The San Francisco call., 1896-03-19

i
whence cQmeth my help.
My help cometh from the Lord wnlcn maoe
heaven and earth.
He will not suffer thy foot to be moved; ne
that keepeth thee will not slumber
Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither
slumber nor sleep.
And so on to the end of the one hundred
and twenty-tirst Psalm the full, deep voice
of the censured pastor reverberated, and
now and then quiyered with something
akin to pathos.
Then gliding by transition almost i'm
perceptible from David TO Brown, the pas
tor, with the same infection of voice as
though still reading from the psalms.
went on to say that he knew not what con-
dition of human frailty or strength, of
human Joy or sorrow, of victory or defeat,
OF righteousness or of sin did not find
some adequate and appropriate expression
in the wonderful book from which he had
just read.
Are we weak?" he asked, changing his
tone to one of challenge. The next mo-
ment, with an accent of confidence, came
the reply and question: "God is strong.
Are we sinfulY God is forgiving; His
mercies, says the Psalmist, are infinite.
When the wicked found my enemies and
my foes came upon me to eat up my flesh
they stumbled and FELL"
Beneath the accent of resignation and
confidence with which these sentences
were uttered there sang a strain of defiance.
The individual had peeped from behind
the robes of the pastor; the man had stood
forth for moment from behind the altar
of the priest.
David knew how it was" continued the
pastor. He never was so sorely pressed
that he could not sing. No night so dark
but that the eye of his faith could pierce
the clouds above him and receive a new
vision of that star of Bethlehem. not more
plainly seen by shepherds while the angels
were singing and the wise men were wend-
ing their way to the cradle of the Lord"
Then he spoke of the necessity of pain,
and what lofty delight it was to have the
consciousness that it was inflicted with an
ennobling, an exalting and Transforming
purpose.
As pastor speaking directly of himself
to his congregation he proceeded to say
that he could not express the feelings of
gratitude with which he took part in the
accustomed prayer meeting after what he
termed 1.-THE exciting scenes which have
taken place for weeks past" If in the
midst of those scenes any unkind words
had been spoken he hoped that they would
be forgiven and forgotten in the abundance
of that divine love which Christians desire
to initiate.
After Deacon Morse. Brother Wood
hams and others had offered prayer, DR..
Brown advanced TO the platform and an
nounced that there was an item of business
to be transacted in which he was directly
interested and he called Deacon Morse to
the chair.
Deacon Morse, who is as poor reader
as his pastor is good one, read the verdict
of the ecclesiastical council. When it was
finished motion was made for its
adoption, and this was followed by mo-
ton that it be received and filed.
Deacon Barnard moved that it be re-
ceived and spread upon the records. and
that the thanks of the church be extended
to the council.
DR.. Brown. who appeared to be oblivious
to the indelicacy of his action, called
the attention of the chair to the priority
of Deacon Walcott's notion to file the ver-
dict. Chairman Morse was not sure that
the motion had received second, but
Lawyer Nagle cried, 81 second that mo-
tion,' and the question was accordingly
put to the house.
DR.. Brown claimed the floor and threw
down the gage of battle to the council
He began by saying that he most earnestly
thanked the council for their willingness
to spend four weeks of their valuable time
in investigating the truth of the charges,
made" continued the doctor, "no: by
individuals of responsibility. but by indi.
viduals disrespectable and irresponsible,
against my good name. 1want it distinct
ly understood that this remark was not
made of Mrs. Sarah B. Coorer, because
she did not make herself responsible for
those charges. They were formed out of
the newspapers by two women"
He spoke of the statement in the report
of the council to the effect that he had ex-
planned that he had paid Mrs. Davidson
$500 for the purpose of securing the silence
of Mrs Baddin.
81 cannot conceive" he proceeded to
say, chow my brethren, after two or three
days of discussion of the evidence, could
possibly have made such a mistaxe as is
involved in that statement. At great ex-
pense we secured the presence of one of the
most competent shorthand reporters in
the State of California, who took down
every word of the evidence. and it will be
found by referring to the report that laid
stress upon the fact that paid the money
not for the purpose of an iniquitous sill
ence but to secure such evidence in written
form as would ensure the arrest and pun
ishment of the criminal. That evidence
should have been recognized by my
friends in any statement in so serious a
document as this before US. / wish these
remarks to be accentuated by the news
paper reporters
In reference 10 the charges of intimida-
ton the speaker said that the council had
not the slightest right to consider the
charge made by the young woman who
had inspected the church organ, because
the offense, if any, had been committed
ten days after the vote was taken to call
the council. He challenged the history of
to show that any coun-
Gil ever considered an act committed SUBJ
sequently 10 the creation of the council.
ttT therefore here and pow ~ he want