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    46          112      1673

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    Them out of his own heart soe did you & Solomon tells us there is a de

    gree of hatred of such as a lying tongue afflicts prov. 26. 28.

    It was alsoe shown that there was presumtion in those lyes especially to ly after

    you had bin calling upon ye holy name of God in prayer now such as sin presum

    tuously are to be cutt off at least by excomunication 15 numb. 30. 31.

    Gods stroak upon Annanias & Zaphira tho ys told but each of them onely

    showes us how much it concernes the Church of god to show their zeal & holy

    indignation against such sin especially soe multiplied & aggravated.

    All those Evills were aggravated

    1 Comitted after many warnings it greatens sin hastens ye Siners misery when

     gone on in after admonitions 29 prov. 1. the forementioned lying many of them were

    deliberate uttered after warnings to take heed, there was some dayse between your

    lyes in ye same thing, after you had prayed in your family & slept upon it

    2 here was adding one Sin to another & every step in sin is a step to misery wher

    as your Duty was to be adding grace to grace 2 Pet 1. 5 but you were busied in

    covering but not wth a cover of gods spirit (but of ye evill spirit) that you might

    ad sin to sin 30 Isai 1. your soul should have sayd I have done iniquity but

    Ile doe it noe more, but you went on from from evill to wors, Gods children

    may fall often into ye same sin but not often into ye same gross & scandalous sin

    God doth not suffer him his children to fall often into ye mire.

    3 all these evills after & notwthstanding Soe great & long sickness the winter & spring

    past 2 Chr. 26. 22 thus is yt Ahaz a sad thing to sin against judgmt threatened

    much more against judgmt executed

    4 After some reviving & recovery out of such great affliction but when your body

    mended your soul grew worse 2 sam 12. 8 9 yr you se mercy aggravating sin

    Exceedingly, did not ye lord say when you began to get strength why should he be

    smitten any longer, let him take his course oh sin is ye saddest punishment

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    ffor those great & scandalous evills John Watson was dealt wth by the church July

    20 1673. and showed noe remorse but threatened br Brown before the church to

    have him to ye court, & told a ly then in saying he had confessed his fault to

    Mr Nelson for his slanders & lyes yt he had told of the family & yoakfellow of

    S. P. blamed me before ye church [--------] wondring by what rule it was yt

    I mentioned your former way of lying when as it was reported of & forgiven

    I answered that those Evills were forgiven upon condition that you acknowledg

    ed your sin to those before whom you had told lyes of ye family but that was

    never done yet that we can hear off

    Ther being an Essay to know ye Churches mind whether for such gross Crimes he

    ought not to be cast out wthout delay most of ye church together wth myself was

    of that mind but Br Pickard & Br Harrison & Br Platts though yy judged

    the evills very heinous yet thought patience might be used & offendor first

    admonished, but ye body of ye Church not consenting to their apprehension

    it was desired that ye matter might be farther considered against ye next

    sab: & then ye Churches mind might be discovered after ye forenoon service

    accordingly ye Church staying, It was shown yt it was the unanimous judgmt

    of those churches that for such publick scandalous evills ye offendour was to

    be cast out wthout any grevious admonition as Platform Chapters 14 SS. 3

    Mr Cotton way of the Churches page 93. Dc Owen Chatechism page 189

    Mr Norton in a letter to me in ye like case of Scandalous evill Dc Ames Case of con

    =science page 235. Mr Davenport & Mr Hook in yr Chatechism.[7]

    But still Br Pickard stood up to plead again that a solemn admonition was fitter

    in his judgmt the man was poor & ther might be some occasion to give

    some to think yr was some reveng for former faults, Answ Thou shalt not respect

    neither poor nor rich in judgmts & for any such revenge his former faults should

    not be mentioned nor were as any addition to his crime for wch he was to be

    [7] Cambridge Platform, ch. XIV, sec. III, in Williston Walker, Creeds and Platforms of Congregationalism (1893), 227-28; John Cotton, The way of the churches of Christ in New-England, or, The way of churches walking in brotherly equalitie, or co-ordination, without subjection of one church to another measured and examined by the golden reed of the sanctuary, containing a full declaration of the church-way in all particulars (London, 1645); possibly John Owen, The primer: or, An easie way to teach children the true reading of English With a necessary catechisme, to instruct youth in the grounds of Christian religion. Also choice places of Scripture for that purpose (London, 1652); John Norton, minister of Hingham, 1678-1716; William Ames, Conscience with the power and cases thereof (Leiden and London, 1639); John Davenport and William Hooke, A catechisme containing the chief heads of Christian religion published at the desire and for the use of the Church of Christ at New-Haven (London, 1659).