RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 312, 26 September 1908, Page 17

RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.

■ CHURCH UNION. ■ ■ RESOLUTIONS OF THE LAMBETH . COHERENCE. _ In view of the discussion which has taken placc in.'tlie correspondence columns of The Dominion. and tho general interest in the question of Church union, the principal resolutions passed by tho Lambeth Conference on tiiis subject will bo of interest. They aro I as follow:— ." - : ■ Cathalio Unity. Thi3 conference reaffirms the resolutions of the conference of 1897 that ''Every opportunity should bo taken to- emphasino the Divine purpose of visible unity amongst Christians as a fact of revelation." It de- • sires further to affirm that .in all partial projects #f reunion and intercommunion the final /attainment of the Divine purpose should be kept:'in vfew as. our..object; and that care should be taken'to do what will advance tho reunion' of the whole of Christendom,..and ,to abstain ' from doing anything that will re- ' ta'rd or prevent it. ' ■ The conference recognises with thankfulmanifold signs of the increase of r' tho.'fdesire for unity, among all Christian bodies j and, with a deep sense of the call to 'follow the manifest' guiding of the Holy • Spirit,' solemnly urges tho duty of special intercession for the unity of : the Church, in accordance with our Lord's own prayer. • This conference resolves that a letter of greeting .be' sent • from the . Lambeth Confer- . enfie'to. the National Council, of .'the llus- . sian Church about to'assemble,'and that tho letter should be conveyed to the council by two or mors bishops: if possible; and that, his Grace the Archbishop of, Canterbury' be respectfully requested to cause sucli a'.-tetter to bo written, and to sign it on . behalf of tho conference, and to nominate ; bishops to convey:itito the council. The ; , Conference, respectfully requests the 'Archbishop of Canterbury to appoint a com-mittee-to take cognisance of all that concerris\our relations with the Churches of the Orthodox 1 East, and desires that this .committee"should be on 'a permanent basis. • : .The;conference is of opinion that it should fee tho recognised practice of the Churches of our Communion (l)-at all times to baptise! :;the children of members of any Church of the, Orthodox Eastern.Communion in cases of .emergency, provided that thero is a clear understanding that baptism should not again be administered;to those so baptised; (2) at. all times: to admit members of any Church of tho Orthodox Eastern' Communion to communicate in our churchcs, when they aro , deprived lof tli'o ministrations of a priest sf., their own Comiminion,,, provided that (a) ihey are at that time admissiblo to Communion in their own Churches, and (b) are . not under any disqualification so far as,our own rules of discipline are concerned. • v Churches of the East. The, conference would welcomo any steps thatj might bo taken to ascertain the precise doctrinal., position of the ancient .separate! Churchcs of the East with a view to possible intercommunion, arid would suggest to the Archbishop of Canterbury the appointment .of commissions'; to examine the doc-, trinal position of particular Churches,' and (for. example) to prepare some carefully, framed .statement of tho . faith as . to our Lord's Person, in the - simplest • possible teriris,i':which should be submitted to each of such Churches, where feasible, in crder to ■ ascertain whether it represents their be-: lief'_.with substantial ' accuracy. The . conclusions of such commissions should in our opinion be submitted to the metropolitans or •presiding'bishops of all the Churches of the Anglican Communion. .. . ' In the event of doctrinal agreement being reached with such : separate Churches, tho conference is of; opinion -: that', it would be right; (1) for any .'.Church' "ok : the Anglican' Communion to admit individual communicant

members of those Churches to communicate with us when they are deprived of this means of graco through isolation,. and. conversely, for our communicants to seek tho same privileges' in similar circumstances; (2) for the Churchcs of- tho Anglican Communion to permit our communicants to communicate on special occasions with tlicso Churches, even when not deprived of this means of graco through'isolation, and conversely, that their communicants should be allowed tho same privileges in similar circumstances. We consider that any .more formal and complete'compact'between us and any such Church, seeing that it might affect our relations with, certain other Churches, should not tako place without previous communication with any other Church which might b» affected thereby,. - , • \ Tha Old Catholics. Tho conference desires to maintain and strengthen the friendly relations which al-' ready exist. between the Churches of the Anglican Communion and tho ancient Church of Holland and tho old Catholic Churches, especially in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, With a view to the avoidance of further ecclesiastical confusion, tho conference would earnestly deprecate ! thp setting up of a new organised body in regions whero a Church with apostolic ministry and Catholic doctrine otters religious privileges without the imposition of uncatholic terms of communion, more especially in cases whero no difference of language or nationality exists; and, in view of tho friendly relations referred to in the previous' resolution, it would respectfully request the Archbishop of Canterbury, if he thinks lit, to bring this re,solution to the notice of the old Catholic Biskope: The Swedish Church. This conference heartily thanks the Arch, bishop of Upsala"for his letter of friendly greeting,, and for sending his honoured colleague, . the Bishop of Kalmar. _ to confor with its members , on' the question of th« establishment of an alliance of somo sort between the Swedish and Anglican Churches. Tho conference respectfully desires _ the Archbishop of .' Canterbury , to appoint a commission to correspond further with tho Swedish Church through tho Archbishop of TJpsala 'on the possibility and conditions of such an alliance. Non-Episcopal Bodies. , | This conference receives with thankful, ness and hope the report of its committeo on reunion and inter-communion, and is of opinion that, in the welcomo event of any project of reunion between any Church of the Anglican Communion and any. Presbyterian or otlier non-episcopal Church which, while.preserving the Faith in its integrity | and purity, has also exhibited care as to tho form and intention of ordination to tho ministry, reaching tho stage of responsible official negotiation, it might be possib'lo to make an approach to Teunion on the basis of consecrations to the Episcopate on lines suggested by such precedents as those of IGIO. Further, in the opinion of tho con. fercnco, it might bo possible to authorise arrangements (for tho period of transition towards full union on thb basis of episcopal ordination) which /would respect tho con vie-! tions ofi tuose who had not received episcopal Orders, without involving any surrender on our part of tho principle of Church order, laid down-in tho Prefaeo to the Ordinal at-! tached to the Book of Common Prayer. ; Every opportunity should bo welcomed of co-operation between members of different ..Communions in all, patters pertaining ■ to the social and moral welfare of the people. Tho members of the Anglican Communion should 1 tako, pains to study tho doctrines and position of those who are separated from it,, and to promete a cordial'; mutual understanding; and, as a means towards this end, tlio conferencb suggests* that private meetings of ministers • and laymen of different Christian, bodies for common study, discussion, ' and prayers, .should bo frequently held in convenient centres. '; : ■" ... , 1 The constituted; authorities of the 'various Churches £ of-i thfi* •<, pommiiniori should, as offers, "arrange con-

feronees with representatives of other Christian Ohurchcs, and meetings for common acknowledgment of the sins of division, and for intercession for ■ tho growth of ujiity.