The first half-hour proved so tame that some who had remained to see trouble, got up and went home. At last Mr. Beaver rose, and the audience caught its breath. He poised himself on one foot, and began to pump, blink, whistle, and finally to stutter.
“M-M-Mr. Ch-ch-ch-chairman!” he called in a high excited voice.
Elder Fox declared that Mr. Beaver had the floor, and Mr. Beaver proceeded to take it, at least a good part of the section round which he was hopping. People moved back and gave him room, for he needed plenty of space in which to make himself understood.
“The p-p-parish c-committee h-h-has d-decided that M-Mr. McGowan is not the m-m-man for our ch-ch-church. Elder F-F-Fox has the report of the c-c-committee. I m-m-move we h-h-h-hear him now!”
Mr. Fox mounted the platform and came forward to the edge. He looked into the faces of those before him with deep sadness in his own.
“Friends, this is one of the saddest moments of my life,” he began, his voice shaking with feeling. “Some––er––have come to love our young brother who has been called to our church. And he has many very estimable qualities. For that reason I feel very keenly what I am about to say. The committee feels that Mr. McGowan holds ideas that are too far advanced for our humble little church. We must not overlook the fact that we hold 164 sacred some of the things to which he flippantly referred to-night, and it is our duty to protect––er––the sacred doctrines which have been handed down to us from the more sacred memory of our fathers and martyrs of the past.
“Our minister does not believe in the divine inspiration of the Bible. The question was put to him by one of the members of this committee, and he replied––er––that even if every jot and tittle were personally dictated by God––which he doubted––the Bible would remain a sealed book unless it inspired those who read it. It is evident from this answer that he does not believe in––er––our sacred doctrine of the verbal inspiration of Scripture.
“You have heard him to-night, asking us––er––in the common slang of the dock to rid ourselves of all these doctrines on which the church has been founded. What he said proves that he does not believe in the fundamentals of Christian faith.
“I need not go back of this sermon so fresh in our minds to prove to your intelligence that Mr. McGowan is not orthodox. I could call 165 to your attention many unfortunate statements, but I feel that it is not necessary. Your committee has gone over every detail––er––prayerfully and thoughtfully. Truly, it gives me a pain–––”