678 



REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 



tions which had been given to the circular of 

 the 18th of August, and to announce the adop- 

 tion of a new method of adjusting the tempo- 

 rary difficulties, the meaning of which should 

 not be mistaken. Inferences had been drawn 

 from the propositions in his former circular, 

 that the minister had changed his attitude, 

 had ceased to maintain the decisions first an- 

 nounced, and that the consistories irregularly- 

 constituted had received, through the measures 

 announced in the circular, an indirect but offi- 

 cial recognition of their administrative capaci- 

 ty, which had been before denied them. In 

 the face of such interpretations of his position 

 he was obliged to pause. He would not, there- 

 fore, propose to the President of the Republic 

 to confirm provisionally the nominations spoken 

 of in his dispatch of the 18th of August. There 

 was one question, however, on which his reso- 

 lution had not been changed, viz., the wish to 

 apply & remedy to the painful situation of the 

 vacant parishes. He was not willing to leave 

 the different acts of public worship in these 

 parishes to be performed vicariously, or to 

 suffer for lack of the cooperation of the state. 

 Consequently, since he had been obliged to 

 abandon the measure on which he had first 

 determined, he had resolved to have recourse 

 to another plan, which should have the ad- 

 vantages of that one, without being subject to 

 the inconveniences which attended it. Until 

 a regular, definite solution of the questions at 

 issue should be reached, he would transmit, 

 to the presidents of the consistories or the 

 presbyterial councils interested, the sums ne- 

 cessary to secure religious services in the va- 

 cant parishes, and requite those having charge 

 of them. 



IV. THE CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH OF 

 THE NETHERLANDS. The Christian Reformed 

 Church of the Netherlands consists of a num- 

 ber of congregations who separated themselves 

 in 1834 from the Reformed Dutch 'Church, 

 chiefly for doctrinal reasons, connected with 

 the spread of rationalistic views in the parent 

 body. It consists of about 350 congregations, 

 with nearly 50,000 communicants. It has a 

 theological academy at Kampen, with four 

 professors, a tutor, and seventy students. It 

 has begun a mission-station at Batavia. The 

 income of the Church for church purposes in 

 1874 exceeded 70,000. The meetings of the 

 General Assembly are held every three years. 

 That for 1875 was held at Bois-le-Duc, North 

 Brabant, beginning May 26th. Visiting dele- 

 gates were present from the United Presbytery 

 of London and from the Reformed Church in 

 America. 



REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 

 " The Reformed Episcopal Church," said Bishop 

 Cummins, writing of the second anniversary 

 of its organization, December 2, 1875, "was 

 organized on the 2d of December, 1873, with 

 eight clergymen and a score of laymen, with- 

 out a single congregation adhering to it. On 

 the 2d day of December, 1875, it numbers fifty- 



two clergymen and fifty congregations through- 

 out the United States and the Dominion of 

 Canada." 



The third General Council of the Reformed 

 Episcopal Church met at Chicago, 111., May 

 12th. Bishop George D. Cummins presided. 

 On the calling of the roll there were found to 

 be present the two bishops (Cummins and Che- 

 ney), twenty-eight clergymen, three deacons, 

 not members, but invited to seats, lay dele- 

 gates from sixteen churches, and five perma- 

 nent lay delegates (or laymen who took part 

 in the first convention of the Church). The 

 committee appointed at the previous General 

 Council to superintend the publication of the 

 Book of Common Prayer, reported that they 

 had performed the work. 



The Standing Committee reported that the 

 following Churches had expressed their desire 

 to be identified with the Reformed Episcopal 

 Church, and, having complied with the condi- 

 tions presented, had been admitted to the list 

 of Churches : Immanuel Church, of Louisville, 

 Ky. ; Christ Church, of Toronto, Canada ; Holy 

 Trinity Church, of Jefferson City, Mo. ; Vic- 

 toria Church, of Victoria, British Columbia; 

 Zion Church, of St. John's, New Brunswick ; 

 Immanuel Church, of Newark, N. J. ; St. John's 

 Church, of Sussex, New Brunswick. 



The Treasurer reported that his receipts for 

 the year ending May 10th had been $16,522.70, 

 and his expenditures $16,209.34. Committees 

 were appointed: To revise the Hymnal, and 

 report to the next Council ; to draw up a paper 

 showing the points of difference between the 

 Protestant Episcopal and Reformed Episcopal 

 Churches; to prepare a translation of such 

 parts of the Prayer-Book as are necessary for 

 the use of the German congregations; Stand- 

 ing Committee on Doctrine and Worship to 

 present to the next Annual Council a course of 

 study and text-books for candidates for the 

 ministry; and a special committee to collate 

 the parochial reports, and present a digest of 

 tnem to the Council. Provisions were made 

 for the organization of sustentation, superan- 

 nuation, and widows' and orphans' funds. The 

 system of contribution by weekly offerings was 

 recommended, to be supplemented by such spe- 

 cial gifts as may be offered. 



The following missionary districts were es- 

 tablished : 



First District : ST. JOHN'S ; comprising New 

 Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward 

 Island. 



Second District: OTTAWA; comprising On- 

 tario, Quebec, and Manitoba. . 



Third District : PACIFIC COAST ; comprising 

 British Columbia, and all States and Territo- 

 ries west of the Rocky Mountains. 



Fourth District: That of the EAST; com- 

 prising the New England States and the States 

 of New York and New Jersey. 



Fifth District: The CENTRAL; comprising 

 the States of Pennsylvania and Delaware. 

 Sixth District: That of the SOUTH; com- 



