The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-05-15
WON'T LET UP ON SIN,
SAYS RECTOR; QUITS
The Rev. NJ. q. Johnston of
Trinity. Newark. Lays Res.
ignation to Vcstry.
WAS MEDIATOR IN STRIKE

NEWARK. May IA--Trini,y Episcopal
Church here is to lose its rector. the
Hev. Mercer Green Johnston. son VI the
Right Rev. James S,eptoc Johnston.
BISHOP Of Western Texas.
MIR. Johnston told his congregation
this morning that some time between
o and October l he will resign, to
take effect on January 1. lie said the
reason is that the vestrymen have tried
10 curb his expression Of views. have
tricd to induce him to be gcntler In
scourging the sinful and have told him
una he ought to run his church a. a
srocery store Is run. to please its pa
irons. He did not refer to the MEM
oers OF the vestry by name. although he
spoke Of 1.-THE dominating member Of the
vestry."
In telling OF his forthcoming rcsigna-
tion Mr.. Johnston said that one .ves,ry-
man mad called upon him and suggested
that he take a six months vacation and
wnlie away turn In his resignation. lie
told the man he would do nothing of the
XIII and repeated this to the whole
ves'ry at a special meeting. He said
b""s ou'h ~ touTs WouII Hb1 ne
honorable either to him or to the church !.
that II he had don anything wrong he
wanted the fullest publicity. and tina If
inc vestry would put the request for his
resignation IN writing and state the
reasons Tor the request he might acccde.
Decided Never 70 Swerve.
Mr.. Johnston began by telling the
congregation of his earnestness in the
work to which he had been called, and
eaid that when he was ordained by his
father he stated his convictions, from
which he determined never to bend. lie
told OF expressing thes. convictions
when he was called to Trinity. OF which
ne knew little except that the parish was
old. downtown and di~sintcgrating. with
practically no endowment. Iinbued with
tho Christian spirit, he came 10 Newark
prepared to do everything he could 10
SCI the parish on it, feet. he said. This
was in 1912.
Some one has said that running a
boys school H. like sitting on an active
volcano" ne said. Cumming a parish
IN Newark in 1913 with a conscience.
alive to ones social environment and the
social demands Of the religion of Jesus
Christ IL quite aS Interesting and quite
as full Of volcanic foci as any boys
school,"
The pastor related that his first two
ermons entitled "t'or determined
not TO know anything among you save
Jesus Christ and Him trucined.' and
wv shall all stand before the Judg-
mcnt Seat Of Christ" caused IA buzz Of
excitement and criticism in the conerc-
cation. Of which only a small part
reached his ears at the time. Later "A
v~es;rynlan told the preacher he had adj
mired Mr.. Johnston's courage. Mr.. John
ston replied that 1t did not require any
special courage, whereupon the vestry-
man told him ne did not know the con-
gregation.
Il now know that sermon IS spoken of
a. that terrible sermon 10y the domi-
mating member of the v.stry." continued
Mr.. Johnston. 81 now know that a
sermon | preached advocating that our
Government follow the honorable course
II has since followcd in the matter Of
the Panama Canal tolls gave offence
TO this member. az did also a sermon |
preached on the Right Of a hid to "A
Fure Birth
His Predecessor Driven Away.
Though ! have been subjected to COM
parAtively little OF the ugly sort Of
criticism that drove one Of my prede-
CessolS from the parish before The end of
his second year. and has brought several
others to grief, some of the friendly
criticism has been - minute and PAINS
taking that the suspicion has once or
twice crossed my mind that there are
those IN the vestry who taxi" the view
that I was called to the parish to be
conformed to its standards rather than
to try TO conform the parish to the
standards OF Jesus Christ.
One vestrylnai warned me In a
friendly spirit that I had made a serious
mistake in attempting TO mediate In tn"
great arnen workers strike. so far as