Year: 1870

SHALL WE HAVE A CLASS OF THESE, DISTINCT


FROM MINISTER'S OF THE GOSPEL? p?


The action of the late General Assembly
upon this subject, is one which we think the
Church should thoroughly examine. We re-
gret that action should have been, as it ap-
pears, hastily taken upon what we cannot
but regard a subject of grave import. Nor
does it seem that the lower courts, with a
few exceptions, have hesitated to adopt and
put in practical operation this action of the
Assembly. Itis true the committee appoint
ed by the Synod of Virginia to review the
minutes of the General Assembly recon-
mended an exception to this minute; but in
the hurry of business crowded in the last
hours of its sessions, this, one of the most
important subjects for its deliberatiOn, as we
consider, was laid upon the table without the
slightest notice. In the meanwhile we have
in not few of our Presbyteries persons ap-
pointed under this act, and sent out to the
churches and destituuons as erhOrters or
layPreachsrs.


The minute of the Assembly to which we
allude, may be found on page 392 Minutes,
and is as follows: THE Assembly express
es its appreciation of Presbyteries granting
permission to persons of suitable gifts to
hold meetings and speak the word of exhor
tation in churches, in their respective bounds,
with tho consent Of the sessions where such
exist, and also in destitute neighbOrhoOds;
such persons being required to abstain from
assuming the proper functions of the minis
try, and being held subject to the control of
the Presbytery." This was adopted in an
swer to an overture asking that, "SOme plan
be adopted whereby Presbyteries may be
authorised to license as lay preachers or ex-
hOrters persons qualified in mind and heart
to instruct and edify the churches, without
requiring of them that course of literary
and theological education which is required
for our regular ministry"


We infer that the Assembly intended thus
to make provision for the numerous vacan-
cies and destitutions that exist; at least till
the increased number of ministers would
meet all the demands of our territory. The
duties to be discharged by such persons in
the most restricted sense, will be to visit the
localities where their services are apparent
ly most needed, assemble the people by pub
lie notice, address them on the subject of
religion, and especially exhort them to the
discharge of their religious duties and obi
cations. Whether formally to announce a
special passage of Scripture, upon which to
base such exhortatiOn or not, we suppose is
left discretionary.


This is the plan of the Assembly as now
acted upon by many of our Presbyteries,
and is likely to be much more extensively
adopted.


We do not mean to impugn the motives
that prompted it, nor to assail in the slight
est the men who have undertaken these du-
ties, but against the measure itself we desire
to enter our most earnest protest, as one
hastily and unwisely taken, and in itself atn-
constitutional and unscriptaral. Certainly
we should duly consider this novel expedient
to which the Assembly has resOrted, in its
initiation. That the Assembly did not weigh
its action is manifest. The nature of the
duties to be performed by this class of per-
sons, the qualifications necessary for such a
position, the means of supporting them
whilst engaged in this service are not spe-
ci6c. We are left to judge of their position
and duties by the term used to designate
them, or the phrase "Speak the word of ex-
hortation." Each Presbytery is left to say
what specific place this class of persons shall
occupy in the churches. And where the
rule of measurement is so indefinite, it can
not be expected they will be very nicely ad-
iusted in the edifce The nature of exhor-
tation is so well understood, it seems, that
specification is superAuOus, and so easily per-
formed that no particular qualification is
needed. But certainly in the exercise of
common foresight, and simple respect for
the integrity of a system of government, the
least that can be asked is that we should
know by what authority this measure is in
troduced, and what will be its effect upon the
unity and harmony of the whole system.


That the Inauguration of such a scheme is
an act 'outside of the Constitution of the
Church, is manifest There is not the slight
est intimatiOn to be derived from the Form
of Government itself, or from the history of