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Gerrit Smith Broadside and Pamphlet Collection

The following resolutions, being substantially the same as those offered at...

Smith, Gerrit, 1797-1874.

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Call number: Smith 710

The following Resolutions, being substantially the same as those offered at two of its previous meetings, were, with the exception of one dissenting voice in the cases of Nos. 4, 6, and 9, passed unanimously by the Church of Peterboro, June 1st, 1849.

1st. Resolved, That we still cordially approve of the 5th in the series of Resolutions, unanimously adopted by this Church, December 24, 1843; viz. "Resolved, That for the edification both of its members and of others, and for the honoring and establishing of the truth, this Church will, as there shall be occasion for it, express its convictions in relation to doctrines and practices."

2d. Whereas this Church did, on the 4th day of last February, with the single exception of him, who has since ceased to be its pastor, and to reside amongst us, vote unanimously, that "the Sabbath is not a Jewish institution, but an institution for all men; and that its law is of universal and perpetual obligation"; - Resolved, therefore, that we trust, that its future votes in behalf of this Divine and precious institution will lack not even one of perfect unanimity.

3d. Resolved, That, in our judgment, it is very unreasonable and improper to claim for other persons than christians the right to take part in our Church Meetings, and that it is scarcely less so to claim it for other christians than such, as practically acknowledge their membership and identity with us; and that, hence, we regard a part of the votes which were cast on the question of the continued pastorship of our late pastor (a part, withal, sufficiently numerous to control the action of the Church,) as intrusive, illegitimate, and not entitled to the least respect, consideration, or influence.

4th.Whereas Gerrit Smith did, on the 20th day of last February, offer, in our Church Meeting, the following Resolutions, viz:

"Resolved, That, notwithstanding the rejection of the Sabbath by our beloved pastor is a source of surprise and sorrow to us all, we, nevertheless, do all recognize him to be still our fellow christian, and, consequently, our fellow Church member, and do all confide in him, and love him as such.

Resolved, That, notwithstanding it is the duty of a Church to acknowledge in each of its members the right to be faithful to his or her convictions, and to teach and exhort, as he or she may have ability and opportunity; it, nevertheless, does not follow, that it may choose for its teacher - least of all, that it may single out for its stated and leading teacher - one, who inculcates doctrines and practices, which, in its judgment, are fatal to its prosperity and destructive of christianity."

And whereas the mover of these Resolutions did frankly avow, that the second of them was drawn up for the purpose of preparing the way, kindly and gently, to dissolve the relation between this Church and its pastor, who had, unhappily, come to hold, that, whatever be the day, there is, on such day, out of the hours of public worship, the same liberty for amusements and manual labors, that there is on any other day; and who had, in short, come to disbelieve in and to contemn the Sabbath, and to reproach and denounce it, as the grand superstition, which hinders the progress and triumph of christianity: And, whereas, the mover of these Resolutions has, for having offered them, and whereas others have, for having voted for them, been held up to the public scorn and hatred, as the persecutors and cruel injurers of our late pastor: Resolved, therefore, that if the offering and voting for these Resolutions be wrong, it must be because mildness, truth, reason, love (,for such are the characteristicks of these Resolutions,) wrong.

5th. Resolved, That the fact, that, in all probability, not one member of this Church would have endured the idea of calling our late pastor, had the lamentable change in his views of the Sabbath been foreseen, and the further fact, that months were suffered to elapse after his first open avowal of this change, ere one step was taken for the dissolution of his pastoral relation with this Church, are an ample refutation of the charge of impatience and unkindness, which is brought against those, who desired such dissolution.

6th. Whereas the members of this Church, who are unwilling to vote for a person for its pastor and leading teacher, who rejects the Sabbath, are charged with being, therein, sectarian : Resolved, that, in reply to this charge, we affirm, that the breaking up of the christian brotherhood is the crime, which, alone, constitutes sectarianism; and that even he, who collects a party from such brotherhood, or joins a sect for the purpose of promoting a cherished doctrine or institution, is not to be condemned as a sectarian for his however excessive or disproportionate attachment to such doctrine or institution, but, simply, for the sectarian means, which he resorts to to promote such doctrine or institution.

7th. Resolved, That the door of our fellowship is still open to christians of every name and type; and that, whether with the Baptist they are for immersion, or with the Episcopalian for infant baptism, or with the Presbyterian for Calvinism, or with the Methodist for Arminianism; or whether they favor these or those views of the Sabbath, or these or those views of pastoral and ministerial qualifications; we cannot, so long as they abide with us, and hold to the indissolubleness of the christian brotherhood, wound and wrong them with the charge of sectarianism; - for, so long as they abide with us, we cannot regard them as guilty of that great sin. They may, for their errors of faith or practice, be obnoxious to censure and discipline, but not to the charge of sectarianism.

8th. Resolved, That, instead of believing, as, under pain of being stigmatized as sectarians, we are called on to believe, that the members of a Union Church may, for the sake of unanimity in the choice of a pastor, be bound to vote for one who despises and tramples upon doctrines and institutions, which they hold to be vital to the prosperity of their Church and to the progress and triumph of christianity - resolved, that, instead of believing, that they may, thus, school themselves into indifference to such doctrines and institutions, or, at least, smother, for the time being, their convictions of the value and indispensableness of such doctrines and institutions - we do still heartily subscribe to the 8th in the series of Resolutions referred to, a part of which is: "Whereas there is a prevailing delusion, that a Union Church requires a surrender of private judgment and a compromise of truth; and that, but for this surrender and compromise, the contentions in such Church would be too great to be endured: Resolved, therefore, that the members of a Union or Gospel Church are not only free to entertain their respective views both of doctrine and practice, but are bound to inculcate them on their brethren, and to rebuke the rejection of them; and resolved, further, that such freedom and faithfulness do not only not engender fatal strife, but do actually produce assimilation of character and that true peace, which follows purity."

9th. Whereas we are told, that if a pastor or minister be but admitted to be a christian, his pastorship or ministry, so far as his faith is concerned, must, whatever be his beliefs or practices, be acquiesced in; and, whereas, we are, further, told, that this novel and amazing doctrine springs legitimately from the principles of the "Church of Peterboro," and that to dissent from it is to be guilty of violating these principles: Resolved, therefore, that the "Church of Peterboro" has but one peculiar and distinctive principle - viz. the principle, that the christians of a place, or community, are, and are to act as, the one Church - the one unsectarian, indivisible, and indissoluble Church - of such place or community - and, consequently, that to charge persons, notwithstanding they practically, and truly, and lovingly, cling to this principle, with violating the principles of the "Church of Peterboro," and that too, simply because of their attachment to this or that doctrine, to this or that institution, is utterly indefensible and unreasonable.

10th. Resolved, That the foregoing Resolutions be read in our public assembly, the next Sabbath.