The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1834-02-26
(From the Providence City Gazette.
ACCID Il Mt.

compels us to state the fact--that cle.-
gynan attached to the ancient and or
thodox order Of the Baptists, has, by nc
cident, not design, had the misfortune to
increase the multitude of his flock, by
adding to it a little innocent brother or
slster-we do not know which-"the
which" as St. Paul says, came disrepu.
tabIy and dishonorably into this breath
ing world, and very much in contra
distinction to the wishes of its "pious"
father. Before we 60 one inch further,
it is proper to assert, lest our own good
parent church be scanda!ized, that the
father ard the offspring are residents Of
another State, and are not of tho Select
of Rhode-Island. BY this sad accident,
the church is scondalized, md we as a
baptist by birth and adoption are mor,i-
fed. Such accidents will now and then
happen, however, and, it will not avail
us if wo weep over them till doomsdsy.
We, who entertain the most profound
regard for our mo.hcr church, had hop.
ed mos, devouily that the good people
of the Baptist denomination would not
be thus outraged; but the aflliction has
fallen on us, and let us make the bes,
of honorable effort to wipe AWAY the
stain.
The odium whicl, has been cast upon
the cscutcheon Of the church, by the alb
erra,ivns Of this irail brother and unfor-
tunate sister,. must be wiped away -
The thing must be accomplished /; and,
how shall it be done ! by hushing up
the matter. as was the case with the city
parson who dealt in "Juttons" or, as it
was in the case Of the Reverend Eph' m
X. Avery No, no lie, not that kind
of mistaken policy be pursued any Ion
ger; but, on the contrary, let every
good member of,he church employ him
self, to ferrit out and expose the delin-
qucncies of the offender, and bring him
to the punishment which. if he be guilty,
he so richly merits This matter of
"hushing up" the delinquencies of cler-
gymen, should be discarded. 1t will not
answer to follow 1t any longer and the
welfare of the church and the success of
the gospel Of the cross, demand that all
rapscallions should be punished. We
would punish them with undoubted Sc
verity-we would not suffer one of The
offenders to escape. The church, has
suffered much, and very Justly, by at
tempting to screen her offenders from
the odium of the world and the penalties
of the law, and will she not profit by
past history and example As matters
of this kind have been managed in times
"agone." they have only had a direct
tendency to increase the catalogue of
crime for clergymen have been made
to believe, that they can violate the laws
of the land, n nd the decencies Of society.
with impunity; and thus emboldcned,
they have been left to commit almos,
any kind Of excess, ifit but pleased tue m
to do so.
In The case Of the offending brother
now before us. We, who profess, with
qua'>zeal and sincerity, to DO advocates
of the purity of the American Baptis,
church, hope that no "hushing" will be
had ; on the contrary, if the guilt of the
offender be provcd-and of that there
can be no doubt-let every member of
the faith and order, unite and blow his
Infamous fame to the four quarters the
world. Let him be known and marked
as an apostate TO God and the church,
let his infamy be recorded as inde!ibly in
The archieyes of hell as the purity Of tie
Paints is on the tablets of high heaven
and, let him not escape the vengeance Of
that society whose good name he has re-
preached. His offences are rank and
naked, and abominablc-an and let them
he not forgotten tiIl they are punished.
If an attempt is made to hush up the
matter, the church will be scandalizcd;
but, If the "fathers" surrender him to
the laws. aud to the just Indignation of
nm outraged society, they will gain the