South Congregational Church history and catalogue, 1852–1865 · scan page 134

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124  THE   EX-PARTE   COUNCIL.
by  a  vote  of  sixty-one  to  one,  (see  Church  records,)  that
those  members  who  had  taken  letters  of  dismission,  though
not  presented  to  other  Churches,  while  entitled  to  "  occa-
sional communion,"  are  not  entitled  to  vote;  and  as  an
independent  Church  we  have  the  right  not  only  to  make  our
own  rules  for  our  government,  but  the  right  of  interpreting
them  also.  This  rule  and  interpretation  is  not  unusual.  It
is  endorsed  by  Dr.  Dwight,  President  of  Yale  College,  (see
4  vol.  Theo.  p.  320,)  where  the  fact  is  stated  that  "  Persons
are  not  unfrequently  dismissed  from  particular  Churches  in
good  standing  and  with  full  recommendation  of  their  Christ-
ian character.  Tliese  persons  are  certainly  not  members
of  any  particular  Church  or  Churches,  until  they  are  sever-
ally united  to  other  Churches  in  form.  It  is  plain  that  they
can  act  no  where  as  members  of  the  Church  of  Christ,
except  in  what  is  called  occasional  communion."  Again,
this  rule  of  ours  is  not.  "  contrary  to  the  principles  and  usa-
ges of  the  New  England  Churches,"  if  the  Center  Church,
of  which  Rev.  Dr.  Bacon  is  pastor,  conforms  to  those
"principles  and  usages."  Among  the  standing  rules  of
that  Church  we  find  the  following :
"Every  membar  of  this  Cliiirch  shall  be  considered  as  under  tlie
watch,  care  and  discipline  of  this  Church,  until  he  shall  have  been  reg-
nh^rl}'  dismissed  from  his  connection  with  it  by  a  vote  of  this  Church."
This  clearly  implies  that  wheyi  regularly  dismissed  by  a
vote  of  the  church,  he  is  no  longer  under  its  watch,  care
and  discipline.  Would  a  person  having  been  thus  dis-
xnissed — not  even  under  its  "  watch,  care  and  discipline," —
be  still  considered  a  member  of  that  Cliurch,  and  entitled
to  vote 'on  questions  l)efore  it  1  And  this  is  the  case  of  the
complainants  before  the  Council  against  the  South  Church.
They  have  been  "regularly  dismissed  by  a  vote  of  the
Church,"  and  have  received  letters  certifying  that  fxict;
therefore,  according  to  the  decision  of  our  Church,  they  are
no  longer  members  of  it  in  such  a  sense  as  to  be  entitled  to
vote.  Wherein,  then,  does  our  course  diiJer  from  what
necessarily  would  be  the  course  of  the  Center  Church
under  similar  circumstances  ?     And  yet  that  Church  is  a

Cite this page

Silent Grounds Collective, Church Burial & Death Records, CH-P004-0134. South Congregational Church history and catalogue, 1852–1865, printed page not verified, PDF page 134. Hallock, Gerard, 1800-1866; digitized copy contributed by University of California Libraries https://archive.org/details/historyofsouthco00hall/page/n138/mode/1up Accessed September 8, 2026.

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