Page images
PDF
EPUB

the meeting-house, which proposal was rejectea. And some of our Deacons have twice waited on you at your own house, without being able to obtain any satisfaction; but rather, they were convinced of the greatness of your prejudices and disaffection, which you can neither justify nor conceal; though you meanly endeavoured to evade the evidence, and would have persuaded them aț first, that the place now bought and licensed, was only meant for a warehouse.

Having thus convinced us that you have no sincere regard for our welfare, and that it is in vain to hope that you can be convinced by us of your mistakes, so as to be in future an useful member of this society; we have been constrained to separate you from it, by a regard to the honour of God, to our own self-preservation, and with a desire and hope that this ordinance of Jesus Christ, who has commanded us to withdraw ourselves from those who are unruly, and walk not in love, may prove a means of bringing you to repentance.

1 Cor. v. 6, 7, 11. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. Purge out, therefore, the old leaven, &c. the leaven of malice and wickedness. If any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one, not to keep company; no, not to eat.

2 Thess. iii. 6. compared with 1 Thess. iv. 1215. Rom. xvi. 17. Mark them that cause divisions and offences.

Do read these scriptures; and pray to God, that if you have acted contrary to them, you may be made sensible of it.

We beg you to observe, that we do not separate you from us, for merely absenting yourself from the Lord's table, though we think that was wrong; nor merely for difference of sentiment; though we think it very desirable that church-members should be nearly of one mind respecting the principal parts of Christian doctrine, and consider the notion you have newly embraced as very erroneous: but we exclude you from our community, as having evidently proved yourself destitute of regard to our welfare, and as an enemy to our peace, who would gladly have caused divisions among us, or have set up an opposite interest, were it in your power so to do.

You have charged us with partiality, but we deny the charge. One member, who gave some degree of countenance to the preacher referred to before, does readily profess that regard to the church, to the minister, and to the law as a rule of life, which, with all your evasions, you have refused to do. Nor can we find any evidence of his ever speaking in that reproachful manner which you have done. We have not equal proof of the bitterness and malevolence of your own relations, as of yours; though their rending themselves away from the place, upon our presuming to admonish you, renders it too suspicious that they are allied to you in spirit, as well as in the

flesh. Our messengers found your father much less bitter in his temper than yourself. We feel for him, in his advanced period of life, considering him as chiefly led away by the prejudices of others. We are therefore willing to wait a while longer, to see if their minds can be softened by forbearance.

You have spoken of yourself as persecuted for righteousness sake. But before you can take just comfort from such a consideration, you must prove that your conduct to us, to our minister, and to other servants of Christ whom you have attempted to lampoon, is righteous. You applied to your own case, Isai. lxvi. 5. But can you indeed prove, that you are such as tremble at God's word? that you have much godly jealousy of yourself? that you love those parts of scripture which tend to excite holy trembling, as well as those that are consolatory? We shall rejoice if you can do this; though we should have ground for sorrow if you could prove that we hated you, and cast you out for the Lord's name's sake, or on account of your attachment to Christ.

We solemnly profess, that we hate you not, though we hate slander, and an unchristian spirit; and we hate sentiments that really tend to antinomianism, and to make professors set up privilege in opposition to duty. May the Lord teach you also to hate these things; and to hate all self-conceit, and all covetousness and worldly-mindedness. So soon as we can see evidence that you hate

these things, which we are sure the Lord hates, we shall be glad to receive you in again and whether you return to us or not, shall be glad then to consider ourselves as

Your affectionate,

Though now your grieved Brethren,

JOHN RYLAND, Pastor.

THOMAS TRINder,
JOSEPH DENT,

ABRAHAM ABBOTT,
TUBAL-CAIN MOLLOMES,

WILLIAM AGER,

JOHN MANNING,
WILLIAM RUDD,
ROBERT COE,

CHARLES JOHNSON,

JOHN STANFORD,

JOHN TYLER,

JOHN HALL,

WILLIAM FRANKLIN,

THOMAS WITMEY,
THOMAS HOLTHAM,

JOHN COWPER,
ROBERT HODGES,
WILLIAM BROWN,
THOMAS TURLAND.

Signed by us, in behalf of the whole
Church; at our church-meeting,
Lord's Day, October 30, 1791.

« PreviousContinue »