We further beg Leave to inform Your Excellency and the Honourable Eoard that M'' Stoutenburgh, having made it his Business to propagate about Town, that his Party was most numerous, and that he would shew it at the then next Election of Church officers in October last (the Law Suit respecting tlie Right of voting being not then determined) the Consistory for the Satisfaction of the Publick, resolved to give him an opportunity to try what he could make of it, the Result was, that one hundred and fifty six Communicants appeared to join witli the Consistory, a List of which taken and attested by two Publick Notaries we herewith deliver. The number that attended him-, was not as we believe fifty, if there were more, he might make
530 P*rEP.S RELATING TO THE CITY OF KE^V-VClllK.
it appear, tlieir names were not taken down by tlie Notaries, as they were glad to slip away, being asluiiued ol' t.lie Snialhuss of their numl)ers.
M' Stoutenburgli being inflnenced by self interested Motives & urged^on by others keips up the Dispute, whic!i, as we are informed, is his Ciiief Suf)port, it is tiierelbre very difficult lor him to determine to desist, and mind his proper Calling this allair has employed him upwards of live 3eajs.
Witi respect to ibrbiilding tliem the Sacraments, we must ohstrxe that it is the custom of our C:iurch for the Ministers and Elders, byOrder of the C'cmsistory to go to the Hi>uses of the Communicants, to in\ite tlum to ctinmunicate, -- In the Course of these Visilatious it has hajpened, tliat some of the Members of the Church told t'.x Ministeis and Kldcrs, that tliey would not acknowledge the Consistory as lawful; liretmding that as the Vote of the Members were refused in tlie Lkction of the Church ofiicers, t!iat tlierefore the Censistory was not a lawful Consistory, upon wliich the Impropriety t»f Vat'w al tending was mentioned to them, tliat as the divine Oidinance nuist in our C;iurch be administered under the Inspection of the Elders & tluy would not acknowledge the Eldejs as such, it could not in tiieir Cimception of tlie Matter, be regularl} admin'stered, but we deny that any one has been l(,rb;d the use of the Sacraments, altho' many of tliera ha\e dtser\ed it