REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 



687 



accepts the Book of Common Prayer as it was re- 

 vised, proposed, and recommended for use by the 

 General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal 

 Church, A. p. 1785, reserving full liberty to alter, 

 enlarge, abridge and amend the same as may seem 

 most conducive to the edification of the people, pro- 

 vided that the substance of the faith be kept entire. 

 IV. This Church condemns and rejects the fol- 

 lowing erroneous and strange doctrines, as contrary 

 to God's Word: 



1. That the Church of Christ exists only in ona 

 order or form of ecclesiastical polity. 



2. That Christian ministers are priests in another 

 sense than that in which all believers are a " royal 

 priesthood." 



8. That the Lord's Table is an altar on which an 

 oblation of the Body and Blood of Christ is offered 

 anew to the Father. 



4. That tlie presence of Christ in the Lord's Sup- 

 per is a presence in the elements of bread and wine. 



5. That regeneration is inseparably connected 

 with baptism. 



The president then declared the Church 

 formally organized, under the style and title 

 of the " Reformed Episcopal Church." It was 

 determined that the general meeting of the 

 Church should be called the " General Council 

 of the Reformed Episcopal Church," and that 

 it should be the representative of the entire 

 Church, to be incorporated under that name, 

 and under that name to hold and dispose of 

 temporalities. The General Council is to be 

 held on the second Wednesday of May of each 

 year. A standing committee of five ministers 

 and five laymen, and a committee of finance of 

 three laymen were appointed, and a layman 

 was appointed treasurer. 



It was also resolved : 



That the presiding bishop, with Bnch other bish- 

 ops as may be ordained or received prior to the 

 first annual Council, together with the Standing 

 Committee and Secretary, and the Committee on 

 Finance, and Treasurer,' shall form a temporary 

 Executive Committee, witli power to frame a con- 

 stitution and a system of laws for the government 

 of this Church, and to consider the proposed altera- 

 tions in the Prayer Book of 1785, and make such 

 other arrangements as to them may seem advisable, 

 to be reported to the next General" Council, to be by 

 that council confirmed or altered, and that, in the 

 mean time, the presiding bishop, with the written 

 consent and advice of three-fourths of the Executive 

 Committee, shall have power to act, and to authorize 

 action under said constitution and laws, and alter 

 Prayer-books and other arrangements, until the 

 same shall be altered by a majority vote of both 

 orders at a subsequent General Council ; provided 

 that such alteration shall have no retroactive effect. 



The presiding bishops and the standing 

 committee together were authorized to prepare 

 forms for the ordination of ministers and any 

 other officers required before the next General 

 Council. The following provisional rules were 

 adopted : 



1. Ministers, in good standing in other churches, 

 hall be received in this Church on letters of dis- 

 mission, without reordination. they sustaining a 

 sntisfnetory examination on such points as may hew- 

 after he determined, and subscribing to the doctrine, 

 discipline, and worship of this Church. 



2. All ordinations of bishops and other ministers 

 In this Church shall he performed by one or more 

 bishops, with the laving on of hands of the presby- 

 tery. 



8. Communicants in good standing in other evan- 

 gelical Churches shall be received on presentation of 

 a letter of dismissal or other satisfactory evidence. 



The Rev. Charles Edward Cheney, of Chi- 

 cago, was elected an additional bishop, to be 

 styled "Missionary Bishop of the Northwest." 

 During the meeting Bishop Cummins delivered 

 an address relating the history of the Prayer 

 Book of 1785, and setting forth with some 

 particularity the points of difference between 

 it and the Book of Common Prayer. 



The Rev. Charles Edward Cheney having, 

 after due consideration of the subject decided 

 to accept the episcopal office, was ordained 

 bishop at Christ Church, Chicago, December 

 14th, by Presiding Bishop Cummins, assisted 

 by the Rev. Messrs. Marshall B. Smith, Anson 

 Gallagher, B. B. Leacock, W. V. Feltwell, and 

 Charles H. Tucker. 



The organization of congregations and 

 churches in connection with the Reformed 

 Episcopal Church was purposely delayed, in 

 order to give time for the preparation and pub- 

 lication of an edition of the Prayer Book of 

 1785; consequently, the Church made but lit- 

 tle visible growth during the few days of the 

 year that remained after the organization was 

 effected. Bishop Cummins, however, stated 

 privately that he had letters from twenty-five 

 or thirty clergymen in addition to those who 

 were present at the meeting of organization, 

 who desired to come into the communion of 

 this Church so soon as congregations could be 

 found for them. He also said that he had re- 

 ceived letters from Baptist, Methodist, and Pres- 

 byterian clergymen, who desired to join the 

 movement. Several Episcopal ministers with- 

 drew from the Protestant Episcopal Church 

 before the close of the year, to join the Re- 

 formed organization, and a church was formed 

 in Peoria, 111., during December. 



The Executive Committee, appointed by the 

 General Council of December 2d, subsequently 

 adopted the following Constitution for the Re- 

 formed Episcopal Church, to be in force until 

 the meeting of the General Council in May, 

 1874: 



ABTIOLK I. There shall be a General Council of tha 

 Reformed Episcopal Church, on the second Wednes- 

 day in May, in each year ; and in such place as shall 

 be determined by the council; and in case there 

 should be an epidemic disease, or any other good 

 cause to render it necessary to alter the place fixed 

 on for anv such meeting of the council, the bishop 

 presiding'shall have it in his power to appoint another 

 convenient place (as near as may be to the place so 

 fixed on) for the holding of such council ; and spe- 

 cial meetings may be called at other times in the 

 manner hereafter to be provided for; and six minis- 

 ters and six lay members shall be present before they 

 shall proceed to business, except that three ministers 

 and three lay members shall be sufficient to adjourn ; 

 and in all business of the council freedom of debate 

 shall be allowed. . , 



ART II. The General Council shall consist of all 

 the bishops and presbyters of the Church, with lay 

 representatives who shall be communicants and 

 members of the congregation they may represent. 

 The lav representation shall consist of one deputy tor 

 each fifty communicants in each congregation now 



