LAWS OF MARYLAND.— 1798.

363

copal church, (heretofore called the church of England,) to
officiate in any church or chapel belonging to the parish, and to
perform the other duties of a minister therein, for such time as
the said vestry may think proper, and they may agree and con-
tract with such minister or ministers, reader or readers, for his
or their salary, and respecting the use and occupation of the
parsonage house, or any glebe or other lands, or other property,
if any, belonging to the parish, and on such terms and condi-
tions as they may think reasonable and proper, and their choice
and contract shall be entered among their proceedings; and
upon the expiration of such contract, the said vestry may, in
their discretion, renew their choice, or make a new contract,
but if they do not incline so to do, their former choice and con-
tract shall remain until they declare their desire to make a new
choice or contract.

SEC. 16. And be it enacted. That if only one minister shall
be chosen for any parish, he shall be called the rector thereof,
but where two or more ministers shall be chosen of the same
order in the ministry, they shall be called associated rectors of
such parish, and shall preside in the vestry by rotation; and in
any parish in which there shall at any time be more than one
minister regularly settled, and either of th£m of superior order
in the ministry, such superior minister shall have the sole right
of presiding in the vestry, and be called the rector thereof, and
the other or others shall be called associated ministers of such
parish.

If only one,
to be called
rector, &c.

SEC. 17. And be it enacted, If the vestry of any parish should
think it necessary to take in subscriptions for the maintenance
of their minister or ministers, reader or readers, or for paying
the salaries of such other officers as the occasions of the parish
may require to be appointed, or for any other parish purposes,
it shall and may be lawful for them so to do.

Vestry may
take in sub-
scriptions,
&c.

SEC. 18. And be it enacted, That the vestry of every parish
shall be and they are hereby obliged to provide a fit person as
register of their parish, whose duty it shall be to keep true and
fair entries of the proceedings of such vestry in the execution
of their trust, which register also shall, before he acts as such,
take and subscribe the oath of fidelity herein before mentioned,
(unless he shall have before taken such oath,) and make and
subscribe a declaration of his belief in the Christian religion, as
also take an oath for the due and faithful execution of the du-
ties of his office, to be administered as herein before directed.

And
provide a
register,
&c.

SEC. 19. And be it enacted, That it shall be the duty of the
said register to enter in a bookj provided for the purpose, all
baptisms, marriages and funerals, of free persons in the parish
by any minister of the Protestant Episcopal church, and which
may be known to him by any of the said ministers or vestry-

His duty.