The Presbyterian Church; A Brief Account of Its Doctrine, Worship, and Polity (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1908 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER IV PRESBYTERIAN POLITY TTEBE we come upon the distinctive feature of Presbyterianism--its form of Church government. Presbyterianism is so called because it is the system that eTrtrusTs theTule of the Church to Presbyters, *.e., Elders, "Presbyter" being a transliteration of the Greek word irpeofivrtpog, an Elder.* * In "Janet's Repentance" George Eliot makes Mr. Dempster maintain in the bar of the " Red Lion" at Melby that Presbyterians derive their name from " John Presbyter, a miserable fanatic who wore a suit of leather and went about from town to village and village to hamlet inoculating the vulgar with the asinine virus of Dissent." It would be interesting to know whether this bogey was a creature of the novelist's imagination, or really existed at one time in the minds of good "Church people" in her part of England. "Presbyterianism" might, so far as the word goes, mean the rule of one Presbyter, but it is of the essence of the system that the rule is always exercised by a Presbytery or Council of Elders, and it has been suggested that such a title as "the Conciliar system" would indicate more accurately the distinctive features of Presbyterianism, which are as follows: -- 1 I.--GOVERNMENT BY A COUNCIL OF ELDER8. The spiritual oversight of each congregation is committed to a body of Elders chosen by the members from among themselves. This congregational Presbytery is called in this country "the Session," and on the Continent of Europe the Consistory. The minister has his own duties to perform as teacher and preacher, but in the matter of rule he has no individual authority, but acts as permanent Chairman or Moderator of the Session, with no deliberative but a casting vote. The equality of Elders (ministerial and "lay") is...