Bishop Provoost, and the said standing committee, at the house of the Rev. Dr. (afterwards bishop,) Moore, in the city of New York. First,on my internal call, and views in regard to the ministry; on that change of the natural disposition, which is necessary to fit us for God's heavenly kingdom; in my knowledge and belief in the holy scriptures, and my earn est intention by God's grace to conform my heart and practice to them; in my knowledge of the English, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew languages; in my knowledge of a general system and body of divinity, and ecclesiastical history; in my knowledge of the lives and travels of the apostles and primitive fathers of the church; in my knowledge of the general and liberal arts and sciences, &c.; and after two days strict trial and full examination and with the aforesaid recomniendations, I was honorably approved, accepted, and recommended to the said bishop, as the canons directed, to be ordained. The day after this recommendation, the Rev. Mr. Jarvis, of Middletown, in Connecticut, came to New-York and informed the Rev. Dr. Beach, one of the said standing committee, that I was a very unworthy young man, and had actually been refus.. ed holy orders in Connecticut. I assured Dr. Beach, that Mr. Jarvis was my enemy, because I had left his house, and refused to live and study with him, and that what he had said was not true. I requested him to suspend his judgment, and not to mention what Mr. Jarvis had said, until I could Connecticut and obtain further recommendations, and a certificate from the secretary, that I had not been refused orders in that state. This he consented to do, and I accordingly went to the Rev. Dr. Dibble, of Stamford, stated my case to him; requested him to examine me and my documents, and if he should find me worthy and well qualified, to recommend me to the bishop and standing committee of New-York, to be ordained. This he very freely did, and at the same time expressed his astonishment at the conduct of Mr. Jarvis. I then went to the Rev. Mr. Oglesvie, of Norwalk, made the same statement and request, and obtained the same recommendation. I then went to the Rev. Mr. Shelton, of Newfield, to the Rev. Mr. Clark, of Huntington, and to the Rev. Mr. Marsh, of New-Milford, made to them in

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dividually the same communication and request, and after. due examination, received the same recommendation from them. I then went to the house of the Rev. Mr. Perry, of Newtown, who was secretary of the Convention of Connecticut, to obtain a certificate, that I had not been refused holy orders in that state, in order to contradict the falsehood of Mr. Jarvis. When I arrived there, Mr. Perry was from home on a journey; I stated my business to Mrs. Perry, and wished to examine the records, which I did in her presence, and in the presence of a Mr. Isaac Davis who was there, a young gentleman with whom I was acquainted, when I was a member of college not finding my name on the record, as I was sure it was not, Mr. Perry being from home, the day of my ordination having been appointed, and nothing but the evidence of a plain matter of fact wanted; Mr. Davis consented to give a certificate in the name of Mr. Perry, that no act of the bishop and clergy of Connecticut, had been passed, refusing me orders in that state; this he did—and with this certificate, and with these recommendations, I returned to New York, satisfied Dr. Beach, (who was only one of a committee of eight, and only a majority was necessary,) and I was ordained a deacon, in Trinity church, in the city of NewYork, by the Right Rev. Samuel Provoost, D. D. bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church in that state, on the twenty. fourth day of June, A. D. 1792.

On the day after my ordination, I called on the said Dr. Beach for my papers and documents, as they could be of no use to him. Those which were directed to the standing committee he claimed as vouchers for his conduct in recommending me, and refused to return them; but the certificate written by Mr. Davis, was not directed to any body, and was returned to me. On my way home, which was in Schenectady, I went to the house of Mr. Perry, in Newtown, gave him the certificate which Mr. Davis had given me in his absence, told him how came by it, and what it was given for. His reply was, "I am sorry that I was not at home when you was here before, for I should have been glad to have afforded you every assistance in my power, and am glad that Mr. Davis gave you this certificate," He then tore it in two, and gave

me one half of it, as we were standing near each other. He then said, "to prevent any difficulty that may arise, I had better give you one myself, and then sat down and wrote the following, with his own hand, and which is now in my possession, viz.

"This may certify, that no act has ever been passed by the Convocation of the clergy of Connecticut, prohibiting the Rev. Mr. Ammi Rogers receiving holy orders in this church.

Certified by

PHILO PERRY, Secretary of Convocation. July 5th, 1792.”

Soon after my return to Schenectady, I received the following letter, addressed to

The Rev. Ammi Rogers. Schenectady.

REVEREND SIR,

New-York, August 7th, 1792.

Suffer me to congratulate you on your ordination, and to wish you all possible success and happiness. From my acquaintance with you, I feel strongly impressed with an idea of your eminence. I have seen the Rev. Mr. Perry, of Newtown, and informed him that I had given you a certificate, and put his name to it; he said I had done right, and that he had seen you since, and had given you one to the same purport in his own hand writing, and that the one which I wrote was destroyed. I have some expectation of being in your part of the country this fall; if such a thing should happen, I hope to have the pleasure of seeing you.

Your sincere friend and well wisher,

ISAAC DAVIS. My ministry was blessed beyond what I had reason to expect, though not to exceed my endeavours; a sense of the divine Majesty, and all his adorable attributes, were deeply fixed in my mind, with an affecting impression of the awful. responsibility of my office; my endeavours were to make my hearers sensible of their lost and undone situation, by the natural depravity of their minds,and the absolute necessity of the use of all the means of grace,that they might be converted and enjoy the comfortable and blessed hope of glory, which would be that peace of God, which passeth all understanding, that

ed by the said bishop. And in Trinity church, in the city of New-York, on the 19th day of October, A. D. 1794, I was ordained a PRIEST, by the Right Rev. Samuel Provoost. D. D. bishop of the Protestant Episcopal church in the state of NewYork. Before this, it was known that Dr. Beach and Mr. Jarvis had become reconciled in regard to the falsehood communicated relative to me; and he was left out of the said standing committee, though he attended, and assisted at my ordination as a PRIEST, and received the sacrament of the Lord's supper with me at that time. But the same night, after the ordination, he complained to the bishop that I had brought to him a forged certificate, before I was ordained a DEACON. The next day the bishop called us both before him, and caused an inquiry. I stated to him the case as it was, relative to the certificate which Mr. Davis had given to me, in the absence of Mr. Perry; that on my way home I called on Mr. Perry, informed him what was done, and gave him the certificate; that he approved of it and gave another to the same purport, in his own hand writing, which I then laid before the bishop, with the letter of Mr. Davis, dated August 7th, 1792. Dr. Beach acknowledged, before the bishop, that the facts were true, as I stated them, but said he thought there ought to be an investigation. The bishop replied that he did not know how that could be brought against me as a PRIEST, which took place before I was a deacon; that Dr. Beach was present, and assisted at my ordination as a priest, and if he had any objection, then, or before, was the time to make it; that I had undergone a better examination, and was amply recommended, by more clergymen, and more churches than any one he had ever ordained, and the result of my ministry proved that he had not been imposed upon; that in all forgeries, there must be some falsehood, but in this case, there is no pretence of falsehood, and it would be very unlikely that so many respectable clergymen and parishes would recommend me to be ordained in NewYork, if I had been refused orders in Connecticut or if I was unworthy of the ministry; that the certificate itself was a mere evidence of fact, such as any one might have given, who had examined the records; that it was obtained, and used,

conduct I felt myself abused, though what he intended for my injury, had eventuated in my good and prosperity; for my sifuation in the state of New-York was much better than I could have expected in Connecticut. I was favoured with thousands of blessings, and my great and earnest care was to make a grateful and practical return, by a conscientious discharge of my ordination vows, and a holy, humble, and exemplary walk before God and his people, of every denomination. Oh, how often have I alone, with closed doors, on my knees, before God, read the ordination service of the Episcopal church, with prayers, and tears, and fasting, that God of his great mercy, would please to direct and assist me in all my doings, with his most gracious favour and further me with his continual help, that in all my works, begun, continued, and ended in him, I might glorify his holy name, and finally, that I, and all committed to my care, and the whole world of mankind, might obtain everlasting life and happiness, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

CHAPTER III.

A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH CONTINUED.

The year 1794 was to me vastly important. In that year I was married to the very amiable Miss Margaret Bloore, about 18 years old, of an excellent disposition, and well edu cated. She was the only daughter of Mr. Joshua Bloore, a gentleman from Manchester, in England; who came into this country and settled as a merchant in Albany, and afterwards moved into the county of Saratoga, where I became acquainted with him and his family. His wife, before he married her, was a Margaret Brintnal, of Langly parish, in Derbyshire, in England. In that year, I was recommended to the bishop and standing committee of the Episcopal church, in the state of New-York; was again examined by them as before, was recommended by the said standing committee, to be ordain