The Historical Development of the Book of Church Order

Chapter 43 : Complaints

Paragraph 7 :

43-7. The complainant shall be considered to have abandoned his complaint if he fails to appear before the higher court, in person or by counsel, for a hearing thereof, after he has been properly notified; but a complainant may waive, in writing, his right to appear with permission of the court and not be considered to have abandoned his case. In case of such failure to appear, the judgment of the lower court will stand unless the complainant gives to the court a prompt and satisfactory explanation.

DIGEST : BCO 43-7 was a new paragraph added in 1984 [M14GA, 12-14, Item 5n, p. 90]. Then in 1992 the paragraph was amended [M20GA, 20-12, Item 4, p. 52].

BACKGROUND AND COMPARISON :
1984 [M14GA, 12-14, Item 5n, p. 90]
The complainant shall be considered to have abandoned his complaint if he does not appear before the higher court in person or by counsel on the day presbytery meets, or by the second day of the meeting of the General Assembly next following the date of notice of complaint, and the action of the lower court will stand, unless he can give the court, at its next stated meeting, satisfactory explanation for his failure to appear and present his complaint.

No comparable paragraph is found in the following editions:
PCA 1973, RoD, Chapter 17, Adopted text
Continuing Presbyterian Church 1973, RoD, Chapter 17,Proposed text
PCUS 1933
PCUS 1925
PCUS 1879
PCUS 1869 draft
PCUS 1867 draft

COMMENTARY :
F.P. Ramsay, Exposition of the Book of Church Order (1898) :
[no comparable text for discussion in Ramsay]