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    con-rowley

    40         106         1672

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    Letter. ‘I cannot but conclude it was an occasion of bodily weakness

    to her, now to be an instrument by your sin to occasion boduly weakness to

    your wife what was it but to bring upon yourself noe little degree of

    blood guiltiness, & the nearer the relation the greater the guilt therin

                                                   his

    To greev & vex a neighbour to ye shortning of their life is not soe bad as to

    greeve & vex a wife ye shortning of her life, oh what a burden was it a heart killing

    thing to take notice of her husband as one whose heart was gone from her to im

                                             (walking wth you)

    =brace another, to have buried her husband would not have so Grievd her as to se him

    left to his hearts lusts: To be sure such sorrow of heart as she felt did break her spirit

    weaken & wast her body. 15. prov: 13: you know what Solomon Sayth of Jelosy how

    it fill a man (& as wel a woman) so wth vexation soe yt nothing wil satisfy or make amends

    6 Prov. 32 to ye End, Tis not enough yt your wife when she was leaving the world

    did forgive you what will yt avail if god grant you not deep repentance without wch no

    remission: __

    To say noe more at prsent if ye lord help you soe To consider of thos things as that

          not onely

    you doe hereby own before the pp you converse wth what you have writ to us ye

    substance wherof we have heer mentioned) but alsoe what farther we heer call up

    on you to be humbled & judg your self for: If we have it attested under the

    hand of ye Reverend Mr Collins & who els he sees meet, that God hath given

    you some measure of sutable Repentance for soe great evills, to gether wth a

    conversation meet for repentance, you shall find us more ready to imbrace you

    into brotherly relation again yn ever had we to reject you: now the good ld

    (that has promised yt where he has begun a good work he will finish it unto ye day of

    Christ) carry on in yor soul ye work of sound humiliation, heart purifying fayth and

    repentance unto life throw Xst Jesus Soe prayes

    Rowley.

     November 1672                    Yor loving frends       Samuel Phillips

    Earnestly desirous of yor     Samuel Brottlebank

    best good      William Teney

    Thos. Leaver.

    To The Reverd Mr Nathanial Collins

    Revend Sr

    Hearty Respects premised to yourself & Mrs Collins

    I Received your lettre wth ye inclosed: We are glad to hear (though it be

    long first) from Tho: Miller that God is pleased to help him to consider of

    his ways in some measure, yet we conceive (as you will perceive by the

    inclosed) that God calls for some farther confession & sence of his evill

    ways then we find manifested in his lettre to us: I doe & the Church

    heer give you thanks for the love you have shoun & the paines you have

    taken to bind up & to get home that poor wandering Soul. I have according to

    your advise draun out ye substance of what he sayth, & therafter in ye be

    ginning of ye inclosed & ye rather because its most likely yt he kept noe copy

    of what was taken from him & soe may easily forget what he has writ to us

    We have alsoe layd before him sundry things that ye Church wth my self doe

    judg he ought to have farther consideration of & to be more particu

    -lar & explicite in judging hims: for ym: The managmt of ys great af

    -fair (wherin the hand of god, ye consent of gods pp & ye good of ye offenders

    soul is soe much concerned) lyes cheifly upon your self ye Good lord dir

    ect you in it: If he shall publickly & pœnitently acknowledg what has bin

    Evill yea wicked in his wayse soe as that your self & Gods pp wth you doe

    judg him in some measure in truth healed soe as yt you can humbly