(3) Doctrines, Usages, and Worship. The following extract, from the article of Bishop Fal lows, above alluded to, gives in succinct form the doctrines, worship and government of the church: "In justification of the action taken, writers in the interest of the Reformed Episcopal Church point to the prevalence of the errors and excesses of the Tractarian school in the parent Church. They contend that the drift is increasingly in that direction. Altars, super altars, crucifixes, candles, incense, many colored vestments, genuflections, prostrations, confessions and the like, abound. They assert that the extremists have a logical ground on which to stand in the prayer book; that until it is revised Protestantward, it is in vain to hope to check the retrogressive tendency. They refer to the efforts which have been repeat edly made to procure revision, but each time with a decreasing minority, until there is absolutely no hope for success." (i) The doctrines of the Reformed Episcopal Church may be in general considered as those of orthodox and evangelical Protestantism. The old Thirty-nine Articles of the Church of England and the Protestant Episcopal Church were revised to make them more distinctive and adapted to pres ent life and thought. These articles have been compressed into Thirty-five. The famous Seven teenth Article, "Of Election, Predestination and Free Will," has been made the Eighteenth, and reads as follows: "While the Scriptures distinctly set forth the election, predestination and calling of the people of God unto eternal life, as Christ saith: 'All that the Father giveth me shall come to me ;' they no less positively affirm man's free agency and re sponsibility, and that salvation is freely offered to all through Christ.
"This Church, accordingly, simply affirms these doctrines as the Word of God sets them forth, and submits them to the individual judgment of its members, as taught by the Holy Spirit ; strictly charging them that God commandeth all men everywhere to repent, and that we can be saved only by faith in Jesus Christ." Thus clergymen of the Calvinistic and Arminian type of thought are equally at home in this Chris tian organization.
(2) The Reformed Episcopal Church is li turgical in its character. Its prayer book has been revised so that everything of a sacerdotal character is eliminated. It is therefore claimed to be Protestant, Evangelical, and Scriptural. In its services the people are expected always to take part. Provision is made for free prayer, and meetings for extempore worship are encouraged.
(4) Government. Its government is Episco pal. Its Bishops are first among equals, the first among Presbyters. They are Presbyters in orders, but bishops in office. To them belongs the conferred right to confirm, ordain, and consecrate. Their Succession is an equally historic one with that of the Church from which they are descended.
In relation to this question of Episcopacy, the Rt. Rev. James A. Latane, D. D., the Presiding Bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church, thus sets forth the views entertained by its General Council : The basis of organization of the Reformed Episcopal Church and its fundamental law forever, is the "Declaration of Principles" to be found in the forefront of every Reformed Episcopal Prayer Book.
In that Declaration the position of the church on the subject of Episcopacy is very clearly de fined in these two sentences: "This Church recognizes and adheres to Episcopacy, not as of Divine right, but as a very ancient and desirable form of Church government." "This Church con demns and rejects, as contrary to God's word, the Merroneous and strange doctrine that the Church en Christ exists only in one order or form of ecclesi astical polity." The leading idea here is a distinct repudiation (f all the high claims which are made for episco• pacy and for Apostolic succession or the histerie ' episcopate.Others may claim that episcopacy is of divine right—that it exists by divine appoint ment—that it has received its authority Christ and his Apostles—that it is the only le gitimate form of church government—and that without the laying on of the hands of a Bishat who has received his commission in the line of ar unbroken historical succession of Bishops Iron Apostolic days, there can be no valid ordinatior to the ministry—no valid ministry—no valid ad. ministration of the sacraments—and no trot Church of Christ. The Reformed Episcopa Church does not give its sanction to any suck claims. It does not pretend to them in behalf of its own Episcopacy nor recognize them in the case of the Episcopacy of any other branch of the Church of Christ. It finds no basis for them in the Word of God, and therefore rejects them.
On the other hand, it retains Episcopacy—re. tains bishops and the Episcopal form of govern ment—but not on the ground of any pretender divine right, nor as the only form of church gov• eminent. nor as an exclusive polity, nor as some• thing without which there can be no true ministry or sacraments or church, but simply because it is a very ancient form of church government and believed to be a desirable one.
And this position in regard to Episcopacy the Reformed Episcopal Church has consistently maintained, and even emphasized, by its legisla tion. Thus it has enacted: (t ) ''This chureE recognizes the Episcopate as an office, and not as an order." (2) "The ecclesiastical parity of Pres byters of this church, whether Episcopally or otherwise ordained, shall be maintained as z fundamental principle of this church." And (3) "Ministers in good standing in other churches shall be received into this church, on letters of dismission, without reordination." In thus declaring the Episcopate an office and not an order, the church recognizes but twc orders in its ministry, the Diaconate and the Presbytcrate, and makes the bishop simply primus inter-pares—a Presbyter charged for cer tain purposes with the oversight of his brethren and their work.