from which they come, at its last stated meeting, immediately preceding the meeting of the General Assembly; provided, that there be a sufficient interval between that time and the meeting of the Assembly, for their commissioners to attend to their duty in due season; otherwise, the presbytery may make the appointment at any stated meeting, not more than seven months preceding the meeting of the Assembly. And as much as possible to prevent all failure in the representation of the presbyteries, arising from unforeseen accidents to those first appointed, it may be expedient for each presbytery, in the room of each commissioner, to appoint also an alternate commissioner to supply his place, in case of necessary absence.

II. Each commissioner, before his name shall be enrolled as a member of the Assembly, shall produce from his presbytery, a commission under the hand of the moderator and clerk, in the following, or like form: viz.

"The presbytery of

being met at

day of

bishop of the

[or

"ruling elder in the congregation of

as

"the case may be ;"] (to which the presbytery may, if they think proper, make a substitution in the following form) "or in case of his absence, "then bishop of the congregation of ruling elder in the conas the case may be :]

66

[or

"gregation of

"to be a commissioner, on behalf of this presby

66

tery, to the next General Assembly of the Pres"byterian Church in the "America, to meet at

United States of

on the

"day of A. D. or wherever, "and whenever the said Assembly may happen "to sit; to consult, vote, and determine, on all "things that may come before that body, accord'ing to the principles and constitution of this "church, and the word of God. And of his "diligence herein, he is to render an account at "his return.

Signed by order of the presbytery,

Moderator,

Clerk." And the presbytery shall make record of the appointment.

III. In order, as far as possible, to procure a respectable and full delegation to all our judicatories, it is proper that the expenses of ministers and elders in their attendance on these judicatories, be defrayed by the bodies which they respectively represent.

BOOK II.

OF DISCIPLINE.

CHAPTER I.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF DISCIPLINE.

I. DISCIPLINE is the exercise of that authority, and the application of that system of laws, which the Lord Jesus Christ hath appointed in his church.

II. The exercise of discipline is highly important and necessary. Its ends are, the removal of offences; the vindication of the honour of Christ; the promotion of the purity and general edification of the church; and also the benefit of the offender himself.

III. An offence is any thing in the principles or practice of a church member, which is contrary to the word of God; or which, if it be not in its own nature sinful, may tempt others to sin, or mar their spiritual edification.

IV. Nothing, therefore, ought to be considered by any judicatory as an offence, or admitted as matter of accusation, which cannot be proved to be such from Scripture, or from the regulations and practice of the church, founded on Scripture; and which does not involve those evils, which discipline is intended to pre

vent.

V. The exercise of discipline in such a manner as to edify the church, requires not only much of the spirit of piety, but also much prudence and discretion. It becomes the rulers of the church, therefore, to take into view all the circumstances which may give a different character to conduct, and render it more or less offensive; and which may, of course, require a very different mode of proceeding in similar cases, at different times, for the attainment of the same end.

VI. All baptized persons are members of the church, are under its care, and subject to its government and discipline: and when they have arrived at the years of discretion, they are bound to perform all the duties of church members.

VII. Offences are either private or public to each of which, appropriate modes of proceeding belong.

CHAPTER II.

OF PRIVATE OFFENCES.

I. PRIVATE offences are such as are known only to an individual, or, at most, to a very few. II. Private offences ought not to be immediately prosecuted before a church judicatory, because the objects of discipline may be quite as well, and, in many cases, much better attained, by a different course; and because a public prosecution, in such circumstances, would tend unnecessarily to spread the knowledge of offences, to exasperate and harden offenders, to

extend angry and vexatious litigation, and thus to render the discipline of the church more injurious than the original offence.

III. No complaint or information, on the subject of personal and private injuries, shall be admitted, unless those means of reconciliation, and of privately reclaiming the offender, have been used, which are required by Christ, Matt. xviii. 15, 16. And in case of offences, which, though not personal, are private, that is, known only to one, or a very few, it is pro per to take the same steps, as far as circumstances admit.

IV. Those who bring information of private and personal injuries before judicatories, without having taken these previous steps, shall themselves be censured, as guilty of an offence against the peace and order of the church.

V. If any person shall spread the knowledge of an offence, unless so far as shall be unavoidable, in prosecuting it before the proper judicatory, or in the due performance of some other indispensable duty, he shall be liable to censure, as a slanderer of his brethren.

CHAPTER III.

OF PUBLIC OFFENCES.

I. A PUBLIC offence is that which is attended with such circumstances as to require the cognizance of a church judicatory.

II. This is always the case when an offence