Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-12-07


referred to a committee of five, consist
ing of Bishop Cummins, the Rev. Mar
shall Smith, DR.. S. A. Sabine, Albert
Crane and Charles D. Kellogg. After
a short recess, the committee reported
the following, which was adopted
Resolved, That we whose names are
appended to the call for this meeting
as presented by the Presiding Bishop
do, here and now, in humble reliance
upon Almighty God, organize ourselves
into a Church, to be known by the style
and title of the Reformed Episcopal
Church, in conformity with the follow
ing Declaration of Principles, and with
the Right Rev. George David Cum
minis, d. d., as our Presiding Bishop;
DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES.
[. The Reformed Episcopal Church,
holding the faith once delivered to the
saints, declares its belief in the Holy
Scriptures of the Old and New Testa-
ments as the word of God and the sole
rule of faith and practice; in the Greed
commonly called the Apostles Greed;
in the divine institution of the sacra-
ments of baptism and the Lords Sup
per and in the doctrines of Grace sub
stantially as they are set forth In the
Thirty-nine Articles of Religion.
ii. This Church recognizes and
adheres to Episcopaey; notas of divine
right, but as a very ancient and desira-
bic form of Church polity.
III. This Church, retaining Litur-
gy which shall not be imperative RE
pressive of freedom in prayer, accepts
the Book of Common Prayer as it was
revised, proposed and recommended
for use by the General Convention of
the Protestant Episcopal Church, A. D.
1855, reserving full liberty to altar,
abridge, enlarge, and amend the same
as may be seen most conductive to the
edi6cation ofthe people, provided that
the substance Of the faith be kept en-
tire.
". This Church condemns and re-
jects the following erroneous and
strange doctrines as contrary to Gods
Word:
First-That the Church of Christ ex-
lists only in one order or form of eccle-
siastical polity.
Secondly-That Christian ministers
are priests in another sense than that
In which all believers are ta royal
priesthood"
Thirdly-That the Lords table is an
altar on which an oblation of the body
and blood of Christ is offered anew to
the Father
Fourthly-That the presence of
Christ in the Lords Supper is pres
ence in the elements of bread and wine.
Fifthly-That regeneration is insepa-
rably connected with baptism.
The Reformed Episcopal Church was
declared organized, with Bishop Cum
minis as the Presiding Bishop. 1t was
resolved that the General Council
should be held annually on the
second Wednesday in May. A stand
ing committee, consisting of four min
listers and five laymen, was elected; also
a committee of three laymen on FL
nance. The standing committee, in
conjunction with the Bishops, were au-
thorized to draft q constitution, to con-
slider proposed changes in the Prayer
Book of 1855, and to prepare a form
for ordination of ministers.
1t was resolved that ministers, with
out reordination, and laymen, would
be received from other churches upon
their presenting credentials, and that
all ordinations should be performed by
the Bishop with the laying on of hands
by the Presbytery. Bishop Cummins
delivered an historical and critical ad-
dress. 1t was declared that there was
no desire to cause dissention in other
churches In the afternoon session, the
Rev. G. E. Cheney, D. D., was elected
Missionary Bishop of the Northwest,
and the Executive Committee was en-
powered to make arrangements for his
conservation.
1t is not easy to draw line of de-
narration between the creeds of the
two prayer books, and we shall not at
tempt the task. There is thought to
be Remaining party in the Episco-
pal church in this country as well as in
England, which has not the sympathy
of Bishop Cummins and others. How
far the schism will extendno one knows,
nor is it safe to predict.