26 



ANGLICAN CHURCHES. 



about, or worshiped, under the veils of bread and 

 wine, we have already in the canons prohibited such 

 acts and gestures as might be grounded on it, or lead 

 thereto; and it is sufficiently implied in the note at 

 the end of the Communion (Mce (and we now afresh 

 declare) that the posture of kneeling prescribed to 

 all communicants is not appointed for any purpose 

 of such adoration ; but only for a signification of our 

 humble and grateful acknowledgment of the benefits 

 of Christ which are in the Lord's Supper given to all 

 'worthy receivers, and for the avoiding of such prof- 

 anation and disorder as might ensue if some such 

 reverent und uniform posture were not enjoined. 



In the formularies relating to baptism we have 

 made no substantial change, though some have de- 

 sired to alter or omit certain expressions touching 

 which diversities of opinion have prevailed among 

 faithful members of our Church. At the same time, 

 we desire fully to recognize the liberty of expound- 

 ing these formularies hitherto allowed by the gener- 

 al practice of the Church. And as concerning those 

 points whereupon such liberty has been allowed, we 

 hereby further declare that uo minister of this Church 

 is required to hold or teach any doctrine which has 

 not been clearly determined by the Articles of Ke- 

 ligion. 



The special absolution in the office for Visitation 

 of the Sick has been the cause of offense to many ; 

 and as it is a form unknown to the Church in ancient 

 times, and as we saw no adequate reason for its re- 

 tention, and no ground for asserting that its removal 

 would make any change in the doctrine of the Church, 

 we have deemed it fitting that, in the special cases 

 contemplated in this office, and in that for the Visi- 

 tation of Prisoners, absolution should be pronounced 

 to penitents in the form appointed in the office for 

 the Holy Communion. 



No change has been made in the formula of ordi- 

 nation of priests, though desired by some ; for, upon 

 a full review of our formularies, we deem it plain, 

 and here declare, that, save in the matter of eccle- 

 siastical censures, no power or authority is by them 

 ascribed to the Church, or to any of its ministers, 

 in respect of forgiveness of sins after baptism, other 

 than that of declaring and pronouncing, on God's 

 part, remission of sins to all that are truly penitent. 

 to the quieting of their conscience, and the removal 

 of all doubt and scruple ; nor is it anywhere in our 

 formularies taught or implied that confession to, and 

 absolution by, a priest are any conditions of God's 

 pardon ; but, on the contrary, it is fully taught that 

 all Christians who sincerely repent, and unfeignedly 

 believe the Gospel, may draw nigh, as worthy com- 

 municants, to the Lord's table, without any such con- 

 fession or absolution ; which comfortable doctrine 

 of God's free forgiveness of sin is also more largely 

 set forth in the Homily of Repentance, and in that 

 of the Salvation of Mankind. 



With reference to the Athanasian Creed (com- 

 monly so called), we have removed the rubric di- 

 recting its use on certain days ; but, in BO doing, this 

 Church has not withdrawn its witness as expressed 

 in the Articles of Religion, and here again renewed, 

 to the truth of the Articles of the Christian Faith 

 therein contained. 



In revising the Table of Lessons, we have judged 

 it convenient to follow generally the new table 

 which the Church of England has lately adopted 

 with these principal exceptions, that whereas in that 

 table some lessons are still taken out of the books 

 called Apocryphal, we have so arranged ours as that 

 all the lessons shall be taken out of the Canonical 

 Scriptures ; and we have included in our Lectiouary 

 the whole of the Revelation of St. John. 



the adoption of the preface, the fol- 

 lowing resolution, offered by the Bishop of 

 Meath, and drawn, as he stated, in such a way 

 as not to commit any member on the validity 



of what had been done, or left undone, was 

 adopted without a dissenting vote : " Bearing 

 in mind the great difficulties and danger of the 

 ordeal through which the Church of Ireland 

 has been called to pass during the last six years, 

 this synod desires to record hereby its thank- 

 fulness to Almighty God for having, during 

 that interval, so mercifully preserved the 

 Church from the great peril of disunion, and 

 for having otherwise vouchsafed to it so many 

 tokens of his superintending care and gui- 

 dance." Among the later resolutions of the 

 synod was one that the office of burial be 

 not used for any that die unbaptized, excom- 

 municated, or by deliberate suicide, and one in 

 repudiation of auricular confession and priestly 

 absolution. The Bishop of Deny announced 

 his intention of withdrawing from the synod 

 " for the present," in consequence of the adop- 

 tion of the preface, and stated in a letter to 

 the Lord Primate that he was determined to 

 have neither " art nor part" in narrowing the 

 basis of the Church. The Archdeacon of Dub- 

 lin published a card calling for clergymen dis- 

 senting from the new Prayer-Book to enter a 

 formal protest under the act before the 1st 

 of June. He held that everything done toward 

 revision during the current year was illegal, 

 no enabling statute having been passed by the 

 new synod, as was done in 1873. 



III. THE SCOTTISH CHUKCH. The attention 

 of the ecclesiastical authorities in England was 

 called early in the year to a case of intrusion by 

 one of the colonial bishops upon the functions 

 of the Scotch bishops. Some English Episcopal 

 churches in Scotland, not being satisfied with 

 the existing Episcopal oversight, and desiring 

 the offices of an English bishop, invited Dr. 

 Beckles, late Bishop of Sierra Leone, who was 

 holding the position of a beneficed clergyman 

 in London, to become their presiding bishop. 

 He accordingly visited Scotland, and confirmed 

 in one day about seventy candidates in two 

 churches in Edinburgh, doing so in opposi- 

 tion, it was said, to the remonstrance of his 

 diocesan, the Bishop of London, and to the 

 known views of the Archbishop of Canter- 

 bury. The Primus of Scotland addressed Dr. 

 Beckles a letter, protesting against his course. 

 The Archbishop of Canterbury disavowed all 

 sympathy with his action ; the Convocation of 

 York unanimously declared it to be a violation 

 of ecclesiastical law ; and the Convocation of 

 Canterbury pronounced it schismatical, and 

 " contrary to the rules of the Catholic Church." 

 Bishop Beckles defended his conduct in a let- 

 ter addressed to the English Episcopal Church 

 in Scotland, in which he said that, previous to 

 performing his Episcopal functions, he had 

 consulted persons qualified to give an opinion 

 upon ecclesiastical law, who assured him that 

 the course he purposed to pursue would be 

 perfectly legal. 



IV. THE CANADIAN CHURCH. The ninth an- 

 nual meeting of the Provincial Synod of Can- 

 ada was held at Montreal, beginning September 



