*17.* _America, English Law, Civil Law._—The portions of America that were settled by the English, which included the original thirteen colonies, were under the English law. In Virginia the Episcopal Church, which was then the church of England, was made the church of state. Canada and that portion of the United States formerly known as Louisiana were governed by the civil law of France. Wherever the French government had no authority or civil officers, the government was directly under the missionaries of the Church.(20) *18.* _Religious Tolerance, Established Church._—The English law and English ideals prevailing in the original thirteen colonies,(21) there was a strong effort made by many of the delegates to the constitutional convention to have the Episcopal Church made the established church of the new republic. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison were probably the strongest opponents of the scheme, and outside of the great Carroll of Carrollton, they were the most earnest advocates of religious tolerance. The necessity for the fathers of this republic to be united, and their being unable to unite upon any church, caused the idea of an established church to be eliminated. Thus was established in our republic the freedom of conscience and the guarantee that no one shall be persecuted on account of his religious convictions.(22) *19.* _Tribunals._—The ecclesiastical courts as a part of the state system and the “benefit of the clergy,” have been abolished in England and America. However, as we shall see further on, tribunals in the nature of the ecclesiastical court exist in churches and fraternities of all kinds in the United States.(23) CHAPTER II. WHAT IS A CHURCH? *20.* _Church, Religious Society._—Bouvier’s definition of “Church” is: “A society of persons who profess the Christian religion.” Chief Justice Shaw’s definition is: “The church is neither a corporation nor a quasi-corporation, but a body of persons associated together for certain objects under the law. An aggregate body of individuals associated together in connection with a religious society. The term religious society may with propriety be applied in a certain sense to a church as that of religious association, religious union, or the like; yet in the sense church was and is used in our law, it is synonymous with parish or precinct and designates an incorporated society created and maintained for the support and maintenance of public worship. In this, its legal sense, a church is not a religious society. It is a separate body formed within such parish or religious society whose rights and usages are well known and to a great extent defined and established by law.”(24)