Life and diary of Lieut. Col. J. Blackader

CHAP. XX. MISCELLANEOUS EXTRACTS. 485
and bands, and some with grey hairs, (and, Modera-
tor, would to God there were more grey hairs among
us.) It is not party-spirit, passion, heat, or wrangling.
Moderator, you know, and can tell better than I, what
it is that makes an Assembly Venerable. I shall only
name two characteristics which I find in one of Paul's
Epistles — two lists, and set the one against the other,
the one is called the works of the flesh, anger, wrath,
malice, hatred, variance, strife, envying, emulation,
sedition, heresies. To be purged of these, Moderator,
will make an Assembly Venerable. The other list is
the fruit of the Spirit, love, peace, joy, long-suffering,
meekness, gentleness, goodness, faith, temperance.
To be endowed with these will make an Assembly
Venerable, and answer the end of our coming together
to consult for the glory of God and the good of the
Church, as every member binds himself to do in the
words of his commission. Moderator, I beg pardon
for using so much freedom with this Venerable As-
sembly ; I am sensible it does not belong to one of
my coat. But I waited to hear if grey hairs would
speak ; and finding no body to do it, I was pressed in
my conscience to say what I have said. Moderator,
let not the reverend brethren consider the insignificant
person it comes from ; but let every one of us lay our
hands on our hearts, and see if it be true ; and if it
be so, then — Pudet hcec opprobria nobis et did potuisse
et mm potuisse refelli. If it be not true, I humbly beg
the pardon of this Venerable Assembly.
This speech, I found, was ill taken by some hot, stiff
men on both sides ; but it was approved of, and thought
necessary by the more peaceable and moderate.
14, The business of the former day still con-