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⟨that⟩ the Keepers of the said Conventicles or private ⟨meetings⟩ having become more numerous and bold, the ⟨General⟩ Assembly at Aberdeen in the Year 1640 took ⟨the⟩ Matter into Consideration; and that Mr. Dickson ⟨and⟩ Mr. Rutherford pleaded vehemently for the said ⟨conventicles⟩, till Mr. Guthrie (that is, the Bishop himself) took the Paper out of his Pocket, which had been ⟨signed⟩ by Mr. Henderson and Mr, Dickson in all their ⟨names⟩: And then, says the Bishop, Mr. Dickson was ⟨silent⟩; whereupon the Act past unanimously against ⟨late⟩ Meetings.
⟨But⟩ every Body may see that the above Account given ⟨by⟩ the Bishop is both false and inconsistent; there was ⟨no⟩ such Act as he reports past at the Assembly at ⟨Aberdeen⟩ 1640. No Body that know the Characters of ⟨Ministers⟩ Rutherford and Dickson will believe that they ⟨favoured⟩ the Brownistical Way, or that they would ⟨open⟩ in an Assembly a Conclusion signed with their own ⟨hands⟩: It is plain that the perfidious Prelate has laid ⟨the⟩ whole Story with a Design to defame these excellent ⟨and⟩ worthy Men; and it is likewise plain that there ⟨was⟩ no such Meeting in Henderson's Chamber, concluded an Article of our Directory, which had not a Being ⟨in⟩ 1647, that is, seven Years thereafter: Therefore, ⟨if⟩ our Author had not a Design to impose upon the ⟨world⟩ when he cites Guthrie's Memoirs, he has quoted ⟨him⟩ without any Manner of Judgment or Consideration.
Our Author tells us, He is far from condemning ⟨private⟩ Meetings for Prayer and Conference; he owns, ⟨that⟩ Fellowship meetings, if rightly managed, are ⟨probable⟩: But in the mean Time he insists only upon the ⟨Abuse⟩ of them; he never tells us wherein they are ⟨probable⟩. He gives us a Quotation from Mr. Durham ⟨on⟩ Scandal, Part 3. Chap. 15. and we have only the ⟨one⟩ Half of. what Mr. Durham says upon Fellowship-⟨meetings⟩, namely, what he says upon the Abuse of ⟨them⟩; but what is said by that great Man upon the
