10 



ANGLICAN CHURCHES. 



to support a measure of which its friends could 

 not give an intelligible account. He was not 

 tenacious of temporal honors, and he hoped 

 they would not forfeit their place by coward- 

 ice, political corruption, slavish adherence to a 

 party, or subserviency to a court. He, however, 

 ** should feel no sense of shame if the bishops 

 gave the vote which was fatal to themselves in 

 defense of the purity of English homes, and 

 the teaching of the word of God." Papers on 

 " Recent Advances in Natural Science in Re- 

 lation to the Christian Faith " were read by 

 Prof. Flower, the Bishop of Carlisle, and the 

 Rev. Aubrey Moore. The general expression 

 of the discussion was to the effect that the 

 newly developed theory of evolution, irrespect- 

 ive of its scientific value, which was regarded 

 favorably, had nothing in it contrary either to 

 the idea of an intelligent Creator or to the 

 Bible. The Bishop of Carlisle affirmed that 

 recent advances in natural science do not lead 

 logically, and therefore ought not to lead at 

 all, to either unbelief or atheism. The Rev. 

 Aubrey Moore asked whether it is too much 

 to believe that the time will come when we 

 shall see in evolution, modified perhaps by 

 wider knowledge conditioned certainly by 

 truths drawn from another sphere a fuller 

 revelation in nature than now seems possible 

 for man of the wonderful works of God? On 

 the subject, " Recent Advances in Biblical 

 Criticism in their Relation to the Christian 

 Faith," papers were read by the Rev. T. K. 

 Cheyne on "Old Testament Criticism," by 

 Prof. Sanday on " New Testament Criticism," 

 and by Colonel Sir C. W. Wilson and Canon 

 Rawlinson on " Historical Discovery." 



Special interest was taken in the discussions 

 on "the Marriage Laws," in view of the pend- 

 ing applications for relaxing the restrictions 

 upon marriages of affinity. The speakers all 

 opposed the relaxation sought. 



The subject of " Ecclesiastical Courts " was 

 discussed during two sessions, with especial ref- 

 erence to the report of the commission on the 

 reorganization of those courts. Among the 

 speakers were Dr. Hayman, Canon Trevor, Mr. 

 Sydney Gedge, Lord Edward Churchill, the 

 Rev. Dr. Porter, Prof. Burrows, of Oxford, 

 the Bishop of Winchester, Mr. W. G. F. Philli- 

 more, the Rev. Dr. Hay, of the Protestant Epis- 

 copal Church in the United States, and Mr. 

 Beresford-IIope, M. P. Two points elicited 

 differences of opinion. They were the pro- 

 posed constitution of the Court of Final Ap- 

 peal of Laymen, and the provision in the plan 

 projected by the commission for allowing the 

 bishop a veto on the initiation of proceedings 

 in the courts. Other subjects discussed in the 

 congress were the prevention of pauperism, 

 "personal religion," education in the universi- 

 ties and in the public schools, and " the rela- 

 tions of the Church at home to the Church in 

 the colonies and in missionary dioceses." 



Woman's Work. A session was given to the 

 ubject of woman's work in connection with 



the Church. A suggestion by one of the speak- 

 ers that women engaging in organizations for 

 dealing with sorrow and misery should take 

 vows of celibacy, was met by a proposition by 

 the Bishop of Lincoln that the ceremony should 

 be postponed till the women are sixty years 

 old. The subject of the promotion of personal 

 purity, and the prevention of the degradation 

 of women and children, was considered in a 

 private session. 



Kpiscopal Synod of Canada. The Anglican 

 Church of British North America is divided 

 into two provincial synods, one of which is 

 composed of the Dioceses of Canada and the 

 Maritime Provinces, with the Bishop of Fred- 

 ericton as metropolitan ; and the other, con- 

 stituted in 1873, includes the Dioceses of the 

 Northwest Territories, with the Bishop of 

 Rupert's Land as metropolitan. 



The Provincial Synod of Canada met in tri- 

 ennial session in Montreal, September 12th. 

 The Dioceses of Nova Scotia, Quebec, Toronto, 

 Fredericton, Ontario, Montreal, Huron, and 

 Niagara, were represented by their bishops 

 and by delegates. The Rev. Charles Hamil- 

 ton, of Quebec, was elected prolocutor of the 

 synod. The Central Board of Domestic Mis- 

 sions presented its first triennial report. It 

 showed that the eight dioceses had during the 

 past three years contributed $34,396 to the 

 work of domestic missions, and $23,878 to 

 the mission fund. The principal objects of 

 missionary work were in Algoma and the 

 Northwest. The Central Board of Foreign 

 Missions reported that its receipts for the past 

 three years had been $6,743. The report of 

 the board closed with a recommendation that 

 it be amalgamated with the Board of Domestic 

 Missions; and a proposition was introduced 

 for the organization of a Domestic and For- 

 eign Missionary Society of the Church of Eng- 

 land in Canada. A memorial from the Diocese 

 of Niagara requested the enactment of a canon 

 for the promotion of greater uniformity in the 

 rubric worship of the Church. The committee 

 to which the subject was referred reported 

 that it was at present impossible to frame in 

 the dogmatic form of a canon what should be 

 considered legal or illegal in the private minis- 

 trations of ritual, but that clergymen should 

 be advised to submit to the ruling of their 

 bishops in all matters connected with worship 

 as to the legality of which doubts are enter- 

 tained, or controversy shall have arisen. The 

 Diocese of Montreal sent in a memorial, set- 

 ting forth its claims to be the metropolitan 

 see, averring that it had never ceased to pro- 

 test against the action of the Provincial Synod 

 in appointing another than the Bishop of 

 Montreal as metropolitan, as illegal, and ask- 

 ing for a reconsideration of the question. No 

 change was made in the present rule, which 

 vests the selection of the metropolitan in the 

 House of Bishops. A committee appointed 

 to consider the subject of the employment of 

 women in the work of the Church reported, 



