Page:A short account of the rise and progress of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in America.djvu/51

 Leven Smith, John Dungy, Christopher Rush, Timothy Eatto, Samuel Bird, Tobias Hawkins, William Brown, and George Collins called on him, on Sunday, September 24th, 1820, immediately after Divine service in the afternoon, at his lodgings (he being unwell) at the residence of Joshua Souls, where they had a mutual conversation on the subject of our withdrawing from our white brethren. The Bishop said that he desired to see them, in order to know what they wanted him to do for them. They told him what they wanted, what they had done, and how far they were willing to go, in order to be in union with or governed by the white Bishops and Conference, and asked him whether he could ordain Elders for them. He said that he was limited in his office and could not at the present, but advised them to wait until the sitting of the ensuing annual Conference, and have the case brought regularly before that body, so that, if they should agree on the subject, our Preachers might be ordained by him. Our brethren then informed him that such was the state of their spiritual affairs they could not wait until that time, but would be obliged to proceed and elect Elders as was contemplated, and gave him to understand that they probably would wait the result of the said Conference relative to ordination. On Sunday afternoon, October 1st, 1820, being the time appointed to elect the two brethren who were nominated on the 13th of September last for that purpose, the members of the Society, both male and female, were requested to tarry after the dismission of the congregation, for special business; and after the Elder, William M.