Presbytery

“ They consider the laying on of the hands of a bishop and others of the presbytery, to be the most scriptural Ordination of presbyters, and best for their own church; [33b] yet not so essential to p. 34the being of a church but that Ordination without a bishop may be valid, and is so in other churches, and has scriptural succession in its Presbytery. ”

“ All Episcopalians believe in the existence and the necessity of an apostolic succession of bishops, by whom alone regular and valid ordinations can be performed.
The Presbyterians believe that the authority of their ministers to preach the gospel and to administer the sacraments is derived from the Holy Ghost, by the imposition of the hands of the presbytery. They affirm, however, that there is no order in the church, as established by Christ and his apostles, superior to that of presbyters; that all ministers, being ambassadors of Christ, are equal by their commission ”

“ They cannot boast, therefore, that Presbytery was established for its own sake; but they must admit that William would have sanctioned Episcopacy in the Church, if the Bishops and Clergy could have sanctioned the change in the government of the State. Such was the origin of the Presbyterian establishment in 1689, though its advocates affect to believe, that it was owing to the express voice and wish of the nation. ”

“ It is the burden he, at this day, lays on his church and people: Hold fast what thou hast till I come, that no man take thy crown; hold fast by our former attainments in reformation. And finally, the Presbytery exhort all with whom they are more particularly connected, To stand fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel, and in nothing terrified by your adversaries. Let the flame of fervent and true love to God, his truths, and to one another, prevent and extinguish the wild fire of unnecessary and hurtful mutual animosities ”

“ Whereas, in the providence of God there are now in the mission a sufficient number of ordained ministers to constitute a Presbytery and as it seems expedient that we, cut off as we are from the privileges and oversight of our respective Presbyteries, should meet together from time to time in a formal public capacity as a judicatory of the Church of Christ to consult for her best interests in this our field of labour ”

“ The associate presbytery here, are so confined, that they will not so much as hear me preach, unless I only will join with them. Mr. Ralph E――, indeed, did hear me, and went up with me into the pulpit of the Cannon-gate church.—The people were ready to shout for joy; but, I believe, it gave offence to his associates. I met most of them, according to appointment, on Wednesday last.—A set of grave venerable men! They soon proposed to form themselves into a presbytery, and were proceeding to chuse a moderator—I asked them for what purpose? ”

“ But it has been demonstrated that episcopal ordinations, properly so called, originated only in the third century, and that even the bishops of Rome, who flourished prior to that date, were "of the order of the presbytery." All the primitive bishops received nothing more than presbyterian ordination. It is plain, therefore, that the doctrine of the transmission of spiritual power from the apostles through an unbroken series of episcopal ordinations flows from sheer ignorance of the actual constitution of the early Church. ”

“ They elect the minister and other office-bearers. But, in contrast with Membership.Congregationalism, when they elect and "call" a minister their action has to be sustained by the presbytery, which judges of his fitness for that particular sphere, of the measure of the congregation's unanimity, and of the adequacy of financial support. When satisfied, the presbytery proceeds with the ordination and induction. The ordination and induction of ministers is always the act of a presbytery. The ordination and induction of elders in some branches of the Church is the act of the kirk-session ”

“ One can be just a Christian and still believe and practice what the Bible teaches in reference to the presbytery. One does not have 109 to be a member of the Presbyterian Church to obey God concerning the presbytery.
One can believe in the universality of the Gospel without being a Catholic or Universalist. One can believe in the second coming of Christ without belonging to the Adventist denomination. One can teach and practice holy living without belonging to the Holiness Church. ”

“ He was in presbyterian orders, but, except in a few cases in the diocese of Aberdeen, there was no reordination of the parish ministers who had been appointed in the time of presbytery; only, to save the rights of patrons, those who had been admitted to benefices since 1649 were required to obtain presentation from the lawful patron, and collation from the bishop. ”

“ When we have any trace with the Independents anent our presbytery, we fall in new wars with others. For our sessions, a great party in the synod, for fear of ruling elders, and in opposition to Independency, will have no ecclesiastick court at all, but one presbytery for all the congregations within its bounds. ”

“ Every Christian congregation, like every synagogue, had its elders; and every city had its presbytery, consisting of the spiritual rulers of the district. In the introductory chapters of the book of the Acts we discover the germ of this ecclesiastical constitution; for we there find the apostles ministering to thousands of converts, and, as the presbytery of Jerusalem, ordaining deacons, exercising discipline, and sending out missionaries. [253:3] The prophets and teachers of Antioch obviously performed the same functions ”

“ So in the beginning of December 1606, the Assembly was summoned to meet in Linlithgow. Letters were sent by the King to every presbytery; and they not only intimated the meeting, [Pg 135] but named the representatives to be sent. In the event of the presbyteries refusing to return the King's nominees, these were instructed to appear without any presbyterial mandate. The business was stated to be the suppression of Popery and the healing of the jars of the Church. ”

“ For these reasons (with more that might be adduced) the presbytery find themselves in duty bound, to God, the present and succeeding generations, to throw in their small mite of a testimony, against the manifold avowed backslidings and defections of all degrees of men, both in the former and present times, from the precious truths of Christ, and purity of his ordinances ”

“ The Presbytery, consisting of all the ministers and one ruling elder from each congregation within a certain district, has various powers, among them the power to visit particular churches for the purpose of inquiring into their state, and redressing the evils which may have arisen in them ”

“ Though he had been the champion of presbytery, he fell under the censure of his brethren for what they considered an unpresbyterian service—a sort of consecration sermon preached at the opening of his church. ”

“ Though the jus divinum of presbytery is not now insisted upon as in some former times, Presbyterians claim that it is the church polity set forth in the New Testament. The case is usually stated somewhat as follows. With the sanction and under the guidance of the Apostles, officers called elders and deacons were appointed in every newly-formed church. [1] They were elected byNew Testament Authority. the people, and ordained or set apart for their sacred work by the Apostles. [2] The elders were appointed to teach and rule; [3] the deacons to minister to the poor. ”

“ And the great reason assigned for the people's dissatisfaction to Prelacy, is antiquity, "they having been reformed from Popery by presbyters," as if our reformers had only contended for a church government merely human; whereas they strenuously maintained the divine right of presbytery, and condemned Prelacy as contrary to the word of God. ”

“ The whole of this transaction therefore being brought before me, I decided that the presbytery [5] should be brought together; (for there were present five bishops, who were also present to-day;) so that by well-grounded counsel it might be determined with the consent of all what ought to be observed in respect of their persons. ”

“ Let no women reside in the priest's house without leave of the Ordinary. Schoolmistresses and their pupil-teachers, as being more refined in intelligence and character, and therefore more exposed to the tongues of calumniators, are altogether forbidden ever to reside in the presbytery with the clergy, unless for some reason known to the Bishop, and approved by him in writing. ”

“ In 1644 he took part in the negotiations at Uxbridge as chaplain to one of the lords commissioners, and there spoke by request upon the difference between episcopacy and presbyterianism, publishing his views upon the subject under the title of ‘Episcopacy and Presbytery considered ”

“ The presbytery testify against the sinful practice of imposing oaths upon the subjects, contradictory to presbyterian principles in general, and the oath of the covenants in particular, as the allegiance, and particularly the abjuration; all which oaths, imposed by a British parliament, exclude our covenanted uniformity, and homologate the united constitution. But, to prevent mistakes, let it be here observed, that the presbytery do not testify against any of these oaths, out of the remotest regard to the spurious pretended right of a popish pretender to the throne and crown of these kingdoms ”

“ He was not ordained to the pastoral charge by any presbytery, as he held that every congregation was at liberty to adopt such modes of government as seemed most conducive to their religious improvement. ”

“ Further, the Presbytery invite and entreat all who tender the glory of God, the removal of the causes of his wrath and indignation, and who desire the continuance of his tabernacle and gracious presence among us, to come and join in a harmonious, zealous and faithful testimony for the precious truths and interest of Zion's glorious King, and against every course that has a tendency to heighten, and at last to lay on the copestone of our defections. ”

“ There was always at least one bishop in one congregation, but often more than one deacon. The qualifications for a deacon are very similar to those of a bishop. See 1 Tim. 3; Titus 1.
Elders Or Presbyters. Webster in defining presbyter, says, “An elder in the early Christian church.” Young in his analytical concordance says of presbytery, “An assembly of elders.” These two terms have the same Greek origin, “presbuteros.” An elder is one grounded in the faith with a sound matured judgment; one capable of giving good advice or counsel. ”

“ In Westminster Abbey the space east of the transept is the presbytery, and the same arrangement is found in Canterbury Cathedral. In San Clemente at Rome the presbytery is enclosed with a marble balustrade or screen. ”

“ To wipe off the reproach of that odium cast upon the presbytery and community belonging thereto, by some who invidiously call them a headless mob, whose principles cannot be known, anti-government men, men of bloody principles, &c., than which nothing can be more unjust: seeing, as a body distinct from all others, they have still stood upon the footing of the covenanted establishment, as has been frequently declared to the world, and as the constitution of the presbytery bears ”

“ That, though the rector has the cure of souls in chief, they also are responsible, but in dependence on the rector, for all the work, for all the failures, and for all the omissions of work in the mission.
7. "The mensa or common table in a presbytery is the token and pledge of brotherly charity, which is lessened by absence. If absence happens often, it altogether undoes charity. Therefore let them seldom go abroad to the tables of others, much less let them frequent them ”

“ Further, the Presbytery declare and maintain, that, in subserviency to this his special mediatory kingdom, the Lord Jesus Christ has a supreme and sovereign power given unto him, in heaven and in earth, and over the infernal powers of darkness—angels, authorities and powers being put in subjection to him; that he has the management of all the wheels of providence put into his hand, whereby he restrains, disappoints, and at last totally destroys, all the enemies of his interest and glory ”

“ We will, that our weak brethren, who may have been wishing to make the Presbytery of Springfield their king, and wot not what is now become of it, betake themselves to the Rock of Ages, and follow Jesus for the future. ”

“ said the Bishop. “Let us announce our Te Deum from the pulpit, nevertheless, Monsieur le Curé. Things will arrange themselves.”
They instituted a search in the churches of the neighborhood. All the magnificence of these humble parishes combined would not have sufficed to clothe the chorister of a cathedral properly.
While they were thus embarrassed, a large chest was brought and deposited in the presbytery for the Bishop, by two unknown horsemen, who departed on the instant. The chest was opened; ”

“ The presbytery do not, as some others, found their testimony against this extravagant act establishing Popery, &c., in Canada, solely or simply on its injuriousness to the private interests of men—their bodily lives, goods, or outward privileges; nor do they declare against and condemn it merely because that religion which is sanctioned with this national decree and engagement for its defense is a sanguinary one: "Has deluged our island in blood, and dispersed impiety, persecution, and murder, &c., through the world." ”