Page:Records of the Life of the Rev. John Murray.djvu/214

204 and in Earth beneath"—and, addressing the chair he added: "Sir, I have answered every question you have thought proper to ask—and as I find it difficult to speak, I am so very ill, I will take leave to wish you a good evening. Gentlemen, good night"—when, without interruption, he departed.

Alas! alas! how tyrannical is the dominion of prejudice! in this instance it precipitated men, respectable men, who in the common occurrences of life, had uniformly preserved a decent reputation, upon a procedure the most absurd and unwarrantable. Interrogations so unceremoniously made, to a person, who, as the almoner of his God, had the preceding year, fed large numbers of their almost famished poor, who had never committed any act of violence, or discovered the smallest inclination to aid the enemies of the new world, was, as we trust, a singular outrage. But Mr. Murray was a Christian, and after the way that they called heresy, so worshipped he the God of his fathers, he could not therefore be allowed to merit either confidence or gratitude.

On the Christmas day of 1780, Mr. Murray first preached in a small, neat building, erected for his use, by the Gloucesterians. His adherents, associated for public worship, had, as they believed, organized themselves, and solemnly covenanting together, they conceived themselves an. A writing was prepared, signed by every individual of the congregation, in which, after dilating upon the fundamental principles of the faith they had embraced, they professed to acknowledge, as Christians, no Master but Jesus Christ, receiving as their guide in spiritual matters, only the word and spirit of the Redeemer; but they pledged themselves to the community at large, and to each other, to yield obedience to every ordinance of man, to be peaceable and obedient subjects to the powers ordained of God in all civil cases. But as subjects of that King, whose kingdom is not of this world; they denied the right of any human authority to make laws for the regulation or their consciences; they rejoiced in the liberty wherewith Christ had made them free, and they determined no more to be entangled by any yoke of bondage. They professed a disposition to live peaceably with all men, to avoid unnecessary disputation; and, should they be reviled, to endeavour in patience to possess their souls. We make from this solemn instrument the following extract.

"As an thus bound together by the cords of His love, and meeting together in His name, we mutually agree to receive as our Minister, that is, our servant, sent to labour