USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Princeton > The history of Princeton, Worcester county, Mass. from its first settlement; with a sketch of the present religious controversy in that place. Designed for the use of the inhabitants > Part 10
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The " Appeal" next takes exceptions to the manner in which the committee discharged its duties. It complains of the fact, that they " satisfied themselves of the personal piety" of forty-six individuals in three hours. "Forty-six individuals in three hours !" is its indignant exclamation. If the committee, men of integrity and piety, "satisfied themselves," I cannot see it to be of material consequence, whether they were three hours or three weeks in doing it. But let us look at the ex- amination. An orthodox church, recognised and in regular standing, in fellowship with every orthodox church of the vicinity-with an unexceptionable evangelical covenant-for a year and a half at least under the settled ministry of an or- thodox clergyman, presents itself for examination before a committee of three ministers, all familiar with the church from the date of its adoption of a new covenant-all having at times preached before it-all intimately acquainted with the character of its pastor, as well as his ability and disposition to maintain its purity, and to deny admittance to it of all cold or doubtful piety, and finally finding a church freely presenting themselves before them without knowing the course they would pursue-a circumstance, which certainly indicates a consciousness on the part of the church, that they could sus- tain the scrutiny of any examination ;- with all these favor- ing circumstances, how long, I ask, would it take such a committee to "satisfy themselves" of the personal piety of such individuals ? Had the other church a right to insist on any examination ?
But whatever intrinsic merit there may be in these argu- ments or objections of the " Appeal," they are of no avail for the purpose for which they are brought forward, viz. a justifi- cation of the minority of Mr. Phillips's church, in their action (yet to be told) subsequent to the adoption of the result by the majority. Admit them to be good objections to the adop-
* This objection of the " Appeal" comes moreover with extremely ill grace from Mr. Phillips, as I am credibly informed the course recommended by the council was the identical one suggested by him on the day of their meeting, and adopted from a belief that his church would acquiesce in no other.
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tion of the result, inasmuch as they failed to secure this end, their utility ceases. The church acted in view of them all, and a majority decided them invalid ; and the majority of a church, as well as a nation, must control its affairs. The legislature of a state passes a law licensing the sale of ardent spirits. There may be and are valid objections to this. But would any court of justice countenance an offender, who should plead these objections as a justification of a violation of this law ? There may be cases, it is true, where objec- tions to measures may be so strong as to warrant resistance to them after their adoption. These emergencies are, however, rare, and this was not one of them. If these measures intro- duced improper members into the church, the proper course for those, whose eyes were clear enough to detect the mote, was, to bring their case before the church, and let them, if necessary, submit them to its discipline. At least, we should judge this a better course to obviate the evil, than the indul- gence of a violent opposition to a vast majority of the church, and a participation in measures tending to its utter prostration.
CHAPTER VII.
Further proceedings for a " Union." Secession of a portion of the Church. Mr. Phillips's Letter. Attempts at a Reconciliation. Proposition of the Disaffected Members. Replies. Second Proposition of the same. Reply. Vote by the Church to call a Council. Mr. Phillips's Letter. Inquiry from the Disaffected Members. Reply. Result of the Council. Proceedings of the Disaffected. Settlement of Mr. Demond. Universalist Society.
AFTER the apparent consummation of the union by the above votes of the churches and societies, the Rev. Mr. Phil- lips, whose relation* to the united church and society was somewhat doubtful, was invited by the society to supply their pulpit at the congregational house of worship. This invita-
The addition of forty-six members to Mr. Phillips's church, as before stated, could not dissolve his pastoral relation with it. But the society, over which he was settled and through which the church could only be legally recognised, was by vote of the 18th of May dissolved, and the mem- bers had individually united themselves with the first parish, and could not, in this individual union, be supposed to carry their minister with them. While Mr. Phillips was therefore pastor of the church, and recognised by them as such, his relation to the society was of a more difficult decision.
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tion he accepted, and preached accordingly for five sabbaths, on the last of which he read the following communication :- " Whereas, it has become quite manifest to us, the subscribers, that the way is not yet prepared to carry the union respect- ing which so much has been said and done, into practical effect ; and whereas, neither we ourselves nor our families seem in a situation to derive much benefit from our minister's labors, under present circumstances, we regard it as our right and duty to request, and we do hereby request him to return to his former place of labor."
This document was signed by several members of the for- mer evangelical church and society. In accordance with its request, Mr. Phillips returned to his " former place of labor," and with him a portion of the church and society, to whom he continued to preach for a few sabbaths. The number, however, which left the " old house," was not large. Those who remained held an unofficial meeting, June 22d, 1835, . " to consider what measures ought to be taken in consequence of a number of the united church and society having with- drawn." The result of this meeting was the choice of a com- mittee, to consult the neighboring evangelical clergymen on the course to be pursued under existing circumstances. This committee reported, at a subsequent meeting, as the opinion of the clergymen consulted, that " the united church and society had better continue their meetings at the old (congregational) meeting-house, as usual." On the same day a meeting of the church was held, and a committee appointed to wait on Mr. Phillips, and ascertain, if possible, the cause of this with- drawal, and also to request him to call a meeting of the church, for the adjustment of the existing difficulties. This proceed- ing resulted in a meeting of, a part of the church, viz. the members of Mr. Phillips's original church, in July following. At this meeting a resolution, expressive of the wishes of the disaffected, with respect to the members recently embodied
This question might be matter of curious speculation. Suppose Mr. Cowles had still been the minister of the congregational society. As the addition of members to the church did not affect Mr. Phillips's relation, neither could the addition to the congregation alter Mr. Cowles's; and thus Mr. Phillips would be pastor of the church and Mr. Cowles minister of the con- gregation. As circumstances were, the former was pastor of the church, while the society had no minister, and accordingly invited Mr. Phillips to supply their pulpit. A state of things admirably illustrating " confusion worse confounded."
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with the church, was passed. A copy of this resolution will appear in a subsequent letter of Mr. Phillips, in October, the date of its communication to the united church.
Subsequent to the passage of this resolution no farther mea- sures were taken to obviate existing troubles until October 5th, when a meeting of the church was held, and a committee appointed " to wait on the Rev. Mr. Phillips and consult with him in relation to existing difficulties, and also request him to call a meeting of the church, to see if some measures cannot be adopted that will effect a reconciliation, and restore peace and harmony." At the same time the deacon of the church was empowered to call a meeting, " provided Mr. Phillips should refuse." With the request of this committee Mr. Phillips declined complying. They were, however, given to understand, " that the difficulties in the church arose from a dissatisfaction, on the part of those who had withdrawn, with a portion of the members lately embodied with them by the letter of the council's committee." This is the cause which the " Appeal" alleges as the occasion of the with- drawal. That it was not the only one, the following letter of Mr. Phillips, to the chairman of the committee, will show. It would seem from this that " the difficulty to begin with," and the main one, was in his original church, and not a dis- satisfaction with the newly added members.
Princeton, October 10, 1835.
My dear Sir,-In reflecting on our long conversation yesterday, one or two things have occurred, which I think it important to mention. Mr. Tem- ple you recollect, doubtless, asked whether a want of knowledge of their views and feelings &c. was the only difficulty ? The answer I gave him was, perhaps, sufficient, as it respects the persons whom it has been proposed should be united with our church." But there is another difficulty which I regard it as highly important, that you and those of our church who have insisted so much on the union being carried into effect on the plan now be- fore us, should distinctly understand. It is this : many of the best members of the church have said to me, again and again, that they should feel more difficulty in sitting at the communion with certain members of our own
* " The persons whom it has been proposed should be united with our church," were the persons whom the letter of the " council's committee" says, " are hereby embodied in one church" with " our church." Mr. Phillips accordingly very properly recognises them as such, in the following passage from the " Appeal." " The church in this place, at the time I became able to resume my labors, were divided into two parties and held their worship in two houses.", Page 23. And yet Mr. Phillips contends against a measure propos- ed by the church, (Appeal, page 12,) because " the persons recommended must all be admitted to be members of the church." Thus the relation of the " forty-six," seems to have depended entirely on the manner it affected Mr. Phillips's argument.
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church"-with some two or three of the leaders in our difficulties, they mean, than with the persons recommended in the letter. That they never will commune with the members in question, until some satisfaction is made, I am quite sure. Is not this then the difficulty to begin with ? Instead of all coming together as is so often urged, is there not an important work to be done in our own church first? To my own mind no point is clearer than this ; and I beg you, deacon, to think of it seriously and prayerfully ; think of what has been said and done.
One more thing it may be important to suggest : many, I find since my return from my last journey, begin to feel, that there cannot be a union at present, so much has been said and done to destroy confidence and produce disaffection. And these feelings have become so deep and strong, that the business of union-making must be given up until some future day, and bet- ter and more favorable state of things shall arise. Do meditate and pray upon these things, and speak the mind of prayer and love to others.
Yours, A. PHILLIPS.
Mr. Phillips declining to notify a meeting of the church, . - one was held on the 15th of October, at the call of the dea- con, agreeably to the vote of the 5th ult. Due notice of this meeting was given to the disaffected members. The follow- ing letter from Mr. Phillips, communicating what was un- doubtedly intended to be the above mentioned resolution of a portion of the church, passed in July, was received :-
To the persons recommended by the committee designated by the council and others worshiping with them :
In reply to the proposal for a meeting of " the whole," the members of the church, at the evangelical society's house, concluded that as they had seen no cause to change their views since their meeting in July, to direct the committee then appointed for the purpose, to transmit to you the resolu- tion then passed, and which was not communicated at the time, for the rea- son I recently stated to Capt. Dana and others at my house. The commit- tee above named have requested me to make out and send you a copy of the resolution in their behalf. As I have not the resolution in my possession, and as it is several weeks since it was passed, I shall not be able to give you its exact language ; in substance, however, it was as follows :-
Resolved, that in order to a more harmonious and satisfactory union, this church wish for some suitable opportunity to obtain a knowledge of the re- ligious experience and doctrinal views of the persons who wish to become united with them.
* " The standing, as to good name, of some of the persons recommended, and the character of several as to piety, is such as evinces that the committee, being sensible men, could not have examined them." Appeal, page 8. Yet Mr. Phillips and " the best members" of his church would feel less " diffi- culty in sitting at the communion" with these " than certain members of his own church." This would seem to evince Mr. Phillips less scrupulous of the purity of " his own church," at some time, since members were there worse than those whose " standing as to good name" was bad, than he ap- pears to be in his " Appeal." Certainly the " Appeal" and this letter, taken in connexion, are not very complimentary to " some two or three leaders in our difficulties," who, the reader should be informed, were no other than the friends of union, whose efforts have now been seconded, and whose measures adopted by the great majority of their brethren, who have thus all, I suppose, in Mr. Phillips's view, become less fit for the communion, than those who have no " standing as to good name."
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This resolution was moved by Mr. Ephraim Beaman, and seconded by Mr. Thompson.
Princeton, Oct. 12, 1835.
Yours, &c. A. PHILLIPS.
Capt. Dana will please to communicate the above.
The original resolution, the substance of which is intended to be embodied in the above, I find to be as follows :- " Re- solved, that the members of this church present wish for a knowledge of your views and feelings, of the reason of your hope, and of your doctrinal belief, that this church may have Christian fellowship with you, in any way which you shall choose to make it known to us."
Upon this resolution the church acted, and it was " Voted, unanimously, by the members present, lately embodied in Mr. Phillips's church, that they are ready to comply with the wish expressed in said resolution." At the same time a committee was appointed to converse with the absent members, and make known the proceedings of the meeting to the disaffected minority. This they did in the annexed communication :-
To the committee and members of the church that worship at the Rev. Mr. Phillips's meeting-house.
Christian Brethren,-At a meeting of the members of the church that worship at the late Rev. Mr. Cowles's meeting-house, held on the 15th Oc- tober, a communication was received from the Rev. Mr. Phillips, transmit- ting, at the request of a committee appointed for the purpose, a resolution intended and represented to be the same " in substance" with the one which was passed at a meeting held at the Rev. Mr. Phillips's meeting-house, in July last. The original vote or resolution, alluded to in the Rev. Mr. Phil- lips's communication, was then presented and acted upon with the one transmitted by him. The undersigned were appointed a committee to ascer- tain the views and feelings of all the members who were recommended and embodied with the church by the committee of the council, and to transmit the same to you. The committee, having attended to the duty assigned them, feel authorised to communicate as follows :-
That we are all willing, in any right and Christian manner, to comply with the wish expressed in the resolution ; that we ever have been, and are now ready to give a reason of the hope that is in us, as we humbly trust, with meekness and fear ; and that it is, Christian brethren, our sincere de- sire, and prayer to God, that all our hearts may be united in the love and fellowship of the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
The committee would therefore request, if it meets your approbation, that you would appoint a committee to meet us, that we may mutually agree up- on the way and manner, in which the information you desire, relative to our religious experience and doctrinal views, shall be given.
Yours, with Christian affection,
CALEB DANA, MOSES BULLARD, JOSHUA EVELETH, CHARLES B. TEMPLE,
Committee.
Princeton, October 22, 1835.
N. B. Should a committee be appointed, they will please to give us no- tice when they will meet us. 1
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Agreeably to this proposition, committees of conference were appointed, and a meeting had, which resulted in the fol- lowing proposal from the newly added members of the church, a surprising proposal to come from men, of whom Mr. Phillips says, " the standing of some, as to good name," and "the character of several, as to piety," was questionable. They had already submitted to one examination, and thereby " be- come embodied" in the church. Yet they were so far ready to renounce the privilege thus obtained, as to make their mem- bership dependent upon a second examination before a com- mittee of the " original church." Are persons whose "stand- ing, as to good name" and piety, is impeachable, generally thus fearless of investigation ? But I proceed to the commu- nication :-
To Dea. Israel Howe and others of the Committee :
Christian Brethren-In compliance with your request we herewith trans- mit to you the propositions which were made and offered for your consid- eration and acceptance, at a meeting of the committees, held at the town- house, November 3, 1835. We then stated that we were willing to comply with the wish contained in the resolution, passed in July last, in the way and manner expressed in the following propositions :-
We propose that the deacons of the church call a meeting of the whole church, including the members who were recommended and embodied with the church, by the committee appointed by the mutual council ; that a pas- tor, from some one of the neighboring churches, be agreed upon by the brethren, and be invited to be present, to preside at said meeting : and that the said pastor, together with the deacons of the church, have the liberty to ask such questions relative to our doctrinal views and Christian experience, as they in their wisdom deem expedient. And should there be any among the members, who have been recommended and embodied with the church, who choose to be conversed with in private, we propose that the privilege should, in such cases, be granted.
We further propose, if, after Christian measures shall have been taken, there should be any of the members who do not give satisfactory evidence of their piety, that their cases be proposed to the church, by the deacons, for the action of the church thereon, and if the church consider such mem- ber or members as unsuitable to commune with the church, that such be notified thereof, and be requested to wait until satisfactory evidence can be obtained by the church.
CHARLES RUSSELL, CALEB DANA, MOSES BULLARD, JOSHUA EVELETH, CHARLES B. TEMPLE, J
Committee of the Church.
This proposition did not satisfy the disaffected ; whether simply because the new members had chosen to make it, or because of inherent defects in it, the reader, with the aid of the annexed communications on the subject, can judge for
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himself. The following, (addressed to "the persons recom- mended by the council's committee," but whom the reader will recollect the " council's committee" " embodied in one church" with them,) is the reply and desired amendment to the proposals .*
To the persons recommended by the council's committee to the church of which Mr. Phillips is pastor :
The committee appointed by us to confer with your committee, on the way and manner of your giving the church opportunity to obtain a knowl- edge of your religious experience and doctrinal views, or, in other words, of the reason of your hope, report, what you proposed in substance, the follow- ing : that you would give an account of your views and feelings in religion, to deacons Stratton and Howe, and one minister ; that these three should de- cide whether there are any cases that are not satisfactory ; if any, how many, and whose-and that these stand apart from the church.
Now we would not be strenuous as to the way and manner, but, we must confess, there appears to us to be something wrong in your plan. In the first place, it seems invidious to select two of our standing committee, and refuse the others opportunity to have any part in the matter. Why should they have no part in such a vitally important matter ? One of the two whom you select, moreover, has prejudged in the case. In the second place, it seems wrong to throw the whole responsibility of so important a duty upon only two members ; one of them states that he feels unwilling to take it upon him.
Allow us to propose, then, as an amendment to your plan, the following : That the persons recommended by the council's committee give the reason of their hope, in the hearing of as many members of the church as may wish to be present, to all the members of our standing committee, (except Mr. Phillips, who feels unwilling to be present,) each member of the com- mittee having liberty to ask such questions as he may deem proper and important, one minister, (either Mr. Miller or Mr. Nelson, as you may choose,) and that the minister and committee decide whether there are any, and, if any, whose evidence is not satisfactory, and that the person or per- sons whose evidence is not satisfactory, according to your committee's pro- posal, stand apart from the church.
And as this plan, or some material modification of it, is the only one that it seems probable can remove the great obstacle to the union; and as the evils which have resulted from past measures, already great and dreadful, are constantly increasing, we beg you to give it a candid and solemn con- sideration. In behalf of the church, JONAS BROOKS, Committee of ISRAEL HOWE, S Communications.
Upon the proposition of this communication, the annexed reply is the best comment :-
To the committee and members of the church that worship at the Rev. Mr. Phillips's meeting-house :
Christian Brethren-Your communication, made by Dea. Israel Howe and Jonas Brooks, Esq. was laid before the church, at a meeting thereof,
* The reader will keep in mind the original resolution of the church, the conclusion of which is " in any way which you shall choose to make it known."
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held on the 17th inst. and after due and prayerful consideration, it was voted, unanimously, that the church could not approve of, and accede to, the proposed amendment to the propositions lately made to you, at a meet- ing of the committee of conference, held on the 3d inst. and subsequently transmitted for your acceptance, for the following reasons :-
First, because the plan you propose requires a portion of the church, (those embodied therein by the council's committee,) to present themselves for examination before a committee, a majority of whom have repeatedly refused to acknowledge them as members of said church, or as entitled to any of the rights and privileges of membership, and this too, as we think, in violation of high moral obligations, too sacred to be disregarded; and because that the said committee have already "prejudged in the case," by thus denying to said members the rights and privileges to which they are entitled by the result of an enlightened mutual council, sanctioned by a vote of the church.
Secondly, because you propose to place in this same committee an uncall- ed for and unwarrantable assumption of power, not delegated to them by the church-the power of determining the membership of all those recently embodied therein, thereby depriving the said church of any power or action in their case.
The undersigned were appointed a committee to transmit to you the above doings of the church, and in connection with the duty assigned us, would beg leave to add, that we sincerely regret that you should see fit to reject the propositions recently made to you, as they were propositions which we then thought, and still think, as best calculated to give satisfaction to all the members, and thus secure the harmony and Christian fellowship of the church ; and, also, as fully meeting the wishes expressed in the resolu- tion passed by you in July last. When we submitted these propositions, we could not have believed, that they would be considered by you as " wrong and invidious." In view of what has already been done, we do not feel that we are called upon, either by your resolution, or from a sense of duty, to appear before the standing committee as candidates for admission to the church. In our plan, we proposed the deacons of the church, without any reference to their being members of the standing committee, but with refer- ence to the stations which they hold as officers of the church, and their competency to discharge the duties assigned them, and, also, as possessing our entire confidence, and, as we supposed, the unshaken confidence of all the members of the church.
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