The Portland daily press., 1876-02-24
THE ADVISORY COUNCIL.
Report Against the Call of the An
dover Church.
The Investigation in 1874 Held to be
Adequate.
PlymOuth Church Sustained on q
Fourth and Fifth Questions.

PIymOuih Church Sustained on the
Fourth and Fifth Questions.
BROOKLYN, Feb. 22.-At the afternoon ses.
sion, after prayer, the report on the fourth
much discussion. This question related to the
calling of the mutual council requested by ex-
Deacon William F. West, and in it the church
asked if it should have called a mutual council
when requested to by member who had never
submitted any charges against the pastor. and
when such request was made more than one
year after the investigation had beer had by
the church itself, in which the pastor had been
sustained. The committee, to whom was also
referred the communication sent to the council
by Deacon West, report that the action of the
church was proper and just. They state that
the communication was before them Irregular
ly, inasmuch as West, according to Congrega.
tonal usage, should have exhausted every
other effort to set the matter right before ap-
pealing to a council; they therefore refer the
whole matter back to the church.
The report of the committee on the fifth
question, relating to the calling of Mrs. Moul-
toms mutual council, and in which the church
asked whether it had acted right and proper,
or If there was any error on its part which
should be corrected, sustains the action of the
church, and says that the committee feels salts.
fed that Plymouth church was anxious to have
mutual council called. They also state it as
their belief that had Judge Van Cott not
thrown up his hand so soon the council would
have been called. This report was also adopt.
ed without much discussion. Both of the a.
bove reports advise that in every case all other
means of righting matters should have been
exhausted before proceeding to call the coun-
Gil and that no church should call council, SO
long as there is any other way of settling the
difficulty.
Feb. 23-The morning session of the copn-
Gil to-day was presided over by ex-Gov. Dingley
DIR. Bacon in behalf of the special committee
to which was referred the letter from Andover'
Seminary church, presented report in which
the committee say that Plymouth Church
would not accept the invitation. They COM
mend the Seminary very highly but regret that
it should have put forth such a call. 1t is held
that one church should never call for the trial
of the pastor of another, especially after an in
vestigation has been held by the latter and the
pastor declared innocent. The report is sai6 to
be very exhaustive one.
the discussion of the first resolution offered
at the last evenings session, by the committee.
was then resumed, and the council finally de-
cided that the investig alton held in 1874
was adequate and that Plymouth Church had
done its whole duty in the matter. The dis
cussion on the second resolution was then com
menced, bnt was not concluded when the coun-
Gil adjourned.
At the afternoon session the report of the
committee on the question, Shall there be an
other investigation was discussed at lengthand
finally it was decided in fauor of such investi-
cation.