The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-01-18
e Ecclesiastical Council AGAIN.

10 the Editor Of the Press:
have read with surprise, as every member
Of the Council must have done also, the ac-
count given 10 your issue yesterday morning,
ofihe proceedings at the Council calledb BY the
Bethel church on Monday. A misrepresen-
tation. so signal of the whole transaction de-
uands reply. That reply shall be simple
statement of facts
Immediately after the organization of the
Council, Mr. Walker presented the following
resolution:
'Resolued, That in view Of the publicly
known fact that a council of Congregational
churches held ia this city on the seventh day
Of July last. declined, by unanimous vote, to
install Rev. Mr.. Walton as pastor Of the third
Parish Church" and this result having heen
modified by no subse qnent ecclesiastical ac-
ton, known to the fraternal usages of our
Congregational poity, This Council cannot hut
discern an obvious improperly in Mr.. Wal
toms taking any part In its present proceed.
ings, or sitting as member of it, practically
in character which the churches represented
IN the former Council distinctly declined to
| recognize"
This was the resolution presented and
adopted by the Council. No other was offer
ed, No proposition beside this was made
And In introducing this, Mr.. Walker made no
reference whatever to the fact that Mr.. Wal
ton was an acting pastor and not an installed
pastor. Nor did he ask for any action of the
Council on that ground. EemAza e1rfai&
How then did any discussion of the fact that
MIR. Walton was an acting pastor arise, and to
what extent did it enter into the casep aaso
e 1t rose in this way. The delegate Of the
Third Parish Church objected to the resolu-
ton introduced. on the ground that the
churches had already consented to sit in coun-
Gil with Mr.. Walton by voting to respond to
the letters ofinvitation sent out BY the Bethel
Church, which letters had stated that the
Tbird Church was invited with them
Ito this Mr.. Walker replied, that it was not
trne that the churches had acted on the ques-
tios Of their willingness to sit in council with
Mr.. Walton. The invitation sent to them said
only that the "Third Church, was to be invit-
ed. And as it was publicly known that the
Third Church had no pastor, the churches
had no certain ground for supposing Mr.. Wal
ton would be present. Indeed they had
very considerable reason, in the result of the
Council of July last, TO suppose he would not
be. The question therefore came up as new
question:-Shculd this acting pastor, with
whom no agreement to sit had been made by
the churches, be recognized on this Council in
sne practical exercise of character which the
lormer Council, for reasons they deemed sat
i'iac1ory, declined to accord to him.
aker said that though the abstract
QUESTION OF the right of acting pastors to sir
on ecclesiastical councils had never been dis
tlnctly adJudicated in Congregational law, vet
usage permitted 1t, and he raised ,,o ;osye, nm
thdt point. He had often set with Mr.. Nor.
dough the acting pastor of the St. I,awr1nce
Street Church, and with other acting pastors
and his objection in this case was not - NJ
Waltons appearing in that character. Int -
his appearing in relationship which the Iarge
council of last July unanimously refused to
approve and ratify. s n ttA ~ %
This view met the approval of the members
ofthe council. They passed the resolution in.
troduced at its opening. They expressed no
opinion whatever on the ques ion of Mr.. Wal.
toms competency to sit as acting pastor. They
simply voted that they perceived an "obvious
improperly" in his doing so ain view OF the
TACT" that a former council, whose action no
subsequent proceedings had invalidated, de-
clined to extend TO him the fellowship of the
churches.