The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-03-30
Decision Of the Congregational
Council.


D is the text Of the decision rendered by th
, Congregational Council at It's recent SCI
: sion, lasting two days and a halt. 9Th
, Council has listened carefully to tho Con
I misSioners OF the churches, by which
was convened, and has received iror
them clear and correct statement OF tb
aims and principles which have determ
ined the action of the churches In III
proceeding which they were asked TO 70
view. We have also received frOD
Plymouth Church q communication dc
clining an invitation from this Council A
well as from these churches 10 appear b.
It's pastor and committee and assist In tn
presentation and discussion oI the ques.
tons before US, but at the same time
offering suggestions and arguments Whicl
we have carefully and candidly consider
cd. We cannot doubt the right ol thes
two churches 10 ask advice Of US con.
corning the regularity and Christian
character Of what they have done In thei
Church. No Church Is beyond tho reacl
Of public opinion OF other churches, OK
pressed 10 1t directly, or through an eccle
sisstical Council. Any Church in its essen
tial and iDalienable independence may
In the exercise Of reasonable discretion
consider any public action Of one Church
may In proper methods express Its ap
proval or disapproval: and may make
that public action the subject ot friendly
correspondence and rem0nstrance, or, Il
need be, ground Of temporary or perman,
ent cessation OF acts OF interCOmmunion
There has been laid before US a series Of
letters that have passed between these
two Churches and Plymouth Church. On
that correspondence, it Is our unQues-
tionable right to have an opinion and
to express it, though We have no right tc
try Plymouth Church as party before
us. We have to say then that the
letter Of remonstrance and admo-
milton with which the correspondence
began was not uncslled for. The churches
throughout the United States, and the
general public also, felt q painful anxiety
in the question imminent and urgent in
this city, which involvedthe honor, not
only Of the Congregational Churches, but
Of Christianity itself. Without any more
explicit reference to that question, it will
suffice TO say that In Plymouth Church q
complaint was brought against mem
Der that he had circulated aud promoted
scandals derogstory to the Christian In
tegrity Of the pastor and injurious to the
reputation of the Church. The per.
son complained Of appeared in the
Church meeting, and there declared
that four years before that time he had
by his own volition terminated his con.
nection with the Church, and therefore his
name was by vote Of the whole Church
dropped from the catalogue Of its mem.
bers. That action Of Plymouth Church
was the occasion in which these
two Churches interposed with remOn-
STRANGE and with request for friendly
conference. In this act they represented
the interests ol the fraternity OF Congre-
gational Churches, whose principles Of
discipline and whose lair Christian name
were endangered by the course which
the Plymouth Church seemed 10 be
pursuing. For this moral heroism
they deserve thanks, even should er-
rors Of judgment be traceable in some
Of the details Of their procedure, In our
consideration of the letter then addressed
to Plymouth Church we find that the
impression made by it was in some meas.
ure different from what was intended by
It's authors. Written under a pressure Of
apprehcnsions and anxieties long sup
pressed, it seems TO have inIringed more
painfully than was intended on the sensi-
bilities OF those 10 whom It was addressed.
To many the letter seems entirely unex-
cep ionsble in m8tter and In manner, ard
entirely appropriate. 10 the occasion, while
to others 1t seems unnecessarily Sc
we're in the tone OF It's condemnation
oil the proceedings complained Of. In
their second letter, the complaining
churches having found what an impress
sion they had made by their remon.
STRANGE, offered an explanation which we
trust was not unacceptable. Concerning
the reply OF Plymouth Church to that
letter, we say nothing more than that an
ingenious explanation Of the reasons
which had prompted Plymouth Church
to rid itself Of an offending member by
an exceptionable method, might have
brought the correspondence to an carly
and happy termination.
We can sec no sufficient reason why the
request Of the complaining Churches for
a traternsl conference should not have
been granted. In subsequent cores.
pondence we see on the part OF the com.
planning Churches an expression of their
desire IL unite with Plymouth Church.
In referring the points OF difference the
advice OF the Council. We find on the
part ol Plymouth Church no definite ex,
preston either oil consent or refusal. Yet
inssmuCh as Plymouth Church did not
distinctly refuse 10 unite in reference to
the Council, we cannot but regret that the
complaining Churches did not urge their
request till refusal or an evasion should
have become unIquivocal. We arc not
invited, nor do We take 1t on ourselves 10
advise Plymouth Church concerning its
methods OF dealing with offenders, but
we are invited 10 advise these two
Churches on certain questions. Therefore,
we say distinctly that the idea of mem.
bership in a Congregational Church is the
idea OF covenant between an individual
member and the Church, and that by vir-
tue OF that covenant the ember Is res.
ponsible 10 the Church for his
conformity to the law Of Christ, and
the Church IS responsible for him,
and this responsibility docs net cease mi
the Church, by some formal and cor
poration act, has declared the dissolution
Of the covenant. This covenant may be
broken by the member. He may offend,
and when duly admonished, may give no
satisfactory evidence of repentance. In
that case, he Is cut of from communion
with the Church. Having given It's les.
timopy 1t Is no longer responsible for him,
and he can be restored only by removal
of censure. Voluntary absence Of a
resident member from the communion
Of the Church, and from its public worship,
does not dissolve the covenant, but is
reasonable ground OF admonition, and il
persisted in oi official censure. When a
regular complaint Is made against such
member that in some other respect he vi.
olstes the law Of Christ, and especially
.-Lo., 1ho ooY,o nIaipt Ia 1haf ha hoo oIrn,,