History of Northampton, Massachusetts, from its settlement in 1654;

212 HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTON. [1749.
vocate the principles set fortli in liis book, lie ought not to
remain pastor of the church ; that the business proposed
whether the church
to the advisory council should be — :
should take any longer time to peruse Mr. Edwards' book ;
Avhether the church, considering the great opposition to
Mr. Edwards, both in church and precinct, should not use
means for an immediate separation ; and if so what measures
should be taken to that end. The committee also prepared
a vote to be offered in the church meeting, proposing
that steps should be taken for an immediate dissolution of
the pastoral relation, in case Mr. Edwards refused to accede
to their views.
Mr. Edwards Re- To these suggcstious Mr. Edwards promptly
fuses to Accept demurred. He replied at great length in a
these Proposi- .
3 j. xi x •
tions. communication addressed to tlie meeting,
taking up each topic separately, showing
their inconsistency with one another, and tlieir unfairness
to him. He charged the committee with arranging beforehand
what was to be done, and confining the action of the
council solely to that decision, and he suggested that having
provided beforehand a verdict for the council, it was
superfluous to call one. He took the ground that the
church might possibly differ in opinion from the precinct
(losing sight of the fact that the same men coinjoosed both
bodies, and had the power to carry out in one organization
what they formulated in the other). Most strongly he objected
to the determination to confine the council to members
of the Hampshire County churches, because nearly
all of them were in sympathy with his op]3oneiits. He
charged them with endeavoring to influence him by the
threat of recommending an immediate dismissal unless he
assented to their views. Undoubtedly this reply of the
pastor was irritating and provoking. It contained some
thrusts that the committee could not well parry. The
effect was plainly noticeable at the next meeting with him.
Auotiier Meeting. At the iiext coiifereuce with the pastor
stroug Language, tlierc was Considerable excitement, and
Major Pomeroy spoke plainly. It was the
opinion of the committee, he said, that the church had