pressed on people, with his own reasonings, to prove I was subverting the truth. Mr. Harris did it most innocently.
In the letters (which I have not seen since[1]) I apprehend there was nothing. At least the brethren who came down to enquire, asked me if there were others than these of the date in question, in which I had said something to Mr. Harris. An enquiry of which I could not well tell the meaning till I heard the use that had been making of them; a use which was not confined to Plymouth. Of all this I was happily ignorant when I went there, and desired only in ministry to raise, if God enabled me, the spiritual tone of souls which I felt to be grievously sunk—I acknowledge I was a poor instrument for it. But the public weekly meetings in Raleigh Street were trebled in spite of all the prejudice raised.
But this is the way the letter shewing worked. A great many took Mr. N.’s statements as to my views without further enquiry, and at the same time it was based in their subsequent statements on my own letters. If not, distrust was produced, and that was something. Those who were disgusted with this way of getting on were known, and set down and discountenanced as Darbyites.
I leave to others to recount, if they please, the meeting and consultings of the leaders to ensure united opposition to, and rejection of me, as I have only known it since the London meeting.[2] Such there were. I can only mention the facts as they occurred. I went to stay at Mr. Hill’s the next morning after my arrival. There Mr. Newton came, and I met him cordially in manner,
- ↑ Since I wrote this I have seen them, and, though written with the unguardedness of private communications, there is nothing that I can see unscriptural. I suppose brethren thought so too, by asking me if that was all.
- ↑ But in truth, when I think, knowing now something of what passed there, of all the professions and protestations made to me, and how I was assured all was suspicion on my part, and accident without design, if any thing had crept in, it is sickening.
