The New York herald., 1874-10-25

yentlOn over the Lee avenue Cnurcn ana the re.
port OF The investig ting committee thereon lt
appeared tnat IN one point only does that church
differ rom some OF her sister churches-namey,
that she sends not posse c0Dlnlftdtus 10 remove
IRON the sacramento table any believer whom the
pastor or deacons may suspect mas not been
probation what is Gospel order. In tnelr Efforts
to be conslstenr, Of course, IL never occurred to
these stcKlers ior order that not one OF the orgi-
nal partakers OF tnat nist supper, save,
perhaps, Jesus Chrst-whose immersion IS stoutly
denied by many-ever went under the
water in auy religious or sacramental rite. SO
that, as a historical fact, Lee avenue church Is
those churches when on Wednesday voted that
she was longer ut to associate with Them
From the moment that the association organized
on TUESDAY uu til the vote declared on Wednes-
day II was well known what the idte OF that
%ere in ne with the the The dele
gates, but they were noby resisted by the MINOR
VIZ WIN ~H "s's stave osaS on the na
And when one innocent clergyman proposed that
ssJ ssE o rsbsS ss
| tnat their minds were already maze ~, ana the
Moderator. no doubt approaching the climax OF
proceed without prayer. An unholy act needed
no ccaton DIV ne guidance in its execution,
was really very little debate on The case, for Lee
avenue cnurca haa been condemned beforehand.
Baptist church with It's "neresies' has been the
staple topic o. discussion III c.urch meetings. ana
Scarce scarce or Ali du this was VAS always resh and
inviting. Aud II IT ever failed TO evoke. IN
/
THE MARCY AVENUE CHURCH
| and the variety Was certain 70 increase the In
he econ G
| representatives in tnat body was based on their
known sympathy with or opposition to the two
chuscnes named, and the eieciloneertng wire
puliers worked accordingly. Eight or ten churches
manifested tneir sympathy IN part Tor the Lee
avenue church by volng against It's exc usion.
Among lnese was the First church IN Plerrepont
street, wLose eloquent pastor, DR.. Thomas, aeliy-
cred speech, not IN lavor OF the excised church,
but rather against the ilegal action OF the assO-
cation IN putting II away couucil Ie insisted:
upon the case. The association, as he showed by
AS constitution and by q resolution passed at Its
very last session. has no legislative functions
whatever. 1t processes TO be organized Tor ms.
sonary and social purposes. It, however, has begun
or years past. Divers attempts were made TO
choke on the Doctor and subsequently to pervert
or mislnterpret hls words.
The Gethsemane church In winch the associa.
ton held It's sessions also voted against excluding
Lee avenue churcn. These churches, though not
unanimous, gave more tnan nall OF the II votes
recorded against this suicidal act. The others
gave one, two three votes eacn in the same
direction. BY the constitution OF the association
every churcn represented therein Is entitled to
Iwenty-one straight votes for the Lee avenue
church may ialrly be assumed to represent more
those churches. But added to these also
there were others who voted against the
ground ground OF i it's nereticai opinions but because
0! the offensive methods 1t takes to promulgate
jesus Christ or Paul or Peter eid their doctraes
and Opinions secretly, the Scribes and Pharlsees
and the Jewish and Roman authorities would not not
their opinions became serious matter when
Jerusalem ana !udea and all the region round
about JOrdann followed them, and when they
founded churches In all the chief cities and prov
inces OF the Roman empire as we are told they
did. Hence when we read In the associatlonal
letter OF Lee avenue church that ia converts
have been added to the church during the year,
caurch began, its existence less .nan 2
year ago with 45 MEMBER nDoT:o and that Il
serious question with the close commu-
nlonists what shall be their standing by and by.
Tue entire associated clurcnes cannot show an
equal record OF additions to these TWO prescribed
ones. The vote by which Lee avenue churcn was
number ol souls that God has added to its com.
munl0n during the year. 1t Is q striking c0lncl-
SIGNS or DIVINE APPROVAL IGNORED.
The objection TO the apphcation OF the Marcy
avenue Baptist church for admission to the iellow-
that IAN ounce Of prevention is better tnan
pound or cure" Had they received It on Wednes-
day they might be compelled year hence to turn
1t out as they did Lee avenue church. And TINS
KIND OF execution IS certain to injure tue execu-
Lee avenue church goes iorth as It's pastor de-
clared, bearing upon her brow the mark Of the
cross, having the sign and seal OF the Holy Ghost
IN the conversion OF multitude OF sous as the un-
, answeraDle declaration OF divine appreciation.
Marcy avenue church. with the same conspicuous
signs divinity, sought admission to the assocla
tion was rejected. Wnat is the significance OF
come TO vote on the Marcy avenue church be-
cause It's pastor and the delegation withdrew their
application after the Convention mad spent an
hour or more debating whether he or they were
orthodox enough to 90 permitted to SIT In fellow:
nave satisfied itself IN five minutes OF the OrthO
doxy OF DR.. jeffrey. but it denied him the common
courtesy OF personal explanation. 1t would
never do to permit his eloquence to weaken
sectaran preludces aud preudgments But
ship they can have 1t. The Warren Association
OF Rhode lsand-the mother OF Baptist latin In
Amerlca-tne home oil Roger Williams ana his
|
them. so also is the hudson River Association North
and so are many other associations further on
But, as Mr. Smith sald they prefer TO walt either
ior the formation OF another association (Which
may occur at no distant day. or tor . period not
lar or when the Long Island Baptist Association,
repentlng the haste OF its present action and
better understanding the spirit or the Church OF
should everywhere prevail, shall ask them TO re-
turn TO their former home.
was perhaps excusable. Its pastor has q chronic
weakness for writing abusive letters concerning
pamphlet or tract form just before ana about the
time OF the annual meetings OF the association
B1t the association decided that until he with. WITH
drew his insulting letter OF last year, neither ne
nor his church could have any voice or representa-
ton In It's councils. the name Of The church
subsequently dropped from the roll. the Brook
haven courch was dropped. also. There was, how
ever another motive Tor excluding this church Mt
this time. Its delegates would most likely vote
for the Lee avenue church. And Tor the same
reason the Marcy avenue church's application
was not considered until the Lee avenue church
case had been passed upon. The result would not
have been changed BY their vote. but the majority
would have been materially lessened.
HARMONY PRODUCED BY ECCLESIASTICAL yIvIsEc-
| TIoE.
And now the suicidal act or acts have been con-
summated, aud the association 10 supposed to be
in complete harmony In all Its parts. Indeed, DR..
Moore In his final prayer dlsmissng the congrega-
ton on Wednesday evening, thanked God tnat
perfect harmony regned now through all their
bodies. But how can harmony exist when there
are more than one thousand open CON-
munionists scattered among eight or ten
cnurches not IN fellowship with the asso-
citation they will multiply themselves be-
lore another year elapses, for tue leaven
VIII work until the lump Ia leavened, and the end
OF this controversy will not be creditable to the
Long Island Baptist Association, nor Injurious to
the cnurcnes exclscd by IL. Persecution never In
jured good cause, ana 1t has often made bad
cause reputable. Martyrdom in all ages has only
| served to evoke the spirit OF sef-sacrlHce and or