New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-02-18
NEW YORK DAILY TRIBUNE, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 49, 1859


churches esneraily-sre cot restricted to this ose
stereotype form Of Dismissed By letter, ane thss
they have right to vary taeir letters to sun tas
character Of the applicants, ani the CIRCUMSTANCES
Of the csse.
Looking at the ms ter 10 q merely Gem mon
serse point Of view, the question would not seem
TO be s very doubtful one. Under the circnu-
stances Of the esse for the Church OF the PGritsas
70 have afectionstely recommended those seven
teen malconterts to the fellowship OF sister
churches, while il might have exposed them
to charge Of hypocrisy, would certainly nave
eYpo.sd them to the chNge-t) borrow the words
Of the Rev. DR.. Bacon, one Of tie members OF the
Council" OF attempting to palm of on aaotner
church members they did not want to retain
themselves" The Re7. Dr.. Bacon seemed,
indeed, 70 assume or imply that the letters actually
granted, or that any lewiston from the ordinary
form. would be obnoxious to this charge; but IN
this matter il i. perfectly evident that the reverend
gentleman puts the saddle on the wrong horse.
f all church members Unfortunately, whose
hurch stsuding snd Christian behavior have
not been formally impeacted, are entitled,
upon asking, to let!eTs Of dismissal, IN the one
,teTeo,ype form above quoted. II Is evident that
the churches must and will, BY this procedure,
very often palm of on other churches msm-
bers they do not want to retain them'eiSes'
That was precisely the character of toe seventeen
macontents 10 question. They had msde all the
trouble they could in the Church OF the Purtans,
and thst church had found them very uncomfort-
abe members 1t is true, they still remained IN
Irregular Standing" ard so sid the letters; but to
have added good would as it seems, have been
rather stretch Of the truth. They hsd not been
charged with heresies, or convicted OF immoral-
ties, but they had certainly proved themselves
most uncomfortable associates, and had shown an
obstinate disposition either to rule the church or
10 ruin il; one certainly, if not both. Such
beirg the case it seems to us that the
omission of this word "good was but
fair warning to the sister churches to whom
they might apply that the Church OF the Puritans
did by no means intend to be responsible that the
adoption Of them as members would tend TO edlhca.
tion-a warning to the sister churches again re-
pested in the significant omission at the end of the
letter., which certainly shows that the Church Of
toe Purit,us did not want TO retain them, and was,
Indeed very glad to get rid Of them, but which 1T
is impossible to torture into an attempt TO palm
them of upon Other churches. So far from that,
the letters we're 30 shaped as to avoid any recon-
mendation Of the sort. The Church Of the Pnri-
t.ns dismissed them freely to the fellowship Of any
church with whom God might appoint their resi-
"dence." The Church Of the Purt.ns evinced no
disposition, as, indeed, it had no right, to
deprive them OF the fellowship of any church
which might be disposed to receive
them at the same time. having itself
had rather a diwgreeable experience Of the
consequences which might attend upon such fellow
ship, the Church Of the Puritans could not con-
scienciOusly "palm them of on any other church.
as though there bad been no more risk in their
reception than in the case Of ordinary applicants;
but so woYded their letters Of dismissal as TO give
these sister churches to understand that in recelv
ing them into their fellowship they must do so on
their own responsibility, and the fact that up to
the date of the letters they had not been subjected
TO church censures. 1t does not appear, in the
mere view of common sense, that the churches
ought TO be deprived of so useful and even neccs
sarya power, ard be compelled afectionitely to
recommend TO the fellowship of sister churches,
persons, who, however orthodox or exemplary
will, TO Judge from their own experience, be apt TO
make mischief wherever they go.