"I have already picked up a vast deal of theological knowledge & shall become a great disputant."

In the course of checking on some sources for an article I've been writing on Section 25 of the Judiciary Act of 1789, I had occasion this morning to dip a bit into letters sent by South Carolina's Congressman William Smith to fellow South Carolinian Edward Rutledge. One letter I came across described Smith's participation as a lay delegate to an Episcopal convention in October 1789. It may be of some interest to MOJ readers this Holy Week. Here are a couple of paragraphs:

Yesterday I took my Seat in the Convention, where I have now the Honor of representing the Laity of S. Carolina being the only Layman from our state: we vote by States & no vote can pass unless the Laity concur. Several questions have been [torn] by the Laity's negative, altho the Clergy [were] pretty unanimous. In general the two orders don't perfectly agree--Yesterday we had much debate on the new form of Liturgy & to day was spent in discussing the propriety of inserting in the Creed that J. Christ decended into Hell: the Clergy all voted for it & nearly all the Laity against it, consequently the motion for inserting those words was lost. It was matter of great triumph to us that the reverend gentlemen could not agree among themselves what was the meaning of the words, some contending that he actually went to the place of the damned, vulgarly called Hell, others that he only went to the place of departed spirits & others again that he only went to his grave--finally we made a compromise & agreed that the Minister may use either words, viz.; that he decended into Hell or into the place of departed Spirits.

The Lay Deputies who are most conspicuous are Mr. Hopkinson & Tench Coxe of this place & Mr. Andrews of Virginia. Dr. Smith of this State is President & a very bad one, for he is perpetually interrupting the members & mingling in the Debate--indeed I observe that all the Gentlemen are always out of order: I have already picked up a vast deal of theological knowledge & shall become a great disputant.

Letter of William Smith to Edward Rutledge, Oct. 6, 1789, reprinted in 69 The South Carolina Historical Magazine 1, 25 (1968).