The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1880-02-27

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ed member claims that his exclusion
was unjust, the church shall submit the
question to suitably organized Coun-
cilp and If this Council shall declare,
say by two-thirds vote, that such ex-
clusion was based on insufficient
grounds or was not arrived at by due
process, that such act OF exclusion shall
be null and void?
1t will be said that Baptist church
cannot agree to submit its action to the
decision of council, for a Baptist
church is an Independent body. But is
1t independent of the principles Of JUS
tice and of right? independent of the
laws of common decency? Sometimes,
IT is true, sovereign state will cheat
its creditors in a most rascally manner,
aud then by virtue of its sovereignty
refuse TO plead at the bar of any court
in answer TO the charge of injustice;
but a church can hardly afford to be as
"independenp as this. IL might not
Improperly he unwilling to secede from
its position, il the adverse vote of the
coutcil was carried merely by ma
Jority of ono. But for the church to
refuse TO agree TO abide by a decision
arrived at, say by a two-thirds vote of
a council Of unprejudiced brcihen,
such refusal would be confession
beforehand that it was in the wrong;
nay, more, that it intended TO conlinue
in The wrong. On the other hand,
church that has due respect for its own
good name will be glad to have its ac-
iion IN disputed case reviewed by
competent council, that the world may
know that its action has been not pas
sionato and hasty, but based on law
and justice.
This question is far from being an
uhlnportant one. And you, dear
reader, may be the very ono who yet
VIII be personally interested in il.
Church men bers just as good and of as
long standing as you have sometimes
Deen pitched out of Baptist churches
head, neck and heels, with II rdly a
semblance of order. You think that
no church quarrel could arise in your
quiet little corner of Zion, but five,
ten, fifteen years from now your
church may have some Diotrephcs for
Il pastor, who, if You attempt to inter-
ierc the least with his ideas, may make
| you and the rest of the dcacons "walk
the plank" with precious little cere-
m0ny. BE not too sure that vou and
/ 'hN C'hSA OibCi lItlhDtlS COulO IldlltUt
II headstrong pas or. If such one is q
man of any ability at all, he can carry
strong vote. When he locks horns
with the deacons and leading members.
he has plenty of time to go about from
house TO house rallying his personal adj
hercnts to bring them out to the
church-mceting. "These rich men are
trying to put down the pastor'' is
slogan which will call forth a
numerous party, and give that pastor
power to cxcommunicate almost as alb
solute as that of the Pope himself.
Others, too, than a pastor may bring
about an unjust exclusion. Is it not
wise, therefore, when a church is in
quiet, to devise means to forestall par
tisan action which may be taken in fu-
ture days OF excitement?
There is need of a little manual sell
ting forth the proper methods of pro-
cedure in cases of discipline. MANY
churches get into great difficulties and
perplexities simply from not knowing
the right way to go to work when
offences havc been committed. Taking
our churches as W.cle. the troubles
of which we have been speahing are
rare. But alasl they are common
enough for the subject to demand at
tehtlon. ONE WHO SEES.