examine into the proper qualifications for admission to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. And after a long time spent in reading all the authors on the subject, examining the holy scriptures, and reflecting maturely thereon, he formed the opinion that none but real Christians ought to profess to be Christians, and that none but those who

remotely connected with almost all the principal families in the town, and it was no sooner discovered, than those who were zealous to have an enquiry into the conduct of the members of the church, were determined that that enquiry should not touch the conduct of their own children and friends. The town was at once in a ferment, the hands of the pastor were weak-professed to be, and appeared to ened, and the dissolute conduct be Christians ought to be admitof the younger church members ted to partake of the sacrament was encouraged by the counte- of the Lord's Supper. nance and approbation of their The people of the town, when seniors, whose ill-judged tender- they first learned the sentiments ness, to screen them from cen- of their pastor, took great ofsure, would justify their wicked-fence, and without waiting to ness. Whatever diversity of hear him preach upon the subopinion as to the proper qualifi-ject, or giving him an opportucations for church membership nity to vindicate his own opinion, might have prevailed, it seems or convince them of the error of scarcely credible that any church of professed Christians would deny to their pastor the right of inspecting the conduct of the members.

theirs, began to clamor for his dismission. He proposed to the committee of the church that he would, in his sermons, explain his sentiments as to the qualifications for communion, and give his reasons at large, but they would not consent to his preaching upon the subject. He then proposed to the church that he would, in a series of public lectures on week days, preach in defence of his sentiments,

Mr. Edwards' eyes were now thoroughly opened to see the fundamental error in the formation of the church. A church composed of members many, perhaps the most, of whom, did not even profess or pretend to be Christians, who were not even pretended saints, but avow-and desired their consent, but ed sinners, would without doubt be unwilling to have their conduct examined too minutely.Such persons should never have been members of a church of Christ, and the practice under which they had been admitted was undoubtedly as far from being justified by the word of God, as by the principles of natural reason or the dictates of common

sense.

Mr. Edwards was thus led to

they refused to hear him. He next proposed to submit to a few of the neighboring ministers the question, whether it was not reasonable, all things considered, that he should be heard in this matter from the pulpit before his dismission, but this proposal met their decided opposition. He however did take the advice of the neighboring ministers and churches, and appointed a weekly lecture for the express pur

pose of explaining and defending his sentiments. The society, at a meeting convened previous to the time proposed for his first lecture, appointed a committee, who in the name of the society, went to Mr. Edwards, and desired him not to preach the lectures which he had appointed. withstanding their opposition, however, he began and continued his course of lectures, upon the controverted subject. Strangers attended these lectures, but his own people would not hear him.

men, and men who were most distinguished in the churches for their piety, learning and abilities, but virtually obliged him to concede the right of choosing the whole council to his people. They agreed to leave this question, as to the Not-right of Mr. Edwards to go out of the county in a choice of the council, to the ministers and messengers of the five neighboring churches, who after meeting twice, and hearing the subject largely discussed, were equally divided in opinion, and of course left the main question undecided: but gave it as their unanimous advice that Mr. Edwards should have liberty to choose some of the council from without the county. wards then proposed to the church, that if the council should consist of not more than ten churches, he would choose three of these churches within the county, and two without; but even this reasonable proposition the church of Northampton repeatedly rejected. After several meetings of the church, in which they refused to comply with the terms proposed by their pastor, a meeting was called on the 3d of May, 1750, in which they voted that in the choice of a council of ten churches, Mr. Edwards might choose two out of the

Mr. Edwards had considered that the separation of a minister from his church and congregation was a business of a very solemn and important nature, and such as ought not to be undertaken without great deliberation. He thought the temper of the people did not give room for that calm and dispassionate reflection, which the importance of the occasion required. finding that the more he sought to be heard in his defence, the more clamorous the people were for his immediate dismission, he yielded to them, and consented to have the subject of their separation referred to a council, to be mutually chosen, half by the people of the church and the other half by himself.

But

Mr. Ed

In the choice of the council, the people of Northampton in-county. A council was accordsisted that Mr. Edwards should be confined to the limits of the county. This he objected to, as it was known that most of the ministers and churches in the county, had on the subject in controversy, espoused the cause of the people, and because such a limitation not only precluded him from choosing impartial

ingly convened at Northampton on the 19th of June, 1750, who, after some ineffectual attempts at reconciling the church and people to their pastor, by a majority of one, voted that it was expedient that the pastoral relation between Mr. Edwards and his church should be immediately dissolved, if the people

slender, and rendered him incapable of labor, he was at a period of life too late to qualify himself for any new employment, and what added poignancy to every other trouble, he was for

still persisted in desiring it.The council then publicly proposed to the people to determine by their vote whether they insisted upon the dismission of Mr. Edwards: when more than two hundred voted for his dis-saken by most of his former mission, and only twenty against friends, and was the object of it. He was accordingly dis- their most violent persecution. missed June 22, 1750. In this tumultuous scene he, almost alone, was undisturbed, his hope in God was an anchor of his soul sure and stedfast.He was conscious of the integrity of his motives, and in the way of his duty he was ready to face every danger. Provi: dence did not forsake him, but appeared for his relief in a way which he did not expect. His necessities for the present were relieved by the contributions of his friends and correspondents in Scotland, and by their instrumentality he was appointed a Missionary to the Indians at Stockbridge, with a salary adequate to his future support.

The dissenting part of the council protested, but in vain, against the rash and hasty manner in which the business was brought to an issue; and all good men were astonished that a people who had been so zealously and deservedly attached to their minister, and so blessed in his labors, should be so violent in thrusting him away from among them. Mr. Edwards, on the first day of July following, took his leave of his people in an affecting discourse from the words in 2 Cor. i. 14, in which he called their attention to the meeting of ministers and the people of their charge before the tribunal of Christ, at the final judgment.

The minority of the people of Northampton were more than ever attached to Mr. Edwards, After his dismission, while and although they were few in Mr. Edwards resided at North- number, they were desirous to ampton, destitute of employ-retain him as their minister and ment, he voluntarily preached to offered to support him accordthe people on occasions wheningly.-Mr. Edwards acknowlthey had no other person to supply the pulpit till the town, in a meeting called for the purpose, voted that it was not agree able to their minds that he should preach among them!!

The sufferings of Mr. Edwards now brought his virtues and his trust in Providence to the severest trial. He was deprived of his support, his family was numerous and young, he had little property for their maintenance, his health was

edged this proposed favor with gratitude, but at the same time considered that he, by accepting their offer, should be burthensome to them, and should be instrumental in perpetuating a division in the town, which he, more than any other, was anxious to have healed. Notwithstanding this was his own opinion, he asked the advice of an ecclesiestical council, in pursuance of which he finally declined accepting the offer of his friends at

Northampton, and took upon | ble for me to do it; and when I himself the charge of the mis-understood that you, Sir, and sion at Stockbridge.

Mr. Eaton were to be at Cold Spring at the time of the late council, I resolved to improve the opportunity fully to open my mind there to you and him thereon; and thought that pro

Joseph Hawley, Esq. a man of great influence in Northampton, was very active as a leader in stirring up the people against Mr. Edwards, and in procuring his dismission.-We here sub-bably some method might be join a letter written by him to the Rev. Mr. Hall of Sutton, a member of the council that dismissed Mr. Edwards, and which was published in a newspaper in Boston, May 19th, 1760, as a confirmation of the facts before stated, and to exhibit the transactions respecting the dismission of Mr. Edwards, in the light in which the principal actors themselves viewed it, after they had time for reflection.

then thought of, in which my reflections on myself touching the matters above hinted at, might be communicated to most if not all the gentlemen aforesaid, who did not reside in this county: but you know, Sir, how difficult it was for us to converse together by ourselves when at Cold Spring, without giving umbrage to that people; I therefore proposed writing to you upon the matters which I had then opportunity only just summarily to suggest; which you, Sir, signified would be agreeable to you; I therefore now undertake what I then proposed, in which I humbly ask the Divine aid; and that I may be made most freely willing fully to confess my sin and guilt to you and the world, in those instances which I have reason to suppose fell under your notice, as they were public and notorious transactions, and on account whereof, therefore, you, Sir, and all others who had knowledge thereof, had just cause to be offended at me.

I HAVE often wished that every member of the two ecclesiastical councils, (that formerly sat in Northampton upon the unhappy differences between our former most worthy and Rev. pastor Mr. Jonathan Edwards and the church here,) whereof you were a member; I say, Sir, I have often wished every one of them truly knew my real sense of my own conduct in the affairs that the one and the other of said councils are privy to; And, in the first place, Sir, I and I have long apprehended apprehend, that, with the church it to be my duty not only to and people of Northampton, I humble myself before God for sinned and erred exceedingly in what was unchristian and sinful consenting and laboring that in my conduct before said coun- there should be so early a discils, but also to confess my faults mission of Mr. Edwards from to them, and take shame to my-his pastoral relation to us, even self therefor before them. I upon the supposition that he have often studied with myself was really in a mistake in the in what manner it was practica-disputed point: not only be

riously and impartially to exa mine what that most worthy and able divine, about that time, published in support of the same, whereby he being dead yet speaketh.

But there were three things, Sir, especially in my own particular conduct before the first council, which have been justly matter of great grief and much trouble to me almost ever since, viz.

cause the dispute was upon matters so very disputable in themselves, and at the greatest remove from fundamental, but because Mr. Edwards so long had approved himself a most faithful and painful pastor to said church; and also changed his sentiments in that point wholly from a tender regard to what appeared to him to be truth; and had made known his sentiments with great moderation and upon great deliberation, against all worldly motives, and from mere fidelity to his great Master, and a tender regard toy and abusively, to you, as well the souls of his flock, as we had the highest reason to judge; which considerations now seem to me sufficient; and would,

(if we had been of a right spirit) have greatly endeared him to his people, and made us, to the last degree, reluctant to parting with him, and disposed us to the exercise of the greatest candor, gentleness, and moderation: how much of the reverse whereof appeared in us, I need not tell you, Sir, who was an eye-witness of our temper and conduct.

And although it does not become me to pronounce decisively on a point so disputable as what was then in dispute, yet I beg leave to say, that I really apprehend, that it is of the highest moment to the body of this church, and to me in particular, most solicitously to inquire, whether, like the Pharisees and Lawyers in John the Baptist's time, we did not reject the counsel of God against ourselves, in rejecting Mr. Edwards and his doctrine, which was the ground of his dismission. I humbly conceive, that it highly imports us all of this church, most se

In the first place, I confess, Sir, that I acted very immodest

as injuriously to the church and myself, when, with much zeal and unbecoming assurance, I moved the council, that they would interpose to silence and stop you in an address you were making one morning to the people, wherein you were, if I do not misremember, briefly exhorting them to a tender remembrance of the former affections and harmony that has long subsisted between them and their Rev. Pastor, and the great comfort and profit which they had apprehended that they had received from his ministry; for which, Sir, I heartily ask your forgiveness; and I think, that we ought, instead of opposing an exhortation of that nature, to

have received it with all thank

fulness.

Another particular of my conduct before that council, which I now apprehend was criminal, and was owing to the want of that tender affection and reverend respect and esteem for Mr. Edwards which he had highly merited of me, was my strenuously opposing the adjournment of the matters submitted to that