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    con-rowley

    1682         1683                     194                129

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     In prayer for thy ministry & for ys thy servant in particular, soe we beseech thee powre out a

    spirit of grace & supplication upon thy people in his & our labours yt soe we obtayning & finding help from

    God as thy Paul did we may testify to all thou sendest us unto Repentance towards God & fayth towards or

    Lord Jesus Xst; And thy pp may find strong benifitt by our labours, & all as an answer of prayer.

    thy pore messengers desire to say wth thy servant Samuel, God forbid we should sin against God in ceasing

    to pray for thy pp, & leave not thy pp to sin against thee, nor yr own soules in ceasing to pray for us: And

    the rather in yt thou dost now send forth thy servants in times not soe fair & calm as sometimes, but when

    black cloudes are gathering over or heads, yet we pray thee let us not soe mind the cloudes, as to be hindered

    in striving & sowing, before ye night comes & such stormes fall upon us, as may hinder us from doing thy

    work, oh let us not be driven out of thy harvest before thy corn be more gott in

    Yet let us be ready as good souldiers of Jesus Xst to endure hardness, & to bear wittness to thy love, as becomes

    those yt remember yt for ys end we were born, & came into ye world

    Sathan & his instruments are full of enmity against ye whole army yt followes Jesus Xst, but especially against

    the officers yrof, oh let us be strengthend with all might in ye inward man, look on us as thou didst on Gideon

    and say to us as thou didst to him goe in this thy might, yt we may be ready to be offered up in the service

    of thy pps fayth: oh let not anything in ys world, nor our lives be dear to our selves, soe yt we may finish

    our course with ioy, & ye ministry wch we have received of ye lord Jesus, to testify ye gospell of ye grace of God

     And all this we humbly crave for Jesus sake, who in his last prayer on Earth did interceed Especially

    for his poor messengers, as well as for all yt shall beleeve through their word, & forever lives to make Inter

    cession for us: ffor whome we desire for ever to bless thee, & to doe whatever we doe in word or deed, in his

    name, And to him with thy blessed majesty, & Eternal spirit of grace be forever given by us & by ye whole

    family in heaven & earth, Everlasting service & prayer Amen. ––

       Nov:

       Decemb, 14 1683 . This Church of Christ at Rowly sent to for ye Elders & messengers to ye ordination

       Deacon Tenney Br Tod Br Platts

       the letter as followes

     

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