and disorder amongst an ill-informed people, and asserting that jurisdiction over them which the ancient Churches of the East have always strenuously resisted, the two great Protestant Powers of Europe will have planted a Church in the midst of them, the Bishop of which is specially charged not to entrench upon the spiritual rights and liberties of those Churches; but to confine himself to the care of those over whom they cannot rightfully claim any jurisdiction and to maintain with them a friendly intercourse of good offices; assisting them, so far as they may desire such assistance, in the work of Christian education; and presenting to their observation, but not forcing upon their acceptance, the pattern of a Church essentially scriptural in doctrine, and apostolical in discipline.

The Bishop of the United Church of England and Ireland at Jerusalem is to be nominated alternately by the Crowns of England and Prussia, the Archbishop having the absolute right of veto, with respect to those nominated by the Prussian Crown.

The Bishop will be subject to the Archbishop of Canterbury as his Metropolitan, until the local circumstances of his bishopric shall be such as to make it expedient, in the opinion of the Bishops of that United Church, to establish some other relation.

His spiritual jurisdiction will extend over the English clergy and congregations, and over those who may join his Church and place themselves under his Episcopal authority in Palestine, and, for the present, in the rest of Syria, in Chaldea, Egypt, and Abyssinia; such jurisdiction being exercised, as nearly as may be, according to the laws, canons, and customs of the Church of England; the Bishop having power to frame, with the consent of the Metropolitan, particular rules and orders for the peculiar wants of his people. His chief missionary care will be directed to the conversion of the Jews, to their protection, and to their useful employment.

He will establish and maintain, as far as in him lies, relations of Christian charity with other Churches represented at Jerusalem, and in particular with the orthodox Greek Church; taking special care to convince them, that the Church of England does not wish to disturb, or divide, or interfere with them; but that she is ready, in the spirit of Christian love, to render them such offices of friendship as they may be willing to receive.

A College is to be established at Jerusalem, under the Bishop, whose Chaplain will be its first Principal. Its primary object will be, the education of Jewish converts: but the Bishop will be au

thorized to receive into it Druses and other Gentile converts: and if the funds of the College should be sufficient, Oriental Christians may be admitted: but clerical members of the orthodox Greek Church will be received into the College, only with the express consent of their spiritual superiors, and for a subsidiary purpose. The religious instruction given in the College will be in strict conformity with the doctrines of the United Church of England and Ireland, and under the superintendence and direction of the Bishop. Congregations, consisting of Protestants of the German tongue, residing within the limits of the Bishop's jurisdiction, and willing to submit to it, will be under the care of German clergymen ordained by him for that purpose; who will officiate in the German language, according to the forms of their national liturgy, compiled from the ancient liturgies, agreeing in all points of doctrine with the liturgy of the English Church, and sanctioned by the Bishop with consent of the Metropolitan, for the special use of those congregations : such liturgy to be used in the German language only. Germans, intended for the charge of such congregations, are to be ordained according to the ritual of the English Church, and to sign the Articles of that Church: and, in order that they may not be disqualified by the laws of Germany from officiating to German congregations, they are, before ordination, to exhibit to the Bishop a certificate of their having subscribed, before some competent authority, the Confession of Augsburg.

The rite of Confirmation will be administered by the Bishop to the catechumens of the German congregations, according to the form used in the English Church.

Subjoined are copies of the Commendatory Letter, addressed by the Archbishop of Canterbury to the Rulers of the Greek Church, and of the same translated into Greek, both of which the newly consecrated Bishop carries with him to the East.

London, Dec. 9, 1841.

LETTER COMMENDATORY FROM THE MOST REV. THE LORD ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, &c.

To the Right Reverend our Brothers in Christ, the Prelates and Bishops of the Ancient and Apostolic Churches in Syria and the Countries adjacent, greeting in the Lord:

WE, WILLIAM, by Divine Providence Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate of all England and Metropolitan, most earnestly commend to your brotherly love the Right Rev. Michael Solomon Alexander, Doctor in Divinity, whom we, being well assured of his learning and piety, have consecrated to the office of a Bishop of the United Church of England and Ireland, according to the ordinances of our Holy and Apostolic Church, and, having obtained the consent of our Sovereign Lady the Queen, have sent out to Jerusalem, with authority to exercise spiritual jurisdiction over the Clergy and Congregations of our Church, which are now, or which hereafter may be, established in the countries above mentioned. And in order to prevent any misunderstanding in regard to this our purpose, we think it right to make known to you, that we have charged the said Bishop our Brother not to intermeddle in any way with the jurisdiction of the Prelates or other Ecclesiastical Dignitaries bearing rule in the Churches of the East; but to show them due reverence and honour; and to be ready, on all occasions, and by all the means in his power, to promote a mutual interchange of respect, courtesy, and kindness. We have good reason to believe that our Brother is willing, and will feel himself in conscience bound, to follow these our instructions; and we beseech you, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to receive him as a Brother, and to assist him, as opportunity may offer, with your good offices.

We trust that your Holinesses will accept this communication as a testimony of our respect and affection, and of our hearty desire to renew that amicable intercourse with the ancient Churches of the East, which has been suspended for ages, and which, if restored, may have the effect, with the blessing of God, of putting an end to divisions which have brought the most grievous calamities on the Church of Christ.

In this hope, and with sentiments of the highest respect for

your Holinesses, we have affixed our archiepiscopal seal to this letter, written with our own hand at our Palace of Lambeth, on the twenty-third day of November, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty-one.

TRANSLATION OF THE LETTER COMMENDATORY.

Τοῖς πανιερωτάτοις καὶ ἀγαπητοῖς ἐν Χριστῷ ἀδελφοῖς, τοῖς Επισκόποις καὶ Προεστῶσι τῶν ἐν τῇ Συρίᾳ καὶ ἐν ταῖς ὁμόροις χώραις Ἐκκλησιῶν ἀρχαίων καὶ ἀποστολικῶν, Γυλίελμος, τη θείᾳ προνοίᾳ ̓Αρχιεπίσκοπος Καντουαρίας, πάσης τῆς ̓Αγγλίας Πρωτεύων καὶ Μητροπολίτης, ἐν Κυρίῳ χαίρειν.

Πάσῃ σπουδῇ συνίσταμεν τῇ εὐνοίᾳ ὑμῶν, ἀδελφοὶ σεβάσμιοι καὶ ἀγαπητοὶ, ἄνδρα εὐσεβέστατον, Μιχαὴλ Σολομῶντα 'Αλέξανδρον, ἱερᾶς θεολογίας ἐξηγητὴν, ὃν ἡμεῖς, ἐξετάσαντες αὐτοῦ τὴν εὐλάβειαν καὶ ἱκανότητα, καὶ ἐπιτὴδειον κρίναντες, ἐχειροτονήσαμεν εἰς Ἐπίσ κοπον τῆς ἐν ̓Αγγλίᾳ καὶ Ἱβερνίᾳ Ἐκκλησίας, κατὰ τοὺς κανόνας τῆς αὐτῆς ἁγίας ἡμῶν καὶ ἀποστολικῆς Ἐκκλησίας. Ἐξουσίαν δὲ λαβόντες παρὰ τῆς σεβαστῆς ἡμῶν Βασιλίσσης, ἐπέμψαμεν αὐτὸν εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα, πιστεύσαντες αὐτῷ ἐπιτροπὴν πνευματικὴν ἐπὶ πᾶσι τοῖς τῆς ἡμετέρας Εκκλησίας κληρικοῖς καὶ λαϊκοῖς, τοῖς ἐκεῖ μετοικοῦσι, καὶ ἐν ταῖς ὁμόροις χώραις. Ἵνα δὲ μή τις ἀγνοῇ τίνος ἕνεκα τοῦτον τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἡμῶν ἐπίσκοπον οὕτως ἐπέμψαμεν, γνωρίζομεν ὑμῖν ὅτι προσετάξαμεν αὐτῷ μηδαμῶς ἐν μηδενὶ πράγματι ἐπιβαίνειν τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ τῇ καθηκούσῃ ὑμῖν τοῖς Ἐπισκόποις, καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐν τῷ ἀρχικῷ τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν ̓Ανατολικῶν τάγματι καθεστῶσι, μᾶλλον δὲ παρέχειν ὑμῖν τὴν προσήκουσαν τιμὴν καὶ θεραπείαν, καὶ πρόθυμον εἶναι πάντοτε καὶ παντὶ τρόπῳ σπουδάζειν τὰ εἰς φιλαδελφίαν, καὶ συνήθειαν, καὶ ὁμός νοιαν φέροντα. Πεπείσμεθα μὲν περὶ τούτου τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ ἡμῶν, ὅτι ἐκ θυμοῦ, καὶ διὰ συνείδησιν, ταῦτα τὰ ἐντεταληένα ὑφ ̓ ἡμῶν πιστῶς φυλάξει· παρακαλοῦμεν δὲ ὑμᾶς, ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὡς ἀδελφὸν δέχεσθαι αὐτὸν, καὶ χρείαν αὐτῷ ἐπίκαιρον παρέχειν.

Πεποίθαμεν, ἀδελφοὶ, ὅτι ἡ πανιερότης ὑμῶν τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ταύτην φιλοφρόνως δέξεται, ὡς μαρτυροῦσαν τὴν ἡμετέραν εἰς ὑμᾶς σέβασιν καὶ φιλαδελφίαν, καὶ τὴν ἐν ἡμῖν ἐπιπόθησιν τοῦ ἀνανεοῦσθαι τοὺς

τῆς ἀρχαίας ἀγάπης θεσμοὺς πρὸς τὰς παλαιὰς ἐν τῇ ̓Ανατολῇ Ἐκκλησίας, ἐκ πολλῶν ἤδη γενεῶν διαλιπούσης· ἧς ἀνανεουμένης κατὰ βούλησιν καὶ χάριν Θεοῦ, πεποίθαμεν ἰαθήσεσθαι ἂν τὰ σχίσε ματα, δι' ὧν δεινότατα ἔπαθεν ἡ τοῦ Χριστοῦ Ἐκκλησία.

Ταύτην ἐλπίδα ἔχοντες, καὶ τὴν ὑμετέραν ἁγιωσύνην ἐκ θυμοῦ καὶ πάσῃ θεραπεία σεβόμενοι, τὴν σφραγῖδα ἡμῶν ἀρχιεπισκοπικὴν ταύτῃ τῇ ἐπιστολῇ αὐτογράφῳ προσεθήκαμεν, ἐν Λαμβήθῳ· ἔτει σωμά, νοεμβρίου κγ'.