The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-05-05
THE SECOND CONGREGATIONAL
CHURCH.

| Inc festival closing the exercises of
the Fifty-seventh Anniversary of the
Second Congregational Church oc-
CURED last evening. Two hours of So
cial intercourse passed during which a
collation. was served when the following
reports were rendered, the pastor pre-
siding: Mrs. E. II. Scott, statistical sec
rotary, gave the gains, losses and pres
ent status of the membership. Miss A.
G. Park read obituaries of the seven who
died during the year. Mr.. Harrison l.
Norton reviewed the district work, Mr..
Charles McDonough that of the Senior
Endeavor Society, and Master d. Edward
Moore spoke for the Juniors. Addresses
followed by Miss j. A. Valentine on the
Church and Home Missions" Dea. AL
be Walker on the Church and Foreign
Missions" Col. DIN Scott on the Con
gregational Club" Mrs. Ella B. Seymour
on the "ForJnightly Club, land Col. ED.
Bennett on the "Mid-week Meeting of
the Church." A pleasant episode of the
evening was the presentation, to Mrs.
Geo. W. Keeseman, of silver tea set, to
which she gracefully responded with a
solo at the piano. Notwithstanding the
inclement weather the attendance at this
festival, which has become yearly af-
fair, was highly gratifying.
On Sunday evening the pastor preached
a sermon from Ephesians vi:l0: Finally,
be strong in the Lord, and in the strength
of His might" These words, addressed
to members of the Christian church,
were the basis of a very fine and appro-
pirate sermon, during which Mr.. Sey-
mour used the history of this Church as
an illustration; We give the extract in
the words of the pastor as follows:
nf napf NH
titioners, forty in number asked to be
separated from the Mother Church on
the hill. Their plans were we'll consid-
cred, and yet they did nothing in haste.
They wished to be organized as soon as
possible into distinct "Church, to be
located in the East village" but would
wait upon the reasonable Judgment of
the body to which they belonged. The
response of the Mother put her children
on probation for year, and conditioned
their going then ON their ability to get
and sustain Pastor. They accepted
the condition and fulfilled it. Within a
year tho man was found and engaged,
and on April q, 1886 the new Church
was formally organized and Rev. Aretas
Loomis, the new minister, settled
The adherence of these forty and more
to the principles of the noble First
Church is marked. At the same time
indications of progressive mind are not
wanting. In the first place they rea-
soned their way like brainy people de-
voted to an object The old m, citing
house was too crowded. 1t was incon-
venient of access to members this way,
especially those of the eastern hills. The
population of the valley was increasing,
and there was demand for new centre
of spiritual life. Their theological dis
cernment is shown in their critical re-
view of the old confession Of faith when
the separation came. They adopted the
the articles but took exception to one
word. They accepted also the covenant
but added a sentence fOrbidding mem
bers ito use or traffic in ardent spirits"
The word sufficient which they omit
ted from article V referred to the atone
ment Should the phrase read 'suffi-
cisnt atonement? The epithet was not
needed to convey the whole truth. TO
insert it was to imply human judg-
ment as to what was sufficient. The
critics probably said: Estate the com
prehensive fact and let that suffice"
The addition to the covenant shows
the new Church to have been in advance
on a moral question just lifting above
the horizon. The WaShingtonian move
ment hod not yet swept the States, there
had been only talk of reform. But here
was band of Christians who had felt
the evil on the hill, aud, fearing the
temptation would be even moro formid-
able in the valley, dared to take stand
and even to incorporate their will into
their Church covenant
Whatever we may think about the
place their pledge was made to occupy,
we cannot but praise the motive and the
rare independence of the action.
This progressiveness, observe, was in
strict subserviance to the main intent.
The devout attitude of these founders
is clear. In selecting a Pastor they
looked out man who in their opinion
would "build up the cause of Christ"
The call and the settlement over, the
church resolved "that we are under the
highest obligations of gratitude to the
Great Head of the Church for the sue
cess with which He has blessed our ex-
ertions thus far" and they put on rec
ord the resolution. 1t was the stone of
Samuel that they set up, avowing,
"Hitherto hath the Lord helped u.s."
Now begin the annals of this new or
ganism. We cannot review them at
length. ask you to notice, however,
| IDdI InedSIt utldllb ICNOdi q niOob oCilOuo
purpose. Growth at the beginning was
quite rapid. Many came by letter. Lib
erality was voted in the method of re-
ceiving from Churches whose forms diff
fer from ours. But the joy of receiV-
ing new members was tempered by the
effort to preserve purity. The discipline
of the first fifteen years occupies much
space in the record. If members neg
lected the Communion they were waited
upon by committees. The omission of
daily family prayer was an object of So
licitude and expostulation. Current ru-
moIs against the character of member
were investigated. The Church really
seems in danger, at times, of losing its
dignity in hunting out the sources of
gossip. But there were determined men
at the helm. Fearless, they searched
until something was found or nothing,
and made careful note of the result.
The Church communicated in sew
eral instances for immoral conduct, and
on one occasion man and his wife were
cut off for trafficking in liquors. Asllate
as 1860 it passed a strict resolution against
dancing. On several occasions when
spiritual interest Waned committee
was chosen to visit from house to house
to secure amendment OF life.
In all cases of discipline or plans to
quicken activity the intention of the
church was undoubted. Conviction was
deep, wisdom was continually sought,
and the objects attained, on the whole,