New-York tribune., 1875-01-16

lost opportunity for his vndcaton by presenting myself voun
ary for the same trial to which the church would hdye S
ing from my past experience VIII upeCt me a,e ~
which have made more sacrifices all other persons
Between these two are all hat te Moder
ator leaves 10 which both equally rcpugnant to my
| fcclings-duy requires to choose the second . ~,
therefore give notice that II he raor OF e ESann
the opportunity which the Moderator aments that you have
away, hereby restore to yoq his lost opportunity Us
authorize you f be your peasure to cite at
mouth Church for trial on the charge heretofore made against
namely that OF circulating and promoting scandal aeIoE ~
| reputation of the church" ,.r...
held with closed doors IN the absence OF the pastor
regret kcey that the Moderator has on me , h
necessity for making communication, for nothing Du'
The practical good which seek achieve by ms proposition @
is that whether accepted declined will IN either & Ce t
ualy put end forever to the Moderaors gsES @ ma
Plymouth Church has been deprived m has been by ny
nifty Wind cate its pastor or tha i7 dicac @ bim '
act Of mine deprived Of an opportunity W Trn"pR TIrnN
| Truly yours, lhboDoih l"i'"'
To tho above communication received the following reply
from the Clerk Of the Church r, A., % 1874
Dv,r s,p Yonr note Of the ih inst enclosing letter ad-
drcscd Mr. Bcecher Mr. Halliday and myself was uuy
This letter has read by a Halliday with whose CON
currence has been submitted TO the Exanlns one
and we all deem contents TO present question Whlch
should be decided by that Committee and winch sond h9 De
submitted to the pastor OF the church TO "ho nom d ~
Having consulted the members Of the Committee,
proposition or laying it before the Church
Whatever may be taken OF by others the Ex
amnng Committee and the church have seen no necessity ior
yndcang any member Of the church from eaarge when 10
years Of It's history adopted such course NO one can he
fore hold you responsible for the loss Of opportunity to the
church to do that which never yet has done ana poOaoY
never will do. 49,, .... ,..,
anv charges TO make but to the contrary If the Committee
had understood it, they would have readily entertained and
s proper TO add your dropped from the roll
not simply because Of the statements made by you Qt
had bnpn
years before any charges made distinctly stated
mancnty your connection with it, thus bringing
yourself expressly within the terms OF our rule upon the SUD
'0' THOMAS G. snEARxAx
a. the aboye Communication bv Mr. Shearman seemed to
bear Official but only apryae signature addressed to him
the following note
III LIvrNGsToN-sT., BRooKLYS, May %, 1874
Mr. THOMAS g. smEARxAN Clerk Of Plymouth Chu,ch.
SIR My communication addressed TO the pastor
the associate pastor and the CLERK OF Plymouth thuIch IS ac
knowledged by you in which you seem to have signed
merely private individual and not as an ocei oil tue
call your attention to the fact did address in
your private capacity but solely as the Clerk of Fouh
therefore respectfully request to be Informed BY you dcan
ey and in writing whether or not am at liberty 10 resa
| your letter official reply to mine. - NJ
Yours truly, THEODORE IILrOM
| Mr. Shearnans reply was as follows:
81 IIIcKs-sT, BROOKLYN, May %, 1874
DEAR In reply TO your inquiry whether my letter Of 18th
inst was an Official yours Of the 4h inst beg to
that did not feel at liberty Without he express auAoly
of the church itself to sign that letter as its clerk
letter stated that your proposition OF VIA!
was declined it was official since clerk Of the church
declined then and decline TO lay the proposal before the
church Itself holding myself responsible to the chuch ior 70
Te remainder Of the letter of 18th inst regarded
my individual statement OF what p'e'e 10 DC 'c uhAou
! opinion of the oicers Of the church.
Your obelent servant, THOMAS C. sHEARaAS.
II viii thus be seen that Mr. Shcarman in to my r
ony characerizes his previous letter to partly official
and partly unofficial though how he could originally have eX
peccd draw the dividing line between its TWO parts with
out this subsequent explanation loss understand
|
pointed out 10 me- IS sufficient to answer y6nr query @ he
did Mr. Ton to be responsible 10 the Plymouth church,:
respectfully submit that setting aside all previous Cavs ana
tccncaes concerning the church roll may be fairly said to
have ceased my responsibility 10 fymoulh OnurC NleI ec
clerk Of that church officially informed me that my voluntary
offer to return and be tried was officially declined
" In your essays led through ignorance OF the
facts make several other erroneous and injurious statements
which have already given will Of themselves correct the
1t now remains for me 10 give you some why have
been prompted years OF Tcticenc 10 lay before the
crave matters contained in this communication Nothing could
induce Inc make my present Of the foregoing facts ex-
the conviction which the events Of The last year.
apon aTo pATSu'g mS mind that Mr. Beecher or his legal
and other agents acting in his interest and by ms consent have
shown themselves willing to sacrifice good name Tor the
maintenance Of hs have come slowly 20 this Judgment
more slowly than my personal friends have done but that am
mistaken in it, you shall see by few Illustrative instances
IL have already shown yOu how the Church at public
meeting Friday evening October 81 ls8, by an Official
ing York the public falsely to understand
had been cited when had really been
requested hema piece Of ecclesiastical lsrcp-
rcsenaton which the grcyons to me because wa
it il stil widely believed by the public
H-Nr Beechers journal The Clristion Iioa published
notice Of the correction which addressed al the tine IN brief
the Council Let ask yol 70 weigh the peculiar
10 the Council by the protesting ehurche, based by
them NOT on any private or accurate knowIeasr o ne fac
Plymouth Church was described by the two churches to the
Specific charges Of grossly Christian conduct pre-
sened against him by brother in the church 0~ charg
You viii remember that promptly addressed to YOU reply
to the above, in which used the following explicit words
| that did not decline to answer"
You Moderator OF the Council COnrtcou-y me the
ecclesiastical why my letters could not be officially laid
before that body but ve me any honorable reason
| Cbrist.in Iniony If every other American journal
should be destroyed and only the hs Of The crtstiaa
! Uui0s should remain, that journals report OF
would represent me az Snpt fret w5' had hea sian an,
church for this caumnaton next we had cyadcd
hi, summons by resOng the safe shelter Of nonmember
ship last Of this moral polrooney had
Becchcr's journal contains Of my case up 10 date.
I-During the Council and when there seemed proba-
bly that Plymouth Church would receive condemnation and
dseow shipped by the neighborng churches Mr. BeecAer
inspired message from hs church to the Council closing With
1--WE hold that it s our right and may be dnv avoid
the evils Incident public explanation or public trial. and
that such exercise Of discretion furnishes Us 10 good
ground for the interference OF other churches 9,del Te
Heerretain Cin our rfeRo0ap nor dismiss oy kHr as IN
regular stdndng persons Wto ht"g open dst00T upon ms
Th adro nsnuaton against inc whatyou as Moderator
Of the Council know to have been The turning point in the for
Of IymOuh CnulCn before tnht NOuncllE
Verdict borfOws almost these identical words 1t says The
accused person has been retained in the church or
~ 80 -thsr church, You TOD EU!A Soes
borrowed thus douby from the Churcs plea and the
Councils yerdict-and then logically say Therefore the
abnormal method in which the charges against him incl
disposed Of was overlooked
In other words Council reading The above cxcuatory
petition up II by Plymouth Church found in tho one
and only ground for retaining that church within the Congeca
liona fellowship; and this and only ground because
Mr. Bceches final appeal 10 the Council represented
person who had neither been retained in his church. been
TecOpmended TO other but who dropped from roll
FOR Bringing dishon0r upon the Christian name This docu.