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The Legislature of the State, in April, 1784, passed an Act, entitled, "An Act to enable all the religious denominations in this State to appoint Trustees, who shall be a body corporate, for the purpose of taking care of the temporalities of their respective congregations, and for other purposes therein mentioned." As this Act interfered with the established practice of the Dutch Church, and was, in a manner, an unnecessary interference, that practice being, if not in form, yet, virtually, a compliance with the Act, the Doctor endeavoured, with some zeal, to procure the addition of a clause or another Act, suited to the case; and, in this business. it must be confessed, he rendered an important service to the Church.

It is well known that the Consistory, for the time being, of every Church, is intrusted with the care, not only of the spiritual affairs of the society, but also of its temporalities: and it is equally well

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of the state, induced the Regents to incorporate this College; and they believe it will greatly promote the diffusion of literature, especially as it will accommodate a large share of the community, who have either not ability to bear the expense, or inclination to send their children to a populous city."

It is now one of the most celebrated and flourishing institutions of the kind in the country.

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known, that the members of a Consistory are not viewed as placed permanently in active service — that, every year, according to the Constitution of the Church, [Articles 27th and 28th of Explanatory Articles.] one half of the number serving in any congregation must retire to make room for others, if that be practicable, or, if it be not, must be then re-elected; and such has ever been the practice of the Church: but the act referred to, directed the appointment of Trustees, in every congregation, a third part of the number to be chosen annually, to have the exclusive superintendence of its temporal concerns. The Doctor's object appears to have been to get a bill passed, that would make every Consistory, for the time being, a legal board of Trustees; and, if frequency of change in the members of such a board was a point of any moment, that was certainly as well provided for in the rules and practice of the Church, as in the law of the Legislature.

Under date of March, 1786, he thus writes to Dr. Romeyn, upon the subject: — "The business of our incorporations, I found was not properly understood by some, and very warmly opposed by others. The ideas adopted by the authors of the incorporation act, were to keep the temporalities of