33.        1671                                   99

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Repent of your Labour but to pray f^r y^e God of peac w^th our selves

hopeing that by such means he will be pleased to create peace for us: soe

commending you to his gratious direction in this & all y^r concernments

 We Rest in him to serve you in what we may:

        Signed by us whose names are underwritten in the name

          and by the consent of the church.

                            William Titcum

                            Harcules Woodman

                            Richard Bartlett

                            Stephen Greenleaf

                            Caleb Moody

                            Samuel Plummer

              The answer to the foregoing letter

Dearly beloved brethren in o^r Lord Jesus

The lecture y^s week, calls for my attendance soe that I cannot inlarg

but in breif you may by these understand that your letter has bin read before

the church, & y^e answer is y^t they judg not meet to send any messengers to in

courage or countenanc you in what you have done in reference to your Re

verend pastor, nor in what you are farther about to doe in respect of your

ordination of Elders as being doubtfull of such proceedings, yet neither doe

they think meet by messengers or by writing to bear testimony against y^r

actings or absolutely to condemn them.

But for myself as one that you were pleased to direct your letter unto I

must needs say that I conceive you are farr out of gods way & y^rfore doe

most earnestly beseech you to desist from such irregular proceedings & un

heard of in any church in N E y^t I know of:  The Reasons why I conceive

your late transactions to be irregular are these

 1 In y^t you have not called in counsell in an orderly way by desiring your

pastor & y^e brethren w^th him to joyne with you in calling in advise, now

it seems to me irrational as well as unbrotherly, that brethren Especially a

pastor should not have liberty as well as brethren y^t have offence against him

to chus such as may hear the matter between you

 2 In that tho he has offered you to joyne with you in calling in advise you

have not closed w^th his motion, nor bin moved therby to put any stop to y^r

                                                                (actings

3 As to y^r deposing of y^r Reverend Pastor from y^e exercise of his pastoral office

you mention noe advise from y^e messengers of Salisb. Church to incourage

you therein nor doe I believe any church in the colony will stand by you

in it, you know what the judgm^t of y^e churches is as to that case expressed

                                                            In