Book Description

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1906 edition. Excerpt: ... PROPOSED ALTERATION IN THE THIRTY-FIFTH CANON. Another subject came up in this Convention worthy of some notice. It was the meaning and design of the thirty-fifth canon, which relates to the officiating of those not ministers of our Church in the houses of worship belonging to our communion. On my visit to Newburyport the preceding year, I spent several days in the hospitable family of the Rev. Dr. Morse, Episcopal minister in that place. So far from condemning me for preaching in the pulpits of other denominations on the subject I had in hand, as " Sopater of Berea," and perhaps some others, had done, he informed me that only on the preceding Sabbath he had a most respectable minister of the Presbyterian denomination in his pulpit, and justified the act. At the succeeding General Convention, in the year 1820, to my surprise, he brought forward a proposition to repeal the thirty-fifth canon, which seemed to forbid what he had done, and which he also alleged might be construed so as to forbid lay reading in our churches. His proposition was referred to a committee, which reported unfavourably. It was nevertheless carried. Being sent to the House of Bishops for concurrence, it was there negatived. A committee of conference was proposed and agreed to, and I was one of the committee. On a meeting of the joint committee, it was urged, by those who were in favour of its being rescinded, that our Bishops and ministers, in seeking to build up our Church in many places where we had no houses of worship, were often allowed the use of those of other denominations, and it would be unbecoming in us to seek or accept such favours without being willing to grant similar ones. The meeting, however, broke up without any agreement. On that or the following...