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    con-rowley

                                       1674                  123               57

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    According to agreemt but yr was none produced & therefore they served as execution

    but ye gate: it must be accknowledged here was not such kind dealing as shuld be amongst

    men especially brethren but noe fraudulent nor unjust-dealing, but soe renderd yt he who had

    deceived by refusing to give assurance of land yt he had sould & received a full price for Should

    be deceived by a writing framed cheifly by his attorney D. Weicom

    Br Remmington in ye close of ye meeting did own that he had seen some evil in his dealings & was

    troubld yt ever he medled wth ye business & should acknowledg more but yt his heart was hurt to se Br

    Johnson born wth as he conceived in yt wch was as bad or worse, viz ye matter above mentioned

    But it was answerd it became noe man much less an offendour to accuse ye church whom he might

    iudg would not knowingly allow yt in another wch yy blamed in him & besides it was his

    work to judg hims & to se his own sin, but little more could he gott yn  yet we left more hope

    full yn previously yt god would give him a farther sense of his Evill dealings

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    May 17 1674 lords day after meeting the Church stayed; & first upon Br Howes desire it was

                       meer

    inquired whether his privat acknowedgmt to ye church (for his Sin in beating his wife very sorely)

    might not be suffitient, Answ. in consideration of his trouble for his Evill in soe doing which

    he manifested before ye church & before ye court of his own mind going to ye court & accusing

    hims without being presented, & yt act onely to prevent a bigger fine for his fault but because (as in

    charity we judg) he was burdned in the sence of his own sin ye church upon these considerations

    could have bin satisfied wth what he had sayd & was ready to say before ym But considring that

    publick & scandelous offences should be acknowledged before all it makeing most for Gods honr

    and the warning of others & yt we might give no occasion to any to charge us wth partiality to

    wards ym therin, and because ther was seldome if ever any such practise in ye churches in such

    cases viz ye satisfaction to give to ye church onely yrfore he was advised to acknowledg his

    Sin before ye whole congregation ye next Sab v. may 24 sacramt day, wch accordingly he did

    when he was called to acknowledg his fault, it was sayd to him that his smiting his wife soe as to

    make such sad marks upon her body was very unaturall & cruell  The apostle sayth yr is noe man yt

    hates his own flesh but cheriseth it & are to love yr wives as yr own bodeys 5 Eph 28 29. but

                   his wife

    yt was not to love as or own body for who will beat his own body except ye superstitious or madd

                    ^

    at least wth passion, besides if ys were allowed it were worse wth wives then wth servants for if they be beaten

    cruelly yet yy have but a time to be under such hard usage but the wife is faind to stay by it

    It concerns or brethren to take notice of the hastiness of his Temper & Especially the corruption of his

    heart from wch such things issue, & to be humbled under it & more watchfull against it whilst

    he lives  conserning the Temptations he had or provocations from his wife I say nothing I know not

    what yy were & himself saying nothing that way as being more desirous to judg hims for his own

    evill yn accuse her; onely it conserns wives to remember ys charg 5 Eph last let her se that she

    Reverence her husband and to express yt revrence both in word & carriage

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                                                          may 24 (74)

                                                    to be

    Goody Lombads[20] admission before ye congregation was dismissed was granted: also I propounded Neh Jewett

                                                     ^

    and his wife & Jer: Jewitts wife who though yy live in Ipsw: bounds yet they are in memb by ye

    Rule up heer and yr desier was accepted.

    I mentioned to ye church ye offensive speech of Br Richard Given in ye church meeting may 15

    1674 when being upon choise of magistrates when he came to vote for Mr Bradstreet Ile

    been[21] him sayd he & I care not who know it & when to Capt: Saltinstall If I had a black

    bean he should have it It was shown yt such speeches ill became him we ought not to cevil

    or cast contempt upon the ruler of ye pp for God hath sayd they are gods none blamed him

    for putting in a bean if he judged in conscience he ought soe to doe, but he ought not in a factious

                                 follow

    way to labour to draw others to his Example who are to be left freely to act as in conscience

    they judged best Br Swan answered he was sorry he had offended me & yt ye words might have

    been spared; this was a little satisfaction & soe it was Ended

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    Mr Shepard July 1674 Came to me & gave some [---] account of Gods work upon

    his heart soe yt I was encouraged to listen to his desier of joyning in full comunion

    with us & propounded the same, But the Brethren that foremerly dissented & one

    more did show yr dissent for If his admission might be carried on by a major vote

    so his settlemt they were not satisfied as to his piety nor spirit nor match nor

    company Ch rules might have kept ym wth satisfaction in all these objections & I

     

    [20] Conjectural reading.

    [21] I.e., “bean him”—–possibly, given the reference later in this line to a “black bean,” an indication of how voting against a sitting magistrate occurred.