1. Overture on subscribing the Confession of Faith, 1728.-2. The Confession

of Faith; Larger and Shorter Catechisms of the Westminster Assembly

adopted. The Adopting Act, 1729.-3. The Directory recommended.-4.
Intrants, or candidates, required to adopt the Standards.-5. The Adopting
Act to be inscribed on each Presbytery book.-6. An Act explanatory of
the Adopting Act.-7. Plan of union of the Synod of New York and New
Jersey, 1758.-8. Constitution of the Presbyterian Church adopted, 1788.—
9. Proof-texts added by order of the Assembly.-10. The text alone con-
tains the Constitution of the Church; the marginal notes have no authority.
—11. Use and obligation of the Standards defined; to traduce them subjects
to censure.-12. Subscription to the Standards required of every minister
entering the Church.-13. The Catechisms are an integral part of the Con-
stitution, and are to be taught to the young.-14. The term "standing rule"
defined. The Assembly has power to enact standing rules.

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SECTION 2.-OF A PARTICULAR CHURCH,

1. A particular Church defined.-2. How new congregations are to be organ-

ized. Application should always be made to the Presbytery. Order of

procedure: members to be received by letter: candidates to be examined:

a covenant to be entered into: ruling elders and deacons to be elected and

ordained: the Church to be enrolled. In exceptional cases congregations

may be formed without ruling elders.-3. The organization of churches

belongs to the Presbytery, and is not the prerogative of the minister as such.

PAGE

SECTION 3.-OF THE MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH,

1. Universalists not to be admitted; decision reaffirmed.-2. Those who re-
fuse to present their children for baptism are not to be refused communion,
but the expediency of receiving them to the Church to be judged of by the
Session.-3. Postmasters officiating on the Sabbath to be excluded.-4.
Owners of mail-coaches running on the Sabbath not to be admitted to com-
munion of the Church.-5. By whom members are to be admitted to the
Church by an individual Session regularly constituted: by the Session of
that Church to which he will belong; great circumspection to be used, un-
due haste to be avoided.-6. A regular certificate of dismission should be
required of those coming from another Church.-7. Rule as to absent mem-
bers whose residence is unknown. Every member is amenable to some
tribunal; he can cease to be a church member only by death, exclusion,
dismission, or orderly withdrawing to join another denomination. To with-
draw from the use of privileges is censurable, and may infer suspension.
Members absent and unheard of for years, are not to be stricken from the
roll. Those that withdraw wilfully from Church privileges are to be sus-
pended.-8. Members who wish to be released from their obligation. The
provisions of the book declared sufficient.

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CHAPTER II.

OFFICERS OF THE CHURCH,

SECTION 1.-OF DEACONS,

1. They have no juridical power.-2. Their duties consist in distributing the
charities of the Church to which they belong to the poor of that Church.-
3. They are to be ordained in the same manner as Ruling Elders.-4. The
duties of Trustees and Deacons not identical. A Board of Trustees not
inconsistent with Presbyterianism. The minister not ex-officio President,
or a member of the Board.

SECTION 2.-OF RULING ELDERS,

1. The Eldership is essential to the Presbyterian system.-2. Elders must be
duly elected.-3. Mode of election: a direct vote of the congregation, in
every case, recommended. The Session has authority to convene the con-
gregation. Should it refuse or neglect to convene the congregation, the
party aggrieved may complain to Presbytery.-4. Who are the electors of

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Ruling Elders and Deacons? It seems desirable that communicants only

should be electors; but the voting of others, where such is custom, does not

make the election void. Unbaptized persons are not to be allowed to vote

for Elders. No distinction is to be made as to the age of the voters.-5.

The office of Ruling Elder is perpetual: it cannot be laid aside by the will

of the individual; nor can a congregation form a rule making it lawful to

A

lay it aside. Election for a term of years irregular, but not invalid.

rotary eldership not contemplated by the Constitution, and therefore to be

discouraged.-6. A Ruling Elder may cease to act as such.-7. An Elder

who has no official charge cannot sit in the Church courts.-8. An Elder

cannot hold office in two churches at the same time, nor adjudicate in a

church of which he is not an Elder.-9. Elders censured for leaving with-

out permission: and the churches urged to defray their expenses in attend-

ing Church courts.-10. Elders have the same right to sit in Synod as in

Presbytery.-11. Every church having a stated supply is entitled to be

represented in Presbytery or Synod by a Ruling Elder.-12. A Minister,

with one Elder, may form a Session, if there be but one Elder, but not

otherwise.-13. When an Elder has been suspended from Church privi-

leges and is restored, he is not thereby restored to office, nor can he be,

without a special act of Session, with the acquiescence of the church.-

14. Elders not to participate in the ordination of Ministers by the laying on

of hands.

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SECTION 3.-OF PASTORS,

1. Mode of proceeding to elect a Pastor. The Session to judge when the

congregation is prepared to elect a pastor. To use all due diligence for a

speedy settlement. If remiss, a complaint will lie. The Presbytery to

take cognizance of the proceedings.-2. Who may vote in the election of a

Pastor? The major vote determines the election.-3. A pastoral relation

allowed where no instalment had taken place.-4. The translation of a

Pastor. Consent of parties may shorten the constitutional process for trans-

lating a minister. Every case left to the discretion of the Presbytery.-5.

Removal without consent of Presbytery censurable.-6. Pastoral faithfulness

in visiting and lecturing enjoined -7. Catechetical instruction enjoined.-8.

Stated supplies have no pastoral relation.

SECTION 4.-OF MINISTERS WITHOUT CHARGE,

1. Ministers without charge have a seat and a vote in the Church Judicatures.
-2. No Minister can be regularly divested of his office but by a course of
discipline terminating in deposition. If incapacitated he still possesses
ministerial privileges. If he neglect his duties, Presbytery is to use every

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means to recall him to duty. When ministers withdraw wholly or in part

from the work of the ministry, Presbytery is to make inquiry, and record

their approbation or disapprobation. It belongs to Presbytery to judge

ministers.-3. Demission of the ministry; Case of Robert Laing; also, of

William Woodhull. In the case of John Montgomery, Presbytery censured

for allowing him to demit. The Assembly refuses leave to the Presbytery

of Portage. Full deliverance on the subject.-4. Holding civil office not in-

compatible with the ministry; but worldly-mindedness discouraged.-5. A

Minister may be a chaplain in the army.-6. An ordination to a chaplaincy

not sine titulo.-7. A chaplain not to be at the same time pastor of a

church.-8. Office of chaplain in the navy encouraged.

PAGE

CHAPTER III.

ON CANDIDATES.

SECTION 1.-BEFORE LICENSURE, AND AS LICENTIATES,

1. A liberal education required.-2. Waived in certain cases.-3. Time of

study. Three years proposed, but not adopted. Rule of a Synod requiring

three years, unconstitutional. Presbyteries refuse to extend the time.-4.

Minute on the jurisdiction over candidates and licentiates. They belong to

the order of the laity until ordained, and are subject to the jurisdiction of

the Session of the church to which they belong. In case Presbytery arrest

the studies of a candidate, or withdraw the license of a licentiate, it must

remit him to the Session, if discipline be necessary. If Session commence

process against a candidate or licentiate, it must notify the Presbytery under

whose care he is.-5. Candidates are under the care of the Presbytery to

which they most naturally belong.-6. For candidates to seek licensure of

foreign bodies disapproved.-7. Candidates should be placed under the care

of Presbytery as soon as possible, and licensed by the Presbyteries to which

they most naturally belong.-8. Candidates of one Presbytery should not be

licensed by another.-9. Certain irregularities in licensing condemned, viz.:

Trial and licensure at the same meeting; ordination without previous

licensure; and licensing for a certain term.-10. Irregularity does not in-

validate licensure or ordination. Preaching without license irregular.—11.

Lay preaching, and preaching before licensure, condemned. On lay agency.

-12. Licensure by a self-constituted committee, in a special case, approved.

-13. When students are to be reported as "candidates."

SECTION 2.-OF ORDINATION,

1. Ordination by a Committee frequent with the Synod.-2. Ordination by
foreign bodies not approved.-Ordination, sine titulo, generally disapproved

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of.

Ordination permitted to such as should go as missionaries.

Permis-

sion asked and granted in special cases.-4. Overture on ordination, sine
titulo, rejected.-Censure of a Presbytery for ordaining a man, sine titulo,
not sustained by the Assembly.-6. Ordination on the Sabbath disapproved
of.-7. Reordination of a Methodist elder. 8. These decisions set aside.-
9. Ministers coming from other churches not to be reordained. But all
qualifications, as to learning and piety, which are required of our own can-
didates, to be required of them.-9. Lay ordination invalid.

CHAPTER IV.

ON THE SACRAMENTS.

SECTION 1.--ON BAPTISM,

1. Baptism by an impostor; by an Unitarian; by a suspended minister; by a

deposed minister, invalid. The unworthiness of a minister does not inva-

lidate the ordinances administered by him.-2. Is Romish baptism Chris-

tian baptism?-3. Obligations and qualifications of parents. Should be

persons of regular life and Christian knowledge. Credible profession to

be judged of by the merits of the case. Parents required to enter into en-

gagements to perform their duties to their children.-4. The subjects of

baptism. Children of servants. Age of infancy undetermined.-5. Pastoral

care to be exercised over baptized children. To be instructed and cate-

chized.-6. Discipline of baptized persons, not communicants.-7. Mode of

baptism. Dipping of the person not necessary, but baptism is rightly ad-
ministered by pouring or sprinkling.-8. Baptism of adults is ordinarily to
be in connection with their reception into the church.

SECTION 2.-ON THE LORD'S SUPPER,

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1. Permitted where there is no organized church.-2. Not ordinarily to be ad-

ministered within the bounds of a congregation without the consent of the

minister and session.

1. Quorum of the Session. One elder, if there be but one, with a minister,

may constitute a quorum.-2. The appointment of a special Session is un-