Theories of the Eldership [pp. 449-472]

Theories of the Eldersh7ip.
The Westminster Form of Government was solemnly adopted
by the Church of Scotland in 1645, and has ever since formed
a part of their constitutional standards, and of all the branches
of the Presbyterian Church affiliated with it throughout the
world. Now, on the doctrine and order of ordination by imposition of hands, it is both explicitly and emphatically strong,
having no less than six distinct sections on "The Ordination
of Ministers," "Touching the doctrine of Ordination," "Touching the power of Ordination," "Concerning the doctrinal part
of the Ordination of Ministers," "The Directory for the Ordination of Ministers," and "The Rules for and Form of their
Ordination;" and repeating over and over again, that "every
minister of the word is to be ordained by imposition of hands,
by those preaching presbyters to whom it doth belong."
cc Preaching presbyters, orderly associated, are those to whom
imposition of hands doth appertain."*
The Presbyterian Church in Ireland, in addition to the
Westminster standards, have their own Constitution and Discipline. The form for ordination of ruling elders and ministers
is very similar to that of the Church of Scotland. The elder
is "set apart to his office by prayer only." (Ch. iii. ~ 2.) The
minister is "ordained by prayer on the part of the minister appointed to ordain, the candidate reverently kneeling.... in
some part of the prayer the officiating minister shall lay his
hands upon the head of the candidate, and be joined by the
rest of the ministers present." (Ch. iv. ~ 14, p. 39.)
At a later period, the Church of Scotland, in allusion to the
act of 1698, quoted above, reaffirmed that law. "Our church
doth condemn any doctrine that tends to support the people's
power of ordaining their ministers."t
WVe are thus full in our presentation of the Presbyterian
system in the Church of Scotland on the question of ordination
of and by ruling elders, because it not only determines her
view of ruling elders to be, that they are not ministers, nor of
-' See in every Scotch Confession of Faith, and all published elsewhere,
except under our own Form of Government.
t Compendium of Laws, vol. i. p. 194. Pardovan, B. I. tit. 1, ~ 21.
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