South Congregational Church history and catalogue, 1852–1865 · scan page 128

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lis  THE    EX-PARTE    COUNCIL.
Church,  and  all  the  members  rising  in  token  of  approval,
says: — "Then  cloth  this  Church  atfeclionately  receive  you
to  its  membership  and  welcome  you  to  all  the  privileges,
labors  and  blessings,  of  the  Household  of  Faith."  "  Thus
you  are  admitted  to  this  Church,  and  have  a  right  to  all  its
privileges."  "  Then  are  you."  Who  1  "  Male  members  V
"Adult  male  members'?"  "Brethren?"  No!  You  who
take  this  covenant.  Adults  and  youth,  parents  and  children,
male  and  female,  all  recommended  by  the  Committee  and
received  by  the  Church.  "You  are" — what  ?"  admitted
to  this  Clnirch,  and  have  a  right  to  all  its  privileges."  One
of  the  privileges  conferred  upon  all  who  take  our  covenant,
is  voting;  and  as  an  Independent  Church,  we  claim  the
right  of  deciding  not  only  who  are  our  members  and  who
are  not,  but  also  what  are  the  privileges  of  our  own  Church
conferred  %  the  Church  upon  its  members.
"II.  The  Rev.  J.  Halsted  C.'irroll  commenced  his  labors  at  the  South
Church  in  December,  1861,  being  invited  by  the  Societ.v's  Committee
to  officfete  as  a  candidate.  He  was  soon  afterwards  employed  by  con-
current votes  of  the  Church  and  Society  to  supply  the  pulpit  for  a  year.
Before  the  terminatiou  of  the  year,  a  meeting  of  the  Church  was  held
to  consider  the  question  of  a  more  permanent  settlement  of  Mr.  Car-
roll in  the  work  of  the  ministry  there.  An  arrangement  was  made,
purporting  to  be  between  the  Clnirch  and  Society  as  one  party,  and
Mr.  Carroll  as  the  other  party,  by  which  he  was  to  remain  in  the  work
of  the  ministry  among  them  indefinitely,  and  which  could  be  termina-
ted only  when  either  party  should  give  four  months  notice  of  a  desire
for  the  termination."
Such  an  arrangement  not  only  "  [)urported  "  to  be  made,
but  was  made.  Is  there  anything  peculiar  in  this  relation
of  Rev.  Mr.  Carroll  to  the  South  Church  ?  It  is  the  same
relation  Rev.  Dr.  Stiles  sustained  to  this  Church,  and  Rev.
Gurdon  W.  Noyes,  durhig  the  early  i)art  of  his  ministry,
except  the  "  four  months'  notice,"  wliicli  made  it  apparently
a  more  i)ermanent  relation  than  that  of  the  present  incum-
bent. AVhy,  then,  should  this  be  cited  as  a  grievance,  or  as
something  wrong  on  the  part  of  people  or  minister  ?
That  notliing  of  a  permanent  or  pastoral  relation  was

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Silent Grounds Collective, Church Burial & Death Records, CH-P004-0128. South Congregational Church history and catalogue, 1852–1865, printed page not verified, PDF page 128. Hallock, Gerard, 1800-1866; digitized copy contributed by University of California Libraries https://archive.org/details/historyofsouthco00hall/page/n132/mode/1up Accessed September 8, 2026.

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