The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1870-03-09
For THE CENTRAL PRESBYTERIAN.
The New Book of Order and Canons of Dis
I. cipline.
LOUISVILLE, KY, March I'd, 1870.


My Dear Sir,-I have desired for long time
past to have word through your columns with
my co-presbyters on the subject of the New Book
of Order, now before the Presbyteries; but hith
erto have been prevented by other duties. There
are those who are better qualified to speak than |,
by their more intimate acquaintance with the SUBJ
ect but these are no doubt restrained by the fear
that they might seem to be commencing their own
handiwork to the Church. have at least the adj
vantage of laboring under no such embarrassment
seeing that | had no part in the responsibility
for the original proposition to amend the Book;
nor had l any hand in the construction of the pro-
posed amended Constitution.
Of course cannot, in the brief space Of let
ter, 60 into any discussion in detail of the proposed
amendments. | confne myself to some sugges-
ton merely touching the propriety OF the
submission of this question by the last Assembly.
Second, the intrinsic merits Of the New Book-and
Third, the spirit in which it should be considered
and the principles upon which the decision should
| be made.
| As you are aware the suggestion to the last As
sembly to take up, amend aud re-submlt the New
Book, came originally from Kentucky brethren
on whose account it was supposed many had de-
clined voting to adopt the change when sent down
in 1866.
That the proposition kr amendment of the Con-
stituton is not Justly liable to the charge of
ing from spirit OF restless, innovatiDg zeal, may
be seen from the fact that the present Form of
Government was originally framed in 1889, to meet
the case of a small body Of some lS4 ministers
and less than 10000 communicates; was revised
some Is years afterward to meet the case of a
body of $50 ministers and some II, 600 communi-
cants revised again, in Is years, (lS2O) to meet
the case of body of 6S7 ministers and $4,000
communicates; and there it has stood without
change for the last so years; though under it
land as believe largely on account of its defects
two great descriptions Of the church have taken
place, as in 1887 and in 1861. If in the first 80
years our Church made two revisions, it is surely
no mark of extraordinary restlessness that now,
after so years and two such descriptions, we think
it time to amend again.
The reasons offered ii the memorial to the Mo-
bile Assembly for taking up this matter, have not
been challenged so far as l know, by any one.-
They were in substance these:
l. That our present Book was originally framed
for but small body, contiguous to, and disposed,
in their conscious feebeness, to ally themselves
with the stronger body of New England Congre
gationalsts, as the disastrous "Plan.of Union OF
1901 sufficiently shows.
q That the present Book of Discipline had been
found so defective long since to suggest the APP
pointment of an able committee to revise it in 1851
before the disruption; and the present Canons of
Discipline are the result of the united labors of
that committee.
g. That, if the defects of our Book are to be
remedied at all, now is the favorable period for
doing it. before controversies arise to distract and
divide us, as must be the case whenever cases Of
discipline are brought up to the higher courts un-
der the present defective law.
| f. That, at time when the tendencies-both in
Britain and America-are so strong toward Lati-
tudnarian Presbyterianism and, in consequence,
our people liable to be led astray from the great
principles upon which our Government rests
there is special need for more definite re state
ment, and more distinct embodiment, of these
principles in the practical law of the Church.
5. That, having just emerged from period Of
suffering for our principles at the hands Of those
who have perverted them, it is specially beftting
to set up memorial of our witness for the order
of Christi house in Constitution and Discipline
clearly re.afirming them.
g. That the great number of overtures for an
authoritative explanation Of our Form of Govern
ment and Discipline that are continually coming
up to the Assembly evinces clearly enough the
need of more explicit statement of the law of the
Church.
On such considerations the Assembly was in
duced to take up the matter; and from these and
perhaps mightier considerations which occurred to
the minds of the members severally they agreed
to send down the New Book after it had been re
vised by committee Of the body in the light Of
the objections to the first draught Of it sent up by
the Presbyteries in 1861. As this revision con
sisted almost exclusively in striking out provisions
and statements which the Presbyteries had ex-
cepted to, there was every reason to hope that
the Book would now meet the views of almost our
entire Church.
More recent developments, since the Mobile AS
sembly. seem to me to render it certain that-un-
less faithess to all her former testimonies for the
truth and the order of Christ's house, the
Southern Presbyterian Church is to be called, in
the providence of God, to stand forth permanent,
y as separately organized witness for the ancien,
gests many additional reasons for the speedy re-
organization of her Government and Discipline.
In the first place, it is important to have SET
forth more explicitly the doctrine and discipline Of
our. standards, as this doctrine is understood and
taught in our Southern Theological schools, and
by long usage current in the Southern churches.
That the Old Book though not, perhaps, contrary
to Scripture does yet fail in setting forth explicitly
enough and exclusively the Scriptural grounds Of
its practical provisions, every one must feel who
compares the teaching of our Seminares concern
ing the Church and the usage in our churches
with the Book itself. Every Office bearer of &c
years experience knows that somehow, under the
shelter of our Old Book the Northern and Eastern
churches have managed to introduce their expedi-
encies and machineres to the subversion of the
Church and its disruption, first in 1927, and
again in 1861 60 not now into the rationale of the
matter but the simple actsuggests the necessity Of
some amendment in our system of government
In the next place, the mysterious providence Of
God in taking away the wealth of Southern Chris
tians are driving us back to much more Scriptural
simple aud direct provision for the revenues of the
Church, through Christ's own appointed agencies
rather than through human ezpedienccs Now
our present Form Of Government was originally
framed and subsequently revised with more spe
cial view to the encouragement of Eastern
churches, when the State incorporated the re
ligious society" with power to assess upon the
society" and compel the payment of taxes for the