the Presbyterian church. All honor to those men of God whose love of souls impelled them, despite all obstacles, to embark in this cause, and organize that Board, and send forth that host which has planted the standard of the Cross among the many islands of the sea, and upon the shores of every continent, and unfurled to the breeze that blood-sprinkled banner, whose folds display the only hope of a perishing world. Future ages, and many nations will rise up and call them blessed. Yet, still it remains that the very existence of that Board, and of the other Congregational, miscalled national societies, is a standing protest against the Congregational theory. Churches which are precluded, by the essential principles of their polity, from acting per se in the work of missions,-which are compelled by defect of provision in their constitution to abandon extraneous and independent organizations, the duty of obeying the last command of the ascending Redeemer are self-condemned. A form of government, which is found practically inapplicable to the case of churches newly gathered from the heathen, cannot be the true constitution of the Gospel Church.

Broadly distinguished from Hierarchy on the one hand, and Congregationalism or Independency on the other, is the Reformed or Presbyterian constitution of the Church. Of this system the fundamental principle is that the power of the keys is, by the Lord Jesus Christ, vested primarily and essentially in the Catholic or Universal church, which "consists of all those throughout the world that profess the true religion, together with their children, and is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the house and family of God."* The powers thus attributed to the Church at large, are a common investment for the benefit alike of all the members. These hold their interest in it, not by a joint, but several title; so that where distance, diversity of nation, or other cause, precludes a common organization and joint use of its privileges, those who can thus associate, are fully endowed with all the prerogatives of the keys, and assured of the presence and sanction of the Head of the Church, to their proper exercise of ecclesiastical functions. Ministerially, these functions are exercised by officers whose several qualifications and duties are defined in the Scriptures; and who are called and designated to the service by the Church, acting under the promised guidance of the Spirit of Christ, leading her to the choice of such persons as he has qualified and prepared for her service. Thus, the powers exercised by church officers, are not theirs primarily and essen

* Westminster Confession, chap. 25, sec. 2.

tially, but only mediately and representatively. In their several spheres they minister in the name of the Church, acting as its representatives, and under responsibility to its ultimate authority. "Unto the Catholic visible church Christ hath given the ministry, oracles and ordinances of God, for the gathering and perfecting of the saints in this life, to the end of the world."*

The services which the ordinary exigencies of the Church and its members demand are of two kinds, namely-pastoral care and supervision of the flock of Christ; and the management of temporalities. Hence arise two classes of officers, elders or bishops, who, according to their several gifts and qualifications, labor in word and doctrine, and in the exercise of government and discipline; and deacons, whose office it is to take charge of the temporal affairs, and dispense the charities of the Church. Although the functions and services of these officers appertain to the Church at large, yet as their labors are ordinarily, by the nature of the case, confined to specific fields of more or less limited extent; so are they called and set apart to their work through the interven. tion of particular congregations, or associations of them; in this, as in all other proceedings, acting under the constant supervision and corrective authority of the whole body; to whose final decision all disputed questions of whatever kind are ultimately brought.

The number, names, and particular distribution of functions, in the series of courts which normally grew out of these principles, are entirely immaterial to the integrity of the Reformed system. They are determined, according to the exigencies of each particular case, by what is found requisite, in order to the exercise of an efficient and active supply and supervision of every part of the body. The Scotch church possessed as pure and complete an organization, when it had no intermediate court between the church session and the General Assembly; and our American church, when it had only the sessions subordinate to the general presbytery, or when the latter body had interposed a system of classical presbyteries between it and the sessions; as does either body as now expanded, with its gradation of sessions, presbyteries, synods, and General Assembly. The Waldensian church does not fall below the purest standard of Presbyterian order, because its organization contains but the two elements of the parochial session and the synod; nor, on the other hand, would it involve any deviation from the same standard, should our church in the United States find it expedient to interpose a

Westminster Confession, chap. 25, sec. 3.

"Of this settlement, [of the Scotch church,] besides that profession of the evangelical faith which is common to all the churches of the Reformation, the peculiar and

system of provincial synods between the particular synods now existing, and the supreme court. In this respect the principles which control the system are,-unity in the body, the source of all the functions exercised by its members;-subdivision and delegation of ministerial powers to the parts, so far as requisite for the purposes of local efficiency;-and subordination of every part to the primary authority residing in the unity of the body; thus securing active supervison, coöperation, and expansive action in the work of Christ.

Development by growth and subdivision is the law of this system. The growing church at Jerusalem sends forth its shoots to all quarters of the world, each of which taking root becomes a new centre of expansive and healing influence, pushing forth into other regions as yet unevangelized. At the same time, all recognize and cherish the relation of unity to the parent stock, and subordination to the authority which resides in the body of which it is the centre. The church of Scotland, planted by the labors of a few divinely enlightened men, maintains at first the communion of its members through the annual convocation of its pastors and elders in one assembly. As it expands, this body developes an organization of subordinate synods, which, in their turn, are divided into presbyteries, each exercising in its sphere its distributive part of the functions of the body. A few missionaries of this church organize in Ulster a presbytery, which, by a like process, becomes the General Assembly of the Presbyterian church in Ireland. Driven from their homes by privation and persecution, a handful of members of these churches find themselves exiles from the means of grace, scattered in the wilds of the new world. Their call for help is heard; and a missionary from their native land erects, in their midst, the standard of the Cross, and performs the work of an evangelist by planting churches and dispensing the ordinances of the Gospel beneath the shades of the primeval forests. Others join in his labors, and the organization of the Church is completed. At first, half a dozen names make up their roll when met in full assembly. But, as years roll on, the infant Church expands with the widening continent, and creates out of its bosom a numerous retinue of synods and presbyteries, whose annual commissioners, in General Assembly, perpetuate the succession of the original court. Hun

essential features are: I. The government of the Church by presbyters alone, or by that order of men which is indicated in the New Testament indiscriminately, by the terms presbyters and bishops, or overseers,-psoburepos, and emioxomo. And II. The subjection of the Church in all things spiritual to Christ as her only Head, and his word as her only rule.”—Act and Declaration of the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland, May 31, 1851,

dreds of thousands of souls, the flock of Christ in her fold, are led in the paths of knowledge and holiness by a growing multitude of ministers, her sons. By them the call of mercy is urged on unconverted millions throughout the land. Herself planted by the spirit of missions; her organization constructed in special adaptation to that work; her commission from Him who is the Prince of the kings of the earth; and her field the world; missionaries trained in her schools, commissioned and sent forth through her executive agencies, sustained by her contributions, and followed with her prayers, bear the glad tidings of salvation to the dark tribes of Asia and Africa, the aborigines of America, and the baptized pagans of Europe; and her General Assembly welcomes to its bosom commissioners from presbyteries which are springing into existence in India, China and Africa; the germinating courts of churches which shall yet flourish among regenerated nations, where heathenism now broods amid the gloom of the shadow of death.

Neither historically, nor in theory, is the system which thus unfolds itself one of confederate association, but of organic union. The functions and powers exercised under it are not derived by concessions of the inferior courts; nor do they primarily reside in them. Originating in the fountain Christ, and replenishing the spring-head-the Church catholic-his body; they flow downward from the higher courts in a rich and exhaustless stream, which, freighted with the riches of immortality, permeates every congregation, and pours the blessings of life and salvation into the heart of every believer. "Labitur, et labetur in omne volubilis ævum."

It does not enter into the present design to exhibit the scriptural argument in favor of the system of polity which is here defined. It is a fact, however, worthy of being marked with peculiar emphasis, that unadulterated Presbyterianism has never been found in permanent connection with a corrupted theology. The first step in the apostacy of Rome, was a departure from the simple Presbyterian constitution of the primitive Church, the erection of a towering system of clerical orders, and a gradual assumption of hierarchical prerogatives. The subsequent history of the Church presents abundant examples of a similar character, illustrating the intimate relation there is between a corrupted polity, and unsound theology. On the other hand, sound doctrine has almost invariably found congenial alliance with Presbyterian order. During the ages when the Roman antichrist sat enthroned among the nations, the Culdees, the Waldenses, and the Lollards; the Presbyterians of the Alps and of Britain, were

almost alone the martyr confessions of a Scriptural faith. So soon as the returning light burst upon Europe, the reformers with one voice, in Germany, in Switzerland, in France, in Holland, and in Britain, concurred in bearing witness to the divine authority of the Presbyterian system. In every instance where the churches were organized without secular intervention, it was under this form. Without exception, prelacy was borrowed from Rome, and imposed by secular influences, and for the promotion of secular ends upon unwilling churches. Full fledged hierarchy, and independency, are alike of later origin in the Reformed church. The former transplanted from Rome, and freely germinating in a soil prepared by prelatic organization, Arminian theology, and alliance with the State; the latter born of oppression which "makes wise men mad." Its victims driven into exile, or pursued with inquisitions and fines, scourgings and imprisonment, tortures and death; no wonder if a morbid state of mind was induced,-if eagerness to escape the persecutions that oppressed them should result in comparative forgetfulness, or indifference to other considerations. Under such circumstances independency originated. Starting with the fundamental proposition that Christ has no visible Church upon earth, except the particular congregations of worshippers, it hence seemed to follow that establishments and persecutions for dissent must necessarily cease; inasmuch as there could not, on this theory, be a church geographically coëxtensive with the nation, to enjoy the prerogatives of an establishment, or direct the engines of persecution. It was reserved for the fathers of New England to exhibit a practical illustration of the fact, that it is possible to erect an establishment of Independent churches; and that the spirit of persecution may find exercise under that system as effectually as through the towering and gorgeous structure of an established prelacy. To the alliance of the churches of the pilgrims with their State authorities, serving as it did for a bond of union and discipline, is to be attributed much of their earlier prosperity. To it they owe their preservation from the intrusions of disorganizing heresies sheltered under their own form of polity; as well as the effectual exclusion of Presbyterianism from their soil. Yet, that alliance sprang from other causes, and was sustained through other influences, than any essential adaptation or peculiar tendency of Independent principles to such a connexion with the civil power.

In this respect the affinities which characterize the three systems here described are sufficiently obvious, and their operation plainly marked in the history of the churches. Hierarchy originating in a spirit of ambitious self-aggrandizement, under that