be sent down to the Presbyteries to be so altered as to read "to study theology at least three years, etc." The overtures were read, and it was resolved that the proposed alteration be sent down as an overture to the Presbyteries, and that the Presbyteries be required to send up their answer to this overture in writing to the next General Assembly.-1835, p. 475. [To this overture, in 1836, thirty-five answered in the affirmative and twenty in the negative. Not a majority. The overture was again referred to the Presbyteries, and in 1837 fifty-two Presbyteries reported in favor and thirty-eight against. Still not a majority, and the matter was dropped.1836, p. 276; 1837, p. 438.]

2. Full Term of Three Years Urgently Recommended.

a. Resolved, That this Assembly entirely concur in the opinion expressed in the report of the Board of Directors of the theological seminary at Princeton, that it is highly important that theological students continue the full time of three years in the seminary, and complete the whole course of studies prescribed in the plan.-1834, p. 437.

b. Resolved, 1. That this Assembly do approve of the resolution passed by the Board of Directors at their late meeting, with a view of securing the attendance of students during a full course of theological instruction in our seminary.

Resolved, 2. That the Assembly notice with regret the prevalence of what they deem a serious evil, not only to the seminary, but to the Church at large, in the number of students who annually leave the institution before the prescribed course of studies is completed. And they do earnestly recommend to the students, if practicable, to continue the full time prescribed in the plan.-1826, p. 179.

c. Resolved, That in the opinion of this house it is in general highly inexpedient for candidates for the ministry to apply for licensure at such a period of their course of study as would prevent them from finishing the three years' plan of studies adopted and approved by former Assemblies.-1843, p. 187, O. S.

3. A Pledge to a Three Years' Course not Unconstitutional. Resolved, That the General Assembly are deeply impressed with the importance of a thorough course of theological study, and would earnestly recommend to their Presbyteries to elevate the standard of education, and that the rule of the Board of Education does not conflict with the Constitution when it prescribes the time of study, inasmuch as the Constitution makes two years the shortest time allowed to complete the course of theological study, but does not prescribe the maximum.-1844, p. 375, O. S.

VII. If the Presbytery be satisfied with his trials, they shall then proceed to license him in the following manner: The moderator shall propose to him the following questions, viz.:

1. Do you believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the word of God, and only infallible rule of faith and practice? 2. Do you sincerely receive and adopt the Confession of Faith of this Church as containing the system of doctrine taught in the holy Scriptures?

3. Do you promise to study the peace, unity and purity of the Church?

4. Do you promise to submit yourself in the Lord to the government of this Presbytery, or of any other Presbytery in the bounds of which you may be called?

VIII. The candidate having answered these questions in the affirmative, and the moderator having offered up a prayer suitable to the occasion, he shall address himself to the candidate to the following purpose: "In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and by that authority which he hath given to the Church for its edification, we do license you to preach the gospel wherever God in his providence may call you, and for this purpose may the blessing of God rest upon and the Spirit of Christ fill your heart! Amen." And record shall be made of the licensure in the following or like form, viz.:

you

At tery of

the

day of

the Presbyhaving received testimonials in favor of

of his having gone through a regular course of literature, of his good moral character, and of his being in the communion of the Church, proceeded to take the usual parts of trial for his licensure; and he having given satisfaction as to his accomplishments in literature, as to his experimental acquaintance with religion, and as to his proficiency in divinity and other studies, the Presbytery did, and hereby do, express their approbation of all these parts of trial ; and he having adopted the Confession of Faith of this Church, and satisfactorily answered the questions appointed to be put to candidates to be licensed, the Presbytery did, and hereby do, license him, the said to preach the gospel of Christ as a probationer for the holy ministry within the bounds of this Presbytery or wherever else he shall be orderly called.

Is it right for a clerk of Presbytery, in recording the licensure of a candidate, to use any other form than that prescribed in the book?

Answered in the affirmative. See above: "And record shall be made of the licensure in the following or like form."-1866, p. 54, O. S.

IX. When any candidate for licensure shall have occasion, while his trials are going on, to remove from the bounds of his own Presbytery into those of another, it shall be considered as regular for the latter Presbytery, on his producing proper testimonials from the former, to take up his trials at the point at which they were left and conduct them to a conclusion in the same manner as if they had been commenced by themselves.

X. In like manner, when any candidate, after licensure, shall, by the permission of his Presbytery, remove without its limits, an extract of the record of his licensure, accompanied with a presbyterial recommendation, signed by the clerk, shall be his testimonials to the Presbytery under whose care he shall come.

XI. When a licentiate shall have been preaching for a considerable time and his services do not appear to be edifying to the churches, the Presbytery may, if they think proper, recall his license.

1. Limitation of the Time to which a License shall Extend to Four Years.

Overture No. 19, from the Synod of Philadelphia, asking the Assembly to define more explicitly the relations of Presbyteries to their licentiates. Also No. 20, from the Presbytery of Philadelphia, North, and No. 21, from the Presbytery of Northumberland, on the same subject.

The Committee recommend the Assembly to adopt the following rules: 1. Every license to preach the gospel shall expire at the end of the period of four years, unless the candidate holding the same shall, before the expiration of that time, be called to permanent labor in the work of the Church. But the Presbytery under whose care such licentiate may be may, in its discretion, extend his license for the period of one year.

2. The Presbyteries are enjoined to take the oversight of their licentiates and their vacant churches, bringing in the one for the supply of the other, and, through the Home Missionary Committees of the Synods to which the Presbyteries belong, to seek to introduce their candidates to the widest fields of labor, and to furnish them full opportunity of practically showing their fitness for the Christian ministry. Adopted.-1872, p. 87.

2. The above Rule does not Abridge the Power of the Presbyteries to License in Extraordinary Cases.

The Standing Committee on the Polity of the Church reported1. A memorial from the Presbytery of Columbus, asking this General Assembly to define the action of the last General Assembly "in limiting the term of licensure (min., p. 87) as not referring to the cases of laymen who are licensed with a view of their higher usefulness, and not with a view to ordination."

The Committee recommend this minute as an answer, viz.: The General Assembly cannot sanction the practice of licensure as a means to attain a higher measure of usefulness merely, without aiming to reach ordination, as this would be virtually to make two grades of preaching officers. But the rules adopted by the last Assembly, to which the memorial refers, should not be construed as abridging the power and discretion of the Presbyteries to license probationers "in extraordinary cases." Form of Government, xiv., vi.

Adopted.-1873, p. 524.

3. Licentiates Belong to the Laity, and are Subject to the Session.

a. The Committee to whom was recommitted Overture No. 1, viz.: The question at what period of their preparatory course are candidates for the Christian ministry to be considered as dismissed from the jurisdiction of the session and transferred to the Presbytery? made a report, which, being read and amended, was adopted, and is as follows, viz.:

Whereas, It appears necessary, in order to preserve the purity of the Church, and uniformity of procedure in the judicatories under the care of the General Assembly, that the manner of administering discipline to candidates and licentiates for the gospel ministry, should be distinctly specified; therefore,

Resolved, 1. That as the word of God and the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church recognize the distinction of laity and clergy, and a system of procedure in discipline in some respects diverse, as the one or the other of these orders of men is concerned, it becomes the judicatories of the Church to guard against the violation of this principle in the administration of discipline.

2. That although candidates and licentiates are in training for the gospel ministry, and in consequence of this are placed under the care of Presbyteries, and in certain respects become immediately responsible to them, yet they are to be regarded as belonging to the order of the laity till they receive ordination to the whole work of the gospel ministry.

3. That it follows, from the last resolution, that when candidates for the gospel ministry are discovered to be unfit to be proceeded with in trials for the sacred office, it shall be the duty of the Presbytery to arrest their progress, and if further discipline be necessary, to remit them for that purpose to the sessions of the churches to which they properly belong, and that when licentiates are found unworthy to be permitted further to preach the gospel, it shall be the duty of the Presbytery to deprive them of their license, and if further discipline be necessary, to remit them for that purpose to the sessions of the churches to which they properly belong.

4. That in order to ensure the proper effect of discipline in the performance of the duties which severally belong to sessions and Presbyteries, it will be incumbent on church sessions, when they shall see cause to commence process against candidates or licentiates, before Presbytery has arrested the trials of the one or taken away the licensure of the other, to give immediate notice to the moderator of the Presbytery to which the candidates or licentiates are amenable that such process has been commenced, to the intent that the impropriety may be prevented of an individual proceeding on trials or continuing to preach, after committing an offence that ought to arrest him in his progress to an investiture with the sacred office; and when Presbyteries shall enter upon an investigation, with the view of stopping the trials of a candidate or taking away the license of a licentiate, the session to which such candidates or licentiates are amenable shall be immediately informed of what the Presbytery is doing, that the session may if requisite commence process and inflict the discipline which it is their province to administer.--1829, pp. 263, 264.

b. But may Solemnize Marriage if Authorized by Law.

Resolved, That while our Form of Government does not recognize licentiates as ministers of the gospel, yet this Assembly do not consider them as violating any rules of the Church by solemnizing marriages in those States where the civil laws expressly authorize them to do it.-1844, p. 377.

CHAPTER XV.

OF THE ELECTION AND ORDINATION OF BISHOPS OR PASTORS AND EVANGELISTS.

I. WHEN any probationer shall have preached so much to the satisfaction of any congregation as that the people appear prepared to elect a pastor, the session shall take measures to convene them for this purpose; and it shall always be the duty of the session to convene them, when a majority of the persons entitled to vote in the case shall, by a petition, request that a meeting may be called.

1. Steps to be taken by a Vacant Congregation looking to the Election of a Pastor.

The business left unfinished in the morning was resumed, and after a full discussion of the subject, the motion to sustain the appeal of the session of the Third Presbyterian Church in this city from the decision of the Synod of Philadelphia, affirming a decision of the Presbytery of Philadelphia, by which the Presbytery directed the said session, within twenty days from the date of their decision, or after the final determination of the case, to convene the congregation for the purpose of electing a pastor, was determined in the affirmative; and Dr. Green, Dr. Neill and Mr. Richards were appointed a Committee to prepare a minute stating the principles on which the Assembly sustained the appeal.

The Committee appointed to prepare a statement of the principles and grounds upon which the Assembly sustained the appeal of the session of the Third Presbyterian Church in this city reported, and their report, being read and amended, was adopted in the words following, viz.:

That both to prevent misapprehension and to aid the congregations and judicatures of this Church in deciding on any similar cases that may arise, the Assembly therefore declare,

I. That in vacant congregations which are fully organized the session of each congregation are to determine, under their responsibility to the higher judicatures, when the congregation are prepared to elect a pastor, as directed in the Form of Government of this Church, chap. xv., sec. i.

II. That it is the duty of the session, when a congregation is vacant, to use their best endeavors to promote the settlement of a pastor in the same, in the speediest manner possible, consistently with the peace, order and edification of the congregation; and it is the privilege of the people, or of any portion of them, to complain to the Presbytery when they think that the session, after being suitably requested, neglect or refuse to convene the congregation to elect a pastor.

III. That it belongs to the Presbyteries to take cognizance of the proceedings of sessions and congregations in the important concern of settling pastors, and to adopt the most effectual measures on the one hand to prevent all undue delay by the session or the people, and on the other to prevent all precipitancy in the settlement of any minister or the adoption of any system of proceedings in the congregation inconsistent with the real and permanent edification of the people.

IV. That by the due and discreet observance of these principles by all