The following additional resolutions were adopted: Resolved, 1. That the special committee appointed by this Synod on Union with the Reformed Church in the United States be reappointed. Resolved, 2. That all Classical returns on Union be transmitted by the clerk of Synod to the chairman of said committee. Resolved, 3. That the committee be instructed to tabulate all returns on Union with the Reformed Church in the United States, and report to the next General Synod. Resolved, 4. That said committee be instructed to carry on all necessary correspondence with the Reformed Church in the United States. 1892, 578-580. It was also Resolved, That the Majority Report on Federal Union, as amended, be printed in the minutes for information. It is as follows: MAJORITY REPORT ON FEDERAL UNION. The Special Committee on Federal Union with the Reformed Church in the United States would respectfully report: There have been placed in our hands twenty-seven official reports of the votes of as many Classes on the Plan and Constitution for Federal Union, approved by the General Synod in 1891, and sent to the Classes for their consideration and replies for or against adoption. The Classis of Arcot respectfully refrains from voting on this question "because it is impossible for most of its members to attain to a full understanding of all the issues involved." In all courtesy, therefore, and as a matter of equity, the Classis of Arcot ought to be excused and set aside from the whole number of Classes whose votes should be counted. Of the remaining thirty-three Classes, eighteen officially report an unconditional affirmative answer to the overture of the General Synod, viz.: Bergen, South Bergen, Hudson, North Long Island, Michigan, Monmouth, Montgomery, Newark, New Brunswick, Ulster, New York, Orange, Paramus, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Schoharie, Illinois and West chester. Two classes report a conditional affirmative, viz.: Greene and Raritan. As we shall see, these conditions would necessarily be met even if they had not been specified; and, therefore, they have not even a tendency to vitiate the affirmative answer. Six Classes officially report a negative answer, viz.: Holland, Iowa, South Long Island, Poughkeepsie, Rochester and Wisconsin. From the remaining seven Classes no official report has been received. We know, however, from the reports of their proceedings, as publishd in the Intelligencer, that three of these voted an unconditional affirmative, viz.: Dakota, Passaic and Philadelphia. One voted a conditional affirmative, viz.: Kingston. Three voted a negative reply, viz.: Albany, Grand River and Saratoga. To sum up, if we regard only the official answers received by the Synod, there are eighteen unconditional affirmatives, which is more than one-half of all the Classes, and two conditional affirmatives, which ought, in all reason, to be added. There are six Classes officially voting in the negative, which is less than one-fifth of all the Classes. If we take into account all the official and unofficial answers, there are twenty-one unconditional affirmatives and three formally conditional, which is more than two-thirds of all, and nine negatives, which is less than one-third. Although this proposed Constitution of Federal Union with the Reformed Church in the United States is not in any sense an alteration of the Constitution of our Reformed Church in America, the General Synod, although under no obligation to do so, has chosen to submit it to the vote of the Classes in order that the mind of the Church might be fully known. Having already been approved by the General Synod, and having now received the affirmative votes of much more than a clear majority of the Classes, it only remains for this Synod to utter a final declarative resolution announcing its adoption by our Reformed Church in America. In doing so, however, it is perfectly proper and may be highly expedient that at the same time we declare our understanding of points which may be open to misconception, and the methods by which we propose to exercise the functions of our own General Synod as specified in the Federal Constitution. We therefore recommend the following action: WHEREAS, At the last preceding session of General Synod the proposed Federal Union with the Reformed Church in the United States and the proposed Constitution for such Union were approved and sent down to the Classes for their adoption; and WHEREAS, A decided majority of the Classes have approved said proposed Union and Constitution; therefore, Resolved, That the articles of Constitution and Federal Union between the Reformed Church in America and the Reformed Church in the United States be and are hereby adopted, with the following express understanding: I. That the last clause of Article V, "Such as shall be determined by the concurrent action of the Constituent General Synods," be understood to qualify the whole article, and not only the last preceding clause; and that we propose the following amendment by way of substitute for Article V: "To the Federal Synod shall be committed such powers in matters relating to the establishment and management of Missions, Domestic and Foreign; in matters relating to new educational interests; in matters relating to the general superintendence of Sunday School interests and literature, and in all similar ecclesiastical matters, as the concurrent action of the Constituent General Synods shall determine." 2. That the said Articles of Constitution and Federal Union, so far as they relate to and effect the Reformed Church in America, shall not supersede or be superior to, or in any wise directly or indirectly change, or amend, or add to, or take from, the Constitution of the Reformed Church in America or any part thereof, but shall be strictly and wholly subordinate thereunto; and that none of the said Articles of Constitution and Federal Union shall be so interpreted as to conflict with the Constitution of the Reformed Church in America. 3. That in relation to Articles V, VI, VII and XIII, we hereby establish the principle for our own Reformed (Dutch) Church in America, that any action or assent of our General Synod, or any amendment to the Federal Constitution which shall directly or indirectly affect the Constitution of our own Church-including in that term, as is our wont, the Catechism, the Compendium, the Confession of Faith, the Canons of the Synod of Dordrecht and the Liturgy-shall first be recommended by General Synod, and then sent down to our Classes for approbation, and shall only be effected upon the favoring votes of a majority of said Classes, and a subsequent final declarative resolution of our General Synod. Resolved, That with the fullest confidence in our sister Reformed Church in the United States, and with the expectation that what we now propose will meet with her hearty approbation, this Synod now expresses its judgment that it is desirable that the Articles of Constitution and of Federal Union between the Reformed Church in America and the Reformed Church in the United States be amended by the addition thereunto of the following article, to wit: ART. XIV. Either one of the two Constituent General Synods may, from time to time, with the consent of the Federal Synod, immediately resume any power or powers which it may have committed to the Federal Synod, and the exclusive right to exercise the same, and in case the Federal Synod shall withhold its consent to such resumption, either one of the two Constituent General Synods may, from time to time, resume any power or powers which it may have committed to the Federal Synod, and the exclusive right to exercise the same, on condition that it shall have given to the Federal Synod one year previous notice of such intended resumption. Resolved, That the Federal Synod, and the General Synod of the Reformed Church in the United States be and hereby are requested to concur with the General Synod in the adoption of such amendment. Resolved, That the members of the Federal Synod who shall represent our Church, be instructed to report to the General Synod any suggestions or recommendations which they may have to make proposing action of the General Synod whereby the Federal Synod may be most effectively empowered to accomplish the purposes for which it was constituted. A memorial from the Particular Synod of Albany requests that in case of the required majority for the adoption of the Federal Union, the Particular Synod of Albany be assigned one-fourth part of our representatives in the Federal Synod; and, secondly, that that Particular Synod be allowed to propose the names of its own representatives to the Federal Synod, subject to the ratification of the General Synod. An answer to the first of these requests will presently be provided. As to the second, there are serious objections. First, the Federal Synod, by its constitution, is the creature not of the Particular Synods, but directly of the two constituent General Synods. Secondly, an election by the Particular Synods, to be confirmed by the General Synod, would be unnecessarily cumbersome. hirdly, it would necessarily delay the constitution of a Federal Svnod for at least another year. For these reasons your committee recommend that this request be not granted. Resolved, That Synod proceed, during the present session, at a time to be appointed and by a method to be designated upon the adoption of this resolution, to elect sixteen ministers and sixteen elders, with secundi, delegates from our Church to the Federal Synod as follows: One minister and one elder from each of our Particular Synods for four years, one minister and one elder from each Particular Synod for three years, one minister and one elder from each Particular Synod for two years, one minister and one elder from each Particular Synod for one year. It is to be understood that the removal from one Particular Synod to another of a delegate thus elected, during the term for which he is elected, shall not vacate his membership in the Federal Synod. Resolved, That the Stated Clerk of the General Synod of the Reformed Church in the United States be notified of the facts of the ratification of the Federal Union and the Constitution, of the election of delegates, and of the proposition of this Synod that the first session of the Federal Synod be held in the First Reformed (Dutch) Church of Philadelphia, on the last Tuesday of October, 1892, at 3 P. M. If the Stated Clerk of our General Synod shall be notified officially of the acceptance on the part of the presiding officers of the Reformed Church in the United States of this suggested time and place, he is hereby directed to notify the delegates elected to represent our Church in said Synod, at least one month before the second Wednesday in October, 1892. Resolved, That we commend the thus consummated and instructed Federal Synod to the prayerful sympathy and fraternal confidence of our Church, and above all to the favor of the Great King and Head of the Church, and to the gracious guidance of the indwelling Holy Ghost. J. A. DEBAUN, A. P. VAN GIESON, [Whole Report, 1892, 577-584.] V. LANSING. 1892, 580-584. REPORT, 1893, 816-819. REFORMED CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES. In accordance with the instructions of the General Synod last year (Minutes p. 579), all the classes, except Arcot, took action on the subject of Federal Union, and sent their reports to the stated clerk. These classical returns were all transmitted to the Rev. A. P. Van Gieson, Chairman of the Synod's Committee, to be tabulated and examined. The committee, after careful examination, presented their report to the Synod, when it was accepted, and, after being discussed and amended, was adopted, and is as follows: The special committee on Union with the Reformed Church in the United States appointed by the General Synod at its regular session in 1892, with instructions to tabulate all returns on Union with the Reformed Church in the United States, and report to the next General Synod, and to carry on all necessary correspondence with the Reformed Church in the United States, respectfully report: I. That they have carried on no formal correspondence with the Reformed Church in the United States for the reason that no necessity for such correspondence has appeared. 2. That, in accordance with the instructions of the General Synod, the stated clerk of General Synod has transmitted all classical returns on Federal Union to the chairman of the committee. 3. That, on examination of the said returns, it appears that all the classes, with the single exception of the Classis of Arcot, have reported their approval or disapproval of the proposed Articles of Constitution and Federal Union between the Reformed Church in America and the Reformed Church in the United States, with the amendments and understandings recommended in the majority report presented to the last General Synod. (See Minutes of Synod, p. 378.) 4. That the classes which have reported their approval of the said articles with the said amendments and understandings are sixteen (16) in number, and are as follows, viz.: South Bergen, Greene, Hudson, Illinois, North Long Island, Michigan, Montgomery, New Brunswick, New York, Paramus, Passaic, Philadelphia, Raritan, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Westchester. 5. That the classes which have reported their disapproval of the said Articles with the said amendments and understandings are eighteen (18) in number and are as follows, viz.: Albany, Bergen, Dakota, Grand River, Holland, Iowa, Kingston, South Long Island, Monmouth, Newark, Orange, Pleasant Prairie, Poughkeepsie, Rochester, Saratoga, Schoharie, Ulster, Wisconsin. 6. That, together with the report of disapproval from the South Classis of Long Island, there has been transmitted to the committee the following action of the same classis, viz.: "WHEREAS, The idea of Federal Union has, in the Providence of God taken the larger form of the Federation of the Churches of the Reformation, therefore "Resolved, That the South Classis of Long Island overture the General Synod to invite the co-operation of the German Reformed Church in perfecting that plan of Federal Union that shall include all the Reformed Churches holding the Presbyterian system." 7. That, together with the report of approval from the Classis of Schenectady, there has been transmitted to the committee the following action of the same Classis, viz.: "Resolved, That we respectfully memoralize the General Synod to pronounce upon the constitutionality of the action of the last General Synod in failing to ratify the action of the majority of the classes in favor of the proposed Federal Union." With respect to the request from the Classis of_Schenectady the committee offer the following, viz.: The action of the Synod was of the nature of ordinary legislation, and was constitutional by virtue of the clauses of the constitution which commit to the General Synod power "to exercise a general superintendence over the spiritual interests and concerns of the whole church," and to regulate "correspondnce with the highest judicatories or essemblies of other religious denominations." In view of the nature of the reports received from the classes on the proposed Federal Union the following is recommended, viz.: WHEREAS, A majority of the whole number of the classes have reported to this Synod their disapproval of the proposed Articles of Constitution and Federal Union between the Reformed Church in America and the Reformed Church in the United States, with the amendments and understandings submitted by the last General Synod in order that the mind of the church might be ascertained; therefore Resolved, That this Synod accepts these reports as evidence that the mind of the church is not in favor of the adoption of the said proposed Articles of Constitution and Federal Union, and that further consideration of the said Articles be indefinitely postponed. While offering this recommendation the committee deem it proper to add that in their judgment the disapproval reported by a majority of the Classes does not in the least degree indicate any want of fraternal affection for and confidence in our brethren of the Reformed Church in the United States. It only indicates that for some reasons in some classes, and for other reasons in other classes, the church is not ready to consummate this plan of Union at this time. Nor does the disapproval reported cast any reflection upon the Commissioners of the two churches by whom the proposed plan of Union was devised. No others stand, or deserve to stand, higher than they in the confidence of their brethren. The task which they undertook was not assumed by themselves, but was imposed upon them by the churches. It was difficult by reason of both its magnitude and its novelty. It is no disparagement to them that such an attempt does not prove immediately successful. Notwithstanding the partial failure and the consequent disappointment of many cherished hopes, their work has not by any means been in vain. Through the negotiations and correspondence and personal and fraternal intercourse which have been carried on in recent years the two Sister Churches have become better acquainted with each other, the ties of confidence and affection between them have been strengthened, and although the present effort towards a closer external union has not succeeded, it will serve to prepare the way for the success which God will surely grant, and as we believe, at no distant time. We also offer the following: Resolved, That the Synod cannot refrain from expressing its deep gratefulness to the Commissioners of both our Reformed Churches, who have for so many years endeavored to formulate some plan of practical union, and its sense of pain and disappointment at miscarriage of their efforts; but indulges the hope that no such labor of love is ever lost, and that in His own time God may bring about some larger and effective co-operation of holy purpose and work, whereby both our own and other churches may more successfully assist in the promotion of God's Kingdom in the world. Whether it is advisable at the present time to attempt to devise some other and more acceptable plan of union we leave to the wisdom of the Synod to decide. Also without further recommendation we leave it to the wisdom of the Synod to decide what course to adopt concerning the overture from |