The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1859-03-17
Church Of the Puritans.-Decisiono of the
.sifsHnc COuncil.sS

Church OF the Fur1tans.-Dec1sl0n OIL the
.sifsunc Council.s ~
In the first place, we find that there
was good and sufficient cause, in this
case, for the calling of an ex parte
Council land, having invited the church
to unite with the brethren who have
called us, in making this a mutual
Council,' which invitation the church
has declined, it seems plain that, as
representing the Ecclesiastical Com
monwealth, to which this church ac-
knowledges itself to belong, we are
required to pronounce our judgment
upon those proceedings of which these
brethren have made complaint to us. =
In the second place, we find that on
the twenty-sixth day of February, 1858,
forty-six members of the church, mclu-
ding the twenty-five brethren who have
called this Council, they being at that
time acknowledged as members in
regular standing, asked for letters of
dismission and recommendation to
other churches, and that on or about
the seventh day of April. following, the
church granted to the female applicants,
including the wives and daughters of
the brethren calling this Council, letters
of dismission in the customary form,
certifying that they were in sgood and
regular standing," and 'afiectionately
recommending them," while to these
brethren they granted letters in another
form, which by its marked difference
from the customary form, implied a
censure, and which can hardly be con-
strued otherwise than as intending to
imply censure.
In the third place, We find that the
brethren to whom those letters without
a recommendation were given, having
returned the same to the church as un-
satisfactory, the church thereupon, on
the sixteenth of June, adopted three
resolutions, in the following words:
Resolced, That o. E. Wood, E. NJ.
Kingsley, j. X. Johnson, Henry A.
Hurlbut, Jared Linsly, r. N. Havens,
Albert Chesebro, l.. n. Cowley, Rich
ard Brown, A. T. Dwight, F.E Mather,
Edward ]. Owen, William Way, Ste-
phen Paul, ]. Conover, Jr, S. Churchill,
f. M. Morgan, w. S. Thompson, Eli
sha Peck, William B. Isham, f.. G..
Wilcox, and j. w. Camp, on behalf
of themselves and their families, having
applied for dismission from this church,
they are hereby dismissed from their
connection herewith. .nmnf ss'f
Resolyed, That the Clerk send to
the applicants certificates in the form
following; to wit: -
"This certifies that ----- is a mem
ber of the Church of the Puritans in
regular standing, and as such, at his
own request, is dismissed, with the view
of uniting with the --- church, or
such other as he shall apply to for that
purpose" 3aH sHi iQ kIail1 ohl q.
Resolced, That "a, B.. and c., parties
named in the first resolution), having
applied for dismission from this church,
and having been dismissed at their own
request, and deemed no longer members
of the same, or in any way subject TO
! its watch or care. 7i3' l,z
We therefore advise and conclude,
that if at the time when these brethren
made their request for letters Of COM
mendatiod, any member Of the church
had any ground Of complaint against
them, or any of them, it was the duty
oi such member to take the necessary
steps, and failing of satisfaction, to
bring his complaint to the church,
whereupon it would have become the
duty of the church to provide without
delay for an impartial trial of the char
ges, and that in the absence of any
definite charges, regularly brought
against these brethren by some respon-
sible complaint, these brethren were
entitled, and are now entitled, to full
and uneqmvocal letters of commenda-
ton, according to the custom of our
churches.
We also advise and conclude, that
the exclusion of these brethren from
the church, by vote declaring them
''no longer members of the same, or
in any way subject to its watch and
care" when they had had no trial, and
when no charges had been regularly
brought against them, was not only q
violation of the rules of this church.
and of the common usage and order
of the churches with which this church
is in fellowship, but lamentable depar-
ture from those principles of Justice,
which are the security of Ecclesiastical
not less than of Civil Rights. sasa9 g
i While we regret that the church, in
the exercise of its Judgment, did not
see fit to concur with the brethren in
referring this case. to the present OF
some mutual Council, we are happy to
acknowledge the courtesy with which
the church, by their Committee, and
by the exhibition of their Records
have aided our investigation of tn,
points on which orr advice has beer
: requested. % so4qe 10 sssSi3ia
! At the same time, it is proper for u
!, to declare that the principles of Con
gregational Church order, which are
nothing else than the principles of com
mon sense, and common justice, guided
by the light of the New Testament
afford a remedy to brethren who art
wronged, by any censorious proceed
ings on the part of the majority of {
particular church. We, therefore, al
representing other churches of ths
Congregational order, declare that tn.
| hrofbra NJ xx-haco .,,x,.<o<.<>, ,vo -.