The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-03-26


 the church in Madison have taken this mode of satisfying themselves whether the teachings of their pastor are or are not warranted by the scriptures, as 1n- terpreted by the churches of our order.
 Under the usages of our denomina- tion decision by proper consociation and council is the ultimate and final authority, so far as there is any au- thority superior to that of the indiNidu- al church and the individual members of it.
 The Congregational ministry of the present day would not be true to the principles of their fathers if they did not follow them in endeavorins to read the Bible in the best light that the clos est study and highest learning can give. The result of their labors and of bibli- cal study on the parto of Christian schol- ars in all denominations has been, dur ing the last quarter of century, to give a clearer meaning to much which had before been obscure: to remove the foundation of many of the common arguments of infidelity; and to elevate our conceptions of the nature of God and the duty of man.
 The education for the ministry which the pastor of the church at Madison has received has made him acquainted with these views of truth, and he has natu- rally desired to share them with his people.
 They differ in some points from those that were formerly entertained in many New England pulpits; but the founders of the Congregational church were al- ways ready to avow their hope that more light would yet break forth from His holy word Liberty of conscience was never more fully claimed as the right of every man than in one of the articles of the Saybrook platform, un- der which this church was originally consociated
 God alone is Lord of the conscience, and hath left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men. which are in anything contrary to His word or not contained in it; so that to believe such doctrines, or to obey such com- mands out of conscience, is to betray true liberty of conscience; and the re- quiring of an implicit faith, and an ab- solute and blind obedience, is to de- stroy liberty of conscience, and reason also. so."-Confession of Faith. Chap. XXI, Sec. IT.
 In accordance with these principles of the churches of our faith and order, and in view of all the evidence present. ed to us by both parties, this council of the consolation and invited churches render the following result:
 I've find the first, second, third and fourth charges preferred by the minor ity of the church in Madison against their pastor, Rev. William T. Brown, not proven. The fifth charge was with drawn by the complainants. None of the charges, therefore, have been sus- tained.
 In reaching this result, and in com muriicating the advice which we have been asked by this church to give, the council record with qualification the fact that the matters which have been brought before us do not relate to any personal grievances, and that without bitterness of feeling both parties have sought conscientiously and fairly to lay before us the theological difficulties, which are the main cause of the exist
 
 2-The council would recognize the fact that these theological difficulties have arisen naturally from a difference between the point of view held by some members of the church in accordance with their previous training habits of Christian thought, and the point of view to which their new pastor has been led in the course of his biblical studies and by his intense desire to preach a living Christ for the life of our own time.
 3-The council further recognize the fact that in consequence of this differ ence of mental attitude with regard to important truths, the aggrieved mem bers of the church, in their hearing and recollection of some over-strenuous ex- pressions of their pastor, have been led to the conclusion that his teachings have departed from the essential be- liefs which are commonly held in our churches.
 1.-The council, after careful examina- ton of these alleged points of doctrinal divergence. having come to the conclu sion that the charges as made by the
 
 their belief and expectation that this judgment on their part will have de- cisive weight with all whose minds have been thus perplexed and troubled. We desire explicitly to bear record that these persons have followed the proper mode of making their protest against what has appeared to them to be the erroneous teachings of their pastor, and that they have conscientiously sought to protect what they conceived to be the faith and best interests of this church; we now advise and urge them with the same conscientiousness and devotion to return to their full privi- leges and duties in this church; and, seeking to divest their minds of previ- ous misgivings and possible misunder- standings to listen anew to the teach ings of the pulpit in the earnest desire to receive such positive and vital truths as may be found in the sermons of their pastor: and. should any expressions of their pastor hereafter seem to them to be unfamiliar and perpleXing, to seek in friendly and repeated conferences with him for further light and happier mutual understanding. We earnestly llrge the minority to make this effort to meet their pastor in this attitude and desire, bearing in mind the neces- sity which from time to time he may feel to be imposed upon him of minis tering to other minds in other needs than their own, and remembering that pf a new ,,1ay host