consult with them about it and meet, but demanded the dates or circumstances of the former charge or its withdrawal. As I well knew, and any one could see, that it was a mere explanation and enlargement of acting badly towards beloved brethren, I declined further communication unless before brethren ; the rather as he alluded very incorrectly to passed circumstances, and I thought such correspondence very useless. I had his letters declaring the foundations of christianity were gone, and the tract saying we subverted christianity, not to mention that there were letters without end written under his influence. But there are other circumstances I must now mention because it has been supposed Mr. Newton was charged publicly all at once, and no steps taken, and this has been even much insisted on. Before ever I came to Plymouth, and without any communication with me, Mr. H. Young who felt equally the sectarianism, and that every principle was set aside, had been to Mr. N. and spoken to him. Mr. N. answered him with the greatest violence, and declared that we were destroying the fundamentals of christianity, that he was justified in what he was doing against us, and should continue. Mr. Arthur Pridham went also to him just about the time I came, and was met with the same avowed determination to persevere.[1] To continue, Mr. Harris came down to me to say, that Mr. Newton would not consent to have a sort of jury formed on him, but that they could have a meeting, to see whether sectarianism had been introduced. I replied, that they would have had no difficulty in having what he called a jury on a poor brother, but that I was content to have such a meeting, as I could go and take my part in the enquiry like any
- ↑ It has been already stated that Mr. N. had been complained of as to these letters by brethren all over the country and I had been compelled to read them, and had at the instance of others remonstrated with him four years before. Mr. Soltau’s letter has also been referred to as shewing that it was going on, and remonstrated against.
