ANGLICAN CHURCHES. 



21 



der several specifications, that Mr. Voysey had 

 controverted in this book the doctrines of the 

 Atonement of Christ, Original Sin, of Justifi- 

 cation by Faith, of the Incarnation and God- 

 head of the Son, and that he had depraved the 

 Scriptures by denying their genuineness as 

 revelations of the knowledge of God. All the 

 charges but the last were sustained. The Lord- 

 Chancellor, in summing up the charges and the 

 evidence, remarked that the Court had not 

 been unmindful of the latitude allowed by the 

 Articles of Eeligion, and tolerated in the de- 

 cisions of previous ecclesiastical courts. " But," 

 he added, " the appellant will, we think, him- 

 self feel how impossible it is that any society 

 whatever of worshippers can be held together 

 without some fundamental points of agree- 

 ment, or can together worship a Being in whom 

 they have no common faith." After allowing 

 what was considered a reasonable time for 

 Mr. Voysey to recant his heresies, the sentence 

 of deprivation was made final. 



The ritualistic controversy was carried on 

 during the year with undiminished activity. 

 The decision in the Mackonochie case, which 

 is quoted in a previous volume of the ANNUAL 

 CYCLOPAEDIA, had the effect of widening the 

 breach between the bulk of the High-Church 

 party and the Eitualists. The subject of leav- 

 ing the Church was broached by some. The 

 question, to what extent the decisions of the 

 Judicial Committee in spiritual matters should 

 be held binding inforo conscientia, was freely 

 discussed. Many of the ritualistic party have 

 given their aid to the movement for the dis- 

 establishment of the Church. Early in the 

 year a petition was forwarded to the Convoca- 

 tion of Canterbury, signed by nine hundred 

 clergymen, begging to be protected against 

 this decision. The excitement was greatly in- 

 creased by another judgment, which was ren- 

 dered by the Judicial Committee of the Privy 

 Council, on the 23d of February, in the case 

 of Hebbert against Purchas. This case came 

 up on appeal from a previous decision of the 

 dean of arches, who had pronounced the so- 

 called Eucharistic garments lawful. The high- 

 er court decided that the clergyman must not 

 wear a tunicle, alb, or chasuble, in performing 

 divine service; that he must not mix water 

 with the wine for the communion, neither at 

 the altar nor in the vestry before the time 

 of service ; that pure wheaten bread must be 

 used, and not wafers ; and that the clergyman, 

 while standing at the communion-table, must 

 stand at the north side, looking south, and not 

 east. Strong efforts were made by Mr. Pur- 

 chas and his friends to have this decision re- 

 considered or revoked. Application was made 

 to the Queen to suspend action upon it until 

 a rehearing could be had, and the case was 

 brought again before the Privy Council, who 

 decided, April 26th, that their action was final. 

 A number of ritualistic clergyman resolved not 

 to abide by this decision. 



The Upper House of the Convocation of Can- 



terbury, at their meeting in June, adopted the 

 following declaration on the Vatican Council, 

 and directed it to be sent to all bishops in com- 

 munion with the Church of England : 



That the request of the Lower House in their mes- 

 sage to this House on the 15th of February last, with 

 regard to the Vatican Counciljbe complied with, and 

 that a declaration on that subject be put forth in the 

 following terms : 



That the Vatican Council has no just right to be 

 termed an (Ecumenical or General Council, and that 

 none of its decrees have any claim for acceptance as 

 canons of a General Council. 



That the dogma of Papal Infallibility now set forth 

 "by the Vatican Council is contrary to Holy Scripture, 

 and to the judgment of the ancient Church universal. 



That there is one true Catholic and Apostolic 

 Church, founded by our Lord and Saviour Jesus 

 Christ; that of this true Catholic and Apostolic 

 Church the Church of England and the Churches in 

 communion with her are living members ; and that 

 the Church of England earnestly desires to maintain 

 firmly the Catholic faith as set forth by the (Ecu- 

 menical Councils of the universal Church, and to be 

 united upon those principles of doctrine and disci- 

 pline in the bonds of brotherly love with all Churches 

 in Christendom. 



That the assumption of supremacy by the Bishop 

 of Kome in convening the late Vatican Council con- 

 travenes canons of the universal Church. 



Among the scholars who were invited to as- 

 sist the committee of the Convention of Can- 

 terbury in the revision of the English Bible, 

 was Mr. Vance Smith, a Unitarian. He par- 

 took of the communion with the other mem- 

 bers of the committee at their opening meet- 

 ing. This act of participation was objected 

 to by many of the clergy, who regarded as a 

 scandal that a Socinian should be recognized 

 in this manner. At the February meeting of 

 the convocation, the following resolution was 

 proposed by the Bishop of Winchester, and 

 carried : 



.Resolved, That in the judgment of this House it is 

 not expedient that any person who denies the God- 

 head of" our Lord Jesus Christ should be invited to 

 assist in a revision of the Scriptures, and further, 

 that it is in the judgment of this House expedient 

 that any such person now in either company should 

 cease to act therewith. 



The Lower House responded with expres- 

 sions of sympathy with the regret of the Upper 

 House that one who rejected the Nicene Creed 

 had been admitted to the communion at West- 

 minster Abbey, but recommended that the 

 resolutions under which the committee were 

 acting continue unaltered, and that the com- 

 mittee be not interfered with. By the deter- 

 mination of the committee, Mr. Vance Smith 

 retained his position as one of their number. 



The disestablishment of the Episcopal Church 

 in Ireland took effect on January 1, 1871, 

 when all church property became vested in 

 commissioners, all ecclesiastical law was abol- 

 ished, and the right of the bishops to sit in the 

 House of Lords ceased. 



The following is a condensed abstract of the 

 constitution of the disestablished Irish Church, 

 which was drawn up by the General Conven- 

 tion in two sessions, held at Dublin in 1870. 

 The Convention was composed of two houses 



