Ministerial Council

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 27, 1865

Ministerial Council.

On sixth-day June 16th, 1865, a council of ministers was held at the house of worship, at Hundred Mile Grove, Wisconsin, to investigate matters held in doubt in the course of Bro. L. G. Bostwick, who had received from the Wisconsin and Illinois Conference a letter of recommendation to labor in new fields.

Elders White and Loughborough of the General Conference Committee, and Elders Ingraham and Sanborn of the Wisconsin and Illinois State Conference Committee, were present.

After a careful examination of Bro. Bostwick's matters and present condition—he being present to speak for himself—and time for prayerful consideration, the council came to the following conclusions, without a dissenting voice in any one particular.

1. That Bro. L. G. Bostwick has erred in involving himself in debt in taking property upon his hands for which he is still owing; that he should as soon as possible close up his financial matters, and free himself from existing debts.

2. That in view of his debts, and the fact that the brethren were making strong and persevering efforts to raise $300, which had been paid as commutation money when he was drafted, Bro. L. G. Bostwick greatly erred in incurring the expense of his attending the recent General Conference at Battle Creek, Michigan.

3. That his conversation and general deportment does not comport with that gravity, purity of language, and holy dignity of manners, becoming the gospel ministry.

4. That a thorough reform in Bro. Bostwick is necessary before he can be a proper "example to the flock," or "example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." 1 Tim. iv, 12.

We would in the language of the apostle's exhortation to young men, exhort our youthful Bro. Bostwick, "to be sober minded, in all things showing thyself a pattern of good works, in doctrine showing incorruptness, gravity, sincerity, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you." Titus ii, 6-8.

That when he again enters upon the work of teaching the testing truth of God, it be after he becomes imbued with a high sense of the holiness and responsibility of the ministerial office, by humiliation, study of the word of God upon this subject, and reflection and prayer. And that he, ardently striving for those high and holy qualifications for the Christian ministry set forth in the word of God, prove himself before his brethren, and before the world, that he is worthy of the sacred office.

5. That Elder Isaac Sanborn has erred in encouraging Bro. Bostwick out into the gospel field, and also his tour to the General Conference, when his preaching brethren of the same Conference stood in great doubt of his qualification for the work.

JAMES WHITE, J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH, WM. S. INGRAHAM, ISAAC SANBORN.