Farewell to the First Congregational Church in Norwalk, Conn. (bound with other addresses)

In view, therefore, (1) of the origin of a principal disoonMe in this book, in lie appointment of the General Association ; (2) of the membership of its author 1 one of the District Associations connected -With yonr body ; (3) of the pub- shed verdict of that Association that he is not justly chargeable with here^ on ccount of any sentiments advanced in said book ; (4) of uie fact, that this deci- ion, if sanctioned by a general silent acquiescence in at, must be regarded as an idex of the dootrmal standard, not oiily of Hartford Central Association, lut of our whole denomination in the State ; that, in such an event, it would be mderstood by our churches, our youth, our yovmg ministers, and candidates for he ministry, not inerely that the sentiments therein advanced have stealthily rept in amopg us, but that they are, by our ecolesiastioal bodies,' solemnly idjudged to be not incompatible with soundness in the faith, and fitness for the ixercise of the Christian ministry; (5) of the fact that these sentiments have leen declared by great numbers of the soundest and ablest miiusters in our own md other States, to amount to a denial or corruption of several fundamental irtieles of the Christian faith, already mentioned; and (finally), of the factj that he most seductive and iimniiient form of error ip. our day, which is poisoning aultitudes, and, we have reason to fear, some portion of the ministry itself, ia listinguished by a scorn of all positive doctrine, all creeds, all tests of orthodoxy ixternal to the mind and ■convictions of each individual ; and that this book ivinces the author's contempt of all creeds by avowing his readiness to accept IE many as may be offered hun (page 82), and by'affirming that his agency and •esponsibility, in forming his opinions, seem to him no ol£er than what he has ' in preparing the blood he circulates and the anatomic frame he occupies ;" — ^in dew of all these, and manifold more considerations which a regard to brevity srowds out, it is our solemn and deliberate opinion, that the General Association jannot innocently remain silent or neutral, in regard to the great questions i^hioh are involved in this controversy ; that such silence of neutrality would nvolve, at least, the tacit sanction of the most dangerous errors among our ihurches, and bring a just suspicion upon the orthodoxy of Connecticut Congre- jationalists, in aU Christendom. If an association have any character, especially if it claim to be Christian, t must determine the qualifications of its own members. Having fixed the terms )f member ship, it may be called upon to judge whether any of its members have io far violated those terms that it can no longer maintain fellowship with them, ind such are the convictions of many ministers of this State, that we do not relieve it possible for the errors complained of long to prevail among us, with- )ut making this a practical issue. "What we now, however, plead for, as the indispensable duty of the General 4.ssociation, in order to self clearing, is the adoption of the following, or other squivalent advisory action, which is dearly within its province. Whereas the Eev. Horace Bnshnell, D. D., a member of the Hartford Cen" tral Association, haa published a volume, entitled " Gop in Chhist,!' consisting Df three discourses from 1 John ii. 2, with an elaborate introduction, or prelimi- lary essay, the first of which discourses was preached to the ministers of this State, by appointment of the General Association ; and whereas the said dis- jourses are extensively understood by divines to deny, (1) the eternal Trinity af persons in the Godhead ; (2) that Christ became man, by taking to himself aot only a true body, but a reasonable soul, distinct in its actings from the Di- idnity, whereby he continues to be both God and Man, in two distinct natures ind one person forever; (3) that the sufferings and death of Christ are truly picarious, offered to vindicate the law and j,ustio6 of God, in the forgiveness of the penitent sinner, and accepted instead of his merited punishment ; or, that they are even an expression of God's abhorrence of sin ; (4) that^Christian jus- tification is founded on the merits of Christ's blood and righteousness, and is ob- tained only by reliance on those merits, to the exclusion of all reliance on the sinner's own riffhteousness or works for acceptance with God; therefore, 8 Mesolved, That while we do not now undertake to say whether the aforesaid doc- trines are or are not denied in the book in question, yet in the present posture of things we deem it due to ourselves, to the cause of God and of truth, and to the purity and peace of our churches, to declare, that, in our judgment, lie fore- mentioned doctrines are fundamental articles of the Chrbtian religion, and are BO treated in our own, and aU other accredited formularies of Christian doctrine. Resolved, That in our view, to surrender these doctrines, is to surrender Christianity itself and that to deny them is heVesy, and should be treated as such by churches, ministers,, and eoclesiastieal bodies. jResolved, That when a book published by any minister of a consociated church, is extensively understood and believed by competent judges, to deny fundamental Christian doctrines, and for this reason causes great distress and agi- tation in the Christian community, this fact of itself is sufficient " occasion" for the Association to which he belongs to put him on his defence, in a trial before the consociation. Simple justice to all parties demands this step. Thus alone can the Association clear itself from the suspicion of abetting heresy. Thus alone can the accused brother be advised of his fault, and put m the way of re- covery from it, if guilty. Thus alone, if innocent, can he make the evidence thereof fully appear. Thus only, if he have falsely or unfortunately stated his views in his book, can he be personally acquitted, while his book receives fit censure, and its unhappy influence is neutralized. When the vital truths of the Gospel are at stake, all that is merely personal sinks into insignificance. In these sacred concerns, we know no man after the flesh. "We exhort all, in their several places, according to the measure of the gift of God, without respect of persons, to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints. This or such equivalent action as may seem wise and best, the Association of Fairfield West pray you to adopt. We are happy to quote in support of the course we have thus indicated, the vote of your body, drafted by Rev. Dr. Porter, relative to our overture to it the last year, which is as follows : " While we honor the zeal for sound doctrine manifested in the overture, and while we do (and can hardly too often), reaffirm our faith in the great doctrines of the Gospel as embodied in owr confession of Faith, yet as it belongs exclusively to the district Associations to institute Christian discipline, in cases of error among their own members, and as we have no information of culpable negligence in this particular, on the part of any of our Associations, we believe that any ac- tion of this body, at this time, would be unseasonable." We think we have shown that the present is a crisis, which peculiarly de- mands that we should "re-a£Brm our faith in the gi-eat doctrines of the Gospel," as we have set forth ; and that we should declare our judgment as to the exi- gency in which an Association ought " to institute Christian discipline in case of error" published by a pastor of a consociated church, by putting him on trial before the consociation. We believe, indeed, that if ever there was a time for assuming a decisive at- titude, that time is now. We believe that the most precious truths of our holy religion are in jeopardy among us, and that our only safety is to meet (not to evade) the issue thus presented. We believe that the dearest interests of our- selves, of our children, and children's childi-en, of the church and of the world, demand that we so hold forth the word of life as to make it known and read of all men, that we have no fellowship with antichristian error, that we prove all things and hold fast that which is good. But should the Association dechne all action of this nature, then we pray for their advice, whether any, and, if any, what farther steps ought to be taken by us in the premises ; and especially to show us what course we ought to pursue, in reference to those ecclesiastically connected with us through your body, who, after due labor used with them, persist in avowing or shielding what we sol- emnly believe to be fundamental error. All -which is respectfully submitted, by the imanimous vote of the Association at its annual meeting at Greenfield, May 29, 1850. E. D. KINNEY, Moderator. W. J. JENlflNGS, 8cHbe. The General Association convened at Litchfield, June, 1850, heard the foregoing memorial, and referred it to a committee of thirteen, composed of one member from each of the Dis- trict Associations. Upon the tmaiiimous report of this com- mittee, the General Association, with great unanimity, adopt- ed the following minute : DECLAEATION OF THE GENEBAL ASSOCIATION OF THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT. The General Association of the State of Connecticut having received from the Fairfield West Association a memorial, representing their proceedings in ref- erence to a book, entitled, "God in Christ," published by Eev. Horace Bushnell, D. D., of the Hartford Central Association, consider themselves called upon to make the following deolaeation of their views and sentiments : We regard it as the right of any of our District Associations to remonstrate with any other Association in respect to any proceedings which are thought to involve the faith and purity of our churches, or to bring reproach on the associated clergy of the State. We regard it as the duty of any Association receiving such a remonstrance, to reconsider the ease in que6tion; and if they do not reverse their former ac- tion, to use their best endeavors to satisfy the complaining Association in respect to the proceedings so complained of. In stating these views, we also feel bound to say, that while we are not a court of appeal in this case, and are not called iipon at present to decide as to the actual contents of the book in question, the General Association of the State of Connecticut do stand in peculiar relations to this subject. One of the dis- courses contained in this book is a Ooncio ad Cleruim, delivered by appointment of the Association, in August, 1848. Two other discourses, one delivered at Cambridge, and the other at Audover, are bound up with it in the same vol- ume ; and the author is understood to represent these three discourses as pre- senting one harmonious system of doctrinal truth._ Under these circumstances, we consider it due to ourselves and to the various ecclesiastical bodies with which we are connected in other States, distinctly to make known, that this Association has no responsibility whatever for the book in question, or for any of the views which have been supposed (whether correctly or incorrectly) to be contained therein. In respect to those views, the Fairfield West Association have stated (what is generally known) that these discourses have been extensively understood by divines to deny, 1. The doctrine of the Trinity, as involving a tri-personality in the Divine nature. 2. The doctrine that Christ ,had a human sou], distinct from the Divine nature.