"
Morgan denied all personal acquaintance with the man, previous to the
day when he came to lodge his complaint against Eustace, and at the same
time announced his design of exercising the gift of preaching, to which
he just discovered he had a call. He however admitted that he believed
this same Priggins was the Doctor's old acquaintance, he having
acknowledged that previous to his conversion he had been guilty of every
sin except murder.
Dr. Beaumont imagined such a confession would justify a magistrate in
refusing to permit even the meanest part of the sacerdotal functions to
be assumed by one who mistook glorying in his iniquities for
regeneration; but Morgan replied, that it would be contrary to those
principles of civil liberty which his conscience and office required him
to support, to make any investigation into the past, or to require any
pledge for the future conduct of the convert.
Dr. Beaumont could not help observing that, in kindness to his friend
Davies, Morgan should have been careful of opening the mouth of one who
might perhaps introduce schism into the new-founded congregation.
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