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was look'd upon with great jealousy: Others, convinced that the part the fynod had acted, was an unjuft ftretch of power, were clear for his following his own judgment in the difpofal of himself. The result of his counfels was, to determine nothing finally for the present, and to fhew fo much respect to the fynodical decifion, as to pay a visit to the congregation of Uber's Quay, and stay three months with them, that he might have a full view of the state of things in Dublin, and come to a conclufion in his own mind, upon the best and most impartial inquiry he could make. In purfuance of this refolution he went to Dublin, and, after three months ftay, returned to Antrim, with a fixed refolution of continuing there. As this was the most remarkable inftance, in which the power of the general fynod was refifted, fo he saw it neceffary, that he should be thoroughly fatis-· fied concerning the grounds upon which he went into a measure, to the generality fo very unpopular, to many provoking, and, in the account of fome, directly criminal. Many of his reafonings with himself upon this fubject, are written in his diary, in which, after comparing the arguments, for

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and against his removal, and balancing all things that could be fuggefted, he concludes thus: "I have all the encouragement I can "well expect, in the present state of the

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churches, to continue where I am; Ilabour among an affectionate people, and not without hope of success: I am perfectly fatisfied, God has bleffed me in my "ministrations here: I have work enough, " and that of the most public nature; I can "attend any where: My much esteemed

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brethren in the neighbourhood, who have "the intereft of the gospel, and the cause of "christian liberty at heart, press my continu

ance among them, to join in the happy "work in which they are engaged; and, I

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am convinced, that in this church parti"cularly, and at this time, it both needs, " and is worthy of all the affiftance I can give. These arguments prevail, and the "main force of the other (viz. for his re"moval) depends upon fervile notions of "ecclefiaftical power, which are attended " with confufion and fear, but without

light, and they destroy a rational choice. "It is my present deliberate and full per"fuafion, that no fynod has any fuch power, "as that of removing a minifter from place

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to place without his own confent; and, "I believe, I ought to make a stand against

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any fuch claim. But, O! that I may

carry with a becoming modefty, and dif "truft of my own judgment, fuch as may

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keep me always open to conviction, " and the Lord reclaim me when I go aftray."

THE mention made in this paffage of the cause of chriftian liberty, naturally leads to some account of the part Mr. Arbernethy acted in the long continued debates concerning it in the north, which produced effects, at firft not at all thought of by the contending parties.

HE had very early in life discovered, and been very fenfible of the pernicious tendencies of a party fpirit in matters of religion, and of the tyrannical exercife of ecclefiafti-.. cal power, in what form or conftitution foever it obtained: He had all along fet himself against this; and was, when he had opportunity, either in the public miniftrations, or in private, very zealous in recommending christian charity: This evidently appeared to be a favourite fubject of dif

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courfe with him; and he often lamented it, that, when the reformed churches de-` parted from the communion of the church of Rome, they carried too much of her spirit along with them. He laboured to and enlarge the minds of chriftians, by fhewing, that the points, in which the fincere might be fuppofed to differ, were but of small moment, when compared to the weighty matters, in which all fuch muft neceffarily be of one mind.

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SOMETIME before the attempt was made, to remove him to Dublin, Doctor Hoadly's (the prefent worthy Bishop of Winchester) Sermon, upon the kingdom of Chrift, with feveral of the papers, written in the controverfy, occafioned by it; particularly, the Bishop's defence against the representation of the committee, were got into the hands of many, and read with great attention, and much pleasure, by the friends of liberty: But by none of them, with more than Mr. Abernethy; who used to say, that upon the perufal of these books, he thought he could foresee a glorious day coming, when chris tians should be joined together, not in the fame opinions, but in one heart. As that controversy, by degrees opened, the friends

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of moderation and liberty, had reason to rejoice in the visible superiority the Bishop had over his antagonists, in point of argument; and many were fet a thinking about these matters, who had not much minded them before. A spirit of christian liberty and charity, did very remarkably diffuse itfelf. And upon this occafion, a confiderable number of minifters, and others in the north, formed themselves into a fociety, much of the fame nature, and confifting for moft part of the fame perfons, with that mentioned in the beginning of this preface. Their defign was, improvement in useful knowledge; and, in order to that, to bring things to the teft of reafon and fcripture, without a fervile regard to any human authority; a defign, which must be approved by all men of candor, as a good one, and which could not but be very friendly, both to the cause of truth and liberty. Mr. Abernethy went into this design with much zeal: He conftantly attended the meetings of the fociety (which, as they were frequently in Belfast, it being the most centrical place, these gentlemen came to be called the Belfast-fociety) and no man contributed more to the true ends of it.

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