The New York herald., 1875-11-27


the church since June, 1874 You also stated that YOU
had never since 1870 attended any other church or
pace Of worship These facts which we're taken
from your lips. presented TO the com
mtee clear d of total abandonment, not merely
OF connection with this church, but Of connection with
all Christian churches, as Il ~ easy 10 Imagine, and
these facts undsproved by up 70 the pres
ent time The personal observation ot the committee
themselves and OF numerous other members OF the
church confirmed your statement 70 your total alb
from every form OF meeting ut Plymouth church
from june 1874, 70 November, 1878
The fact OF your continued absence from this and
from every other church, and OF your deliberate sepa-
ration Of yourself from every company OF Christian
believers, was deemed by the committee and ls deemed
by this church admit Of no dispute When you APP
peared before the church you did deny IL qualify
It, But you did assign what you claimed 70 be an ex-
cuse for II That excuse was that you believed the pas
tor Of this church to be guilty OF crime The church
would have regarded your belief in this respect as
abundant justification for charge on your part
against the pastor made IN the usual way, ad-
dressed either 10 the church or the Examining
Committee and demanding an investigation OF MS case
Or # you might properly have consulted with the
officers OF the church. private, upon the case, or II
any circumstances made il impracticabe for you to
adopt either Of those courses such belief might per
haps have justified you applying for letter OF dis
mission from this church and Of recommendation TO
some other evangelical church But II this church
should accept such plea Justification OF the total
absence from all religious worship and Of an entire dis
use of Christian ordinances would establish the prin-
cple that the real imagined inhdelity OF one pro
fesscd Christian is sufficient TO Justify the entire
RESUNcIArIoS or CHRISTIAN FAITH
and practice the part Of all others No church ever
did ever will acknowledge any such doctrine. The
existence Of such fact, II 1t was fact called upon
you for diligence and not less in the
performance of your religious duties When at last,
you were visited by member OF the Examining Com
mittee and notified of its contemplated action, you
made request for delay and none for a trial You
did not even intimate a wish to receive let
ter of dsmission ana recommendation; you
\ appointed and were fully heard You were by special
Indulgence allowed to appeal by professional counsel
\ who not member OF any Congregational church,
contrary the usual practice of such churches. In
the presence Of your brethren you still made request
for delay demand Tor trial investigation OF
/ this and from every other church You did not
aege that you had attended upon the preaching of the
Gospel or at pubic prayer or at the LORDS supper or
any public ministraton whatever; nor did you pro-
fess that you ever intended so to do ou stated that
your absence was eniorced because OF an evil action
\ which you alleged had been committed by another
member of the church, and while you nominally de-
clared your willingness 10 perform your duties as
church member far you could consistently with
your proiessed knowledge Of this offence, the very
4 language which you used at the time, well
as your previous for FIVE years made it plain
beyond all doubt that what you meant was, that you
would fulfil your covenant in the future only as you had
i in the paSt--that Is to say-not at all And we are
thus far unable 10 believe that You really feel hard
ship TO be deprived OF the right OF communion with
us when. upon your own showing you have for nearly
five years deliberately given up such communion on
your part Your objections however, shall DO re-
stated in your own language and reviewed in success
You say that you have not had ''proper trial =
You did not ask for one Yet you did have full and
patient hearing, and could have had no more If you
had been placed upon formal trial Being asked
whether you would answer any questions concerning
your case, you peremptorily refused to do so
and declined to make any other further
statement that occasion The church had there
fore all the facts before IL which you
willing to give If further light seemed
to you necessary to enable the church TO render
proper Judgment 1T was by your own that such
light was withheld You had the benefit OF every safe
guard that could have been given by formal trial
statement Of the case against you, time to prepare
OF all that you wished TO say, and the privilege OF
silence when you wished to say no more
You say that the sufciency of the reasons as
signed by You for your absence was not considered In
this you are entirely mistaken. The church voted to
drop your upon the precise ground that your ea
sons were wholly insufficient We were not bound to
pass any formal declaration TO that effect Our vote
upon the question then pending covered the whole
ground
You complain that you not arraigned for any
UNJUST accusations against the pastor In This we sup
pose that you refer those contained in the statement
made IN your defence before the church But the
church and still is of the opinion that your accu
sations against the pastor, even II irue would have
constituted no defence TOR your past conduct IL GER
tainly believed them TO be unjust and untrue, but IT
could not interrupt the orderly course Of proceeding
under which your past conduct was the subject OF in
vestgaton in order TO put you on tral ior an onehce
committed in the very midst OF the investigation. II
such a course pursued trials would never end
T. But ifyou complain because you were not arragned
account OF your previous public testimony concerning
the pastor OF the church. the answer is simple so far as
either the church or the committee knew you had
made any statement impugnng the purity OF our
pastor except while you we're testifying as witness
In a court OF justice, and, bound to assume
under compulsory process The committee did not
think that they would be justified in calling you
count
BEFORE THE CHURCH
for the untruth OF your language in court and in case
which might again come TO trial. with you again APP
For the truth or iasty OF the there made
the church felt and still feels bound to leave you TO
answer other tribunals Any other course
would have subjected as TO the imputaton Of
attempting TO ntmidate witnesses, and might have
been considered contempt Of court ana no action
has been taken in your upon the basis OF your
testimony, except 10 that portion OF IT relating TO
your abandonment OF the church, which was assumed
70 be true IL Is not necessary to tell you that we have
the slightest belief ia the truth OF your present
statements concerning our pastor. We had investi-
gated these before and after examination last
ing months in the church and for six months in
the had come to unanimous conclusion upon
the subject If we had renewed that investigation,
your instance, there would have been more
bitter complaint Of our nsncerty in assuming TO try
again upon which we had already pro-
nounced judgment than there can possibly be OF the
which we have actually adopted. Nor IS there
anything in the question OF ecclesiastical order
which you attempt raise that seems TO US worthy of
consideration. The rule under which your name was
dropped adopted unanimously by this church about
ten years ago. while you we're member IN lul har-
mony with II has been applied IN about hity cases
without remembrance from you from any OF the per-
affected by its operation or SO far as the rule IT.
self concerned for any Of sister churches, many
II no. most of which, informed, have ex-
pressly or practically adopted a similar rule
The case then as IL appears us, is briefly ths:-
You complain that we have acted under rule which
for years you have seen acted upon with reference
to other members without opposition or objection.
You complain that you have not had
''rEcHNIcALn TRIAL,
for which you never asked, and when you have had
full hearing for every word that you and your counsel
desired to say. You complain that we would
arragn you for unjust charges when
neither you nor any else had asked you should
be 50 arraigned. You complain that we did not ex.
anime the truth OF your supposed charges, while
you asked to do offered TO support any
charges by proof You complain Of your expulsion from
communion with this church when for five years you
have deliberately excluded yourself from communion
with this and all other churches You complain that
We have Viy VOu n
church, while you never expressed desire for any
such thing
In short your entire complaint s that We failed to do
things which you asked and do not even ask
to have done with the single exception of the con-
sderaton OF your for the abandonment OF tho
church. those did fully consider and pass upon.
You therefore request to join you IN calling coun
Gil to advise upon questions which you never submitted
to u.s.
Nevertheless, since at all times willing to
listen the advice a brothers and ready 10 correct
any error into which may even unconscously have