it recognizes the fact that the Church is a spiritual and organic society, yet prescribes no spiritual qualifications to the lay members of its Convention. Every state or kingdom determines the qualifications of its legislators; and among them, the first is that they shall be natives or naturalized; the second is that they shall have attained a certain age, and have given sufficient evidence of attachment to the soil and institutions of their country. No State was ever heard of, where foreigners were admitted to the legislature; and none, where children were regarded as competent to make the laws. Yet the anomaly exists in our branch of the Church Catholic. Persons who do not belong to the Church, who were never baptized, are eligible to office, and actually contribute in making the laws, electing the officers, and prescribing the doctrines of faith of the Church. Nothing in our present constitution, prevents the entire lay delegation from being persons who were never admitted into Christ's Kingdom, and accordingly are aliens and foreigners, from sitting in the legislative council of the Church of God, and having effectual influence in matters touching the doctrine, worship, and discipline of Christ's religion. It appears to your committee, that the enormity of this defect should speedily be extinguished, and hence, that some further qualification be required. It should be a qualification congruous with the character of the society. If the Church be only a secular society, then secular qualifications will suffice. But if a spiritual body, then spiritual qualifications become requisite." The Report proceeds to consider the character of the Church, of which the Convention is the representative, and maintains that it is not a secular society, and appeals in proof of this to her Common Prayer Book, as containing the Faith, Worship, and Discipline of her members. "Her faith," the Report continues, "is the Creed once delivered to the Saints. Her worship is the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, with the devout aspirations of holy men of old. Her discipline is received from Christ and His Apostles, in a tradition, marred by no interruption nor defect. Her Baptismal Vows declare her anti-secular nature, and compel her members to witness, by a good profession, in behalf of what is holy, and spiritual, and divine, against the world, the devil, and the flesh. And when she speaks of her Conventions, she describes them as 'the Council of the Church of Almighty God,'' assembled in His name and presence.' She claims the presence of the Holy Spirit, who did 'preside in the Councils of the blessed Apostles;' and did 'promise through Jesus Christ to be with His Church to the end of the world;' 'to direct, sanctify, and govern us by His mighty power, that the comfortable Gospel of Christ may be truly preached, received, and followed, in all places, by the breaking down the kingdom of sin, Satan, and death.'

The Report then proceeds to examine the three possible qualifications, viz., Baptism, Confirmation, and Communion; and decides for the latter, as containing the highest and most ample security, both for the vindication of the principle contended for, and for the purity of the legislation of the Church. Among the reasons for exacting this qualifi

cation, the Report urges the law requiring the Holy Communion to be celebrated and administered at the opening of every Convention-a law which presupposes that the members are Communicants-as well as the solemn expression of the judgment of a former Convention of the Diocese of New York, held in the year 1802, which passed, unanimously, the following resolution :

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Resolved, That it is the opinion of this Convention, that the welfare and prosperity of the Church require, and it is in itself proper and right, that no Lay Delegates should be sent to this Convention, but such as are Communicants of this Church, and have been so, at least, for one year previously to their appointment."

After showing how much the necessity of such a qualification is increased by the increase of the Church herself, and the consequent increase of the Lay Delegates to eightfold their original number, the Committee make the following startling appeal to the Convention :"Your Committee are apprehensive that our Church is now suffering and deserving God's displeasure, on account of her alliance with the world. As in the State it would be high treason, so, in the Church, it is glaring impiety, to give over the Legislature to a foreign influence. Do we read that Israel ever applied to the nations in the midst of them, to guard the Sacred Ark, or to prescribe the Temple Worship? When the Philistines took the Ark in battle, God plagued the Philistines, When Uzzah touched it, though with good intent, God slew Uzzah, And when Israel voluntarily allied themselves to the nations, the Lord God executed his threatened curse, 'I will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and Scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes.'

"These things are written for our admonition, We see men who are not in communion with the Church, (and even unbaptized men,) elected to seats in her Council in Convention, and having a voice of influence in regulating the Worship, Discipline, and Faith of the Church. Our General Convention has authority over the Book of Common Prayer.

It is high time that the alarm be sounded, and the remedy applied, lest God, in anger, curse His people, by permitting the children of this 'naughty world,' in the midst of them, to become 'snares and traps unto them, and scourges in their sides, and thorns in their eyes.' Your Committee earnestly invoke this Convention to ordain the proposed Amendment to the Constitution of the Church in the Diocese of New York."

Lastly, they advert to the objection that the proposed Amendment may induce persons to become Communicants, to which they reply:"If it shall have the effect of urging them to this duty in good faith, the Committee think that this desired result would be an added argument in favour of the Amendment. If it be alleged that persons will be instigated thereby to become Communicants hypocritically, the Committee dismiss the objection as an imputation of unfaithfulness in the clergyman, and awful crime in the layman, not to be suspected or alleged without explicit proof."

After considerable debate, the proposed Amendment of the Constitution was approved, and it now lies over to the next Convention, for final action.

Case of Bishop Onderdonk.-On the distressing case of Bishop Onderdonk, who, it will be remembered, labours under a sentence of indefinite suspension, the following proceedings took place ;-Judge Burnet moved the adoption of a Resolution, of which he had previously given notice, viz. "That the Trustees of the Episcopal Fund be directed to pay unto the Rt. Rev. Benjamin T. Onderdonk, D.D., out of the income of the said Fund (excepting the portion set apart for accumulation), the sum of Twenty-five Hundred Dollars annually, commencing September 27, 1848, until the further order of this Convention." To this Resolution an Amendment was proposed, to the following effect:"Whereas the Episcopal Fund was established by the members and parishes of this Diocese, for the express purpose of securing active Episcopal services therein, and of maintaining the dignity and usefulness of the Episcopal office; therefore

"Resolved, As the solemn and deliberate judgment of this Conven. tion, that no portion of said fund can rightfully be applied to aid or support, in any way, a Bishop on whom a sentence of Indefinite Suspension has been pronounced by the highest Judicial Tribunal of the Church, and which sentence still continues in full force :

"But, whereas it is desirable that some provision should be made for the Right Reverend Benjamin T. Onderdonk, and his family; therefore, be it further

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Resolved, That a Committee of three members of each order be appointed, to devise and report to the present Convention some practi cable mode of making such provision, to be adopted or recommended by this Convention."

The amendment was lost, and the original motion carried by a majority of seventy-six clerical and fifty-two lay votes, against nineteen clerical and twenty-eight lay votes.

The Rev. Dr. Sherwood then submitted the following Preamble and Resolution, which were read, and laid over to the next Convention ;

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"Whereas the Right Rev. Benjamin T. Onderdonk, Bishop of the Diocese of New York, was, on the third day of January, 1845, by a sentence of his peers, the Bishops of the Protestant Episcopal Church, in the United States of America, as a judicial tribunal assembled, indefinitely suspended from all exercise of his Episcopal and ministerial functions, which sentence still continues in full force

"Whereas this sentence, of indefinite suspension of the Right Rev. B. T. Onderdonk, does, in its very nature, and of necessity, reach, and most seriously affect and for aught that appears to the contrary on the part of the tribunal that inflicted it, and which alone has the power now to remit or terminate it, may, for many years yet to come, continue thus to affect the best interests, the just rights, and the acknowledged independence of the Church in the Diocese of New York, depriving it not

only of the parental care, essential services, and watchful supervision of its own constitutional head, but also of all voice and representation in the higher branch of the General Councils of the Church, hereby, in the language of one of the majority of that tribunal, making many suffer for the sake of one, and indirectly punishing the innocent along with the guilty,'

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Whereas, the Constitution and Canons of the Church give to no earthly tribunal the power, in this manner, to make many suffer for the sake of one, and to punish the innocent along with the guilty,' or, in this way, to deprive, for so long and indefinite a period, a Diocese of the right and privilege of having the services of its own Bishop, and thus to destroy that Diocesan equality and independence which are guaranteed to every member of our Ecclesiastical confederacy

"Whereas the Convention of the Diocese of New York did, at its last session, in 1847, pass unanimously the following Resolutions, viz. :

"Resolved, As the solemn conviction of this Convention, That justice to the Church in the Diocese of New York, as well as its best interests, demand that it be relieved from its present anomalous position.

"Resolved, that the General Convention be, and is hereby requested to give to the Church, in this Diocese, such relief as may be consistent with its powers.

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Resolved, That a copy of the foregoing Resolutions be transmitted to the next General Convention.'

"Whereas these Resolutions were transmitted to the last General Convention, in 1847, and were by that body considered and acted upon

"Whereas the said General Convention, though repudiating the principle of indefinite suspension-declaring by Canon, Whenever the penalty of suspension shall be inflicted on a Bishop, Priest, or Deacon in this Church, the sentence shall specify on what terms, or at what time, said penalty shall cease,'-and though recognizing and establishing the fact, before doubted by some, that the Right Rev. B. T. Onderdonk is still the Bishop of the Diocese of New York, yet did not grant that relief desired by the Convention of the Diocese of New York, as an act of justice to the Church in that Diocese, but turned the whole chief matters of our Diocesan difficulties over to the action and decision of the House of Bishops, in which body the Church in this Diocese has and, so long as this sentence shall continue, can have no voice or representation

"Whereas the House of Bishops have declared, in a formal and official manner, to the Bishop and to the Diocese of New York, that although the remission of the sentence inflicted on the Rt. Rev. B. T. Onderdonk ' is a possible event in contemplation of law,' yet add, they consider the probability of its occurrence so slender and remote as scarcely to afford a reasonable basis for future action,' hereby giving us to understand that there is little or no hope for that relief to the Church in this diocese, which we have declared 'justice and her best interests demand ;'

and that we must be content to realize, and for an unknown period to suffer, all the perplexing and interminable evils which' another of the majority of that tribunal so clearly foresaw, and so forcibly said 'might be expected to result from leaving the diocese of New York in connexion with a bishop suspended from the exercise of his Episcopal functions'

"Whereas this Convention owes it to itself, to the Diocese of New York, and to the Church at large, to assert the rights and maintain the independence and equality of its diocesan character; and feels, moreover, bound to use and exhaust all lawful and peaceful measures to bring to a righteous termination the difficulties under which we now are, and so long have been, labouring; to restore quietness and peace to the Church in this diocese; and, if possible, to regain the independence of her diocesan character

"And, whereas the House of Bishops can grant relief in no other way than by terminating or modifying the sentence they have inflicted upon the Rt. Rev. B. T. Onderdonk, the Bishop of the Diocese

"RESOLVED-That the Standing Committee of the Diocese of New York be requested to present forthwith an address to the House of Bishops, asking them to terminate at once the sentence of suspension inflicted by them upon the Right Rev. B. T. Onderdonk; or, if unprepared to do this, and thinking the honour and purity of the Church not yet sufficiently vindicated, to request them to specify on what terms, or at what time, such sentence of suspension shall cease.'

Admission of Coloured Congregations into the Convention.-Another question which was expected to have been an absorbing topic at this meeting of the Convention, was the admission of coloured congregations into the bond of Church union, it being generally understood that the application to that effect made by the Church of St. Philip's at New York, which is exclusively occupied by a coloured congregation, as far back as the year 1846, would be renewed. At that time the application was referred to a select committee to report to the Convention. The committee, however, were so divided in their opinion that two separate reports were drawn up-one by the majority, the other by the minority. The report of the majority proceeds on the assumption that the question is one exclusively relating to the temporal government of the diocese, wholly unconnected with the religious rights or duties of the applicants. It considers the Convention as but a part of the civil machinery, instituted by human wisdom for the purpose of regulating the Society, by which, and for whose benefit, it was established, and not as a part of the Church, in a religious view. Accordingly the authors of the report treat the question as one simply of human expediency. As a specimen of their reasoning on the subject the following passage may

serve:

"When society is unfortunately divided into classes-when some are intelligent, refined, and elevated, in tone and character, and others are ignorant, coarse, and debased, however unjustly, and when such prejudices exist between them, as to prevent social intercourse on equal VOL. X.-NO. XX.-Dec. 1848.

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