The Eldership Question [pp. 231-246]

244 THE ELDERSHIP QUESTION. [April,
that the rno~e 9f e1ecKn~~ Elders, in the congregation of
Wheatlandfor a term ~ years, was irregular,." &c.
If, again, it be supposed that a congregation, having once
established and approved its "mode of electing elders," can
not change it, we refer to the action of the Assembly in 1827,
p. 215: ~~~Thile the Assembly would recognize the undoubted right of each congregation to elect their elders in the
mode most approved, and in use among them, they would
recommend that in all cases where any dissatisfaction appears to exists, the congregation be promptly convened, to
decide on their future mode of election."
To the argument for uniformity in the mode, we oppose
the judgment of the Assembly of 1826, p. 187: "They find
themselves m~able to devise any method by which a uniformity of practice can be established,... and believe that any
alteration effected in the Constitution, with a view to relieve
the d~ffieulties in one section, would produce difficulties in
another section of the church."
III. We propose to show that it is the true policy of the
church to return to its original us~~ge of electing elders for a
limited term.
1. Our first reasou is that it is the original usage of all the
Reformed churches, except the Congregational. It is a good
thing to "see and ask for il~e old paths, where is the good
way, and waW therein." (Jer. vi. 16.) The churches of the
Reformed way unanimously agreed in a limited term of service. They assigned good reasons for it. They adhered to
it for two centuries. They all adhere to it to this day, with
il~e exception of the churches of Scottish, Irish, and Puritan
origin. No one even of these has formally sanctioned the
change by statute, much less given reasons for it. The genealogy of the dian~~e is obscure, and not at all to its credit.
It crept in during the political struggle in Britain; the way to
it was paved by taking the suffrage from the people and giving it to the session. The change of usage has not commended itself by any better results, in the congregations
whiA~ have adopted it, than are realized from the office in
-those which have adhered to the old way.