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in reference to the business, will give some idea of what was his share of it, and of the pains he took that the Church might be furnished with a suitable manual to regulate her future concerns.

In a letter dated May 12th, 1790, he says — "I am happy to see from your letter, that you are engaged in that work, which I have so often requested and wished you would finish. The division you make is a very natural and proper one; I have only to observe that, under the third head, which is to comprise extracts from the post acta, solutions of questions, and subsequent acts and regulations of our Synod, you will need more attention to know what to leave out, than what to insert. The variety of cases which have occurred, and which will for ever arise in the Church, upon which some solution or determination must be made, are little less than infinite, and, from some particular circumstances attending them, are seldom found to be exactly alike. Nothing more can, therefore, be done in any church government, than to lay down some general principles, and leave it to the Synods to apply these with prudence and care in the decision of particular cases. It will be safe in us not to descend too far to particulars in our publication, but only exhibit to the world the outlines of our views of Church discipline, and our leading principles and conduct."

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In another of July, 1790: * * * * "Your progress in our church papers gives me pleasure; but, that you find a part of your work is to be done over again, is very chagrining. I hope you may be able to finish agreeably to the plan you have proposed, and I make no doubt but it will be acceptable to the Synod. Upon looking over the acts of our first Vergadering, which contain the outlines of our present Church government, I find it will not read well in English, to translate the whole, verbo tenus, from the Dutch. Do you not suppose it would answer every purpose of publication, which is to convey the standards of our discipline, if the contents of our grand Artikulen were faithfully given in a good, easy English style, without restricting ourselves to a full translation of every word, which, as it was not designed for the press, so in many passages, is not sufficiently accurate for that purpose?" — In another of March, 1791, "I have not been able, until within a few days past, to take up the subject of our own constitution and discipline. Upon considering the design of the publication, I am fully of your opinion, that there is no necessity of adhering strictly to a translation, totidem verbis, of the Synod of Dort: nor even of giving every article, as many of them are local, and only applicable to the Netherlands. It is not a history of the Dutch Church as it is in Europe, which we are