ART. 7. No person shall be admitted to Holy Orders until he shall have been examined by the Bishop and by two Presbyters, and shall have exhibited such testimonials and other requisites as the Canons in that case provided may direct. Nor shall any person be ordained until he shall have subscribed the following declaration: "I do believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the word of God, and to contain all things necessary to salvation: and I do solemnly engage to conform to the doctrines and worship of the Protestant Episcopal Church in these United States." No person ordained by a foreign Bishop shall be permitted to officiate as a Minister of this Church until he shall have complied with the Canon or Canons in that case provided, and have also subscribed the aforesaid declaration. ART. 8. A Book of Common Prayer, Administration of the Sacraments, and other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church, Articles of Religion, and a form and manner of making, ordaining, and consecrating Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, when established by this or a future General Convention, shall be used in the Protestant Episcopal Church in those States which shall have adopted this Constitution. ART. 9. This Constitution shall be unalterable, unless in General Convention by the Church in a majority of the States which may have adopted the same; and all alterations shall be first proposed in one General Convention, and made known to the several State Conventions, before they shall be finally agreed to, or ratified, in the ensuing General Convention. In General Convention, in Christ Church, Philadelphia, August the 8th, One thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine. WILLIAM WHITE, D.D., Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and President of the Convention. NEW YORK-ABRAHAM BEACH, D.D., Assistant Minister of BENJAMIN MOORE, D.D., Assistant Minister of Trinity MOSES ROGers. NEW JERSEY WILLIAM FRAZER, Rector of St. Michael's Church, in Trenton, and St. Andrew's Church, in Amwell. UZAL OGDEN, Rector of Trinity Church, Newark. HENRY WADDELL, Rector of Shrewsbury and Middle- GEORGE H. SPIEREN, Rector of St. Peter's, Amboy. SAMUEL OGDEN. R. STRETTELL JONES. PENNSYLVANIA-SAMUEL MAGAW, D.D., Rector of St. Paul's, Philadelphia. ROBERT BLACKWELL, D.D., Senior Assistant Minister JOSEPH PILMORE, Rector of the United Churches of JOSEPH G. J. BEND, Assistant Minister of Christ Church FRANCIS HOPKINSON. GERARDUS CLARKSON. TENCH COXE. SAMUEL POWEL, Esq. DELAWARE-JOSEPH COUDEN, A. M., Rector of St. Anne's. STEPHEN SYKES, A. M., Rector of St. Peter's and St. Matthew's, in Sussex County. JAMES SYKES. MARYLAND-WILLIAM SMITH, D. D., a Clerical Delegate for COLIN FERGUSON, D. D., Rector of St. Paul's, Kent JOHN BISSETT, A. M., Rector of Shrewsbury Parish, RICHARD B. CARMICHAEL. WILLIAM FRISBY. VIRGINIA-ROBERT ANDREWS. SOUTH CAROLINA. ROBERT SMITH, Rector of St. Philip's Church, Charleston, and Principal of Charleston Col lege. WILLIAM BRISBANE, W. W. BURROWS. THE CONSTITUTION OF THE PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, OF OCTOBER 2, 1789. ART. I. There shall be a General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, on the second Tuesday of September, in the year of our Lord 1792, and on the second Tuesday of September in every third year afterwards, in such place as shall be determined by the Convention; and special meetings may be called at other times, in the manner hereafter to be provided for; and this Church, in a majority of the States which shall have adopted this Constitution, shall be represented, before they shall proceed to business, except that the representation from two States shall be sufficient to adjourn; and in all business of the Convention, freedom of debate shall be allowed. ART. 2. The Church in each State shall be entitled to a representation of both the Clergy and the Laity, which representation shall consist of one or more Deputies, not exceeding four of each Order, chosen by the Convention of the State: and in all questions, when required by the Clerical or Lay representation from any State, each Order shall have one vote; and the majority of suffrages by States shall be conclusive in each Order, provided such majority comprehend a majority of the States represented in that Order. The concurrence of both Orders shall be necessary to constitute a vote of the Convention. If the Convention of any State should neglect or decline to appoint Clerical Deputies, or if they should neglect or decline to appoint Lay Deputies, or if any of those of either Order appointed should neglect to attend, or be prevented by sickness or any other accident, such State shall nevertheless be considered as duly represented by such Deputy or Deputies as may attend, whether Lay or Clerical. And if, through the neglect of the Convention of any of the Churches which shall have adopted, or may hereafter adopt this Constitution, no Deputies, either Lay or Clerical, should attend at any General Convention, the Church in such State shall nevertheless be bound by the acts of such Convention. ART. 3. The Bishops of this Church, when there shall be three or more, shall, whenever General Conventions are held, form a separate House, with a right to originate and propose acts for the concurrence of the House of Deputies, coinposed of Clergy and Laity; and when any proposed act shall have passed the House of Deputies, the same shall be transmitted to the House of Bishops, who shall have a negative thereupon, unless adhered to by four-fifths of the other House. And all acts of the Convention shall be authenticated by both Houses. And in all cases, the House of Bishops shall signify to the Convention their approbation or disapprobation, the latter with their reasons in writing, within three days after the proposed act shall have been reported to them for concurrence, and in failure thereof, it shall have the operation of a law. But until there shall be three or more Bishops as aforesaid, any Bishop attending a General Convention shall be a member ex officio, and shall vote with the Clerical Deputies of the State to which he belongs; and a Bishop shall then preside. ART. 4. The Bishop or Bishops in every State shall be chosen agreeably to such rules as shall be fixed by the Convention of that State. And every Bishop of this Church shall confine the exercise of his Episcopal office to his proper Diocese or District, unless requested to ordain or confirm, or perform any other act of the Episcopal office, by any Church destitute of a Bishop. ART. 5. A Protestant Episcopal Church in any of the United States not now represented, may, at any time hereafter, be admitted, on acceding to this Constitution. ART. 6. In every State, the mode of trying Clergymen shall be instituted by the Convention of the Church therein. At every trial of a Bishop there shall be one or more of the Episcopal Order present: and none but a Bishop shall pronounce sentence of deposition or degradation from the Ministry on any Clergyman, whether Bishop, or Presbyter, or Deacon. ART. 7. No person shall be admitted to Holy Orders, until he shall have been examined by the Bishop and by two Presbyters, and shall have exhibited such testimonials and other requisites as the Canons in that case provided may direct. Nor shall any person be ordained until he shall have subscribed the following declaration: "I do believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the Word of God, and to contain all things necessary to salvation: and I do solemnly engage to conform to the doctrines and worship of the Protestant Episcopal Church in these United States." No person ordained by a foreign Bishop shall be permitted to officiate as a minister of this Church, until he shall have complied with the Canon or Canons in that case provided, and have also subscribed the aforesaid declaration. ART. 8. A Book of Common Prayer, Administration of the Sacraments, and other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church, Articles of Religion, and a form and manner of making, ordaining, and consecrating Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, when established by this or a future General Convention, shall be used in the Protestant Episcopal Church in those States which shall have adopted this Constitution. ART. 9. This Constitution shall be unalterable, unless in General Convention by the Church in a majority of the States which may have adopted the same; and all alterations shall be first proposed in one General Convention, and made known to the several State Conventions, before they shall be finally agreed to, or ratified, in the ensuing General Convention. Done in General Convention of the Bishops, Clergy, and Laity of the Church, the second day of October, 1789, and ordered to be transcribed into the Book of Records, and subscribed, which was done as follows, viz. : IN THE HOUSE OF BISHOPS: SAMUEL SEABURY, D.D., Bishop of Connecticut. WILLIAM WHITE, D.D., Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church, Pennsylvania. IN THE HOUSE OF CLERICAL AND LAY DEPUTIES: WILLIAM SMITH, D D., President of the House of Clerical and Lay Deputies, and Clerical Deputy from Maryland. NEW HAMPSHIRE AND MASSACHUSETTS-SAMUEL PARKER, D.D., Rector of Trinity Church, Boston. CONNECTICUT-BELA HUBBARD, A.M., Rector of Trinity Church, New Haven. ABRAHAM JARVIS, A.M., Rector of Christ Church, Middletown. NEW YORK-BENJAMIN MOORE, D.D., Assistant Ministers of ABRAHAM BEACH, D.D., City of New York. Trinity Church in the RICHARD HARRISON, Lay Deputy from the State of New York. NEW JERSEY UZAL OGDEN, Rector of Trinity Church, Newark. WILLIAM FRAZER, A.M., Rector of St. Michael's Church, Trenton, and St. Andrew's Church, Amwell. SAMUEL OGDEN, R. STRETTELL JONES, Lay Deputies. PENNSYLVANIA-SAMUEL MAGAW, D.D., Rector of St. Paul's, ROBERT BLACKWELL, D.D., Senior Assistant Minister of JOSEPH G. J. BEND, Assistant Minister of Christ Church |