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will ever be composed by such a method as this, or that
thofe that were uneafy before will ever be made eafy by
the determination of such Judges, the major Part of which
are choſen by the Perſon to be judged, and all of them
by him and the Party they oppoſe ? And can it ration-
ally be thought that ſuch a method of pack'd Councils,
will ever influe in any thing eſſe but Confuſion ? Would
not the like method in the common Wealth effectually
overthrow all Right and Juſtice ? If it was a thing al-
low'd, that when any has a Caufe depending, he might
go where he would for Judges, and might pick his own
Jury, would it not wholly ſubvert the Deſign of Courts
of Juſtice ? If ſuch a method as *Springfield* and their
Council have taken in this Affair be allow'd to be regu-
lar, it will wholly enervate and make void all Endea-
vours that any Minifters can uſe to hinder the settling of
heterodox Minifters, and to prevent the growth of Error
in the Country. It don't only incapacitate neighbouring
Minifters from defending their respective Neighbour-
hoods, but renders all Minifters near, and far off, incapa-
ble of hindering the Settlement of heterodox Minifters;
it puts an opportunity into any Man's Hand, tho' never
ſo heretical to be ſettled, if once the major Part of the
People can be gained, for he has liberty to go where he
will.

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Country, and impoſes on a People, and makes them be-
lieve that he is Orthodox, and the neighbouring Mini-
ſters oppoſe his ſettling, 'tis but for him to ſay they are
prejudiced, and that he will have nothing to do with
them; and what can they do, or what can any other
Minifters do, that are likely to be oppoſite to his Settle-
ment? And does it ſhow a due Regard to the Interest of
Religion to open ſuch a Door to Error amongst us at this
Day, when Error is ſo prevailing in the Country? This
method of proceeding tends to overthrow the very De-
ſign of the Ordinance of Ordination; for the Appoint-
ment of ſo ſolemn a Way of introducing Men to the
Work of the Miniftry, ſeems evidently to be the more
eſtually to prevent unqualified Perſons being ſettled
in that great Work: And therefore, as has been ſhown,
Chriſt has given Power to judge of the Qualifications of
Candidates for Ordination, to the ſame order of Men to
whom he has committed the Power of Ordination. And
for any to ſuppoſe that Chriſt gave Power to judge who
are qualified on any other Deſign than to hinder the un-
qualified, is abſurd. But this method, as has been now
ſhown, takes a Power of hindering the unqualified out
of all Minifters hands; as when the King appoints a
certain order of Men who are denominated Iuſtices, to

applier

( 91 )

when they came they would before they proceeded visit
us, and not act without us, much lefs against us;
but yet when they came never consulted with us, but
acted intirely without us, yea contrary to our Protesta-
tion, yea taking so little notice of us, as not so much as
to make a Word of Reply to our Reasons we offered a-
gainst their Proceedings; tho' Mr. Breck had been al-
lowed frequent opportunity with them before ever they
came from Home. Let any one judge whether this be
the Management of impartial unprejudiced Persons. In-
deed they proposed that the Association should be call-
ed together at Springfield when they came up, to give
them their Reasons, &c. But this in our Apprehension,
would have made an odd Appearance after the Cafe had
been in so disorderly a manner taken out of our Hands,
and they had so irregularly, and in such Opposition to
us, taken it into theirs, for our Association to be called
together from all parts of the County, to appear before
them, to give account of our selves to them, submitting
our own Conduct, as well as Mr. Breck's Cafe, to their
Judgment.

Another thing that shows their Prejudice was their
appearing Mr. Breck's Advocates, even before they came
to a Result, as one of the Delegates did openly in Court.

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the Council in so openly defaming and reproaching them? And did so injurious and revengful an Act towards Ministers of the Gospel, become a Council of the Disciples of the Lamb of GOD, and Ministers of his Kingdom of Peace, met on a Design to promote the Peace and Holines of his Church ? And we can't but think that their Result must make it evident to all impartial Persons, that read the foregoing Narrative and Testimonies, that they were prejudiced; that they should declare that there was nothing in the Way of his Or-dination; without his ever openly making any Recan-tation, or any Reflections on himself, for such dangerous Errors that he had so lately, and so openly, and soften vented, not only in his Conversation, but preaching; which he was not only strenuous in affirming, but treated the opposite Truths with such contempt, and was so obnoxious in it after so many means used to perLLUade him to forbear. If Mr. Breck made any Recantation before them, it was not publick as the Cafe required, but kept private; and if he made any private Reflections on himself before the Council, how disagreeable thereto was their causing Declarations to be read on Horseback to represent the Witnesses as Liars? And whatever he did to the Council, he was far from this before the Afflicia-