The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1872-06-12
General Assembly.
Debate on Revision Of Book Of discipline.


The Assembly having taken up the Report Of
the Revision Committee on the Book Of Dlscl-
piine on Wednesday May 23d, DR.. Armstrong
offered the following resolution:
Reso7re9. That in accordance with the recon-
mendatiOn Of the COmaittee of Revision, the
Book Of Discipline. as reported By them, be sent
down 10 the PreSbyteries, to be by them either
adopted as it stands, to be further criticized and
their criticisms sentUp to the next Assembly, as
they may elect.
Dr. armstrong Said-It viii b. noticed that the
Committee does not propose that it shall be sent
down 10 be definitely adopted by the Presbyterles,
unless they choose. They leave that matter open,
As il was before If any Presbytery, after careful
examination, Is prepared to adopt It IN Its present
form they can vote so, and their vote comes up to
the Assembly. If any Presbytery wishes further
to criticize t. they can send their criticisms up to
the Assembly This, as l understand 1t, Is the
proposition of the Committee, and it Is with this
view that now propose 20 send 1t down.
The Book have not had time to examine care
fully in its present form. as l am not member OF
the Committee of Revision, and 1t was only night
before last that copy OF lt was putlnto my hands
When the Book was previously before our PresOy-
terv won vii notice that East Hanover Presbyte-
IS Is mentioned among those that carefully exam
med itl we first examined through a committee
who met night after night and took 1t up sentence
bv scutence-word BY word | may say-and re-
ported 70 the Presbytefy. When the Presbytery
met, We took unusual care in making the exami
nation again; we took it sentence BY sentence, and
word by word and sent the result Of our examlna
tion to the Assembly. From simply reading over,
not very carefully, the book as now presented, i
can see that the Committee has greatly modified
IT. and / think for the better. 1t strikes me that
the statement Of the Committee IN the Report Is
trefh irne, that as it comes to US now, 1t Is the
v,rk uo5 of any ore mind, but Of the Church
TINS is one thing thar eommends 1t to me. For,
look az the history OF constitutions and codes Of
. law. Those that have proved Of real worth IN the
world are not those that have been the workman
shin Of one mind, but those that are the result of
the thought and consultation of great numbers OF
men They are the growth Of centuries. The
British constitution, for example, upon which our
American constitution is founded, IS the growth OF
centuries. So with respect to this book OF dlscl.
pine The better features Of the old Book have all
been preserved, but certain notifications have been
made; and these, as far as | can understand them,
have been made 10 accordance with that principle
upon which al advance IN such matters Is to De
made-the principle that wherever there Is an artl
Gle of 8 constitution that needs amendment or
modification for any reason, the minds OF the peO-
ple who are subject to the constitution will gradu
ally come to uniformity Of judgment with respect
20 it f; and when yOu can once ascertain what that
uniform Judgment IS If you will then incorporate
IL In the constitution, you have made real adj
vance. You have made a real advance IN this
respect the people are no longer perplexed by
laws that are in form at variance with their settled
% convictions, and which therefore cannot be en-
forced They are supported by the letter OF the
law now brought into accordance with their own
convictions. This L conceive to be the case with
respect 70 the most important differences between
the New Book and the Old Let me state an IN
stance
The Old Book never defines distinctly the rela-
ton of baptized, but n0n-eOmmunicatlng, mem
~ ~. - II
whether they were properly subjects of discipline
in the technical sense, or not. Some have con-
tended an aong-though but few Of late years
that non accommodating members, on the ground
of their BAPTISM were subject TO discipline IN the
technical sense of the term-tO legal prosecution
in our church courts Just as communicates. They
might be excommuncated, for example. Now, l
think the mind Of the church has been gradually
coming 20 tire settled conviction that, according to
the Scriptures, there was a distinction between
those who had made profession OF faith IN Christ,
aud those who had been introduced IN infancy BY
baptism-that they stood In a different relation to
the church. This New Book brings out what
know has been the practice Of our church courts
for City years upOn this point. L VIII read the
article
Discipline Is the exercise of that authority, and
the application of that system Of laws, which the
lord Jesus Christ has appointed in his Church,
Inc tsic has two senses, the one referring to
the whole government, inspection, training, guar
1ianship. ard control, which the Church maintains
over its members, its officers, or Its courts; the
other restricted and technical sense, sgnltylng
judicial prosecution.
"In the one sense, al baptised persons, being
members of the Church, are subject TO It's dlScl-
pine and entitled to the benefits thereof; but, in
the other 1t refers only to those who have made
profession Of their faith in Christ.
think I may say that Is the settled Judgment
of the Church for, In ministry Of 80 or 40 years,
I have known but one brother who was ready to
carry out his views into practice, and to be willing
20 excommunicate those baptized persons who did
not make profession Of faith. Aud i think he
would have shrunk back if brought face to face
So. on another point where the Old Book was
indCfnite-the nature OF accommodation itself.
% had occasion some years ago, carefully to exam
inc into that natter and the result was thorough
dsssatsiaction with the Old Book, on the ground
that IL did not define recommendation distinctly;
that n lett room for understanding IL In the old
Romish sense, in which the Church is represented
as cursing the one whom she casts out from her
communion. The New Book for the first time
gives as q dehnitiOn-a correct and ScrptUral deh-
milton. l viii read it:
decentralization is the excision of an offender
from the communion Of the Church. This cen
sure IS only to be inflicted on account Of gross and
fagitiOus crimes or hereSies, when lncOrrglble Of
tenders treat the authority of the courts Of Christ
Church with contempt The design of this CEN
sure Is to operate on the offender as means Of re
claiming him. to deliver the Church from the scan
da Of his offence and to inspire all with fear by
the example of his discipline"
It is probably known to many here, that IN the
Church Of Rome they make distiL1tlOn-and the
early Reformed churches made it-between what
they called the greater accommodation, or
e. Anathema" and the lesser communication"
Rome claims the right to infiet both. Our Pro
festant churches without exception have taken the
ground that the visible Church has the right to
infict only the lesser; that it is the Lord Jesus
Christ, the great Head Of the Church, who alone
has the authority to infict the Anathema 1t Is
not the business Of the Church to curse. On this
Point think the Church is united; and this book
for the first time among our Protestant symbols
brings ont distinctly, in definite form, the true
ilca of accommodation.
Another point on which the mind Of the Church
has hesnme settled while the practice is at va.
nee not only with the letter of the law, but
the decisions Of the Assembly based upon
letter OF the law. ln the 18th chapter Of the
Sew Book:
''W hen q communicating member shall confess
before the Church Session an unregenerate heart
nd there Is no evidence Of other offence, the court
nay transfer bis name TO the roll of non cOmmu-
ricating members, with whom be shall then be
faithfully warned Of his guilt in disobeying the
GOSPEL, and encouraged to seek the redemption
freely offered in Christ, and statement Of the
case shall be made IN the Church. But this ao
ton shall not be taken until the Church Session
has aScertained, after mature inquiry and due de-
law that this confession does not result from Sa-
tauic temptation or transient darkness Of spirit.
This rule shall not, however, be applied to those
who Willully absent themselves from the Lord
table, which is always an offence.
i think tins rule has admirably incorporated