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CANON VII. Concerning Candidates for Orders in this Church, who have been Ministers, Licentiates, or Students of Theology, among other Religious Denominations.

[Former Canons on this subject were the sixth of 1804, the seventeenth of 1808, the fourth and fifth of 1820, the first of 1829, the twenty-first and twenty-fourth of 1832, and the third of 1835.]

SECT. 1. All persons seeking admission to the ministry of this church, are to be regarded as candidates for holy orders.

SECT. 2. When a person who, not having had Episcopal ordination, has been acknowledged as an ordained minister or licentiate among any other denomination of Christians, shall desire to be ordained in this church, he shall give notice thereof to the bishop, or if there be no bishop, to the standing committee of the diocese in which he resides; or if he resides in a State or Territory in which there is no organized diocese, to the missionary bishop within whose jurisdiction he resides; which notice shall be accompanied with a written certificate from at least two presbyters of this church, stating, that from personal knowledge of the party, or satisfactory evidence laid before them, they believe that his desire to leave the denomination to which he has belonged has not arisen from any circumstance unfavorable to his religious or moral character, or on account of which it may be inexpedient to admit him to the exercise of the ministry in this church and they may also add what they know, or believe on good authority, of the circumstances leading to the said desire.

SECT. 3. If the bishop or standing committee shall think proper to proceed, the party applying to be received as a candidate shall produce to the standing committee the same testimonials of literary qualifications as are required of all other candidates; and also a testimonial from at least twelve members of the denomination from which he came, or twelve members of the Protestant Episcopal Church, or twelve persons, in part of the denomination from which he came, and in part Episcopalians, satisfactory to the committee, that the applicant has, for three years last past, lived piously, soberly, and honestly; and also, a testimonial from at least two presbyters of this church, that they believe him to be pious, sober, and honest, and sincerely attached to the doctrines, discipline, and worship of the church. The standing committee being satisfied on these points, may recommend him to the bishop, to be received as a candidate for orders in this church, or in a vacant diocese the standing committee may so receive him.

SECT. 4. Candidates admitted as above, may, at the expiration

of a period not less than six months, be ordained, on their passing the same examinations as other candidates for deacons' orders; and in the examinations, spécial regard shall be had to those points in which the denomination whence they come differs from this church, with a view of testing their information and soundness in the same; and also to the ascertaining that they are adequately acquainted with the liturgy and offices of this church; provided, that in their case the testimonials shall be required to cover only the time since their admission as candidates for orders; and provided, also, that the provisions of the canon concerning candidates for orders, as far as the same relates to the age of the person to whom the dispensation may be granted, and the mode and restrictions in and under which the same may be granted, shall apply to the persons mentioned in this canon.

SECT. 5. Every candidate for the ministry of any other denomination, who applies to be received as a candidate for orders in this church, may be allowed by the bishop, with the consent of the members of the standing committee, the period of time during which he has been a student of theology, or candidate in such other denomination: provided, the time so allowed does not exceed two years.

SECT. 6. When any person not a citizen of the United States, who has been acknowledged as an ordained minister among any other denomination of Christians, shall apply for orders in this church, the bishop to whom application is made shall require of him (in addition to the above qualifications) satisfactory evidence that he has resided at least one year in the United States previous to his application.

SECT. 7. The third canon of 1835 is hereby repealed. CANON VIII. Of the Organizing of New Dioceses Formed out of Existing Dioceses.

SECT. 1. Whenever any new diocese shall be formed within the limits of any other diocese, or by the junction of two or more dioceses or parts of dioceses, and the same shall have been ratified by the General Convention, the bishop of the diocese within the limits of which another is formed, or in case of the junction of two or more dioceses or parts of dioceses, the bishop of eldest consecration over the dioceses furnishing portions of such diocese, shall thereupon call the primary convention of the new diocese for the purpose of enabling it to organize, and shall fix the time and place of holding the same, such place being within the territorial limits of the new diocese.

SECT. 2. In case there should be no bishop who can call

such primary convention pursuant to the foregoing provisions, then the duty of calling such convention for the purpose of organizing, and the duty of fixing the time and place of its meeting, shall be vested in the standing committee of the eldest of the dioceses, by the junction of which, or parts of which, the new diocese may be formed. And such standing committee shall make such call immediately after the ratification of a division by the General Convention.

SECT. 3. Whenever one diocese is about to be divided into two dioceses, the convention of the said diocese shall declare which portion thereof is to be the new diocese, and shall make the same known to the General Convention before the ratification of such division.

CANON IX. Of the Mode of Publishing Authorized Editions of the Book of Common Prayer, &c.

[Former Canons on this subject were the third of 1801, the forty-third of 1808, the Canon of 1821, the forty-sixth of 1832, and the sixth of 1835,]

SECT. 1. The bishop of this church in any diccese, or, where there is no bishop, the standing committee thereof, shall appoint one or more presbyters of the diocese, who shall compare and correct all new editions of the Common Prayer Book, the articles, offices, and metre psalms and hymns, by some standard book; and a certificate of said editions having been so compared and corrected, shall be published with the same. And in case any edition shall be published without such correction, it shall be the duty of the bishop, or, where there is no bishop, of the standing committee, to give public notice that such edition is not authorized by the church.

SECT. 2. Editions from the stereotype plates of the Prayer Book of the Female Episcopal Prayer Book Society of Philadelphia, comprising the Common Prayer Book, the articles, offices, psalms in metre selected from the psalms of David, and hymns, are hereby established as the standard: together with the whole Book of Psalms in metre, in the duodecimo edition, published by the New York Protestant Episcopal Press in 1832; with the exceptions of errors evidently typographical; the correction of which errors is confided to such person or persons as the bishop or standing committee may appoint for superintending any publication.

SECT. 3. The sixth canon of 1835 is hereby repealed.

CANON X. Of Defraying the Expenses of General Con

ventions.

[The former Canons on this subject were the fifty-fourth of 1832, and the eighth of 1835.]

SECT. 1. In order that the contingent expenses of the General Conventions may be defrayed, it shall be the duty of the several Diocesan Conventions to forward to the Treasurer of this Convention, at or before any meetings of the General Convention, seventy-five cents for each clergyman within said diocese. SECT. 2. The eighth canon of 1835 is hereby repealed.

CANON XI. Of Repealed Canons.

SECT. 1. Whenever there shall be a repealing clause in any canon, and the said canon shall be repealed, such repeal shall not be a re-enactment of the canon or canons repealed by the said repealing clause.

SECT. 2. The provisions of this canon shall also apply to canons heretofore passed having repealing clauses.

Done in General Convention, in the City of Philadelphia, September, 1838.

By order of the House of Bishops.

ALEXANDER V. GRISWOLD, D. D., Presiding Bishop.

Attested, BIRD WILSON, D. D., Secretary.

By order of the House of Clerical and Lay Deputies.
WILLIAM E. WYATT, D. D., President.

Attested, HENRY ANTHON, D. D., Secretary.

CANONS

For the Government of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Passed in General Convention, in New York, October, 1841.

CANON I. Of the Treasurer of the Convention.

At every triennial meeting of the General Convention, a treasurer shall be chosen, who shall remain in office until the next

stated convention, and until a successor be appointed. It shall be his duty to receive and disburse all moneys collected under the authority of the convention, and of which the collection and distribution shall not otherwise be regulated; and to invest, from time to time for the benefit of the convention, such surplus funds as he may have on hand. His accounts shall be rendered triennially, to the convention, and shall be examined by a committee acting under its authority. In case of a vacancy in the office of treasurer, it shall be supplied by an appointment to be made by the ecclesiastical authority of the diocese to which he belonged; and the person so appointed, shall continue to act until an appointment is made by the convention.

CANON II. Of a Clergyman absenting himself from his

Diocese.

When a clergyman has been absent from his diocese during two years, without reasons satisfactory to the bishop thereof, he shall be required by the bishop to declare in writing the cause, or causes, of his absence; and if he refuse to give his reasons, or if these are deemed insufficient by the bishop, the bishop may, with the advice and consent of the clerical members of the standing committee, suspend him from the ministry; which suspension shall continue until he shall give in writing sufficient reason for his absence; or until he shall renew his residence in his diocese; or until he shall renounce the ministry, according to canon 38th of 1832. In the case of such suspension, as above provided for, it shall be the duty of the bishop to give notice thereof to every bishop of this church, and to the standing committee of every diocese wherein there is no bishop.

CANON III. Of the Election of a Missionary Bishop to the office of Diocesan Bishop.

SECT. 1. When a diocese entitled, agreeably to the second section of the 1st canon of 1838, to the choice of a bishop, shall elect as its diocesan a Missionary bishop of the church; if such election have taken place within three months before the meeting of the General Convention, evidence thereof shall be laid before each house of the General Convention, and the concurrence of each house, and its express consent, shall be necessary to the validity of said election, and shall complete the same; so that he bishop thus elected shall be thereafter the bishop of the diocese which has elected him.

SECT. 2. If the said election have taken place more than three months before the meeting of the General Convention, the

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