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    70       136              1675

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    March 28: 1675 John Watson was readmitted upon his publick acknow

    ledgmt of his offences by writing for his voyce could not be heard not by them

    that were near his acknowledgmt is in pages 65 66 .

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    Aprill 18 1675 Mr Tho: Mighell was admitted into full communion & lettres of

    recomendation given him (at his desire) to ye church of Christ at Dorchester for his

    more orderly participation in the holy things of Gods house until the pp be gathered

    into church order in ye place where he preaches viz at Milton .[40]

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    May 9 1675 Br Robert Swan did publickly make confession of his sin in excessive

    drinking & of vile words he Had Spoaken 15 yeers before he yn rehersed ym amongst

    those pott companions bostingly calling one a divilish roage & be hang’d & divill

    take you; he mentioned to ye church several aggravations of his sin as

    gods mercyes to him & his in saving his life in great danger

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    sin yt had been comitted in his family yt he should admire & given so bad example

    to his children upon whom it now rests with God to visit his sin

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                                                                              ing

    That Mr Ward had a little before warned against vain company & excessive drink

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    That he hims: had warned others (& one yt wittnessed against him) of vain company

    and showed him ye sin of spending his time & Estate wastfully

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    After he had bin lately at a sacramt wch was a new ingagemt to more holy

    walking with God he expressed these things both to me in private once & again

    with some sence as allsoe in public soe yt ye church by an unanimous vote did

    express their satisfaction & readiness to pass by his fayling –––

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    June 18 1675 at a church meeting about Mr Jer: Shepards

    Continuance in ye work of the ministry it was first declared that

    tho carriag of some brethren had bin very disorderly in this matter as first

    for the vote that passed in January last yt they had declared to Mr Sheperd

    yt it was not a full nor orderly vote nor could yy understand the vote 2 that seve

    rall of ym 10 or 12 after 8 or 9 as Mr Sheperd affirmed came to him & repented

    of their voting as doing it upon a mistake but never spoaken to ye officer yt

    the case might be received in another church meeting yt the grounds of ym al

    tering their minds might be considered : 3 that several of ym as Mr Sheperd affirmed

    had incouraged him to goe on in preaching notwithstanding ye vote; after some agita

    tion it was voted as followes

    you yt are of the mind to confirm that vote wch passed in January last

    viz that Mr Shepard was dismissed (his year being expired) from any lon

    =ger preaching here in Rowley stay in ye Room

    you yt are otherwise minded manifest it by going into ye parlour

    To the former part of ye vote 24 did show their consent to ye latter part

    13 showed their mind in ye negative

    This vote of ye major part of ye church was sent to Mr Sheperd by Deacon Jewitt

    & Br Peirson his answer was he had a call of god hither, & he would consider of

    it, but thought he should goe on to preach till he might have a council. –– .

    on the lords day June 29 (75) when I came to meeting Mr Shepard was [-]

    before me in ye pulpit he began with me askt me whether I intendd

    to preach I told him it was my work god cald me to he answered that was

    true, he askt me wheither I did comand him silence I told him if that

    had bin my mind I might have done it many times before but I never

                                                         was

    [40] Thomas Mighill (1639-89), Harvard 1663, taught at Rowley, 1666-68, preached at Milton, 1669-77, later settled over the Scituate Second Church (Norwell), 1684.