238 LIFE AXD CORRESPONDENCE OF THE [1786 



Rev. Dr. Smith to Rev. Dr. White. 



Chester, September 11, 1786. 

 Dear Sir : The enclosed is from Dr. Murray, but I suppose can con- 

 tain nothing new, as mine which accompanied it is of an older date than 

 our last from the Archbishop of Canterbury. If you have anything 

 further of importance to communicate, or when you have I shall expect 

 to hear from you. I shall go over to Annapolis next week, which, being 

 at the election of the Senate, will give me an opportunity of doing some 

 necessary business with gentlemen whom I could not otherwise meet till 

 November. I would wish to have a little time before the General Con- 

 vention to think of what may be proper to be done, or can with pro- 

 priety be done, respecting the requisitions of the English Bishops. 

 You know my apprehensions, etc. I hope you will bestow your serious 

 thoughts upon the business, viewing it in proper lights. 



Yours, William SMirii. 



Rev. Dr. White, 



Rector of Christ Church, Philadelphia. 



The Convention called for Wilmington, assembled there, as in- 

 vited, on the lOth of October, 1786. It lasted but two days. 

 The letters of the English Archbishops being taken into consider- 

 ation, The Descent into Hell — the expression of a belief in which 

 had been omitted from the Apostles' Creed as given in the Pro- 

 posed Book — was restored by a majority, to the liturgy. The 

 Nicene Creed was restored by unanimous vote. The Athanasian 

 was voted against — seventeen votes to three. The States were 

 rather curiously divided on the subject of the admission of this 

 last creed. In New Jersey the only persons favoring its readmis- 

 sion were laymen, Henry Waddell and Joshua Maddox Wallace, 

 Esqs., voting for its admission against the clergy of the State — 

 Mr. Uzal Ogden and the excellent William Frazier, of Amwell. 

 In Delaware its support came from one clergyman, the Rev. 

 Sydenham Thorne; he voting against the laity and the Rev. Dr. 

 Wharton. The vote of Pennsylvania, clergy and laity alike, went 

 solidly against the restoration. Maryland took no part in any of 

 these questions from the fact of not being represented in this Con- 

 vention. 



In this Convention, Dr. White, Dr. Provoost and Dr. Griffith 

 were recommended to the English Bishops by the members of this 

 Convention for consecration to the Episcopal orders. Little or no 

 mention is made of Dr. Smith in the proceedings of this short 



