Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-12-19


the case.
1t will be remembered by our readers thal
charges of slandering Mr.. Beecher were
preferred against Theodore Tilton py
member of Plymouth Church; that MI
Titon's reply to them was that he was no'
member of Plymouth Church, having
ceased to be an attendant on It's SCI
vices four years since, and not ainen-
able to its jurisdiction in any manner
whatever" This declaration MIR. lliloh
repeated in person at meeting o' '"o
church, held Oct. cath. Whereupon the
church voted to adopt recommendation VI
its examining committee, that MIR. liiton
name be dropped from the roll OF memperS'
Two weeks later letter was addressed !"
Plymouth Church by Rev DIR. hieharu D,
Storrs. and committee oil the Ohur'n VI
the Pilgrims, and Rev. Dr. buddlngtoh'
and a committee OF the Clinton Nehue
Church. asking the pastor and committees
orplvmonth Church to meet them in private
conference, a. speedily as possible, IN oruer
that they might ascertain the nature anu
,aos,Ds or the action taken by Plymouth
Church. and, if they were what they
supposed to call council Of Congregational
Churches. to advise Plymouth Church as to
its dnty, and decide if it was entitled to The
fellowship Of the churches.
This letter was drawn up obviously with
considerable haste, and was not happily
conceived. 1t recited the facts, las publicly
renorted without contradiction. 1t setiorth
at length the evil consequences OF prae-
tee of dropping members, under serious
charges, without investigation or discipline
1t declared such course to he especially
untimely and dangerous, when the SIN
alleged is against the good name OF a minis
ter of Christ, in whose undimmed repute
for purity of life the whole church has an
interest" And it ayowed the belief OF the
writers that &" you plymouth Church
"howeyer uneonsciOusly, are imperilling the
name. the influence, and the future, OF all
our churches; that you are giving the sane
ton of your large numbers, and prominent
position. to measures and a policy which
will recoil, with injurious effect. on your
own fame and Christian power; that You
arc leaving palpable blight on the name
of your Pastor, by seeming to shrink from
that investigation which the man accused
of ISLANDERS against him distinctly ehaIlen-
ged; that YOU are doing essential dis
honor to the Lord himself, by representing
His kingdom on earth as a promiscuous and
casual society, without cohesion OF law, out
OF which any offender may pass, at any mo-
ment, whatever his offence, without resls-
lance, and without rebuke."
The clerk of Plymouth Church, on re-
eeipt of this letter, Nov. 9th, called the at
tention Of Drs Storrs and Buddington to
the fact that their letter bore no evidence
OF the authority of the churches it claimed
to represent Those ministers therenpon
aid their letter before the churches, and
having mot with the utmost easel Sc
cured their sanction, such sanction was,
some two weeks after the first receipt oil
the letter. duly certified To Plymouth
Church.
The sharp arraignment embodied in tins
letter of course aroused strong feeling in
Plymouth Church. \ full and exciting
meeting of the church was held, at which
members criticised with much Indignation
the spirit and language of the letter. In
/ a.. tbaf DlxrpAttfl
Church had lost an opportunity to yindicat'
Mr.. Beecher, one declared that they wanted
no chance for such vindieation of his char
acter There it stands, y said the member
"a life agains. a lie" The main speech of thu
meeting was made by Dr. Edward Beecher
who fully sustained the action of plymouth
Church, As being in accord with ancien
Congregational usage, and in conformity
with 4 rule of Plymouth Church, and o
many other Congregational Churches ii
Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Hedeclar
ed that no church placed the conditions O
membership higher than Plymouth Churcl
orexerci~ed more careful watch over its mem
hers 70 the charge that they had dropped
a member to avoid an investigation. his re
ply was, that they had dropped no member
of the church, but one who had long before
fully withdrawn and excluded himself from
the church lie SAID ave did not Gu
him of from our communion, bat he haC
for years cut himself off and We, on thii
ground. esteemed and declared ourselves
discharged of any further inspection oyel
him, and dropped his name, in accordance
with our Rule :. where we say that, in cas-
any have abandoned their connection will
the church by prolonged absence, or other
wise, they may be dropped from the roll.
A small portion of the church favored th'
granting of the request for conference, t.
prevent alienation from the other churches
and to avoid all possible inference that they
had anything to cover up; but the grea
majority, led by the pastor, who made al
extended speech in which he expressed grea
personal esteem for Doctors Storrs and Bud
dington, favored and adopted a series o
resolutions, the close and substance O
which was as follows:
The circumstances recited leave US no alternative
| but to decline the proposed conference While thi
church il. in the words Of her Manual (Rule D. "a
Independent socissiasficai body, and in matters
doctrine. order and discipline a,nenabis 20 no otht
0rgdnizdfiOh.n she wall nevertheless, in the word
OF the same Manual Rule p "ertend 10 other euaH
qecsi churches, and receive from them, that feHoU
ship, adrice and assistance Whieh the lars Of chris
| require" In accordance with these, her immeno
rial declarations. Plymouth Church is at all time
ready to be advised and admonished by siste
churches according to the ancient, approved, Con
sregatiOnal, Christian method, beginning will
proper inquiry into facts, and proceeding throug q
successive steps Of mutual explanation and discus
sion to the final expression OF opinion including,
need he admonitfon or censura But Plymouth
Church is not ready to this order, and sub
NIT first To censure, secondly to argument, and ai
terward to a request for the facts.
To these resolutions, the other churches
replied in letter. asking if in declining .
conference Plymouth Church also declin
ed to unite in calling a council. To which
Plymouth Church replied that if they
would state The points to be submitted to Q
council. Plymouth Church would promptly
inform them of its decision in the matter
This reply was drawn up by Mr.. Beecher-
and adopted by Plymouth Church. on hi,
motion. No rejoinder to it has as yet been
made public.
So much for the case, 50 far As it regards
1ilton. There is also a Bowen episode. Al
A meeting Of Plymouth Church, Dee. 9Th,
the examining committee reported that
charges of slandering Mr.. Beecher had
been brought against Mr.. ii. c. Bowen,
but that, as Mr. Bowen had avowed hi.
adherence to the famous private tripartite
agreement between Mr.. Beecher. Mr.
Bowen and Mr.. Tilton, in which he (Bowen)
withdrew all charges, innuendoes and i'm
pntations against Mr.. Beecher, and promis-
to never to repeat or allude to them again,
they accepted these assurances as an answer
to the charges, and dismissed the complaint
In making this report the clerk of the