South Congregational Church history and catalogue, 1852–1865 · scan page 160

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150  THE    EX-PARTE    COUNCIL.
gested  that  he  -would  like  to  know  how  those  present
regarded  Mr.  Eustis, — whether  they  would  like  to  have  him
for  minister.  All  that  were  present  and  disposed,  threw
in  a  vote."  '  The  same  thing  occurred  in  the  College-street
Church,  if  we  are  correctly  informed,  at  a  meeting  for  the
election  of  pastor  a  few  days  ago, — since  the  holding  of  the
Council.  Nor  are  these  the  only  exceptions  to  the  "  cus-
tom" referred  to,  among  the  Congregational  Churches  of
Connecticut.  Indeed  we  know  that  in  some  others  it  is
customary  for  females  as  well  as  males  to  rise,  in  token  of
assent  to  the  reception  of  members  into  the  Church,  after
the  latter  have  taken  the  covenant.  Raising  the  whole  per-
son is  as  truly  voting  as  if  only  a  hand  were  raised,  and
makes  as  much  noise.  If  the  "  silence  "  text  forbids  the
latter,  then,  a  fortiori,  it  forbids  the  former.  But  it  does
neither.  Nor  any  more  does  it  forbid  women's  voting  by
ballot.  Without  quoting  further  precedents  at  this  time,
we  should  like  to  ask  how  and  why  it  is  so  much  worse  for
the  South  Church  to  do  a  certain  specified  act,  than  for  the
Chapel  or  North  or  any  other  Congregational  Church  to  do
the  same;  and  whether  it  is  bkcoming  for  one  Church  to
assist  in  exommunicating  another,  for  doing  what  it  does
itself  As  the  South  Church  is  now  the  aggrieved  party,
why  should  it  not  proceed  to  convene  a  Council,  ostensibly
to  consider  its  own  grievances,  but  really  to  get  the  Chapel-
street  and  North  Churches  excommunicated,  for  violating
"  the  principles  and  usages  customary  among  the  New
England  Churches?"  And  why  should  not  Mr.  Carroll
assemijle  the  Presbytery  to  which  he  belongs,  and  cause  to
be  arraigned  before  it  the  several  ministers  who  were  mem-
bers of  the  late  Cou.icil,  and  if  they  neglect  to  appear,  have
them  pronounced  not  ordained,  liecause  they  failed  to
give  to  the  Presbytery  "  proper  evidence  of  their  ordination  "
as  clergymen  in  regular  communion  with  the  Presbyterian
body,  or  with  any  other  "  evangelical  denomination  ? "
and  then  tklegraph  it  as  a  fact  all  over  the  land.
Again  we  ask,  why  not  1
"It  was  tho  usual  practice  in  the  South  Church  to  vote  by  raising  of
hands,  excepting  in  the  case  of  officers  who  were  elected  by  ballot,  and
f(jm?il(j  V9te3  x\'9r^  rarely  pfferei;!  or  counted."

Cite this page

Silent Grounds Collective, Church Burial & Death Records, CH-P004-0160. South Congregational Church history and catalogue, 1852–1865, printed page not verified, PDF page 160. Hallock, Gerard, 1800-1866; digitized copy contributed by University of California Libraries https://archive.org/details/historyofsouthco00hall/page/n164/mode/1up Accessed September 8, 2026.

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