The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-02-22

port was hurried up that he nIeht take ,ue @
ti,,nnsbifp lie will return ON Wednesday be-
f,re the coun II makes up its result. , A..
Inc nos, worthy cases of lilinn anu Mre.
No,lton which come up under this rule, were
p,ssed from the first &C tmmiiteo 10 the sec.nu.
snd then nassed to tho committee on the third
oue.tinn. which asks the council To advise what
the church ought TO do with members VINO 40.
sent themselves because certain steps are not
,,Len moi affecting them personnlly) VI hich they
prOfess ConsCicntiOusly To uelieve ought To nave
bsen t,kcn but winch they never asked the
church o take; OF members who absent them
selves on tine same grounds, with the difference
that they have asked the church to take such
ateps anc the church has declined; OF members
who absent themselves on the ground that they
believe the pastor to be guilty Of crime In spite
memhers who absent themselves on some or oil
OF the above reasons, and lastly. AS In Mr..
and believed to have m ade charges OF insinua-
tons Of gross immortality against other mem-
bers Of the church, and who decline either To
aiilrm or to deny the truth u such charges.
The committee on this question Includes
Obsrlin DR.. Edward strong, OF Boston Judge
Grnnell, the Hon. Warren Currcr, Prot Dwight,
Of Yac College, and Prot. Pane OF Bangor,
Me.-represent.tive men Of the council. Their
| report 10 In substance that the church should
| deal promptly with the offending members, not
| tolerating them In the church.
DoINo suEARMAS's WORK.
The committee on tho fourth question,
through its chairman. the Rev. @. y. spiulding,
reported that the protest Of VIM. T. West ought
not to be considered by the council
| The fourth question asks whether tho church
| ought to have called a council las ex- Deacon
| West requested) to investigate the charges
| against tie pastor after the church had inyest
| gated the charges and had sustained the pastor
| by a unanimous vote. Tho committee hold TO
| tho prnciple laid down In the council In the
| leading speeches that satisfactory investiga-
| tion by the church settled n difficulty within
its, H. and that 1t could not be reopened without
| the consent of the church.
Dr. wolcott Of Cleveland, tho Chairman Of the
| committee on the nfth question, which en-
braces Mrs. Moultuns case and her failure to
get Il council, reported that the church had done
| President strong OF Northncd, Mimi, the
chairman OF the committee ontthe sixth ques-
| ton. which asks whether Pymouth Church mas
| by reason OF its rules or IT'S administration oi
| them. forfeited lis clam to the confidence and
fellowship Il Congregationi II churches, reporied
In par. but the council reeommitted the dues-
tiOn 10 the COmuiitee. he committee recon-
mended that If tue council believed tnat aught
chaiees sMnst Mir. Beecher, such investigation
ought to TO made. On the contrary. II the
cout ell believed that the Investigation was SUI !.
ncient. II ought to advise the church to proceed
with It's Cnristiln WORK unintcrrnptcd;
the letter OF the AndOver church, asked for
further time. promising To report this m rnins
TIE evening session was called to order by
| Gen. EfAstus DO. Bates II Chicago, the Assistant
Moderator. According To- pr vious arr nee-
| " 7 waa al ~. .vn. aud the discussion wqs he.
gun ON the uue-ti9n whether iiymouth Churcn
nd any rteht to get rid OF members except by
"esth' letter 81 dismission. or formal sxcommu-
nica,lun. The question as 1t read IN the lett, r
missve was, Is the church sctlng CONTRARY
bersh.p in other way he Rev
:. B Pettingill of Rutland, W, read minority
could. In addition 10 the three wavs named,
terminate membership only by withdrawing
committee r, ported On the question. answering
No that Plymouth C,uren was not setting
membership. there was long discussion on
this point.
One OF the distinguished delegates threw q
lrebranu into meeting by dNllg tndt 10 n
trivial for Plymouth Church TO call together d
nnt"d AZ III. willie there were greater issue.
which should be settled He Inclined TO the
belief that there was sinister Intention IN hay az
remembered that the great council OF ls,,
Which Plymouth Church 5si,S refnsed to en-
reverse hoir veidct. Was this councii to pass
ran hieh thereafter. the echoes OF lusty voices
> reaching the outside Of the building. As an end
4, the church in its Res. The minority reporl
, was referred to the committee II nine. which
: 1t was voted 10 apuoint to prepare hnding FOL
i, | tho council to pass upon AT the last.
In the heat Of the discussion DR.. strong o
the committee on tho sixth question entered
, the room with bis committee ami announced
: bis readiness TO report. The principal point u
= should fudge that Plymouth Church had bee
= fair and full in its Investigation Of the charge
= II on the contrary II should believe that a ne
= Investigation would disclose additional facts
= that II should appoint a committee OF thre
! ont OF a list of about twenty Of the mos
distinguished pames in the denomination aD'
I'm tie country, who would take the tstimon
OF ali who knew ANYTHING about Mr.. Beechei
one OF the delegates said last night that sine
the offer Of MIR. Mouton was made known
there was a growing disposition In favor Of thi
. plan. The committee OF nine to prep re tn
hnal result are to be appointed by the Mod
= orator.
= Ihe council at ten o'clock adjourned unit
- this morning 10 resume the secret sessions.
Is thought that the nnal result Will be reache
y on thursday ulght.
> one Of Mr. Moulton's friends said last nigh
n that II the council accepted his offer to cstit
lish Mr.. Beechers guilt, they would meet then
- on the shortest notice. T1lton would be tile
y craphed for, other witne ses would be sum
: moned, and they would prove their case in tw
days.
- WESTERN MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL
: To THE EDITOR OF THE SUN-Sir: Al
Q low me TO say, partially cOnfrmatory OF tn
correctness Of your opinion relative TO PIN
o mouth Advisory Council as being picked couf
, ell, thai one OF the members, the Rev. j, q. Mel
s rill, pastor OF the First Congregational Churcl
| Davenport, Of this state Ia a notOriously biitt
| partisan OF Beecber, ne having from his pulp
publicly cautioned and strongly advised bis COZ
gregstion against attending the lecture OF Thee
dore Tilton recently at Davenport, Tearing II
effect upon their morals" lie has also to IN
~ certain knowledge taken every opDoTtunit
i | both In public and In private, to denounC
!, Tilton and eIto Beeoher. lie is one OF tho,
VINO would not believe Beecher guilty " N II
formed Of ITS truth 10y an angel FROM heaven
N He has no patience for those VINO doubt Beecl
eT's innocence. Fiercely partisan and mario
r minded, Beecher's witty hippancy will pass
p weighty argument with him. He will he pliaI
,r tool indeed TO assist sherman IN whitewdshir
o the adulterous, pertured. and hypocritcal prie
- p II. CAMERON, layman.
l. CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, Feb. Is, 1875.