Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 16.djvu/427

* PKESBYTERIANISM. 363 PRESBYTERIANISM. body of elders was maintained by the Walden- sians and otliers from a mueli earlier age. The name being derived from the form of Church government, the term Presbyterian prop- erly includes all those who accept the presby- terian government, even though there may be differences in their theological beliefs. So in the general Presbvterian Council held at Edin- burgh in 1877, the German State establishments and the French and Dutch Reformed churches were represented, Presbyterians are generally Calvinistic in doctrine, and for the most part accept the Westminster Assembly's Confession of Faith and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms as the symbols of belief. They do not, however, all agree in the interpretation of those standards. Presbtteriax Polity rests on representative government and an ascending series of appellate courts. There are three classes of officers in every well-organized church — the minister or pastor, who is also called a teaching elder; the body of ruling elders, who, with the pastor, have the spiritual oversight of the church: and the dea- cons, who have care of the relief of the poor and in some churches manage also the financial affairs. The primary governing body is the church ses- sion, which consists of a pastor and the ruling elders, chosen by the congregation. Elders were formerly chosen only for life, but now in some branches of the Church hold office for a term of years. The church session is imder the control of the presbj-tery to which it belongs. The presbytery consists of the pastors and churches of a given district. The presbyteries are united in a larger governing body called the synod. The larger synods of the United States are representative bodies consisting of ministers and elders chosen from the presbj-teries according to some definite ratio. The smaller synods are undelegated bodies, all the ministers and one elder from each church constituting the body. In some of the smaller branches of the Church the synod is the ultimate court. The completed system, however, includes a General Assembly, which is the supreme court. It meets annually and consists of ministers and elders chosen by the respective presbyteries in some definite ratio. Appeals and complaints are carried from the lower to the higher judicatory, beginning with the session and terminating with the General Assembly. In the Presbyterian Church in the United States appeals from the synods to the General Assembly are limited to eases inolving doctrine or government. In the other Presbrterian churches appeals from the synods to the Assembly are allowed in all cases. The Assembly also has general jurisdiction over the various agencies of the Church, such as the theological seminaries and the boards doing the benevolent and missionary work. The Pbesbttebi.x Churches ix Scotland. Christianity was probably introduced into Scot- land about the beginning of the third century, and the claim has been made that the early Celtic churches were nonprelatical. However that may be, they were later brought into the Roman obedience, and remained thus until the Reforma- tion. Since that time the history of the Presby- terian Church in Scotland has been practically a history of the country. The life of .John Knox (q.v.) is the epitome of the Scottish Reforma- tion. The first public movement toward the or- ganization of the Presbyterian Church was the drawing of a bond known as "The First Covenant." It was signed at Edinburgh, December 3, 1557, bj" some of the most powerful Scotch barons, and by many of the lesser nobility. This act brought forth a proclamation from the Queen Regent forbidding any one to preach or adminis- ter the sacrament without the authoritj- of a bishop, but the Reformed party triumphed and in 1560 Parliament abolished the Roman Catholic form of worship, adopted a confession of faith agreeing with those of the Reformed churches of the Continent, and appointed ministers of the Protestant faith to various parts of the king- dom. On December 20, 1560, the first General Assembly of the Church of Scotland was held in Edinburgh. It consisted of six ministers and thirty-four laymen. In this same year a com- mittee of five persons, including Knox, had been appointed "to commit to writing their judgments touching the reformation of religion." Their First Book of Discipline was rejected by the nobles, though accepted by the Church. In 1581 the Second Book of Discipline was adopted by the Assembly, and is still in force together with the Westminster standards. The undaunted perse- verance of John Knox and Andrew Melville at last procured complete recognition of the Cal- vinistic faith, and the Presbyterian form of government, as the established religion of Scot- land. This was ratified by Parliament, with the consent of King James (I. of England, and VI. of Scotland) in 1592. His duplicity, however, soon made itself manifest when he tried to force the episcopal polity on his Scottish subjects. In this he was followed by his successors, Charles I., Charles II., and James II. The ecclesiastical affairs of the country were in great confusion. In 1610 the Glasgow Assembly restored the epis- copal government. In 1638 the Assembly rescind- ed the acts of six previous Assemblies, condemned and deposed the bishops, and abolished episco- pacy. In 1661 Parliament passed the Rescissory Act, which repealed the legislation of the pre- vious twenty-one years, and episcopacy was restored to its former position. After the acces- sion of William and Mary in 1689 civil and religious liberty were restored and Presbyterian- ism was revived. In 1690 an Act of Settlement was passed, prelacy done away with, and the Westminster Confession adopted. Though both England and Scotland had been under one crown for nearly a century, they still continued separate kin^oms, each with its own Parliament and executive, independent of the other, but upon their union in 1707 the position of Presbyterian- ism was guaranteed, and it has .since con- tinued to be the established religion of Scot- land. The Church of Scotland is the established Church, from which the other bodies have from time to time withdrawn. It differs from them chiefly in maintaining a connection with the State! The question of patronage caused great dis- sension at an early period, for the Scotch claimed the right to elect their own clergy, or at least the privilege of vetoing an unsatisfactory appointment. A worldly spirit manifested itself, men who were lax in principle obtained impor- tant positions, and strange doctrines were taught ; the result was the secession of several important bodies. The first party to withdraw were the Covenanters or Cameronians, who objected to the interference of State with Church, and who therefore on July 27, 1712, renewed the Covenants