The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1869-01-20
Our Committee of Publication and the
Southern Presbyterian Review.


the ruling elder is appointed to assist the
pastor, does not suit our afflicted critic. This,
he says, represents the elder as acting sub
ordinate part in the rule Of the church.
The gravamen of the difficulty is in the word
assist Does that necessarily convey the
idea of inferiority? So the reviewer pro-
nOunces but the notion will be new to others.
If he had taken little pains to inform him
self on this point, it might have been seen
from Baird Digest, page IS, that the very
first time ruling elders are referred to in the
records of the Presbyterian Church in this
country. viz: in l7l4, they are spoken Of a.
assistants chosen to aid the minister. At
the same time their equality with the minister
as rulers we're then, as it always has been ;he
doctrine of the Presbyterian Church. That
doctrine is taught, either directly or mpledy
thirteen times in this very catechism, viz in
questions Tor answers 65, II, -, 92, III, l29,
l39, l52, 1853, ls4, 1874, 1877, 1874. In fact the
reviewer is obliged 10 admit this, for he says
" Elsewhere, it is true, the equality of the ell.
ders, as rulers. has been admitted in this re-
vised edition. But SO far from being APP
peased by fact that would have conteuted
any reasonable mind, it seems only to have
iretted this unreasonable one the more; for he
Immediately adds" Here again, then, is a
double ioconsistency-an Inconsistency betwixt
the different parts o., C.ieShiSa snd an
Inconsistency betw9ixt lc and the Form of Gov
eminent This is not criticism it is simply
captiousness.
But the queerest complaint is get to be NO
ticed. In question l25 it is asked, Are rul.
ing elders recognized in Scripture ?-to which
an affirmative answer is given, with citation
of texts as authority. This question seems to
have completely exhausted the patience Of the
reviewer, for he at once exclaius in horror and
disgust" Such q question as that in the Cat
echism Of Church which gets its very name
from its government by presbyters or elders!
Recognized in Scripture, forsooth, &c.
Really this is too bad. Catechisms have
been in use for ages, and they have been gen
orally employed in the Christian Church to
teach the painest, most fundamental truths.
That it is dreadful, intolerable trespass upon
all propriety to ask or answer question, ex
eept it be upon some doubtful or disputed
point, will be bran new idea to our brethren
and people, for which they are to be henceforth
duly thankful to this profound genius 1t is
almost frightful to think what effect might be
produced upon his sensibilites by turning him
for little while into his Shorter Cate.
chism." Let us try:
Are there more Gods than oae?"
"Such question, in Church which pro
fesseS to derive its doctrines from the Word Of
God J.! And by the time he should reach the
bottom of the page" Did all mankind fall
IN Adam first transgression? ?" we should
expect him to toss the old and obsolete affair
Indignantly into the fire, for asking such ques-
tons, and straightly to threaten our Commit
tee of Publication for printing such silly pro-
duction.
In answer to questions 1873, he finds another
dreadful doctrine The minister is there said
TO represent the Church at large, while the
ruling elder represents the particular Church
which he serves This he thinks is making
him "a mere deputy, instead of true and
roperrepresentative" of the whole church. :"
This, however, is a mere inference of the re
viewer, and one we consider baseless There
is a general sense in which every church acts
of course represents the whole Church. But
this does not interfere with the kindred truth
which common sense plainly teacheS-that
there is a special respect in which the officers
of that lower court represent the congregation
which they serve. Just as well might this
Objector say, that because in certain sense
ministers and elders are declared to represent
the Church, we deny that there is any sense
in which they are the representatives of the
Lord Jesus Christ-a truth which this book
very properly asserts with regard to all Church
officers. See Questions 2l0 2l1.
Question 1874 gives another occasion for
bubble, where it is said that ruling elders are
elected to their office by the people of the
church which they represent. Our objector
says this makes another unfounded and uu-
warrantabe distinction betwixt the two classes
of elders" He asks Are ruling elders
elected to their Office by church members, and
are not teaching elders elected by them?''-
This is another marvellous criticism If the
reader will turn to the heading of the chapter
he will see that it is about Ruling Elders. p"
And because, in considering this subject the
minister is not intruded, we have this capious
condemnation visited upon the Committee.
But If we turn to question IL" What are
the essential principles of RresJyterianism %
it is there explicitly stated that 1.-THE election
of the officers of particular churches by church
members, is one of them. The same thing
is again explicitly asserted in question l47--
Have the members of churches an undoubted
right to choose their own pastors, elders and
deacons?' But questions ll0-ll3, make no
reference to the call of particular cougrega-
ton. That reference, however, is made in the
right place, in questions II, l47. 1t would
have been improper to introduce it in the chap
ter on the general subject of the ministerial
vocation, because it would exclude from our
Church the whole work of Foreign Missions
and the ordination of Evangelists, also of Pro-
feSsors for Theological Seminaries-al of which
is not by the election of the people of any con
gregation, but by the voice OF the Presbytery.
We have shown the criticisms Of this review
er to be worthless. In truth they do not merit
the digni6ed name of criticism; they are the
unhappy exhibitions of mere fault finder; or,
perhaps more accurately, of fault hunter,
without the finding. Mr.. T.'-said John
FOster-''sees religion not as sphere, but as
a line, and it is the identical line in which be is
moving He is like an African bufalo-sees
right forward. but nothing on tie right hand