FREE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. 



331 



Fi;i:i: CHURCH OF ENGLAND. Tho 

 chu-t feature in the organization and govern- 

 in, -lit of tho Free Church of England lnivo 

 been briefly stated as follows, by one of its dea- 

 cons, in :i [HiMUhed communication: 



I. Tho constitution of tho Freo Church of England 



:.-.! l>y the deed-poll, duly enrolled iu Chan- 



re cannot be varied. 



i ho Monthly Magcuint gives full Inform*- 

 what is going on. 



.10 iimuul roport gives full information of 

 chuivh.'s and ministers, with a list of tho officer* and 

 governing council. 



5. The Episcopacy of the Free Church of England 

 .liilVrs ^lightly Irom the Episcopacy of tho Estab- 

 lishud Church. 



6. Tho Free Church of England acknowledges only 

 two orders of ministers, viz., bishops, including pres- 



rs, and deacons. 



7. Kvery ordained minister in the Free Church of 



id who 1ms charge of a congregation is a 

 bishop, or presbyter, and is acknowledged as tho 

 of that particular congregation. 



8. Every layman, holding office in tho church as 

 warden or manager, is a deacon of the Freo Church 

 of England. 



9. One of tho bishops is chosen as primus or presi- 

 dent of the whole body, otherwise Ins status is the 

 same as the rest. 



10. Every ordained minister is a bishop or pres- 

 bytor, and "becomes a bishop of a diooese when he 



he oversight and charge of any particular dis- 

 trict. 



II. Ordinations are conducted by the bishops 

 and presbyters, the primus always presiding when 

 present. 



12. Bishops and presbyters in the Free Church of 

 England are of equal order. 



18. Confirmations are conducted by the primus or 

 by any other bishop of the Church. 



"14. Ordained ministers from the Established 

 Church or other denominations are received, if eligi- 

 ble, without rcordination, at the annual meeting of 

 Convocation, but they must be highly recommended, 

 and submit to a very searching examination by the 

 Examination and Discipline Committee, before they 

 o:tu ho so received, and thev must also be recom- 

 mended by the district or diocesan meeting from 

 which they come. 



15. Both orders have equal right to be present and 

 vote at Convocation on all matters whatsoever ; the 

 deacons (i. e., the laity holding office) outnumbering 

 the bishops and clergy at least two to one. 



16. There are at present about forty bishops or 

 presbyters, and about ono hundred deacons, consti- 

 tuting the Convocation meeting yearly. The Coun- 

 cil consists of about forty members, carefully chosen, 

 who meet monthly at Westminster and quarterly at 

 Spu Fields, with full power to act for Convocation in 

 aU necessary matters. 



17. Each of the fifty-two counties of England and 

 Wales is a separate district. 



IS. These ftfty-two districts are grouped into five 

 dioceses, holding quarterly conferences, and having 

 each a superior secretary in constant communication 

 with tho Council in London, through tho principal 

 secretary. The county secretaries are each in com- 

 munication with the secretary of the district or dio- 

 cese to which they respectively belong. 



19. Tho five principal districts or diocesan secre- 

 taries are required to attend the Council in London 

 at least four times a year. 



The eleventh annual meeting of the Convo- 

 cation of the Free Church of England was 

 held in London June 23d and 24th. The 

 bishop-president delivered an opening address 

 on " Sacerdotalism." Ho then introduced the 



subject of the proposed union with the Re- 

 t'..rmiMl Kpiscopal Church of Aim-ri-a, after 

 which the following resolution, embodying the 

 report of the committee of tho Church on the 

 subject, was adopted : 



JktolceJ, That this Council heartily adopU tbo 

 following articles of federal union between the Re- 

 formed Episcopal Church of America arid the Freo 

 Church of England, humbly praying Almighty God 

 to bless the union of tho two Churches, to the exten- 

 sion of his kingdom throughout tho world. 



Whertcu, The Council of the Freo Church of Eng- 

 land addressed to the Executive Committee of tne 

 Reformed Episcopal Church a communication under 

 date of March 10, 1874, signed by the bishop primui 

 thereof, proposing " some closer relationship than 

 that of mere brotherly sympathy;" and 



Wherecu, Tho Executive Committee of the Re- 

 formed Episcopal Church had previously desired, 

 and still desires, such close relationship : therefore, 

 be it jointly 



Jfaolved, That the following Articles of Federative 

 Union be submitted by the Executive Committee of 

 the Reformed Episcopal Church at the General Coun- 

 cil of said Church in May next, and by the Council 

 of the Free Church of England to the annual meet- 

 ing of the Convocation of said Church in June next, 

 for the action of the respective Churches : 



ARTICLE I. As an evidence of the union existing 

 between tho Free Church of England and the Re- 

 formed Episcopal Church, a delegation of ministers 

 and laymen may be sent annually from the Con- 

 vocation to the General Council, and from tho Gen- 

 eral Council to the Convocation, with the right to 

 take part in the deliberations of said bodies re- 

 spectively. 



ART. II. On the consecration or ordination of 

 bishops or other ministers in either Church, the 

 bishops and ministers of the other Church shall be 

 entitled to participate. 



ART. III. The ministers of either of said Churches 

 shall be entitled to officiate transiently in the congre- 

 gations of the other: and also, subject to the re- 

 spective regulations of said Churches, shall be eligible 

 to a pastoral charge in either. 



ART. IV. Communicants of either Church shall 

 be received by the other on presentation of letters 

 of dismissal. 



ART. V. Divisionary or other congregations of 

 either Church may transfer their connections to 

 the other on such terms as may be mutually agreed 

 upon. 



ART. VI. The two Churches, recognizing the fact 

 that they are working together in the same great 

 cause, and on the same basis, pledge each to tho 

 other their mutual cooperation, sympathy, and sup- 

 port. 



The annual report contained an exposition 

 and defense of the constitution of the Church, 

 and especially of the doctrine that there are 

 but two orders of the Christian ministry. The 

 reports of the several districts showed progress 

 and continued consolidation. Five ministers 

 were recommended and received, either by 

 ordination, or as ministers who had been al- 

 ready ordained. The Secretary of Convoca- 

 tion was requested by resolution " to compare 

 the constitution of the Free Church of England 

 with that of the Reformed Episcopal Church 

 in America, and to adopt and adapt tho-o 

 canons of the. latter which may bo found suit- 

 able and practicable as by-laws to improve and 

 complete the organization of the former, not 

 aiming so much at uniformity as to render the 



