The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1874-04-14
The BROOKLYN Council.
An ANALYSIS OF TuE RESULT


among members Of other religious dcnoml'
nations, as to the specific points on which
advice was given in the recent Council
held in brooklyn, n Y. We find thai
opinions differ widely in regard to inc
matter. We therefore copy Us m,.ttcr
of general interest the following analysis
Of the "result," which is made up by Rev.
DR.. Dexter, editor Of the Congregational.
iSt, who was prominent member of the
Council, and who is himself one Of the
best authorities Oh the Congregational
polity in New England 1t will he seen
that the "result" covers points not spe.
officially embraced in the cali of the
Brooklyn Council, and which are often
raised in Councils, and which often lead
to long discussions
The specific points on which light
in the way Of advice, testimony or prece.
dent was thrown by the Councils pro-
cedure and result, we're the following:
!. In making up their roll, it was
decided that an sctiug pastor is competent
to represent church in Council, provid-
ed his relation be one Of some degree Of
permanence, and it be in evidence that
the party calling the Council desired his
presence, although the Letter Missivc was
not made precisely to conform in its de.
seriptive terms to that desire.
2. In the same way it wa, decided
that it is not good Congregational prac-
tice for t,co delegates to appoar-in the
absence of the pastor-to represent a
church which has been invited to be pres
ent by its pastor and delegate
3. BY its procedure to act under the
circumstances, and especially in the face
of the protest Of Plymouth Church, as
well as by the phraseology Of its result,
it testified that Council, neither mutual
nor ex.parte, but advisory, had called in
to existence in the spirit of the third way
of communion Of the Cambridge Plat.
form. as slightly modified in the Boston
Platform of 1865, is lawful and may be
expedicnt.
i. 1t affirmed the naienablc right OF
one Congregational Church to consider
any public action Of another church, to
express its approval or disapproval of the
same, end TO make such action the
subject OF conference, and, il need be
Of remonsiranco, reproof, aud the tempo.
rary or permanent cessation Of church
ly Intercourse.
). 1t advised, however, the impor-
lance of patiently protractcd friendly
correspondence between churches in such
case, in the aim 10 secure an amicable
reference Of the difficulty to the sisterly
advice Of neighbor churches, until the re.
fusal or the evasion, d such an endeavor
becomes unequivocal,
g. 1t is advised that the Congreaa.
tional idea Of church membership ii that
of covenant between the individual and
the bdoy; that,in virtue ofthat covenant,
the member is necessarily responsible to
the church for his conformity to the law
of Christ. and the church responsible for
him-a mutual responsibility which moth
ing he can do can cause to cease, until the
church shall have taken some formal cor.
porate consentinc action.
I. 1t is advised that voluntary all.
sencc is reasonable ground for admon.
ition, and, persisted in, of censure and
that when one be complained of for viola.
ton Of the law Of Christ in any other
respect, the consideration that the accused
has long ago forsaken tho Church becomes
only an aggravation ofhis alleged offence
s. 1t further advised, for substance
that such departures from the ordinary
methods of Congregations discipline, aud
fellowship between churches, as by the
published documents appear to have &C
CURED in the Plymouth Church, if per.
sisted in. would furnish valid ground
for the withdrawal from it. by other
Congregational churches, of their fellow
ship; but willing to give Plymouth
Church the benefit of its latest utterance
and accepting Though in the declared
judgment Of council inconsistent with it:
former lately announced poston) its de-
liverance on these subjects in its Protes,
and accompanying documents as m avow'
al Of its return to the Congregational
way; the council advised the complain
ing churches to continue in iraternal re.
lations, in the hope that those churche:
may receive future satisfaction on these
points.
8. The final testimony Of the result il
earnest to the point that a Congregation
al church is sacredy bound, by our polity
and by the Word of God, to maintain
with sister Congregational churches 1
more intimate communion than that gen
eral fellowship which it has with Baptist
Methodist, Episcopalian and other Evan
gelical churches of the common Lord.
This result was not on all points entire
y unanimous less than seven per cent
of the body, however. voted against it
and in the case of the score or so who di,
not vote either way silence resulted a
decidedly-though not as often-from ;
want Of perfect satisfaction with the doc
ument because it did Dot 60 far euougl
in the line Of its deliverance, as for al
opposite reason.
10 general it will be seen that this re
suit, in no sense intimatiDg to any thu
least suspicion Of stain upon Mr. Beech
ers personal character, and scrupulousl.
avoiding any judgment Of, or ceusure up
the action or position OF the Plymouth
Church, except US they stand so related
in matters Of fellowship to these com
planning churches as to make it legitimat,
and inevitable that it should do SO doe
deliver the entire moral force of thu
Council to the support Of the position o
the two churches convoking it as in dis
tinction from that Of Plymouth Church
indorses their views Of polty ut ever,
point, and their practice under the same
with the exception Of the single suggest
ed regret that their patient effort to Sc
: cure a council in common with Plymouth
Church had not been further extended
eulogizes the moral heroism Of the cours
they and their pastors have taken unde
, tho difI,cn1t and painf,l c;ronmeto poac !;