in a general sense, denotes instruction and government, as military discipline, ecclesiastical discipline, &c.

Ecclesiastical discipline consists in putting those laws Discipline, in execution by which the church is governed, and inflicting the penalties enjoined by them against the several sorts of offenders that profess the religion of Jesus. The primitive church never pretended to exercise discipline upon any but such as were within her pale, in the largest sense, by some act of their own profession; and even upon these she never pretended to exercise her discipline so far as to cancel or disannul their baptism: all that she pretended to was to deprive men of the benefits of external communion, such as public prayer, receiving the eucharist, and other acts of divine worship. The church discipline was only confined to the admonition of the party, and to the lesser and greater excommunication.

As to the objects of ecclesiastical discipline, they were all such delinquents as fell into great and scandalous crimes after baptism.

a more peculiar sense, is used for the chastisements or bodily punishments inflicted on a religious of the Romish church who has been found a delinquent; or even for that which the religious voluntarily undergo or inflict on themselves, by way of mortification.

Book of Discipline, in the history of the church of Scotland, is a common order, drawn up by the assembly of ministers in 1650, for the reformation and uniformity to be observed in the discipline and policy of the church. In this book the government of the church by prelates is set aside, church sessions are established, the superstitious observation of fast days and saints days is condemned, and other regulations for the government of the church are determined. This book was approved by the privy council, and is called the First Book of Discipline.