New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-03-23
A CHURCH CONTROVERSY.

~
THE CONGREGATIONAL CONFERENCE
eArN QUESTIONS AT IssUE-wHETHER AN ACCUSED
,s MEMBERS NAME CAN BE DROPPED FROM THE
ROLL WITHOUT INVESTIGATION, AND WHETHER
INDEPENDENCE REMOVES CHURCH FROM RE-
sPoNsIBIE FELLOWSHIP.
The Council of Congregational Churches,
called 10 meet in the Clnton-ave. Church. Brooklyn,
tomorrow evening. will be very remarkable eceleslss
teal gathering and is not improbable that IL Will s
up the churches Of the Congregational order from one
end Of the country TO the other and establish ne" e
in Congress atonasin in this country IL is whst an
Councils Of this denomination must be, merely ADVISORY
No church. represented not will be bound by s ue
eons not even those viii CHI cali the body together nce
che connection between the various churcnes IL ho'
organic but one involving Christian Fellowship aohe'
This Council Is called advise the CnoB-ave church
and the Church OF the Pilgrims upon certain points OF
discipline and poliy, concerning which question has
been raised In the controversy between these churches
and Plymouth Church The Council is TO advise. first
whether the customs spirit OF Congregationaltsrn
allow the OF a member who has been accused OF
grave Ofepses by another member, to be dropped
from the roll OF the Church without Investigation
INTO the truth falsity OF those charges
and secondly, whether the independence which every
Congregational church maintains, removes each church
from responsible fellowship with other churches, so
that IN tho event OF it's departure FROM evangelical
NTH or OF laxity OF and discipline OF Its mem
ber it Is not subject to the circumstances OF sister
.hurches The occasion OF one Of these questions was
the action OF Plymouth Church in dropping from its roll
the name Of Theodore Ton; and of the other the res
,luttons adopted by the church Dec. 8, 1879
Affirming its absolute Independence OF all tother
shurches in matters Of doctrine, order and
d,.oplne Such an action the former, IL is claimed
has been recognized or praotieed by Congrega
tiopa churches; while the entire Independence which
those resolutions require has not sprevously been
claimed by the Congregational churches in America
which differ in this respect from those of the same de-
nomination England. Should this Council therefore,
recognize the position OF the Plymouth Church rcsolu
lions correct II iii fully establish new departure
On ConGTegationalism here, and leave IT hardy
necessary consider the matter of discipline 10
individual churches Should the Council on the other
hand denounce the position taken by Plymouth Chureh
satOnal, and censure, directly OF III
directly upon that Church, advise the withdrawal OF
fellowship from it, which is the most extreme measure
that could be adopted II is TO see that Plymouth
Church would still adhere to its position as Congrega
tona least scrptursl, and that woud be sus-
tanned by not few sister churches throughout the
country, and a virtual division of the denomination
would result.
The question is asked why mutual instead Of an er
par council has been called 1t is answered on the
one side that Plymouth Church has from the first
avoided this, aud finally refused, to be party TO
council Ii is answered, the other hand that when
ever the other two churches have proposed a mutual
council such proposition has been accompanied by con
ditions which they aware Plymouth Church would
not accept parties point the letters and
that have passed between them in proof OF their
statements "why" has been asked of both Sides did
not Plymouth Church accepts the invitation TO be repre-
sented Ivy pastor and delegate the Council to correct
any statements OF fact which to be erroneous
and 10 furnish any further and special information
xrhi no me-
answered that such refusal is Of piece with the pro
action of that church declining to be party IN
the consideration of question to which the peculiar
position has given rise. BY the other 1t is said that
the invitation be accepted and be proposed, upon the
opening Of the Council that 1t be made mutual affair
it would probably be claimed that Plymouth Church
was already represented and that there there
fore no necessity OF inviting thai body to a mutual
council Refusing 70 accept the special and particular
invitation to sit in eIpIrte council Plymouth Church
expects, a courtesy, to be invited by that
council TO unite with them and thus change 1t to
mutual council. Should this opportunity be given
plymouth Church viii be ready accept the proposal
to explain why 1t viii not accept, and the meeting
called for Wednesday morning will be prepared TO take
soch action as the circumstances OF the case
may require.
II has been charged the churches invited to sit
the Council have been carefully selected with reference
20 the views by their pastors concerning the action
Of Plymouth Church. 1t has even been stated that
private letters were written in TO learn the
opinion OF ministers upon the questions at is
and that in one two cases, where they were
found TO be favorable TO Mr. Beecher and
Plymouth Church, they were omitted from the
lbt A TRIBUNE reporter made inquiries on
Saturday OF the Rev. DIS. Burlington and storrs in
regard 10 these accusations. DR.. Burlington said that
they utterly false that private correspondence
was entered obtain the views OF individuals and
that the selection made without reference TO those
views From the very nature of toe IL neees
sary that absolutely impartial Council should be
vened and II essential that tue ablest IN the
Congregational Church should be invited. To
effect the most satisfactory result in the constitu-
tion of this body, it the aim TO secure
the presence OF the Oldest and ablet ministers n the de-
nomination, and, far as possible to have the oldest
and largest churches represented He believed that the
Council would he composed of farminded men. We're
otherwise the decision OF the Council would DO Of COM
psratyey little value. The present complexion OF the
Council will make its advice OF the utmost importance
whatever that adviee may be.
DR. storrs expressed himself in like manner, and said
members of the Council he knew the views OF
hardly half a dozen, and some of them, he knew,
rot disposed TO favor either DR.. Budngton himself
PROMINENT DELEGATES.