1809.] Forms of Process in the Judicatories of the Church.

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"a bright prospect, a glorious "prospect!" At this time, he repeated the dying speech of Mr. Addison, to the Earl of Warwick; see how a Christian can die Yes, see with what peace

The life of this man was truly glorious, but his death was transcendent." Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright for the end of that man is peace."- Never was a scripture passage more fully verified." a Christian can die." In these In his last illness, he wonderfully last scenes of distress, "he did exhibited the consolations of re- not forget to ejaculate most ferligion, Happily for us, his mind vent prayers for his country, remained unimpaired, and tho' and his state. At no other his body was distressed. it did time, were such emotions visible. not lessen his interest in those Under God, said he, I have la around him. His philanthropic bored faithfully to discharge heart was warmed with more my duty, and if my exertions than its own concerns. have been in any degree successful, his is the glory.

While unable to remove from his bed, his children were called, and he explained to them his will, which had previously been made, and expressed to them his wishes in regard to his estate. He requested that it might be entered in his book of memorandums, that no person had been appointed to preach the next election sermon. And now, said he, I believe my temporal affairs are all closed.

Most of his family connections were constantly with him, and when his strength admitted, he did not fail to evince his solicitude for them.

A few days before his death, and when all supposed the time of his departure nearly arrived, he addressed his children in the following terms My dear "children, I have but little to 66 say to you, but one thing I can "say, which will comprehend all "the rest. If in any thing, you

"have seen me follow the ex"ample of our Lord Jesus, in "that, do you follow my exam"ple.-Raising his hand and looking at it he said," this "mortal clay will soon dissolve. "and open to me a prospect,

He prayed for patience, that he might perform his last duties, with honor to his holy profession: for hitherto, said he, I have not felt one murmuring thought. He ardently and repeatedly, commended his spirit to his God, and expressed his willingness to be gone.

Always submissive and cheerful, not a single doubt clouded his belief. On his friends, he constantly bestowed the calm look of complacency. Composed, and resigned to the will of his Maker, confident in his justice, and mercy, and in the merits of a Saviour, he exhorted those about him to repentance, and in the very grasp of death, exulted with a smile.

[As in several preceding Numbers, we have inserted the form of Government in the Presbyterian Church of the United States; we shall here give the reader a concise account of their Forms of Process.]

Forms of Process in the Judicatories of this Church.

CHAPTER I.

WITH

WITH regard to SCANDALS OR OFFENCES that may arise in our Churches, we agree to observe the following rules of proceeding.

the guilty, grieves the godly, and dishonors religion. And if any private Christian shall industri. ously spread the knowledge of an offence, unless in prosecuting it before the proper judicatories of the church, he shall be liable to censure, as an uncandid ska, derer of his brother.

4. When complaint is made of a crime, cognizable before any judicatory, no more shall be done at the first meeting, unless by consent of parties, than to give the accused a copy of each

1. Inasmuch as all baptized persons are members of the Church, they are under its care, and subject to its government and discipline and, when they have arrived at the years of discharge with the names of the cretion, they are bound to perform all the duties of churchmembers.

witnesses to support it; and a citation of all concerned, to ap pear at the next meeting of the 2. No accusation shall be ad- judicatory, to have the mater mitted, as the foundation of a fully heard and decided. Notice process before an ecclesiastical shall be given to the parties con judicatory,but where such offen-cerned, at least ten days previ ces are alleged, as appear, from ously to the meeting of the juthe word of God, to merit the dicatory. public notice and censure of the church. And, in the accusation, the times, places, and circum-cation, to send some members stances, should be ascertained, to converse, in a private manner, if possible; that the accused with the accused person; and, may have an opportunity to if he confesses guilt, to endeav prove an alibi; or to extenuate, or to bring him to repentance, or alleviate his crime. than to proceed immediately to citation.

5. The judicatory, in many cases, may find it more for edifi

6. When an accused person, or a witness, refuses to obey the citation, he shall be cited a second, and a third time; and if he still continue to refuse, he shall be excluded from the com munion of the church, for his contumacy; until he repent.

3. 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 all cases, the ecclesiastical judicatories, in receiving accusations, in conducting processes, or inflicting censures, ought to avoid, as far as possi- 8. The oath, or affirmation, ble, the divulging of offences, to to be taken by a witness, shall be the scandal of the church: be-administered by the moderator, cause the unnecessary spreading and shall be in the following of scandal hardens and enrages or like terms: "I solemnly,

7. No crime shall be consid ered as established by a single witness.

promise, in the presence of the not to publish it, it may pass onomniscient and heart-searchingly in the judicatory.

15. Such gross offenders, as will not be reclaimed by the pri vate or public admonitions of the church, are to be cut off from its communion agreeably to our Lords's direction, Mat. xviii. 17. and the apostolic injunction respecting the incestuous person, i Cor. ver. 1-5. But

God, that I will declare the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth; according to the best of my knowledge, in the matter in which I am called to witness, as I shall answer it to the great Judge of quick and dead." 9. The trial shall be open, fair, and impartial. The witnesses shall be examined in the pre-as this is the highest censure of sence of the accused; or at least after he shall have received due citation to attend and he shall be permitted to ask anyquestions tending to his own exculpation.

:

10. No witness, afterwards to be examined, shall be present during the examination of another witness, on the same case.

11. The testimony given by witnesses, must be faithfully recorded,and read to them for their approbation or subscription.

12. The judgment shall be regularly entered on the records of the judicatory; and the parties shall be allowed copies of the whole proceedings, if they demand them. And, in case of references, or appeals, the judicatory appealed from shall send authentic copies of the whole process to the higher judicatories.

the church, and of the most solemn nature, it is not to be inflicted, without the advice and consent of at least, the presbytery under whose care the particular church is, to which the offender belongs; or the advice of a higher judicatory, as the case may appear to re quire.

16. All processes in cases of scandal shall commence, with in the space of one year after the crime shall have been com mitted; unless it shall have become recently flagrant.

17. When any member shall remove from one congregation to another, he shall produce proper testimonials of his church-membership, before he be admitted to church-privile ges; unless the church, which he removes, has other satisfactory means of informa

13. The person found guilty shall be admonished, or rebuk- | tion. ed, or excluded from churchprivileges, as the case shall appear to deserve; and this only till he give satisfactory evidence of repentance.

14. The sentence shall be published, only in the church or churches which have been offended. Or, if it be a matter of small importance, and it shall appear most for edification

10

Reasons of men's security in Sin,

T is a question often asked

when men generally acknowledge the reality of religion, Why do so many live in neglect of its duties? If they are convinced of its necessity for happiness,

It is impossible, in a short paper to mention all the faise views of sin which may be found

indeed the delusion may be infinitely varied from the diversity of situations and temptations, under which they act yet I will offer some remarks to shew

expectations of the sinful are delusive, and the heart, through its deceitfulness, becomes hatdened in a course that is dangerous.

why, as we daily see, are they (tures render themselves secure unconcerned for the issue of through false views of sin is their neglect? There is no rea- undeniable, which accounts for son to wonder that these ques-the security of those, who actions are made by such as look knowledge generally that relion the subject generally. The gion is reasonable and useful. heart of man together with his views and motives must be deveJoped, before we can explain the causes of his actions or neg-in a multitude of transgressors; lects, and to do this is often very difficult. The reasons for religion and the duties in which it consists are so obvious, that persons must be hardened in an evil way, publicly to deny eith-how the nature of sin and the er their reality or usefulness. This accounts for a general consent to the duty of men; but for their thoughtless and undutiful lives we must seek another cause. This cause is in the human heart, and its disaffection to the truth and the reasonable duties of religion. The sinful are deceived concerning their own intentions. In the word of God, the human heart is described as being deceitful. The sinful have a habit of Deceitfulness is ascribed to the conceiving, that the pleasures very nature of sin. The sinful of transgression constitute the often chuse to be deceived, for highest happiness of which the the sake of enjoying favorite human mind is capable. This aripleasures without the molesta-ses from the experience of their tion of conscience. Being un-corrupted hearts. They find no der the power of very passion- other pleasure, and making their ate desires, their understanding own experience a standard to is blinded to the dictates of rea-judge of the nature of happison and truth. Evil men are of-ness, they determine that it must ten found in this situation, and whether deceitfulness be attributed to the heart which loves sin, or to the nature of sin itself, the same effect is produced. There is a very solemn exhortation "lest any of you be har'dened through the deceitful'ness of sin."

That the heart is frequently hardened, and depraved crea

To account for the security of the sinful, the following things ought to be considered, and while they illustrate the cause, they also show the deceit fulness of sin and of the human heart.

consist in what the law of God determines to be wrong. Hence, they connect their ideas of feltcity, with such a temper and practice, as are forbidden.Hence, also, they suppose, that a life of habitual piety must be a kind of wretchedness, to which some are driven thro' the painful accusations of conscience.— They cannot conceive of any

tices and methods of beguiling the time of human life, in which they are sought. If the happiness of beholding and communing with the Lord our God, be greater than the pleasures of a sensual life, pure reason must condemn the latter, which stands in the way of divine enjoyment.

thing in devotion which is free- | delights in them, all those exculy chosen and delightful. An ses which are brought for their idea of pain, disgust and tedi- | justification, and all those pracousness is connected with holy qualities of the heart, with Christian duties, and all the habits of a religious conversation. But all this is delusion, arising from the depraved taste of their own hearts, whereby they find pleasure in dissipation and ungodliness, in sinful actions, in unprofitable discourse, and in-Whoever indulges himself in withdrawing their contemplation from God and divine subjects. Through degeneracy of heart they have false conceptions of the nature of happiness, in what it consists and how it must be obtained.

None will deny, that to the sinful there are present pleasures, such as they be, altho' most of them are immediately followed by some pain, which more than compensates for the pleas

ure.

But this is not the question on which a wise person depends. It is whether these pleasures are most excellent in their nature and can be perpetual. If it be found, that by the will of God and the nature of things, the pleasures of sinning must be of momentary continuance, and then followed with a greater degree of pain, they are more worthy of loathing than of desire or if it be found they are vastly less to the sinful than the pleasures of religion are to the pious mind, then, in point of comparison, they are loss instead of gain. Reason approves the greatest and most durable happiness. If sensual and earthly pleasures stand in the way of this, then reason condemns that taste of the heart which

sin makes a present loss, and if we extend our views of the subject to eternity, as it is connected with time, he appears to be an infinite loser.

Altho' this be true and faithful reasoning, and the sinful are told in the most plain manner, that the happiness of religion is altógether greater than the pleasures of sin, they are still deceived. They do not consider sufficiently to obtain a habit of right opinions; for they could not, if they did this, be easy with a state which cuts them off from the highest and most durable blessedness. By a false taste, and the constant impulses of an evil heart, it seems to them that happiness arises from sin, from forgetting God, in living without him and in worldly thoughts, labors and amusements. Thus, by long habit, the heart becomes hardened and fixed in a vicious course. Moral writers, in imitation of the divine, when treating of this subject, sometimes speak of the heart, at others of sin, as being deceitful: but whichever is used, the same thing is intended. The evit doubtless lies originally in the evil taste and disposition of the heart, for when this is made right men become convinced