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 692 EPISCOPAL CHURCH EPISCOPIUS minion of the British crown and the jurisdic- tion of the English church, provided always that the statutes devised should be, as near as conveniently might, agreeable to the laws and policy of England, and not against the true Christian faith, as professed in the church of England." They remained a part of the Eng- lish church so long as the colonies remained a part of the English dominions and dependen- cies. Holding with the English church that episcopal ordination is necessary to valid juris- diction and the due administration of the sac- raments, the Protestant Episcopal church has been compelled to decline communion with the various Protestant denominations in the coun- try, as none of them have what she regards as a valid episcopate. She does, however, ac- knowledge the validity of the orders conferred in the Roman Catholic church, but disregards the claim set up by that church to jurisdiction within the United States. This would follow from the fact of her first institution in this country, being planted here not only before the Roman Catholics had made a permanent settlement, but by the English church, and in territory which it is claimed at that time be- longed to its jurisdiction. In this state of facts the Protestant Episcopal church con- sistently regards the Roman Catholic clergy as schismatics, according to the ancient canons, just as is the case in England, where the pope has intruded bishops and priests within the lawful jurisdiction of the established church of the land. The dioceses of the Protestant Epis- copal church formerly corresponded in number and extent with the states. The division of the state dioceses began in 1835, when west- ern New York was made a separate diocese. Since then the dioceses of Pittsburgh (1865), Albany (1868), Central New York (1868), Easton, Md. (1868), Long Island (1868), and Central Pennsylvania (1871) have been estab- lished ; so that in 1873 the state of New York numbered five, Pennsylvania three, and Mary- land two dioceses. The institution of provin- cial synods has been created for the common interests of the dioceses of one state. The church has missions in Africa, China, Japan, Greece, and Hayti. In 1873 it had 49 or- ganized dioceses, two of which, western Africa and China and Japan, were outside of the United States, and five were missionary dio- ceses in the territories. In each diocese there is an organized convention, consisting of bish- op, clergy, and lay delegates chosen by the people. These conventions meet annually, and provide for all the details of local and specific legislation. The dioceses are organized into a general convention, which meets once in three years. It consists of all the bishops in the actual exercise of episcopal jurisdiction, and of clerical and lay delegates, four of each order chosen from each diocese by its convention. They sit in two houses, and not only is the concurrence of both houses necessary for the passage of any canon or law of the church, but also a concurrence in case it is asked of each of the three orders, bishops, priests, and laity, in order that any measure may become a law. The number of priests and deacons in 1873 was 2,938; parishes, 2,700; communicants, about 248,000. The income of the principal religious societies during the year 1872 was as follows : domestic committee of missions, $168,- 252; foreign committee, $110,732; American church missionary society, $53,938 ; evangeli- cal education society, $40,008 ; Protestant Epis- copal society for the promotion of evangeli- cal knowledge, $43,088 ; the society for the increase of the ministry, $28,923. The con- tributions in money for church objects, over and above what was expended in erecting and repairing church edifices and in the support of the parochial clergy, amounted in 1872 to $6,187,250 89. This sum was devoted mainly to the support of the poor, and in sustaining missions, diocesan, domestic, and foreign. In consequence of its total disconnection from the state and political complications, the Prot- estant Episcopal church has had a degree of unity, harmony, and peace unknown to the mother church in England ; and its increase by a comparison of statistics shows a gain in num- bers of 20 or 30 per cent, above the increase in the population of the country since the time of its organization. . EPISCOPIIJS, Simon, a Dutch theologian, whose original name was Bischop, born in Amsterdam in January, 1583, died there, April 4, 1643. He was educated at Leyden, receiving theological instructions from Gomar and Arminius ; and his attachment to the Ar- minian system exposed him to the enmity of the then dominant Calvinistic party. In 1610 he became pastor in Bleiswick near Rotterdam, and in 1611 he was chosen one of six ministers who were to defend Arminianism in a confer- ence appointed by the states general. In 1612 he was invited to fill the chair of theology at Leyden, which Gomar had just quitted. He now became the object of unceasing attacks, was accused of being a Socinian, and of having combined with 'the Catholics to ruin Protes- tantism ; and the popular animosity, so easily excited in religious causes at that era, became directed against him and 'his family. In 1618 Episcopius with some of his friends presented himself before the synod of Dort, but they were not allowed to take part in it. The Arminian or Remonstrant clergymen were de- posed, and as they refused to renounce for the future the performance of pastoral duties, they were banished by the aid of the govern- ment. Episcopius then retired to Antwerp, where he wrote his Responsio ad ducts Patris Waddingii Jesuitce Epistolas, and his cele- brated Confessio Fidei Remonstrantium. On the renewal of the war between Spain and the Netherlands Episcopius took refuge in France, and resided chiefly at Paris, where he pub- lished several works. On the death of Prince Maurice in 1G25, when more tolerant princK