An Essay, on the Warrant, Nature and Duties of the office of Ruling Elder, in the Presbyterian Church.

The 1832 edition of this work is also on file at the PCA Historical Center.

CONTENTS:
Chapter I.
Introductory remarks--Nature of the Church--Visible and Invisible Church--Unity of the Church--A form of government for the Church appointed by Christ--Nature and limits of ecclesiastical power--Summary of the doctrine of Presbyterians on this subject--The proper classes of officers in a Church completely organized--Positions intended to be established, as affording a warrant for the office of Ruling Elders.

Chapter II.
Testimony from the order of the Old Testament Church--Import of the term Elder--Specimen of the representations given of this class of officers--Elders of the Synagogue--Authorities in reference to the government of the Synagogue--The titles, duties, number, mode of sitting, &c. of the Elders of the Synagogue--Quotations from distinguished writers on this subject--Burnet--Goodwin--Lightfoot--Stillingfleet--Grotius--Spencer--Clark--Neander.

Chapter III.
Evidence from the New Testament Scriptures--Model of the Synagogue transferred to the Church--Specimen of the passages which speak of the New Testament Elders--Particular texts which establish the existence of this class of Elders in the primitive Church--Objections to our construction of these passages--Answered.

Chapter IV.
Testimony of the Christian Fathers--Clemens Romanus--Ignatius--Polycarp--Cyprian--Origen--Gest Purgationis, &c., Optatus--Ambrose--Augustine--Apostolical Constitutions--Isidore--Gregory--Facts incidentally stated by the Fathers concerning some of the Elders--Syrian Christians.

Chapter V.
Testimony of the Witnesses for the Truth in the Dark Ages--Waldenses--Albigenses--Bohemian Churches--Calvin derived this feature in his ecclesiastical system from the Bohemian Brethren.

Chapter VI.
Testimony of the Reformers--Zuingle--Oecolampadius--Bucer--Peter Martyr--John A Lasco--Calvin--Whitgift--Dean Nowell--Ursinus--Confession of Saxony--Szegeden--Magdeburgh Centuriators--Junius--Zanchius--Paraeus--Piscator--Cartwright--Greenham--Estius--Whitaker--Ruling Elders generally established in the Reformed Churches.

Chapter VII.
Testimony of eminent divines since the Reformation--Owen--Baxter--English Puritans--of New England--Goodwin--Hooker--Cotton--Davenport--Thorndike--Cotton Mather--Edwards--Kromayer--Baldwin--Suicer--Whitby--Watts--Doddridge--Neander--Dwight.

Chapter VIII.
Ruling Elders necessary in the Church--The importance of Discipline to the purity of the Church--Discipline cannot be maintained without this class of officers, or persons of equivalent powers--The pastor alone cannot maintain it--The whole body of the Church cannot conduct it in a wise and happy manner--Prelatists and Independents both obliged to provide substitutes for them--This provision, however, inadequate.

Chapter IX.
Nature of the Ruling Elder's office--Analogy between their office and that of secular rulers--Their duties as members of the Church Session--Their more private and constant duties as "overseers" of the Church--Their duties as members of higher judicatories--Question discussed whether they ought to be called lay-Elders--Duties of the Church members to their Elders--Elders ought to have a particular seat assigned to them.

Chapter X.
Distinction between the office of Ruling Elder and Deacon--The persons whose appointment to take care of the poor is recorded in the sixth Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, were the first Deaons--The Question discussed, whether they were Deacons at all--Whether the first Deacons were preachers and baptizers?--Deacons were never ecclesiastical Rulers--The office of Deacon dropped by many Presbyterian Churches--The offices of Ruling Elder and Deacon united in the same men, in Scotland and the United States--This not desirable--Reasons for this opinion.

Chapter XI.
The qualifications for the office of Ruling Elder--It is not necessary that they be aged persons--It is of the utmost importance that they have unfeigned and approved piety--That they possess good sense, and sound judgment--That they be orthodox, and well informed in gospel truth--That they have eminent prudence--That they be of good report among them who are without---That they be men of public spiirt--that they be men of ardent zeal, and importunate prayer.

Chapter XII.
Of the election of Ruling Elders--Who are proper Electors?--Ought they to be elected for life, or only for a limited time?--Of the number of Elders proper for each Church--Of those who may be considered as eligible to this office--Whether a man may be a Ruling Elder in more than one Church at the same time.

Chapter XIII.
Of the ordination of Ruling Elders--Ordination a necessary designation to office--Proofs from Scripture--The laying on of hands--Not always connected with the special gifts of the Spirit--This ceremony ought to be employed in the ordination of Ruling Elders--Probable reason of its falling into disuse--Authorities in favour of its restoration--Who ought to lay on hands in the ordination of Elders--Advantages of imposing hands in ordaining this class of officers--Should Elders lay on hands in the Ordination of Ministers?

Chapter XIV.
On the resignation of Ruling Elders--Their removal from one Church to another--The method of conducting discipline against them.

Chapter XV.
The advantages of conducting discipline upon the Presbyterian plan--It is founded on the principle of Representation--It presents one of the best barriers against Clerical ambition and encroachments--Furnishes one of the best securities for preserving the rights of the people--Furnishes to Ministers efficient counsel and support--Favourable to despatch and energy--Accomplishes that which cannot be attained in any other way--Favourable to union and co-operation in enterprises of Christian benevolence.