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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Acts of the North Carolina General Assembly, 1703
North Carolina. General Assembly
1703
Volume 25, Page 151

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LAWS OF NORTH CAROLINA--1703.

CHAPTER I.
An Act for the establishment of Religious Worship in this province according to the church of England and for the erecting of churches for the publick worship of God, and also for the maintenance of ministers and building convenient houses for them.

(See below for statement of contents.)

CHAPTER II.
An Act for the more effectual prosecution of the Government of this province by requiring all persons that shall be hereafter chosen members of the Commons House of Assembly to take the oaths and subscribe the Declaration appointed by this Act and to conform to the Religious Worship in this Province, according to the Church of England, and to receive the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, according to the rites and usages of the said Church.

[Note. The above acts were confirmed by the Lords Proprietors, but were afterwards set aside by the Queen in Council, 10 June, 1706, upon an Address from the House of Lords.—See 1 Colonial Records, pp. 636, 643, where the substance of these acts is stated as follows:

Chap. I. Created a commission of 20 laymen therein named with power, at their will, to remove & turn out any rectors or ministers of the Church of England from their benefices for any Immorality or Imprudence or for incurable Prejudices or Dissensions between such Rectors or Ministers and their people, by delivering a Writing to them or leaving it at their Houses, or fixing it upon the church doors, whereby it should be declared that they ceased to be Rectors or Ministers of such Parishes.

Chap. II. Declared that by the Law of England, all Members of Parliament are obliged to receive the Sacrament according to the Rites of the Church of England; and that hence no man who shall be chosen a member of the Comons House of Assembly in Carolina shall be permitted to sit there, who has not received the Sacrement in such manner, within a year before his election, unless he will swear he is of the Profession of the Church of England & did not abstain from the Sacrement out of dislike to the Manner and Form of the Administration used in the Church of England, and has not for a year passed been in Communion with any Church that does not conform to the Church of England, and upon such oath he shall be qualified to sit as if he had received the Sacrement as prescribed by the Act. And further that if any member should refuse to qualify himself as thereby directed, there should not be a new election, but he who had the next number of voices to such unqualified person upon the former Poll should be the member in his Place.—EDITOR.]