The New York herald., 1876-03-14
Dr.. StOrrS Congregation RepudiateS the De-
cisions Of the Advisory Council.
WHAT WILL FOLLOW.
A Secession To Occur if the
Council Is Upheld.
\ STORMY SESSION

DR.. Storrs the pastor the moderator, and among
those present Messrs. Sidney Green w. T. Hatch,
p. Robinson j. c. Barnes, J. Van Cott, +. Woodruff,
w. f. Merritt r. p Buck Dwight Johnson, F. Ny
gott, Jr, A. Baxter, c. c. Dixie and Colonel Adams.
The ladies' were obliged to be seated in an adjoining
chamber from which view of the proceedings could
be had The proceedings were characterized by long
and vexed discussion OF set of resolutions offered by
Mr. w. L. Hatch, condemnmg tho result oil the Adv
sorry Council, which afterward adopted
DR. Storrs called the meeting to order about eight
O'Clock and prefaced the proceedings with short
prayer, at the end of which he announced that the
special business of the evening would be the consdera
lion of the requiston, signed by prominent members,
read on Sunday, and published in the HERALD Of yes
terday Mr.. w. T. Hatch then offered and read the
following preamble and resolutions
Whereas there is a authoritative ecclesiastical
law Congregational Church, evidenced by
), the acts Of churches and Of councils are detsr@n,
hh dc anu not ronsom % 70 pbst law are Sisorerv & anJ
evolutionary and not binding individual churches
rsory Gouncii convened in Brookiya in February 1875,
j. That subsequent ordinary council may disregard an
null aud aside the result Of previous council which
Aced within It's letter missye and within the acknowledged
That may without reproach for laxity
cipne drop member for alleged prolonged absence from
the truth of charges publicly and specifically made
selecting minor offence which it shall separate him
the fellowship, that II avoid the scandal OF
investigating aud cutting him of for the graver offence;
B. That council may declare itself upon matters Of the
churches the which submitted by the
Inviting aad nVed the na
sdus delegates and of the council is derived and
hss whGnt % hearing sha1h ana That ha:
he question by the letter mlssve council may advise the
latter church tna such proer was and should
responsibility for the rejection Of prorer which it
and Of the other church to accept
rach party has an unconditional and unlimited right by OBJ
Getting exclude from the council church minister
Of the question whether such excluded church minister
M IN ne the eu D s Seen
agreed to, aud by between the parties notified
% exclude from mutual council onehaf Of which is
So 81 he n enee and s
pr reason Of vcnage special knowledge Of the parties
aconeluson in the nature othings most competent
6. That Caud by pont Of reasoning, church
with %n 'Se be 0 % his
church TO pass By the standing Examining COMMITTEES and
sess associates 9ome OF whom are not members of the
% % n a af eTs
investigation by such special committee cons
relieving such church duty further inquiry
4 That a Council may the or method of in
vestgatng by regularly constituted council grave
churches and may substitute therefor secret commission
and limitation Of its functions and in It's method Of
the S of s so that
rity, intelligence or impartiay therefore,
aecedc TO and will not be bound by the pfncps so de-
ripes as novel false revolutionary and su6vsve Of
The Plat s. and poy 81 M %
tonal fellowship with church which adheres those
Resolved, That when the fundamental principles
Of the Congregational platforms and roey1pTincipes
sowhatever the collective brotherhood of the
constituted council ordinary exra2rdaay, according
she particular case ana tnas cnnrcn proves Itself uni
procedure instituted By itself Or In an orderly way
tends and threatens dscredt all the churches it the
churches Institute inquiry in order rid itself either
neh scandal cs OF such church & and ns ws shall
investigate in any extreme case through ecclesiastical
lstencc the communion Of Congregational churches.
Mr.. Hatch, alter reading The resolutions declared
that he would say nothing support of them all he
would have liked to remark had been said better by
DR. Storrs on the previous evening
Mr. whittemore spoke some length on the resolu-
tions He characterized the late Council a noble
one and said he had doubt that It's members had
acted in strict accordance with what they believed
be true principles of Congregatonasm. Congrega-
tionalism he defined In manner precisely similar to
the explanation OF DR.. Storrs Sunday night.
CoDgregationalsm, he said, is not dying out,
but increasing, and the falling away
Of one church would not affect the prosperity Of the
communion. II has been said he continued, that in
the Congregational Church one council has not the
right TO contrary to another council 1t true
that in >sInge instance the late council conravcned
former The previous Council decided that mem
per could not DO dropped from the roll of a church
without trial But the late Council had more light.
Several Christian judges have been called on for
an opinion ON this question: and they
have declsed that q council is mutual unloss there
perfect willingness both sides, lrst to accept
duration, and then TO decide with perfect harmony
who shall constitute that council and then both sides
sign tho letter missve that shall know
which party originated the council
Mr. kAh le n man hpr0 ba.
very faint and saId he would kc to speak moro
fully but found himself physically unable TO do
Deacon Buck said the entIre matter had been gone
thoroughly by the pastor on the previous
night that nothing was left for him TO say He poured
the churches He said:-"IsA not the aim Of radical
ism upset all law and order in our land?" He was
proud TO say that he
BELONGED TO THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY
in the church. He was one OF the founders Of the
church IN which they were assembled and he certified
tho fact that he and those with whom he associ-
nted in the building OF the edihcc, and IN calling the
young and conservative preacher who had never since
left them that they intended the church 10 be real
oldashioncd conservative New England Congregational
church. The who composed the atc council intend
he had doubt when they lett home TO do right how
ever they elt when they got Brooklyn. The action
Of Of the delegates had been analogous TO the act
pf who holds the ZIP OF pen IN signing his name
while some one else makes the mark.
Mr.. Whittcmore requested the gentleman 10 men
uon the name Of one delegate who had SO acted but
was summarily sienced by Dr. Storrs, who declared
nim out oil ORDER and he subsded.
Mr.. jeremiah p. Woodruff was called, ana In re-
OF the resolutions
Dr. Storrs he would be pleased to have the mat
ter explained by the gentleman who drew them IL
seemed 10 him that they would make change what
ever IN the relations OF the church They were simply
protest against ccr,ain rules and principles enun-
cIaed by The Council which any church had right 10
make, but they did not declare disioowship with
any church, nor with the community OF churches
This interpretation was ndUrsed by Mr.. Hatch, and
the question was again about be put wnen Brother
Woodbridge arose and said that he was greatly paned
by the trouble which had existed among the churches
and particularly at the feeling against Plymouth
Church, OF which he had been member for many
years He had discredtcd and fought against the
Inors derogaiory Of Mr. Beechers character for a long
time; but he must now say honestly and frankly that
ho
BELIEVED THE CHARGES TRUE.
The brother was called TO order By the Moderate or
and at the suggestion OF Judge Van Cott withdrew the
Objectionable remark He then continued .''Councils
Inn nd hnr M.