thus formally conceded, no Deputies of a new Synod or Ministerium shall be acknowledged to have a seat and vote in the General Synod. SEC. 4. With regard to the grades in the Ministry, the General Synod may give to the several Ministeriums well considered advice, wherein the circumstances of time, place and condition must be duly contemplated, and a beneficial uniformity, and actual equality of rank among the several ministers, must, as much as possible, be had in view. The General Synod shall also advise such rules and regulations among the several Synods and Ministeriums, as may prevent unpleasant and unfriendly collisions, that might otherwise arise out of any differences of grades existing among them, or from any whatever other possible causes. SEC. 5. The General Synod shall not be looked upon as a Tribunal of Appeal; it may, however, be employed in the following cases and after the following manner : 1. The General Synod may give advice or opinion, when complaints shall be brought before them by whole Synods, Ministeriums, Congregations, or individual Ministers, concerning doctrine or discipline. They shall however be extremely careful, that the consciences of the Ministers of the Gospel be not burdened with human inventions, laws or devices, and that no one be oppressed by reason of differences of opinion on nonfundamental doctrines. 2. If Parties, differing in matters of doctrine and discipline, refer the cause of difference, in a brotherly manner, to the General Synod, they shall institute a close and exact scrutiny and examination thereof, and give their opinion on the subject of difference, according to their best insight of right, equity, brotherly love and truth. 3. If difference between Synods be referred, the votes thereon shall be taken by Synods, and the referring Synods shall have no vote. SEC. 6. The General Synod may devise plans for seminaries of education and missionary institutions, as well as for the aid of poor ministers, and the widows and orphans of poor ministers, and endeavour, with the help of God, to carry them into effect. SEC. 7. The General Synod may also institute and create a treasury for the effectual advancement of its purposes. SEC. 8. The General Synod shall apply all their powers, their prayers and their means, toward the prevention of schisms among us, to be sedulously and incessantly regardful of the circumstances of the times, and of every casual rise and progress of unity of sentiment among Christians in general, in order that the blessed opportunities to promote concord and unity, and the interests of the Redeemer's kingdom, may not pass by neglected and unavailing. ARTICLE IV. The General Synod shall choose, from among their own number, a President and a Secretary; and from among their own number, or elsewhere, as it may be necessary, a Treasurer. They shall continue in office until the next succeeding convention. The same person is at all times re-eligible as Secretary or Treasurer; but no one may be elected President more than two conventions in succession, and the same person cannot thereafter be elected for the two successively following conventions. SEC. 1. The President shall act as chairman of the Convention. He may make motions, give his opinion and vote like every other member. With the consent and concurrence of the minister of the place where the convention is held, he shall appoint the several preachers during the convention. He shall subscribe all letters, written advices, resolutions, and the proceedings of the Synod. In extraordinary cases, and by request of any one of the acknowledged Synods, made known to him in the form of a Synodical or Ministerial resolution, he may call together special conventions of the General Synod. In case the business of the secretary become too burdensome for one person to execute, he shall, with the concurrence of the Secretary, appoint an assistant Secretary, and make known to him what portion of the labours he ought to undertake. SEC. 2. The Secretary shall keep a journal of the proceedings, write, attest, and take care of all the documents and writings, make known the time and place of the convention, by the medium of the public prints, at least three months beforehand, and, in the special or extraordinary cases mentioned in the foregoing section, he shall give written notice thereof to each of the special Synods or Ministeriums. SEC. 3. If the President or Secretary, in the intermediate time between the conventions, depart this life, resign his office, or become incapable of executing the same, the next in office shall take his place and perform his duties; if it be the Treasurer, then the President shall appoint another Treasurer ad interim in his stead. SEC. 4. The Treasurer shall keep account of the receipts and expenditures of the Synod. He shall give receipts for all monies put into his hands. He shall not pay any money out of his hands but by order of the President, attested by the Secretary, in pursuance of a resolution of the Synod to that effect. At every convention of the Synod he shall render account. ARTICLE V. The course of business shall be conducted as follows: viz. 1. The deputies shall give personal notice of their arrival, to the minister of the place, or if the congregation be vacant of a minister, to any other person appointed by the congregation for the purpose, who shall make known to them their place of residence and the place where the sessions shall be held. 2. At nine o'clock in the forenoon of the first week-day of the time of convocation, the sessions shall begin and be opened with prayer. 3. The President elected by the former convention shall act as chairman till another President be chosen. In case of his absence, the persons present may, on motion made and seconded, appoint another in his stead. 4. The members shall give in to the chairman their attestations or certificates. For all the deputies from any one particu lar Synod one certificate signed by the President and attested by the Secretary of that Synod, shall be deemed sufficient, and all the members of the same Synod shall sit together. 5. If a majority of the deputies, of a majority of the Synods attached to the General Synod, be present, the business shall go on. If this proportion be lacking, the members present may from time to time postpone the sessions of the convention. 6. The President, Secretary and Treasurer shall be elected by ballot, on the first day of the sessions, and so soon as the members shall have given in their certificates. 7. The proceedings of the former convention shall be read by the Secretary. 8. Hereupon follow the several portions of business according to Article III, section for section. 9. Now other mixed motions may be made, concerning the subjects already discussed, or any other matters that may occur. 10. In conclusion, the General Synod shall appoint, by ballot, the time and place of the next convention, observing at all times, however, that one convention at least, be held every three years. ARTICLE VI. The General Synod may make whatever by-laws they may deem necessary, provided only, that the said by-laws do not contradict the spirit of the constitution. ARTICLE VII. No alterations of this constitution may be made except by the consent of two-thirds of the Synods attached to this convention ; notice of the intended alteration having been given to the said Synods at least two years previous to the final adoption thereof. Adopted October 24th, in the year of our Lord 1820. Ability of the sinner, 141. INDEX. A. Abolition of slavery, 277, etc. Absolution, private, 258, etc. Adults, their admission to the church, 234, etc. Agents, moral, in God's government, 89, etc.; respect had to in God's Articles of the Augsburg Confession, passim and appendix No. I. 357. Atonement universality of, 137; its nature, and Hopkins' view of, 139. Attributes of God, 48 etc. Augsburg Confession, 38; how extensively received, 40; how receiv- B. Backsliders, the restoration of, 260. Baptism, a means of grace, 149; the subject in general, 197, etc. Baptisms or Jewish washings, 217. Baptize, meaning of, 217. Benevolence of God, 52; comp. 304, 325, etc. Christian, see Love. Business order of, in the Lutheran Synod, 388. C.. Call to the ministry, see ministers; of sinners, 166. supper, 252. required to publicly pro- Catechumens, of them in general, 229, etc.; defined, Note. Celibacy of the priests, 339, etc.; rejected by the reformers, see under monastic vows, 347, etc. Ceremonies, religious, 267. |