, 1876-03-19

Cnusch to proceed unt to Try Mr. Beecher, but
TO act in reference to the federation OF great
scandal By tlat churthv Mr.. Beecher uould4
however, in this case bethe chief su1eret. The
matter cannot veil rest hsre-
VIEWS OF 1aE LEADING EASTERN DkS01HSA-
I1oNAL oE7AN.
Bostoa C0ngTegasona'ist.
There ought to be furthe iuveetigadon-noe
to satisfy Mr. Beecher'a frnnds, who do not
need it, Int those who bolieyohim to be guilty,
or who are in grnat trouble through fear that ho
may be. 1t cannot be for the honor OF GOD or
tue good OF Mr. Beecher and lis church that
some further explanation shouiduot be offered
Of some OF tho facts which confront the public,
which aone men will not forget, aud which can-
not DO blinked out OF sight.
It ougnt to be By some tribunal Saich all tho
reasonable world shasl at onco concete to be an
impartial one- ANY court OF justice beiore which
tho matter can come IN such shape as not to
exclude witnesses supposed to know uareyealed
facts. ought TO satisfy the country; Q: snv CO
cles.astical tribunal which should be censtitut-
ed according to Congregational methods. md tho
members as nearly unbiased as human' 'mpor-
tion can permit, ought to satisfy itself.
But the Commission suggested by the Advis-
ory Council must necessarily be Inadequate to
this demand, because fts Stream can rlse no
higher than its fountain; which large portion
at iesst Of the minds needing and waiting to
have their doubts removed would Say had lta eri-
GIN. to al1 inteots and purposes, in Plymouth
| IT,.
named the Commission and which. insteadot
providing that the live Commissioners be so-
iected lmpartially by lot out Of the twenty. ar
ranged thu. they should be arranged by CON-
uittee OF three. two At least OF whom are car
nestly and publicly committed to one Side OF Inc
question in iasue.
how The Future WILL SEE II.
Ffom .he sam< pt1fT.
It ia cleAr on tho face OF things that, as tho
general rule, those churches and those ministers
y 1,,c1, hAfnFnhAn1
be inclined to take sides with Plymouth Church
on some OF all Of the questions at issue To thus
great body OF at least not unfa7ora5lo judges
was added smaller aelection OF pastors and
Others who h1l more or less decidedly commit
| ted themselves publicly On those questions, .nd
| on related issues.
Conspicuous among such members were Mr.
! Beecher's own sou-in-law, whose late-con1nS
good seuse. it seems, saved hltn, however, from
| helping to shape the result; many pastors who
| havo especially identified themselves With Mr.
| Beccher's side in the controversy; those excel
| lent gentlemen from Yale College. OF whom the
it to be his duty and his privilege, two years oGo
| to publish q sermon in severe revlew OF the re-
suit of the ti1ss Brooklyn Council the raputef
author Of that editorial in Hdrper,s Weekly or
tho number following The close OF the civil tI1ai-
| which interpreted the evidence and the verdict
| most concluslvely in Mr. Beecher's favoE: tho
| editor of that member Ut the small family OF
Congregational religious Neodly Journals WHICH
| had unresetvedly taken the SIDE OF TIC cnnrcn
against Mrs Moulton in tho matter OF tho lately
| proposed Mutual Council, the publisher OF which
| journal was also present, and, on the nomina-
| tion Of its editor, vas made oae OF the Assistant
Mode7ators Of the body; and that Secretary OF
the American Home Missionary Society who, Ia
the Brooklyn Council, and since shat day. haa
been as definitely and earnestly identified with
tho position of the Plymouth Church as h1e dis
tiuguiBhed cousin has been supposed to be with
another view OF the subject, ana who had
thought himself at liberty to take time aud
pains enough TO gather from the broad land
and condemns into pamphlet OF eighs-and-
twenty pages. alleged facts in regard to tho
usages OF certain Congregational churches. and
such opinions from Congregational authors a.
| could most plausib1y ba made to seom to further
in the minds OF tho Council those conclusions
which the party convokng might naturally de-
I eire to obtain from it.
/ ! Had the body been lenyeued by any, over 50
small, infusion Of the opposite element. snd
eyen one single pastor, professor, secretary, o.
| other person baen invited who had mada puohc
utterance Of an opposite character, 30 much n
least would have been done towards the seeming
of inupa1tialtv. As it ia, the deliverance OF the
Council must be judged by the calm public to he
} largely though kindly, e1-paEte IN quality, and
whether good, bad, or Indifferent in its mstter
, must inevitably 20 doHn to the future NTH tha
| coloring upon it.