The Constitution of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America

381

402

..........................

............. 403

404

IV. THE FORM of GovernmeNT..

3. Of the Officers of the Church. ...... 411

4. Of Bishops or Pastors............................... ............ 412

5. Of Ruling Elders............................................................................... 413

6. Of Deacons...................

414

7. Of Ordinances in a Particular Church. 415

8. Of Church Government, and the

several Kinds of Judicatories......

9. Of the Church Session........

10. Of the Presbytery.

11. Of the Synod.

12. Of the General Assembly.

13. Of Electing and Ordaining Ruling

14. Of Licensing Candidates or Proba-

tioners to Preach the Gospel.......... 435

15. Of the Election and Ordination of

...

Bishops or Pastors and Evangelists. 441

16. Of Translation, or Removing a Min-

ister from one Charge to Another.... 449

PAGE

17. Of Resigning a Pastoral Charge. 453

21. Of Vacant Congregations Assembling

for Public Worship......

22. Of Commissioners to the General As-

sembly.....

II. Of Discipline........................

459

1. General Principles of Discipline........ 460

2. Of Private Offences.......

461

463

464

3. Of Public Offences......

4. Of Actual Process....

5. Of Process against a Bishop or Min-

ister........

6. Of Witnesses.

7. Of the various ways in which a Cause

may be carried from a lower Judi-

catory to a higher ..........................

8. Of Dissents and Protests..

9. Of New Testimony...

10. Of Jurisdiction......

11. Limitation of Time.........

478

(1.) General Review and Control... 479

(2) Of Reference.............................................................. 481

(3) Of Appeals.......

4) Of Complaints...

483

486

V. DIRECTORY FOR THE WORSHIP OF GOD.......................

495

I. Of the Sanctification of the Lord's Day... 495

II. Of the Assembling of the Congregation

and their behaviour during Divine Ser-

vice.....

III. Of the Public Reading of the Holy Scrip-

IV. Of the Singing of Psalms.

V. Of Public Prayer.....

VI. Of the Preaching of the Word............................................ 502

VII. Of the Administration of Baptism.......... 504

VIII. Of the Administration of the Lord's Sup-

per..........

506

IX. Of the Admission of Persons to Sealing

Ordinances...

511

X. Of the Mode of Inflicting Church Cen-

XI. Of the Solemnization of Marriage..

XII. Of the Visitation of the Sick......

XIII Of the Burial of the Dead..

XIV. Of Fasting, and of the Observation of the

Days of Thanksgiving......

524

XV. The Directory for Secret and Family Wor-

General Rules for Judicatories.......

THE

CONFESSION OF FAITH.

CHAPTER I.

OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURE.

ALTHOUGH the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence, do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men inexcusable; * yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge of God, and of his will, which is necessary unto salvation; therefore it pleased the

b

a Rom. ii. 14, 15. For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves; which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing, or else excusing one another. Rom. i. 19, 20. Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them: for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse. Psa. xix. 1-3. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. See Rom. i. 32, with Rom. ii. 1.

1 Cor. i. 21. For after that in the wisdom of God,

0

Lord, at sundry times, and in divers manners, to reveal himself, and to declare that his will unto his church; and afterwards for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan and of the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing; which maketh the Holy Scripture to be most necessary; those former ways of God's re

d

the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 1 Cor. ii. 13, 14. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

c Heb. i. 1. God, who at sundry times, and in divers manners, spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets

d Luke i. 3, 4. It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, that thou mightest know the certainty of those things wherein thou hast been instructed. Rom. xv. 4. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning; that we, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope. Isa. viii. 20. To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. Rev. xxii. 18.

And that from a child thou hast

18 unto

e 2 Tim. iii. 15.

known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ

Heb

Jesus. 2 Pet. i. 19. We have also a more sure word Um, a

of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed,

the F

Corinth

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