150 The LIFE ofthe And Confent: Accordingly at Evefham and Kiderminfler theywere conftantly kept up : In the Town where I lived we had once a -Month a Meeting of Three Ju= Ritesof the Peace ( who lived with us ) and three or four Minifters ( for fo ma- ny we were in the Parifh, my felt and Aflflants ) and three or four Deacons, and twenty of the ancient and godly Men of the Congregation, who pretended to no Office, as Lay-Elders, but only met as the Truftees of the whole Church, to be prefent and fecure their Liberties ; and do that which any of the Church x T11e might do ; and they were chofen oncea year hereunto (as * Gratin do ImpalaJam ofinciples Pere advifeth becaufe all the People could not have leifure to meet fo oft, to BoBoot; 1Ich debate things which required their Confect t At this meeting we admonifhed thofe sooft liked that remained impenitentin any fcandalousSin, àftgr moreprivateAdmonition be- and fol- fore two or three; and'wedid with all poflìble tendernefsperfùade themto repen- (owed, tance, and labour toconvince them of their Sin and danger; and pray with them if they confented : And if they could not be prevailed withto repent, we required them to meet before all the Miniftersat the,other monthly Meeting, which was always the next Day after this parochial Meeting. Therewe renewed our Admo- nitions and Exhortations, and (òtne Minifters ofother Parifhes laboured to fet it home, that the Offender might not think it wasonly theOpinion of the Paftor of thePlade, and that he did it outor ill Will or Partiality. If he yielded penitent- ly to cónfefs his Sin and promife Amendment ( more or lets publickly according to the Natureof theScandal) we then joined in Prayer for his true Repentance and Forgivenefs, and exhorted him farther to his Duty for the future : But if heBill continued obtinately impenitent, by the Confent of all, he was by the Paltor of thePlace to be publickly admonilhed and prayed for by that Church, ufually three feveral days together ; and if frill he remained Impenitent, the Church was re- quired to avoid him, as a Perron unfit for their Communion; as is more fully opened in the Articles of our Agreement. § 32. This monthly Meeting of the Minifters proved ofexceeding great Benefit and comfort to us ; where when we had dined together, we fpent an Hour or two in Difputation on fore Ozieftion which was chofen the Week before ; and when the Refpondent and Opponent had done their Part, they were pleated to make it my Work to determine: And after that, if we had any Church-bufinefs ( as aforefaid) we confulted of it. And many Minifters met with us, that were not of our Affoeiation, for theBenefit of thefe Difputation. I mull confefs this was the cornfortableft time of all my Life, through the great delight I had in the Company of that Society of bonett, fincere, laborious, humble Minifters of Chrift : Every Week on the Leéflure Day I had thepleafant Company of manyof them at my Houfe, andevery Monthat our appointed Meeing I had the Compa- ny ofmore ; I fo well knew their Selfdenial, Impartiality, Peaceablenefs, and exemplary Livestogether with their Skill and faithful Diligence for the Goodof Souls ( however almoft all of them havebeen fince filenced and call out) that its pleafant to nie to remember the Converfe I had with them ; fo aimable are fincere andupright Men, whole finglenefs of Heart doth imitate the State of the primitive Believers, when proud, felf-feeking refereed Hypocrites, do turn their belt Endowments into. a Reproach. 133. When Dr. Warweflry and Dr. Good had fubfcribed as above, a while after Dr. Warmefhy confulted with his London Brethren : and he received aPaper ofAni- madverfions( not againft the Articles of our Agreement, but) againft my Expli- cation of them, and my Paffages which oppofe thofe Epifcopal Divines who deny the Minifiry and Churches which havenot Prelatical Ordination: Theft Animad- verGons he Pent to me with a Letter, which, fignified his defire of Peace in general, but that he mull not ftrike a League with Faétion, bc. There wasno Name to this Paper, but long time after I learnt that it was Mr. Peter Gunning's, afterwards Bifisopof Ely. I prefently wrote an Anfwer to it, and offered the Doctor to fend In the Ap- it him, if he would tell me the Author. Becaufe it is too long tobe inferred here, pendix. I have put the Paper and Anfwer together in the End, where you may read them. After this I received from Sir Ralph Clare theft enfuing Papers, as from Tome "Courtiers ( which Me of the fame Strain with Dr. Gnnning's) ; which with my briefAnfwer I adjoin. S1Rt _
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