Chap. 9. 



RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS. 



195 



BISHOP ELECTED. 



REV. SAMUEL PETERS. 



been made for an act of incorporation, 

 which was not successful. In this Con- 

 vention, which was held at Pawlet, bu- 

 siness was transacted of great importance. 

 In the hope, that an act of incorporation 

 would be obtained, a committee was ap- 

 pointed to make application to the society 

 in England for a conveyance of its prop- 

 erty in Vermont to such Board. The 

 committee consisted of the Rev. Bethuel 

 Chittenden, the Rev. James Nichols, the 

 Rev. Daniel Barber, tl)e Rev. John C. 

 Ogden, Col. Matthew Lj'on, and Ebene- 

 zer Mervin, Eleazer Baldwin and Truman 

 Squier, Esqrs. The act not being obtain- 

 ed,this measure of co\irse was not pressed. 



At tlie same Convention a committee 

 was appointed, for the first time, to take 

 into consideration the applications of per- 

 sons desirous of entering into holy Orders; 

 and as they saw fit, to recommend them 

 for ordination. Before this Vermont had 

 furnished, it is believed, but a single in- 

 dividual for the sacred ministry of the 

 Church. That individual was the Rev. 

 Mr. Chittenden. 



But by far the most important transac- 

 tion of the Convention of 171)3, was the 

 election of a Bishop. For the purpose of 

 securing tliat deliberation, which so sol- 

 emn a procedure demanded, the Conven- 

 tion chose a committee of six to nominate 

 a suitable candidate, and then immedi- 

 ately adjourned to meet on the following 

 day. The committee, on coming togeth- 

 er in the morning, nominated the Rev. 

 Edward Bass, D. D., Rector of St. Paul's 

 ('hurch in Newburyport, Massachusetts. 

 Tlie nommation was approved by the Con- 

 vention, and that gentlemen accordingly 

 elected. The election being made known 

 to him, in due time a favorable answer 

 was returned, in vvhiciihe declared himself 

 willing to assume the charge and ready 

 for consecration, provided the Convention 

 would dispense with his immediate resi- 

 dence, and accept of temporary visita- 

 tions, until the income of Church lands 

 should be sufficient to give him an ade- 

 quate maintenance. 



The prospect proving unfavorable in 

 regard to the consecration of Dr. Bass, 

 and a general anxiety prevailing to enjoy 

 the benefit of Episcopal supervision as 

 soon as possible, jfttcntion was turned to 

 another quarter. Most singular and rep- 

 rehensible was the harry, with which a 

 matter of such solemn moment was push- 

 ed forward. The election of Dr. Bass 

 took place on the liJth day of September, 

 1703. His answer, which amounted to 

 acceptance, is dated January 2, 1794 ; 

 and yet it appears from a letter of Dr. 

 Peters, published in the Churchman's 



Magazine for 1807, that a special session 

 of the Convention was held in the month 

 of February immediately following, in 

 which Col. John A. Graham, a delegate 

 from Rutland, put in nomination for that 

 holy and responsible office, the Piev. Sam- 

 uel Peters, L. L. D., who was his relation 

 and intimate friend. The nomination 

 crave satisfaction ; and a formal election 

 immedlatcl}' took pince. Dr. Peters be- 

 ing then in England, the idea was con- 

 ceived of having him consecrated there. 

 Accordingly Col. Graham was despatch- 

 ed thither, as the agent of tlio Diocese, to 

 make application to the English Bishops 

 for that purpose. That gentleman, pos- 

 sessed of much address and diplomatic 

 skill, urged the suit most ably and assid- 

 uously. But he was unsuccessful ; the 

 steadfast answer was, " We have conse- 

 crated three Bishops for America already, 

 wlio are competent to a regular perform- 

 ance of the act of consecration ; make 

 your application to them." This was far 

 from being satisfactory, and gave occasion 

 to some curious papers on the subject. 

 Colonel Graham returned and m.ade re- 

 port of his proceedings in November, 1705. 

 Failing in this design, the Convention di- 

 rected their President and Secretary to 

 address the three American Bishops, and 

 respectfully to request them to consecrate 

 Dr. Peters. This was declined on the 

 ground, first, that it was not expedient to 

 consecrate a Bishop for a Diocese, that 

 contained but one Presbyter — which was 

 the case with Vermont at that time — and, 

 secondly, that there were personal objec- 

 tions. 



Here the matter ended and we hear no 

 more of the Rev. Samuel Peters, L. L. D. 



In the journal of 17ij6 occurs for the 

 first time the name of the Bishop of Illi- 

 nois, the Rt. Rev. Philander Chase, D. 

 D., then a young man. He applied to the 

 Convention to give him a recommenda- 

 tion for Deacon's Orders — which was 

 promptly done. 



As respects the general state of the 

 Church previous to the year 1800, we 

 may be allowed to close up the century 

 with a few remarks. 



Down to the date last mentioned the 

 Church had made but little progress, and 

 gained but little strength. Numbering 

 ten or twelve parishes in all, no one of 

 which felt able to maintain a clergyman 

 alone, she abode quietly (though in the 

 firm possessionof her primitive and Apos- 

 tolic principles) under that neglect — and 

 not unfrequently contempt — with which 

 the strong and independent sects around 

 lier were disposed to regard her weakness. 

 With no available resources— no order of 



