IN CHURCH HISTORY. 1 39 



The Position of the Episcopal Church. — One 

 good result of the study of Church history is to 

 enable us to see what reasons we have for thinking 

 so highly as we do of that branch of the Church of 

 Christ, known here as the Protestant Episcopal 

 Church. 



First, It has a history which reaches back to the 

 very first permanent English settlement made in 

 this country, and then back through the Church 

 in England to the days when Apostles or Apostolic 

 men came to Britain with the message of salvation. 



Second, It retains a mode of government which 

 is the same as that which existed in the very 

 first ages of the Christian Church. 



Third, It has a liturgy which preserves among us 

 the precious truths relating to Christ and His sal- 

 vation ; and which tends to cultivate fervent, prac- 

 tical piety. 



Fourth, It seems to have in it those elements 

 which may prove to be connecting bonds to unite 

 together in a loving, living union those who 

 love and serve the Lord Jesus Christ. 



At this day this branch of the Church is greatly 

 outnumbered by many bodies of Christians, and 

 these surrounding religious bodies are in our day 

 so active and so numerous, that as we look upon 

 them there arises admiration of the zeal with which 

 they carry religion to mankind, and make known 

 the blessed Christ as the Saviour of sinners. 



