IIL ITS CHURCH GOVERNMENT.

Our form of government is that which has been adopted by all the churches of the Reformation in Holland, France, Switzerland, Germany, Scotland, with the exception of England,-which is governed by diocesan bishops,-and of the famous Puritans of Old and New England, whose form is that of independency. We refer to our form in our Book of the Church. Our primary court is that of the consistory, the same as that called a session in the Presbyterian Church. This consists of the three distinct offices: ministers or bishops, elders, and deacons. The deacons in our church have no right to preach. We adhere strictly to the scriptural institution of that office, as detailed in Acts vi. They have the care of the poor; and take charge of the alms and the proper distribution of them. Our church discountenances the office of trustees, especially of a board of trustees, whose members are not even required to be members of the church in full communion. The most general, I may say the universal, practice of ecclesiastical arrangement with us, is this: the pastors and elders meet as a spiritual court, to transact spiritual concerns, such as the admission of members, exercising discipline, &c. The deacons meet statedly, to make provision for the poor and make distributions. And the consistory, composed of the pastor, elders, and deacons, meets for the transaction of all temporal business relating to their own church. On important occasions, such as that of calling a minister, the grand consistory is called together. This is composed of all those individuals who have been at any time elders and deacons in the church.

The next court in our church is the classis, corresponding precisely to the presbytery in our sister churches. This is composed of a minister and an elder from each distinct church, under the care of the classis.

The next court is the particular synod. Of these we have two, namely, the Synod of New York and the Synod of Albany, or the Southern and Northern Synods. These consist of two ministers and two elders from each classis within its bounds.

The highest court, from which there is no appeal, is the general synod. This also is a representative body. It is composed of three ministers and three elders from each classis throughout the entire church. At its first organization, this court met triennially; now it meets annually, for the despatch of all business belonging to the church.

In one peculiar feature do we differ from our Presbyterian brethren in the United States and Scotland. In the different branches of these most eminently distinguished churches, their elders are chosen for life. With us they are chosen to serve for two years in succession. And if they do their duty they are again eligible, after having been out of their office one year. If they have not fulfilled. their office to edification, they may be left off the ticket; and no offence is given or taken. This, we believe, has most essentially contributed to preserve the peace, and promote the edification of the church, and to stir up good men to increased faithfulness to God and the church.

IV. THE FORM OF WORSHIP.

This is nearly the same as that of all those who adopt the Presbyterian form of worship. With us, the ancient and time-honoured custom and mode is this: the minister and people, who are members, upon entering the church, bow down, and in secret worship the King of Zion. In the morning, the pastor begins the solemnity of the day by reading the ten commandments; and in the other services of the day, by reading a chapter of the holy scriptures. The assembly then sing; then there is the solemn benediction; then a brief address, called the exordium remotum, containing an outline of the subject to be discussed;* then prayer; then singing; then the sermon; then a prayer; then a collection of alms for the poor; then singing, and the benediction.

Our psalmody is that which has been carefully prepared by a committee of our General Synod. It consists of the psalms of Watts, greatly improved and enlarged, and two books of hymns. It is a rule of our church that each pastor shall lecture on a section of our Heidelberg Catechism, in the afternoon of the sabbath, so as to go through the whole in a definite time. These lectures exhibit an entire system of pure and holy doctrine to the people, in a regular course. And to this admirable system do we humbly and prayerfully ascribe the uniformity and strictness of adherence to pure doctrine in our churches. The design is to secure doctrinal preaching, and that of the entire system, to our people, in a regular course, from year to

year.

* This has, by a late regulation, been left discretionary, and by many it is dispensed with.

V. THE STATISTICS.

The annual report for 1843 presents this summary of the church: There are twenty classes; two particular synods, that of New York, and that of Albany, under one general synod, the highest court of appeal, which meets annually. There are two hundred and sixtyseven churches, and two hundred and fifty-nine ministers, and twenty three theological students, at present.

The number of families, as reported, is 21,569; the ascertained number of individuals in the congregations, 96,302: total in communion, 29,322. The increase of members on confession of their faith, from June, 1842, to June, 1843, 3202, by certificate, 1021: total increase in the year, 4223. Baptized in the year: infants, 2211, adults, 682. Number of catechumens, 5664; number in biblical instruction, 3988; the number of sabbath schools, 269; the number of pupils in these, 15,534.

Our college and theological seminary are located at New Brunswick, N. J. These institutions have been richly endowed by the liberality of our church. The two institutions are so far connected that the theological professors render certain important services in the college. The venerable Dr. Milledoler lately retired from these institutions, after having rendered for a series of years most valuable services, as professor of didactic and polemic theology, and as president of the college, which last laborious office he performed gratuitously, with the utmost fidelity and great success, for nearly sixteen years. Since that, the Hon. A. Bruyn Hasbrouck, a gentleman of distinguished taste and scholarship, has been elected president. The college is now in very successful operation, under his care, and that of an able and learned faculty.

In the theological school, there are three professorships, occupied by distinguished men, who instruct the youth for the ministry in every branch of a complete theological course. At the close of the theological year, there is a public theological commencement, at which the graduating class pronounce, from memory, suitable discourses. This will have a very happy tendency to encourage our youth to study, more than heretofore, true pulpit eloquence, and tend to bring back the good old custom of pronouncing, instead of reading, discourses.*

* By "pronouncing discourses," we do not mean "extemporaneous preaching." We mean the writing fully out of discourses, and delivering them from memory and judg. ment. To preach "extempore," and without laborious preparation, is one of the worst habits, into which any preacher or minister can fall.

To the seminary are attached twelve scholarships, for the aid of eminently gifted youth, whose hard lot has been to struggle with adversity. The Van Benschooten Fund of $20,000 produces a conşiderable annual revenue. By the will of the pious donor, the proceeds are applied to carry youth through the college course, as well as the theological course.

For farther particulars, I refer the reader to the following: The Outline of the History of the Dutch Reformed Church, by the late Dr. Romeyn, in the pages of the Christian's Magazine, vol. i.; to the extended Outline of the History of the Dutch Reformed Church, in the pages of the Magazine of the Dutch Church, vol. ii.; Dr. Gunn's Life of Dr. Livingston; The History of New York, by Judge Smith; Dr. Janeway's Abstract of the History of Rutgers's College; The Minutes of the Particular and General Synods of the Dutch Reformed Church; The Appendix to Dr. Bradford's Sermon of 1813, containing the Address of the Committee of the General Synod of 1807; The Encyclopædia of Christian Knowledge, article Dutch Reformed Church; Watson's Olden Times; Olden Times in New York; Benedict's History of all Religions; The American Quarterly Register, for May, 1833, and February, 1834; and, finally, Dr. Dewitt's History of the Dutch Reformed Church, which he is now (1843) preparing by the request of our General Synod.

17

DISCIPLES OF CHRIST.

BY THE REV. R. RICHARDSON,

OF VIRGINIA.

THEIR RISE, PROGRESS, FAITH, AND PRACTICE.

THE religious society, whose members prefer to be known by the primitive and unsectarian appellation of "Disciples of Christ," or by that of "Christians," the title first given to the followers of our Lord at Antioch, A. D. 41, but who are variously designated in different sections, as "Baptists," "Reformed Baptists," "Reformers," or Campbellites," had its origin in an effort made, a few years since, to effect a union of the pious of all parties, by the ties of a common Christianity.

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Thomas Campbell, who had been long a minister of high standing in the "secession" branch of the Presbyterian Church, in the north of Ireland, his native country, and who had been at all times characterized by his love for the Bible, and for godly men of all parties, without respect to sectarian differences, having visited the United States, as well for the recovery of his health, which had become much impaired, as with a view to a permanent location, was, after a lapse of nearly three years, followed by his family, under the charge of his eldest son Alexander, then a young man, and took up his abode in Washington county, Pennsylvania, where his time had been chiefly spent, since the period of his arrival, in supplying with ministerial labour the destitute congregations of the seceder connexion.

Continually deploring, however, the divided and distracted condition of the religious community at large, and deeply convinced that its divisions were unnecessary, unscriptural, and most injurious to the interests of religion and of society: he at length formed the resolution to make a public effort for the restoration of the original unity of the church. Being joined in this resolution by his son Alexander, whose