REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 



679 



prising the State of Maryland, the District of 

 Columbia, and all States south of the Ohio 

 River and east of the Mississippi River. 



Seventh District: That of the WEST and 

 NORTHWEST; comprising all States north of 

 the Ohio River, west of the Mississippi River, 

 and east of the Rocky Mountains. 



The Rev. Edward Cridge, of Victoria, Brit- 

 ish Columbia, the Rev. John A. Latane", of 

 Wheeling, W. Va., and the Rev. W. R. Nichol- 

 son, of Philadelphia, were elected missionary 

 bishops. 



An offer was made to the Council of a gift 

 of thirty acres of ground in the neighborhood 

 of Chicago, as the site of a Reformed Episco- 

 pal Theological Seminary, to be built within 

 the next five years. The offer was accepted 

 " with gratitude," and the.subject was referred 

 to the Bishops and the Standing Committee of 

 the Missionary Jurisdiction of the Northwest. 



The most important business transacted by 

 the Council was the consideration and adop- 

 tion of the articles of religion. As finally 

 settled upon, the articles are based in the main 

 upon the thirty-nine articles of the Protestant 

 Episcopal Church. The number of articles 

 was, however, reduced to thirty-five, the third, 

 twenty -ninth, thirty-fourth, thirty-fifth, thirty- 

 sixth, and thirty-ninth articles of the Protes- 

 tant Episcopal Church having been omitted, 

 and the tenth, eleventh, thirteenth, fourteenth, 

 and thirty - second articles of the -Reformed 

 Episcopal Church having been added. Impor- 

 tant changes were made in the phraseology of 

 several articles. The articles as adopted are 

 as follows : 



ARTICLE I. Of the Holy Trinity. There is but one 

 living and true God, who is a spirit everlasting ; of 

 infinite power, wisdom and goodness the maker and 

 preserver of all things, both visible and invisible. 

 And in unity of this Godhead there be three per- 

 sons, of one substance, power and eternity; the 

 Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. 



ART. II. Of the Word, or Son, of God, which was 

 made very man. The Son, who is the Word of the 

 Father, begotten from everlasting of the Father, the 

 very and eternal God, of one substance with the 

 Father, cook man's nature in the womb of the Blessed 

 Virgin, of her substance : so that two whole and 

 perfect natures, that is to say, the Godhead and man- 

 hood, were joined together in one person, never to 

 be divided, whereof is one Christ, very God and very 

 man; who truly suffered, was crucified, dead and 

 buried, to satisfy Divine Justice, and to reconcile us 

 to his Father, and to be a sacrifice, not only for origi- 

 nal sin, but also for actual sins of men. 



ART. III. Of the Resurrection of Christ and his 

 Second Coming. Christ did truly rise from death, 

 and took again his body, with flesh, bones, and all 

 things appertaining to the perfection of man's na- 

 ture, wherewith He ascended into heaven, and there 

 sitteth, our High Priest and Advocate, at the right 

 hand of the Father, whence He will return to judge 

 the world in righteousness. This Second Coming 

 is the blessed hope of the Church. The heavens 

 have received him till the times of the restitution 

 of all things. To those who look for him He shall 

 appear a second time without sin unto salvation. 

 Then shall He change the body of our humiliation, 

 that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body. 

 He will take to himself his great power, and shall 

 reign till He have put all enemies under his feet. 



ART. IV. Of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost, 

 proceeding from the Father and the Son, is of one 

 substance, majesty, and glory, with the Father and 

 the Son, very and eternal God. It is the work of 

 the Holy Ghost to reprove and convince the world 

 of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment ; to 

 take of the things of Christ and show them to men ; 

 to regenerate, making men willing, leading them to 

 faith in Christ, and forming Christ in them the hope 

 of glory ; to strengthen them with might in their 

 inner man, that Christ may dwell in their hearts by 

 faith and to secure in them that walking in the ways 

 of God which is called the Fruit of the Spirit. The 

 true Church is thus called out of the world, and is 

 builded together for an habitation of God though 

 the Spirit. 



AET. V. Of the Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures 

 for Salvation. All Scripture is given by inspiration 

 of God. Holy men of God spake as they were moved 

 by the Holy Ghost: Holy Scripture is, therefore, 

 the Word of God ; not only does it contain the Ora- 

 cles of Godj but it is itself the very Oracles of God. 

 And hence it containeth all things necessary to sal- 

 vation : so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor 

 may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any 

 man that it should be believed as an article of faith, 

 or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation. 

 In the name of the Holy Scripture we do understand 

 the canonical books of the Old and New Testament. 

 The book commonly called "The Apocrypha" is 

 not a portion of God's Word, and is not, therefore, 

 to be read in churches, nor to be used in establishing 

 any doctrine. 



ART. VI. Of the Old Testament. The Old Testa- 

 ment is not contrary to the New : for both in the 

 Old and New Testament everlasting life is offered 

 to mankind by Christ, who is the only Mediator be- 

 tween God and man, being both God and man. 

 Wherefore they are not to be heard, which feign that 

 the old Fathers did look only for transitory prom- 

 ises ; and although the Law given from God by Mo- 

 ses, as touching Ceremonies and Kites, does not bind 

 Christian men, nor the Civil precepts thereof ought 

 of necessity to be received in any commonwealth; yet 

 notwithstanding, as a rule of right living, no Chris- 

 tian man whatsoever is free from the obedience of 

 the Commandments which are called Moral. 

 t ART. VII. Of Original or Birth - sin. Original 

 sin standeth not in the following of Adam, as the 

 Pelagians do vainly talk ; but it is the fault and cor- 

 ruption of the nature of every man, that naturally 

 is engendered of the offspring o'f Adam, whereby 

 man is wholly gone from original righteousness, 

 and is of his own nature inclined to evil, so that the 

 flesh lusteth always contrary to the Spirit ; and there- 

 fore in every person born into this world it deserv- 

 eth God's condemnation. Men are, as the Apostle 

 speaks, "by nature the children of wrath." And 

 this infection of nature doth remain, yea, in them 

 that are regenerated. And although there is no 

 condemnation for them that are in Christ Jesus, yet 

 the Apostle doth confess that concupiscence or liist 

 in such hath of itself the nature of sin. 



ART. VIII. Of Marts Condition by Nature. The 

 condition of man after the fall of Adam is such, that 

 he cannot turn and prepare himself, by his own nat- 

 ural strength and good works, to faith, and calling 

 upon God. Wherefore we have no power to do good 

 works pleasant and acceptable to God, without the 

 grace of God by Christ first inclining us, that we 

 may have a good-will, and working with us, when 

 we have that good-will. 



ART. IX. Of Worlcs before Justification. Works 

 commonly called good, before the grace of Christ 

 and the inspiration of his Spirit, have not the nature 

 of obedience to God, forasmuch as they spring not 

 of Faith in Jesus Christ, neither do they make men 

 meet to deserve or to receive grace. 



ART. X. Of Regeneration or the New Birth. Re- 

 generation is the creative act of the Holy Ghost 



