it would be highly injudicious to reinstate them in their offices.

16. An officer, deposed for scandalous conduct, may not be restored, even on the most convincing evidence of deep sorrow for his sin, without some time of eminent and exemplary, humble and edifying conversation, to heal the wound made by his scandal.

17. No scandal, which hath been removed by satisfaction, shall ever be the ground of any other process; nor is the person restored ever to be upbraided with it, either by church-officers or private members. Such as transgress in this respect shall be accounted scandalous, and treated accordingly.

Chapter vul.

Of Declinatures.

1. A declinature is the refusal of a person under process to submit to trial by a particular Judicatory.

2. When a person, in order to evade a process, or without assigning any just reason, declines the authority of his proper Judicatory, such a declinature is not only unwarrantable, but contumacious; and is not to impede the process, unless it be referred to the next higher Judicatory.

3. If a Judicatory betray unfairness or partiality; if they, before full investigation, by any judicial act, prejudge the cause; if, in conducting the process, they claim to decide on subjects of which they have no cognizance, or otherwise act illegally; if they permit members who are nearly related to, or who are at personal variance with, either of the parties; or who have themselves been active as par ties; still to sit in judgment after being duly challenged in all these cases a declinature is warrantable.

4. It is not, however, to be supposed, that even a law-ful declinature quashes a process. It only removes it to another Judicatory; and if the declinature be not accompanied with an appeal to the superior Judicatory, the party is to be cited thither by the Judicatory which he declined.

Chapter IX.

Of References.

1. A Reference is a judicial representation, made by an inferior Judicatory to the next superior, of a case not yet decided, and is always to be in writing.

2. References are either for advice, or for full discus sion and final decision.

3. References of the former kind only suspend the determination of the Judicatory from which they come ; but do not interfere with the ultimate decision.'

4. References of the latter kind relinquish the prosecution of the case referred, and leave it implicitly to the judgment of the superior Judicatory.

5. Though references, except for special reasons, ought always to procure advice from Judicatories referred to, yet the latter are not necessarily bound, even when desired, to give a final judgment; but may, if they see fit, remit the matter, with advice, to the Judicatory referring.

6. Cases new, important, difficult, whose decision may establish a principle or precedent of extensive influence, or on which the sentiments of the Judicatory are greatly divided, form some of the principal subjects of reference.

Chapter X.
Of Appeals.

1. AN appeal is the removal of a cause from an inferior to a superior Judicatory, by a party aggrieved.

2. Appeals are either from a part of the proceedings of a Judicatory, or from a definitive sentence.

3. When appeals of the former kind are brought before a Judicatory, it is in their option either to take the whole of the cause under cognizance, or merely to decide on the particular acts excepted against, and remit the cause to the Judicatory appealed from.

4. Appeals from a definitive sentence require a revision of the whole cause.

5. Every appellant is bound to give his appeal, with the reasons thereof, in writing, to the Judicatory appealed from, at the most in ten days after notice of his intention; which

notice is to be made at the time when he conceives himself aggrieved: and on default, his appeal falls.

6. Appeals are always to be carried, in regular gradation, from an inferior Judicatory to the one immediately superior.

7. When an appeal is brought before a Judicatory, they are first to inquire whether it hath been regularly conducted; and if not, to refuse it, without special reasons to the contrary; and never when it contravenes the preceding regulation.

8. The Judicatory appealed to is next to inquire into the procedure of that appealed from; and if it shall appear to have been regular and proper, no blame shall be attached to said Judicatory, even though the appeal be sustained, and the sentence reversed.

9. If, on due consideration, an appeal from a definitive sentence be sustained, the Judicatory appealed to shall try the libel as though it had been originally ordered by themselves; and if they find cause for overruling the sentence appealed from, shall use every method of satisfying the injured, as well as of doing him justice.

10. When an appeal from a definitive sentence is not sustained, or if sustained, the appellant is cast, the Judicatory appealed to is to ratify the sentence, and direct that appealed from to proceed in the execution of it.

11. Litigious appellants are to be censured; but this censure is not to suspend or mitigate the censure attached to the crime libelled.

12. If an appellant, after entering his appeal before a superior Judicatory, cease to prosecute it, it shall be considered as indefensible, and the proceedings of the inferior Judicatory confirmed.

13. Judicatories appealed from, being parties in the cause, cannot, in the superior Judicatories, vote on any question connected with the appeal.

Book III.

OF WORSHIP.a

Chapter 1.

Of the Ordinances in a Particular Congregation.

THE ordinances in a single congregation are prayer and thanksgiving; singing of psalms; the word read, (although there follow no immediate explication of what is read) the word expounded and applied; the sacraments administered; dismissing the people with a blessing; catechising; visitation of the sick.b

Chapter II.

The Design of the ensuing Directory.

CARE hath been taken to hold forth therein such things as are of divine institution in every ordinance, and to set forth other things according to the rules of Christian prudence, agreeable to the general rules of the word of God: nothing more being meant, than that the general heads, the sense and scope of the prayers, and other parts of public worship, being known to all, there may be a consent of alt the churches in those things that contain the substance of the service and worship of God; and the ministers may be hereby directed, in their administrations, to keep like soundness in doctrine and prayer, and may, if need be, have some help and furniture; and yet so as they become not hereby slothful and negligent in stirring up the gifts of CHRIST in them; but that each one, by meditation, by taking heed to himself, and the flock of God committed to him, and by wisely observing the ways of divine providence, may be careful to furnish his heart and tongue with farther or other materials of prayer and exhortation, as shall be needful upon all occasions.

For the principle and rule of religious worship, see the Larger Catechism, on the second commandment. 6 Confession, chap. xxi. 5.

Chapter III.

The Directory for Public Worship.

SECTION I. Of the ASSEMBLING of the CONGREGATION, and their BEHAVIOUR in the PUBLIC WORSHIP of GOD.

WHEN the congregation is to meet for public worship, the people (having before prepared their hearts thereunto) ought all to come and join therein; not absenting themselves from the public ordinances through negligence, or upon pretence of private meetings. And it is highly requisite, for the decorum of public worship, that both ministers and people use their diligence to attend punctually at the hour appointed.

2. Let all enter the assembly, and take their seats or places, not irreverently, but in a grave and seemly manner; avoiding whispering or conversation.

3. The congregation being assembled, the minister, after solemnly calling on them to the worshipping of the great name of God, may begin with prayer.

"In all reverence and humility acknowledging the in"comprehensible greatness and majesty of the LORD, (in "whose presence they do then, in a special manner, appear,) "and their own vileness and unworthiness to approach so "near him, with their utter inability of themselves to so great a work; and humbly beseeching him for pardon, as"sistance and acceptance, in the whole service then to be performed; and for a blessing on that particular portion of "his word then to be read: and all in the name and media"tion of the LORD JESUS CHRIST."

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But as it has been, for a long time, the ordinary practice of our church to commence public worship with singing of psalms, it is left to the discretion of congregations to adopt either of these modes which they shall judge best suited to their circumstances. Nor shall a few explanatory remarks upon the psalm previous to its being sung, be construed an infringement of this order: Nevertheless, in this exercise brevity is recommended.

4. The public worship being begun, the people are wholly to attend upon it, forbearing to read any thing, except what the minister is then reading or citing; and abstaining much more from all private whisperings, confer