Presbyterianism [pp. 546-567]

Presbyterianism.
tery, and of the churches belonging to it, and our brethren of
the General Assembly, may know why I shall not be present
to perform the service which the ancient usage of that church
requires of me.
I am, very truly, yours,
W. L. BRECKINRIIDGIE.
ART. VI.-Presbyterianism.
MUCH time was devoted, at the late meeting of the General
Assembly at Rochester, to the discussion of the question, What
is Presbyterianism? That question, indeed, had only a remote
connection with the subject before the house. That subject was
the Boards of the church. These, on the one side, were pronounced to be not only inexpedient, but unscriptural and
unlawful; not only useless excrescences, but contrary to the
divine rule prescribed in the word of God, and a reproach to
our blessed Saviour. We were called upon to reject them as a
matter of duty, or forfeit our allegiance to Christ. On the
other side, it was contended that the Boards were not only
highly useful, as experience had proved, but that they were
entirely within the discretion which Christ had granted to his
church, and therefore compatible with obedience to his will, and
with our allegiance to his authority.
To make out any plausible argument in support of the doctrine that the Boards are anti-scriptural, required, of course, a
peculiar theory of Presbyterianism; a theory which should
exclude all discretionary power in the church, and tie her down
to modes of action prescribed as of divine authority in the word
of God. That theory, as propounded by Dr. Thornwell in his
first speech on the subject, was understood to embrace the following principles: 1. That the form of government for the
church, and its modes of action, are prescribed in the word of
God, not merely as to its general principles, but in all its
details, as completely as the system of faith or the moral law;
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