t they
could not break bread on the coming day, and as nothing ought to be
done in a hurry, to whatever conclusion they might come, we would
gladly withdraw ourselves, and break bread in our room. This was not
accepted, as there was much disunion among the brethren, as they told
me, and had been before I came, and that my coming had now only
brought matters to a point. I stated once more, at the end of the
meeting on Saturday evening, Sept. 2, that we ought to dread a
separation, and that we ought to pray that we might be of one mind,
and that I was ready to meet them by day or by night for prayer or
searching the Word on the subject. Thus we separated. The next
morning, Sept. 3, I spoke again at the meeting, having been by all
the elders requested at my arrival here to expound the Scriptures at
all their meetings, or to communicate to them any thing that might be
profitable. On this morning I spoke principally on the Lord's supper,
and on what fits for it; on what is meant by feeding upon Jesus, and
what fits for it; on the point that it is not a part of truth, but
Jesus round whom believers should unite together; and on the truth,
that, if any one is a believer, he is entitled to all the privileges
of the saints. These points I had not chosen on purpose for that
morning, but they came in course in speaking on Exodus xii., on which
chapter I had spoken four times before. After I had finished, I was
going to pray at the close, when I was interrupted by brother--, the
principal and teaching elder (as to outward authority). He stated
that he must contradict me, for I had said: 1, The bread and wine in
the Lord's supper meant the body and blood of our Lord, whilst, as he
believed, and as the word said, it was the real body and blood of our
Lord. 2, He believed that as circumcision made a man an Israelite,
and fitted him thus for the partaking of the Paschal Lamb, so without
baptism no one is fitted to partake of the Lord's supper, which is
set forth by the Paschal Lamb; whilst I had said that every one who
believes in Jesus was by this his faith made a spiritual Israelite,
and had a right to the Lord's supper and to all the privileges of the
children of God. He stated further, that this was against the rules
of their church, and that, as I took the Lord's supper with
unbaptized believers, and with those who had not quite left the state
church, I made myself partaker of their sins, and that therefore, as
being defiled with