Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-04-07


gave 30 many an opportunity To appreciate
in measure the peculiar embarrassment'
under which the church has laboped in It's
efforts TO sustain itself and its pastor, it
must be owned that they have had fttle 0c-
casion to thank the religious press for any
help. Especially is this true of the Congrc-
gational religious papers. Mr.. Bowen m
dependent. of course-if it can he called
Congregational or religious PAPER; the
Adrdhcs, the Western rival of the Christian
Cnion, the CongregationahSt, at Boston, and
the Vermont Chronicle concur in unqualified
disapproyal Of the action Of the Council, and
of the church which was sustained by the
Council. The Chronicles especially bitter,
and in its exten1ed comments on the Council
has said many things which would
have the cordial approval of Tilton,
Monlton, Ben Butler, and the crowd
who delight to see religion dshon
orcd in the person of any minister. Its
sympathy is reserved for Mrs. Monton and
Deacon West; its words of praise for DR.
StOrrs, and the assailants of the church
and the Council. II at any time, for mo-
ment, it admits that there is any possibility
that Mr.. Beecher may be innocent, it is
only by faint and exceptional hypothesis.
All the rest of its comments proceed upon
the assumption that Plymouth Church is
wilfully and wickedly unfolding an impure
minister 1t looks forward with eager ex-
pectatiOn to the meeting of an crpdrte
Council, called to pronounce Mr. Beecher
guilty and to disfelowship his church;
and though ore would suppose that jour
nal edited by ministers, would at least be
willing to take the ground that minister
shall be held to be innocent till he is proved
to be guilty, its demand is, not that his ac-
cusers shall prove Mr. Beecher guilty, but
that his church shall before such a Council
prove him Innocent Its words are
If that church persists in permitting the
existence of ministry that is scandalous,
if it does not prove to the satisfaction of the
Council that Is, the e1pdrte Council that is
70 come that its ministry is not corrupt,
but if it stands convicted of supporting an
impure minister, then the Council is equal,
Congregationally Sc. to casting out 10th
church and minister from the communion of
the churches He mag 90 on preaching To
his own church, but he will no longer be
recognized and accredited minister in our
order
ably well able to defend its course One Of the
ablest Of them Is Professor Timothy Dwight,
of New Haven who. in two extended and able
articles, has indicated, with great ability
and success, the action Of the Council We
have space for hut a single extract from his
last article. Abiding 10 the denunciAtion
Of the commission proposed by the Council
to further investigate the scandal. and t,
DR.. Storrs'S assertion that it was IAN eccle-
siastical quaker gun, which looks ready for
any service, but through whose silent wood
en- mouth 10 -1ot can pass, Prof Dwight
SAYS
II NAV not be uninterest'n, 70 the public 10
know WIN the inventors OF this Quaker sun are,
50 that they may give them due honor | have
been able 10 discover two ~ them certainly ami.
/ think, all OF them. The two are eminent author
tiles. the secular and the other the eceie-
-.astcal sphere, Il indeed they not both N
the latter. refer o. the proprietor 90 The hide
PENDENT and the editor Of the CoHG-eg1fiona'isf In
a etirr addressed o. the Exam n Committee col
Plymouth church. some two weeks prev Jus o. the
assembling Of the Advisory Council, Mr. ~. G..
Bowen, alter stating that he would not give bis
test alUny 10 the church, maize formal su5-e,ti
that commission % three more per-on-. lnciui-
in the names OF Pres dent Nooisey, DR.. Hopkins
and Aipbeus HARDY. should be called together and
be offered o. tell them al De Knew. an . abide hy
their decision II is possible that pr. Storrs sus-
poets that Mr.. Bowen was one o. those shr,wter
10. nfs' wAo va 'eXhlb.tin-a show ot rea0 uess 10
o. meet his enemy thout involving serious
dau-er." IN. did not lie o. mention A.s name To
the other gentleman. DR.. Dexter owe the first
thought d.. such q comm --.Ou winch ever eu-.rrl
ny mind. Very near the beginning OF ti public
/ invest at CD % the scandal. two years 40. he
brought out q ID valuable paper the SUI -est.1n
that 2 5 mouth Church ~ t. pastor should cal On
three gentlemen President Noolsey, Or. Hop n.
and Dr. hu-Fu cham, thluk} and should make
them the tribunal the case. similar proposal
has been made 10 his paper recently. Il my own
zee Ing Wa tAat TO. the tOuucll.ss am confident that
= was, may state not Only .or yself bur isr AL
tie members ttat We were led o. al pt the plan q
comm ssIou because 10 had been sus--sted 10
these quarter. ant. because We accord uil thought
10 Wa gre pan which wou d satisfy Those wLo bee
l'tvrd Nj i-~rher 10 Dee su 49, and those who we've
JOB crave csutt respec m his Inn -ceuce. Eut It
seems That new Sut bias come o. these gentlemen
nee fir tHure.l Npted tuc.r propose. ara they
Row see Tat tbe.roWu INVENTION was " Quaker
gun WhIch WI have no effect uu d" The ieud
darkness whlca gather around the churches o'
Broos4yu.' DR.. etarrs ALEC criticse the mfu..-
s ID because 't j. Do To- III o secret This st.vrrt
j. one 90 cA the -rcsult' %, tae CUunc ord aYt
lead him hy .ts oTa language. for there nothing
said about secrecy 30 the document. tut D.. h-
penetrated the shrewder LII uds behind tue
scenes and found thIs provision there have
o Is O. remind him that Nj. Bowen. who regards
himself as having n Dr.. possession what are cali
ed the bottom facts, has soemuly declared lhat he
Vii LIT pollute bis sensitive SOU and helray
sacred confidence by sTlu. his test mouy before
any Z bunal vi en- does Tot ST Ia secret" \
tribunal having only open sessions. and thus
failing TO gan any knowledse oi what Mr. Bowen
ha- o. say. .sht W sht no; bee Quaker /
gun but surely 10 would not -et much j. -ht
INTO the center ot the .etd darkness Brook |
lyn."
Since this appeared, We notice that a |
member Of the committee OF five of which /
DR.. Blidingtou j. a member appointed by |
the New York and Brooklyn Association Of |
Congregational ministers, to recommend |
what measures, if any. should be taken by |
the Association to assure itself of the mlSity |
of the charges Of adultery made against Nh
Beecher, has been inter, LEVIED in regard u
the course Of that committee, and that while
he said the committee would take no action
at present. he suggested a. the best means TO
get at the truth, a fair and impartial com
mission Of say five members
The discussion a 10 which i the more
regular. according to Congregational order,
a mutual Council such as was proposed by
Andoyer, or a commission such A. was con
,tituted by the Council, has little interest.
We fancy, for the general public. That pub
lie would have welcomed the result OF a fair.
mutual Council. 1t Will accept, perhaps even
more unhesltatingly, the conclusion of the
1t canno. be persuaded that
such men as President Woolsey. Dr. Hop
kins, President Angel. President Chamber
AIN, Judge shipman, Alpheus Hardy, and
the rest from whom the commission must be
selected, would meet to whte-wash any man,
n could be bamboozed into eonniyance
with adultery and perjury in the Christln
pulpit. or would render other than lust and
intelligent verdict. |: would be a great
misfortune if the commission should not
meet and conduct the further investigation
which the friends and foes of Plymouth
Jhurch agree in pronouncing desirable We
ave no doubt that it vii meet and inveSti-
,ate, and we can interpret the assaults on
he commission, in advance of its meeting,
My a. the action Of men, who. having al
eady judged and decided the case on the
xisting evidence, do not propose to accept
ny Judgment, from any set of men, however
,ure, impartial and intelligent, which shall
not be in favor of throwing Mr. Beecher out
f the pulpit.