The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-10-15

by SO doing he would cause dissenslon ~
the Elm street church. The other r9aSon
is, however, the more serious Laso oaiy,
the Bath Times printed interviews Rav
number of clergymen WhaS 0n0 was1ev
Mr.. Westhafer, pastor of the Wesley
church, then said, embodies the. charges
made against Mr.. O'Brien. Mr.. Wesul,a,er i,,a.
said that while O'Brien was arawinS ha1S
such crowds to the theatre he was nail
inclined to fellowship him uholl ne ae
learned through Rev. DR.. ChapeL' VI vi
Boston that Mr. O'Brien had cominlueeu
adultery not once but twice In the veiy
church building in which he was noiu- .t
ing evangelistio services as assistant TAN
pastor at Bridgeport, Conn, ME
O. Brien informed me, himself, that tnese
facts are true.
cat that time he was a member OF
Trinity Baptist church, East Boston, anu
was amenable to the pastor OF tnat
church. The pastor, Mr.. Marshall, IN
formed me last Wednesday that he dld
not care to soil the carpet of his church
with trial and after counselling WIN
DR.. A. G. Gordon adopted the following
merciful method of dealing with MT.
O. Brien:
"First: He must stop preaching Ior
eighteen months or two years at least.
ssSecond: He must leave the city, go
where he was not known, seek other en-
|
sThird: If at the end Of that tl1ne ne
could bring certificate from the pastor
in any church he might enter certllying
that he was thoroughly repentant ne
would reinstate the guilty brother IN tne
Baptist church.
nMr. O'Brien agreed to the terms and
left the city, but began preaching again
and again to keep silent, but as olteh
broke his covenant with Mr.. Marshall,
until he came to Bath, the first time,
when his license was revoked.
itHe comes to Bath without any
credentials whatever to preach, ana under
charges of immortality in the Baptist
church. represents himself to be what he
is not. and that is what we are forced TO
call hypocrisy, therefore he could not con-
soientiously recognize him as Christian
Rev, Abram Conklin of the Universe
list church, said: "If half what hear
is true, I should say he is a pulpit
humbug. 1 should naturally be suspicious
of a man who would attempt such an ab-
snrd theological straddle as to occupy the
pastorate of Baptist and Adventist
ehnrch at the same time.'' Mr.. Conklin
added: 'tI wish Mr.. O'Brien we'll, and
| if some people prefer him to some OF the
educated and respectable clergy OF this
city, they WILL OF course. continue to at
tend his meetings.
A number of clergymen in addition to
these TWO gentlemen expressed supstan-
TALLY the same views.
Mr.. O'Brien said at the time OF the
publication of these interviews that time
and not newspaper publicity was what he
wantedsto prove his sincerity Of purpose ;
that he wasn't killed yet and that he
should continue to reside in Bath, God
permitting, until his vindication was
He had naVap agkad for the
fellowship of the local clergy.
The publication of these charges does
not seem to have had any tendency to de-
crease the attendance at Mr.. O'Br1en s
meetins His supporters point to the
work that is being done for the poor and
say that whether the charges are true or
| false. Mr. O'Brien is now doing good
work. On the other hand, the opposition
has not ceased. Mr.. O'Brien in the first
months of his preaching here was among
| those invited to address the A2oetings OF
tee Y. NJ G. A., but that invitatione has
since been Withdrawn by the coJnmittee
| in charge of that branch OF the Y. M. u
day that he had not changed the opinions
| which he expressed in the statement
printed in the Times and he knew OF no
other clergyman who had changed his
mind. Meanwhile Mr.. O'Brien goes on
| holding his Opera house meetings and
collecting goods for the poor and acting
as shepherd for the Advent and sHFree
| Baptist folks. This seeming Inconsistency
he has explained by saying that while he
believes in the Advent doctrine OF the
second coming Of Christ, he also believes
in baptism by immersion; the two
marshes wanted him to preach for them
and he has done SO as a minister of the
gospel. Certainly, both the work of Mr..
| O. Brien and his relations to his churches
and the Bath clergy are out of the
ordinary.