The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-05-04


exhortations to quit church that neither desire,
to keep him nor reject him., In the presence O
congregation of clergymen, in an assembling
of the members of the church, he had been sub
Jected to treatment as unwarranted at it wa
discourteous. Insults took the place of reason.
Over the declaration that his teachings wer,
heretical he could have easily held his place
over the declaration that they were immoral b,
could with difficulty have held his place; but to
hold 1T over an injunction not to preach what
he unchangeably believed could only be most
dishonorable
He had been counseled, go on and let the
Sunday question alone;" and this proposition
was not the least of the indignities offered in
connection with the matter. T" l answer, there
fore, to your sentence of last spring that I will
not, for | cannot obey it. You commanded me
not to repeat my views concerning the religious
character of Sunday. reply as respectfully
as is possible, that my views remain precisely
what they were. or. rather-let me be perfectly
honest-they are further from your standpoint
than they were year ago." This was not ut
tered in defiance. No, in far different spirit.
Nothing but the occasion would control him.
fthe necessity arise, if fitting occasion
presents itself, l shall speak again on this sub
Ject; and, If needful, again and again and
every time l shall obey my conscience, but
not your injunction in repeating and expound
ing the doctrine which you have condemned"
There We're certain axioms at the basis of
Christianity, but the Sunday question was not
one of them. When immaterial things are
ranked with essential, naught but refusal re
NAMED
First, then, l can not obey because you
have commanded me to suppress in my public
teaching that which l know to be true. You
will regard this reason as preposterous only
when you forget that you contemptuously re-
ject all of the matter You assume the au.
70 Hacl hot fba
no longer open | am at loss to describe this
extraordinary proposition. l am called upon
to accept that question upon which the Scrip
ture is confessedly obscure, upon which Chris.
tendon is notvriously divided, upon which the
public mind swings between two extremes, is
no longer OPEN 1t is needless for me to
challenge your right to deliver this command.
If you assume this dreadful authority and are
minded to exercise it here and hereafter then
here Tor hereafter / repudiate and repel it.
Any slavery were better than this, whose hid
den shackles blind the heart and mind, and un-
bind the tongue only so far as to permit it to
proclaim the disgrace and bondage of mind aud
heart. My second reason is not so tar reach
ing, but simple and good. 1 can not obey be-
cause you have exceeded the right by which
you are qualified to sentence me at all. His
hrst allegiance, he asserts is due to the Bible,
and then to the confession of faith The con-
cluslon OF the Presbytery was founded on
neither, buC on the intolerable basis of a ma
Jorlty opinion of the clergy. His third and last
reason is given thus II cannCs obey because
your sentence rests upon view of my relation
to the creed or confession of the Church which
l did not accept In my ordination and which
/ emphatically refuse to accept now" When
he vowed obedience to the confession of faith
he did not thereby, he says, pledge obedience to
any dlctum regarding it, and if 1t had been or
should be regarded in that light, it was under
a mistake, and he renounced and recanted that
VOW. his views were not at war with the con-
fesslon OF faith, and could not be SO construed,
only 1t was held that the commonly received
Interpretation was the true and only permissible
one. He concluded with a strong alluson to
the lnalienable right of every Protestant, the
right of private judgment
The committee to whom was referred the pa
per OF Rev. F. D. Moore reported:
We listened with close attention to the read
ing and exposition of the paper by it's author.
and have since examined it carefully and
thoroughly, and find that FIrst-Mr. Moore in
the beginning of the address and also on page s
attlrms that his views of the doctrine of the Sab
bath day, as that doctrine was restated bv this
fresoytery one year since,sare as widely diff
ferent as they were then Are further from
your standpoint than they were year ago"
Second-He refers to the fact that he was re
minded by members of the Presbytery and subse
9uently by members of the Synod, that he could
md the largest liberty to propagate his views on
the Sabbath and on%ll other questions outside
the Presbyterian Church, but that he could
not hold those views and remain minister anv
very long time within its fold To these kindly
meant suggestions Of the brethren to relieve his
conscience. he refers with undisgused contempt
Third Having thus answered the exhortation
OF the Presbytery, confirmed by Synod, made TO
him to reconsider his views on the Sabbath and
referred to the advice of those who coupseled
him to leave the Presbyterian Church if his
conscience would not allow him to hold and
preach her doctrines, he declares he will not
in the future obey the Injunction of this Presbv
terry. His language is, Z" will not, because |
cannot obey it He explains and emphasizes
his refusal to obey further on the ninth page.
Fourth--He proceeds further to say that he
Will hereafter claim and exercise the same liber
ty to think and speak on all other doctrines
That no one Of the doctrines of the Scriptures
as interpreted by the confession of faith shall be
considered by him as settled, but shall all be
treated by him as open questions. The reauir
ing OF him to preach the doctrines of the Church
OF which he was ordained a minister. as these
doctrines are interpreted by the Church herself
and the forbiddng Of him to hold and teach
doctrines contrary thereto, he denounces as a
violation OF Christian liberty, and asserts that
any slavery were better than this, whose hid
den shackles bind the heart and mind and
unolnd the tongue only so far as to permit il To-
and heart"
Fiith-He Acknowledges that his views on
the doctrine Of the Sabbath are at war with the
confession OF faith as commonly internreted
hN af.rgar .Iarr4 fl.eN- L. Il