, 1881-09-11
a Promise OF More Heresy Trials IN
the Early Future.
Even Some of the Bishops 10 Be Brought
to Task for Their Ideas.
How the Committeeman Voted-A Letter
Of Sympathy.
DIR. THOMAS.

official
II. Tnuoor STREET, CHICAGO Scpt- ~, l5st:@
Tlr ffr H. IF. Thomas, D. D.-l}EAR BKolhEa.
It becomes 1ny painful duty 10 INFORM wv @ u.
the comt1,ee - y1u1 eaie f "i a9So ehnres IN the
rnn1u1nirt aSail,sr you. Hence ny parA@1apue
~ aud 3la in the Book Of Discipline. YOU S ~,
church privileges until the ensuing sess1ou VI
our conference Your brother;;, x,,,,xc
The appended acknowledgment was sent: .x
F.rwr1t, HorsE, sept. IL. 1sS1.-1he Rcr. ~
c. 1}iAinU D. D.-UEAN ElsoTHEK: lonr .,".ie
tn Dr. Thomas of the action III the coinntttss
r.ce;red DR. Thomas is surprised anu !'a'i1eu
~ The verdict and will resist and defend usa!!,si
.aty charges, complaints. and accusations itltaI
acquitted. or the last resort = "Xnas.s s''
One Of cuunsei for defense.
Of course the Doctor had to be interviewed,
and the TKinCSE reporter who Sd" n'1n oie''ee
the conversation with
.swlIAr 10 YOU THINK OF THE VERDICT
~ expected something different salst UE.
Tbomus md, Of course. was SURPRISED atlo
hurt when heard it, l thought cefaaue Ino
,.hur,,e in reference TO the Scriptures would mol
be sustained. Nor did think the one concern
ing the A1ouemcnt would TT. lndeed' hao fo
dou,,t on those two. and was quite cohi'uen1 u
nto,,itra on the third, because, i'll order 10 con-
vic, nc, they would have to go outside o1 Inc
Articles of Religion and outside Of the Apostles
and the Niccne Greed t. lind any eA-
nrassion Of belief whatever On the SUD
icct Of future punishment Ihat oe'hs
81. 10 fiud law by which to condemn ne tnes
would necessarily have to 70 to otnef nutnot1-
.;es such rs the catcchisn, or tho hymn DOCK:
or Wcsry's sermons thought my counsel nau
made II sufficiently clear tn2i Tue o!i's essa 49, "
fIuc1r;uc TO which Methodist preacher wsts
a1uenu!>!e YVES Il, be found III the Articles o. ~
lIriou. aud ii seemed to me that they would nnt
travel buyoal these. und the :sf,at cf.'e"s i ~
which the orthodoxy Of tho wurlo rests. u , nnu
R,.ff
tlnnc tor there Is absolutely not one !scrd nor
intimat,on in the Articles 81 RellVion or
ia these creed$ oil the suo)ecto luture pu,9u 1',
rnent This, by the wly- is one O1 Tue lungs
thut we shall contest to the lAst-that =. we
thull oppose maxim: anything but the aftlc'cs
thc thurrh, as contained in the discipline. stand
srds by which IL minister of our th'1r"E r:tn ne
tricd This is at the principal l':"t!i'es m
more irnportu,t question before the C1ursn
than this. Every one can sre tnat II We
90 on admitting; such thinss US IN me e.f+ .i,
chis1n uud standard writer's, anu cNa!t
Ait c!es Of Religion. and try men by Them: we
must thereby 1!arrow the hfe'a:,!n a'tu t, 4a
Church as it was i'll lSl>, ana unf IN, 'neIe -
nothing bit the simple facts OF tho CHRISTIAN
srriiu.: md we thereby discriminate between
essential doctrines ard opinions and leave the
world Of philosophical specuiations rs to dec-
itself. which was undoubtedly John Ncs!cys 5
idea. lie wanted the Churci, as proad as the
world and wanted !, to to ,an 20 term o'4 a4
work ali classes Of thinkers who could
accept the great facts Of the Christian rclEoh
and were in sympathy With ITS sp'rlt aha MoFh.
Aui If in this contest We cac onay 90 thls. nr
SUCCEED in arr e%tine this tendency to narrow
ness in i.gsiRt1on. it will be well worth all .he
trouble and suffering that If 1nns cost
.'yoU Arr. GOING TO F1GIIT?"
40 yes. if YOU call it II fight; we shall Ger
CARRY fhiS matter to the QlEQGSL
couris-thhr is, if the case Eues against ME ut
,he annual ,tb Try d. n' o,cr
Ihn1t the Articles OF ltciigjou men shall sub
scribe to.
uunl conference. in view of its uas1 action:
- had hoped uil alOng that. whct once the
case came tn Il candid investigation those even
who were opposed 10 rue might sec the snpject
me here. | have less confidence IN securing Il
favorable verdict at the Conference Nevcrtne-
less we shall meet the matter there. atu TO TUG
hes, We cur. ! um very much Inpre concerned
for the Church than for myself In this ISSUE
"What are your views Us 10
THE METHODS OF TIL: PROSECUTION
.I think Judge Hurd managed the case pretty
. well. believe he prepared about a!i the qaes-
tiors il, examining witnesses, So that II was
really Hurd and parkhurst- but only f'arkhurs1
appears in what WIS doue- However. on our
side NC dit, not object to the prosecution having
legal advice, for we wanted the case to hive us
much consistency in il as possible;
~
"Wcll, il WIS worse than lexpectet dun
look for any logical reNson'11g or uenth "f taeo,
logical leurni1,s, but did expect TINT he wolff
contine himself more strictly TO the ch'lrEes anu
spccitcutioEs. and the evidence that h'td o',et,
presented. But, instead of thai, nc Travelled
ihe case from the origin, or what he called his
tory but what in fact was really nnythlnE btlt
history in amy true sense. 1t was little less 1han
A. SERIES, OF NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..
Hc Roueh. to make the impression that ln's was
fE.lf
this trial whereas the facts are thai. after ny
character had passed ut Mount Carroll in ls's
through what Is called tho Conference Commit
tee; and they passed number ni very severe
resolutions placing me n..d..s cenSufc anu inc tiaet
acnt me buck to Centenary Church At the hcs
conference they pussel my ct.tr:lctcr again, ant
said nothing about what had happened. Ihef
ct the ncxt one; yeard d aSo .4'.,,, n,sS', .og"
resolution wAs introduced asking me Il
withdraw from the Church-nnt trn,n tht
ministry ninne. but from, the Church iais q
course, declined to do and placed my dcclna
uon before the conference in PAPER 10 TINT el'
feet They appointed committee to reply y
thut paper, aud that committee Recommended
as the conference was 50 near :l'llnurht!.cIlt
that the case be referred IL the Presiding El,ier
Then there arose the question WIN t,s o''1"1 10
would ike to take hold ot it, And to avoid th:l
a1tiisn'y mens from aa' the fe sasp,t;s.; q strs
bunting, moved that hrs. Jewett an'
Hatfield he requested to formulate the cnarScs
50 that. instead OF its being my case. hat
simply stood on the defensive all the wa
through. Or course was not willing IL 20 o1l
of the Church. especially with the censurc
banging over me. unless there was some GToun
clearly shown why ] should 50 our: and III
shape things took. the only way to reach tai
decision was through an Investigation. and
Fus entirely willing, TINT that should be hn
both rs yindicaton of myself and Of th
Church. But the conferences began II
matter and. as think. is who'll
responsible for it. MY Presiding Edc1
befure 1t began. bad said there wns nothin
against me. and that, in all ordnary cases.
. think suffic..d And then think the prosecu
tor WIS unfair lit his representation Ut tus'nul
ton that they had only brought Il very s's:u
part Of what charges might have been brotlgh,
and thar they could EASILY have summoned w1s
nesses tn have proved great deal more: wher
in fairness. he should have confined himself
what WIS in hand. Nor did like his violent M
raisnmcnr Of my. worx- But bis statement I
reference TO my preaching am content 10 ieav
to the Judgment Of the public before whom
have laborcd SO long"
*tuow DID THE COMMITTEE IMPRESS YOU: ::
~ knew, Of course, from my knowledge {
the men, that number Of them were prs.ju
dice6 against me. We had no right of cha
lenge in the case. but | still hoped thar the
would see it in Il clear light una would decid
In tny favor. But In this l WAS mistaken.
would not pretend TO Intimate that they didn