The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1842-05-05

rm WAY 70 pIsMIss MINISTRIES.
rHAFEER Do.
CASE oF Mr. Belts.

cHAFEER IN \,
casE oF Mr. Belts
We lave said that cd Nc. Bsiis sss the
.nini,,et n shat uas called he Preseyie
gi.n church. He was indeed .old. and |
had olieiaasd 10 Slokesills fas several
ye,ss. Like III Other men. he had has
Tus,d. and bis enemies. This church.
ike 10 neigibor. vas subject % Pefio0',
cal resulsisns. which skslmes threatened
az ruin. Psrsoa Beus Vas Too orthodox
% su.I some o. bis mtmbsis. who declsF-
ed Il perfect sgony" for thru % listen %
I'm: .n1 m.ny had absolutely abandoned
ann. viii J yiss Of forming another con
creation. Yet he cid gshllemsnp preach
eJ on. lie needed not she wTs.k ubieh
he q tines made. bul solaced bimse.s
with he ronsictina that be Was 10 The !
sllsehGse Of christian duty, and hal vas
sncagh.
Ilso happened that Mr. Belts On ceF-
cain Sabbath spiced bis sermon rather
higher lhan usual with The "docirine OF
election = sbd > msioriiy Of The con-
greealion were determined 10 submit g
Il 40 longer. Accordingly, he was watt
81 upon the following Monday BY ssse-
raj members al bis church. Who told hin
,lla, .hey wsse sorry 70 say Il. bat they
should forever hereafter Be under ihs ne
rrssi,y OF abseniing themselves from bis
nreschine. provided he did not qualify or
setrac, What he had said, IN sermon 20
be preached on The following Sabbath.
Na~ il so happened shl. there ass q
minority party who subscribed exactly 10
she doctrine contained in The sermon
which had raised such confusion, and
were Jus, - hoay opposed 10 The re-
cantalion. They said il was The hfstI
sermon lhey bid heard which came en-
sireIy % 10 The standard Of lheir faith;
and they would see the church blown in
20 atoms, before qualification or relrsc
tion shoeld Be made. They. too. sppo,nI-
ed their committee. end waited upon Me.
Beus, and commanded him not TO Teiraci
one .iot nor TITLE" under fear Of their
displessufe and consequent dsserlon Of
abe church.
The old gentleman was 10 quandary.
Ire was between Scylls and Chsrybdis;
if he avoided the one he must inevitably
be swallowed by Che other. He must
qualify or reiracl." and he must neither
qualify nor rer.ci." FINELY. as bis best
plan In the premises. he determined 10
Gray las an extension Of the tine allotted
him 20 delesmins his course in The mat
Ger; and after some correspondence be-
tween bic Janus-laced opponents. his day
Of grace uss extended 10 -four weeks.
Ga The fourth Ssnday be was q" choose
whom he would serve"
The var now opened in Slokeyillo 10
good earnest. Eysry family thai attend
ed old Mr. Bets church arrsyed itself
ei,her on one side or the other. No one
uas permilled to take neuiral ground in
she contest The women were ouisvery
afternoon. cumming upsnddownihe streets.
impressing their friends with their yari.
aus opinions, and drawing in altshe con-
yer,s they could convince by their zeal
and eloquence; while The men were war
ring together on The corners, in the tavern
end in The Stores
The frs, week bad passed away. and
che excitement was tremendous. On the
second, il had engenieIed so much BIT
serness between the members Of The same
church. that all concentration was Stop
ped. The rsIrsclion parry did mol speak
20, nor trade with The authorization par
~. Enleftsumsnis were given for The
sole purpose Of maniiesiing the spirit Of
euclusiveness; and there was > degree OF
life aud mock-metrimen erhibued al
Slokesilie that had never been parslleled.
When the third week came round. the
two parties fell Pall-mell 10 scandaliziug
each other. FIRST the IeTSciion party as.
sailed one of the deaeons who belonged Ia
she anu fsirac,ion party. They said he
was dishonest man, and il Justice had
been done him, he would have been
churched years ago; that he bad been
charged With keeping false weights. and
,bus swindliug tue public, the widow aud
ihe orphan; that he had been kaown 10
swear, sad tina, proof could be furnished
of tho fact, hat great many years ago be
cheated relative out Of tue sery proper
tyhr vas nov holding; that he had always
made difficulty in the church wherever
lie had been .canneelef with it: and .
hundred other allegations were brought
against him, aud circulated from mouth
% mouth, Increasing in magnitude as ii
acquired age ard notorieiy.
The sa,i-re,raclinn party were not 10
be outlone. aud they Tetaltsted with
double severity. They assailed in turn
me Of The deacous CT the other DIVISION,
and after charging upon hin ali the crimes
mentioned in the moral ADD divine Law.
fell upon olher members Of the party. and
,llssecIed them IN like manner. This Bit
terness was met IN the Opposite side
again. until at las, every persons charsc-
ter. who was in any manner connrcIsd
with the excitement, however unsnilied,
was completely blackeDed, sBd 10 all sp-
pearances forever ruined.
F,naIty the Sabbath conc round when