Page:A short account of the rise and progress of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in America.djvu/46

 On Thursday night, August 17th, the committee met with the Bishop, at William Brown's, in Leonard Street, and after some conversation with the old man, they found that the interview only served to let them know that he "was not a child, that he knew his business," (as he said,) and that he had no intention to assist in ordination, except we put ourselves under his charge. Thus we discovered that what was said of the Bishop's disposition to be friendly, and his desire to have an interview with some of our official brethren, must have flowed from selfish motives on his part, designed, very probably, to take the advantage of the unsettled state of the church affairs at this critical moment; for, during this time, those Preachers who were attached to his connexion in this city, were going on to make proselytes of all they could, both of individuals and of churches, and with the influence of the aforesaid George White and other mismanagement, they obtained the consent of the African Church at Brooklyn to unite with them, and were proceeding on- ward. On Sunday, August 20th, 1820, the sacrament of the Lord's Supper was administered for the first time within the walls of the new Church, by William M. Stilwell. On Friday night, September 1st, 1820, the official members met together in the Rose Street Academy, for the purpose of receiving the reports of those committees, which were appointed to make inquiry relative to ordination, and to have an interview with Bishop Allen—Abraham 5