New-York tribune., 1876-03-14
DIR. BACON on PLYMOUTH COUNCIL.

WHERE PLYMOUTH FAILED TO MEET THE REAL
POINT AT IssUE-THE REAL CONGREGATIONAL
MODE OF DIsMIssING NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
OF A sCANDALOUs MAN.
rfROM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT oP TIE TR1BCSE
NEw-HAvES, March 13-In place of his regular
lecture on Church Polity to the middle class of the
Theological Seminary this afternoon, DR.. Bacon lee
tured both the upper classes on the late Brooklyn
council. Tomorrow he will finish the subject by
discussing the proposition for mutual council and
the Andover proposition. He gave the lecture, he
said, as physician would give clinic. that both
theory and practice might be explained. He said:
The instance before may be used TO illustrate the
and functions OF an eccleslastlca council Inc
body convened by invitation FROM Plymouth Church and
is called advisory council" IL had no
jurisdicti-n in the sense in which courts Of
law have nTisdGt on nor % t4e sense yse IN
have Jurisdiction. 1t could only give advice on certain
matters referred to 1t for tLat purpose ny mere mas
been 80 much pansaklng to dcnOnnate this an Adj
visory Council don't know There ls not III ms re-
spoct @ nc "e of s76 and the Brookyn Council of S
Indeed, all councils, according to the Con2rgatonai
are OF themselves incompetent TO any act OF ecccsias
tic;t power. mutual council IL an advisory council
agreed upon by parties who have consented before
hand expressly implicitly 20 accept the advice. An
e1 pdrte council advisory council invited by an ag
geyed minority in church. or an a2gnyed individual
In a church. to glve acvce in case in which mutual
council has been refused An ordinary council adyi,
sorry II ad ses 10 advise, that the proposed
ordination place The Council now under considera-
ton called, Ike other council to give advice as
messengers OF the invited churches on certain points sur
mittra their attention by the inviting church IN is
letrers conven ng the council.
letermissiyc was in some respects, unfortunate
not precise and eN cIt ~ II might nave Deen lhey
are growing in the Of eHplcitDcss IN Plymouth
Church. lie Introductory statement seems to miscon-
ceve the ground whicn tue good name OF plymouth
Church had been called IN question. There has never
been, within NV knowl dge, auy reB0nStrnce or com
pdint concerning the prnces ana rules adopted many
Tne letter do NOT state franky and clearly, the
qnes which the advice OF The Council was most
Ihat NAH question What ought tGs Church
TO do, which it has not done, toward re-
name But that question was not distinctly put;
some misundeTstand and misrepresentation, the ques-
on concerning the completeness Bnd slfnCency OF the
investigation made by ciurch III Is1l ai Deen una le
bng involved as mere Incident TO some other qucs-
ons which could not he answered fairly without raising
that That is oi the points which 1t is said the
Council exceeded it's commission.
THc issue raised by tho nrst and second questions in
the ettcr-missiye is one which there was great
need asking the advice OF 40 great council by pro-
pounding tn0sr questions, the church ulwidlngly ex-
posed tSsf the npLGOn Of III TN ling to divert the
attention Of the Council AMI The puDc from what Is
really the main question. and sud this very thing in
the Council itself Tue or the Council TO these
first and second questions Is explicit enousu 10 saying
but must confess that it fats say thr thing which
ought to have been sald not Tor the benefit OF ttc
Plymouth Church only, bus Tor me benefit OF All our
churches IL distinguishes bruad!' enough anu ItTiy
member Of Ch!sts visbl dnc cat"ohc church. ami the
special covenant by winch he Deeons q memOer OF
particular church.
which it goes wide 0f the mark il just this: The an
cient rule and by wlcd, III cetan cases, cnurcn
witAdraws lie watch ana care" Hom III mOer, or III
tie words of ancient platform, declares ltseIf dis
of Inspection over Is RUE
in wnIcn cDuICn M nDCr not 0tnefWlse
scandalolls" has fully withdrawn and divided himself
from communion Of the cnurcn 10 winch he belong
etu." That platform was made 10 1850, IN London ~
e ding Ministers caied Irosbytcr and COngIega-
who found themselves dl.sCnerS alter tGe
Revolution III Eli .Iaud and the act OF Tuera
tOu, separatists ake from the national cnurcn.
,t1i,p nat & spi IN
III tlIe snnic way with member OF Unbalanced life aud
Iistlau lut whose only flut is that ne has gone TO
some Other church lEpiscOpal Baptist aud not
coTteous enough to ask for letter when he did not
need in entering into his new relations was not heard oI
iII lately. ia The which gave occasion for the
former council, who Was nOtoI1ously scHndalous-
not merely pUstate all that our churches recOS
me Christianity, but sltnuercr !nleSs tne pastor
an aduteIeIl, and against whom complaint
mad been made In the churcn for that
slauder rid Of not by son. but as The cerk
Of tie churcn Taste 10 INFORM the asonlshed pub-
taAiUg hls name lroIn the roll, without
hlu and in accordance with the laCte
Lee ia wing ccase from MS membership four years pre-
yUusN so ip tne OF Mrs. MUuitOn more recently.
the assumption (Which We til nuhc) of MI beechvIs
innocence, she nOGorUusiy scaudaious-Openly
Guougn not i'll formal cOnpalHU charged by
Mr. Bccchcr with sander ana p,iJuTyi nut IN
t,e exercise Of wnat thought 10 DC "a wise
discretion" the Examining Committee and the church
chose not to censure d scandalUus member
Uuough she UNFORTUNATELY demanded a ulal on tnaJ
sstcl buC gently dTuppod" her with no Iurlher lnJ
Piled such l any as necessarily arises out
hat Tor considerable perJd she had chosen
II to com Iue Ia tine Lords supper or
i'm uunic worship. A wise dIscrctIOn' So the hunted
OSTRICH, using " wise discretion" buri Its head
sand ayVid the huntcr eaNlns ls great Duh eA
posed tn Als arrows.