Nothing could have been more truly acceptable to me than your Excellency’s obliging present of the new American Prayer Book; and the more especially as I had the happiness of finding that the Convention have retained in the Litany and other prayers, as well as in the articles of religion, an ample testimony to the most essential doctrines of the Church of England, and that they have really proceeded upon the plan laid down by the King’s Commissioners in 1689, of whom my own Grandfather (afterwards Archbishop Sharp) was one, who took a very active part in that business, tho’ he is not mentioned in the preface of the new Prayer Book.

This I discovered by a M.S. Account of my Grandfather’s Life much about the time that many vague reports were current here, of immoderate and unjustifiable changes made in the Liturgy by the American Convention: for the Socinians flattered themselves (through a mere mistake of Dr. Price, in a note which he had added to Dr. Rush’s Letter of 25 Octr 1785, as published in the newspapers) that the proceedings of the Convention had been “similar” to those of one Episcopal Congregation at Boston, which adopted a Liturgy “formed after the manner of Dr. Clark and Mr. Lindsey”. These reports would have given me much more uneasiness, if the perusal of Dr. Smith’s Sermon (preached before the Convention) had not induced me to hope that the Plan of the Year 1689 would really be adopted by the Convetnion as a model of proceeding; and I was well satisfied that the said plan was sufficiently Orthodox because I was confident that, if it had been otherwise, my Grandfather would not have endeavoured to promote it. Nevertheless the Reports of Socinianism gave great offence to many worthy people here, and more especially to the Bishops, who had been sincerely disposed to promote the Church of America, as declared in my former Letters, but on hearing of the confident reports of the Socinians they seemed to give up all hopes of being able to hold any communication with the Convention. In this state of the business I though it my duty to explain in writing to our worthy Primate the Archbishop of Canterbury, my reasons for hoping that the Convention would be able to assign such a reasonable excuse for the changes they were reported to have made, as might be sufficient to remove that ground of objection against the Candidates for consecration, if in other respects, the Candidates themselves were found unexceptionable. An Extract from that Letter I have inclosed for your Excellency’s perusal, dated 17 February last; and I earnestly entreated that the Bishops here, might, at least be prepared with authority to dispense with the Oaths in giving consecration, a point which I had also previously solicited in a Letter dated 13 Septr. 1785. As the Convention transmitted no account of their Transactions, when they wrote to the 2 Archbishops there was no sufficient evidence for a direct confutation of the Report respecting socinianism; and therefore the great caution and reserve expressed in the joint answer of the Archbishops, was unquestionably right and perfectly necessary, under such a State of uncertainty respecting Christian Doctrine! The Archbishop of Canterbury, with his usual condescension and politeness, was pleased to communicate to me, very   ly, the contents of that Letter, as also the proposed forms of Testimonials, which it inclosed; and howsoever these may be received by the Convention, I am bound to acknowledge my hearty approval of them, being thoroughly convinced that they were dictated by the most unaffected sincerity of heart, and (I may even say) Apostolical concern for the promotion of the true Catholic Church in America.

Nevertheless, the Archbishops have not yet received any acknowledgement that their Letter has reached America, except the short mention of it in your Excellency’s obliging Letter to me. Had the Gentlemen, deputed by the Convention to correspond with the Archbishops, thought proper to send them a short general description of the New Liturgy, with some account also of the Plan upon which it was formed, they would have prevented apprehensions and suspicions occasioned by the late reports about Socinianism against which the Liturgy itself bears ample testimony. I had hoped however, that nothing would have been omitted therein, but the too frequent repetitions of our Liturgy: and that if more Creeds than one had been considered as falling under the same head of correction, that at least the Nicene Creed might have been appointed to be used instead of the sommon Creed, on some particular Festivals, as Christmas Day, or Trinity Sunday with a discretionary power in the Minister to use occasionally the Theanasion Creed; as all these Creeds may equally be proved by unquestionable testimonies of Scripture: nevertheless the Resolution expressed in the preface, that they don’t mean to separate from the Church of England in principle, the unequivocal Declarations still retained in the new Liturgy of the indispensable Faith and Worship due to the 3 Divine Persons (whose existence in the one Divine Nature, or Godhead is so clearly revealed in scripture, and into whose religious Service we are equally inlisted by the Baptismal Profession and Vows being made expressly in the names of all the Three) must undoubtedly give sincere satisfaction to all true Christians, notwithstanding the omission of several other things which they would wish to have been also retained. And therefore from my confidence in the unexceptionable religious character of the English Bishops in general (without waiting to hear their Sentiments declared by themselves) I may venture to repeat what I asserted in my former Letters, that the Bishops of England will be still sincerely inclined to promote the welfare of the Episcopal Churches in America, and to maintain an affectionate communication with them as Sister Churches, provided that the Gentlemen elected to be sent for Consecration are really in themselves unexceptionable: and I have the satisfaction to inform your Excellency that the Archbishops have already prepared themselves to comply with the requisition of the American Churches, by obtaining an Act of Parliament in the last Session to remove the former difficulty about the oathes a copy of which is inclosed. The late Accounts in the public Papers, that the Episcopal Churches of Virginia and New York had elected Candidates for the Episcopal Office in their respective Provinces, gave me very particular satisfaction, because I had understood from former Accounts that the General Convention had nominated the Candidates: which would have been a dangerous precedent of infringement on the ancient Right of the Clergy and People, in each province respectively, to elect their own Bishops: and I should have had still much more sincere satisfaction if these 2 Provinces had adopted the Apostolic mode of electing Two unexceptionable Candidates for each See, whose acceptance should be determined by Lot, as revived by the Spanish Bishops in the of Barcelona. (See my Tract on Congregational Courts p. 89. 90) but perhaps upon the whole, it may be more prudent to defer the decision of the Lot until 3 or 4 Bishops are actually resident in America; who can then more effectually examine (as their Apostolical Duty requires,) the qualifications and characters of the elected Candidates, by calling upon the People, publickly, for information, whether any just exceptions are known, before the Lot is cast; because even a legal Exception would seems to be made too late if discovered after the solemn appeal to Divine Providence by Lot and previous Prayer; for in such a case there seems to be no alternative! nothing but an humble submission and reliance on the same providence, for all the future consequences of the decision, whatever they may be; unless some subsequent misconduct should render the interference of the other Bishops necessary.

I send herewith a Duplicate of my Letter respecting a paper Currency not liable to depreciation, which was sent by the Mediator Captn. Rennydy: and I remain with true respect and esteem, Dear Sir, Your Excellency’s much obliged humble Servant