copate. The duties of this office, to be faithfully and advantageously performed, particularly by a person advanced in years, as all of this order must be, would require all the time, and all the labours of the Bishop. And I am satisfied that the interests of the Church suffer considerably from this very circumstance. I hope, therefore, the wisdom of this body will be applied to lay a foundation for a remedy to this inconvenience. Since the last Convention, the Rev. John Irvine has closed his ministry here on earth, and passed into the world of spirits. The Rev. Mr. Jackson, last autumn, gave up his cure in Hager's-Town, and has travelled as a missionary in the western states, during the winter. I have received several communications from him, in which he gives a most interesting account of the state of religion in that quarter of the country; and from which it appears that an immense harvest is already ripe for labours in Christ. The Rev. Mr. Turner has removed to the Diocess of New-York, the Rev. Mr. Forman to Delaware, and the Rev. Mr. Bausman to Virginia. As these gentlemen maintained unspotted characters, I gave them all the testimonials required by the canons. The Rev. Mr. Cooper, late President of the College in Chester-Town, has also left this Diocess; but as he did not apply to me for a testimonial, I am altogether unacquainted with his views and his destination. The Rev. Alfred Dashiell has removed to the state of Virginia; but as he never acknowledged my authority, he never applied to me for a letter of dismission. I must solicit the attention of this body to the case of the Rev. Mr. Handy. As I am unable to reconcile the various grounds that this gentleman has taken, I have preferred laying the papers respecting his conduct before the Convention. Whatever may devolve on me as a duty, or as an obligation, I hope, with Divine aid, to be able to discharge. Still it will yield me great relief to submit to the wisdom of this venerable assembly such cases as require great caution as well as great tenderness.". I have had, during this year, to perform a most painful duty. It came to my knowledge, that the Rev. Mr. George Williams had, at different times, and on different occasions, passed under different names. This very circumstance, in the history of a foreign clergyman, appeared to me to be a sufficient cause for inquiry; and the result of this inquiry was, that, in compliance with the duty imposed on me by the 9th canon of the Church in Maryland, I withdrew from Mr. Williams his license to officiate as a minister in this Diocess. In this awful duty I was countenanced and supported by the Standing Committee, my Council of Advice. And here I must take leave to say, that so responsible and so important are the duties of this body, to the welfare and government of the Church, that too great caution cannot be exercised in selecting them. They grant testimonials to candidates for orders-they form the ecclesiastical court for the trial of all offenders among the Clergy they constitute the Bishop's Council of Advice. I have, therefore, to request of this body, that they would appoint Clergymen of the most tried fidelity, of the most sound discretion, of the most approved moderation and piety, to form this Committee. And I pray that God, by his Holy Spirit, may direct your minds in this most important duty. --During the last year, the Rev. Mr. Wheaton, and the Rev. Mr. Mann, both ordained in this Diocess, have settled; the former in Queen-Carolino Parish, Anne-Arundel county; and the latter in William and Mary, Charles county. The Rev. Mr. Clay, from North-Carolina; the Rev. Mr. Wickes, from Delaware; the Rev. Mr. Weller, from New-York; the Rev. Mr. Walker, and the Rev. Mr. Armstrong, from Pennsylvania; and the Rev. Mr. Stratton, from New-Jersey, have settled in this Diocess. The Society for the Advancement of Christianity in this Diocess has been lately organized, and is now ready to commence its operations. A delay, much to be regretted, has been occasioned by the circumstances of St. Paul's Parish. The expense of building a Church, suited to the character of this large and growing city, has been so great as to require heavy contributions from our mem bers; and it was not deemed correct to be too frequent in our application for money. We hope, however, to see this institution brought into operation with due zeal and effect. A Society has also been formed, in this city, for the distribution of the Book of Common Prayer, and of the Homilies, which promises to be extensively useful. In my visitations it has grieved me to find that there are many who profess to be members of our Church, who have no Prayer Book in their houses, A poor man, who possesses a Bible, and a Book of Common Prayer, may be considered as having a most valuable library. To this statement, and to these general observations, I beg leave to add a few things, which more immediately apply to the Clergy and the Laity separately. My Rev. Brethren, The aspect of religion, at present, in this Diocess, taken in connexion with the state of the world in general, seems to add to the weight of our obligations to adhere to the doctrines of the Church, to maintain her worship, and to unite in the most zealous exertions to promote pure and undefiled religion. While some, released, as they say, from the shakles of system, are running the career of error, in various directions, let us hold fast the form of sound words; which, at the altar of God, we solemnly promised to maintain and defend. That it is impossible to make men religious, without either winking at or teaching unsound doctrines, is a position which was early charged upon the ministers of Christ, but with no kind of justice. For a sincere Christian never can admit, that any part of the truth is to be kept back as unsuitable for the people to know, or that any of the doctrines or institutions of Christianity have not a direct and powerful tendency to promote holiness. Let us always sow pure and genuine seed, and leave the increase to God. Tares it may not, for a time, be easy to distinguish from wheat. They may give the field a false appearance of luxuriance, but when the harvest shall come, both will possess their distinctive character, and be doomed to their suitable conditions. The liberal spirit of our Church has amply provided for such small variations of opinion, as may be expected to exist among even sincere, pious, and well informed Christians. But, for persons who have adopted her articles and her liturgy, as containing the great outlines of Christian dọctrine, to draw from these, systems diametrically opposite, is what she never expected. Whatever may be said with regard to the construction of the articles in England, that matter remains no longer equivocal in America, because the articles have been carefully revised. That we may know and preserve the truth as it is in Jesus, let us, with deep humility and ardent. prayers for divine illumination, search the Scriptures, for this, and this alone, will prove a remedy for all errors. In our communion we possess a treasure to which no other description of Protestants have any thing nearly equal. The Bible is the common property of all Christians, but the Book of Common Prayer belongs to us; although, I am satisfied, it would be a high gratification to the most pious and most learned of some other denominations to adopt it, liturgies, and their general use in the To say nothing of the antiquity of Church, the very nature of prayer seems to demand them. For that a duty to God, so important in its nature, so necessarily limited and defined, should be left to the fortuitous motions and imaginations of the human mind, would be extraordinary indeed! This the wisdom of our Church has guarded against. And let a minister duly instruct his people in the nature of prayer, if they pos sess an humble and devout spirit, they will neither require him, nor permit him, to lay aside his Prayer Book. Extemporaneous prayers are, in reality, to the people, as much a form as if they were written or printed, with these evident disadvantages, that they will be too apt to, savour of the folly, the vanity, or the spiritual pride of the individual. Of nothing, then, is our Church, next to the Bible, so tenacious as of her Book of Common Prayer. And this she has again and again proclaimed to the world in the most awful terms. Nor can it be believed, that any other fair and legitimate construction can be put upon the ordination vows, but that to conform to the worship of our Church, means to use our liturgy. Still it is not the possession, but the due improvement, of such a treasure, for which we stand responsible. If the prayers of our Church be read with a cold, unfeeling, and uninterested heart, devotional feelings will never be excited. However correct the emphasis, however just the cadence, however fine the tones of the minister may be, unless there be a devout heart, he will never rise above the character of a man, merely acting his part with a view to please his audience. But when a minister stands as an humble suppliant before his God, to confess his sins, and the sins of his people, and to pray for pardon and grace, there will be a holy simplicity in his manner, which the blessed spirit will transfuse into the hearts of the congregation. At the present time, my Reverend Brethren, there are some circumstances in our favour, of the most important kind; which, while they ought to enhance our gratitude to the Divine Head of the Christian Church, should rouse our zeal, and excite our most vigorous exertions. At no period, perhaps, have so many distinguished and pious Laymen manifested so high a degree of interest in the concerns of the Church of Maryland. The other day we enjoyed a spectacle which must have filled every Christian heart with praise. A large number of our citizens met here, not to devise plans for the extension of commerce; not to lay schemes for inter nal improvements; not to form poli tical arrangements; but to join their efforts, and expend their wealth, in sending the Bible into the abodes of the poor. While we beheld one Senator, although tottering under the weight of disease, expending the power of his eloquence to bring every feeling into unison on this mighty oc casion; we saw another, who left his family and his domestic concerns, to which he had only returned a few days before from the business of the nation, for the purpose of adding his powerful efforts in extending the light and the influence of the Gospel of Christ, to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death. The Sunday Schools, too, promise the most extensive and salutary results. To bring up children in the "nurture and admonition of the Lord," although an express and an important injunction of Christianity, had for many years been shamefully neglected. And, indeed, among some professing Christians it, seemed to have been entirely overlooked. But now no man, however reputable in society, deems it below him to bring from the alleys and the suburbs of our cities, the children of the poor, and instruct them in the elements of knowledge, and in the principles of Christianity. These favourable indications it is our duty to improve-this powerful co-operation it behooves us to meet with a proportioned zeal and ardour. And as we all derive our authority from our blessed Lord; as we all depend for spiritual strength and ability on the Holy Spirit; as we are all engaged in the same great work of salvation; tenderness for one another, mutual support, and mutual assistance are essentially necessary. Indeed, we are instructed in Holy Writ to act and to suffer as one body. If there be any weak members among us, they are entitled to the aid of the strong. If there be any strong ones, their strength is not to excite pride, or pamper vanity, but to be expended in the great cause. While it is impossible for the piety of a Layman to take a more unfortmmate turn, than to be continually watching the conduct, and dwelling upon the failings of his fellow-creatures, so it is impossible for Clergy. men to manifest their zeal in a more ruinous way, than to assume party names and party distinctions, or to expose the weaknesses or the peculiarities of their brethren. We are all ministers of Christ-we all belong to the Protestant Episcopal Church. Humility was a lesson taught by our Divine Master in the most impressive way. Every claim to superiority he rigorously suppressed, and when a party spirit attempted to show its head in the Church; when some said, I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ, the Apostle asked them, Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? or were you baptized in the name of Paul? Conscious that we are all weak, let us daily implore divine strength. The mind of a Clergyman ought to be daily and hourly soaring to heaven. Gentlemen of the Laity, you The temporal affairs of the Church being in your hands, it is of considerable consequence to the continuance and promotion of pure religion, that they should be zealously and judiciously managed. The character of the Clergy will always bear some proportion to their condition in life. If make an adequate provision for their support, you have a right to look for a more respectable and more learned ministry. Besides, of a ministry independently supported, you can, with propriety, demand all their. time, and all their exertions, in visit ing their flocks, as well as performing all the stated duties of their calling. And be assured, gentlemen, that those Clergymen will never fail to be most useful who are kindly supported and countenanced by the Laity. Besides, your exertions in the sacred cause can be ascribed to no interested views, no selfish motives, but to the real love of God, and the love of man; to an ardent desire to extend the dominion of Christ, and to save immortal souls. I think we may fondly venture to hope, that the clouds which obscured the face of the Church in this Diocess, have been, in a great measure, dispelled. For this let our hearts, and all that is within us, praise God; and let us all, both Clergy and Laity, by pious and holy lives, adorn the doctrine of our blessed Redeemer, that we may be finally admitted into the Church of the first-born in heaven. The Lord's Supper.-An Extract. THIS service is wisely chosen as the badge of our Christian profession, for the events which it commemorates illustrate the evidence of the Gospel. In a matter, however, so essential to our interests, his goodness and his truth equally lead us to conclude that the evidence provided will be most ample greater than might suffice for regulating our conduct in the ordinary concerns of life. Accordingly, we find every species of proof accumulated in favour of the Gospel. The unerring wisdom of God announced, in distant ages, Messiah's day; and described the events that should attend its appearing. These predictions found their accomplishment in the life of Jesus. The power. of God was manifested in Christ; subjecting the laws of nature to his control, and committed to him the dispo sal of life and death. The works bare witness of him that he came from the Father. By the purity of the doctrine itself; by the distinguish ed excellence which shone in the conduct of the teacher; new interest and force are given to the external proof. Nay, in the unsearchable counsels of Providence, the circumstances of suf fering and distress in which Jesus Christ was involved, contributed essentially to the evidence and progress of the Gospel.. Not that the sufferings of Jesus, extorting from his disciples reluctant sympathy, received a support from tenderness, which judgment refused to sanction! They make a strong appeal to reason, by this remarkable fact, that the suffering cause, though destitute of every worldly support, triumphed over difficulty; and flou» rished amidst opposition the most determined and powerful. Had he been that conquering prince whom they once expected him to prove, though they had followed his chariot unhurt through the thickest of the danger, yet, when the heat of battle was past, and a conquered world owned their sway, the sickening thought might have returned, that, perhaps, they were still the dupes of an impostor; that the fabric of his power was frail; and that a greater than man would chastise him in vengeance. Had wealth, bestowed by their Master, heaped upon them every indulgence that luxury could devise; and had a venal multitude swelled their tide of triumph; their souls would yet have loathed in secret the parasitical arts and pretended convic. tion of minds base enough to be bought. They would have more than doubted the truth of a cause which owed its advancement to arts so mean. But, when they found themselves triumphing as the disciples of a crueified Master; when they found themselves, in the name of a crucified Master, enabled to banish disease by a word, or to recall the dead to life; when they found themselves, in the name of a crucified Master, enabled to prevail in their struggle against principalities and powers; they were assured that the cause in which they were engaged was, indeed, the cause of heaven. With this conviction on their minds, how rapturously would they celebrate this solemn ordinance! With what gratitude would they acknow ledge its institution, as the most valuable bequest which their Master could have left: calculated to produce on their minds an indelible impression of his sufferings; which, though once their shame, enlightened reason now hailed as the pledge of their security. With what joy would they indulge the meditations which this solemn rite inspires! As the fire began to burn within them, with what ardour would they vow at the altar of God, that nothing should seduce them from their holy faith! He was soon to be no longer present with them, to correct their prejudices, and guide their hopes. His warning voice would soon admonish them no more. How necessary was it then, in the prospect of that ministry in which they were to be engaged, that they should have an ordinance like this-to remind them how frivelous were their temporal hopes; to show them how little the religion of Christ had to do with the vanities of human grandeur; to fix their view on a spiritual kingdom? For it was a spiritual kingdom which Jesus came to establish. Ho came,not to realize the fabled achievements of the Jewish hero, but to combat with transgression, and make an end of sin. He came, not to burst asunder the Roman yoke, and lead the warriors of Judah to battle, but to save his people from a harder bondage; to make them more than conquerers over sin and death. For this he lived, and suffered, and died. He bore on the cross the punishment of human guilt; and by his stripes we are healed.' ་་ While this ordinance of Christ impresses upon our mind the remembrance of his sufferings, it leads us, by a natural and necessary connexion, to the hope set before him: through which he endured the cross, despising the shame. Of this hope, he himself united the remembrance with the original institution of the Sacrament of the Supper. Yet a few hours, and, the discr ples beheld the pledge of this glorious hope! They beheld their Master burst the fetters of the tomb, and arise the first fruits of them who slept.' Though he disdained the pomp of earthly greatness, he invested himself with the dignity of the Son of God. Though he scorned the bribes of earthly ambition, he led into captivity the powers of darkness. They beheld him resume that glory which he had with his Father before the world was. The clouds received him from their sight; and they heard the voice of an angel declaring, "This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like |