171. MR THOMAS BOSTON. 305 afterwards, by the ffate the doótrine in this church was then arrived at. My friend Mr Wilton having been moderator of the April fynod, at which I was run down, he, as in the chair, having little accefs to help, preached before them in O&ober a faithful and excellent fermon ; at which they took fire. And immedi- ately they commenced a procefs againft him, on the account of that his fermon ; which ended not till the general affembly i7¿3 put an end to it. The ferinon is extant in print, intitled, The Tracft, to be judged of by pofterity : and was before four fynods, as many committees of the fynod, before the commitfion, and at length came before the general affembly ; as one may fee in the preface to it, done, I think, by Mr Kid. It may eafily be gueffed, what a lofs both thefe affairs meeting together at once would occauon. And indeed we were by this time become ftill more hangers to our brethren, and as aliens ; and faw, that our mothers had born us men of contention. Betides what con- cerned the docîriue, there were in thefe days many occafiorrs of difference in the matter of national faits ; the appointment for which fent from England, bare evident marks of little honour had for our church ; fuch as the appointing of them to be rrb- ferved on force of their tuperttitious days, and particularly on Fridays, contrary to all reafon that could be drawn but from their fuperftition. There often occafioned us much uneafïnefs, and different practices from our brethren, molt of them at leaft: but I am not ripe in the hiftory of that affair, which bath been of a long courfe. However for fome.time national fartshave been very rare. There was alfo introduced from England, into tome of our civil courts, the corrupt cuftom of fwearing upon the book ; which being laid before our fynod, occafioned tame debate before this time : but we could prevail nothing in that matter with them, towards moving for redrefs. But my friend Mr Wilfón expofed it, in his New Modeof fwearing, taôiis et deofculatis evangeliis," printed anno 1719. In the month of November, we appeared again before the commifïiton. There we were told, we were to anfwer certain queries to be given us in writing by them. And having gone away together to cónfult, what were belt to be done. in that matter, I was clear, that whatever fhould be the confequences, we fhould receive and anfwer them. What determined me to this was, that I thought we were to lay our account with parting with our brethren, as being caft out by them ; and, in that event, it wouldbe fafeft, both for the caufe of truth, and our own reí putation. This was agreed to, and the queries were received with a proteftation. And thus they turned the cannon directly againft us. While I was thus engaged in public trials, I met witha break, ing difappointment in the cafe of my fon John, whom I had defigned for the holy miniftry. Being, in that view,. concerned P p 2
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