Perhaps sucii cases are the most trying to a man's fortitude, much more so, in my opinion, than those wliich are sudden, and where danger, though more apparent, yet is not more certain or real, The one is like a weight indesinently pressing on us, which wastes and consumes our strength ; the other, like a transient impulse, which, by sudden exertion of strength, may be resisted. It is but justice to say tliat those instances were exhibited by the members of our Church : there is not one of the clergy in the provinces I have specified, of whom this may not be affirmed ; and very few of tlie laity who were respectable or men of property, have joined in the rebellion,

Tjius matters continued ; the clergy proceeding regularly in the discliarge of tlieir duty where the hand of violence did not interfere, until tlie beginning of last July, when the congress thouglit proper to make an explicit declaration of independency, by which all connexion witli Great Britain was to be broken off, and the Americans released from any allegiance to our gracious

ANGLO-AMEllICAN CHURCH. 1053

sovereign. For my part, I had long expected tiiis event : it was what the measures of the congress from tlie begiiming uniformly and necessarily led to.

This declaration increased the embarrassments of the clergy. To officiate publicly, and not pray for the king and royall family according to the liturgy, Avas against their duty and oath, as well as dictates of their conscience ; and yet to use the prayers for tiie king and royal family would have dra\vn inevitable destruction on them. The only coui'se v»liich they could pursue, to avoid both evils, was to suspend the public exercise of tlieir function, and shut up their chui'ches.