The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-03-13
ADEATH BLOW TO BEECHER
rHE PTLLAR or CON0REGATTONdL-
ISM SWINGING IHE SLEDGE'

ISM SUINGING THE SLEDGE.
rb. Work Of the Council R,ddlcd by DR..
etorrs An Its Findings Inconsistent win
range The Church Made n Refuge Tor
criminals by the Councils Partisan verdict
The Church of the Pilgrims Mt Horny
md Remsen streets Brooklyn, was throngcd
long before the beginning of the services last
night. and all the camp stools and chairs that
could be placed in the aises aud hooks scarcely
sunlced to scat the momentary m increasing gath
ering. At the morning service Dr. Storrs had
read letter signed bY j NJ Van Cott, Franklin
woodruff, jeremiah Robinson. and several other
members OF the church, requesting him TO OK
plain his opinion Of the result Of the ADVISORY
Council and he had promised to comply with
that request In the evening. Tho expectation Of
hearing the leading Congregational minister of
America break the long silence he had observed
in reference to the troubles Of Plymouth Church
and its pastor served to make people disregard
the dfizkling ralu and endure the discomforts of
c-owding for two or three hours IN a warm
church. Dr. StorIs's opening PRAYER, like the
selections he read from the Scriptures. related
largely to the churches Of Christ, upon winch lie
asked Gods blessing
EAuer the PRAYER DIR. Storrs said, In accord
snce with the notice witch gave IN the tiorn-
-.
this evening. In answer to quest sent to mo
by gentlemen Of this church, who had a right to
send IT, that would make a statement Of my
views concerning the result Of the late Advisory
Council / will m Ike such statement after We
have sung another hl nm"
After the singing II the hymn, Dr. Storrs an
nounced that special business meeting Of tho
church was to be held this evening at o'clock
1T the request of the gentlemen who had desired
him to express his views on the council. Tho
object of this meeting is understood to be to
,ousder the question Of the church's ratifying
the opinions delivered by DR.. Storrs.
WHAT INFLUENCED THE COUNCIL.
Or. Storrs then produced a biz roll OF manu-
script spread II before min. and In full. round,
and clear vece read rapidly The document
began by saying that the TACT having become
public through no agency OF his, that he had re-
signed from representative positions in Conerc-
gational bodies, and 1t having been naturally in
ferred by the public that he was not In sympa-
thy with the Congregational communion, It
seemed proper that he should relate his reas ons
for those designations, and explain the position
Ia which he stood regarding the result OF the
Advisory Council. As To the personal accusa-
tions against the pastor Of Plymouth Church he
had never expressed bis opinion, nor had he
taken part In their discussion in any way, and he
did not intend TO do SO, but he held views I'm re-
gard to the result Of the council and It's effect on
Coneregationalism, and those he was willing tc
give,
The Advisory Council appeared to have beer
composed Of persons who possessed fair abillt!
and who were respectable, but 1t had no Rrea
moral weight and lacked that indennable in
Huence that is e1erted by body OF men of dis
tngulshed pos ition and high Christian intelli
Rence. How many OF the churches composing
the council had been called for the specia
reason that they were known to be friendly tC
the pastor we had no means OF knowing, bu
probably from what could be ascertained the
nun bcr OF such was large. The facts seemed &c
warrant this belief, and they might shed some
Hight on the strange conclusion to which the
council arrived. OF course the mem oers o
II had been under the powerful influence OF the
pastor, who had made lmpassiOned appeals tC
them, and they had been literally entert lined
by the church that had summoned them. Fhes'
facts, too, m ght be considered In estimating thu
weight of the councils findings.
The council bad contained among It's mem
bers distinguished men In the denominati 10 u
men whose adhesion TO the result arm we'd "A
gave It an Importance that u could not other
could not be dismissed as a thing OF trivial i'm
portance. 1t must be pondered by one wit
church was likely To be In the future. or cours'
some of its declarations were more importan
Than Others, but all had a measure OF impor
tanoe. He would consider them In order.
firs-Tthe verdict OF the council had declared
that "A ChufCh member might De turned Olt, Whs
IN his acts signlhed an abandonment of th
church In doctrine, worship, and Christi m sym
paihy. This was correct, perhaps. II there wer'
church was left to put its own meaning on tn,
action " the member. This power seemed q
DO dangerous, and it wss hardly possible
that the council Itself realized the perou
position In which such a statute placed
members. II placed on the same footlnl
The man who by over zeal had injured th'
phurcn with him who had abandoned II for III,
Roman G. tholc Church. Under this rule
aRf ha ina sHtN NtF
br debate din red In opinion from his brethren
No limit was put to the exercise Of tnl' powe
pn the part OF the chuTcA. 1t might be abuse,
Dya tyrannical and excited majority The onl
Iaf,ty under 1t would have to be found In pas
i've aGreeWen. Ti.h the governing power IN tn
Df the coun H. Its members might not hav
appreciated tile fun force VI the words the
ascd.
now GUILTY MAN MIGHT ESCAPE.
Second-A still more dangerous result, moral
" 1t least, arrived at by the council was tha
when a memUcr had openly abandoned a churcl
aud was charged with scandalous onense. tn
enurch mi-ht turn him out without institutin
church members way Of escaping all inquir
INTO their conduct. whatever their offence mis- h
have been. This directly contrayened the resul
OF lhe council OF ls1i and JUSTIFIED the cours
OF PYmnuth Church, which that council had de
carcd " oug.and II repeated sufficient to warran
the withdrawal of fellowship by other churches
IL distinctly contravened also that section II
the Cungr- RatiOnal platform which declares tina
when a council has distinctly and dennite
settled point II Is mauifestly improper to cal
another council to sit upon the result Of th
nrst. lhe lily startling thing about the rul
however, was that II prompted a criminal q
svade church examination by abandoning th
communion. twas without precedent, and TIN
late council by its nc. ION Ia this matter hai
hcaped dift upon the graves OF Its ancestors
ana done wrong to the church. The common
sense OF mankind was right in demanding that
wolf In Sleeps clothing should be uncovered.
Ihird-lhere was dlctum Of the council, no
OF special import. .nce, but which should b
mentioned that when member not Other wis
accused, stayed away from church because h
believed the pastor TO be guilty Of crime, ia
church could decide that such stay Ing away wa
schismatic aud wrong unless the member 1rs
pr cured a letter OF dismissal. On this poir
tho wrath Of the council seemed to have bee
aroused, although in its previous decision II ha
allowed "a member accused OF crime To escal
without YestigatiOn. II would be better pc
haps for "a member, believing charges again
his pastor to he true, to patiently walt for thei
TO develop themselves, and for the pulpit TO 81
come purified. But the council said that In I'll
meantime he must he loyal to the church All
thing, that while waiting to procure "a letter
dismissal such member must receive the 90
pol ana the communion from pastor who's
hands he believed to be stained with uucOl
fe5sod lust. In things so sacred as the fellow
shin Of the individual soul with its Savior
through His truth and sacrament, the speak'
VS. not prepared to say that the interests OF tt
church must override the duties OF the men
bef's conscience.
SOMETHING ABOUT MUTUAL COUNCILS.
Fourth-Another point of supreme cons
qucnce TO the churches deter eimincd by the cOul
Gil, contained statements simply destructi,e ,