The San Francisco call., 1896-03-20

tated, according to newspaper report, the
United Press telegram containing what is
clearly Misrepresentation of the verdict,
he committed serious offense, which
even his best friends cannot excuse or
condone.
81 am profoundly sorry, as brother
minister and hitherto warm friend of
DR.. Brown, that he has taken the course
he has. 1t is not ecclesiastical; it is not
right"
Concerning the deposition of pastor
Mr.. RAIDER referred to section Z, chapter 5,
of Dexter's Handbook of Congregation.
alism." 1t reads as follows:
In the possible case OF gross heresy or evil
life in its pastor a Congregational church
should proceed to discipline him for the same
as if he were only private member until 1t
has reached the stage of full conviction of
guilt. Then-in virtue of the involved fellow
ship of churches-instead of proceeding to pass
the final vote and pronounce sentence, it
should call council to advise in the sad case.
Should the pastor be so excessively unwise as
to decline to unite with them for this purpose
they may call one ex parte. This council
should go over the case, and if satisfied of
guilt, and the pastor remains unpenitent, or
il, though he be penitent. the aggravated cir
cumstances of the case seem to require it, it
shonld advise the church to depose the offender
from the ministry, and perhaps excommuni-
cate him from its fellowship. 1t will then be
orderly for the church to accept and follow
this advice.
In order to apply this rule Mr.. RAIDER
says it will be necessary for the First
Church to call another council. They
would not be called upon to review any of
the evidence in the case, but merely to pass
on or fix the punishment to suit the
crime.
Should the majority of the congregation
seek to retain the convicted pastor, then
the minority is privileged to call council
out of courtesy requesting the majority to
join them. The rule for this line of pro-
cedure is found in section of the same
chapter. 1t also defines the rights of dis
satisfied sister churches. The section
named reads as follows:
Any church grieved by the conviction that a
sister church deliberately receives and main-
tains doctrines which subvert the foundations
of the Christian faith, or that it willfully toler
ates and upholds notorious scandals, or that it
persistently disregards and condemns the
communion of churches" may in Christian
spirit admonish that church, and labor with 1t
TO bring it to better mind. (2l "If the ad-
monished church refuse to hear its neighbor
church, and to remove the offense, it violates
the mmunion OF churches, and the admon-
ishing church may order council to advise
concerning the acts and administrations of the
offending body. ~ Finding ground for the
same, this council may ftly admonish that
body. (4) Should this prove Intellectual in
gaining the desired reliet, such council may
advise the churches-all others as we'll as those
OF whom it may be composed-to withhold
from that erring church all acts of communion
till it shall give evidence of reformation.
(5) Affirmative response to this will put the
offending church out of the fellowship of all
the churches thus acting, and by inference of
all non-protesting churches"