Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1845-08-07
CORRESPONDENCE.
For The Green Mountain Freeman.
REV. L. ID. POMEROY's WITHDRAWAL
FROM THE MONTPELIER ASSOCIATION.

L IbOM NUN hSoOOlA4 lONs Il
Montpelier, July Goth, 1915. i
Messrs Edtors:-I had in course Of prepara- J.
ton statement of facts connected with, and ex-
planatory of, my withdrawal from Association;
when the unexpected favor of hearing through
the Vermont Chronicle decided me to request Of !
you the republication OF the following commune s
cation, revised from that paper, and there let the
matter rest for the present. holding myself in read
mess to give the of my course moro fully L
when circumstances more imperatiUey require it.
Yours Truly, l.. D. PoMEROY.
From The Vermont Chronicle of June II.
FROM THE MINUTES OF THE
MONTPELIER ASSOCIATION.
"Whereas Rev. L. D. Pomeroy has Withdrawn
from this Association because its members are not
holy men, and do not teach the doctrines of snless
perfection in this life, Therefore Resolved, that
Rev. L. D. Pomeroy, having withdrawn from this
Association, is no longer a member Of this Assoc-
alton, and that his name be stricken from the roll.
JOHN GRIDLEY.
Considering the above not very fair statement
Of facts, the following letter is published to COR
rect tho same, L.D.P.
MoRErowN, MARCH ~, lS4E
To The Montpelier AssOciGItOnt
For number of years have zen connected
with you. After much pray,,,r and deliberate
searching of the Scripture. feel convinced that it
is my duty to Withdraw, from you, as an Assoca-
ton unau'horlze', by the genius and spirit of the
Gospel AS "a sectorian Body in its very nature
| anti C1r' stia q nharO f ion
IN close OonnexiOn and in (professedly) Christian
! fellowship with men-steaers, and as such, parta-
kers ofthe guilt Of OPPRESSION and verify guilty
Of your brothers. blood as the veries stakeholder
Your works correspond with these charges
Though professedy an Association for mutual
improvement merely, you arrogate to yourselves
all the power of ecclesiastical despotism so far as
you are unrestrained by civil law. You thereby
efectuaIIy destroy church independently and clothe
Congregationalism in all the worst features Of E.
piscopaoy, with none of its redeeming qualities
inasmuch as yours is usurred power, fast tending
to and in some respects already ending in Anarchy.
So true is the remark Of Dr.. Emmons, " Associa-
tioni5m leads to Presbyteranism, Presbyterianism
lcads to Episcopaliansnl, Episcopaanism leads
10 ROUdu CHlnOIlCISUii anu nOUldI CHtuOHCSlR Is
an ultimate fact,*'
AS sectarians, you deny The unity of the Body of
Christ, the oneness of his church, and leave I'M
taught and unenforced the blessed truth that there
is no schism in the Body Of Christ. There is no
difference existing between Christians that love
will not heal. Why then do you keep up the bars
) Of party strife; Hear again the prayer of Jesu IS
on this point. " Father make them one as thou
Father art in me and 10 thee, that they may be
one in me, that the world may believe that thou
hast sent me-" You separate Christ'S seamless
garment, and he separates you from HIMSELF
witness your strife! Are We not carnol and walk
f as men' Witness your leanness of soul! Are ye
t not blown upon and mdewed by Divine dispeas-
ure: You estrange yourselves from those whom
Christ receives, because they conscentiously diff
er from you upon nonessentials while you gladly
] receive and fellowship those whom Christ rejects
) because they agree with you in non-essentiaIs.-
= Witness the coyetous and oppressor! What is
this but the man of sin that exats itselfabove all
that is called God"
The woes Of three million slaves, many ofthem
we hope children of God move not your sectarian
hearts to do for them what they need. You fell
owshp and thereby countenance and support OPP
pressors and exert no influence against, if you do
not directly encourage the promotion of Cypress
ors to rule over US. who "frame inquiy by law.'
Sectarlansm requires you to have no fellowship
e with the works Of darkness, but rather reprove
them. E" His servants we are whom We obey''-
. Sectarlansm requires you to receive and fellow
ship coVetous men and extortioners hence, practi
: catly, covEoUsNEss and ExToRTIoN are not disci.
pIinable offences in your churches, consequently
t no sins are more common, though none are more
= reprobated of God. On the other hand, their op-
, posite, BENRvoLFNcE s. MERCY are corresponding
" neglected. hence, benenolence and mercv are
not essential to christian character and church
membership. But we know that not only the CO v
etous and extortoner have no part in the king.
dom of God but their piety is as Sounding brass
who lack benevolenGe and mercy towards their
nelghbor even as they render it to themselves
Again, the very eyes of the gospel are put oul
by your construction of the doctrine of 'iustfca-
ton by faith Not more effecually did Rome per-
vert it than do you. Not mole does Uniyersallsm
destroy it, than does your teaching. Like the lib
critics OF our country, it exists only in name First
chiefly by human precedent, you maintain that
holiness of heart is not reasonable object of ex-
pectation in this life, To this theory you bend the
doctrine of justification by faith and teach thai
Christs righteousness is constantly imputed to us
though we as constantly sin. That the blood Of
i Christ ustfes us from all sin but does not cleanse
from all SIM That salvation is deliverance from
the penalty of sin, but not from sin itself. Thai
the righteousness of the law is fulfilled In Christ