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    con-rowley

                                    1678                   177          111

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    when we had sent in these grounds of our dissent from their result they sent

    to the church to desire us to meet them at the meeting house, the first sessions I

    prevailed with the church to attend them though several brethren were unwilling

    but this second session they were all unwilling to goe, & why not will appear

    afterward, yet we did goe at their breaking up to hear what their last result

    was which was publickly read in the meeting house as followes.

     

       Wheras we the Elders & messengers of the Several Churches of Christ

    who chose and sent us on the account of Mr Philip Nelson of Rowley yt we

    might inquire into some particular actings wherin the sayd Nelson judged

    himself wronged by the church of Rowley with reference to ye Censure of Excom

    =munication passed on him by the sayd churches; Having met together according

     to the day appointed viz 10 decemb 1678 we therfore declare as followeth

      That we have heard the case on both sides, & haveing seriously considered

    the whole case, we found Mr Nelson justly culpable in some particulars charg

    ed against him, ffor which we did advise him to such an humble confession as

    we thought might have bin received (as by us soe by them) for Satisfaction

    which acknowledgmt he accordingly made before the church and council

    ffurhtermore out of tenderness to the credit and peac of the church we

    moved that particular Strickness in takeing notice of Several irregularityes

    of the church in their proceedings with Mr Nelson, which we judg we might

    justly have layd upon them: hopeing alsoe that after a long series of dis-

    =cord, & due consideration therupon, they would gladly have accepted our

    advise, which we unanimously & publickly offered to them to consider upon.

    Now after some months waiting, understanding they had neither voted nor

    accepted the sayd advise of the Council, one of the moderators with advise

    of some of the principal members of the council wrot to the Teacher and

    Brethren of the church to give them a meeting ffeb 25 1678. And the messen

    =gers repairing to Rowley, & sending to the Teacher & Brethren to meet them

    they received from the Church a paper of complaints against the councill

    which having read, They sent to the sayd teacher to desire him & ye church

    to meet them at their meeting house, whether the council repaired, & have

    ing waighted some time, a paper was sent from the Teacher in the name of

    the church (Though noe church meeting was regularly warned at that time, &

    about 15 of the dissenting Brethren unacquainted with the meeting which was,

    were seperated or absent from them, when they sent those lines to the council)

    that they thought it not convenient to meet us wherupon a member of the

    council was desired to goe to them (being assembled in another place) to rei

    =iterate our desire, but he returned without them, they holding their formar

    resolution, & determining amongst themselves (upon some frivilous causes as we

    judg) to discourse the matter with the council at a distance by writing a cus=

    -tome doubtless unwonted & intollerable in such agitations & comissions, wher up

    =on the council inquired, who of the church were then present amongst them

    viz the council: And therby understanding ther were about 15 or 17 and the

    whole church were about 38, and understood by them, that they had noe no

    tice of any meeting at the other place, nor indeed of the meeting house save

    onely by the reading of one of the moderators letter, which they therfore did

    attend) The Teacher not desiring or moving for any meeting in answer ther

    =unto: By all which it is too apparent that the Teacher and some of the