View Facsimile

    con-rowley

    38 104       1672

    _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

                  An Answer to Goodman Millers Lettre

      Goodm: Miller.

     We have received your lettre wherin you give some account how

    far god has given you Repentance for your grevious & aggravated sin of

    uncleanness, for which you were full five years since cast out of this ch:

                 was        before ye ch:

    Your lettre has been read the next sabbath after if come to hand viz

    novemb. 3 & the church with thankfullness to God doe look upon it as some re

                              some

    turn of prayer & as we hope fruit of Gods help ordinance yt has past upon you yt

                              ^          in you

    ther are any relentings & self judgings with desires to God that he would inable

                                          ^

    you to return to God hims by sound Repentance from whom you have greviously

    Revolted: You doe in your lettre justify God & acknowledg that the cen

    sure of Excommunication was deservedly inflicted upon you yea that you deserv

    to be deprived of fellowship wth God for ever, & therfore not dareing to rest

    in soe dreadfull an estate any longer (being awed by that place 28 prov 13)

    you have made it your prayer to the God of mercy that he would grant you a

    heart to be deeply humbled for ye dishonour you have brought to the name of God

        your

    ffor the violation of ye covenant you made wth God & his pp, & yt you have heer

    by brought great reproach upon the glorious Gospel: you acknowledg also

                                                    by many

    that yr sin was horrid not onely as to ye fact but aggravations, that it was wit

    tinlgy & willingly not a sin of ignorance but against ye light of your own Conscience

    not onely therby bringing guilt upon your own soul, but were an insturment to draw

    her who is now your wife into the same transgression & did heerby alsoe

    break the covenant of god that you were in with your wife now at rest caus

    ing heart sorrow to her for all wch you desire that God would give you unfeined

    repentance & a heart to mourne whilst you have a day to live; And indeed you

    may find cause as wel as David did that your sin should be Evre hasten[ing][106] you to

    humble you & to make you more watchfull over your heart & afrayd of ye plagues

    of it then ever you have bin.

    Now the relation you make how god has brought you to a sight of & repen

    tance for your great sin Is in substance this: that whilst you were in

    chains in ye prison you had great trouble of spirit to think what you had

    done & wher you were, & god did then shew you that you deserved not onely

    thes chaines, but to be in everlasting chains of darkness to all Eternity, in the

    midst of those flames of conscience you took notice of that dreadfull Text 2 prov

    18 wch caused you to conclude that yr was noe mercy to be found for such a

    vile wretch as you, Sathan alsoe setting in did tempt you to think that it

    was to noe end for you to hope for pardon; But you found some help from yt

    Scripture resist the divill & he shall flee from you,[107] You were alsoe convicted

    of the Evill of your heart that after you had gone soe farr from god that you

    should be going farther soe as to question the never fayling compassions & grace

    of that God against whom you had Sinned; yet at that time the lord was

    pleased to give you some incouragemt from those Scriptures Jer 3. 12 13 11 math

    28 this is ye substance of what you offer to us for satisfaction touching your

    Repentance:

    The church haveing (as time would permitt) considered your lettre doe by thes

    give you to understand that as they were not hasty to cast you out if it could

    according to Rule have bin prevented, soe neither dare they be ovre hasty to

    loos you till they may have farther help to their Charity that your repentance

    is soe thorow as that you shall alsoe be loosed in heaven without which 

     

    [106] “Ever hasten[ing]” is a conjectural reading.

    [107] James 4:7.