744 



REFORMED CHURCHES. 



Resolved, That our delegate to the General Assem- 

 bly of the Presbyterian Church in North America 

 be instructed to lay before that esteemed body a 

 proposition to appoint a committee to meet with a 

 committee of the Synod of our Church to revise our 

 articles of correspondence, with a view of giving 

 practical expression to the close relations of our 

 respective churches in sentiment and polity, as well 

 as to secure better cooperation for the work given us 

 as sister branches of the Church of Christ. 



The recommendations of the same committee 

 in relation to the Southern Presbyterian and 

 German Reformed Churches were adopted as 

 follows : 



Resolved, That the Synod continue its Committee 

 of Conference, to confer, in accordance with its pres- 

 ent action, with the Presbyterian Assembly (South), 

 and the Reformed Church in the United States 

 (German). 



The following resolution was also adopted : 

 Resolved, That while this Synod has declined to 

 continue conference with the General Assembly of 

 the Northern Presbyterian Church, on the basis of 

 the report of the Committee of Conference, it directs 

 its Committee of Conference, which it has now voted 

 to continue, to confer with the Committee of the 

 General Assembly (North) with regard to any cor- 

 respondence with that Assembly, within the limits 

 of the arrangements already made with the Southern 

 Assembly. 



The committee appointed to confer with a 

 committee of the Southern Presbyterian Gen- 

 eral Assembly reported the proceedings of 

 the joint meeting of the two committees which 

 was held in the city of New York, February 

 27th, with the plan of cooperation which they 

 had agreed upon. 



In reference to this subject, the Synod 

 Resolved, That the aforesaid plan be, and the same 

 is hereby, adopted entire (except as to the number of 

 delegates by this Synod), as the basis of an intimate 

 cooperative alliance such as is therein set forth ; a 

 union not organic, but nevertheless a union real and 

 practicable, and one which it is believed will, under 

 the Divine blessing, prove to be comfortable and 

 useful to the two bodies that at length are happily 

 brought into effective concert, and which,-it is hoped, 

 will redound to the honor and glory of the Great 

 Head of the Church. And, in accordance therewith, 

 the General Synod will now appoint one minister 

 and one elder, with alternates, as corresponding 

 members, to meet said General Assembly at its next 

 annual session. 



The Rev. H. D. Ganse and Elder Jonathan 

 Sturges were, in accordance with this reso- 

 lution, appointed primarii, and the Rev. Dr. 

 J. Elmendorf and Elder S. R. W. Heath al- 

 ternates. The following resolution was also 

 adopted, bearing upon the same subject : 



Resolved, That in accordance with the provisions 

 of the plan, the various questions relating to the de- 

 tails of cooperation are referred to our Boards of 

 Education, Publication, Foreign Missions, and Do- 

 mestic Missions, respectively, who shall report as 

 soon as practicable to this Co'mmittee of Conference, 

 hereby reappointed, and that the committee shall 

 consider _ and digest the information so obtained, 

 with a view to continue the conference to such an 

 end as shall be most to the glory of God and the 

 interests of both denominations. 



In response to an invitation to take part in 

 the proposed (Ecumenical Council of Presby- 



terian Churches (designated as Churches hold- 

 ing by the Westminster Standard), and to ap- 

 point a committee to correspond or confer 

 with other committees on the subject, a com- 

 mittee of live persons was appointed, " to rep- 

 resent the Synod in arranging the time, place, 

 and manner, of holding such a council." 



The following action was taken for opening 

 a correspondence with the Reformed Episcopal 

 Church : 



Resolved, That this Synod expresses cordial sym- 

 pathy with the efforts of the Reformed Episcopal 

 Church to establish and perpetuate pure and spirit- 

 ual worship, and recognizes with pleasure the min- 

 istry and membership of that Church as forming 

 with ourselves, and all our brethren of Christ's 

 household, a part of the true Church of God upon 

 earth. 



Resolved, That, to express this feeling more strong- 

 ly, the Synod will appoint, at this session, a delegate 

 to convey to the Convention of the Eeformed Epis- 

 copal Church our Christian salutations, and that our 

 delegates suggest the expediency of an annual cor- 

 respondence by delegates between that Convention 

 ana this Synod. 



The committee who had been engaged in 

 the revision of the Liturgy made a report of 

 their work. The Synod approved so much of 

 the Liturgy reported by them as is not incon- 

 sistent with or forbidden by the constitution, 

 and gave permission to use the same, provid- 

 ing, however, that its action should not be con- 

 strued as sanctioning any change in the bap- 

 tismal form, or in the form for the administra- 

 tion of the Lord's Supper. 



Thirty-one of the thirty-four classes made 

 return of their action on the adoption of the 

 revised constitution. Nineteen classes had 

 voted in favor of adoption, and eight against. 

 A clause separately submitted, in reference to 

 the requirement of the presence of a deputa- 

 tion on certain occasions, was lost. A section 

 requiring certain questions as to the preaching 

 on the Heidelburg Catechism was retained. 

 Twenty-two classes had voted in favor of the 

 order of worship, and five against it. The 

 new constitution, excepting the rejected arti- 

 cles, was declared to be in force from the day 

 of the final adjournment of the Synod. 



In regard to the Union Church in Yoko- 

 hama, Japan, and to a proposition for an alli- 

 ance of the Presbyterian and Reformed mis- 

 sions in India, the Synod 



Resolved, That the resolution of 1864, in reference 

 to the churches at Amoy, as far as the principle 

 therein stated is applicable to this, be adopted, in 

 regard to the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ in 

 Japan. 



Resolved, That the General Synod, from the slight 

 information it possesses in regard to the Presbyte- 

 rial Confederation in India, refers the matter of al- 

 liance, on the part of our brethren on that field, to 

 their discretion, permitting such alliance in so far as 

 it shall not conflict with their nearer relations to our 

 own boards. 



II. REFORMED CnrruoH IN THE UNITED 

 STATES. The A Imanac for the Reformed 

 Church in the United States, published by the 

 Reformed Church Publication Board, Phila- 



