The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-10-28
a.as. THE GENERAL CONTENTION.
Vow 1t Impressed the Rev. DIR. sills.


At St. Luke's Cathedral yesterday
morning, the Rev. Charles NJ. Sills D.
D. delivered an interesting review of the
doings of the late general convention.
After forcible introduction, he saidi
While the council of the church which
has just now concluded it's sessions has,
perhaps fewer results to show in actual
facts which can be reported as things
done, than ONE of it's predecessors, 1T IS
safe to say that it has been second to
none in its educational value and in
the uniform courtesy and good feeling
with which it's deliberations were con-
dUcted. Throughout the convention
where the range of discussion embraced
subjects upon which great differences of
opinion existed, no discourteous word
was uttered in debate, and SO harmonious
and kindly was the spirit of the whole
body that the president referred to 1t
with deep gratefulness when responding
to the unanimous vote of thanks which
was offered TO him on the last day OF Its
meeting he called att ntion to it as the
result of the realization of the presence of
God the Holy Ghost.
Nor was the convention in its legislative
capacity without direct results, beneficial
TO the whole church. The church IN TINS
land could scarcely meet together In
that assembly the need of greatly extend
ing it's mission, both to the people OF the
United States and to the inhabitants OF
other countries. The great work OF the
convention has not to do with the mere
amendment and revision of its constltu-
tional canons, but with the fnrtherance OF
the Kingdom Of Christ. The provision
for more direct episcopal oversight IN
territories too large at present for such
supervision is to the mind OF many the
Iuost important duty the convention has
to discharge and perhaps no moments OF
the session are SO solemn as those when
the qualifications of a bishopselect having
been freely discussed by the house in
executive session (that is with closed
doors) the president bids the house to
prayer, and the secretary then calls for
the vote of the dioceses by orders Voices
at other times loud in the expression of
the mind of their delegations are hushed
aDd reverent when casting that vote for
brother and priest, who is to be called
TO the sacred duties and awful response
bilities of Dish p in the Church of God,
and may here emphasize point which
is not always understood as it should be
namely, this: That--in the election OF a
bishop the diocese which so elects is not
simply choos ng a MAN who is to preside
over the church in that. particular
diocese, but one who is to be a bishop in
the Church of God. 1t is eminently
of all the dioceses should have a voice in
the election of one who is thus to repre-
sent them in the highest legislative body
in the church. Whenever then, member
of standing committee in any diocese
takes action upon the testimonials OF any
bishop elect. he is bound to realize the
/. solemn responsibility laid upon him, to
vote according to his conscious. not in
the interest of any one diocese, but for
the greater ediication of the whole
church. Upon this principle the church
in council acts when the nominee OF the
House of Bishops to any missionary
jurisdiction is not admitted to the holy
Office of bishop until he is elected by
the House of Deputies. Action taken at
this convention by the House OF Bishops
in setting apart new missionary district
in Japan, and at the same time nomInat-
ing a person to be the bishop was not
coneurred in By the House of Deputies
and was therefore invalid, it being by
the constitution defined that no mission
ary jurisdiction should be set apart with
out concurrent action of the two houses.
The demand for increase OF the
episcopate is one of the most encouraging
signs of the church's growth This con-
vention was called upon to give its con-
sent to the setting apart OF four new
dioceses and two missionary districts in
addition to the election of a bishop for
Alaska and with practical unamnity,
Southern California. Northern Michigan
and Western Texas were set apart and
agreement was given to the creation of
the new missionary jurisdiction OF
Northern Minnesota and Nashville, North
Carolina.
To the diocese belongs the right to elect
it's own bishop, but to the missionary
district the bishops nominate and their
nomination has to be approved during
the interval between the session of the
convention by the dioceses represented as
we have said by their standing commit
tee.
Next in Importance to this provision
for the increase of the churches useful
ness and for the vigorous prosecution of
her work is the series of meetings held by
the convention sitting as a Board of
Missions. The story of the work of the
church told by those commissioned to
proclaim the gospel in the less accessible
parts of our own land as well as in
regions beyond our borders and called
foreign, can scarcely fail at any time to
arouse her sympathy and excite the
interest of those who believe in the Lord
Jesus Christ and pray continually in the
Lords own words. Thy kingdom come.
To SEES and hear the actual leaders of the
churches army in foreign countries is it
self an inspiration, and as the ear
listened to the accounts given OF the
progress of the gospel in progressive en-
lISutSueI JdpdiI, al pOpulOUS NH4lIes III
darkened Africa, in Brazil and Mexico by
The lips of the bishops and mission aries
in those lands it heard the fullfilment in
part of the prophesy that the Kingdoms
of this world should become the kingdom
of our Lord and of His church, and it
could best note that some sort of
obedience had been given to His divine
command ITO go into all the world and
preach the gospel to- every creature,
carrying the good news of Christ's separ
alton to the uttermost parts of the earth
l may not do more than refer to this
work at this time es it forms part of
the proceedings of this convention, which
may we'll be described at greater length
on some future occasion. At no time is
the convention more august and digni-
fed body than when it is assembled as a
board of missions, for then the two houses
meet together IN general session and the
bishops take seats assigned to them in
the chancel of the church and join in the
discussions. On other occasions the two
houses sit and deliberate separately and
the legislative acts of the one have to be
concurred in by the other before they can