_Magnalia_, bk. 5, Hist. Remarks, Section
8.]
The declaration of the Brattle Street "undertakers" cut this system at the
root, for they announced their intention to dispense with the relation of
experiences, thus practically throwing their communion open to all
respectable persons who would confess the Westminster Creed; and more
fatal still, they absolutely destroyed the homogeneousness of the
ecclesiastical constituency: "We cannot confine the right of chusing a
minister to the male communicants alone, but we think that every baptized
adult person who contributes to the maintenance, should have a vote in
electing." [Footnote: _History of Brattle St. Church_, p. 25, Prop.
16.]
They also proposed several innovations of minor importance, such as
relaxing the baptismal regulations, and somewhat changing the established
service by having the Bible read without comment.
Their temporal power was gone, toleration was the law of the land they had
once possessed, and now an onslaught was to be made upon the intellectual
ascendency which the clergy felt certain of maintaining over their people,
if only they could enforce obedience in their own ranks. The danger, too,
was the more alarming because so insidious; for, though their propositions
seemed reasonable, it was perfectly obvious that should the liberals
succeed in forcing their church within the pale of the orthodox communion,
discipline must end, and the pulpits might at any time be filled with men
capable of teaching the most subversive doctrines.
Pages:
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435