8

By Repentance: you further ad that the Innocent are not be In

Twisted with the guilty: I answer

1 Its hard to conceive that in a church divided & contending there will be

many innocent though some usually farr more guilty then others I Cor 11 30 we

read not of many clean[18]

2 If there be particular persons men & women Innocent, yet till y^e ch be in peace

& offences healed in some measure they are to submitt to y^t affliction to want y^e

lords supper: At Ipswich wn yr was least contentious about m^r Nortons leaving of

them some sadly clasht w^h Revren^d m^r Rogers & one with another, & though y^r

were diverse good men & women that never medled in y^t business but sat silent

yet y^e Sacrament was not administered, & was it not y^e duty (think you) of those In

nocent ones to submitt to it tho for a time they wanted y^t ordinance the church

not being in capasity to celebrate it till matters were composed

__

As to y^e 3 particulars I mentioned as things wherein I conceived you had &

have cause to blame yourselves y^rin Time permitt not to argue farther w^th you

about them, onely a few words to y^e 3^d about your censure upon y^e offending b^r I

will not now discourse about y^e nullity of y^t sentence nor how farr Clavis y^t Saying

Clavis errans non legal[19] is applicable to your act, yet those two things I foremerly

mentioned were omissions y^t I still think could be justified

_

1 The not calling upon y^m to se y^e sin in such an unheerd of act, you full

knoe you had often warred y^m to desist from their irregular meetings, & actings

but not a word of any indeavour to bring y^m to y^e sight of y^t sin or those sins

you cheifly censured y^m for; & y^rfore y^ei could not be lookt upon as such as

would not hear y^e ch when y^e church had not admonished y^m nor called upon

them for repentance & as onely such as refuse to hear y^e church as were to be cen

sured or withdrawn from by y^e church: And for w^t you say about good success

could have bin expected if you had indeavoured to bring y^m to asight of y^r evills I

Answer whether they would hear or forbear yet Gods rule is to be attended & y^rfore

your 3^d ingreadient to right sentence is to seek viz y^e law of God y^t will [---]

it allow it you mention withdraw from y^m, obstinate oft does take censure

& bringing to repentance neyther could y^y be called obstinate offenders when you

had not indeavoured to bring y^m to asight of y^e evills especially y^t scandalous

evill of deposing M^r Parker: Its true what you say its easier to find faults

then to mend them, its alsoe as true its easier to make faults then to se them

as appears by y^or calling this an omission of you know not what, & let what I

have say^d foremerly & now as to y^r matter be accounted a private fancy, I am

willing to hear it having a councill to hear it or me, & w^ch is more the Rule

to stand by me according to my best understanding

2 Touching y^e other omission of calling in counsell, your own words doe evinc

that it was an unjustifiable omission in that you once & again say (& I think

truly that it was a case the like was never heard of that you know of in y^e X^tian

world the more necessity of serious deliberation & good advise, & you may

be sure noe councill in y^e countrey would have advised you to pass any sen

tence against y^m or withdraw from y^m till due means had bin used by

your selves together with y^e help of other churches if need were to bring

them to repentance: By y^s you may perceive that I am farr from y^t

distructive notion y^t particular churches have absolute power to carry on

matters amongst y^mselves, If some one church has lispt out something y^t way

we own it not for a congregational principle onely thus farr I own

that every particular church organick have power to carry on all affairs

and administrations in Gods house excepting when they cannot proceed