the church be vacant. And when present, the pastor shall be ex-officio chairman.

SEC. 4. The Church Council shall have the superintendence of all the temporal concerns of the church, and shall see that they are administered with wisdom, faithfulness and justice. They shall also elect one of their number a deputy to represent them at the annual synodical meeting.

SEC. 5. It shall be the duty of the Council to admit to membership adults, who shall make application, and whom, on mature examination, they shall judge to be possessed of the qualifications hereafter specified.† They shall be obedient subjects of divine grace - that is, they must satisfy the Church Council that they have sincerely repented of their sins, and truly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Also, to admit to the communion of the church all those who were admitted to church-membership in their infancy, and whom on like examination, they shall judge possessed of the above-mentioned qualifications. No one shall be considered a fit subject for confirmation who has not previously attended a course of religious lectures delivered by the pastor, on the most important doctrines and principles of religion, unless the pastor should be satisfied that the applicant's attainments are adequate without this attendance. And when adults are admitted to membership, their baptism shall, if possible, be performed publicly before the church; and when members who were baptized in their infancy are admitted to full communion, they shall in the same public manner confirm their baptismal vows *Thess. v. 12, 13.

† Mark xvi. 16; John iii. 5; Acts viii. 15; xvi. 14, 15.

according to the form of confirmation customary in the church.

SEC. 6. It shall be the duty of the pastor, or the Church Council, to keep a complete list of all the communing members, the record of which shall be the property of the church.

SEC. 7. If any member of the Church Council shall conduct himself in a manner unworthy of his office, he may be accused before the Council, and if found guilty, his case shall be referred to the whole church for decision.

SEC. 8. It shall be the duty of the Council to administer the discipline of the church on all those whose conduct is inconsistent with their Christian profession, or who entertain fundamental errors.* To this end they shall have power to cite any of their church-members to appear before them, and to endeavor to obtain other witnesses, when the case may require it. It shall further be the duty of the Council, when any member offends, first privately to admonish him, or, if necessary, to call him to an account; and if these measures prove ineffectual, to suspend or excommunicate him, that is, to debar him from the privileges peculiar to church-membership, according to the precepts of the New Testament laid down in this formula. It shall also be their duty to restore † those subjects of suspension or excommunication, to all the privileges of the church, who shall manifest sincere repentance. Every act of excommunication or of restoration may be published to the church, if deemed necesBary by the majority of the Council,

SEC. 9. The Church Council may at any time † 2 Cor. ii. 7; Gal. vi. 1.

*1 Cor. v. 7, 13.

be convened by the minister; and it shall be his duty to call a meeting when requested by two members of the Council, or by one-fourth of the electors of the church, or when directed by the Synod.

SEC. 10. It shall be the duty of the Church Council to watch over the religious education of the children of the church, and to see that they be occasionally collected, for the purpose of being taught the Catechism of the church, and instructed in the duties and principles of the Christian religion.

SEC. 11. The Church Council shall keep a record of their proceedings, of all the baptisms, and of persons admitted to sacramental communion; an abstract of which shall be annually sent to the Synod for inspection.

SEC. 12. In all cases of appeal from the decisions of the Church Council, the Council shall take no further measures grounded on their decision until the sentence has been reviewed by the Synod. But if the decision appealed from be a sentence of suspension or excommunication, it shall immediately take effect and continue in force until reversed by the Synod. And in every case of appeal, the Church Council shall send a detailed and correct account of their proceedings in the case, and of the charges and evidence on both sides.

SEC. 13. Any vacant pastoral district may also send a delegate to the Synod as their representative.

CHAPTER V.

OF CHURCH MEMBERS.

SECTION 1. The members of any particular church are all those members of the visible (see Chap. 2, Sec. 1) church, who are associated together under some form of Christian government and discipline, for divine worship, and the better attainment of the objects for which the Church of Christ was instituted.

SEC. 2. Every church-member is amenable to the Council, and must appear before them when cited, and submit to the discipline of the church regularly administered.*

SEC. 3. It is the duty of every church-member to lead a Christian life; that is, to perform all the duties required of him or her in Scripture. Thus it is the duty of adults to perform all the Christian duties; to attend the public worship of God,† and to partake of the Lord's supper whenever an opportunity is afforded. It is the duty of parents to educate their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, to teach them the doctrines of the church, and to subject them to the ordinances of the same. ||

SEC. 4. Any member being dissatisfied with the decision of the Church Council relative to himself, may appeal to the Synod. But, in every case the applicant shall give notice to the Church

Tit. iii. 10; Matt. xviii. 17, 18.

† Heb. x. 15; Col. iii. 16; Acts ii. 46; Matt. xviii. 20; Exod. xx. 8; Ps. lxxxiv. 2, 9, 11.

1 Cor. xi. 25.
? Eph. vi. 4.
Eph. vi. 4: 2 Tim. iii. 14, 15.

Council of his intention, either immediately or within two weeks of the time when the sentence was made known to him, and shall specify to them the reasons of his dissatisfaction and the ground of his appeal.

SEC. 5. It is recommended that when a member of one of our churches moves into the bounds of another, and wishes to be admitted to the privileges of the church, he shall bring with him a certificate of good standing from his former pastor; and, until he hand in his certificate, he remains responsible to the church from which he

came.

SEC. 6. It is recommended, as accordant with the principles of the New Testament, that the members of the church ought not to prosecute each other before a civil tribunal, until they have first made an attempt to settle their point of difference through the mediation of their Christian brethren.

CHAPTER VI.

OF ELECTIONS.

SECTION 1. All congregational elections must be published by the Church Council to the congregation, at least two weeks before the election.

SEC. 2. The Council may publish a congregational meeting for any lawful purpose when they shall deem it necessary; and they shall be compelled so to do, when requested by one-third of the lawful electors of the church.

SEC. 3. The electors of any particular church