And if this doctrine I preach be true, then in refusing to suffer your children to hear and judge for themselves, and so as it were forcing them to come blindfold to the Lord's table to eat and drink unworthily, your children will eat and drink your condemnation more than their own: for it will be found that you willfully kept them in ignorance and would not let 'em use the proper means to judge for themselves.
God's church, as I have observed, have hitherto generally been in some error of one kind or other, and God's manner is to wink at errors for a season and not to mark them against his people but to bestow his blessing on them notwithstanding, as He did of old on Jacob, David and others that went on in that error of a plurality of wives.
But then God won't wink at such things always.
God has his appointed season for the bringing greater light to correct error, and after that he will wink at such errors no more: but if when light is come men won't see it but love darkness rather than light, God departs from 'em and gives them his blessing no more.
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The laws of nature and the laws of Christ require me to love this people, to whom I have been so related, and to value their charity and esteem.
I have reason also to think that there are many of my spiritual children in this congregation, who now entertain hard thoughts on account of my opinion. Now I ought not to be driven from hence without opportunity to exhibit a testimony for myself before them, and so with the people at large.
When I have done so, I demand nothing of them but an impartial hearing. I desire not to lord it over their consciences.
They have a right to judge for themselves, and may use what means to see the strengths of the arguments on the other side they please, by reading books or conversing with ministers who differ with me in judgment.
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