South Congregational Church history and catalogue, 1852–1865 · scan page 169

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THE    EX-PARTE    COUNCIL.  159
unjustly  withheld.  We  remember  an  Ex-parte  Council,
which  aggrieved  persons  who  had  been  admonished  without
trial,  as  they  said,  had  called,  (after  endeavoring  to  obtain
a  mutual  one,  in  vain  ;)  the  admonition  had  left  the  parties
still  in  regular  standing.  The  Council  in  proceeding  to
organize,  and  censure  the  Church,  went  beyond  their  prov-
ince, and  were  guilty  of  a  gross  usurpation,  as  well  as
impertinence.  It  was  alleged  that  the  Church  had  violated
C!ongregational  order — which  may  have  been  the  case  ;  but
that  gave  the  neighboring  Churches  no  right  to  interfere,
unless  the  case  was  so  marked  as  to  have  justly  required
withdrawal  of  fellowship  from  that  Church.  The  dissatis-
fied members  could  take  letters;  if  these  were  denied,  they
could  then  have  asked  for  a  Council — on  that  point.  If  the
action  of  a  Church  stops  witiiin  itself;  that  is,  if  the  effect
of  it  does  not  impair  the  regular  standing  of  the  aggrieved,
the  latter  have  no  claim  for  a  Council,  nor  has  any  Council
a  right  to  interfere."
"The  principle  then  is,  'neighbor  Churches'  have  a  right
to  expect  to  be  called  together  on  all  matters  relating
to  the  general  welfare;  they  have  a  right  to  act  when  a
party  invites  them  who  is  aggrieved  by  Church  action  in
SUCH     A     MANNER     AS     DESTROYS     HIS     FELLOWSHIP   WITH
THOSE  OTHER  CHURCHES;  aud  they  may  convene  when
invited  by  any  Church  which  wants  "light  and  peace."
]?ut  they  have  no  right  to  demand  a  voice  in  the  internal
affairs  of  any  Cimrch,  and  no  power  whatever  to  supervise
tliem.  They  control  the  fellowship  of  the  Churches,  but
not  the  action  of  any  Church  in  its  own  matters.  The
remembrance  of  this  simple  principle  would  sweep  away
half  our  Councils,  and  all  of  tliose  which  have  become  an
offense  in  tiie  nostrils  of  the  community.  luvited  Churches
ought  never  to  accept  an  invitation  to  lnterfere  with
THE    BUSINESS    OF    A    ChURCH    WHICH    DOES   NOT   CONCERN
THEM.  We  have  never  yet  seen  more  than  one  Ex-parte
Council  which  was  not  an  impertinence."
II.   PREROGATIVES    OF    A    COUxNCIL    IN    BlilNG.
"  The  Council  will  find  not  only  its  character  in  the
letters  missive,  but  the  Council  is  limited  in  its  action
to  the  subject  matter  of  the  letters  missive."

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Silent Grounds Collective, Church Burial & Death Records, CH-P004-0169. South Congregational Church history and catalogue, 1852–1865, printed page not verified, PDF page 169. Hallock, Gerard, 1800-1866; digitized copy contributed by University of California Libraries https://archive.org/details/historyofsouthco00hall/page/n173/mode/1up Accessed September 8, 2026.

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