Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1880-09-03

to stop with some western friends, Captain
Berkeley to visit some in Kentucky,
Messrs. Cochran, Wayt and Eskridge to
visit Indianapolis and Cincinnati and tar
ry at the White, and your reporter to ling
er in West Virginia and catch bass in the
endeth the Chicago pilgrimage. M.
The Virginia Synod and Rev. ]. B. Haskell.
Editors indicator:
Magma est veritas ct prepale6it!
To all whom it may concern, in the name
of the Lord Jesus Christ, greeting:
Inasmuch as the Evangelical Lutheran
Synod of Virginia, in regular session, has
seen fit to issue against me, and to publish,
sentence of deposition, it behoOves me, for
the sake of my work and my reputation as
a minister of Jesus Christ, to give to The
church at large my statement and defence
against the cruelty and gross injustice in
volved in this illegal attempt to ruin my
flock and myself.
In the first place, I deny that the Vir-
qinia Synod has had any authority or juris
diction ouer me since the connection for
merly existing between the Central Evan
gelical Lutheran Church, of StauntOn,
Va, with its pastor and the Evan. Luth.
Synod of Virginia qCds legally and regular
ly DISSOLVED on the 9Th and 18th of June,
1880.
Conscious of the justice of my cause and
the irresistible power of the truth, am
ready, by the grace of my Master, to de-
fend my flock and myself from the attacks
made upon us.
With full appreciation of the conse-
quences (Which are not of my making) and
a clear view of my responsibility before
God, solemnly charge the Virginia Synod
with alqa-L astherdniSna, with va0l0taO1 of
its 0son Constitution and of the teachings
of Holy Scripture and of justice under the
common law.
am of the opinion that I have been
thus hardly dealt with in order to shield
one who has been proved guilty Of VIOLA
ton of the Constitution and Liturgy of the
church; of usurpation Of ministerial au-
thority and of conduct unbeconainq a clergy
man or Christian.
Ra (See "a Review of the Testimony and
Decisions in the cases of Revs. j. B. Has
kell and j. I. Miller at the special called
session of the Ev. Luth. Synod of Va.'
Address the editor, VIM. u. Cooke, Esq.
Staunton, Val
No dispassionate man can read the Gre
view'' referred to, without being impressed
with the conviction that the Synod, wheth-
| by partially for him who has been the
cause of all my troubles, and by blind pre-
JUDGE against myself, who was one of the
Youngest of their body; and that my con-
gregation and I not having tamely submit
| ted to the wrong done us, but, having
withdrawn from their Synodical associa-
| ton, they have, at their recent session,
undertaken, as far as they can, to crush
me; and. as am informed, to relieve the
In mil
pronounced by them in April last, for the
wrongs done by him to me and my flock,
| This 'brother beloved" for whom they
| made "all allowances for temperament and
| disposition" (see decisions in Review has
long been one Of their number. was, ex-
cept to my flock and this community, yet
"a stranger in strange land,' and per-
haps they thought:
"Hes poor and that's suspicious-hes unknown,
And that's defenceless; true we have NO proof
In the spirit of my Master, would have
bowed to any Just requirement of Synod
met them as s'brethren beloved" sat at
| their feet and listened to their counsel,
their instruction and their repr0of.
For peace and duty's sake, would have
yielded myself willing sacrifice in all
that touched not truth and principle, my
| flock or the precious jewel Of my ministe-
| rial reputation: but, In the spirit of that
same Master, shall forever resist every
attack upon the Holy things have vowed
| before God to Defend
To the tribunal of Lutheranism at large,
and to the Spirit of Truth in Christ's
Church universal, appeal; and. more
than all, look for justice and relief
from that High Court in which shall sit a
RIGHTEOUS JUDGE to whom the hearts of
all men are open.
Conscious of personal defect and insult
fciency, but with humble and full reliance
upon the grace of Jesus Christ and in the
strength of the truth: hereby challenge
the President of the Virginia Synod. Rev.
j. F. Campbell, D. D., to defend or justify
his course: (d) In unlaWfully installing an
Central Evangelical Lutheran Church, of
Staunton, Va, at time when that church
had a council which had been duly and
legally elected:
(b) In attempting to Suspend" me,
without charge, trial or hearing, upon no
other ground than that respectfully ask
ed of him formal dismissiOn from body
with which, in justice to my own charac-
ter, thought could no longer affiliate
and from which, in my letter of request. l
signifed my withdrawal.
challenge the members of the Virginia
Synod to defend it's action by Scripture,
Lutheranism and Common Law: (a) In
the Decisions" rendered at the Called
Special Convention held in Sta union,
April 21st, 29tfl, 1880:
(b) In publishing and circulating an I'M
official pamphlet calculated to injure my
ministerial reputation and defame my
character:
(c) In attempting, illegally, at its regu-
lar session, at Mt. Jackson, Va, June
17th-24th, 1880, to s'depose' me from the
Gospel Ministry;
And more, challenge any member OF
the Virginia Synod to point out one official
act of mine, which 1 cannot defend by
Scripture, Lutheranism and Common
Law.
"'Tis strange how many unimagined charges
Can swarm upon man, when once the lid
Of the Pandora box of cOntHmely
Is opend o'er his head"
I ask only fair and equal hearing in
the columns of my church. paper and that
thew give me time to answer them one by
one. Horatii and CAratii let it be.