The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-05-29
The North Brookfeld
Congregation
Anxious.
" THE PENITENT BROTHER. /"
Lessons Drawn BY Rev.
John L. Sewall Which
Could Be Understood.

North Brookfeld, May 2S.-At the
First Congregational church this morn
ing, Rev. John L. Sewal took for his
theme, "How the church should act to-
ward penitent brother" and the con-
gregation fairly hung upon his words
as all felt that direct illusions were be-
ing made to Otis c. Bent's case, al
though the pastor RETAINED from mem
tioning his name.
The view taken on the matter by
Rev. Mr.. Sewan can be best under
stood by the following extract from his
sermon, which comes in after a dis
course on the methods of the church
"a cry goes up, The church is con-
demning sin, yet is Indifferent to crime
committed by it's membersl' This is
partly a reasonable demand for the
church to define once more its attitude
toward wrong doing, but it is partly a
hypocritical attack upon fallen man
whom it thought had been dragged
down to its own level, and whom it can
not bear to see lifted up again. The
church ought to make a plain and pub
lie expression of it's feelings when any
publicly known sin has been commit
ted by one Of it's members.
ut ought also to make plain that 1t
leaves the punishment of the mans sin
to God, and the penalty for his crime
to the state and that it endorses the
Just and reasonable punishment OF
wrong doing. 1t can also show its alb
horrence of sin by trying to reform the
sinner and thus save him from further
injury to the community.
Again, Mr.. Sewall spoke in strong
terms when he said: ''The church Is
1 the one fraternity in the world which
can put as the only barrier to its fell
lowship that which God puts across the
3 entrance to heaven, an unpenitent con-
finuance in sin"
A gang Of hard cider drinkers has
/ been for some time past annoying the
inhabitants in the eastern outskirts of
the town. A few evenings ago, as Ed
ward Trainor was returning to his
home, he was assailed with a shower of
stones thrown from behind a wall a
short distance below the Tarbell place.
He tried in vain to discover who the
! tormentors were, as the stones contin-
ued to come at such a rate that it was
unsafe to get near the wall.
The athletes of the ST. Joseph c. T.
+ A. S. team did their last training today
for the great field day with the Holy
Rosary c. 7. A. S. team of Spencer at
Myrick Park, Memorial day. The men
are all in prime condition to make the
race Of their lives, and if the Spencer
men win the field day and the hand
some silver ice pitcher that goes with
It, the reason will be that they are
faster runners and better jumpers If
beaten, North Brookfield will have nc
excuses to offer. All that the local
men want is a fair field and no favor,
and hopes that the best team will win,
while they are full Of confidence that
they have the winning team.
Despite the great confidence that
Spencer has in its team the members
OF the St. Joseph c. T. A. S. place
abundance of faith in the abilities OF
the eleven athletes who will represent
the society to lower the colors Of Spen.
Ger and give its pride a fall
The rivalry between the two teams
the two societies and the two towns is
something intense, and bodies well for
the interest in the various contests
The events on the program of which
the outcome is not uncertain are few
and far between. In nearly everythi9z
It is hard to pick the winner, though
naturally each society knows its best
man and what TO expect from him
There is one event that is being more