164 Assembly Proceedings, October 6-November 4, 1724.

L. H. J.

bouring Colony (Carolina) did some years ago in a Case of
the like nature
Signd p order Sam^ll Skippon Cl Up Ho.

In Answer whereto the following message is prepared Viz.

By the Lower House of Assembly Oct. the 31^st 1724
May it please yo^r Honours
We are at a Loss to guess what part of our Message about
the Clergy it is that you understand us as recommending you
to erect a lay Jurisdiction for the Establishment of Ecclesi-
asticall Discipline and can therefore Say no more to it, than
to Desire your Honours' further consideration of that mes-
sage which probably your Hon^rs might be lead to misconstrue
from the apprehension the Clergy Exprest in their Repre-
sentation They indeed Set forth that they were inform'd
that a motion was made to erect a Jurisdiction for the better
Governm^t of the Church and Clergy. We indeed thought it
necessary to do something that might influence Some of the
Clergy to govern themselves more like moralists & Christians
than they do the more's the pity; and tho' we never had any
intent to infringe the Ecclesiasticall Laws, yet by Complaints
from most parts of the province that the misconduct of the
Clergy and of their pretending to a Generall Exemption of
their psons from all punishment by the temporall Laws,
loudly called for our Endeavours to inforce those Laws ag^t
them, and we beg leave to observe that as the Clergy Signing
the Representation grant there [is] a necessity for the Inforce-
ment of Ecclesiasticall Jurisdiction as the only proper method;
to redress the Grievances of the Church, we should have been
Glad that the Clergy had given us their Opinion what those
Grievances were for we frankly declare (tho sorry for the
Cause) that we think the Immorality and prophanity of some
of their Brethren the greatest that we know of and if they
would by their Representation be understood that it [would]
be opposite to their Ordination Vow to submit! to Temporall
punishment for their Immoralities we should be glad [if] they
would recommend it to their Brethren as tenderly to consider
whether their Conduct be not more Contrary to that Vow than
their submitting to the Laws of their Country for such
offences as they cannot but know [to be] of evil Example and
to the Common hurt of Christianity.
We have heard of the Case of Carolina and have likewise
[been] told that the Act for Establishing the forty p poll can-
not be touched by the Legislature and we doubt the Gentle-
men's Security renders them Careless, but we hope your