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    con-rowley

    1675       1676.    143       77

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    Alsoe as Major Pike hath foremerly applied hims to ye much honour

    ed councill of ye countrey for their directing him unto some Effectuall re

    medy in ye present case, The farther prosecution therof we se not suffitient

    grounds to diswade from, but rather as the case is circumstanced ther ap

    pears to us to be present necessity of using that or some such like course as

    God shall direct them

    In The mean while we Earnestly direct & beseech in ye bowells of Jesus Xst

    this Church of Xst in Salisbury to study to be quiet & to attend the things wch

    make for peace & wherby they may Edify one another; avoyding all ways wherby

    their divisions may be farther fomented & heightend, & that they be humbled

    before God for that want of Brotherly love, & for yt great bitterness wch hath ap-

    =peared amongst them, in soe much contradicting & reflecting one upon another

    together with many other irregularityes to be bewayled & reformed

    Finally that you rest not till god hath by some way of his, granted to you

    learn peace & to live wherin that ye God of love & peace may be with ym

     

    Salisbury 10 December

                1675                           Samuel Phillips in the name

    & with the Consent of the

      rest

     ffeb. 6 1675 Matthew Harriman & his wife publickly acknowledged their sin

    in comitting fornication & had yr youngest child (born & begott in Sinfull matri

    mony) baptized but the Elders 2 or 3 objected against it & therfore I deferred

    yo yir objections that 23 deut. 2. & what answers I gave did not satisfy their hunger

    ye rest of the Elders (at the Election May 4 1676.) their judgmt they with one consent

    did say that the parents having by repentance given satisfaction we could not

    deny baptism to yr child, the child was noe offender, nor the parents to be lookt

    upon any longer by the church as offenders having acknowledged their Sin to

    satisfaction: The church noe longer opposed in this case

    _________

    The Reverend Elders of Boston having written a waighty letter to the

    churches in thes parts (wth ye consent of the rest of ye Reverend Elders of ye

    Bay) bearing date March 9 1676. to stirr up the Churches to remembrance of

    Covenant & to serching out what evills are in each Church that have provoked

    God against us with promise by the help of god to reforme them, [MS dam.][45]

    =bled our selves before the lord for them.

                                                 business

     This church had 2 meetings about this waighty viz June 13 [MS dam.]

    In the first meeting ther was little done towards it, but ([MS dam.]

    in the latter meeting the hearts of the church were inclined [MS dam.]

    Examine what share we had in those provokeing Evills [MS dam.]

    has borne testimony against in point as alsoe what particular [MS dam.]

    amongst our selves & did by lifting up their hands [MS dam.]

    before the lord & by his help) for those evills that we found of [MS dam.]

    the greater or lesser degree, & further doe agree to reforme [MS dam.]

    assistance As

    1     Our neglect of the children of the church in not calling upon the [MS dam.]

    the covenant at least not all of them & not watching over them as we

    ought, nor catechising them, [-] In this last clause the Town having bin

    faulty in not sending their children to catechize or helpe of ym they

    did promise reformation of this for the future

     

    [45] This and several following lines on this page are affected by MS damage.