child. There is one fact I will notice here, that all who were not, and did not come as avowed partizans of Mr. Newton, declined breaking bread any longer in Ebrington Street. That is, Mc’Adam, Campbell, Potter, Code, Wigram, I am not sure whether Mr. Naylor avoved it as the others, but I believe there is no doubt of his judgment of the matter.
And allow me to ask a question here. Sir A. Campbell declares he cannot break bread there, and goes[errata 1]. Mr. Mc’A. does so and goes[errata 2]. Messrs. Code and Potter the same. What were people to do who had come to the same conclusion in conscience, and that from much longer and fuller evidence, but who had shops and children at Plymouth, and could not leave. I could have left, but I should have failed in faithfulness to those brethren had I done so. The others had other places perhaps that claimed them, I was free.
I will now mention another circumstance, which, though it were a publication subsequent to my leaving, so that it did not influence that, did influence any thought of my subsequent return, or recognition of Mr. Newton in ministry. Mr. N. previous to the Clifton meeting, had taught assiduously in public and in private, that the Old Testament saints had not the new spiritual life: that the Holy Ghost had indeed acted on them as men in the flesh, but the new life was not communicated to them. This which was Lord Congleton’s account before the brethren, confirmed by Sir Alexander Campbell’s testimony, was what I had in a general form spoken about at the April meeting: that is, that they had not life. Other persons whom it is not necessary to name had full recollection of it. And Mr. N. does not now deny it, brethren having spoken to him on the subject. This at the time made me very uneasy. Mr. Harris was very near being led by Mr. N. into it, but I spoke with him and he was preserved from it. I spoke to Mr. N. at the Clifton meeting about it in Mr. H.’s presence, and he gave it up. When at the April meeting, Mr. N. was stating why he must pursue his purpose of seeking united testimony against us, he urged the notion that there might be a
