748 



REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 



dead, and an additional lesson, from the gos- 

 pel of St. John, describing the raising of Laza- 

 rus, was provided. The minister was also em- 

 powered to introduce any other passage of 

 Scripture suited to the occasion. The use was 

 allowed of a hymn and prayer in the "form 

 for visitation of the sick," but the words, " the 

 Catholic Church," in the prayer, were changed 

 to "Thy Church." In order to provide more 

 appropriately for the case of persons whose 

 lives have been immoral or irreligious, the 

 committal service was changed so as to read : 



Forasmuch as it has pleased Almighty God, in his 

 wise providence, to take out of this world the soul 

 of our deceased brother, we therefore commit his 

 body to the ground, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, 

 dust to dust, awaiting the general resurrection on. 

 the last day and the appearing of our Lord Jesus 

 Christ, at whose second coming in glorious majesty, 

 to judge the world, the earth and the sea shall give 

 up their dead, and the corruptible bodies of those 

 who sleep in him shall be changed, and made like 

 unto his glorious body, according to the mighty 

 working whereby he is able to subdue all things 

 unto himself. 



The rubric preceding the words, "I heard a 

 voice from heaven," etc., was made to read, 

 " then may be said," instead of " then shall be 

 said; " and provision was made that after that 

 passage should be read, in case of the burial 

 of a child, the words from St. Mark's gospel : 

 " And the Lord Jesus Christ said, Suffer little 

 children to come unto me, and forbid them 

 not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven." 

 To the " prayers and thanksgivings upon sev- 

 eral occasions " were added a prayer for a 

 person or persons traveling by land, and 

 thanksgiving for a safe return from a journey 

 and for deliverance from peril. The collect 

 for Good Friday, as it appears in the Mission- 

 Book of the Reformed Episcopal Church, was 

 substituted for the form in the Protestant 

 Episcopal Prayer Book. The title, " Form of 

 ordaining Presbyters," was adopted instead of 

 the form styled in the old Prayer Book, " The 

 form and manner of ordaining priests." In 

 this form the bishop, instead of " Right Rev- 

 erend Father in God," is addressed as " Rev- 

 erend brother in Christ." In the address of 

 the bishop relative to the candidates, those 

 present at the ordination, before whom it is 

 delivered, are styled "brethren," instead of 

 " good people ; " and the words, " any impedi- 

 ment or notable crime, or any other reason," 

 after the words, " if there be any of you who 

 knoweth," were changed to, "any sufficient 

 reason for which any of them ought not to 

 be received." The words in the questions 

 relative to the ministry of the doctrine and 

 sacraments were changed from, " as this 

 church has received the same according to 

 the commandments of God," to, " As this 

 church has set forth the same according 

 to the teachings of the Holy Scriptures." The 

 words "within your cures" are omitted. The 

 requisition of obedience to bishops and other 

 chief ministers is also left out. The prayer 

 beginning " Receive the Holy Ghost," said in 



connection with the laying on of hands, was 

 changed so as to read : " Take thou authority 

 to execute the office of a Presbyter in the 

 Church of God, now committed unto thee, and 

 be thou a faithful dispenser of the Word of 

 God and of his holy ordinances. In the name 

 of the Father, and of the Son, and of the 

 Holy Ghost. Amen." All references to the 

 laying on of hands were struck out, and the 

 word sacraments was changed to ordinances. 

 The power given to the minister to preach and 

 administer the sacraments was left unrestrict- 

 ed, the words "in the congregations where 

 thou shalt be lawfully appointed thereunto " in 

 the old form having been struck out. In the 

 office for the ordination of deacons, the power to 

 baptize and administer the communion was not 

 given. The " consecration " was substituted 

 for the "ordination" of bishops. The order 

 for the consecration of churches was changed so 

 that the service may be performed without the 

 presence of a bishop. In the order for the in- 

 stallation of pastors all that refers to the sub- 

 missiveness of the laity to ministerial au- 

 thority was excluded. The word "altar" waa 

 also omitted, and the words " Holy Church Uni- 

 versal " were substituted for " Holy Apostolic 

 Church." A new office was adopted for the 

 public reception of presbyters. 



A plan of cooperation with the Free Church 

 of England was adopted. It had been pre- 

 viously approved by the Committee of the Free 

 Church. It provides that delegates be sent 

 annually from the Convocation of the Free 

 Church to the General Council, and from the 

 General Council to the Convocation, with the 

 right to take part in the deliberations of said 

 bodies respectively ; that the bishops and min- 

 isters of either church be allowed to partici- 

 pate in the consecration or ordination of bish- 

 ops or ministers in the other church ; that the 

 ministers of either church shall be entitled to 

 officiate transiently in the congregations of the 

 other, and also to be eligible to a pastoral 

 charge in either ; that communicants of either 

 church be received in the other on presenta- 

 tion of letters of dismissal ; that congregations 

 of either church may transfer their connection 

 to the other ; and that they pledge, each to 

 the other, mutual cooperation, sympathy, and 

 support. Bishop Cummins and Colonel J. B. 

 Aycrigg were appointed delegates to attend 

 the next Convocation of the Free Church of 

 England, and the Rev. Walter Windemeyer 

 and Mr. James H. Morgan alternates. 



Before the General Council adjourned a suf- 

 ficient sum of money was subscribed to pay, 

 with the subscriptions expected from the regu- 

 lar congregations, the entire expenses of the 

 church for one year, including the support of 

 bishops and several missionaries, the publica- 

 tion of the Prayer Book, and incidental ex- 

 penses. 



According to a statement made by Bishop 

 Cheney, in a sermon preached in December, 

 1874, the Reformed Episcopal Church had, at 



