Page:A short account of the rise and progress of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in America.djvu/15



When our white brethren, the Ministers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, found that we were determined upon becoming a separate body, or society, they appointed the Rev. John McClaskey, at their General Conference, who was one of the stationed Elders for the Methodist Episcopal Church in the city of New-York, to make arrangements and effect some articles of agreement with us for our government, in order that the spiritual part of the government might be under the direction of the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church from time to time, and so keep the two Churches or Societies in union with each other, and secure to the aforesaid General Conference the ecclesiastical part of the government. The Rev. John McClaskey, being a man of friendly disposition towards us, commenced his mission by giving us some friendly advice, and aided to draw up the instrument of writing, which was necessary to present to the Master in Chancery, in order to obtain our Incorporation; which, with the Articles of Agreement, we will give from the original, as follows: