without prejudice, disregardless of the cry of Arminians, that the doctrine of the saints' perseverance was a "branch of Calvinism."

In the first place I believed in falling from grace, because men told me it was truth, and also by the truth's being misrepresented to me, and misunderstood by me. Now I renounced it because I had examined it myself-tried it myself-and found it for myself, to be false, in the way which I have stated. And now I ask the reader to disprove what I have stated, if he can."

I now began to read numerous writers, whom I had heretofore abhorred, with delight and satisfaction.My Arminian friends warned me to beware, or I should get my mind entangled with the horrible heresy of those divines, being little aware that the work was already done, as I had kept my thoughts almost entirely to myself on the subject. I soon began,howerer, to mention the subject to my Christian friends, and advocate the doctrine of perseverance. They warned me that it was a branch of Calvinism, which eonstituted their principal argument. They said they did not know how it could be separated from election!!! I told them the question was, whether it was true or not. My eyes were more and more opened, to see what a state the minds of many were in, in respect to the everlasting truths of the gospel. I mourned, and felt most deeply humbled, that ever I had been an instrument of building up error, and misrepresenting_truth. It looked to me worse than all the sins which I ever had committed in my life. I determined in future to try to search for truth; yea, to labour to know it as for a hidden treasure. I really thirsted for it, and was determined, if possible, to find it, however unpopular it might be in the view of professional Christians, or an ungodly world. As I had found one of the main pillars in my dearly beloved Arminian fabric, rotten, entirely rotten, so that I was obliged to condemn it and cast it away, I was now determined to examine the rest of the timber, and see for myself, (for I had

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trusted others to inspect for me, to my sorrow,) what it was made of, who made it, &c. This I accordingly. attended to, as I shall presently show, (after having given a brief account of my outward trials, from the time I dropped this part of the subject, up to the present,) and found to my astonishment that there was not only much rotten, good for nothing stuff, in the frame; but as it respected foundation timber, there was none of it at all-so that I had but one side of a house, notwithstanding I had always thought I lived in a beautiful palace. This I should have found out before, if old father Pharisee, (that great man,) had not stood in my light, and if selfishness had not held down my eye winkers so that I could not look up and see that God was a sOVEReign, and had a right to REIGN !

CHAPTER VIII.

Temporal affairs-Difficulties respecting Meeting House -Separation from Free Will Baptists, &c. &c.

I will now continue a brief relation of my external circumstances, from Chap. V, p. 102. The reader should be reminded, however, that in order to keep up a distinct relation of my internal exercises, and outward circumstances, I am obliged to insert them in an order in the present memoirs, not always precisely as they transpired. Thus in respect to most of the contents of this Chapter-the circumstances transpired before I became fully established in my present views of the doctrine of the saints' perseverance, as mentioned in the last Chapter. I did not become settled in this until some months after I left the Free Will Baptists. And at the time I experienced such extraordinary trials of mind, which in the last Chapter I have given a short account of, I was also harrassed with the difficulties which I am now about to allude

to. For my reasons for stating the following things, I refer the reader to the latter part of the Chapter.

I mentioned that on the 7th of October, "A number of brethren and sisters, in Pawtucket, most of whom had been converted through my instrumentality, covenanted together and were organized into a church, and I was unanimously chosen their pastor."

I have before mentioned that I had become quite interested to maintain what I considered the gospel plan of church government, which I have lately seen expressed in the following words, by another pen :-

"Since every church is formed by its own voluntary confederation, one church is neither superior, nor inferior to another in point of authority; but every church is entirely independent. There is no other necessary bond of union between individual churches, but brotherly love. This all churches ought to exercise towards one another. Any number of professing Christians may form themselves into a church by confederation, and exercise all ecclesiastical power among themselves, without any special connexion with, or dependence on any other church in the world.

All

ecclesiastical authority comes from Christ, and not from any particular church or churches. One church has as much power as another. All churches are sisters and stand upon a level. They may associate, or consociate for mutual advantage. But no church have a right to give up their power to an association, or consociation, or council, or any other ecclesiastical body. Churches have no right to unite for the purpose of concentrating and increasing their ecclesiastical authority. An association, or consociation, or council have no more power than any single church of which those bodies are composed. But it seems to be a very general opinion, that churches can concentrate and increase their power, by union. It is upon this principle of union, that a presbytery is supposed to have more power than a single church; that a synod has more power than a single presbytery; that the general assembly has more power than a single

synod; and that the pope at the head of what is called the universal church has more power than all other ministers and churches in the world. If the premises are granted, these consequences must follow. If churches may concentrate and increase their power by union; then an association may have more power than a single church; a consociation may have more power than an association; a synod may have more power than a presbytery; a general assembly may have more power than a synod; and the church universal, with his holiness at their head, may have more power than all other churches and all other clergymen in the world. Congregationalists often complain of Presbyterians, Episcopalians and Papists, on account of their church government; but they have no reason to complain; for they act upon precisely the same principle, when they concentrate and increase their ecclesiastical power by union with associations, consociations and ecclesiastical councils. When any

church gives up its independence to any other ecclesiastical body, it gives up all its power. But Christ has given no power to churches which they may give away.

Having this view of church government, I determined to have nothing to do, in constituting a church, if it were not founded on the aforementioned principles.This I clearly stated to Mr. ****, who had appeared uncommonly zealous in encouraging me to preach in Pawtucket, and also that a church should be embodied. There was some talk that it would be expedient to have it considered a branch of the Cranston church. This I objected to, not because I entertained any dislike to that church, but because I disclaimed the principle involved. I talked this subject over and over again with Mr. ****. He seemed to be well pleased with the idea, and coincided with me in every respect, and so did Deacon ****, (this will appear in the judgment day.) We accordingly met,

*The writer of the above is a Congregationalist. Baptists hold to the same plan of church government.

and a church was constituted on the principles designated above. I will here give a copy of the constitution from the church record.

"Book of Records of the Church of Christ, in Pawtucket, Massachusetts, commonly called Free Will Baptist; Constituted October 7th 1820-under the watch and care of Elder Ray Potter."

"On the evening of the 7th of October, 1820, a number of brethren and sisters, lately baptized by Elder Ray Potter, (whose names will be hereafter specified, together with Deacon Gardner Buffington, and his wife, Mary Buffington, and her daughter, Harriet Buffington-all of whom had formerly been members of the church of Christ, in Swanzey, Mass. Also, brother Daniel Greene, formerly a member of the Calvinistic Baptist Church in Pawtucket, and Elder Ray Potter, assembled at the house of Deacon Gardner Buffington, in the village of Pawtucket, on Seekonk side, Mass. for the purpose of joining or embodying themselves together, as a church of Christ.

"After prayer to Almighty God, to be owned, and blessed, and directed by his holy spirit, in the present very solemn and important undertakings, we proceeded to consider the subject for which we met. After conversing upon the subject of church government, and what was to be understood by a visible church of Christ, the following persons joined hands, thereby manifesting that they united themselves together as a church of God; taking the scriptures of truth as their only book of discipline and rule of faith and practice. [Here follow the names which it is unneccessary to transcribe.]

"After the persons above referred to, had united as a church, they unanimously admitted Elder Ray Potter, as one of their members, and likewise as an under shepherd, to take the watch and care of the church. It was also agreed, that Deacon ******* ******* should officiate in said office in the church. The church also chose Elder Ray Potter for their clerk.

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