John and Charles Wesley for a time worked in Georgia in the early days of the colony. This was before any Methodist societies had separated from the English Church. Later Methodist preachers, especially George White field, were vehement in denouncing the Anglican clergy and did much to disturb the S. P. G. missions. However, the work prospered despite drawbacks — greatest of which was the lack of bishops — and by 1775 there were about 300 parishes, ministered to by 250 clergymen. It is estimated that between 1607 and 1775 about 2,000 °Clerks in Holy Orders° of the English Church had, for longer or shorter periods, labored in America.
Organization as an Independent Church. — The outbreak of the War of the Revolution put an end to intercourse between colonial Churchmen and the authorities of the Church of England. Many of the clergy were Tories. These left the colonies for England and Nova Scotia. During the war services were main tained in a few places, prayer for Congress being substituted for prayers for the king. The one man whose influence did most to hold to gether scattered bands of Churchmen was Dr. William White of Christ Church and Saint Peter's, Philadelphia. He was in close touch with the fathers of the Commonwealth and was for many years chaplain of Congress. Im mediately after the recognition of American independence steps were taken to organize an independent American Church and to establish new relations with the Church of England, which should recognize 'the Change in our Situation from a Daughter- to a Sister-Church.' First to act — for themselves alone — were the clergy of Connecticut. They were con vinced that the first step of all must be to ob tain bishops. In 1783 a meeting was held at Woodbury, at which a petition was addressed to English bishops to consecrate for America and a candidate was chosen for the episcopal office. The bishop-elect was Dr. Samuel Sea bury, a native of Connecticut, an S. P. G. missionary in the colony of New York and a chaplain in the British army. He sailed to England and asked for consecration. This he was unable to obtain. The English bishops, as officers of a state-church, were unwilling to act without formal authorization by Parliament. This was not forthcoming. After waiting a year Seabury, in compliance with instructions from Connecticut, transferred his application to the Episcopal Church of Scotland. The Scot tish bishops willingly granted his request and he was consecrated in Aberdeen 14 Nov. 1784.
He signed a °concordate" with his consecrators, in which inter-alia it was agreed that he should use his influence to introduce in America a Communion Office like the Scottish. This dif fers from the English one, being in some ways °more agreeable to the genuine Standards of Antiquity.' Five years later Bishop Seabury was enabled to keep this promise. His enduring monument is the complete form in the American Prayer Book of the Prayer of Consecration in the Eucharistic Office. Bishop Seabury lived until 1796. He was a noble man and a staunch Churchman. He was indefatigable in adminis tering his diocese, but, partly owing to his record,' did not exercise great influence outside of Connecticut. It was not until a cen tury after his death that his fellow-Churchmen fully appreciated the extent of their indebted ness to this first of all bishops in America.
In 1785 delegates from seven colonies south of Connecticut, laymen as well as clergymen, met in convention in Philadelphia. Their most important acts were to arrange for triennial General Conventions, and to make a new appli cation to the archbishops of England to conse crate bishops for America. There was some delay. The English bishops objected to pro posed changes in the Prayer Book. Their ob jections were met by action of a convention held in Wilmington, Del. in 1786. Finally, on 4 Feb. 1787, English bishops in Lambeth Chapel consecrated Dr. William White to be bishop of Pennsylvania and Dr. Samuel Pro voost to be bishop of New York. Four years later, Dr. James Madison, president of Wil liam and Mary College, was consecrated, in Eng land, bishop of Virginia. The four American bishops in 1792 joined in the consecration of Thomas John Claggett, as bishop of Maryland, through whom the joint succession from the bishops of England and Scotland has passed to every member of the American episcopate.
The bishops of the Church are its chief officers, hut the °Constitution and Canons," adopted in 1789, provide that presbyters and laymen shall share their responsibility of admin istration. Each diocese has a standing com mittee, consisting of presbyters and laymen (in three dioceses, of clergy only) elected by the diocesan convention. This committee acts as a cabinet to the bishop. In case of vacancy in the episcopate, or sometimes during a bishop's absence or incapacity, the standing committee for canonical purposes becomes the 'Ecclesias tical Authority' for the diocese.