"And, in tine, the United Church regard with .< i- Of brotherhood all the faithful followers of Christ, and shall endeavor to maintain the unity of the whole body of Christ by a readiness to co-operate with all its mem- bers iii nil things iii which they are agreed."
The United Presbyterian Church is a voluntary Church. The doctrine of its voluntary condition is not formally contained in any portion of her standards, but it is distinctly implied. She holds to the theology of the Westminster Confession of Faith, anil of the Larger and Shorter ( 'ateehisms. Imf she objects to every part
Of the Westminster Confession "which teaches, or is
supposed to teach, compulsory or persecuting and in- tolerant principles in religion." "Her creed," says Eadie. -is thai the exalted Jesus is the only King and Head of his Church, and that this headship wholly su- persedes the patronage and endowment of the Church by civil rulers. She believes, indeed, that Christ is King of nations, and that therefore nations should serve God, and that all rulers and magistrates are bound to glorify him in their respective spheres and stations. But such service and such glorification of God must be in har- mony with the revealed mind of Christ ; and the duty Of endowing Christianity nowhere appears among the statutes of the New Testament. States which establish < 'liristianiiy venture beyond divine enactment, and con- travene the spirituality of that kingdom which 'is no! of this world.' It is plain, too, from recenl events in Scotland and England, thai neither purity nor free- dom can exist as it ought in an established Church. Spiritual independence can flourish only in a Church which has no connection with the State." Ebenezer Erskine said in bis day, -There is a great difference to be made between the Church of Scotland and the! lunch of Christ in Scotland; for I reckon that the lasl is to a great extent drawn into the wilderness by the first : and sin..- ( }od in his adorable providence has led us into the wilderness with her, I judge it our duty to tarry with her for a while there, and to prefer her afflictions to all the advantages of a legal establishment." Christ's house, according to Ebenezer Erskine, is •• the freesl so- ciety in the world." It should bear no trammel-, and it bore ie for 300 years. Accordingly the United Pres- byterian Church is a free Church, and will not submit to any law of patronage. The Relief Church had its origin in this grievance; and the Secession Church, while ii bad a special struggle for doctrine, no less dis- tinctly vindicated the rights of the people. Castors are therefore chosen by the united voice of the members in full communion; for Christ's ordinances are meant solely for Christ's people. The Presbytery exercises no con- trol whatever over the popular suffrage. It sends one of its members to moderate in the call, and sees that the
call is -one about in a regular way. No canvassing is .allowed, and the whole work of t he Presbytery is. in fact, to guard and preserve purity of (lection. The Presbytery sustains the call after being convinced that
then- is nothing to vitiate il as a free expression of the mind of the people. The minister so called may either
1 'e who i- or has been in a charge, or lie may be
what is called a probationer. The vacant churches are supplied by these probationers a body of men who have finished the educational curriculum .appointed by the church, been examined by their respective presby- teries, and licensed as persons qualified to preach the
Gospel, ami lit. if they shall be called, to take the pas- toral charge of .a congregation. The probationers are thus a body of lay preachers, authorized candidates for the ministry. They are sent among the vacant churches without partiality and by Total ion, that their gifts may be tried, and sometimes they are local ed for months to- gether at a missionary station. When a probationer is called, and accepts the call, he appears before t lie Pres- bytery in whose bounds the Church calling him is sit- uated, and preaches what are called trial discourses. Such appearance in the Presbytery on the part of the pa-tor elect is to will the confidence of his brethren. After all the prescribed trials have been gone through and sustained, a day for the ordination i- fixed. One of the ministers of the Presbytery i- appointed to pre- side and ordain, and another is appointed to ('reach. An edict* is at the same time appointed to be publicly served iii the congregation by the officiating minister or preacher at least ten days before the day of ordina- tion. Upon the day fixed, the Presbytery meets at the appointed time and place, and is constitute. 1 by the moderator. The officer is then sent to the assembled congregation to intimate that the Presbytery has met, and requiring all who have any valid objections to the ordination being proceeded with immediately to appear before the Presbytery ,aud state them. The officer hav- ing returned, and no objectors appearing, the Presby- tery then proceeds to the place of worship. If objec- tions are made, they must be decided upon before the ordination takes place. After sermon, the moderator gives a brief narrative of the different steps of proced- ure regarding the call. He then calls on the candidate for ordination to stand up, and in presence of the congrega- tion puts to him the questions of the formula. But be- fore proposing the ninth question, he asks the members of the congregation to signify their adherence to the call by holding up their right bands. These steps be- ing taken, the moderator comes down to the platform, where the candidate kneels, and, surrounded by the other brethren of the Presbytery, he engages in solemn prayer, and towards the conclusion of the prayer, or af- ter it is concluded, he, by the imposition of bands (in whicb all the brethren of the Presbytery join), ordains him to the office of the holy ministry, and to the pasto- ral inspection of the congregation by whom he has been chosen .and regularly called, commending him for countenance and success to the grace of God in all the duties incumbent upon him as a minister of the < iospel. After the ordination is thus completed, the members of Presbytery give to the newly ordained pastor the right