18 Johnstown Auxiliary Bible and Common Prayer Bock Society. [No. 1. We report, with grateful feelings, that an eloquent and forcible appeal made in our behalf by the Rev. Mr. Brownell, at St. John's Chapel, on the evening of Sunday, the 13th of December, was answered by a liberal addition to our funds. The debt of the Society to Messrs. T. & J. Swords, which had been long standing, has been satisfied, and it is due to those gentlemen to acknowledge, that notwithstanding the delay of payment, they declined receiving the interest to which they were fully entitled. Since the state of the funds has put it in the power of the Board to re-commence their operations, they have determined to evince to the friends of the Society, the sense they entertain of the importance of their obligations, and to make an adequate return for the patronage which has been received. Six thousand copies of Bishop Hobart's Catechism on Confirmation have been ordered to be printed, and will be shortly ready to distribute. The Committee of Selection is now engaged in revising our former Tracts, and has been requested also to report such new ones of the narrative form, as may be thought most worthy of publication. Our correspondence with similar Societies in other States, is likewise systematically progressing, and is expected to be productive of valuable results. The accounts of the Treasurer show a balance of $697 18 in the permanent, and $173 41 in the disposable fund. The amount of annual subscription being small, and a large part of it absorbed in its collection, the Board have resolved to propose to the Society, that it be raised to two dollars. They hope that the increased effect which will be given to the operations of the Society, will be sufficient to outweigh any objections which might be alleged against this measure. In conclusion, the Board fondly anticipate that the brightest days of this Society are about to commerce, and that the best hopes of its members will soon be realized. They see great reason to proceed with confidence in this honourable task of preparing in the desert a highway for our God. The labours of this Society, though minute in their application, will be extensive in their results. Gently and imperceptibly, like the dews of Heaven, they will soften and improve the soil of men's wayward hearts, and through the blessing of him who giveth the increase, they will produce the fruit of an abundant harvest. Johnstown Auxiliary Bible and Com mon Prayer Book Society. Ar a meeting held in St. John's Church, in the village of Johnstown, Montgomery county, on Monday, the 18th January, 1819, the Rev. ALEXIS P. PROAL was called to the Chair, and Mr. TOBIAS A. STOUTENBURGH, appointed Secretary. It was then resolved, that this meeting form itself into an Auxiliary Bible and Common Prayer Book Society, auxiliary to the Bible and Common Prayer Book Society of Albany and its vicinity, and adopt the following Constitution. Art. 1. This Society shall be known by the name of the "Johnstown Auxiliary Bible and Common Prayer Book Society," auxiliary to the Bible and Common Prayer Book Society of Albany and its vicinity. Art. 2. The objects of this Society shall be to distribute the Bible and Book of Common Prayer gratuitously, or otherwise, together or separately, as need may require. Art. 3. Every person who shall pay into the treasury the sum of one dollar annually, shall be a member of this Society, and shall receive one Bible, and one Book of Common Prayer, or in proportion to the amount subscribed; Bibles at the rate of 62 cents, and Common Prayer Books at 37 cents, either or both, at the wish of the subscriber. Art. 4. Females, or other persons disposed to aid the funds of this Society, shall receive the amount of their subscriptions in books, on the same terms as members. Art. 5. The Rector or Minister of the parish, shall be ex officio President of this Society. Art. 6. There shall be elected at each annual meeting, a Vice-President, a Corresponding Secretary, a Recording Secretary, a 'Treasurer, and nine Managers. Art. 7. The President, the VicePresident, the Secretary, and Treasurer, shall be ex officio Managers of this Society; and five of the Managers shall be a quorum sufficient to transact business. Art. 8. It shall be the duty of the Managers to fill their own vacancies, to form their own by-laws, and to take such measures as they may judge best calculated to promote the objects of this Society. Art. 9. There shall be a stated meeting of this Society on the second Tuesday in January of every year, when an annual Report of the Managers shall be laid before the Society; at which time the subscriptions shall fall due. Special meetings shall be called, as the Managers may direct, of which they shall give public notice. Art. 10. No alterations shall be made to this Constitution, unless it be proposed in writing at a meeting of the Society regularly convened, and be acceded to at a subsequent meeting by a vote of two thirds of the members present. At the adoption of the Constitution, the following gentlemen were elected a Board of Managers for the ensuing year. Rev. Alexis Peter Proal, (ex officio) President. Aaron Haring, Esq. Nicholas Philpot, Elias Prindle, Charles Coan, Aaron Fritcher, William Yost, Joseph Cuyler, and James Lobdell. To the Publishers of the Christian Journal. GENTLEMEN, I REJOICE to find, that notwithstanding the difficulties you have had to encounter in the course of your excellent Miscellany, you have resolved that the Church shall not yet be deprived of it. I should be ashamed to anticipate any objection, on the part of the subscribers, to the additional price. The least reflection must satisfy them, that your former terms could not possibly be continued, unless the regard for the Church which dictated them, were answered by the manifestation of like regard on the part of its patrons, by great punctuality in the remittance of their dues. This, I regret to find, has not been the case; and it would be unreasonable, indeed, to expect you to prolong an experiment which has completely failed, so much to your personal sacrifice. The change of form of the Journal, I humbly conceive to be a very judicious one. The increase of the size of the numbers will, as you justly observe, admit of greater variety of matter in each. There is one department of the work, which should, I think, of itself, secure the united exertions of Protestant Episcopalians for its continuance. I mean that of ecclesiastical intelligence. It may be rendered a depository of all facts and documents illustrating the history of the Church, and its situation in every part of the union. Her scattered members will thus preserve, as it were, a constant acquaintance with each other, will encourage each other in the common cause, and provoke each other to honourable and pious emulation. The Journal will thus produce incalculable benefit to the Church, and be a faithful register whence posterity may gain an accurate knowledge of her history. Will you allow me, Gentlemen, to indulge the feelings dictated by a deep sense of the important and interesting character of this depart ment of the Journal, by respectfully and earnestly soliciting, in its behalf, the attention of the secretaries of the several conventions, and Protestant Episcopal religious societies, of the Rev. the Clergy generally, and of all who may be able to make any communications connected with this valuable object? spiritual character it should be her unceasing effort to maintain, has, in every age, exhibited the noble spectacle of laymen evincing their pious gratitude, for the invaluable benefits derived from education in her communion, by laying on her altar the fruits of genius, enriched with science, and sanctified by grace. May I be allowed to hope, that the pages of your Miscellany will frequently exhibit the imitation of so noble an example? I cannot but trust, Messrs. Publishers, that the Christian Journal will convince you, that you have not vainly calculated upon the determination of the members of our Church, not to suffer the failure of the only periodical work devoted to her evangelical views of the religion of Jesus Christ. With warmest wishes and prayers for your success, I remain, Gentlemen, very sincerely your's, N. L. K. New-York, Feb. 10, 1819. Some Account of the Episcopal Church of Scotland. It should ever be remembered that the Church in the United States is indebted Need I say any thing to my brother churchmen respecting our duty to encourage the Christian Journal? If we love the Church to which we belong, are attached to her evangelical doctrines, her divinely constituted ministry, her scriptural, holy, and edifying worship; if our hearts are warmed with charity, the characteristic of true religion-charity which prompts regard for the spiritual welfare of our fellow men, and an anxiety to have them partakers of our privileges and advantages; if we desire to promote God's honour, by diffusing pure and undefiled religion; if we have that love of the Redeemer which dictates a grateful amen to his fervent prayer for the unity of his Church; if we love the souls of men, and would contribute to the means of their escaping eternal misery, and attaining to eternal bliss ;-I see not how we can be backward in encouraging each in the sphere of his ability-a work so well calculated to further these objects, as the Christian Journal. We may all do this, by our own sub. scriptions, by exertions to get those of others, and by what is obviously of most essential importance-STRICTEST PUNCTUALITY IN PAYMENT. Those of us who can, without much inconvenience, should bestow our exertions as agents. Others, again, may consecrate their talents to the God who gave them, by contributing religious "THE last considerable affair," says and moral essays, narrations, &c. his biographer, Mr. Jones, of Nayland, Here a respectful appeal is particu-in which he concerned himself while larly made to the Rev. Clergy. But Dean of Canterbury, was an applica it were delightful to anticipate an union with them, on the part of intel- tion from the Bishops of the Episcopal ligent and pious laymen. The Church Church of Scotland; three of whom, whence ours has sprung, and whose to her sister Church in Scotland for her first enjoyment of the evangelical ministry in all its orders; Dr. SEABURY, her first Bishop, having received consecration from the hands of the Bishops of the said Scot tish Church. This fact is indecently represented in a late work, as his "having been invested, or imagined himself invested, with certain extraordinary powers, by the manual imposition of a few obscure and ignorant Priests in Scotland."* It may be a satisfaction to our readers to hear the testimony which the great and good Bi shop HORNE bore to the character of these Priests, and the Church in which they ministered. * American Unitarianism, p. 15. in the year 1789, came up to London to petition Parliament for relief from the hard penalties under which they had long suffered. This they ventured to do, in consideration of the loyalty and attachment they had lately professed toward the King and the Con stitution. "It was my lot likewise not to be an unconcerned spectator in this business. Through an intimacy which had long subsisted between myself and a gentleman of great worth and learning in the county of Kent (the Reverend Nicholas Brett, of Spring-Grove), I became acquainted with the Bishop of Edinburgh, Dr. Abernethy Drummond, of Howthornden, and had frequently corresponded with him. As soon as he came to London with his colleagues, on the business aforesaid, he wrote me word of his arrival, and explained the cause of the journey they had undertaken. Being myself of too inconsiderable a station to be of any immediate service to them in a matter of such importance, I thought it the most prudent step I could take, to forward the letter to a great person who, with his usual goodness and discretion, undertook to be an advocate for them; together with other persons many of high respectability; and their petition was at length brought to such an issue, as excited great thankfulness in the petitioners, though it did not exactly come up to the wishes they had form ed at setting out. "There was no small difficulty in making some persons understand who and what these poor petitioners were: and the case, notwithstanding all that has passed, may still be the same with many at this day. I therefore hope to be excused, if I enlarge a little in this place on their history and character, as they appeared, and was known to Dr. Horne, whose good opinion will be remembered as an honour, and may be of some use to them hereafter. "He had considered, that there is such a thing as a pure and primitive Constitution of the Church of Christ, when viewed apart from those outward appendages of worldly power, and worldly protection, which are "At last the happy period came, which was to relieve them from this embarrassing situation. The wisdom and clemency of his present Majes * It is notorious, that the violence of the adverse party against the Episcopal Church in Scotland began before the government under King William was settled: when it could not be known by experience whether they would join with it or not. Before the Convention met, their Clergy were forcibly driven from their churches, and their possessions seized. ty's government encouraged them to hope, that an offer of their allegiance would not be rejected: and as soon as they could make that offer in a conscientious manner, they had the satisfaction to find, by the King's answer to their address, that it was graciously accepted in consequence of which, they could not but hope, that the British Legislature would take their case into consideration, and see the expediency of relieving both Clergy and Laity of the Episcopal communion in Scotland from the penalties to which they were exposed in the exercise of their religion. "With this hope, three* of their Bishops, as I have said, came to London in the year 1780; and, notwithstanding the ample recommendations they brought with them from their own country, they found it a work of time to make themselves and their application properly understood. It would have been barbarous, after the die was cast, to have thrown any discouragement in their way: but I was of opinion, from the beginning, that they were come too soon: more preparation was requisite than they were aware of. The penal laws had reduced the Scotch Episcopal Church to a condition so depressed and obscure, that it could scarcely be known to exist, but by such persons as were previously acquainted with its history. Among these, none entered more willingly than the then good Dean of Canterbury. As soon as he heard of the arrival of the Scotch Bishops at London, he was anxious to let them know how heartily he approved of the object of their journey, and kindly offered every assistance in his power to bring the matter to a happy conclusion. He paid them every mark of attention both at London and Oxford; and, when they set out on their return to Scotland, without having attained their object, he expressed, in very affectionate terms, his concern at their disappointment, and told them, at part Dr. John Skinner, Bishop of Aberdeen; Dr. Abernethy Drummond, Bishop of Edinburgh; and Dr. William Strachan, Bishop of Brechin. ing, not to be discouraged: for, said he, 'your cause is good, and your request so reasonable, that it cannot long be denied.' "In February, 1791, after having taken his seat in the House of Lords as Bishop of Norwich, he wrote a friendly letter to Bishop Skinner, of Aberdeen, assuring him and the other members of the committee for managing the business of the Episcopal Church of Scotland, that any help in his power should be at their service: and speaking of their applying anew to both Houses of Parliament, he said, 'It grieved him to think they had so much heavy work to do over again; but business of that sort required patience and perseverance.' "It was said about this time, that the Lord Chancellor, Thurlow, withheld his consent to the Scotch Episcopal bill, till he should be satisfied, by some of the English Prelates, that there were really Bishops in Scotland. When Bishop Horne was waited upon with this view by the committee of the Scotch Church, and one of them observed, that his Lordship could assure the Chancellor they were good Bishops, he answered with his usual affability and good humour, Yes, Sir, much better Bishops than I am.' "A clergyman of Scotland, who had received English ordination, applied to him, wishing to be considered as under the jurisdiction of some Eng lish Bishop; that is, to be, in effect, independent of the Bishops of Scotland in their own country; but he gave no countenance to the proposal, and advised the person who made it quietly to acknowledge the Bishop of the diocess in which he lived, who, he knew, would be ready to receive him into communion, and require nothing of him, but what was necessary to maintain the order and unity of a Christian Church; assuring him, at the same time, that, if he were a private clergyman himself, he should be glad to be under the authority of such a Bishop. One anecdote more upon this subject, and I have done. "From the present circumstances of its primitive orthodoxy, piety, po |