ters and sub-ministers have been found very useful among the Methodists, where, under the title of local preachers, they have performed a great amount of preaching, and other evangelical labors. Congregational deacons might be authorized to act as assistant preachers, under the direction of their pastors, and at the request of churches, greatly to the advantage of the cause of religion. Licentiates. Besides its regular and permanent ministry of pastors and deacons, Congregationalism admits a class of sub-ministers, denominated Licentiates. Licentiates, in the Congregational churches, are like the same class in the Presbyterian, and correspond equally to the deacons in the Episcopal church, and among the Catholics. They are candidates for the ministry, admitted to preach for the limited period of two or four years, or for an unlimited period, on trial. If their trial proves satisfactory, they are advanced to the ministry. If it proves unsatisfactory, on the expiration of their license they fall back into the ranks of the laity. The authority to give licenses belongs properly to the churches, where all other ecclesiastical power belongs; and the Baptist denomination restricts it to those bodies. But among Congregationalists, so called, it is generally exercised by associations of ministers, with the tacit consent of the churches. CHAPTER II. CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH COURTS. 1. Church Meetings. IT is a fundamental doctrine of Congregationalism, that the church is not subject to any superior ecclesiastical jurisdiction above itself. The church is supreme. Other churches and other bodies may advise it, asked or unasked; but no other body can command it, and none ought to be allowed to command it. Congregationalism discards the idea of a universal church, formed either on the principle of representation or despotism, to command particular churches. This has been the general doctrine of the Congregational fathers of New England, and it is affirmed by the Congregational union of England and Wales, in 1833, as follows: "The New Testament authorizes every Christian church to stand independent and irresponsible to all authority, except that only of the supreme head of the church, the Lord Jesus Christ." Dr. Stiles, of Yale College, speaks the general sentiment of New England on this subject, when he says: "Our churches acknowledge no jurisdiction of sister churches over them. The moment jurisdiction enters, like creating Cæsar perpetual dictator, the loss of liberty commences. The exigences of the churches can never be such as to legitimate, much less render it wise to erect any body of men into a standing judicatory over them." Congregationalism, therefore, reverses the methods adopted by all other orders, and makes the church, in its collective capacity, supreme, and the court of all the male members of mature age its supreme court, both of legislation and judicature. The church is organized by individuals assenting to a confession of the Christian faith, and entering into a covenant to be governed by certain rules, supposed to be in agreement with the principles and objects of Christianity. It may be organized by a minister holding authority to preach, administert he sacraments, and perform other ministerial duties, from some previously organized church or church court; or, it may organize itself independently, with no foreign aid, and no foreign counsel. Becoming organized, with a constitution' and government, a church is an ecclesiastical body, competent to appoint and inaugurate all its officers, and to do all things which a church may lawfully do. It may choose its ministers and ordain them; and, for good and sufficient reasons, it may entertain charges against its ministers and other members, for heresy or immorality, and may bring them to trial on such charges, before such courts as it may choose to institute for the purpose. It may condemn the guilty, and depose and excommunicate them. Private members are generally disciplined before courts of the membership, and assembled church meetings; ministers, by mutual and exparte councils. It is the duty of Congregational churches to maintain a cordial fellowship with each other, and, in all ordinary cases, to respect each other's judgments. They may not ordinarily justify those whom a sister church condemns, or condemn those whom a sister church justifies. But, if a church is satisfied, on good grounds, that any sister church, or any number of sister churches, have acted with prejudice, and have judged erroneously, injuriously and wickedly, it is not bound to respect those judgments, but to protest against them. It would contradict the first principles of Congregationalism to bring in a law binding churches, in all cases, to pay a blind, unquestioning deference to the judg ment of other churches. This would be introducing, in another form, the very despotism against which the whole history of modern Congregationalism is an earnest protest. Congregational churches are independent of each other, but not above each other; and, though independent of each other, they are not independent of God. They can make no law against God's law, and cannot give validity to any judgment contrary to truth and reason. The law of God binds all these churches, and is the sole common law of all. Any law against this is null and void, ab initio, with no binding force whatever, and entitled to no respect. Of this every individual is sole ultimate judge for himself, as an individual, and must exercise his judgment under the infinite responsibilities of the divinely-appointed system of moral agency; and every church is sole ultimate judge of its duty as a church. God's judgments do not require re-judging; but all human judgments do. We are not only allowed, without incurring any just charge of arrogance, to re-judge all human judgments, both of individuals and associated bodies; but we are bound to re-judge them, according to our abilities and means of information, and must do it in order to be safe, and in order that the world may be safe. Churches, therefore, may and must, in many cases, re-judge the judgments of sister churches, and depart from them. And this, so far from introducing general distrust and disorder, as the abettors of despotism would have us believe, is the highest possible principle of mutual confidence and general order. Strictly speaking, Congregational churches are not subject to discipline. If they do wrong, they may be remonstrated with, and admonished by sister churches; and, if the wrong is of such an aggravated character as to prove a bar to communion, sister churches may withdraw from their communion, and have no fellowship with them. Congregational church meetings usually consist of the male members of adult age, with the pastor as moderator, ex-officio. In the absence of the pastor, one of the members is appointed moderator. In all cases it is requisite that there should be a scribe or secretary, and that a full record should be kept of all the doings of the meeting. Churches adopt their own constitutions, laws, covenants and confessions of faith, and alter or amend them at pleasure, and have the supreme control of all their affairs. 2. Ecclesiastical Councils. Councils are of two kinds, mutual and exparte. A council that is called by a church, concurring with another party interested in its decisions, is called a mutual council. In these cases each party elects one half of the council, and both parties subscribe the letter-missive by which it is called. An exparte council is called by any aggrieved party to consider and decide in respect to some real or supposed wrong. Councils are called by letters-missive, stating the subject to be considered, or the business to be done. They are courts of churches, and the churches invited are requested to attend by their ministers and delegates. Mutual councils derive their powers from the church and the concurring party calling them; and exparte councils derive their authority from the single party calling them, and the general usage of the churches. The members of a council, when assembled, organize, for the transaction of business, by appointing a moderator and clerk; both of whom perform the duties usually assigned to such officers in other deliberative bodies. Councils ordain pastors and evangelists, constitute pastoral relations and dissolve them, organize churches, and advise in regard to difficult cases of discipline, both with respect to the ministry and membership. The entire discipline of ministers is usually assigned to mutual or exparte councils. In order that its acts may be valid, a majority of the churches invited to an ecclesiastical council must attend. A minority, however, become a valid council, by the consent of the parties inviting them. If the action of a council, in the trial of a minister, is not satisfactory, an appeal may be taken to another council of the same kind, to consist in part or wholly of different churches; and the decision of the second council is generally considered as final. If churches are supposed to have become corrupt in doctrine, or irregular in practice, persons aggrieved may expostulate with them and admonish them. And, if this is without effect, the |
