USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Braintree > Church manual : with brief historical notices of the First Congregational Church in Braintree and its pastors, from the date of its organization, till the close of 1859 > Part 4
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2. Such meetings shall be notified from the pulpit, on the Sabbath preceding; or, if the pastor refuse so to notify them, a written notification, duly signed by seven members or more, stating the business or object of the meeting, and posted on an intervening Sabbath in the vestibule of the Meeting-house, shall be deemed a regular notice ; and the business transacted at such meeting shall be held regular and valid.
IV. MODERATOR.
1. In all meetings of the Church the pastor shall be the Moderator, unless he decline to serve, or refuse to discharge the duties of the office.
2. In case of the pastor's sickness, unavoidable absence, or refusal to serve, the Church may appoint a Moderator for the time being.
V. QUORUM.
1. A majority of the acting members present at the regu- lar meetings of the Church, shall form a quorum for business.
2. All business transactions shall be determined by a ma- jority of the votes actually cast on any given question ; and any vote carried by more or less in the affirmative, shall be declared unanimous, if no negative votes be cast.
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1797906
VI. STANDING COMMITTEE.
1. It shall be the duty of this Committee to meet at least once in three months, and as much oftener as necessity shall require, or convenience permit. These meetings shall be open to any member of the Church wishing to profit by the delibe- rations of the Committee.
2. They shall examine all those offering themselves as candidates for admission to the privileges of the Church, and if satisfied of their experimental piety and doctrinal correct- ness, shall propound them for admission, three, or at least two weeks, previous to calling for a vote of the Church ; the for- mal vote being taken at the close of the preparatory lecture preceding the communion. In the case of those bringing let- ters of dismission and recommendation from sister Churches held in fellowship, it shall suffice for the pastor to propound them, as others are propounded, and call for the vote of the Church, in the same manner; it being understood, that no member of another Church shall be received into this Church, without proper letters of dismission and recommendation.
3. Cases of discipline shall be taken up by this Commit- tee, on complaint regularly brought before them, and made the subject of inquiry and kindly effort to convince and re- claim the offender, or to remove misapprehensions from the mind of the complainant; but no person shall be cut off from the Church, except by vote of the Church at a regular meeting.
4. This Committee shall give letters of dismission and recommendation to those removing to another place, or wish- ing, for any reasons, to connect themselves with a sister Church, if in good and regular standing at the time of making the request.
5. This Committee shall look after the spiritual interests, so far as they have the ability to do it, of such members of the Church, as, through removal or other causes, fail to com- mune regularly, or occasionally, at least, with this Church, and neglect other duties pledged in their covenant engage- ments.
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VII. RESIDENT MEMBERS OF OTHER CHURCHES.
Members of other Churches residing and worshipping with us, are expected, after the lapse of a year at the longest, to present letters of dismission from the Church to which they belong ; and in case no satisfactory reason for further delay be assigned, they are expected to absent themselves from the communion of this Church.
VIII. THE SABBATH SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
This Committee shall appoint the Superintendent and teachers of the School; determine what text-books shall be used ; at what times and places the sessions shall be held ; what books shall be placed in the library, and on what conditions used by the scholars ; take up an annual collection for the increase of the library; and aid the active laborers in the School, by their counsels, personal influence, and cheer- ful efforts.
IX. DISPOSAL OF FUNDS.
1. A collection shall be taken at the close of every sacra- mental lecture, for defraying the expenses of the communion table.
2. Any surplus funds remaining in the hands of the deacons, after supplying the Lord's table, shall be distributed to indigent members of the church, if such there be ; other- wise, they shall be reserved in the hands of the Treasurer, till cases of want arise, or other appropriation is made by vote of the church.
X. DISCIPLINE.
Believing that sound and wholesome discipline is essential to the peace and welfare of any church, we adopt and abide by the rules Christ has prescribed for its maintainance, in Matt. 18 c., and which are elucidated by the records of the primitive church.
We recognize two classes of offences, viz: those of a private and personal character, and those that are public, or open to the observation of all.
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1. In the case of private or personal wrongs, the member aggrieved shall himself take the several steps prescribed by Christ ; in the case of public offence, the Standing Committee shall take the same course ; and if satisfaction be not given. the matter shall be laid before the Church at the Annual Meeting, or at a meeting specially called for the purpose.
2. If the Church approve the action of the aggrieved member, in the first case, or of the Standing Committee, in the second, a written complaint, specifying the charges preferred, and signed by the Clerk, shall be placed in the hands of the offender, with a citation from the Church or Committee, to appear at a given time and place, and make answer to said charges.
3. If he refuse to obey the citation, after a first and sec- ond summons, he shall, if the Church so elect, be forthwith excommunicated for contumacy, without further reference to the truth of the charges alleged ; in case he appear, and an- swer to the charges, and after all, is voted guilty by the Church-which shall never be done, without clear and indis- putable evidence against him-he must furnish satisfactory indications of repentance to the Church, or be instantly sus- pended from its privileges.
4. After this suspension, the Church shall delay action only so long as they judge that duty requires; and then, in case no satisfaction be given by the offender, the Church shall proceed to vote his exclusion; and this act of exclusion, signed by the Moderator and Clerk, shall be read from the pulpit, in presence of the congregation.
XI. VOTERS IN THE CHURCH.
Every acting member of this Church has the right, and shall always share the privilege, of voting, on any and every question that comes before it for its action, unless suspended, after being found guilty of some disciplinable offence.
XII. SUSPENSION OF RULES.
None of the standing Rules and Regulations of this Church shall be suspended, except by a vote of two-thirds of the mem- bers present, at any regular meeting.
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XIII. RESCINDING OF RULES.
No " Standing Rule " of this Church shall be rescinded or changed, unless a written proposition, stating distinctly the proposed change, be submitted at some regular meeting; and final action shall be delayed until the next succeeding Annual Meeting.
XIV. ADDITIONAL RULES.
Any new " Standing Rule " hereafter proposed, shall be first submitted to the " Standing Committee," or to a special committee, to be by them considered, and reported to the Church for adoption or rejection, at the next regular meeting following.
XV. AUTHORITY OF PAST RULES.
Any Rules or Regulations heretofore adopted by this Church, and put on record, or regarded as common law, being super- seded by this Digest, shall no longer be referred to, as having authority in the proceedings of this Church.
The foregoing " Rules and Regulations," prepared by the " Standing Committee," as directed by the Church at the Annual Meeting of 1858, was read at the Annual Meeting, Jan. 3, 1859 ; and it was "voted, unanimously, that said Report be accepted and adopted ; and that the same Commit- tee be authorized to publish it, in connection with the revised edition of the Church Manual."
Attest, R. S. STORRS, Pastor and Clerk.
ACTION OF THE CHURCH AT THE ANNUAL MEETING, JANUARY 2, 1860.
VIOLATION OF COTENANT ENGAGEMENTS.
" You covenant to attend the worship and ordinances of the Gospel with the Church, so long as God continues you in the world, and you are able to do it."
Upon this article in the church Covenant, the " Standing Committee " made report, at the annual meeting of the church, January 2, 1860; which was accepted unanimously : " This Covenant your committee understand to be violated,
I. When any member of the church, resident with us, having ordinary health, and no special physical hindrance, yet ab- stains from the regular commemoration of the death of Christ, in the way of his appointment. If any brother or sister be offended by the supposed or real misconduct of any member of the church, his duty is plain, to go directly to the offender, and obtain satisfaction in the mode prescribed by the Savior, Matt. 18th, and not to cut himself off from the ยท communion of the whole church with her Lord and Master, and thereby grieve all the brethren. Offences will come ; but they often originate in misapprehensions, which a calm and fraternal interchange of thought would remove; and, it is injurious to any brother to condemn him, before giving him an opportunity to explain himself; and still more inju- rious to the whole church to condemn it as a body, for the real or supposed misconduct of an individual. No offence, real or imaginary, is ever removed by the commission of another offence."
Authority sustaining these views of the Committee.
Nearly two hundred years ago " the Cambridge Associa- tion " discussed the question:
" What is the duty of the church to persons, who upon pri- vate prejudices, withdraw from the communion of it ?"
" The following propositions were agreed upon," and ever
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since have been accepted by the churches, as true and scrip- tural bases of action :
" 1. Persons that have taken up any private prejudice against any in the communion of the church whereto they do belong, are directed by the commandment of the Lord Jesus Christ, and are engaged by the covenant of watchful- ness, to endeavor the repentanco of the persons under sup- posed offence, by a personal application.
"2. They, that upon ofence taken, do neglect this way of proceeding, are guilty of sin against the Lord's command- ment, and their own covenant; and by their withdrawing from the table of the Lord, their sin is aggravated.
"3. The withdrawing of persons thus irregularly from the communion of the church at the Lord's table, does carry a hard and high imputation upon the church itself, which adds more of a fault unto so sinful a schism.
"4. If the person that hath been offended hath done his duty, and either the pastor do refuse to lay the matter before the church, for the insignificancy of it, or the church upon hearing of it, do pronounce itself satisfied, the person is obliged still to continue his communion with the church, until a council of churches declare the contrary.
"5. Such a sinful separation from the communion of the church, being a moral evil, the scandal is to be, by the dis- cipline of the church, proceeded against, as other censurable scandals. The pastor, upon observation of the sin, is to send for the person withdrawing, [or otherwise see him, ] and instruct, and convince, and admonish him; and, upon contumacious obstinacy, the church is to deal with him, as one unruly and walking disorderly.
"6. Nevertheless, compassion towards the ignorant, or injured, is very much to determine the more or less vigor wherewith such offences are to be prosecuted."
Upham's Ratio Disciplina. Sec. 210.
II. On the withdrawal of pecuniary support from the worship and ordinances of the Gospel - a further and obvi- ous violation of covenant - the same Committee report, that
1. " Every church-member has a right, so long as in good and regular standing, to claim letters of dismission to a sister church, if, for reasons satisfactory to himself, he can better be edified by worship with said sister church than his own. But,
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2. "The public worship of God -the preaching of the Gospel, and the observance of the sacraments - the Lord's Supper and Baptism, are divine ordinances - not a human device ; nor are they sustained by any other law than the law of Christ, though civil law commend and encourage them.
3. " Whoever withholds his presence and pecuniary aid, from all, or either of these ordinances, violates the law of Christ; and, if a member of the church, he violates covenant obligations also ; and the church is bound by her engagements, to " watch over him, with all tenderness and fidelity," en- deavoring to remove his misapprehensions, - and in failure of this, to adopt with him the line of conduct prescribed by Christ, as an offender against the law of his kingdom."
4. "However just and equitable is " the law of the land," that each individual pay, in proportion to the property of which God has made him the steward, your Committee do not insist on this rule of contribution as fixed and invariable, but leave it to the conscience and heart of each individual, in the sight of God, to determine how much the divine law of equity requires him to contribute to the honor of that Saviour who gave his LIFE for the ransom of the church, and the individual believer.
By order of the Standing Committee.
R. S. STORRS, Pastor and Clerk.
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