Excerpt from A Chapter of Unwritten History: The Protestant Episcopacy of the Revolutionary Patriots, Lost and Restored, a Centennial Offering The present work, to which the notes are attached, is a portion of an address delivered on the Ninth Anniversary of the Organization of the Reformed Episcopal Church, to the R. E. congregation, of Boston, on December 3d, 1882. After a membership of over thirty years in the Protestant Episcopal Church, and over ten years instruction in its seminaries, the author was ignorant of some of the important facts presented in this treatise. If his instructors were cognizant of them they kept the knowledge to themselves. Since his connection with the Reformed Episcopal Church he has been privileged to become acquainted with transactions of such great interest and importance. Of greater interest, inasmuch as the organization of the Reformed Episcopal Church is thereby more fully vindicated. Interesting facts connected with the subject have been omitted for want of space. There is one point of peculiar interest not dwelt upon in the notes, which we are unwilling entirely to pass over. The position and action of John Jay, the illustrious Chief Justice of our Nation, has been described; we rejoice to know that Washington held similar views, and was a truly Reformed Episcopalian, in full accord with Mr. Jay. The spirit of Christian charity and unity in both was pre-eminent. All may contemplate and imitate them with profit. We read that "Mr. Jay finding, on his removal to Bedford, no Episcopal church in the vicinity, constantly attended one belonging to the Presbyterians: nor did he scruple to unite with his fellow Christians of that persuasion in commemorating the passion of their common Lord." Life I, 434. When Washington was encamped with his army at Morristown, he sent a note to Rev. Dr. Johns, the Presbyterian pastor, inquiring whether he would be welcome to partake of the semi-annual Communion in his church on the following Lord's day. He stated that he was a member of the Church of England, but was without exclusive partialities as a Christian. He accepted a cordial invitation, and received with his fellow Christians of other names, the memorial of the dying love of their common Lord. Spark's Washington, p. 524. Appendix to McGuire's Religious Opinions of Washington. The difference in sentiment on this important topic is also manifest in his reply to the address of the General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church. August 1789. "On this occasion," he writes, it would ill become me to conceal the joy I have felt in perceiving the fraternal affection, which appears to increase every day among the friends of genuine religion. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.