in ascertaining “what Mr. Newton would now acknowledge,” that the tracts had been withdrawn for reconsideration; and this uncertainty as to his exact views was not cleared up till some weeks afterwards, when he issued another tract, in which he re-asserted most of his erroneous views, though in a somewhat modified form. Surely this was ground enough to suspend the giving a church condemnation of any person: nay, should it not be regarded as unchristian to deal in any other way under such circumstances, hoping, if possible, the offender might recover himself out of the snare into which he had fallen. Would not even a right -minded natural conscience itself dictate the course taken as the only righteous one at the time? for “the mere natural conscience,” we are told, (see page 18) will often express a righteous judgment on the conduct of the saints, when in them “the influence of the enemy has taken the place of conscience.”
“3rd. In regard to these writings, Christian brethren, hitherto of unblemished reputation for soundness in the faith, have come to different conclusions as to the actual amount of error contained in them. The tracts some of us knew to be written in such an ambiguous style, that we greatly shrunk from the responsibility of giving any formal judgment on the matter.”
The ambiguity of the style is the reason here given for shrinking from giving a “formal judgment;” and while this was a reason for increased watchfulness, as Satan ever makes use of the ambiguous to deceive, like the Adelphi oracle, those who put their trust in it, it was all the stronger reason why there should be caution and wisdom, before a church condemnation and excommunication should be brought to bear on one, who might be a man whose heart was right with God, though led away for a while by an intellectualism that has so often proved the bane of many a child of God. May all saints remember that judgment is “a strange work,” and while often essential to faithfulness and loyalty to Christ, can never be entered on by one in a right state of soul, but with a holy shrinking and dread; for who are we to sit in judgment? and yet we are to judge those who are within, as Corinth had to judge those within its local fellowship.
“4th. As approved brethren, in different places, have come to such different conclusions in reference to the amount of error contained in these tracts, we could neither desire nor expect that the saints here would be satisfied with the decision of one or two leading brethren. Those who felt desirous to satisfy their own minds, would be naturally led to wish to peruse the writings for themselves. For this, many amongst us have no leisure time; many would not be able to understand what the tracts contain, because of the mode of expression employed; and the result, there is much reason to fear, would be such perverse disputations and strife of words, as minister questions rather than godly edifying.”
