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    con-rowley

    118        184                1679.

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     After ye foregoing acknowledgment read & owned by Mr Nelson in publick the

    Church of Rowley were advised to admitt Mr Nelson again into their fellowship &

    to take of the censure (which ye Revnd Moderaters did publickly declare was noe

    nullity but just righteous & valid as to ye substance of ye administration) which ac

    =cordingly was then done before the Reverend council & Mr Nelson again own

    =ed the covenant which he had made at his first admission

       The Revered assembly then drew up their last result & advise which by one

    of the Revered Moderators (viz Mr Mather who was intreated by many of ye church

    to stay with us & gave us a Sermon on ye Sabbath which he kindly yeilded unto) was

    read before ye whole congregation of Rowley after ye Evening Exercise as followeth

     

          The Messengers of ten Churches assembled at Rowley Novemb

     19 1679. Being mett together in ye Name of Christ, and by the call of ye

    honoured General Court, to hear (& if the lord shall soe please) to issue the differen

    ces in that Church: After serious seeking unto God for the guidance of his holy Spirit

    to direct us un ye affair before us, & after an Impartial hearing what both partys

    have alleadged, we doe (as in ye lords name & fear) declare & give our solemn

    advise as followeth.

     Since it hath pleased the God of all grace, for his owne name sake, soe farr to

    manifest his presence with, & his blessing upon the indeavours of his servants as

    that Mr Nelson, [(]who had bin an occasion of the late differences in ye church

    of Rowley) hath acknowledged his offences in all the particulars for which the

    Church had proceeded with him to the Censure of Excomunication soe as

    hath bin to their comfortable satisfaction, that they have with much unanimity

                                                                          wards

    received him into their holy fellowship again, Confirming their love to him

    and that both partyes have declared, that they doe mutually forgive & forgett, what

    =ever offenses have fallen out amongst them, in these houres of Temptation: We

    Bow our knees before the God & father of our lord Jesus Christ in humble thank

    =fullness, for this great mercy, desiring that his Name alone may have all ye

    glory, And that soe the peac, which God hath gratiously restored to ye church

    in Rowley, may by his blessing be continued, & confirmed, we father advise

    That ye whole church in Rowley, humble themselves before the lord in a way

    of fasting & prayer, because of the differences which have been amongst ym

    and the dishonour wch therby hath happened unto ye the blessed mane of Xst

    whose they are, & that they doe Explicitely, & with all their hearts, & with all

    their soul Soule[108] renew their Covenant with God & one with another.

     And as for the Inhabitants of ye Town of Rowley, who noe doubt have

    many of them bin concerned in ye late unhappy differences; we solemnly ad

    =vise, that soe farr as any of them, may have had any influence into these

    troubles yei judg themselves for it before the lord, and that for the future

    they doe what in them is in order to the strengthning of the restored peac

    in the church heer: Wee likewise exort, both ye church, and whole congre

    =gation of Rowley, that they would strengthen the heart & hands of their

    Revd & faythful Teacher, holding him in reputation for his works sake, that

    he may be able to give an account concerning all the soules, over whom

    God hath set him, as his watchman, with joy and not with greif, for that will

    be unprofitable to them, And that the lord may not be provoaked to

     

    [108] MS sic.