GENERAL PRINCIPLES 19 



ture, which is so remote and vague that 

 we can never reach it until we have all 

 become transfigured into saints and angels. 

 If we will only begin with Christians as 

 they are and churches and denominations 

 as we find them, and inquire how to ren- 

 der them one united Church, we shall at 

 least be dealing with the facts of the sit- 

 uation. 



It follows now from these definitions 

 that the principles of church unity must 

 consist of fixed ecclesiastical tenets and 

 institutes rather than mere abstract pro- 

 positions, sentimental professions, or occa- 

 sional co-operations. As yet, the only 

 scheme of such principles which has en- 

 tered the field and still keeps the field, is 

 known as the Quadrilateral, or Four Lam- 

 beth Principles. A word is needed as to 

 its history. 



HISTORY OF THE QUADRILATERAL 



To the Protestant Episcopal Church be- 

 longs the honor — an honor which can 

 never be taken away from her — of hav- 

 ing first enunciated in our day any general 

 principles of church unity. Perhaps it 

 was but natural and right that the rally- 



