REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 



609 



1. Those Churches differ essentially as to what con- 

 stitute tin- Church of Chri.it. The Protestant Epis- 

 copal Church of tin- I nii>-l States, asreprfsetitfl l.y 

 a large mujority ot' itH ministers and members, holds 

 that in tlio Church of Christ exists only one form 

 or order of church government, a threefold minis- 

 try of bishops, priests, and deacons, based on the 

 dfvino right of the bishops, who are the successors 

 of tlir n|>".stles in their apostolic office, and derive 

 tln-ir authority from them by succession in an un- 

 broken chain. On this theory, only such bodies of 

 Christians as possess this order and succession cor- 

 rupt though they may be in doctrine and in living 

 are |.;irts of Christ's Church. The Reformed Ej>is- 

 c i>:d Church protests against this theory as unchris- 

 tian, in that it (It-nil's the claims of the Protestant 

 evangelical Churches around u>. It holds that the 

 true Church consists of alj who are joined to Christ 

 by a living faith, and which, under varying forms 

 of organization, is yet one in Christ Jesus. Tne 

 claims of the apostolical succession, as above oitud, 

 this Church repudiates holding to episcopacy, not 

 as of divine rigiit, but simply as a very ancient and 

 desirable form of church polity. Hence, while the 

 Protestant Episcopal Church, in its corporate ca- 

 pacity, turns awiiy from the Protestant Churches 

 around us, to seek fellowship with the older, corrupt 

 Churches as, for example, the Russo-Greek Church 

 the Reformed Episcopal Church, with an equally 

 historic episcopate, anu bishops wlio are only pre- 

 siding presbyters, not diocesan prelates, seeks the 

 fellowship of all Protestant evangelical. Churches, 

 exchanges pulpits with their ministers, and sits 

 down with them at the Lord's table. 



2. They differ concerning the nature of the Chris- 

 tian ministry. In the Protestant Episcopal Church 

 the presbyter is called a priest, and the Ordinal 

 contains this formula : " Receive the Holy Ghost for 

 the office and work of a priest in the Church of God, 

 now committed unto thee by the imposition of our 

 hands." The Reformed Episcopal Church abjures 

 this dogma as unscriptural and dangerous, leading 

 to many superstitions; strikes the word " priest," 

 as applied to the minister, from its Ordinal and 

 Prayer-Book, and knows but one priest, Christ 

 Jesus. 



8. They differ as to the nature and office of the sac- 

 raments. It is claimed, as the teaching of their 

 standards, by a large majority of the Protestant Epis- 

 copal Church, that the sac'aments convey special 

 S'ace, to be derived through no other channels: (a.) 

 aptism. The Protestant Episcopal Church, as thus 

 represented, holds that the grace of regeneration (a 

 regeneration of some sort) is inseparably connected 

 with baptism. (6.) The Lord's Supper. In the same 

 way, the Protestant Episcopal Church holds thi't, 

 after the priestly consecration of the elements, Christ 

 is present as he was not before, and that the recip- 

 ient feeds upon him by virtue of the presence thus 

 induced or communicated. 



Tiio Reformed Episcopal Church regards the sac- 

 raments as institutions divinely appointed, and as 

 means of grace, because they represent truth ; but 

 repudiates the theory that they convey a grace pecul- 

 iar to themselves, and which is n r >t common to other 

 divinely-appointed means: (a.) Baptism. The Re- 

 formed Episcopal Church knows of but one regen- 

 eration tnat by the Holy Ghost through the Word 

 of which baptism is to be regarded as the outward 

 and visible sign, (b.) The Lord's Supper. The 

 Reformed Episcopal Church holds that the Supper 

 of the Lord is a memorial of redemption by Christ's 

 death, and through faith we derive grace from him 

 in this Supper, as wo do in all other divinely-ap- 

 pointed means. 



4. The Protestant Episcopal Church suffers altars 

 to be erected in its churches, and tolerates auricular 

 confession and prayers for the dead, with other imi- 

 tations of Rome. The Reformed Episcopal Church 

 prohibit* the erection of altars in its churches, or 



introduction into public worship of anything calcu- 

 lated to teach sacerdotalism. 



5. The Protestant Episcopal Church "deposes" 

 all clergymen leaving its communion, following them 

 with nil attempted budge of disgrace. The Reformed 

 Episcopal Church commends any bishop or presby- 

 ter, who desires to leave it. to another evangelical 

 Church, with its prayers anu love. 



6. The Protestant Episcopal Church, in receiving 

 communicants from Protestunt Churches, generally 

 enforces a rubric which requires them to be con- 

 firmed. The Reformed Episcopal Church invariably 

 receives to its membership, by letter or other sutU- 

 factory evidence, communicants of other Churches, 

 dispensing with confirmation, unless desired. 



7. The Protestant Episcopal Church discourage* 

 the use of extemporaneous prayer m the stated ser- 

 vices of the Church, prohibiting it by cunon. The 

 Reformed Episcopal Church allows and encourages 

 the use of extempore prayer with its liturgy, and 

 values meetings for social worship, in which the 

 laity participate, as promoting the spiritual growth 

 of churches. 



This report was returned to the committee, 

 with power to carry out the suggestions and 

 recommendations contained in it. A series of 

 resolutions was adopted expressing gratifica- 

 tion that the Reformed Episcopal Church was 

 not divided by territorial divisions of nation- 

 ality, province, or State, hut that its council 

 sat and its bishops were chosen irrespective 

 of such divisions. The Committee on Doctrine 

 and Worship made a report suggesting some 

 changes in the service and some additions to 

 it. The report was recommended to the next 

 Council. Finally, all propositions offered to 

 the Council for changes in the Prayer-Book 

 were referred to the Committee on Doctrine 

 and Worship, to be reported by that committee 

 to the Council of 1 879, to be acted upon, and 

 finally adopted or rejected by the Council of 

 1880. The following resolution was intro- 

 duced, and was referred to the Committee on 

 Canons and Constitution, to be considered by 

 them, and reported upon at the next meeting 

 of the Council : 



Resolved, Thnt the Council hereby affirms the 

 principle that none but communicants, duly enrolled 

 as such, shall be permitted to vote for delegates to 

 synod or council, or for the lav officers to be asso- 

 ciated with the pastor in the admission, dismission, 

 or discipline of church-members. That the Commit- 

 tee on Constitution and Canons be hereby directed 

 to report, at the next ensuing annual meeting of the 

 Council, such amendment as may be necessary ia 

 order to embody these principles in the canons. 



The sum of $7,687 was offered on a call of 

 the parishes on the account of their assessments 

 for the general enterprises of the Church. Tho 

 Sustentation Committee reported that they had 

 received $8,000 from a friend, to be used in 

 mission-work in the States of South Carolina 

 and Georgia. The late George Curtis, of Bos- 

 ton, had bequeathed $25,000 by will. 



A resolution declaring it desirable that the 

 members of the Reformed Episcopal Church 

 partake of the Holy Communion m a sitting 

 posture was introduced and referred to the 

 Committee on Doctrine and Worship. 



The Council decided to elect one missionary 

 bishop. The Rev. Samuel Fallows, D. !>., of 



