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The doctrines of the Presbyterian church are Calvinistic; and the only
fundamental principle which distinguishes it from other Protestant
churches is this--that God has authorized the government of his church by
presbyters, or elders, who are chosen by the people, and ordained to
office by predecessors in office, in virtue of the commission which Christ
gave his apostles as ministers in the kingdom of God; and that, among all
presbyters, there is an official parity, whatever disparity may exist in
their talents or official employments.

All the different congregations, under the care of the general assembly,
are considered as the one Presbyterian church in the United States,
meeting, for the sake of convenience and edification, in their several
places of worship. Each particular congregation of baptized people,
associated for godly living, and the worship of Almighty God, may become a
Presbyterian church, by electing one or more elders, agreeably to the form
prescribed in the book styled the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church,
and having them ordained and installed as their session.

They judge that to presbyteries the Lord Jesus has committed the spiritual
government of each particular congregation, and not to the whole body of
the communicants; and on this point they are distinguished from
Independents and Congregationalists. If all were governors, they should
not be able to distinguish the overseers or bishops from all the male and
female communicants; nor could they apply the command, "Obey them that
have the rule over you, and submit yourselves; for they watch for your
souls, as they that must give account." (Heb. 13:17.) If all are rulers in
the church who are communicants, they are at a loss for the meaning of the
exhortation, "We beseech you, brethren, to know them that labor among you,
_and are over you in the __ Lord_, and admonish you; and to esteem them
very highly in love for their work's sake."

If an aggrieved brother should tell the story of his wrongs to each
individual communicant, he would not thereby tell it to the church
judicially, so that cognizance could be taken of the affair. It is to the
church, acting by her proper organs, and to her overseers, met as a
judicatory, that he must bring his charge, if he would have discipline
exercised in such a way as God empowered his church to exercise it.

The general assembly is the highest judicatory in the Presbyterian church,
and is constitut