1675       137                  (71

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was minded to doe any such thing of my self, but had desired of the ch:

that he might still preach at least till his half year was out; but they

saw not meet to grant it but by confirming their vote in January had dis

missed him from preaching any more here he told me he understood noe such

Vote from the church  I told him they were sent to declare that the

church had [-] confirmed ther former [----] act in January for his ceasing

to preach here he told me If I thrust him out of the pulpit I should not

thrust him out of the Town but he would continue tho he should live as

long as Methuselah till y^r was a councill & then hypocrisy should be

manifested or discovered & then flung out of the pulpit & went to y^e

first seat below : note I did not desier him to get out of the pulpit

in answering him to consider with what spirit he left the pew & for w^t

intent; was it not to make y^e pp conceive that I had biden him be gone

___

one brother that dissented from y^e vote desired a councill w^ch was not desired

onely they were desired to draw up in writing their objections against the [-] irregu

larityes of the churches actings touching M^r Shep. w^ch were such as they conciev

ed y^t they could not joyn w^th the major part of y^e church at y^e lords tabl

They gave in some quæryes for the major part of y^e church to consider off [-]

wch B^r Alin brought to me not untill 20 August 75 | w^ch is as followeth

     Beloved brethren  Honoured S^r

For your present you tell us you continue unsatisfied concer=

ning the carriage

Wee who remain unsatisfied concerning the Carriage to M^r Sheperd being

put upon it to give the grounds of o^r desire of the help of a councill for our

satisfaction: we present you with these quaeries

1 Whether a small party of a church according to rule can or ought to refuse

to give heed to any much more to one, as M^r Shepard was one called by

the church to dispense to dispense y^e word to us; to make the relation of y^e

work of grace on his heart, & the profession of his fayth in order to joyning

in full comunion with y^e church (or not) without alleadging suffitient grounds

2 Whether a vote soe obtained as that voat was for M^r Shepards noe longer

Continuing to dispense y^e word of God amongst us, to w^ch we had called him was

according to rule or not?

3 Whether any church of Christ haveing called any minister to y^e dispensing the

word of god amonst y^m can according to any Rule of gods word put him to silence

or hinder him in his work, w^thout either convicting of some notorious sin or

evill, or giving him just grounds for their soe doing before such judges as God

hath allowed for each party to make their defence before

 

  Upon thes Quæryes we desire the help of a councill to give us satisfaction

to our minds, that soe we may have light according to a rule of Christ what

we ought to doe, And we hope if we have done any thing herin contrary

to Rule we shall be ready to se and acknowledg our fault therin

     Samuel Broklebank      Samuel Platts          Samuell Mighell

     Philip Nelson          William Scales         Jeremiah Elsworth

     Georg Kilborn          Charls Br[?]           Thos. Tenny

     William Acin           Thoms Lambert          Will Tenny

     William Barnton        Leonard Harrington     Richard Lecton

     Edw: Hasen             John Palmer            Anthony Austin

                             Richard Hollmes        Tho: Remington

                                                     John Wattson