3. Do you promise to encourage him in his arduous labor, and te assist his endeavors for your instruction and spiritual edification?

4. And do you engage to continue to him, while he is your pastor, that competent worldly maintenance which you have promised, and whatever else you may see needful for the honor of religion and his comfort among you?

XIV. The people having answered these questions in the affirmative, by holding up their right hands, the candidate shall kneel down in the most convenient part of the church. Then the presiding minister shall by prayer, and with the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery, according to the apostolic example, solemnly ordain him to the holy office of the gospel ministry. Prayer being ended, he shall rise from his knees; and the minister who presides shall first, and afterward all the members of the Presbytery in their order, take him by the right hand, saying, in words to this purpose, "We give you the right hand of fellowship to take part of this ministry with us." After which the minister presiding, or some other appointed for the purpose, shall give a solemn charge in the name of God, to the newly ordained bishop, and to the people, to persevere in the discharge of their mutual duties; and shall then by prayer recommend them both to the grace of God and his holy keeping, and finally, after singing a psalm, shall dismiss the congregation with the usual blessing. And the Presbytery shall duly record the transaction.

XV. As it is sometimes desirable and important that a candidate who has not received a call to be the pastor of a particular congregation should, nevertheless, be ordained to the work of the gospel ministry, as an evangelist, to preach the gospel, administer sealing ordinances and organize churches in frontier or destitute settlements; in this case the last of the preceding questions shall be omitted, and the following used as a substitute, namely:

Are you now willing to undertake the work of an evangelist; and do you promise to discharge the duties which may be incumbent on you in this character as God shall give you strength?

1. Ordination as an Evangelist to Labor in Feeble Churches. Is it or is it not in accordance with the principles of the Presbyterian Church to ordain evangelists to labor in fields having feeble churches which are not able to support a pastor, and are too remote conveniently to secure the services of an ordained minister?

To ordain evangelists under the specified circumstances is in accordance with the practice of the Church, and is no infraction of any of its laws.— 1850 p. 454, O. S.

2. (rdination of a Licentiate who Proposed to Continue Teaching. The Presbytery of Philadelphia submitted to the Assembly for their decision the case of Mr. John Jones, a licentiate under their care, who at their last sessions had requested that the Presbytery would take measures to ordain him sine titulo. The Presbytery stated that Mr. Jones had been a licensed candidate for a number of years; that he had always sustained a good and consistent character; that he was engaged in teaching an academy, and was so circumstanced that his being ordained might render him more extensively useful. The Assembly having considered the case, Resolved, That the Presbytery of Philadelphia be permitted and authorized to ordain Mr. Jones to the work of the gospel ministry sine titulo, provided the Presbytery, from a full view of his qualifications and other attending circumstances shall think it expedient so to ordain him.—1807, p. 386.

3. Presbyteries should not Ordain the Candidates of other Presbyteries.

1. That it be earnestly recommended to all our Presbyteries not to ordain sine titulo any men who propose to pursue the work of their ministry in any sections of the country where a Presbytery is already organized to which they may go as licentiates and receive ordination.

2. That the several bodies with which we are in friendly correspondence in the New England States be respectfully requested to use their counsel and influence to prevent the ordination, by any of their councils or consociations, of men who propose to pursue the work of the ministry within the bounds of any Presbytery belonging to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, and that the delegates from this Assembly to those bodies respectively be charged with communicating this resolution.1834, p. 428.

4. Ordination sine titulo.

a. The Synod would bear testimony against the late too common, and now altogether unnecessary, practice of some Presbyteries in the north of Ireland, viz., their ordaining men to the ministry sine titulo immediately before they come over hither, thereby depriving us of our just rights, viz., that we, unto whom they are designed to be co-presbyters, and among whom they design to bestow their labors, should have just and fair inspecting into their qualifications; we say it seems necessary that the Synod bear testimony against such practice by writing home to the General Synod, thereby signifying our dissatisfaction with the same. .. The Synod do agree that no minister ordained in Ireland sine titulo be for the future received to the exercise of his ministry among us until he submit to such trials as the Presbytery among whom he resides shall think proper to order and appoint And that the Synod do also advertise the General Synod in Ireland that the ordaining any such to the ministry sine titulo, before their sending them hither, for the future will be very disagreeable and disobliging to us.-1735, p. 119.

b. A question was proposed, Whether it be proper to ordain to the ministry sine titulo, except for some particular mission? The consideration of which is deferred till our next sederunt.-1762, p. 314.

The question, Ought ministers to be ordained sine titulo ?-i. e., without relation or probable view had to a particular charge-resumed, and after further deliberation, we judge as follows:

That in ordinary cases, where churches are properly regulated and or ganized, it is a practice highly inexpedient and of dangerous consequences, not to be allowed in our body except in some special cases, as missions to the Indians and some distant places that regularly apply for ministers. But as the honor and reputation of the Synod is much interested in the conduct of Presbyteries in such special cases, it is judged that they should previously apply to the Synod and take their advice therein, unless the cases require such haste as would necessarily prevent the benefit of such a mission if delayed to the next session of Synod, in which cases the Presbyteries shall report to the next Synod the state of the cases and the reasons for their conduct.-1764, p. 337.

c. Application was made to the Synod by the Presbytery of New Castle for advice respecting the propriety of Mr. Samuel Smith's being ordained by said Presbytery of New Castle, under whose care he is, in consequence of his having accepted a call from a congregation within the bounds of the Presbytery of Hanover.

The Synod, having heard all the circumstances relative to this case and deliberated thereon, agree that it is not expedient for the Presbytery of New Castle to ordain Mr. Smith as the matter now stands.-1775, p. 465. d. The Presbytery of Lewes, by their commissioner, Mr. Slemons, requested leave to ordain a certain Mr. James Lang, a licentiate under their care, sine titulo.

Resolved, That the reasons offered for this measure are not sufficient, and therefore that the request be not granted.-1800, p. 199.

e. The following request was overtured by the Committee of Bills and Overtures:

That the Synods of Virginia and the Carolinas have liberty to direct their Presbyteries to ordain such candidates as they may judge necessary to appoint on missions to preach the gospel; whereupon,

Resolved, That the above request be granted, the Synods being careful to restrict the permission to the ordination of such candidates only as are engaged to be sent on missions to preach the gospel.-1795, p. 98.

f. The Presbytery of Baltimore directed their commissioners to solicit the permission of the General Assembly to ordain Mr. William Maffit, a licentiate under their care, to the office of the gospel ministry, if upon examination he should appear qualified. The request was made at the particular instance of the church of Bladensburg, where Mr. Maffit officiates as a stated supply.

Resolved, That said request be granted.-1798, p. 146.

g. Mr. Robert Smith was appointed a missionary to the western and northern frontiers of the State of New York, provided he shall be ordained by the Presbytery of New Castle for that purpose.-1794, p. 86. [See also Minutes 1799, p. 172; 1809, p. 415; 1810, p. 459.]

h. A reference from the Synod of Philadelphia was laid before the Assembly. By an extract from the minutes of that Synod it appeared that Mr. John Waugh, a licentiate under the care of the Presbytery of New Castle, had, for special reasons, requested the Presbytery to take measures for his ordination sine titulo. The Presbytery accordingly presented the request to Synod, and the Synod, finding that the authority in this case is by the Constitution expressly vested in the General Assembly, agree to refer the matter to them for their decision. The Assembly having taken the subject into consideration,

Resolved, That the Presbytery of New Castle be, and they hereby are permitted and authorized, to ordain the said Mr. Waugh to the work of the gospel ministry sine titulo; provided that the Presbytery, from a full

view of his qualifications and other attending circumstances, shall think it. expedient.-1805, p. 337.

5. Ordination sine titulo.-Overture on Rejected.

a. The following overture was brought in and read, viz.:

In what cases, except the one provided for in the seventeenth chapter of the Constitution of our Church, may a Presbytery ordain a man to the work of the gospel ministry without a call to a particular charge?-1810, p. 456.

This overture was referred to Drs. Miller and Green, Messrs. Nathan, Grier, Anderson and Campbell, as a Committee.-1811, p. 464.

This Committee reported as follows, viz.:

Whereas, There may exist cases in which it may be needful for Presbyteries to ordain without a regular call; but as the frequent exercise of this power may be dangerous to the Church, and as this case does not appear to be fully provided for in our Constitution and Book of Discipline,

Resolved, That the following rule be submitted to the Presbyteries for their opinion and approbation, which, when sanctioned by a majority of the Presbyteries belonging to the Church, shall become a constitutional rule, viz.:

That it shall be the duty of Presbyteries, when they think it necessary to ordain a candidate without a call to a particular congregation or con. gregations, to take the advice of their respective Synods, or of the General Assembly, before they proceed to this ordination.-1811, p. 474.

[Answered in the negative-11 to 7-and the subject dismissed.]— 1812, p. 494.

b. [In 1813 another rule was proposed,] viz.: The rule proposed, and on which an affirmative or negative vote of the Presbyteries is required, is in the following words, viz.:

It shall be the duty of Presbyteries, when they think it necessary to ordain a candidate without a call to a particular pastoral charge, to take the advice of a Synod, or of the General Assembly, before they proceed to such ordination.-1813, p. 524.

[Of the Presbyteries answering this overture, twenty-six replied in the negative and four in the affirmative.]—1814, p. 558.

6. Censure of Synod for Ordination sine titulo not Sustained. The records of the Synod of Illinois were, on the recommendation of the Committee, approved, with the exception of a censure on p. 209, of the action of Knox Presbytery, for ordaining a man when there was no call from any part of the Church.—1843, p. 17, N. S.

CHAPTER XVI.

OF TRANSLATION OR REMOVING A MINISTER FROM ONE CHARGE TO ANOTHER.

I. No bishop shall be translated from one church to another, nor shall he receive any call for that purpose, but by permission of the Presbytery.

1. Removal without Consent of Presbytery.

The Presbytery of East Jersey having reported that Mr. John Cross has, without the concurrence of Presbytery, removed from one congregation to another, the Synod do declare that the conduct of such ministers . . . that take charge of any congregation without the Presbyteries' concurrence, to be disorderly and justly worthy of presbyterial censure, and do admonish said Mr. Cross to be no further chargeable with such irregularities in the future.-1735, p. 115.

2. The Irregularity Excused, but Caution Enjoined. The Synod having deliberately considered the affair of Mr. Allison's removal to Philadelphia, referred to them by the Presbytery of New Castle, judge that the method he used is contrary to the Presbyterian plan. Yet considering that the circumstances which urged him to take the method he used were very pressing, and that it was indeed almost impracticable to him to apply for the consent of Presbytery or Synod in the orderly way, and further being persuaded that Mr. Allison's being employed in such a station in the academy has a favorable aspect in several respects, and a very probable tendency not only to promote the good of the public, but also of the Church, as he may be serviceable to the interests thereof in teaching philosophy and divinity as far as his obligations to the academy will permit, we judge that his proceedings in said affair are in a great measure excusable. Withal, the Synod advises that for the future its members be very cautious, and guard against such proceedings as are contrary to our known approved methods in such cases.-1752, p. 206.

II. Any church desiring to call a settled minister from his present charge shall, by commissioners properly authorized, represent to the Presbytery the ground on which they plead his removal. The Presbytery, having maturely considered their plea, may, according as it appears more or less reasonable, either recommend to them to desist from prosecuting the call, or may order it to be delivered to the minister to whom it is directed. If the parties be not prepared to have the matter issued at that Presbytery, a written citation shall be given to the minister and his congregation to appear before the Presbytery at their next meeting. This citation shall be read from the pulpit in that church by a member of the Presbytery appointed for that pur