746 



REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 



inations accept the Heidelberg Catechism, the Ke- 

 formed Church in America adds to this symbol the 

 Belgic Confession and the canons of the Synod of 

 Dort. In order, therefore, to an organic union of the 

 two bodies, the one or the other would be compelled 

 to make a material change in its doctrinal stand- 

 ards. Since neither committee feels prepared to ad- 

 vise its Synod to make so important a concession, 

 they can only agree in making a frank statement of 

 this difficulty, in the hope that time and the best 

 wisdom of the two denominations, and, above all, 

 the Providence of God, may direct to its final solu- 

 tion. In addition to this, the probable fact that a 

 body made up of these two denominations would in- 

 clude important differences in doctrinal views and 

 ecclesiastical feeling, has appeared during the con- 

 ference. These obstacles seem to preclude any fur- 

 ther present negotiations in the direction of organic 

 union. The committees, in conclusion, are fully 

 persuaded that although their interview has devel- 

 oped no plan or distinct prospect of the organic union 

 ot their two churches, a real advance toward that 

 most desirable result has been made in the frank and 

 friendly conference which has now been held. The 

 difficulty of merging denominations so old and 

 so well established could not be expected to be 

 small. It is something gained to be able to sec at 

 what point the obstacles are greatest. Not less val- 

 uable is that cultivation of brotherly acquaintance, 

 esteem, and sympathy, which the conference has 

 greatly furthered. The ultimate issue of their inter- 

 view, the committee intrust to Christ, the one Head 

 of the Universal Church, in the faith that He has 

 kindled in these sister denominations the desire of 

 union, and that He will not suffer the desire to fail. 



A motion was then made that the General' 

 Synods of the two Churches be recommended 

 to direct their Boards of Missions to ascertain 

 if cooperation in the work of home and for- 

 eign missions would be practicable, but it was 

 voted down. The committees then adjourned. 



REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. The 

 second General Council of the Reformed Epis- 

 copal Church met in the city of New York, 

 May 13th. Seventeen clerical delegates, in- 

 cluding the two bishops, and nineteen lay 

 delegates, were present. Eight churches were 

 represented. A telegram of congratulation 

 was received from the Committee of the Free 

 Church of England. The Standing Committee 

 on Canons and on Revision of the Prayer 

 Book, appointed at the meeting of the Council 

 in December, 1873, presented their report. 

 They had held six stated and six adjourned 

 meetings, and had prepared a Constitution and 

 Canons, and made certain revisions of the 

 liturgy and offices, all of which were submit- 

 ted for the action of the Council. The Con- 

 stitution consists of fifteen articles. It defines 

 the membership of the General Council to con- 

 sist of bishops and presbyters with lay dele- 

 gates, who shall be members of the congrega- 

 tions which they represent, and shall be chosen 

 in the proportion of one delegate for every fifty 

 members. The right of the bishops to sit in a 

 separate house is denied. The bishop chosen 

 president of a General Council is made pre- 

 siding bishop of the Church for the next en- 

 suing year. The General Council is given the 

 right of defining the duties of the bishops, but 

 it is provided that " any bishop may perform 

 any act of the episcopal office in any church in 



communion with this." Ministers, on ordina- 

 tion, are required to make a declaration of be- 

 lief in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New 

 Testaments as the word of God, and contain- 

 ing all things necessary to salvation, and to 

 promise to conform to the doctrine, discipline, 

 and worship of the Reformed Episcopal Church, 

 so long as they continue ministers of it. The 

 article on decorations, rituals, and other ad- 

 juncts of the service, directs that "nothing 

 calculated to teach, either directly or symboli- 

 cally, that the Christian ministry possesses a 

 sacerdotal character, or that the Lord's Supper 

 is a sacrifice, shall ever be allowed in this 

 Church. Nor shall any communion-table be 

 constructed in the form of an altar, but shall 

 bo plain, and supported on an open frame- 

 work." 



The canons were for the most part adopted 

 in the form in which they were reported by 

 the Standing Committee. That in relation to 

 wardens and vestrymen was made to direct 

 that "the wardens and deputies shall be chosen 

 from among the communicants, and, when prac- 

 ticable, the vestrymen also ; in any case, the 

 wardens, vestrymen, and deputies, shall be men 

 of unimpeachable moral character." The canon 

 on marriage and divorce, which is an exact 

 transcript of the Protestant Episcopal canon, 

 was referred to the Committee on Canons, to 

 be reported upon at the next meeting of the 

 General Council. 



In the morning service an addition was made 

 to the sentences introductory to worship, of 

 the passage : " God is a Spirit ; and those who 

 worship Him must worship Him in spirit and 

 in truth." The Confession, the prayers, the 

 Venite, the Gloria in Excelsis, the Gloria Patri, 

 the Te Deum, the Jubilate Deo, and the Bene- 

 dictus, with their respective rubrics, were ac- 

 cepted. The words " he descended into hell " 

 were omitted from the Apostles' Creed, but 

 the rubric referring to this creed was so amend- 

 ed as to permit them to be used by those who 

 desire to do so. Thus amended, the rubric was 

 made to read : " Then shall be said the Apos- 

 tles' Creed, by the minister and the people, 

 standing. And any minister may insert the 

 words, He descended into hell ; or may, instead 

 of them, use the words, He descended into the 

 place of departed spirits, which are considered 

 words of the same meaning in the Creed." 

 The punctuation of the final paragraph of the 

 Creed was changed so as to read as follows : 

 " I believe in the Holy Ghost ; the Holy Cath- 

 olic Church The Communion of Saints ; The 

 forgiveness of sins ; The resurrection of the 

 Body ; And the .Life Everlasting, Amen ; " it 

 being intended, by substitution of a dash for a 

 semi-colon, to indicate that the words, The 

 communion of Saints should be understood 

 as defining and explaining the words, The Holy 

 Catholic Church. The Nicene Creed was in- 

 serted with the following words appended to 

 it : " [Note. By ' One Catholic and Apostolic 

 Church' is signified 'The Blessed Company 



