12. Of obtaining eternal Salvation only by the Name of Christ.

They are to be accounted presumptuous, who say, that every man shall be saved by the law or sect which he professeth, so that he be diligent to frame his life according to that law, and the light of nature. For holy scripture doth set out unto us only the name of Jesus Christ, whereby men must be saved.

13. Of the Church and its Authority.

The visible Church of Christ is a congregation of faithful men, wherein the true word of God is preached, and the sacraments are duly administered, according to Christ's ordinance in all things requisite and necessary: and every Church hath power to ordain, change, and abolish rites and ceremonies, for the more decent order and good government thereof; so that all things be done to edifying. But it is not lawful for the Church to ordain any thing contrary to God's word, nor so to expound the scripture, as to make one part seem repugnant to another; nor to decree or enforce any thing to be believed as necessary to salvation, that is not contained in the scriptures. General Councils and Churches are liable to err, and have erred, even in matters of faith and doctrine, as well as in their ceremonies.

14. Of Ministering in the Congregation.

It is not lawful for any man to take upon him the office of public preaching, or ministering the sacraments in the congregation, before he be lawfully called, and sent to execute the same. And those we ought to judge lawfully called and sent, who are chosen and called to this work by men who have public authority given unto them in the congregation, to call and send ministers into the Lord's vineyard.

15. Of the Sacraments.

Sacraments ordained by Christ are not merely badges or tokens of Christian men's profession; but rather certain sure witnesses, and effectual signs of grace, and God's good will towards us, by which he doth work invisibly in us, and

doth not only quicken, but also strengthen and confirm our faith in him.

There are two sacraments ordained by Christ our Lord in the gospel, that is to say, baptism, and the supper of the Lord.

16. Of Baptism.

Baptism is not merely a sign of profession, and mark of difference, whereby Christian men are discerned from others that are not christened; but it is also a sign of regeneration, or new birth, whereby, as by an instrument, they who receive baptism rightly are grafted into the Church; the promises of the forgiveness of sin, and of our adoption to be the sons of God by the Holy Ghost, are visibly signed and sealed; faith is confirmed, and grace increased by virtue of prayer unto God. The baptism of young children is in any wise to be retained in the Church, as most agreeable to the institution of Christ.

17. Of the Lord's Supper.

The supper of the Lord is not merely a sign of the love that Christians ought to have among themselves one to another; but rather is a sacrament of our redemption by Christ's death: insomuch that to such as rightly, worthily, and with faith receive the same, the bread which we break is a partaking of the body of Christ, and likewise the cup of blessing is a partaking of the blood of Christ.

Transubstantiation (or the change of the substance of bread and wine) in the supper of the Lord, cannot be proved by holy writ; but is repugnant to the plain words of scripture, overthroweth the nature of a sacrament, and hath given occasion to many superstitions.

The body of Christ is given, taken, and eaten in the supper of the Lord, only after an heavenly and spiritual manner. And the mean whereby the body of Christ is received and eaten in the supper, is faith.

18. Of the one Oblation of Christ upon the Cross.

The offering of Christ once made, is that perfect redemption, propitiation, and satisfaction for all the sins of the whole world, both original and actual: and there is none other satisfaction for sin but that alone.

19. Of Consecration and Ordination.

The book of consecration of bishops and ordering of priests and deacons, except such parts as require any oaths inconsistent with the American revolution, is to be adopted, as containing all things necessary to such consecration and ordering.

20. Of a Christian Man's Oath.

The Christian religion doth not prohibit any man from taking an oath, when required by the magistrate in testimony of truth: but all vain and rash swearing is forbidden by the holy scriptures.

Ordered, that the plan for obtaining consecration be again read: which being done, the same was agreed to, and is as follows:

[The plan follows in the instrument, but is here omitted, because given in No. 5, p. 295.]

Done in Philadelphia, Christ Church, in convention of the Clerical and Lay Deputies of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the states under-mentioned, this fifth day of October, 1785. [Signed by the president and all the mem bers of the convention, ranged according to their respective states: as was also the address to the English prelates, published in the journal of 1786.]

Extracts from the Journal.

Resolved, That the Liturgy shall be used in this Church as accommodated to the revolution, agreeably to the alterations now approved of and ratified by this convention.

On motion, Resolved, That the fourth of July shall be observed by this Church for ever, as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God, for the inestimable blessings of religious and civil liberty vouchsafed to the United States of America.

On motion, Resolved, That the first Thursday in November in every year for ever, shall be observed by this Church as a day of general thanksgiving to Almighty God, for the fruits of the earth, and for all the other blessings of his merciful providence.*

* The preparing of a suitable service was left to the committee.

Resolved, That a committee be appointed to publish the Book of Common Prayer, with the alterations, as well as those now ratified, in order to render the liturgy consistent with the American revolution, and the constitutions of the respective states, as the alterations and new offices recommended to this Church; and that the book be accompanied with a proper preface or address, setting forth the reason and expediency of the alterations; and that the committee have the liberty to make verbal and grammatical corrections; but in such manner as that nothing in form or substance be altered.

The committee appointed were the Rev. Dr. White, (president) the Rev. Dr. Smith, and the Rev. Dr. Wharton.

Ordered, That the said committee be authorized to dispose of the copies of the Common Prayer when printed; and that after defraying all expenses incurred therein, they remit the nett profits to the treasurers of the several corporations and societies for the Relief of the Widows and Children of deceased Clergymen in the states represented in this convention; the profits to be equally divided among the said societies and corporations.

Resolved, That the same committee be authorized to publish, with the Book of Common Prayer, such of the reading and singing psalms, and such a calendar of proper lessons for the different Sundays and holy days throughout the year, as they may think proper.

[The Appendix of the first edition here concluded.]

No. 33. Page 53.

The bishops, in the use of the office of Confirmation, finding that the preface is frequently not well suited to the age and character of those who are presented for this holy ordinance, unanimously propose the following resolution:

Resolved, That after the present preface in the office of Confirmation, the following be inserted, to be used instead of the former, at the discretion of the bishop :-"It appears from holy scripture, that the apostles laid their hands on those who were baptized; and this ordinance, styled by the Apostle Paul, the laying on of hands,' and ranked by him among the principles of the doctrine of Christ, has been retained in the Church, under the name of Confirmation;

and is very convenient, and proper to be observed, to the end that persons being sufficiently instructed in what they promised, or what was promised for them in their baptism, and being, in other respects, duly qualified, may themselves, with their own mouth and consent, openly before the Church, ratify and confirm the same, and also promise, that by the grace of God, they will evermore endeavour themselves faithfully to observe such things as they, by their own confession, have assented unto."

And to correct the injurious misapprehension, as to the meaning of certain terms in the first collect in the Office of Confirmation, the bishops unanimously propose the following resolution:

Resolved, That after the first collect in the Office of Confirmation, the following be inserted, to be used at the diseretion of the bishop, instead of the first collect, "Almighty and everliving God, who hast vouchsafed, in baptism, to regenerate these thy servants, by water and the Holy Ghost; thus giving them a title to all the blessings of thy covenant of grace and mercy, in thy Son Jesus Christ, and now dost graciously confirm unto them, ratifying the promises then made, all their holy privileges; grant unto them, we beseech thee, O Lord, the renewing of the Holy Ghost; strengthen them with the power of this divine Comforter; and daily increase in them thy manifold gifts of grace, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and ghostly strength, the spirit of knowledge and true godliness; and fill them, O Lord, with the spirit of thy holy fear, now and for ever. Amen."

No. 34. Page 256.

In the convention of 1821, the House of Bishops communicated to the House of Clerical and Lay Deputies, their disapprobation of what they conceived to be a mistaken construction of the last rubric in the service for the administration of the communion. The reasons on which their objection to the construction was founded, are recorded in the Appendix to the journal of that year; and it is their intention to cause it to be entered on the journal of their present transactions. It is as follows: