ANGLICAN CHURCHES. 



13 



sionaries of the society, and nearly half of its 

 foreign expenditure. The native churches in 

 West Africa were gaining strength and taking 

 upon themselves more and more the responsi- 

 bilities of pastoral and missionary work. The 

 spiritual and philanthropic work of the Frere- 

 town mission, in East Africa, had been carried 

 on with unceasing energy. Reports were also 

 made of the mission at Uganda, of the missions 

 at Jerusalem, Jaffa, Gaza, Nablus, and the 

 Hauran, in Palestine, of stations in Persia, and 

 the other older and extensive missions of the 

 society. 



The one hundred and eightieth annual meet- 

 ing of the Society for the Propagation of the 

 Gospel in. Foreign Parts was held May 12th, 

 the Archbishop of Canterbury presiding. The 

 income of the society during 1880 had been 

 138,288, against 131,674 in 1879. Five 

 hundred and eighty-six ministers had been em- 

 ployed during the year: 157 in Asia, 121 in 

 Africa, 54 in Australia and the Pacific, 253 in 

 America and the West Indies, and one in Eu- 

 rope. There were also in connection with the 

 society 1,242 catechists and lay teachers, mostly 

 natives in heathen countries, and about 250 

 students iu colleges abroad, who were in train- 

 ing for the work of the ministry in the lands 

 of their birth. 



The Convocation of Canterbury met for the 

 dispatch of business, February 8th. The arch- 

 bishop presented to the Upper House the sub- 

 ject of the addresses which had been sent to 

 him for and against greater liberty in ritual. 

 A resolution was passed in the Upper House 

 requesting the archbishop to t<ske steps with 

 a view to obtaining from the crown a letter of 

 business committing to convocation the work 

 of providing for a fuller representation of the 

 parochial clergy in the Lower House ; the 

 Lower House, however, declined to concur in 

 this action. A resolution was passed in the 

 Upper House approving of the scope of the bill 

 which had been introduced into the House of 

 Commons by Mr. E. Stanhope, to give effect 

 to the recommendations of the Royal Commis- 

 sion on the sale and exchange of benefices. A 

 report having been presented from the Lower 

 House on the recommendations of a committee 

 which had been appointed "' on the relations 

 of church and state," suggesting that greater 

 authority should be given to convocation, the 

 Upper House requested the archbishop to move 

 for a royal commission to consider the sub- 

 jects of clerical discipline and of courts of 

 first instance and of appeal in ecclesiastical 

 causes. An articulns cleri was adopted by the 

 Lower House and sent up to the Upper House, 

 asking that body, in view of the uncertainties 

 that were thought to surround some recent in- 

 terpretations of ecclesiastical law, and of the 

 peculiar character of the parishes and the con- 

 gregations placed in similar religious circum- 

 stances, to discountenance as much as possible 

 legal proceedings in such matters. In making 

 this request, the resolution said : 



The Lower House feels that this forbearance roust 

 be conditioned by limitations. 



The Upper House adopted a resolution de- 

 claring that 



Litigation in matters of ritual is to be deprecated and 

 deplored, and if possible to be avoided. This House 

 also declares that authority to settle differences in 

 such matters is inherent in the episcopal office, as wit- 

 nessed by ancient practice, and as referred to in the 

 preface of the Book of Common Prayer ; and while 

 this House entertains the hope that the clergy, as in 

 duty boundj will, in conjunction with the laity, sup- 

 port the legitimate authority, it also expresses its con- 

 fidence that this authority will be exercised by the 

 bishops of this province in their respective dioceses, 

 with the earnest endeavor to compose such differences 

 without litigation, and at the same tune to maintain 

 order, decency, purity of doctrine, and edification hi 

 Divine worship. 



The convocation met again May 17th. The 

 committee which had been appointed in 1870 

 for the revision of the authorized version of 

 the Holy Scriptures reported that the revision 

 of the New Testament had been completed, and 

 presented the volume containing the same. 

 The Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol spoke 

 upon the character and extent of the labors 

 of the committee, after which thanks were re- 

 corded to those members of the body who 

 were not appointed by convocation. A reso- 

 lution was adopted in the Upper House for the 

 appointment of a joint committee of both 

 Houses, to inquire into the remedies provided 

 by law for neglect of duty by the clergy. Tha 

 special attention of the parliamentary commit- 

 tee was asked by the Lower House for the 

 Charity Trusts Bill. A resolution was adopted 

 as an articulm cleri deprecating any further 

 relaxation of the oath of allegiance required 

 from persons seeking admission into Parlia- 

 ment. The Bishop of Llandaff stated that a 

 committee had been appointed by the Welsh 

 bishops and clergy to consider the expediency 

 of undertaking a revised version of the New 

 Testament in the Welsh language. 



The convocation met again July 19th. The 

 alleged neglect of baptism, and a proposition for 

 the constitution of a Board of Missions, were 

 discussed in the Upper House, and projects 

 for giving religious instruction to seamen, and 

 for securing the simultaneous bringing forward 

 of church questions in church conferences and 

 synods, in the Lower House. The Bishops of 

 Lincoln, Exeter, and Truro were requested to 

 consider what measures could with propriety 

 bo taken to secure the release of the Rev. S. 

 F. Green, who was in prison for contumacy in 

 resisting an order of the court, commanding 

 him to desist from certain practices in ritual 

 which had been declared unlawful. 



The Convocation of York met April 26th and 

 27th. A motion was offered by the Bishop of 

 Manchester to the effect that, in view of the 

 doubtfulness attaching to the interpretation of 

 the rubric relating to ornaments of the church 

 and of ministers, as it now stands, and of the 

 frequent litigation that has ensued, the rubric 

 should be expunged, to establish a clear and 



