The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1877-03-07
For The CENTRAL PRESBYTERIAN.
THE PRESENT AND THE REVISED BOOKS
OF DISCIPLINE C0EPAaED
No. 6.

No. b.
Of Chapters Sirth. Seveath, and Eighth.
The present Book treats in i!s fourth chap
ter of actual process, and in it's 6fth Of pro
cess against a bishop or minister. Now the
term bishop is not synonymous with the term
minister; nor are they all ministers who hold
TIE office Of bishop, for the large majority OF
bishops are elders who only rule. Not to
dwell on this fault of the title, however, l
proceed to state that the Revised Discipline
seems to make an arrangement of topics more
clear and simple than the present Book, by
first setting forth in chep:or sixth general
provisions applicable to all cases of process,
and in chapter eighth to special rules per-
tanning to process against a minister.
If we compare the second paragraph OF
CHAPTER SIXTH with the third paragraph Of
the preceding chapter, We shall perceive that
the Revision contempstes cases where an 10
dividoal undertakes to make out the charge
and so becomes the voluntary prosecutor, and
other cases again where there is no voluntary
prosecutor, but the court finds it necessary
for the honor of religion itself to commence
proceedings, and accordingly appoints some
ono to conduct the case. The case where a
voluntary prosecutor appears may be case
of personal cffsnce, or it may be case of
general offence, see Chapter Ill, iii, out
in either case the voluntary prosecutor is
equally the representative of the Church,
having all her rights--as truly such as the
prosecutor who has been appointed by the
court. If the offence is persona, and if the
prosecutor happens to be the person VINO was
injured, he is barred from process, unless he
shall have previously tried our SaViour's pre-
scribed means of reconciliation; But in every
case of process, it is the spirit and intention
of the Revision to allow to personal enmity
no encouragement in it's rules of process, and
10 this end that the Church herself, and never
any individual, shall always be held to be
the accusing party and the party really In
iured. To this end also, the Revision pro
vides, that every voluntary prosecutor land
not only the voluntary prosecutor OF min
ister, shall be warned, that if he fail to show
probable cause of the charges he must be
himself censured as slauderer of the breth
rem.
The eleventh paragraph of this sixth chapter
provides for "Judicial Committee" whose
duties it defines. This provision is taken
from the General Rules of Judicatories,"
where it certainly seems to be out of place.
The fourteenth chapter provides for order
in case questions should arise between parties
in a court of first resort.
The seventeenth paragraph describes what
shall constitute {" the record of the cause. -
The eighteenth paragraph extends to the
accused, in cases before Session, wider
sphere for his selection of counsel to assist
him than the present Book allows. Any
communicating member Of the sane particu-
lar charge may plead his cause.
All these peculiaritieS of the Revision must
commend themselves, and spend no time in
advocating them.
CHAPTER SEVENTH is chiefly recommended
as conducting to clear comprehension BY
every Session of the duties deVolving on it
in case of discipline.
As chapter seventh states explicitly that
original jurisdiction in the case of all other
members of the Church lies with the Session,
so CHAPTER EIGHTH makes the explicit decla-
ration that in the case of ministers it lies with
the Presbytery.
What is peculiar in this chapter is, first,
that in the case of the deposed minister
whom the general sentiment of the Church
demands that the Presbytery shall restore
because Of his eminently exemplary and
humble and penitent walk for considerable
time, it shall always be the court which in
ulCb6u VIC OOuSulO tnog nualA w oSAON w Az
move it, or at least the removal Of the GEN.
sure shall only be with its consent; and
secondly, that while the church of deposed
minister is to be solemnly and officially "de-
clared vacant" which is very serious and
severe feature of the censure imposed on
him, it is expressly left to the discretion Of
the Presbytery whether suspension from the
ministerial Office is or is not to include the
dissolution of the pastoral relation. The
present Discipline makes no provision for
the determination of this question.
Here the writer Graves leave to suggest
that when a pastoral relation is dissolved
without censure, there is no propriety in the
appointment of committee las is sometimes
practised) to go and declare the pulpit va
can't" That belongs only to the case Of dis,
solution wnder censure, and is perhaps the
severest part Of the censure. Where no Gen.
sure accompanies the dissolution, it certainly |