when not tortured and harassed in conscience, as quiet, unassuming, happy Christians as possible. Indeed in these cases, it is generally the truest-hearted, and the least of a party spirit, who are thus miserable; if they stir, it has that uneasy, unhappy, character which is thus characterized by those who rule. With such it is only as in a famous Latin passage, when “solitudinem faciunt pacem appellant.” When they make a solitude around them, they call it peace.
Mr. Hill has mentioned in his tract some of these circumstances; little by themselves, but together gradually changing the whole character of the meeting. But he has wisely passed over many, many private ones, but which helped largely to alienate him from Ebrington Street.
I may add here, as it was a public one, that he himself was stopped praying in public. How many a gracious person, esteeming himself and his doings of little importance, has yielded in this way, till power was gained, to change principles.[1]
But thus things went on. A poor brother gave out a hymn. Nobody would raise it. He felt it, spoke of it in private. The simple were disheartened. They feared to give one out. Whose fault was it? Nobody’s, and the point was gained. When tolerably disheartened it went farther: for Mr. Newton himself, at a prayer meeting, got up and went and sat down by the side of a young brother who gave out a hymn, and laid hold of his book. The hymn was, I believe, at last raised, but he was asked if he meant to pray too. The young man left, and goes to a free Church, where the gospel is preached. Brethren have been hindered speaking; and not only so, but there is not a person resident at Plymouth who frequented Ebrington Street, but, as Mr. Hill has
- ↑ At this moment there are some twelve or twenty persons, who take part, who never opened their lips, nor ventured to give out a hymn, till the separation. Of these I refer to several, even in Ebrington Street, where, since the separation, it has taken place as to speaking, praying, and giving out hymns.
