The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1880-11-17


church, published in last Saturdays HER.
AID.
Elder j. IL. Curry andS L. May
DEAR BRRTHREN-I am in receipt of
paper from you purporting to be preambles
and resolutions adopted by the First Baptist
church of Dallas. As you have seen fit to
publish said paper Isend you my reply
You express II very great desire for p ace,
and you refer to some of the evils resulting
from our troubles Now, am not oblivious
TO the fact that you are parties to the act |
the unlaw ul reception OF Elder Link into |
the church which destroyed the
peace Of the church a. it was
Aud though you see the fruits of said un-
lawful act, you refuse TO uudo it, but have |
endeavored to give it legal sanction by grant |
ing him letter Of dismissal. The act ra- |
ceiving him was illegal, unscrlptuYal, hence, |
null and void, and he has never been, under |
that act, member Of the Dallas church. |
And for you TO grant him letter of dis
missal, is simply an attempt to legslize tn It
which is illegal, and only increases the bar.
riers between The church of which am pas
tor, and the party you represent. If you
are sincere when you express such great
de ire Tor peace why did you not return FL
DIR Link his Houston letter when he pro-
p, sed to receive II? But you have objected
that you could not return him said letter be.
causeit had been burned. Certainly par
ty which claims to have "all the brains" can
lesrn how to supply lost paper? If not,
the church will gladly give you the needed
Information when you signify your willing
ness 10 return the letter. Docs YOUR prapo.
sition indicate that you desire peace9 Why,
then, are we not permitted to have it with
out having to seek restoration MS excluded
members your hauds? We were forced to
withdraw from you because of your dsor-
derby acts before an exclusion was claimed,
and now, if all the Objectionable scls we're
undone, we could not accept of restoration.
We could harmonic but could not be re-
stored. Your act of exclusion was illegal
and we can never, without untaithfulness TO
Christ's law, by act or otherwise accept il rs
legal. Your party has made three PROPOSE
tons 10 my brethren, but each one requires
restoration" as "sine qua non." As we
have been recognized by the Bsptists of north
Texas generally, as the only First Baptist
church Of Dallas, and as our acts upon the
points at.sue have been held AS legal and
yours AS illegal, i! would ba just and rIght
for you not only to undo the one act you
propose, but all your illegal acts and seek
restoration ut tae hands of the recognized
church. This much, however, was not re-
CURED of you in the proposition sent you in
the spirit of compromise. In your paper TO
me you deny that you ever denied investiga-
tioL to any member of the
church before the whole church. |
find the following upon the records
as part of the minutes of November 10,
1879, and adopted by the undivided church:
An amendme to the above H. @. the Grf.
fifth rssolution) was offered by Bro. w. H.
Thacker, to the effect that the investigation
contemplated by the resolution be had be-
fore the whole church in session, instead OF
before committee, which amendment was,
after some discussion, lost"
Please compare your denial with the
church record.
There is another insurmountable difficulty
in your "invitation.
In the first resolution, you delegste,author
ity 10 the clerk to restore exclu ed member;
and dismiss members, upon their signifying
to him their wish for restoration or dismissal
II nothing else we're in the way, we cOulC
not become parties to such illegal proceed
iug1. Aud this peuchrnt upon your part t
do lawful things in an unlawful manner ha
force this trouble upon the Dallas church
You received Elder Link unlawfully. 70,
proposed 10 adjust personal difficulties I'M
lawfully. You proposed to exercise dsci
pine unlap fully. You excluded(D mem
bers unlawfully, and you new propose Il
restore them unlswfully, and grant letters o
dismi:sion unlawfully.
lu conclusion, your invitation may have
the semblance ofiairness TO some, but to on,
who knows anything of Baptist polity and !
acquainted with the facts in this case, it !
clear that to accept il is upon our part t
surrender the recognition we have from th
Baptist brotherhood, and upon your part t.
secure to yourselves tho recognition yol
have lost on account Of your disorders.
We are anxious to lend helping hand t.
life you back upon the old Baptist platform
and to restore you to the Baptist ranks, bu
We must not be required to step down fror
that platform ourselves, nor march out of III
ranks in order to make room for you.
Yours, upon Bible principle,
w. IL. PARKS,
Pastor First Baptist Church.