The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1886-07-14

pear before the Council with the records,
or To allow the records la bc consulted by
the Council The only official communi-
cation before the Council With reference
To the action OF the church was state
ment with reference Ia the board at arhi-
tr.tfiDn appointed mt the first meeting of
thi> Council Thu clerk of the Council
received from the clerk of the church
statement that at a meeting held ON Satur-
day. July 3. the church voted not To sub
mil it, trou lie to the five brethren select
ed two voting yes and the remainder no;
that the vote Wis taken IA second time.
With the saint result two voting No>, hut
the body of the church aro>c. voting no"
\ paper was laid before the Council.
signed by Yen members of the church,
none of them included in the number said
To be under discipline, in which IL was
stated that at at the conference meeting.
July 3, they all voted To submit the dllrr-
ence> in the church to the arbitration Of
the council if five; that they voted twice
Ia that effect by raising the hand, and by
standing
1t i proper Ia add that before any les
timuny Whatever was taken by this toun-
oil efforts were made Ia MAXI the Council
"A mutual one To this end the whole Of
the whole Of the time Of the lir>t meeting
of the Council WAS employed. and il was
supposed that this result had been >ecur-
cl Even after the failure Of thu eouu-
ell o. arbitration private efforts were
made hy members of the Council 10 the
same end, up to the time of the second
meeting bnt without success. W. also
deem it proper to add that from the evil
drnce before the Council it, members
"a, Ia H. it In
llarWood failed properly to place the
matter Of the council OF arbitration be-
fore those present at the meeting July 3.
and also 10 make suitable efforts To induJc
those present to accept the plan adopted
al the first meeting of the Council We
also regret that during the second meet
inc of the Council impossible 10 secure
Mr.. liarwood : presence.
JUDGMENT or TIE COZ \otra
The facts presented seem to call FOR the
Judgment Of this Council with reference
10 three points, VIZ, the conduct of the
members who signed paper expressing
their d>approyal of Mr.. iiarWood's course
the suspension of nfty-two members of
the church at the meeting Of June 9Th.
and the exclusion of i've members June
Ath
Without expressing our opinion A. to
the grounds of dSSati~ faction with
the labor> and methods Of Mr. llarwond,
it i the opinion of this Council that II
private expression of such di~appruNal a~
was made by hfty-two members of the
church to MIR IIarwood WIS not inconss-
tent with the rights of church members.
As to the act of placing under discipline
fifty-two members at the meeting of the
Ill, In II In f.tft lut
no notice WAS given To the accused MEM
hers of any action to be taken in their
case; in the absence of any kind of pre-
Viou> labor with such members, as is us
ual in eases of church discipline; from
the fact that no action was taken in the
ease Of Il single individual. but only gen
cral action against the whole number;
and furthermore, rs il appears that the
clerk of the church was not present dur
ing the meeting and that no clerk pro teDt-
pore was appointed until nearly the close of
meeting; also that the accused members
have never been informed of charges
against them, and that many of them
were absent from the meeting it Is our
judgment that the whole proceeding with
reference to the iiftN-two members was
contrary to the usage of Baptist churches
and is therefore null and void.
In the case Of the five members against
whom II sentence of exclusion was passed
June sth on account of the manner OF
| their exclusion and of the fact that there
WAS no suitable labor with them by any
person or persons appointed by the
church because action WAS taken against
them while SO large Il portion of the mem
bcrS of the church were unjuStly deprived
of the privilege of voting; it is our judy