New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-08-28
DR.. RICHARDS AND TIE LTcHFiELD SOUTH


ASSOCIATION.
Tie Congregational Church ard Socisty la Norhield
Conn.,, having been somewhat widely the subject OF
b me for having received ard sustained the ministry
of the Rev. james Richards ID. d., Of Litcb6eld beg
leave BOW to state 10 the public few facts which
,bofe who have felt it their duty 10 op ,ose them aud
the Rev. DIR. Richards, have for some reasons best
known TO themselves withheld from their pa ;lished
articles touching this case.
They woul state, then, that the Rev. DR.. Richards
came to LiicLfeld four years since, aud estab-
Eshed the 90 EImPark" School boarding-school fJr
boys ard that after living in Lohfed for about three
years conducting bis school with success and occasion
ally supplying vacant pulpit, or preaching for som
one of the settled pastors in the neghborhood. h
was requested by the pastor OF the Norhhed Church
Il en- atoui 10 be dismissed, TO supply there fe Sab
baths for him hch he did. {t was true tdAt ne had
been depOeed from the ministry AID excomnu .catsd
from the cburh by the Pres5ytcTy Of Aew OreGnsj
bat it dope during bis absence IN Europe: and as
he believed most upjusly-in s1ch way and Tor snch
a came also tone instance Of supposed lnDxieation
which be could xp'an al least to clear hls own
conscience fri guilt that he himself did not IN con-
feel bound very ueh to respect It, sun he
did not conceal it. 1t was matter of converse
lion between linn ard of the eaoing mel bers OF
Nor bfeld Church. Yet be felt that his ministry was
not in regular oder and he was not satisfied with MS
position. Accordingly he presented hEseii, win h's
Mortified.
He was examined by the Committee of the Church,
approved, pTopoundsd and Ia due time received into
our communion and fellowship.
lie had lived in the town for nearly three years, and
had the reputation which belongs to Christian gentle
msn. and know OF no reason why he should not De
received q member of the Church OF Christ and we
fully belsve that no person would have thought OF
complaining of his membership with us, II We had not
invited him aflerward to preach to This we did,
however, because, fret, we deemed him worthy
second we deemed him capable, as ne has proved MIN
self 10 be; third, deemed IT right for Us TO choose
our minister as all other Congregational
churches do. Hence, we asked our brother to
mil liter to for a short period, which he pro-
ceed6d to do. After having been engaged Ia
this ministry to us for a few months, of the
neigbbcripg ministers made soma opposition to 1t.
and subsequently, at the annual meeting Of che Con-
socintion and Association Of Litchteld South, a
complaint WE made to the Association by member Of
that body. The uember making the complaint brought
to that meeting firm Of action ALREADY prepared
and writen ont al faH, which be wished the Associa.
ton adopt. Some objection TO the course proposed
was made on the ground that DR.. Richards not
member Of the Association ard therefore the Associa-
ton had nothing to do with him; also, that he was
member Of the Mortified Church in good and regular
standing and that church. according 10 all Congrega-
tioua principles, as laid down in the S,ybrook plat.
FORM sDd by he General Association OF Connecticut
itself lad right to choose him and ordain him, and
install him if they pleased, as their pastor.
We quote from Min. Of Genl. Asso. Of Conn.,, page
Overture Of Hartford South Association.
1.-THE Committee whom referred the overture Of Hart
ford South asking neither be ent with Congregational
principles for Association to ordan to be ministry report
Our Standards sccoTd ell eeGeaca 2cs' . aud saa0
and ony in the numbers The Church then must ordn her
m%st Sc. directly and Without proxy In odaaon she may
either act hene or employ selected council 70 act m her be-
oises derived ard delegated power. In the composition of
given council the Church has right to select lsymea only or
should any instance by their sovereign convert
citation into Council and charge m the work Of ordination
| ordir alton in such Is legitimate aud valid
Has Association power IN its own right to ordainf Ihe
which comedies such authority or legmte acts
cations altogether without ecclesiastical authority original
orJinao OF the Church must to be valid and real
be by the Church. selected body representing the
But Dotwitbs anding these objections the Associs-
ton concluded to take up tae matter and appointed
Committee to remonstrate with Dr. Rich srds aud in
sst that lie either take license in de form, or stop
preaching, or be pUbiiShei as imD0St0r,
'qr0D IN Skeep's clothing" &c. DR.. Richards
addressed by the Committee, or by members of the
Committee on the subject and was quite willing 10 be
examined by the Association for their appreciation.
And meeting Of the Association held AT the
hou3e of the Rev. L. w. Bacon, in Litcbiield, 10
August, 1889. There was a tolerably full meeting
and the Association examined the candidate for sew
eTal hours till indeed they ali apparently sat 8
fed They satisfied with his doctrine, his spirit
his qualfcations-wh everything, in short las we
aIe told by come of the members, except that there
he came 10 LHchfel3 and before his profession Of
hgion in Manifold. The Association, therefore, voted
upon the notion of the member UhO had first COM
| planned. at Ply month, informed that the
decis be deferred three weeks more, till
letters could be sent 10 NewOTleans, and elsewhere,
making inquiries respecting the Rev. DIR. Richards 8
cha acer six. eight and ten years before bis coming
to LtChteld, and anecedent 10 his profession Of re-
| leion in Mortified
This was deemed quite unjust by some of the minis
try, have reason TO believe. There were those
who thought the Association ought to have been sas-
| fed with what was known of DIR. Richards for the
three years lie had been in Iitcbled But the letters
sent 10 know If such and such things cere so0Rd
! so, AID after a time. at "a meeting OF the As
sociaton, at which there were only seveR members
present., the report was presented by the same man
| who first brought up the subject at Plymouth, and
though there were several Of the members who had
hadany personal acquaintance with DR.. Richards
never seen him, or spoken with him, except when he
appeared for his examination ct six Of the voted
10 reject bis application fer license add if he continued
to preach warn be churches against him as An i'm
poster, wolf in sleeps clothog. This was done in
the name OF the Li'chfed South Association by Sfr
Of the members Of il, there being fifteen
in all. Not only So but these men as an Association,
had under ken 70 override the action of all independent
church, who confessedy had not exceeded the wts of
Congregational princpies and to the d'ctcio of these
men, who eXhoi ted by of their number to
| strike h0-d" on DIR. Richards so as 10 accomplish
ibe work undertaken the Church in Mortified did not
feel bound 10 submit The Mortified Church does not
recognize the Association as an eecSi0Stca body. Ii
bds eccesss ical authority. Ii has not
10 Crdain minister, t. put an his office, to put
hin out it is the prerog aye Of the Church alone to
do tbese things and it does not follow that because the
Church call the council of ministers to do these things
fT them that the Churches do these things them
selves. We think there would have been no troubs if
| some Of these aitters had let us alone We think
DR. Richards wOulc have gone in his school, and in
his ninietTatons 10 Us successfully aud happily, if he
had been eit to pursue hs course and the
to which he was invited by us, and we think that
| a grea. wrong has been done to him and TO US
aho, by the opposition and assaults which have been