his right to oppose any measure to which he had conscientious objections, and he acquitted the Presbyterians of all desire, in their opposition to this plan, to embarrass the Government, and was willing to believe that many others were actuated in their opposition by religious motives; but why had motives been imputed to the present Government? Why had they not been imputed to those who were the original framers of this plan of education, from whose report his Right Hon. Friend's letter had been taken in many respects verbatim? He imputed no motives-he only stated facts. The present Government was a Whig Government--the then Government was of an opposite character in its politics. There was no Reform question pending in those days there was no object in inflaming the minds of men against Government. He regretted this line had been followed. What its objects might be he pretended not to say; but this he knew, that, whether intentionally or not, a feeling of suspicion, of unfounded suspicion, arising from those unfounded insinuations, had been excited in the minds of the people of Ireland, which might induce them to look with an evil eye on the future measures of Government. Far better would it have been for the country if the opponents of the measure had come forward, had stated fairly and openly their objections, and had expressed their willingness to join in devising some other plan which might have been satisfactory to all parties. Far better, he said, would it have been for the country,far more creditable to themselves,-far more suitable to those professions of religion, by which alone they declared themselves to have been actuated." The speech from which we have taken these extracts was, as we believe, reported by his lordship himself; and, after all explanations, we do positively consider it "oblique abuse." We admit we may misunderstand, but we deny that we misrepresent.-EDIT.] BALLYCARRY--ASSAULT ON THE REV. J. STUART- THE Rev. John Stuart was ordained at Ballycarry, upon Tuesday, the 3d inst., and during the night of the same day a shot was fired at his lodgings, and seven panes broken in the window of his sitting-room. When this attack was reported by Mr. Stuart, ingenuity and special pleading, with liberalism and charity, immediately commenced either to deny the truth of the statement altogether, or to roll suspicion upon Mr. Stuart himself, or the connexions of the family with whom he resides. That the spirit of partizanship should suggest this foul attempt is not surprising; but that a magistrate, enjoined to the impartial administration of justice, should publish, with all the authority of his name and office, an ex parte statement, and, a prejudgment of the case, without evidence upon oath, would appear to us a thing impossible, if we did not know that the thing had been done. The following are extracts from the letter of the magistrate alluded to. "It could not be done by a shot from a gun, pistol, or any weapon of the kind. There was not the slightest mark, even in the window-shutter, or any other part of the wood." This magisterial declaration produced its effect for its little hour; and Mr. Stuart, a character the most guileless and upright, was pilloried before the public as a condemned alarmist. Nay, his assertions, when he produced the shot gathered inside the window-his assertions that some shot had been actually imbedded in the wood-work-were denied, pronounced im possible, and himself, by consequence, guilty of, at least, two deliberate falsehoods. These were charges affecting the moral character of a Minister, of which, we think, that a magistrate should have paused before he subscribed them with his name. No matter we pass it by-and leave the author to his own cool reflections; and we trust to his sense of honour to repair, at leisure, an injury committed in haste. Upon Saturday, the 21st, the case came to be investigated before E. J. Agnew, R. W. Johnston, and T. Casement, Esqrs., Magistrates, who after the examination and cross-examination of ten witnesses, published the following official decision: "We are of opinion, that on the night of the 3d inst. a shot was fired into the sitting-room of the Rev. J. Stuart, near Ballycarry, but, from the circumstances which appear in evidence, that the person who fired said shot could not have contemplated Mr. Stuart's death as the consequence. Had he been in the room at the time, he would not have been injured. We, however, feel that the act was a most malicious and unlawful one, and hope the offender may yet be brought to punishment.” Obituary. JOHN DILL, Esq. M. D., (Son to the Rev. Richard Dill, Knowhead,) who died in London upon Saturday, the 8th inst., in the 30th year of his age. WE are constrained, by many mingled feelings, to dedicate a few lines to the memory of Dr. Dill. An excellent school education, improved by a full University course of literature, philosophy, theology, and medicine, had rendered him an accomp plished scholar-intercourse with the best society had made him an acc plished man. The clearest head and the warmest heart were his disting shing characteristics. He commanded · confidence, he won affection, wherever he came. He went to London an unfriended stranger, he attained to lucrative and honorable employment, and was advancing on the fair road to the very summit of his profession. Yet study, business, society, and success left him what they found him—a Christian. Philosophy never shook him from the simple faith of the Gospel the world never seduced him from communion with his God. seed of truth sown by a father's hand in the heart of the boy, had ripened in the principles of the man; and the fruit is gathered in a brighter world, where the blight of death can never smite again. : The As an illustration of the confidence which his abilities and integrity commanded, it may here be mentioned, that, at the last meeting of the General Synod of Ulster, it was unanimously resolved to entreat him to become their parliamentary agent, an office in which, had he been spared, we believe he would have faithfully protected and materially advanced the interests of Presbyterianism. It must have delighted his grey-headed and venerable father, and his youthful and talented brother, to hear from the Rev. Messrs. R. Stewart, J. Brown, Jun. Cooke, and Jamison, their united testimony to his eminent worth. God alone can comfort that father and his family now; and he will comfort them. We have mingled our sorrows with theirs: we will also partake of their joys-the joy of the promises— the joy of the hope the anticipation of the meeting, when we shall part no more. ORTHODOX PRESBYTERIAN. No. XXXII. MAY, 1832. VOL. III. RULING ELDERS. ONE of the characteristic features of the Presbyterian Church is the office of ruling Elders. By this it is distinguished equally from the despotism of prelacy, and the democracy of independency. And in this order of men, duly appointed and faithfully engaged, lies partly_the great power and superiority of Presbyterianism. Like every other blessing, however, it may be perverted into a curse. That it has often been so perverted, cannot be denied. Neither are we ready to maintain that the opinions and practices which commonly prevail, respecting the eldership, are such as we could desire to witness. We fear the ordinary apprehensions of the churches in these times, respecting it, are far below the scriptural standard; and, with a view to bring attention more to the subject, we will in future give some prominence to it in our pages. At present we will submit to our readers a brief sketch of the authority, duties, and qualifications of ruling Elders. I. The authority for the office of Elders is derived directly from the Scriptures. This will clearly be seen from the examination of a few passages. "They ordained Elders in every church." -Acts xiv. 23. "Ordain Elders in every city."-Tit. i. 5. We remark on these passages, that they suppose a plurality of Elders in every church. There is no reason, however, to suppose that there was more than one Pastor in each church. In the Revelations, the address to the church is through the angel or Pastor. One person was set apart wholly to the work of the ministry, and him the church maintained; but they would have been unable to support more Pastors than one. When, therefore, we read of Elders in every church, we understand the phrase not of a plurality of Pastors, but of the Pastor and the lay-Elders associated with him in the government of the church. Another passage, in which the Y authority of this office is implied, is Rom. xii. 6—8. We allude particularly to the clause, "he that ruleth with diligence," in which we conceive there is an allusion to a separate and well-known office, distinguished from that of him who teaches, and of him who ministers, that is, from the Pastor and Deacon. The principle seems to be assumed, that there is in every church, duly constituted, an order of men, whose exclusive business is that of ruling. Indeed the very idea of the government with which Christ has invested his church, necessarily supposes such an order. There must, in every church, be some to rule, and some to be ruled. And the former we conceive to be the Elders of the Presbyterian Church. These views are farther confirmed by 1 Cor. xii. 28. In this passage government is mentioned as a distinct and separate office, intrusted to a separate order in the church. Of whomsoever we interpret this expression, the principle is plain, that the office is supposed to exist in the church. And if this be not the eldership of Presbyterianism, what is it? We will add only another passage-1 Tim. v. 17. Here two classes of Elders are described-those who rule merely, and those who labour in the word as well as rule. It seems strange that there should have been any controversy on the authority of the eldership, when the testimony of the Scriptures is so explicit. But what has not been controverted? Let this only lead us to a more diligent study of the Scriptures, that we may be sure our views are formed agreeably to them. And having seen their authority for this peculiarity of our church, let it be our concern to have the order and the office, in all respects, such as the Scriptures require. But our argument for the authority of the eldership does not end here. We have seen it is scriptural, and it may be satisfactory next to show that it is reasonable. Here, as in every other case, the Scriptures approve themselves to be the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And this office will be found to be, in all respects, such as the nature and circumstances of the case require. 1. It is necessary for the edification of the church. When any one joins himself to its membership, the first design of so doing is his own edification. This is a sacred tie of duty, by which all the members are bound to one onother. They are associated for the hallowed purposes of strengthening the hands and comforting the hearts of one another. The ignorant are to be instructed, the weak supported, the wavering confirmed, the perplexed directed, the mourning comforted, and the sick tenderly and assiduously visited. But by whom are all these duties to be discharged? Is it by a single Pastor to some hundred persons? That is impracticable. How reasonable that there should be associated with him, for these labours of love, a few of his people who are distinguished above the others by knowledge, prudence, influence, piety, and zeal. The fact that such duties are required, is presumptive evidence that the office has been appointed. It is a great evil when these are supposed to be the duties of the Pastor only. The consequence is they are not, for they cannot be, rightly discharged. Besides the Pastor, in his vain attempt to overtake them, is led to neglect the laborious study of the Scriptures, and careful preparation for preaching the word. We do not wish to relieve him of these duties, but we do wish to see them more effectively discharged than he is able to discharge them; and we do protest against every thing whereby his attention may be diverted from the higher duties of his office. A cry has been got up, in our times, that pastoral visiting is a more important exercise of ministerial duty than preaching the word. But this is either a miserable pretext for the neglect of a most arduous and laborious duty, or it is a melancholy delusion. Visiting we hold to be a most important part of the Minister's duty. But let him never forget that his first, great, and absorbing duty is the public preaching of the word. To that every thing is to be subordinate. Arrangements may be made, whereby he shall have aid in the other duties of his office; but this he must discharge himself. Let his Elders be such men as the New Testament requires for the office, and the more private duties of the ministry will not be neglected. And let preaching be raised to a proper standard, and there will soon be a change in the tone of public sentiment and feeling. 2. The office of the eldership forms a reasonable and equitable balance of power in the church. Human nature is encompassed with weakness and folly, And in all the arrangements of the church, its Great Head has shown his wisdom in guarding, as far as possible, against these evils. If power is in the hands of an individual, we may expect either the abuse or neglect of it; if it is with the multitude, we may look for confusion and dis |