PREFACE TO THE HYMNAL. the use of the Church. THE General Conference of the Meth- | to prepare a suitable Hymn and Tune Book for odist Episcopal Church, on the thirtieth day of May, 1876, adopted the following report: The Committee on the Revision of the Hymn Book have carefully considered the various papers referred to them, and respectfully report to the General Conference that they are unanimously of the opinion that a thorough revision of the Hymn Book now in use is imperatively demanded. We therefore recommend 1. That the Board of Bishops be requested to appoint, as soon as practicable, a Committee of fifteen, to whom shall be committed the work of revision. 2. That this Committee be selected with reference to convenience of location for division into three sections for working purposes. 3. That when the work of preparatory revision shall be completed by the several sections, the whole Committee shall be duly notified, and the work of each section shall be revised; and that no hymn now in use shall be excluded without a vote of two thirds of the Committee for its rejection, and that no hymn not now in the collection shall be admitted without a vote of twothirds of the Committee in its favor. 6. No compensation shall be paid to the Committee employed in the revisal, except for actual expenses incurred. In accordance with the foregoing resolution, the Bishops appointed the following persons as THE COMMITTEE OF REVISION. JAMES M. BUCKLEY, Eastern Section. DANIEL A. WHEDON, WILLIAM RICE, CHARLES F. ALLEN. APPROVAL BY THE BISHOPS. To the Committee appointed to revise the Hymn Book: 4. That when the Committee have completed DEAR BRETHREN-The Bishops, at their late their work, they shall submit their report to the meeting in Cleveland, Ohio, very thoroughly exBishops for their approval, and the Bishops ap-amined the result of the labors of the Committee proving, they are authorized to commend it to the Church. 5. That after the Committee aforesaid shall have completed their revision of the Hymn Book, and their work has been approved by the Bishops as provided for in item 4, they shall have power appointed under authority of the last General Conference, to revise the Hymn Book of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 1. They went through the entire list of the hymns in the book now in use which the Committee has excluded. |