158 



CONGREGATIONALISTS. 



as containing the essential doctrines of the Christian 

 faith. While regarding only the Holy Scriptures as 

 authoritative, we also pay ^special honor to these an- 

 cient creeds and accept them as a " sufficient state- 

 ment of the Christian faith." The third article re- 

 quires the acceptance of baptism and the Lord's 

 Supper " ministered with unfailing use of our Lord's 

 words of institution, and of the elements ordained by 

 him." As this is the habit of our churches it can be 

 accepted without difficulty. The fourth article re- 

 quires the historic episcopate, with necessary local 

 adaptations. This article is phrased with a happy 

 indefiniteness purposely to allow latitude of interpre- 

 tation and embrace the different views of the episco- 

 pate prevailing in the Protestant Episcopal Church. It 

 also carefully avoids terms imposing a diocesan epis- 

 copate or any theory of episcopal succession. Inas- 

 much as the view of the historic episcopate prevails 

 among us which holds the episcopate to have been 

 originally over the local church, and inasmuch as this 

 view also lias large prevalence among scholars of the 

 Anglican ;l ml American Episcopal Churches, this arti- 

 cle can be accepted by the Congregational churches 

 if interpreted in such a way as to give liberty to views 

 of the historic episcopate prevailing in both bodies. 



If, however, as perhaps a majority of our Protestant 

 Episcopal brethren will insist, by historic episcopate 

 is meant the diocesan episcopate, we are willing to 

 treat for unity on this interpretation. We could ex- 

 tend our system of missionary superintendents so that 

 it shall become general, and so that their supervision 

 shall cover all our territory ; and we could ordain them 

 as superintending bishops, without local charge, over 

 the territory occupied in part by our local bishops, 

 and might give them such responsible duties as can 

 be performed without interference with the local 

 churches and local bishops. We could, when de- 

 sired, invite their bishops to unite with us in the 

 ordination of our bishops and other ministers. This 

 we could do, not because we believe the system neces- 

 sary, but for the sake of meeting our brethren and 

 accommodating our practice to theirs; and we think 

 it could be done without interfering with the inde- 

 pendence of our churches. We would therefore favor 

 negotiation with the Protestant Episcopal Church on 

 these terms, and earnestly hope that our next national 

 council will appoint a committee to correspond with 

 the duly appointed representatives of that Church. 



II. \\ hat we have proposed as a means for union 

 with the Protestant Kpiscopal Church applies equally 

 to some other denominations having a similar diocesan 

 episcopacy, and may equally be offered to the denomi- 

 nations belonging to the Methodist Episcopal family. 

 We therefore favor negotiation with these bodies on 

 the same terms. 



^ 111. We turn next to the family of Eeformed or 

 Presbyterian Churches with which our relations in 

 the past have been somewhat closer. They have 

 reco^ni/cd our ministers and our churches as validly 

 constituted, and we have equally recognized theirs. 

 To them we offer the general principles already laid 

 down. We think some form of union can be devised 

 which will not interfere with the methods prevalent 

 on either .side, and which will at the same time have 

 a tendency to bring about ultimate unity. We have 

 in mind an alliance more intimate and effective than 

 that which now unites the denominations represented 

 in the Alliance of the Keformed Churches. Such an 

 alliance might provide for regular meetings of repre- 

 sentatives of all the bodies united, which should de- 

 ci<le on the methods of conducting foreign and home 

 mission work, provido for the consolidation or dis- 

 continuance of competing churches on the same field, 

 and plan for common work in theological education 

 and in evangelistic effort*. Such an alliance would 

 use its influence for the organic union of the de- 

 nominations of which it is composed. We invite our 

 brethren of the Keformed Churches to join with us in 

 the formation of such an alliance. 



IV. With much hope and assurance would we also 

 approach the question of union with certain other 



denominations of our general faith, and of our form 

 of Congregational government. To all such we 

 would offer one common platform, the Holy Scrip- 

 tures, with liberty of interpretation ; and independ- 

 ence of the local churches, with fellowship between 

 them. Of these denominations the chief are the 

 Northern Baptists, the Southern Baptists, the Col- 

 ored Baptists, the Disciples, the Christians, and the 

 Free Baptists. To these, perhaps, should be added a 

 number of Lutheran denominations. We could unite 

 with the Disciples of Christ on the basis of their 

 three propositions, viz. : 1, The primitive faith ; 2, 

 The primitive sacraments ; 3, The primitive life 

 provided liberty of interpretation be allowed. We 

 can not disguise the fact that the insistence of the 

 Northern, Southern, and Colored Baptists and the 

 Disciples on immersion only, and their rejection of 

 infant baptism or consecration, is so imperative that 

 it seems to form a serious barrier to-union with us on 

 the basis of liberty of interpretation of the Scriptures, 

 and of practice accordingly. Whenever they may be 

 willing to grant such liberty of interpretation and 

 communion we shall be most happy to unite with 

 them. 



We turn, then, to the Free Baptists and the Chris- 

 tians. Believing that they hold the same general 

 faith with us, and that they will not exclude us from 

 their fellowship on account of our honest understand- 

 ing of Scrioture and Christian liberty, we hereby 

 profess that it is our desire that an organic union of 

 our three bodies may be accomplished on such terms 

 as shall do no violence to the customs or faith of any 

 of them. We desire that in such a union they should 

 maintain their teaching as to the manner and sub- 

 jects of baptism, and we do declare to them that we 

 are under bondage to no creed, Lutheran, Calvinistie, 

 or Arminian, and that our only authority is found in 

 the Holy Scriptures. We will not seek that they 

 should be so absorbed into our fellowship that they 

 should lose their inherited history ; and we do not 

 ask that they should sink their names or give up 

 their loved organizations or vested interests. In our 

 longing for unity we desire to accept any terms which 

 they in the exercise of their conscientious rights and 

 their Christian affection could ask. And to this end 

 we invite correspondence with them. 



In brief, we propose to the various Protestant 

 Churches of the United States a union or alliance, 

 based on 



1. The Scriptures of the Old and New Testament^, 

 inspired by the Holy' Spirit, as containing allthim/x 

 necessary to salvation, and as being the rule and ulti- 

 mate standard of Christian faith. 



2. Discipleship of Jesus 'Christ, the divine Saviour 

 and Teacher of the world. 



3. The Church of Christ ordained by him to preach 

 his Gospel to the world. 



4. Lwerty of conscience in the interpretation of the 

 Scriptures and in the administration of the Church. 



Such an alliance of these Churches should have 

 regular meetings of their representatives, and should 

 have for its objects, among others, 



1. Mutual acquaintance and fellowship. 



2. Co-operation in foreign and domestic missions. 



3. The prevention of rivalries between competing 

 churches in the same field. 



4. The ultimate organic union of the whole visible 

 Body of Christ. 



Voted, that this paper be communicated to other 

 State associations and conferences, and to the na- 

 tional Council for their consideration and action. 



Congregationalists in England and 

 Wales. The statistical returns given in the Con- 

 gregational Yearbook for 1894 show that there 

 were 4,010 Congregational chapels and mission 

 stations in England and Wales, which afforded ac- 

 commodation for 1,570,021 persons, as against 

 accommodation for 1,547,228 in 1892 ; 2.782 minis- 

 ters, of whom 641 are described as " without pas- 



