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    con-rowley

    82)           148                    1676.

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    without repentance is destruction, according to those Solemn Scriptures which wn

    I read I saw I was in a wofull Condition 21 Rev 8 & 22 15. I desire hearti

    =ly to bless god that he hath spared my life, notwithstanding I was in soe many dan

    =gers in the warr,[53] I might have bin left in ye wilderness dead above ground as

    many others have bin, but that God has spared my life & given me oppertunity I

    desire to acknowledg his mercy & never to forgett it

    One time when I was going out wth others to seek after Indians, I had noe mind

    to goe, being afraid what might become of me if God took away my life, I should

    then perish for Ever, but yet I wore of that trouble & fear without any incor

    ragement from God or his word: I desire the prayers of Gods pp that the

    lord would be pleased to set on my sins upon my heart, as also those sins yt

    led to & made way for such a fall, for though my parents counselled me many

    times to attend family dutyes, & to keep home, yet I made light of their counsell

    & therfore I acknowledg God was just to leave me to my beasts lusts, & alsoe

    because I was soe fearless of my own heart, thinking I should never committ

    such sin, but God showed me that my heart was deceitful. ______

    _________________

    The church was not satisfied with ys acknowledgmt but waighted a considerable time

    to se if he might come to a further sence of his great sin & yrfore it was desired

    by some of ye brethren that a Coppy of his Confession might be given him that he

    might waigh it & pray over it; but still after more time given him yr appeard

    noe more sight of his great sin, but some brethren speaking with him found him

    rather stoute saying the Church were partiall & had lett pass as great offences

    as his more easily & dealt more hardly with him; & others did mention yt yei

    observed in his cours much vanity & Jollity , The church yrfore voted that he

    should be solemnly & publickly admonished upon octob 1. 1676. that soe a more

    publick Testimony might be born against his sin then yet had bin, & yt he might

    be farther awaknd to consider of his wayse if ye lord soe please: When ye Sab was

    come & the congregation stayd about ys business & Thomas Tenny cald forth he

    appeared not but it seems stayd at home though he was warned the week before

    to take heed of absenting himself in yt it would be an aggravation of his evills

    Upon this I desired the church to stay & to consider what God further called to

    in reference to this young man, it was concluded yt in case he did not appear

    the next Sab: viz octob 8 but againe show such contempt of Gods ordinance he

    should be cast out; if he came & acknowledged his sin in turning his back upon

    the church an Admonition should onely pass upon him The next Sab viz octob 8

    he did appear but would not speak a word to blame hims for his soe turning his back

    for his admonition: It was proceeded to as followes

     

    It was then declared the foulness of his sin Especially upon these considerations

    1 That it was of an incestious nature comitted with one soe nere a kind God forbids

    coming near to any near a kind 18 Levit 6 now cousin Germins are near a kind

    & though not forbidden there Expressly by just consequence because degrees as farr

    remote yea farther are forbidden as to marry with ones uncles wife is yt wch are only

    a kind by affinity but ye others are a kind by consanguinity viz 24 ye lord cast out the heathen

    for these evills, & threatens to cast out his pp if yei did ye like v. 23. God tells us yt for ys he has

    a controversy with a land because blood toucheth blood 4 Hoseah 2. those yt are near akind

    they come near one another in filthy lusts:

    2 though to marry such is not lawfull yet your sin was greater in yt you intended not mar

                                                                              riage

     

    [53] I.e., King Philip’s War, 1675-76.