and to make them prefer ignorance
and error to discord and strife. The time, we hope, will come,
when these discussions will be conducted in a better spirit, and
when the defence of truth may be reconciled with charity and
peace. But though no circumstances can altogether justify the
harsh tone which too commonly prevails in controversial writ-
ings, yet if the misrepresentations, fallacies, the disingenuous-
ness, the indelicacy, the discourtesy, and intolerance, with which
Bishop Hobart charged 'a Churchman of the Diocese of New-
York' in those masterly pieces signed 'Corrector,' were in the
main, fairly made out ; and such, so far as I have learned, though
not the universal, was the very general opinion of those who
had read the controversy ; then it is not surprising that under the
peculiar provocations, he felt a degree of honest indignation at
this unprovoked attack, and that he treated his assailant with
severity and scorn."
Note. "In the heat of the controversy, and with a view of
strengthening his argument, the Bishop made some personal allu-
sions to the family of 'a Churchman of the Diocese of New-
York,' which I have always regretted, and of which it seems
proper to state, I entirely disapprove." 1
Mr. Bayard Tuckerman in his recent life of Judge Jay gives
a modern view of his action in the matter.
"An interesting incident in this early period of his life was the
part which he bore in the founding of the American Bible Society,
in organizing its machinery for the immense work which it had
to perform, and in vindicating the principles of the Society
against the attacks of the opposing party in his own Church. In
the struggle Jay proved his independence of character, and cour-
age of conviction which afterwards distinguished him through
the seeming hopeless years of anti-slavery effort.
i. Berrian's "Memoir." Volume I. pp. 264, 265.
200 William Jay. [1823
The general distribution of Bibles in our day makes it difficult
to appreciate the limited supply, the high cost and consequent
rarity of the Bible when this Society began its work. The High
Church party in New York were opposed to the association of
Episcopalians with other Christians to circulate the Bible, and
opposed even to the distribution of the Bible unless accompanied
by the Prayer Book as an interpreter. In these views they were
vigorously supported by their distinguished leader, Bishop John
Henry Hobart.
Jay, who had inherited with his Huguenot blood a faith in the
Bible not to be restrained by ecclesiastical assumption, was an
officer of the West Chester Bible Society, and deeply interested
in the work. On the appearance of a pastoral letter from Bishop
Hobart in which the High Church views were advocated he pub-
lished a pamphlet showing that it was the interest and duty of
Episcopalians to unite with their fellow Christians of all denomi-
nations in spreading the knowledge of the Word of God."
This pamphlet brought him into an active conflict with the emi-
nent Bishop which lasted for several years, and taught him that a
philanthropic cause even so plainly meritorious was not be be car-
ried on without the opposition of powerful conservative interests.
Convinced that a national society could accomplish more than
the local and scattered State Bible Societies, Jay published
a pamphlet in 1816 which showed the imperative importance of
the work, and urged united action. At the same time the vener-
able Elias Boudinot, of New Jersey, was exerting himself to the
same end. When he received a letter from Jay enclosing the
pamphlet, he thus welcomed his youthful ally: "The'se precious
moments I have devoted to a full consideration of one of the
greatest and most interesting subjects that has ever concerned
the children of men. We are feeble, scarcely able to think or
write, my efforts promised but little in the cause, when your
welcome and unexpected letter was brought in. My drooping
spirits were raised and my mind greatly revived. I could not
help giving glory to God for the great encouragement afforded
me to press in this glorious cause, when I thus behold his
special mercy in raising up so powerful a support in this joyous
work and labour of love." In the same year the American Bible
Society was formed with the assistance of the best names in the
country.
1823] William Jay. 201
Notwithstanding the honourable support given to the Society,
it had to resist a carefully organized assault on the part of Bishop
Hobart and an influential portion of his clergy aimed at the vital
principle on which the success of the movement depended, the
cordial union of all denominations.
Jay's previous training in the same field of controversy, his
staunch devotion at once to his cause and to his Church, desig-
nated him as the proper person to carry on the war of letters and
pamphlets which ensued.
Although pitted against an adversary to whom age, experi-
ence and station gave great advantages, he acquitted himself
with credit, displaying literary and reasoning powers which were
soon to exert a potent influence upon the great moral issue of
our time. 1
In the preface to Mr. Tuckerman's book the Hon. John Jay,
formerly minister from the United States to Austria, and a son
of Judge Jay, says :
"Judge Jay's Memoir on the formation of a national Bible So-
ciety, which in 1816 so warmly encouraged the hopes of the
venerable Boudinot were followed by spirited controversial
pamphlets with an antagonist as able and eminent as Bishop
Hobart. The correspondence after Jay's first letter was marked
by an unusual sharpness, which happily did not prevent my cher-
ished and lamented friend, 2 the son and namesake of the Bishop,
from becoming in later years sincerely attached to his father's
antagonist. It was a contest in which Jay vindicated the right
of Churchmen to assist in the distribution of the Bible, and antici-
pated in this his similar efforts for a lifetime to secure the united
action of all good citizens, without regard to creed or politics in
practicable schemes for the peace and happiness of mankind." 8
This sketch condensed from the "American Encyclopaedia"
gives some particulars of the varied and useful life of Judge Jay :
William, an eminent jurist and philanthropist, born in
New York, June 16, 1789; died at Bedford, New York, October
1. William Jay and the Constitutional Movement for the Abolition of
Slavery. By Bayard Tuckerman, with a preface by John Jay, pp. 10, n, 12, 13.
2. John Henry Hobart, the youngest son of the Bishop.
3. Preface, by the Hon. John Jay, LL.D. Dated Bedford House, New
York, May, 1893. p. 4.
202 William Jay. [182$
14, 1858. He received his early education at Albany, and gradu-
ated at Yale College in 1807. He studied law at Albany, but
having injured his eyes by intense study, relinquished the prac-
tice of the profession, and retired to Bedford, where he assisted
in the management of the large landed estate which descended to
him on the death of his father in 1829. In 1810 he began his
career of philanthropic effort in the founding of the American
Bible Society, and was its recognized champion against the
attacks of Bishop Hobart and other members of the Episcopal
Church, to which Jay himself belonged, during a controversy
which lasted many years.
As President of the West Chester Bible Society he delivered
a long series of annual addresses. He organized a society for
temperance reform, in 1815. He also took an active part in the
tract, missionary and educational movements of the day, and was
frequently President of the Sunday School and agricultural socie-
ties of his county. In 1818 he was appointed a Judge of the
Court of Common Pleas, and in 1820 was made the first Judge
of West Chester County, which office he held until 1842, when
he was superseded on account of his anti-slavery opinions. In
1835, wnen the legislature had in contemplation a law restricting
freedom of speech on the subject of slavery, he advised the
Grand Jury that it would be the duty of every citizen to resist
such a law as a violation of the Constitution. The same year on
behalf of the executive committee of the Anti-Slavery Society,
he prepared a reply to the charges against the Abolitionists, and
published a work entitled "An Inquiry into the Character of the
American Colonization and Anti- Slavery Societies."
In 1838 he published "A View of the Action of the Federal
Government on Behalf of Slavery."
In 1843-4 he visited Europe and proceeded thence to Egypt,
where he made the acquaintance of Sir Gardner Wilkinson in
conjunction with whom he investigated the subject of Egyptian
slavery. He was for some years President of the American
Peace Society, and in 1848 published a volume entitled "War and
Peace : the Evils of the First with a Plea for Supporting the
Last." which was reprinted by the London Peace Society. His
plan consisted in treaty stipulations for the settlement of differ-
ences by arbitration.
The Committee on Foreign Relations of the United States
1823] William Jay. 203
Senate, to whom a memorial on the subject was referred, reported
in favour of his plan; and Mr. Cobden wrote to him :
"If your government is prepared to insert an Arbitration clause
in pending treaties I am confident it would be accepted by our
negotiators."
By his will he left a bequest of $1,000 for "promoting the
safety and comfort of fugitive slaves."
His publications on all subjects were 43 in number; many of
which were widely circulated and exercised much influence on
public opinion. His largest work was the "Life and Writings of
John Jay." (2 vols. 8vo. New York: 1833.) 1
We have thought it fitting to give the "Open Letters" between
William Jay and Bishop Hobart almost at full length not only
because they explain some of the hindrances to the successful
working of all Prayer Book Societies at that time, but also be-
cause they form part of the wider field of Church History of
that epoch. Jay was throughout his life the bitter opponent of
Bishop Hobart, and it was enough for the Bishop to advocate
any cause or measure for Jay immediately to espouse the very
opposite side.
And, since Hobart was identified with the fortunes of Trinity
Church the hostility of Jay and his friends naturally extended
to every measure proposed by that Church. While the tone of
the controversy has been somewhat softened yet the feeling
against the principles advocated by Bishop Hobart has during
all these years only slumbered and the antagonism between the
two schools of thought represented by William Jay and John
Henry Hobart is as ready now as ever to break out with all its
old time rancour. Then, it must not be forgotten that besides
the personal equation there was the radical difference of belief
in the character of the Church. Bishop Hobart believed in the
continuity of the Church and its oneness with that of Apostolic
times. William Jay and the Rev. Dr. Milnor took the more
protestant view. It was these divergent opinions that lay, we
believe, at the root of the whole controversy, and these opinions
are now as then irreconcilable.
Jay's "Letter" setting forth the attitude Churchmen should
have to Bible Societies commences with this paragraph :
i. See New American Encyclopaedia. Revised Edition. Volume IX.
PP- 583, 584-
204 Jay's "Letter." [1823
Right Reverend Sir.
However much, as a Churchman, I may deplore the opposition
of my Bishop to the distribution of the uncommented Scriptures ;
yet as a friend to the American Bible Society, I cannot regret
that you have thought proper to renew hostilities against that
institution. You have engaged in a warfare, in which the cause
of the Bible, has been always crowned with victory, and in which
the mortification of defeat has ever been imbittered by the con-
viction, that the power of the victor, has been confirmed and ex-
tended by the very endeavour to shake it. In such a warfare, no
friend of the Society can for a moment hesitate to engage,
through apprehension of the issue nay, the very stripling whose
youthful limbs refuse the burden of the coat of mail, and the
sword of the warrior, may fearlessly enter the field, trusting
alone to that God in whose cause he combats; and with no
armour but truth, and no weapon but common sense, he will
most assuredly vanquish the proudest Goliath that may dare him
to the fight.
The only enemies the Bible Society has reason to fear, are inat-
tention to its claims, and ignorance of its proceedings. Whoever
subdues these foes, whoever brings home to the consideration,
and to the Christian sympathy of the community the holy pur-
pose the pure and sacred fellowship, the stupendous labours,
and the mighty triumphs of the Bible Society, ought to be en-
rolled among its greatest benefactors ; and few are more deserv-
ing of this distinction than the Bishop of New- York.
It is true that your late charge, having been delivered in the or-
dinary routine of official duties, is not calculated to attract public
notice, and of course to advance the interests of the Society, as
was the address which you inserted in the newspapers, 1 at the crit-
ical moment when the institution, in the feebleness of its infancy,
was struggling for existence. The powerful patronage which
immediately poured in upon the Society, and the ardent zeal with
which many distinguished Episcopalians immediately espoused
its cause, attest the extent of the service which you rendered on
that occasion. But although your charge will not probably en-
gage so large a share of the public attention as was bestowed
i. See N. Y. Evening Post of I3th May, 1816, two days after the forma-
tion of the Society.
1823] "Jay's Letter." 205
upon your address, it happily abounds in matter admirably
adapted to awaken the reflections, and arrest the feelings of all
who read it. A document in which the name of a venerable
Prelate, who may justly be styled the father of the Bible Societies
in the United States, is made use of to sanction your opposition
a document in which the conduct of Governor Jay and General
Clarkson is represented as erroneous in principle, and injurious
in its tendency to that Church which it is admitted they adorn;
because in the evening of their days they are labouring to spread
the knowledge of that Gospel which has been the guide of their
youth, and is now the consolation of their old age a document
in which that mode of disseminating religious truth which has
been officially and earnestly recommended to the Episcopalians of
the United States by their Bishops assembled in Convention, is
denounced as a departure from the apostolic mode of propagating
Christianity, as calculated to produce indifference to the essentials
of Christianity, and to weaken the zeal of Episcopalians for the
ministry, the worship and the ordinances of their Church will
not cannot be read with indifference. Episcopalians must
inquire, are such men as Governor Jay and General Clarkson,
and a host of others, whose piety, talents and rank, reflect lustre
on our Church; are they sapping her foundations; are they vio-
lating their duty as Christians and as Churchmen? Have our
Bishops indeed betrayed their sacred trust, and are they inviting
us, by their example, by their charges, and by their pastoral let-
ters, to a course of conduct erroneous in principle, and dangerous
in tendency? Is Bishop Hobart the only wise and faithful shep-
herd; and have White, Claggett, Kemp, Moore, Griswold,
Dehon, and Chase, been only blind leaders of the blind? Such
inquiries, Sir, must be made, and when made, they must lead to
investigation; and what the result of that investigation will be,
no friend of the Society can for a moment doubt.
You have thought proper to introduce into your strictures on
Bible Societies a long extract from a late charge by Bishop
White, and although you do not expressly inform us that the
Bishop concurs with you in opinion respecting these associations,
yet no stranger to his sentiments would, for an instant, hesitate
in believing this to be the case. You preface the extract with
remarking, "From my official station, I have so many opportuni-
ties of observing the powerful claims of destitute congregations
206 Jay's " Letter." [182a
upon the zealous exertions, and liberal contributions of their
brethren, and their wants so often press upon my feelings, that
I cannot cease to lament that so large a portion of the bounty of
Episcopalians flows in a channel over which their own church has
no control, and from which it derives no immediate advantage.
One would think it obvious, that it is the duty of Episcopalians
consistently and zealously to bend all their efforts to the advance-
ment of their own Church, and to 'avoid all admixture of admin-
istrations,' and of exertions, 'in what concerns the faith, the wor-
ship,' and ministry of the Church. On this subject, there is so-
much sound wisdom, of correct principle, and of decided and
true policy, united with Christian meekness and benevolence, in
the observations contained in a recent address of the Bishop of
the Church in Pennsylvania to the convention of his diocess, that
notwithstanding their length, I am induced to lay them before
you."
Here let us pause to inquire, what is the precise subject on
which Bishop White has displayed so much wisdom and policy?
Surely it must be the same which causes your ceaseless lamenta-
tion, and which ushers in the extract, viz., "that so large a por-
tion of the bounty of Episcopalians flows in a channel over which
their own Church has no control, and from which it derives no
immediate advantage." Being thus led to take it for granted,
that the subject of Bishop White's observations is the injudicious
direction given by many Episcopalians to their bounty, we are
prepared to apply every remark, so far as it can be applied, to
the union of Episcopalians in Bible Societies.
The Bishop commences with declaring in substance, that the
conduct becoming Episcopalians towards their fellow Christians
of other denominations is a subject on which he wishes to record
his opinion. He points out the inconveniences to be apprehended
from "an intermixture of administrations in what concerns the
faith, the worship, or the discipline of the Church." "On some
occasions," where this intermixture had been permitted, he says,
"our institutions have been treated with disrespect, and doctrines
unknown to them taught within our walls." To guard against
the imputation of bigotry, the Bishop deems it necessary to be
more particular in assigning his objections to this intermixture,
and goes on to show that our Church differs essentially from
others in her government, worship, and doctrines, and that that
1823] Jay's "Letter." 207
liberality is to be avoided which would surrender any of these
sacred possessions. He concludes with declaring, that under a
conviction of the truth and importance of these sentiments, he
has embodied them in his charge, that they may remain recorded
upon the Journals of the Convention. 1
********
Judge Jay gives in detail the real meaning, as he conceives it
to be, of Bishop White's words, and thus comments upon Bishop
Hobart's use of them. He quotes from other portions the vener-
able prelate's address and his commendation of Bible Societies,
and reminds the Bishop of New York that "Bishop White was
one of the founders of the earliest Bible Society established in
this country ; that he was placed at the head of this Society, which
place he still holds." 2
He dwells upon the opinion which he says Bishop Hobart
holds as to "the duty of Episcopalians" to withhold any aid from
efforts for the spiritual and moral welfare of humanity, "unless
such effort tend at the same time to the advancement of the Epis-
copal Church in this country." After sarcastically alluding to
the Apostolic command "to do good," and "especially to them
that are of the household of faith," he says the liberal sentiment
of Holy Writ, which treated a stranger as one born among the
Jews, would not commend itself to Bishop Hobart had they been
advanced by a friend of the Bible Society. He gives at length
the story of the formation of the Mariners' Church in New York
City and the public appeals to "Episcopalians" not to support it,
as it would not be under Episcopal superintendence, or the Prayer
Book be used in its services ; and claims this illustrates the Bish-
op's attitude to all philanthropic work. He contrasts this with
the more liberal view of Dr. Herbert Marsh, "the ablest" and
"most decent of the assailants of the British and Foreign Bible
Society, who recognizes Christian unity outside Great Britain in
the circulation of the Bible."
He then takes up the charge that these Societies are erroneous
in principle, since they separate the Word of God from the
Church of God. After declaring the enormity of such separa-
tion and citing passages from the Homilies upon the preciousness
of the Holy Scriptures, he thus proceeds :
1. Pages 3, 4, 5, 6.
2. Page 7.
208 Jay's "Letter." [1823
It would be extraordinary, should the members of Bible So-
cieties, whose vocation it is to distribute Bibles, he found endeav-
ouring to separate the word of God from his Church ; but no less
extraordinary must it seem that ministers of the Gospel, dignitar-
ies of Protestant Churches should be engaged in such an under-
taking. But alas, Sir, how extraordinary and humiliating may
be the fact, still it is but too true, that such ministers and such
dignitaries are to be found : but I rejoice that they will be looked
for in vain among the supporters of Bible Societies.
The Rev. Dr. Edward Maltby, Prebendary of Lincoln, some-
time since published a work in opposition to the British and For-
eign Bible Society. 1
He objects to that institution because they distribute the whole
Bible. "The whole of the Bible," he contends, is neither "neces-
sary" nor "could be intended for the use of all "classes of man-
kind." "Some of these books" (of the Old and New Testament)
"are," he declares, "exclusively fit for the meditation of the learn-
ed ; and others though comparatively forming a small portion are
equally important to the vulgar, and to the well informed." "Out
of sixty-six books which form the contents of the Old and New
Testaments, not above seven in the Old, nor above eleven in the
New, appear to be calculated for the study, or comprehension
of the unlearned." "Mankind ought no more to expect to under-
stand the prophecies of Ezekiel, or the epistles of St. Paul, than
the tragedies of Aeschylus, or the letters of Cicero or Pliny."
Another of these enemies to our Church, who are trying to
separate from her the Word of God, is the Rev. Mr. O'Callaghan.
This gentleman asserts that "the Bible, without note or comment,
is unfit for the perusal of the rude and illiterate" ; that it is "one
of the most difficult books" he ever read ; and that this character
"was applicable, though in different degrees, to every part of it,
not purely historical" ; and he is convinced "that God, for the
wisest purposes, intended that the book of our salvation should
be difficult in proportion to its value." "The natural effect on
the uncultivated mind, of reading the Bible without note or com-
ment, oral or written, is enthusiasm, more or less sublimated ac-
cording to the temperament of the individual." The supposition
I. Thoughts on the utility and expediency of the plans proposed by the
British and Foreign Bible Society.
1823] Jay's "Letter." 209
that "the contracted mind of an ignorant peasant" can "compre-
hend in any tolerable degree the high import of these sublime
and sacred books," he declares "to be not only unfounded but mis-
chievous." 1
This Irish clergyman, who through some blunder has found
his way into the Established, instead of the Roman Church, far
from being a friend to Bible Societies, has attacked them with a
malignity and scurrility not unworthy a Norris. The supporters
of these institutions are held up by this man to public derision
and detestation as "saints" "spiritual jacobins" more formid-
able than "the secret tribunal of Westphalia" "the illuminati of
Germany" "the jacobin club" ; and "the Irish executive direc-
tory" ; and he declares it to be "the duty of the state to dissolve
the dangerous confederacy." 2 Could anything connected with
such awful heresies and blasphemies provoke a smile, it would be
the recommendation of this Irish master of a college, to the state,
to dissolve a confederacy, embracing the king's ministers, the
royal family, and the heir apparent to the throne.
The Prebendary of Lincoln, we have seen, admits that there
are eighteen of the sixty-six books of Scripture, equally import-
ant to the learned and unlearned; and for the sake of these, the
poor and ignorant might wish to have the Bible, although incum-
bered with so much useless matter; and as Mr. O'Callaghan has
not condescended to point out to them any other book to which
they can resort, for the words of eternal life, they may still desire
to possess the sacred volume, trusting to their own diligence, and
divine assistance, to understand some little portion of it. One
more effort, therefore, was necessary to effect the complete sep-
aration of the Word and the Church of God. A substitute for
the Bible was to be found, and the task, too hazardous for even
Mr. O'Callaghan to attempt, has been fearlessly executed by an
American Bishop. **********
I had been led by high authority to believe, not only that "all
Scripture" was given by inspiration of God, but that it was all
"''profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruc-
1. "Thoughts on the tendency of Bible Societies as affecting the estab-
lished religion, and Christianity, as a reasonable service" by the Rev. A.
O'Callaghan, master of Kilkenny College.
2. "The Bible Society against the State and Church," by the Rev. A.
O'Callaghan.
(14)
210 Jay's "Letter." [1823
tion in righteousness." But it now seems that you have detected
much unnecessary matter in the sacred volume. The quantity of
this matter may be ascertained by comparing the extracts in the
Prayer Book with the whole contents of the Bible. Such a com-
parison carefully made, presents us with the following portions of
Scripture, not contained "in the Book of Common Prayer and in
the offices usually connected with it," and of course according to
the Pastoral Letter not necessary to form our faith, regulate our
obedience, inspire our hopes, or guide our devotions; conse-
quently, having but little influence on our conduct here, or our
happiness hereafter, viz. In the Old Testament The book of
Genesis, 39 chapters of Exodus, the books of Leviticus, Numbers,.
Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, i and 2 Samuel, i and 2
Kings, i and 2, Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, 40 chapters
of Job, 30 chapters of Proverbs, the books of Ecclesiastes and
Canticles, 63 chapters of Isaiah, 51 chapters of Jeremiah, the
book of Lamentations, 47 chapters of Ezekiel, n chapters of
Daniel, the book of Hosea, 2, chapters of Joel, the books of Amos r
Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, -2 chapters of Habakkuk, the
books of Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, -2 chapters of MalachL
In the New Testament 7 chapters of St. Matthew, n chap-
ters of St. Mark, 5 chapters of St. Luke, 7 chapters of. St. John,
17 chapters of Acts, 9 chapters of Romans, 9 chapters of i Cor-
inthians, 6 chapters of 2, Corinthians, 2 chapters of Galatians, i
chapter of Ephesians, 2. chapters of Colossians, 4 chapters of
i Thessalonians, the whole of 2 Thessalonians, 3 chapters of I
Timothy, 3 chapters of 2 Timothy, the whole of Titus and Phile-
mon, 7 chapters of Hebrews, 4 chapters of James, 2 chapters of
1 Peter, the whole of 2 Peter, 2 chapters of i John, the whole of
2 and 3 John, and 18 chapters of Revelation.
But let it not be supposed that the Prayer Book contains all the
residue of Scripture. There cannot be found in it, with the
exception of the Psalms, but six entire chapters, 1 and the remain-
ing extracts consist of detached passages and fragments of chap-
ters. In some instances a single verse is given from a whole
book, as is the case from Habakkuk, Joel, arid Proverbs.
Thus, Sir, we have seen that the offence of separating the
Word of God and the Church of God, which you have thought
I. i Cor. xiii., Isaiah Ixiii., Mark xiv., Luke xxii., i John i., Rev. iv.
1823] Jay's " Letter." 211
proper to charge upon Bible Societies, has been attempted by
very different instruments; and should you succeed in convincing
Episcopalians, that the Prayer Book contains all the Scripture
that is necessary, and that it is better calculated to convey a
knowledge of Scriptural truth, than the Bible itself, the attempt
would in time be crowned with complete success. 1
********
The writer reviews the origin of the parent Bible Society, and
gives from Bishops, clergymen and laymen strong expressions of
their regard and attachment, and their belief that it was doing a
work which had too long been neglected. He gives prominence
to a passage in the Pastoral Letter of the House of Bishops in
1814 commending the formation and expansion of the British
and Foreign Bible Society, the result of which had been "to dis-
perse the Bible in regions where it has been hitherto unknown,
and in those wherein the religion of it is professed to provide
that none shall have reason to complain of their being necessarily
destitute of this instructor, this guide and this source of the high-
est consolations."
With it he joins a paragraph from Bishop Hobart's Address
in 1814 to the Convention in which a reference is made to the
Pastoral as containing such spiritual counsel as the situation of
the Church seems to require. 2
"It is true, Sir, that some of our Bishops are not subscribers
to Bible Societies, but I am acquainted with only one who has
opposed them." 3
Besides Governor Jay and General Clarkson, he mentions
William Tilghman, Duncan Cameron, Francis Key, Charles
Goldsborough, and Bushrod Washington, all prominent Church-
men, as Vice Presidents of the American Bible Society. He
gives a list of fifty-four Bishops in Russia, Sweden and Denmark,
who are members and supporters of Bible Societies. He then,
after a survey of the state of Bible work on the Continent, gives
passages from a Bull of Pius VII. to the Primates of Poland
against Bible Societies promulgated June 29, 1816, and from a
charge of the Roman Catholic Bishop Milner in Ireland in 1813,
1. Pages 13, 14, 15.
2. Ibid., p. 39.
3. Ibid., p. 39-
212 Jay's "Letter." [1823
and also from Mr. Cobbett, whose negation of Christian faith as
usually presented was well known.
He makes this point: "And surely, Sir, in endeavouring
to destroy the only instruments whereby the distribution of
the oracles of truth can be effected, you are labouring to prevent
the distribution of these oracles themselves." He examines the
reasons for the organization of Bible and Prayer Book Societies,
and claims that they "in their exaltation of the Prayer Book
above the Bible do separate the Word of God from the Church
of God."
He thus continues:
"As you have pointed out to us a Book which will answer the
purposes of the Bible, so you have directed our attention to a
substitute for Bible Societies, and this substitute I will now pro-
ceed to examine. In order fully to understand the nature and
design of Bible and Prayer Book Societies, it will be necessary to
revert to the period of their first establishment. Bible Societies
had already been organized in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and
Connecticut; and the citizens of New York resolved to follow
the example of their brethren, and made preparations for estab-
lishing a similar Society. Notice of these preparations was
given to the then Bishop of New-York, and the co-operation of
Episcopalians solicited. But after this notice had been given, and
before these preparations were completed, the New- York Bible
and Prayer Book Society was ushered into being, an anti-
dote to the spreading influence of Bible Societies. Within
a few weeks after this event, the New- York Bible Society was
formed, and after the lapse of seven years, not one Episcopal
clergyman, and only three Episcopal laymen, were numbered
among its members. Is it uncharitable to believe that this effect
was foreseen and intended by the founders of the Bible and
Prayer Book Society? It is a painful truth, that these associa-
tions have evinced a deliberate, inveterate and systematic hos-
tility to Bible Societies, and have laboured to convince Episco-
palians that they were dangerous to the Church, and repugnant
to the will of God. It is far from my intention to impute to all
the subscribers to Bible and Prayer Book Societies the sentiments
avowed in their printed reports, and in the addresses of their
patrons ; for these sentiments the founders and active agents and
patrons of these Societies are alone responsible. A brief exami-
1823] Jay's "Letter." 213
nation of the writings of these persons will abundantly substan-
tiate the charge of their hostility to Bible Societies.
"The Report of the New-York Bible and Prayer Book Society
for 1811 says: 'The Bible and Common Prayer Book should be
constantly united by the members of the Church.' In their
Report for 1818 they inform us 'The Church as a visible Society
should ever be recognized, her enlargement and due organization
should be sought, as one with the promotion of the religion of
the Gospel; it was this evangelical principle that gave birth to
the Society whose concerns we are now called to report.' Hence
it follows that their members cannot, without violating the fun-
damental principle of their association, unite in Bible Societies,
which, although they greatly promote the religion of the Gospel,
do not expressly seek the enlargement and due organization of
the Church. On turning to the first report of the New-York
Auxiliary Bible and Prayer Book Society we find the following:
'The same duty that animates us to distribute the Bible impels
us to accompany the blessing with the Book of Common Prayer.'
This extraordinary sentiment is reiterated in the second report.
'Should we not,' say the managers, 'as Protestant Episcopalians,
throw away the precious fruits of the Reformation, did we not
stand with the Bible in one hand and the Book of Common Prayer
in the other ?' The report proceeds : 'To leave men in uncer-
tainty as to what they should believe or disbelieve, is to bewilder
their minds and subject them to the probable danger of embrac-
ing no creed at all. The true religion has been preserved from
the beginning by the Church of Christ, and it will continue to
preserve it. It is upon these principles that the Society to which
this is auxiliary was founded.' That is, the revelation which an
all-wise God has seen fit to make of his will, to his erring and
accountable creatures, is, in the opinion of these gentlemen, likely
to leave them in uncertainty as to what they should believe; and
the Prayer Book is to complete what the Almighty left imper-
fect." 1 *************
"In your address, Sir, before the New-York Auxiliary Bible
and Prayer Book Society, you remark. 'In translating and pub-
lishing the Liturgy in conjunction with the Bible, and distributing
them throughout the world, we follow the Scriptural plan of evan-
gelizing it we present to them God's Word and God's Church.'
i. Page 51.
214 Jay's "Letter." [1823
"Surely. Sir. we had a right to expect from the Professor of
Pastoral Theology in the Theological Seminary of the Protestant
Episcopal Church, language less vague and unintelligible than
this. Are the students in your seminary to be taught that the
'Liturgy' constitutes the Church of God? or that all that is nec-
essary to evangelize the world is to scatter Bibles and Liturgies
throughout its population ? What, Sir, is the Christian ministry
and the ordinances of the Gospel of no avail in evangelizing the
world ? Has the command 'Preach the Gospel to every creature'
been revoked ? Truly, Sir, you do indeed separate the Word and
the Church of God, to a most alarming extent; and I would
cheerfully concur with you in charging this same offence upon
the members of Bible 
