The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-10-26
EPiSCOPGlIANS ADJOURN
The Commission on Christian
Unity Continued.
TIE PASTORAL LETTER IN BRIEF,

IL CongratuIates the Church on the
Revision of tho Book of Common
Prayer, Deplores the Divisions
Among Christian People, and De-
nounces "Lawless Legislation"
BALTIMORE, Oct. 26.-The most salts
factory general convention ever held by
the Protestant Episcopal church, because
of its results, adjourned last night after
three weeks session. The last day Of
the convention was spent in clearing up
miscellaneous business. Two of the
bishops who were appointed to mission
ary Jurisdictions last Friday-Rev. DIR.
james johnson, of Detroit, for northern
Michigan, and Rev. DR.. J. r. Hoyt, of
Iowa, for characterized, and others
were appointed. These were Rev. Will
lam Reed Thomas, of New York, for
northern Michigan, and Rev. DIR. E. P.
Graves, of Woo Chang, for China.
These men were elected by the bishops
and their election was confirmed by the
deputies.
The first business of the deputies was
to instruct President Dix to send mes
sage of sympathy to President Harrison,
Rev. Herman q. Duncan, secretary of
the Christian unity commission, sub
mitted the commissions report to the
deputies. Much progress was reported,
and the commission continued, to confer
with all similar commissions for the
restoration of the unity of the church.
A conference committee agreed, and
the two hou IS adopted resolution to
change the title of assistant bishop to
bishop coadjutator.
Rev. Dr. Gailor, of the committee on
conference on the division of Tennes-
see, reported that the bishops would not
agree to the division of that diocese,
and that the whole matter had fallen to
the ground. He thanked the deputies
for the interest they had taken in the
matter and for their vote in favor of the
division.
On motion of Judge Bennett of Massa-
chusetts, the proposed new canons on
marriage and divorce were referred TO
the next convention, together with all
matters upon which action has not been
had.
Numerous resolutions of thanks for
courtesies, ETC., were adopted and the
business sessions ended.
The pastoral letter. read by Bishop
Thompson, of Mississippi, at last nights
thanksgiving service gives resume of
the work accomplished by the conven-
ton, and enters largely into recommended
tions for the conduct of church work
pending the meeting of the next general
convention three years hence.
The pastoral letter is in part as fol-
lows:
I'VE ask You to join us in thanks
giving to our gracious Cad that great
and serious work which has engaged the
church for many years has been COM
pleted and closed in the convention of
1899, and that the book of common
prayer, revised, amended and enriched
by the labors of learned and godly men
has now, after careful consideration by
both houses of this convention, been
constitutionally set forth for the use of
the church. II would be idle to claim
perfection for the revised book. No hu-
man work is perfect.
"For many years the thoughts and
prayers of your bishops have been
greatly occupied with the unhappy divis-
ions among Christian people. The evils
OF these divisions are becoming daily
more apparent The church stands for
unity. Let her children Danish all mar
rowness and prejudice, all pride and con
ceit. Unity will come as a crown of
victory, not to theological strife, but to
Christian love.
1--WE have very gravely considered the
canons concerning ordination and the
due preparation of candidates for the sa-
cred ministry. The door to tine priest
hood should be even more carefully
guarded in the time to come than here.
tofnro
Our brethren of the clergy should re-
member that the foremost and most
abiding of all their duties is to preach
the gospel the first command in our
commission. A living church must be "a
preaching and teaching church.
'It is with sad foreboding that all
Christian people must see how the
sanctity and permanency of the mar
riage bond has been outraged and broken
by the lawless legislation of so many of
our states.
1.-THE church of God can have no re-
gard for such legislation; it has no more
respect or validity in her consciousness
than the legislation on the same subject
of Turkey OF the ,clIstnlnS of DahnmaN. ~