Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1837-06-21
MISCELLANEOUS.
From the Friend of Man.
CLERICAL USURPATIONj THE PRIN-
CIPLE CARRIED OUT.

From the Friend of Man.
UsURPATIONJ THE PRIN.
CIPLE CARRIED OUT.
Text" Resolved, That the opera
tons of itinerant agents and lecturers at
tempting to enLighten the churches in re-
spect to particular points of Christian doc
trine and of Christian morals, and to con-
troll the religious sentiment the commu-
nifty on topics which fall most appropriate
ly UNDER the sphere of pastoral instruc-
ton and of pastoral discretion as to time
and manner, WITHOUT THE ADVICE AND
CONSENT OF THE PASTORS and regular
ecclesiastical bodies, is an UNAUTHORIZED
INTERFERENCE WITH THE RIGHTS, du-
ties, and discretion of the stated ministry,
dangerous to the influence of the pastoral
office, and fatal to the peace and good or
der ofthe churches" -[GeneraI Associa-
ton of Connecticut and Massachusetts,
June, 1861
In advocating these resolutions DR..
Beecher complained that certain persons
were "getting 1sMs into the churches,
Deer the head of ministers" The Gener-
al Association, to use the words of Rev.
Leonard Bacon, are "the representative
body of the PASTORS" mot the churches
" of Connecticut" The Cincinnati Jour
nal, conducted by a son of Rev. DR.. Beech
erin defending the General Association
in the passage Of the above resolutions ex-
plicitlv declared that the General Associa
ton had right to say "arh0t the church.
es M ght do and achat they might not do"
1.-The General Association of Connec-
tlcut claims for EVERY PASTOR the power
of opening and shutting his own pulpit,
he being responsible for the abuse of that
power to the regular ecclesiastical bodies
and to them only, Rev Leonard b.
con, IN Letter to Gerrit Smith,
"There is such thing as ecclesiasti-
cal order.' -lBI
Every pastor is to control the occupan-
cy of his own pulpit. 1T is the Gerry essence
of his ofice.-[Ib.l
CoMMENT-The following article from
the N. Y. Emancipator of May 4th, will
give some idea of the extent to which it is
intended to carry out the principle of Rev.
Leonard Bacon and the Connecticut reso-
lutions-a principle which claims for the
regular " pastors the right Of prescribing
for "thecommunity the kind, and amount,
and mode of religious instruction, by
which they are to imbibe their religious
sentiments"
From the Emancipator.
REV. FLAvELS. M1NEs.-Dear Broth
er,-Mr. Mines is the successor of DR..
! Gov in 7 irrh Thr..l W
Some weeks ago, it was stated in the E.
mancipator that Mr.. Mines had done all
he could to prevent the principles Of ~iviI
and Christian. freedom introduced by DR..
Cox, from being cherished and spread in
that church. Who would have supposed
that his opposition to civil and religious
liberty would have led him to commit the
following outrage? Mr.. Mines is known
as once having been a missionary to
France. Report says he is heir prospec.
tive to goodly number Of slaves
The FACTs.-On the 10Th of March,
Mr.. mines announced to his church and
people, from the pulpit, that, in obedience
to the command of Christ, he was going
to feed the lambs of the flock, pay more
attention to the children to see what
kind Of books they had in the Sunday
School, &c. The school was in a pros
porous condition, under the direction of
one of the most intelligent and devoted
superintendent in the city; as orderly,
we'll regulated, and we'll attended as anv
school in the city.
The next Sabbath, Mr.. Mines came in
to the school, and in effect; requested the
superintendent to resign Mr.. Anthony
Lane, the uperntendent, seeing no rea-
son for resighing, the teachers, scholars
and parents being generally satisfied, re-
fused. After considerable conversation,
in which Mr.. Mines stated some objections
to Mr.. Lane, (what they were we shall
soon see, he then said Il am the pastor
of this church, and while so, have a right
10 say what shall be taught, and what no.
tees given in the Sunday School - Mr..
Lane told him, be should not be governed
by him as to such things. He then ac-
cUsed Mr. Lane of acting contrary to the
wishes of the pastor
The succeeding week, Mr.. Mines call
ed the session of his church together and
demanded the dismission of Mr., Lane
| from his office. The session PROMPTLY
voted that they had no right to do it and
did not wish to do it if they had the right.
Being baffled here, he called the Trus-
tees together, who had the control of the
church, most ofthem worldly minded men,
and requested them to give him the con-
troll of the basement story of the church.
in which the Sunday School was TAUGHT,
stating his reasons. The Trustees gave
bin a written instrument authorizing him
10 control that part of the church.
In the morning of April I'd, ten min
utes before the school closed, Mr.. Mines
and two of the Trustees came in. Mr.,
Mines asked permission to speak Mr.