New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-03-26

comes say first duty TO settle this matter Tor no"
and for forever that may know and that nose WIN
have disfayored the assembling OF this Couheh may
know and that the whole world may know, whether we
are rIghtfully assembled and COngregatonaly conpe
tent to our work. illcgitmaely and 50 inenectuay'
here.
For one, Mr. Moderator, am certainly disposed W
look with utmost leniency upon the confusion Oh hout
which has preyaed in regard TO this matter ana whch
has afflicted with ncertitude some minds usually oe
sighe IN such studies the ground that the precise
point involved happens be perhaps the only one Plac
teal the working Of our polty whcn mas @
thought ont and-spcaking OF legislation IN the Cohgro
gatOnal sense-logslated through TO It's last anu CON
petest issues. T6at poty-as have no heea 10 ,e
growth That is TO say, starting win lew rationn
and scrpural principles it has from ume TO sg
Piled Them more ana more widely to the exgenccs VI
ecclesiastical e occasion has presented ITSELF Inus
its law is largely law of presidents, aashs the
views winch they took, but because our iuhnanen.'
biblical principles are unchangeabe ana tne urst goou
men Who were called upon TO apply them to any par
ticular condition OF affairs, were presumably leu uue
lie guidance of the Holy spirit to right decision and
tbcrc necessarily strong Obabiy that whenever
other good called under the same guidance W
Apply those Identical principles to similar condition OF
affs they ought to reach, and Will reach, suDslah-
IN is part of the Law OF such gradual growth as this
that new checks and baaDcngs. and equpOisings shall
from time time suggest themselves. until, Dy thcr
combined action and cOunteractOn, not ideal perfec-
ton at least practical excellence has been reached.
The or parte Council one OF the later expedents
to its necessary uiness. and the tmo-I think may
ACC ly has before
nna Judgment upon all that 1t is and Is not anu as 10
what the exlct limits within whom IL may properly
act And Mr. Moderated ths C1unoli mol %eie 20 cs %o
and deliberate iudgmentto the settlement OF TINS mater
1 think could all agree that 1t would not have been
summoned these long distances from the East ana
from the West, III vain. 80
Now then, Sir, respectfully ask the attention OF the
Council TO this proposition, which, with permosion'
shall undertake to prove, viz:
Congregational council eI pdrte always and OF the
fixed necessity OF ITS own being council caea "itnn
the local church. growing out OF conflicts OF opinion tcie
arising, and consequent processes OF Judgment theei
utnated from whose cOncusveness there is provided
no other appeal and the very philosophy wnlch unuer-
lies and justI1ies such council when sucn nla aetOh
within local church has become any member morally
insupportabe condemns the notion OF IT'S existence QUIZ
side local church. and between such Churches as an
aDsuTdity and an impossiOliity. .,-..,,
We may, perhaps, approach inc SUBJECT most lnteHr
gently from It's historic side
We shall get no light however, upon from excel
lent brethren over sea- The Congregationalsm OF the
without them for 95O years, is lust now bestlrrng
itself determnatey in the direction OF something IKE
Ecclesiastical COuncllS-u ndpy ~ may loei "itor
them aud find them.
The st suggestion OF anything like the er pare conn
Gil IN our NewEngland history appears to have been III
connection with difficulty arising in the churcd OF
Weymouth in the year l646 woman had been cast
out for dstempered speeches" by major party
Uhe ruling elder and u MINOR party being unsaisned
heren) whereupon complaint was made to the elders
of the neghbOring churches and request that they
| would come to Weymouth and mediate rec0nclha-
ton Those elders laid IL before their churches Some
scruped the warrantabencss Of the course seeing the
major party OF the church did not send to the churches
for advice. IL answered that 1t was not to DO ex-
pected that the major party would complain OF their
own act ana if the minor party. the party grevel,
sbonid NOT be heard then God should have left
of redress in such a which could not be-" Win-
Ihrop H. 277 Some OF the churches approved OF their
elders going the rest permitted It, so they went. and
| ali ended happily III the Weymouth churchs cOnsentng
TO make council mutual whereupon some failing
was found in both parties, and confession and right
| action on both sides followed We get one or two
gimpses only OF the recognition Of the principle which
here have found It's first enuucation mat II
the geyed party should not be heard then God should
have left no means OF redress III such case-which
could not be " IN the next twentyhree years lnOlaDB
in an pqrte council ut BarnstaDe, June 4, 1902,
when in 1862 we reach the most ana perhaps
the influential CT pare council ever held III new
England, which at once gave distlnctness OF form,
which up to that time had been clearly little known
that Council which authOnz 3D. and aided in the orma
number of me mbers OF Church. dissatisfied with
the settlement OF John Davenport in the place of John
to the of another church, but the church.
though advised TO do so 10y mutual council TO- whom
accede TO their request The dsafected brethren called
In salem The Salem Church Inquired First Church
whether they consented 20 tho measure, and got for
whatever The Salem Church then put record their
Judgment that there and ought TO be relief against
mscarriages particular churches in the Congreg a.
tonal way" and hazly discerning that such relief
might possibly come through this new expedient, eau
tionsy sent their elder and messefger not mem
Ders Council and to vote therein but 70 be present
and do what good they could" Judge Whites New
Eng Cong p 76D Fourteen churches were represented
beside this qualified presence from Salem and the aged
and INDUSTRIOUS Richard Mather. then in his last month
of fen fact, gong from the Moderator omar
to his deathbed i'll Dorchester-gaye TO the BODY the
Mehy sanction Of his and y Tns
ION the ground OF declining to hold intercourse with
Ss face the venerable Moderator himself when with
sundry others he sought TO wait upon them as com
VisJ the dissenting brethren that they might take
their liberty seasOnaby TO be church OF themselves as
If they had had formal dSinSSion TO that end-Wmch
During the half century that followed the er parte
council appears to have been in occasional use, but
to have encountered tho not unnatural fear that
it would tend to unsettle church government, and
by putting always into the power Of the dissatisfied
party TO obtain new hearing. Cotton Mather, in mis-
council, adds further suggestion n, IN the same nne,
clearly intended to provide loss hazardous manner OF
greyed party is allowed by the New English platform,
- npIv mnto one single church in the Vicinity who by
their delegates may after due prelimDaries come to
the church complained Of and ask account OF their
oSt o IT, this church which had been applied unto
may then pray competent number OF other churches
10 unite their delegates with them In larger council TO
use further endeayOrs the rectiying OF
OF order"p. l62 And when twelve years later 17aS)
Cotton Matters Samuel published his Apology for
the liberties of the Churches In New England" ne sets
forth this last without 80 much as mentioning the
other; "If this disciplinary method be not carefully
observed these churches have remedy at all against
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. in particular churches; for can
not ind the constitution OF these churches the
power Of calling councils belongs to any particular per
sons in them. but the churches themselves SO that
according TO this constitution there DO maadmlnis-
traton in any particular church, the aggreved members
Of 1t may not conyoke sucn assemblies But they should
desire the advice and assistance OF neghDor church;
and unless particular church interfere III tins state
OF things and inquire into the case In the way OF COM
munion by admoDtion, particular churches may remain
at eternal variance within themselves, without showing
our dislike OF their proceedings. For there is other
process that know Of In the published order OF our
Churches by which we can testify against them, but III
this disciplinary method"-p. l30 Time and experience.
however gradually demonstrated that II must always
practically prove very difficult for single aggreved per-
Son TO succeed In interesting the working majority
of ghOoring church In his grievance sufficiently 10
overcome natural inertia and persuade it 10 enter
unon ungTacous action his behalf So point OF
fact the good sense OF ewEnglsnd regaoDaisn
gradually settled back upon the er pdre council Ms
being on whole the best expedient meet the
siona need in that direction. Not indeed without much