Fliedner's last years were passed in much bodily pain and weakness; and the hard-working servant of the Lord, who had spent his strength in "labours more abundant," became "an example of suffering affliction, and of patience." Still, in prostration which would have altogether withdrawn into retirement a less ardent spirit, he continued to superintend the vast work which he had seen year after year spreading around him. His greatest trial was that he could no longer preach the Gospel of Christ; "but until the last year before his death he would not give up conducting the Holy Communion service, at least during the summer months." Very touching are those pages of his memoir which speak of his long-continued struggle with disease, and of his submission, and fortitude, and inward tranquillity; and which relate how he still worked on to the utmost of his remaining strength. A little before his death he said to those who stood round his bed, "We will not conceal from ourselves that I must very shortly enter eternity. When I look on my past life, my one feeling is,— 'O that each pulse were thankfulness, each breath How can I praise Him enough? How blessed it is to serve such a Master; one who will forgive all faults, who will bounteously pardon my many sins! The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin:' that is what I cling to." When Fliedner closed his blessed course of "patient continuance in well-doing," and passed away to receive his Lord's welcome to the heavenly rest," the number of parent institutions, or 'Mother Houses,' had risen to thirty, and one thousand six hundred deaconesses were serving Jesus in His suffering and needy members, in more than four hundred different places." In the one year of 1864 twenty-six thousand sick persons, and more than three thousand children, were confided to their care in various parts of the world. Such were some of the fruits of labours done in humble and loving imitation of Him of whom the Hebrew seer foretold, that He should "deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper." In the volume of this Magazine for 1865 (pp. 37-45) will be found a rérumé of the great work accomplished by the philanthropy and zeal of Fliedner; for more ample details of that work we refer our readers to the biography now published, which so well records them; and which contains an interesting description of a discipline of sorrow and care through which Fliedner passed in the earlier years of his life, and which was a good training for that self-denying service to which he afterwards devoted himself. 2 F VOL. XIV.-FIFTH SERIES. A NOTE ON THE LAMBETH CONFERENCE OF BISHOPS. THE Colonial branches of the Church of England that are now shown to be non-established, have taken measures to make the best of their position. They cannot be justly censured for endeavouring to preserve their existence, unless, in so doing, they make a sacrifice of principle; and, even if that be apprehended, other churches will do well to refrain from pronouncing judgment hastily, and wait until the case is fully understood. For our own part, we shall do no more, at present, than take note of the authorized Reports of the "Confer ence of Bishops of the Anglican Communion, holden at Lambeth Palace, September 24-27, 1867;" and again, by adjournment, on December 10th, following. The intervening weeks were occupied by Committees, whose reported conclusions were received by the Conference, to be the basis of further consideration. The Archbishop of Canterbury, in a brief address, reminded his brethren that they were entering on the first Conference that had ever taken place of the Bishops of the Reformed Church in visible communion with the united Church of England and Ireland. It was at the instance, he said, of the Metropolitan and Bishops of the Church of Canada, supported by the unanimous request of a very large meeting of Archbishops and Bishops of the home and colonial Church, that he had resolved on convening it. Both Houses of Convocation of the Province of Canterbury-not of York-had sent him addresses confirmatory of the proposal. "A distinguished member of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America "-the church so distinguished from the " Methodist Episcopal ”—had given a plain intimation that "their Episcopalian brethren" in those States would be gratified by an invitation to the Conference. At that moment the assemblage was no more than tentative; but we find that in a day or two it became practical by proceeding with great energy to business. At this first Conference, which occupied four days, an “Address of the Bishops" to the clergy and laity of "the Church of Christ in communion with the Anglican branch of the Church catholic" was adopted and signed. The following paragraphs contain the substance of this Address, and should be read, at least, twice over, and pondered well. The italics below are ours. "We beseech you to hold fast, as the sure Word of God, all the canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testament; and that by diligent study of these oracles of God, praying in the Holy Ghost, ye seek to know more of the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour, very God and very Man, ever to be adored and worshipped, whom they reveal unto us, and of the will of God, which they declare. "Furthermore, we entreat you to guard yourselves and yours against the growing superstitions and additions with which in these latter days the truth of God hath been overlaid; as otherwise, so especially by the pretension to universal sovereignty over God's heritage asserted for the See of Rome, and by the practical exaltation of the Blessed Virgin Mary as mediator in the place of her Divine Son, and by the addressing of prayers to her as intercessor between God and man. Of such beware, we beseech you, knowing that the jealous God giveth not His honour to another...... 66 Brethren beloved, with one voice we warn you: the time is short; the Lord cometh; watch and be sober. Abide steadfast in the communion of saints, wherein God hath granted you a place. Seek in faith for oneness with Christ in the blessed Sacrament of His body and blood. Hold fast the creeds and the pure worship and order which of God's grace ye have inherited from the primitive Church. Beware of causing divisions contrary to the doctrine ye have received. Pray and seek for unity amongst yourselves, and amongst all the faithful in Christ Jesus; and the good Lord make you perfect, and keep your bodies, souls, and spirits, until the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ." Then follow the signatures of twenty-three English and Irish prelates, six Scotch, twenty-three colonial, one of Jerusalem, nineteen American, and four missionary. At the adjourned meeting the pres ident reported seven more signatures of bishops to be annexed to the “Encyclical Letter," the Conference having now assumed the ecclesiastical style on which it had not quite ventured at first; and having provided, also, for assuming the designation of Synod or Council in the event of any future assemblage. The document looks almost like the end of the Acts of an old council written over again; only the Latin is forgotten. Guided by resolutions of the Conference, the Committees proceeded to prepare their Reports; which, taken collectively, exhibit the scheme of a great ecclesiastical system, strong enough, if it grows into vigorous existence, to rival the Church of Rome itself, and perhaps to swallow up some of the poorer Eastern Churches. The first element in the proposed system is the Diocesan Synod, to consist of the bishop and clergy of the diocese, together with a number of lay delegates. There seems not much care to be taken in regard to the qualifications of a lay delegate. If the candidate be twenty-one years of age, and has been a "male communicant" for a year previous to appointment, that will be sufficient. Women will not be eligible, unless in any diocese the word "male" should be deleted. The bishops profess to believe that lay delegation is "not at variance with the ancient principles of the Church;" and, as we are not debating, we will not stay to inquire into the ancient practice. 66 such pro A number of dioceses, united, make a province, of course; vinces already exist, and more such may be formed: each of which would have a Provincial Synod, presided over by its own metropolitan, archbishop, or primus. Such synods are to be hereafter formed, as everything else must now be done, by voluntary association." Some reserve of powers and functions would be made in this higher synod in favour of bishops; but what that reserve would be remains to be defined. In this part of the Reports it transpires that "alterations in the services of the Church" are expected, as of course; and, when allowed in any diocese, would be "authorized" for the whole province. If this proposal takes effect, it will facilitate the spread, and secure the permanence, of what is gently called Ritualism. A higher Synod, or Council, is now suggested by "the fact that a Conference of bishops of the whole Anglican Communion has already met together;" a resolution of the Conference implies such a Supreme authority; and it is indeed "provided that all changes in the services of the Church made by one of their provincial synods should be liable to revision by any synod of the Anglican Communion in which the said province should be represented." Such a synod of the Anglican Communion would in its very nature be independent of the law; and might be held without any of the restraints now pressing on Convocation; a provision that seems anticipatory of a state of things, which, having lately arisen in the colonies, may soon take place at home. In such an event the land-marks of the Reformation might not merely be lost sight of, but removed for ever. It is also contemplated to establish, instead of the Privy Council, a Supreme Spiritual Tribunal to receive and decide upon appeals from the provinces of the newly-framed Anglican Communion in matters of faith, in which "archbishops and bishops only should be judges, His Grace the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury being the president." The members of this Supreme Tribunal are to be deputed from the provinces of the united Church of England and Ireland, from the Epis copal Church of Scotland, from each province of the Colonial Church; and, in independence of all civil authority, from the Church in the United States of America, which last Church would send five bishops, Not to lose time, it was recommended" that, so soon after January, 1869, as any ten names shall have been forwarded to the Archbishop of Canter. bury as having been elected, the tribunal should be deemed to be constituted." This recommendation is remitted, with all the rest, to the careful consideration of the bishops; and if it takes effect, the formation of that tribunal may be a signal of the accomplishment of the scheme, under such modifications of its details as are to be naturally expected. The arrangements primarily requisite for the establishment of this great confederacy of Churches are suggested in several resolutions, on which it is not necessary now to dwell. The association of clergy and bishops must be voluntary at first, and may never have the sanction of law; but every member of the community would have to enter it by signing a prescribed declaration of submission; and, this done, the engagement at first voluntarily made would, like any other voluntary agreement, become binding. At the opening of the Conference the President had enumerated the subjects to be taken into consideration; and the first of these was "the best way of promoting the reunion of Christendom." All the other subjects were consigned to committees, and reported on accord ingly; but nothing is authoritatively made known to the public concerning the deliberations on this. An official Record, retained by the President, and by special favour communicated to the American House of Bishops, for the private perusal of bishops only, no doubt contains much that cannot be known certainly from any other source: but some part of the result nevertheless appears in "Resolution IV." of the adjourned Conference: "That his grace the Archbishop of Canterbury be requested to convey to the Church in Russia an expression of the sympathy of the Anglican Communion with that Church, in the loss which it has sustained by the death of His Eminence Philaretè, the venerable Metropolitan of Moscow." To estimate the importance of letters communicatory between "the Reformed Anglican Communion" and a branch of the Greek Church, it would be necessary to compare the latter with the Church of Cranmer. The comparison has long ago been made, and does not justify intercommunion. Such communications are not new; they have never been satisfactory; and on the present special occasion this letter has a most unpromising significance. On the general subject of the reunion of Christendom, so far as the Lambeth Conference is concerned, we perceive a latitude of principle too broad to be consistent with either purity or stability. At the first glance, the eye is caught by the signature of an eminent prelate who some years ago wrote a book on the "Protestant Episcopal Church" in America, wherein he severely charges that Church with guilty complicity in Negro slavery, with ignorance and even immorality in its clergy, irreverence in its worship, secularity of spirit, and undisguised Socinianism. Yet he can admit a large delegation of those very men to sit on the supreme spiritual tribunal for watching over the faith of the Anglican Communion! On the one hand, Colenso is very properly censured by the Conference; but, on the other, the gross Ritualism that has sprung up in several colonies encounters no reproof. The Russian priesthood is honoured by a solemn declaration of sympathy. The ancient Church is professedly resorted to as furnishing precedents for a new system; but the fathers of the English Reformation, tainted, perhaps, by the sympathy of some of them with German and French Reformers, are not honoured with a syllable of respect. As for the Church of Rome, just two of its errors are marked for avoidance; namely, the claim of the popes to supremacy, which is, of course, hateful to ecclesiastics here in England; and the rendering Divine honour to the Virgin Mary, against which Dr. Pusey himself protests. But there is not much, if anything, in the proceedings of the Lambeth Conference, to guard against official allowance and actual admis sion of the soul-destroying corruptions of the Church of Rome, if only the claims of the Pope to rule the Anglican Communion and the scandal of Mary-worship be avoided. An express provision for diversities in ritual and formulary in the several provinces of the new Communion, looks too much like a calculated latitudinarianism, intended to subserve the purposes of a high ecclesiastical pretension. It is not without regret that we make these observations; but they are made in charity, and in the hope that the work of God on the various colonial and foreign Mission-stations will not be hindered by sectarian controversies, and by efforts to fortify ecclesiastical positions, instead of faithful diligence in strengthening and extending the Church of Christ. Christians of every name should deprecate the substitution of the canon of the mass," oneness with Christ," as it is called, “in the blessed sacrament of His body and blood,”'-a celebration of t |
