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    con-rowley

                                    1680             186        (121

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     The Church of Christ at Topsfeild sent to ye Church of Rowley & to

    Ipswich Newberry & Wenham Mr Hubbard their Pastor consenting therto

    to give ym advise in respect of matters of difference between ym selves &

    Mr Hubbard, and accordingly ye councill meet July 6. 1688 and did find

    yt Mr Hubbard had carried himself Scandelously both by rayling & falls speak

    ing &, lascivious unclean carriage with maydes & women; some repentance

    he expressed in a paper but not such as was judged sutabl to his great offen

    =ses therfore The counsill advised the Church to bear him a while[109] long or

    to se if ther might any farther repentance appear; but he failing their

    Expectation in yt & giving farther offence by his unruly tongue, the coun

    =cill (who had ajourned till 21 of Septemb) mett again & determined that it

    was his way to lay down his office, which accordingly he did and yt

    church fully accepted of his soe doing, & then he had letters [illeg.]

    by advise of ye councill & consent of ye church to Hingham wher he was

    formerly a member

    octob. 20 1680 Mr Hubbard of Ipsw. & S. P being desired by the pp at Tops

    =feild mett with ym to keep a day of fasting & prayer, that we might seek

    a way to pardon what had bin amiss in ye time of their dissentions & yt god

    would guide in yr Choise of a minister.

     

    Octob 11 1680 Ye Church of Rowley mett about calling another mi

    nister to ioyne with S. P. & voted to invite & call Mr Burroughs,[110] ac

    cordingly letters & messegers Br Tod & Mr Neh Jewitt were sent to him Octob

    13.0 as followeth

     

       Dear & much respected Sr

    Hearty love & respect to your self & Mrs Burroughs premised

    The occasion of these few lines is to inform you yt ye church of Xst in

    Rowley, haveing mett to seek god, & to consider whom yei might pitch

    upon to ioyne with me in ye work of ye ministry, yei came to ys unani

    mous vote, That they would first make ye motion to your self that if

    you were not preingaged Els wher, you would be pleased to take our desires

    into consideration, & to give us an answer as soon as conveniently you

    can. By thes therfore (worthy Sr) & more fully by our messengers & beloved

    brethren Br Tod & Br Mr Neh. Jewitt, you may [illeg.][111] yt ye Ch of Rowley

    that you [illeg.]  a call to [illeg.] on ye work of ye ministry in ys place in order

    [illeg.] & on my part, I fully goe along with

    the church in this motion to your self, & was glad & am that they did soe

    fully[112] accord therin. The good lord direct you & us in this waighty affair of

    his kingdome, as may make most for ye honour of his name & ye good of

    soules In wch desire I know you will ioyne with

    Rowley Octob 13 1680.  in ye name & with the consent Your loving br in Xst Jesus

                          of ye br of ye Ch. at Rowley             S: Phillips

     

    [109] Conjectural reading where MS is waterstained and silked.

    [110] George Burroughs, who, after being driven out of his home in Portland, Maine, because of conflicts with the Indians, had just accepted a call to Salem Village, where, after another sojourn in Maine, he would be forciby returned, tried and hung for witchcraft in 1692.

    [111] A tear in the MS affects this and following lines.

    [112] Conjectural reading.