The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1868-05-27


No minister possesses the power of ruling in
any particular congregation Except by review
and control as any member of Presbytery, un
less he be regularly called by the people and
installed by the Presbytery, in which call only
do people promise to submit to him in the
exercise of discipline. For the Stated Supply
therefore to exercise this power in virtue Of
this lax relation, is to ignore the inalienable
right of people to choose their own ecclesias
tical rulers, or if done at the suggestion of the
ruling elders, it isan assumption on their part
and should never be countenanced.
Hence the minister must ignore this very
important class of his official functions, or ex.
ercise them without authority. He can only
moderate the session of the church to which
he ministers, at the request of the ruling ell
ders, without any judicial authority. Under
such circumstances then, he must cease to be q
ruler or rule without proper investiture.
Either of which consequences tends to evil
and disorder, reflects upon our system of gov.
eminent, and lowers it in the estimation of our
people.
2. There is in this relation no public and
witnessed recognition between the minister and
people of the duties and obligations which
they owe to each other This public engage
ment is infinitely prescribed and enforced by
our Form of Government, is eminently appro.
pirate and very essential to the full efficacy Of
the legitimate relation of minister and people.
These obligations which the parties publicly
and solemnly assume, which are ratified and
recorded by the Presbytery, are designed to
present to the minds of the parties andsolemn-
ly to impress upon their hearts, the nature Of
their relative duties. The efficiency of this
sacred relation of pastor and people is greatly
weakened and its bonds relaxed to attain which
to its fullest extent these public engagements
are prescribed, when it is supplanted by the
lax relation of stated supply.
9. This relation being unknown in the Form
of Government, the parties sustaining it are
not in it under the supervision of the Presby.
terry, unless through some special enactment
They have entered into relation, the condi.
tons of which are not known or ratified by the
Presbytery. And since one or both may be
positively delinquent, or at least suffer for the
stimulus of Presbyterial oversight, and there
is no remedy, except particular legislation,
which is more tedious and difficult, and always
fraught with more or less hazard to the peace
of the church. The influence of Presbytera
oversight upon minister and people in their
relation is almost entirely lost therefore by
those churches and ministers who have fallen
into this practice They must suffer, or else
the constitutional pastorate is useless, and the
whole method thus devised of impressing upon
the hearts of ministers and people the nature
and duties of their legitimate relation, and Of
preserving it pure and efficient by the super
vision of the higher courts, had better be
erased from our book.
The light in which this custom, now so pre-.
valent, has been received by the Church, may
be seen from the fact that our General Assem-
bly, has frequently made it a subject Of special
deliverance. The Assembly of 1884, 1889,
and 1912 considered it as relation ''un-
known in our system, and tends to disorder and
injury in many ways" The Presbyteries were
therefore directed ito supplant it by the reg
ular pastorate relation and to discountenance it
as permanent relation" (See Baird's Dig,
pages IS and 6S) We think, therefore, it now
deserves the attention of our Presbyteries, for
never could it have been more prevalent.
There are, it may be, some few instances
where it should be tolerated, but never recog.