but when they began to make improvements, as some new members called them, or rules not founded on the published will of Christ, the love of that lively church began to wax cold, both to God and to each other; their zeal began to slacken apace, and divisions about mere trifles arose; they spake evil one against another; and these declensions went on and inereased for some years, till their pastor, who, alas! had connived at many of their innovations, being struck with remorse, eame forward, at one of their meetings, and cxpressed his repentance for unfaithfulness to Jesus and to them. He then took a review of their first state, and the great eomfort they enjoyed during their former associations; he then pointed out the evils that had crept in amongst them unawares, and moved, that they should turn to their original conformity to apostolie rule. Some opposed this; but, upon the pastor’s plainly stating the seriptural order of a gospel ehureh, these wcrc silenced, and almost the whole chureh cheerfully agrced to their rcverting to their original simplicity. A fcw were offended, and withdrew from the eommunion of the church, whieh was a great mercy; for it was soon found that only the eorrupting leaven had lcft them, Now they went on in their former way; they found that the Lord was returned to them of a truth; then they had rest, and were edified; and, walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the eomfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied like the churehes in Judea.
This church unanimously dcclared it their dctermination, that I should in every case be their ruler; eonsequcntly, when any matter came before them, I was consulted, and they adhered to my dceision. For example: onc of their members began to conform to this present world, and attend vain and sinful amusements. The matter was stated to the church; then they all looked to me for my counsel. I told them, that if any man was in Christ, he must be a new creature; old things would pass away, and all things become anew. They concluded, from this and other things I said to them, that a Christiau was delivered from thc love and practice of the evil eustoms and enjoyments of the wicked; that he would find such things hurtful to his soul, and would flcc from them; whcrefore, they thought they had just grounds for doubting the Christianity of this brother; and having attended to all that I commanded to be done in such cases, without produeing rcpcntancc in him, they excluded him from their society; and then earnestly prayed, that Jesus would make this his own ordinance useful to him, whom they had just put away from among them.
A short time after these things took place, there happened a most violent hurricane, accompanied with an earthquake.
