Abiel Holmes was both minister of the Church of Christ in Cambridge and the "public teacher of piety, religion, and morality" of the First Parish in Cambridge. Unhappily, he lived at a time when it was proving no longer possible to serve acceptably in both capacities. The communicant members of the church tended to be theologically conservative, or "orthodox". The inhabitants of the territorial parish were much more diverse in their theology, and included many who had abandoned Calvinist doctrine. The crisis came in 1827, when Holmes adopted a policy of refusing to exchange with any but orthodox ministers. This departure form long-established tradition narrowed the preaching to one theological position. After vainly trying to persuade Holmes to return to his earlier practice, the Parish dismissed Holmes as its "public teacher" of religion. The Parish warrants reproduced here show the escalation of the controversy, from a request to exchange as before, to a request for a younger (and presumably more liberal) Colleague, to a request for a council to recommend as to dismissal.