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    con-rowley

                              1679                         181          (115

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    which your selves aforehand doe declare to be the portion which you fear we

    shall meet with, Especially if it be fully declared th to the churches how things

    have bin carried amongst us, & what has past in writing between the council and

    the church : I concluded with a passage of Mr Davenports in his Book intitled

     The power of Congregational Churches page 150.

    “ Godly wisdome is to be Exercised in makeing a difference between cause & cause

    “ which will not suffer churches to conneive at grossor Scandalls, nor to withdraw

    “ the right hand of fellowship from any church upon smal differences in judgment

    “ nor practise, much less for censureing, & holding under censure Impenitent persons

    “ when the Scandelous obstinacy of delinquents is res propria to that church; though

    “ some other churches (being misled by their guides, who possibly may side more then

    “ they ought with the delinquent out of som secret grudg against the Elders of that

    “ Church) declare it to be their iudgment that the party should not have bin layd

    “ under that censure, or should now be released from it : To withdraw the right

    hand of fellowship from a church for such a cause, is contrary to Rules of true wis=

    dome If a church be found in the fayth & order of the gospel, greater matters then ys

    will cause noe breach of comunion between churches, wher brotherly comunion is Excercis

    “ ed with true humility & godly wisdome.[105] _____

     

    There was noe deliverance wrought for us by the two meetings of this council but

    they left us in a worse condition then they found us, but as their Reverend Moderator

    Mr Ward sayd they found a spark at Rowley & left a flame, for wheras ther were

    but 3. that voted on ye negative as to Mr Nelsons Ejection, by the comming of the coun

    -cill 15 or 17 Brethren expressed their consent to sit down with the councills result

    which the major part of the church could not doe, wherfore we desired our dissen

    ting brethren to ioyne with the major part in calling a council of churches but they

    would not saying we have had an able council already and we are satisfied with

    their determination, and as the council had declared themselves offended withersoe

    did our brethren soe that we could not have a sacramt, if we had they told us they

    must withdraw, we then desired them to ioyne in petioning to the general court

    yt they would send us a council of churches or a comitty as they saw meet but

    they would not ioyne with the major part of the church in any such petition, &

    therfore we petioned our selves to the general court May 28 1679 who did not

    that Sessions agree to send us any help (hopeing we might agree amongst our selves)

    but told us that if we could not agree if we renewed our petition in ye next sessi

    ons viz Octob 15 1679 they would send a council which accordingly they did

    4 churches of the first council Ipsw. Newberry, Hampton Haverhil, & 6 new

    churches the 3 churches in Boston, Salem Beverly, Portsmouth. who conveened

    according to ye order of the General Court Novemb. 19 1679. being 4th day of ye

    week Mr Allin of Boston Mr Higginson, Mr Cobbet, Mr Ward Captain Walley

    Deacon Allin of Boston were absent : noe little conflict ther was between the

    two councills soe that it was feared nothing would have bin done when

    two days were spent and great care was taken not to reflect upon the proceedings

    of the formar council; which yet they could not but doe if they would discharg yr

    consciences as some of them did express themselves they blamed not the churches act

    In Excomunicating Mr Nelson without previous admonition but sayd the Censure as

    to ye substance of it was just righteous & vallid, and they blamed Mr Nelson for se

    veral Evills that the formar council called for noe acknowledgmt off as 1

    his falls accusing Deacon Jewit of unrighteousness 2 his actings about the

    deaf lad 3 his going to ye sacramt at Ipswich &c.

     

    [105] John Davenport, The power of Congregational churches asserted and vindicated in answer to a treatise of Mr. J. Paget intituled The defence of church-government exercised in classes and synods (London, 1672), 150.