them in the office of superintendent to relieve these venerable fathers of burdens which had become too heavy for them, presided over this first General Conference. He was rechosen to the office, and the Rev. Andrew Zeller was elected to be his associate. The Confession of Faith previously adopted by the Conference of 1879 was, with a few amendments, reaffirmed. The general interests of the work were passed under careful review, and various steps were taken to promote its efficiency.

Among the most important of these was the arrangement and adoption of a book of discipline, the object being to secure and maintain homogeneity in faith and practice throughout all the various portions of the church. Indeed, it was chiefly for the purpose of providing such a book of rules and regulations that this General Conference was assembled, the call for the conference originating in the Miami Annual Conference. The book of discipline adopted was an expansion of that agreed upon by that earliest of all the formal conferences, convened in the parsonage of Bishop Otterbein's church in Baltimore, in 1789. The book of discipline, including the Confession of Faith, was now for the first time printed. No essentially new feature of church polity was adopted. The practice of the church as already familiar was embodied in the rules. The itinerant system of ministerial supply for the churches, already so well tested as to its efficiency, was more clearly defined and adopted as the settled policy of the church. The essential features of this system have undergone but slight amendment to the present day, the most important change being the elimination of the time limit as to the pastorate by the General Conference of 1893.

The names of the members of this first General Conference of the church were as follows: Christian Newcomer, Andrew Zeller, Abraham Hiestand, Christian

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Berger, Abraham Mayer, John Schneider, Henry Kumler, Daniel Troyer, George Benedum, Abraham Troxel, Henry G. Spayth, Isaac Niswander, Christian Krum, and Jacob Baulus.

It should here be remembered as a fact of considerable interest, that up to this time, and for some years after, nearly all the ministers of the United Brethren Church preached only in the German language. The business of the conference was transacted in German, and the book of discipline as first printed appeared only in that language. The widening contact with people speaking the English language began gradually to create a necessity for preaching in that language also. The change proceeded slowly at first, but has in the lapse of years become so thorough that at the present time less than four per cent. of the congregations worship in the German language. The comparative slowness of the growth of the church in its earlier periods may be attributed in part to this exclusive use of the German, and to the fact that constant losses were experienced by the transfer, especially of the younger converts, to denominations using the English language. This was particularly true of the Methodist Episcopal Church, whose ministers affiliated very closely with those of the United Brethren Church, preaching in common. with them in the same houses, and often holding protracted meetings jointly with them. The methods of work of the two denominations being so nearly identical, the question of language frequently determined the choice of converts when connecting themselves with the church.

CHAPTER IV.

DOCTRINE AND POLITY.

1. Doctrinal Basis.

THE doctrines in general held by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ are expressed in the Confession of Faith. We have already seen that the first formal declaration of doctrine was made by the Conference of 1789, in the Confession adopted by that body; also that this Confession, in amended form, was reaffirmed by the General Conference of 1815. The Confession, as thus approved, remained without material amendment until a revision was ordered by the General Conference of 1885, a period of seventy years. It had long been felt before this order was made that, excellent as the instrument was, some important omissions of fundamental doctrine should be supplied, while in several points amendments in the form of expression seemed desirable. The General Conference accordingly, after mature deliberation, determined upon the appointment of a Commission on Revision to whom the subject should be committed, with instructions also to prepare certain amendments to the constitution of the church. The commission as chosen consisted of twentyseven men, including five bishops, eighteen other ministers, and four laymen.

The commission assembled in November, 1885, in the city of Dayton, O., and after full deliberation put in form the contemplated amendments. In accordance with the pro

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visions of the constitution these amendments were submitted to the vote of the entire membership of the church for approval or rejection. A period of three years elapsed before the vote was taken, thus allowing time for the fullest discussion of every point presented in the amendments. The vote as finally taken in November, 1888, an unusually full ballot, resulted, on the revised Confession of Faith, in an affirmative of nearly eighty-three per cent. of the ballots cast. On the amended constitution, several of the features being voted upon separately, the lowest per cent. upon any one feature exceeded a two-thirds majority.

At the General Conference ensuing, held at the city of York, Pa., in 1889, the result of the popular vote was announced, and after due inquiry as to the regularity of all previous proceedings, as to the work of the revising committee and the taking of the popular vote, the amended constitution and revised Confession of Faith were declared adopted. The Confession as it now stands—a most admirable instrument in brevity, clear, compact, and comprehensive statement, and general felicity of expression-is as follows:

"CONFESSION OF FAITH.

"In the name of God, we declare and confess before all men the following articles of our belief:

"ARTICLE I.

Of God and the Holy Trinity.

"We believe in the only true God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; that these three are one-the Father in the Son, the Son in the Father, and the Holy Ghost equal in essence or being with the Father and the Son.

ARTICLE II.

Of Creation and Providence.

"We believe that this triune God created the heavens and the earth, and all that in them is, visible and invisible; that he sustains, protects, and governs these with gracious regard for the welfare of man, to the glory of his name.

"We believe in Jesus Christ; that he is very God and man; that he became incarnate by the power of the Holy Ghost and was born of the Virgin Mary; that he is the Saviour and Mediator of the whole human race, if they with full faith accept the grace proffered in Jesus; that this Jesus suffered and died on the cross for us, was buried, rose again on the third day, ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God, to intercede for us; and that he will come again at the last day to judge the living and the dead.

66 ARTICLE IV.

Of the Holy Ghost.

"We believe in the Holy Ghost; that he is equal in being with the Father and the Son; that he convinces the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; that he comforts the faithful and guides them into all truth.

ARTICLE V.

Of the Holy Scriptures.

"We believe that the Holy Bible, Old and New Testaments, is the Word of God; that it reveals the only true way to our salvation; that every true Christian is bound