2. They give great prominence to the universal do- minion of the Lord Jesus Christ. They hold that as king in his Church, he has settled all her institutions and ordinances. Other denominations admit this in the general, while many claim the right of modifying, altering, instituting, or abolishing religious observances. With the decreeing of rites and ceremonies Covenant- ers have no sympathy. Besides this kingship in his Church, they claim for Christ, according to the gift of the Father, uncontrolled dominion over all things, out- side of the Church as well as within ; and that this ex- tensive authority is used by him for the benefit of his body, the Church ; that he may send his messengers into heathen countries; that he may use angelic pow- ers at his pleasure ; that he may supply his people with temporal support and subdue all their enemies; that he may raise the dead and judge the world at the last day (Psa. ii, G ; Ixxxix, 19 ; ex, 3 ; Isa. ix, 6, 7 ; Dan. vii, 14 ; Matt, xi, 27; xxviii, 18; Luke i, 32; Johniii,35; v, 27; xvii, 2 ; Rom. xi v, 9 ; Eph. i, 20 ; Heb. ii, 8 ; 1 Pet. iii, 22).
3. They consider the Church and the State as the two leading departments of Christ's visible kingdom on earth, or, as Merle dAubigne has designated them, the two poles of human society. In this view they labor much for the purity and power of the two great ordi- nances, the Gospel ministry and the civil magistracy; both being equally of God, both being under the sov-
REFORMED PRESB. CHURCH 1014 REFORMED PRESB. CHURCH
ereignty of Christ, and each, in its sphere, to be regu- lated, in a Christian land, by the written law. Where this law is either entirely disregarded or flagrantly \ io- lated, they refuse to take any part either in Church or State.
■I. They lay greal Btress on the witnessing character of ili.' < inn. l, l-.i. sliii, 10: "Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord"). This idea enters largely into the constitution of the New-Test organization Acts i. 8: " Bui ye shall receive power, after thai the Holy Spirit npon you; ami ye shall lie witnesses unto me belli iii Jerusalem, ami in all Judaea, an. I in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." I'lii- pre-ent- the double aspect of the Church's work— one. the sal- vation of men; one. the glory of God; both harmoniz- ing in the services of ministers and people together < A. t- i. -J2 ; ii, 32, 40 ; iii, 15; iv,33; v,32; x,39; \iii. :il : xx. 21; xxii. 15, 1*: xwi. L6, 22; sxviii,23; Rev. i,2,9; vi,9; m.:; 12; sii, 11,17; xix, 10).
This feature is presented often in the epistles, and implies three- things: (a) setting forth the whole truth of God, keeping nothing Lack; \l>) applying that truth to the parties addressed: (c) pointing out the contrary evils. Following out this idea. Covenanters have, be- sides their Confession (</), a Testimony specifying the evils of the time.
... Among other things, they bear a practical testimo- ny against the moral evils in the Constitution of the United States. In one important particular the Con- stitution has already been amended — the clans. 9 bear- ing on slavery. In this amendment Covenanters re- joice, and take courage to labor for further advance. In the antislavery conflict they stood among the fore- mosl : they (.reached, they wrote, they labored in all available ways against the slave-holding interest The articles which they still wish to see amended are such as the following :
(1.) In all the Constitution there is no recognition of God, the Sovereign of the world and Source of all au- thority and power. Justice Bayard and other authors labor earnestly in offering apologies for this defect ; but all these apologies are set aside by the I hil, initio)! of Independence, in the simple fact that the Supremo is re- peatedly acknowledged in that, memorable document as nature's Cod, as the Creator, as Divine Providence, and as the Judge of the world; as One on whose protection the nascent empire could exercise a '•linn reliance" while struggling for existence. When independence was achieved and a prosperous career fairly entered, his name is lopped off in the new Constitution; and. al- though the document has been repeatedly amended, the place for his name is still left a blank. In fact. Benja- min Franklin could not succeed in having prayer ..tier- ed in the convention that frame. 1 the Federal Constitu- tion. We think this is the first nation known to his- torj that has set up a government without acknowl- edging any deity whatever, 'line it is thai many of th.ir deities were no) worth the honor, while we as a nation have refused to honor "the God in whose hand our life is. and whose are all our ways." Thai he should be acknowledged in the Constitution ami obeyed in Hie administration Is shown by the following, among other considerations: (a.) He is not only the Creator of men, Inn h.- is the Author of national blessings. II.- gave the nation its existence at the first, .-.ml holds ihi- en- tire control of all iis destinies, (h.) Civil government is one of his institutions for the good of men and for lii.s own glory among men. Not only did he direct the