No 4. APPENDIX. 427 commends, make all men in whom it dwells, rejoice to fee thole things etfewhere in the fame paper, more plainly and fully ex- pre{fed to fátisfaotion? And will not. that humility, modefty, and compaffion, which a fenfe of human weaknefs and frailty, which a fenfe of our own imperfections, and liahlenefs to miftake, begets, perfuade the fame thing? Even the wilelt of focieties happen at times to exprefs themfelves fo as they fee need to explain themfelves, for removing fuch mifappreheufons as their' words had given occafion to. The {trainingor wrefting of words, or occafional paffages, in this cafe, in order to the fathering inferences or confequences not owned, or to the fixing of odious notions, that the words neither exprefs, nor candidly interpreted, give any countenance to, cannot mifs to be held as a clear evidence, that fomething is aimed at, either with refpect to the perfon or doctrine, that is not fairly and honeftly owned, and Molten out. Moderator, Though 1 shall readily own, that any who hear the word at the Lord's month, and bear 'his meffage, may be able to exprefs the truth in more fit and acceptable words than I have done in thefe papers ; yet, confidering my unikilfulnefs, and my profound fecurity from all fears of fuch unprecedented meafures, I conceive I have much reafon to blets the name of the Lord, who inftructs the fimple, and guides the blind in the way they know not; and accordingly here I delire, with all my foul, to blets him, that my efcapes were not both more and greater than they are : elfe, alas! where had I been ? I had been fwallowed and eaten up as bread the truth had fuifered by my means, and the friends of truth had been a- Ihamed for my fake. Which brings to mind another thing, namely, whatever imperfeótions or alledged oftènfive things may be found in that fermon, you are not, Moderator, fo much as in thought, to impute' them to any but me. My rea- fon for faying fo is, that I know it has been strongly, though molt invidioufly fuggefted, that there was concert and advice in this affair ; but never was any thing lets true, Moderator. No advice, no , confultation, about word or thing in thefe pa- pers ; yea, fo far from it, that I fincerely declare, no one in the world knew fo much as the text I was to preach from, till I read it in this place. Moderator, we have not fo learned Chrift as to confult with man in fuch cafes. I own, Moderator, I have caufe, more than for all the com- mittee's remarks, to be humbled, that I had not more of the Lord's pretence in the delivery of that fermon, (yet I delire to bleu him for carrying me through) ; and that lb little of the Lord's power accompanied the word from my mouth : for it is but too evident, it has been an unbleffed fermon to many ; woes me for it! However, it might have been expected, foie regard would have been had to confcience, honefty, and fincerity, in declaring one's mind as to what he reckoned amifs or in danger,
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