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              An Answer to Goodman Millers Lettre

  Goodm: Miller.

 We have received your lettre wherin you give some account how

far god has given you Repentance for your grevious & aggravated sin of

uncleanness, for which you were full five years since cast out of this ch:

             was        before y^e ch:

Your lettre has been read the next sabbath after if come to hand viz

novemb. 3 & the church with thankfullness to God doe look upon it as some re

                          some

turn of prayer & as we hope fruit of Gods help ordinance y^t has past upon you y^t

                          ^          in you

ther are any relentings & self judgings with desires to God that he would inable

                                      ^

you to return to God hims by sound Repentance from whom you have greviously

Revolted: You doe in your lettre justify God & acknowledg that the cen

sure of Excommunication was deservedly inflicted upon you yea that you deserv

to be deprived of fellowship w^th God for ever, & therfore not dareing to rest

in soe dreadfull an estate any longer (being awed by that place 28 prov 13)

you have made it your prayer to the God of mercy that he would grant you a

heart to be deeply humbled for y^e dishonour you have brought to the name of God

    your

ffor the violation of y^e covenant you made w^th God & his pp, & y^t you have heer

by brought great reproach upon the glorious Gospel: you acknowledg also

                                                by many

that y^r sin was horrid not onely as to y^e fact but aggravations, that it was wit

tinlgy & willingly not a sin of ignorance but against y^e light of your own Conscience

not onely therby bringing guilt upon your own soul, but were an insturment to draw

her who is now your wife into the same transgression & did heerby alsoe

break the covenant of god that you were in with your wife now at rest caus

ing heart sorrow to her for all w^ch you desire that God would give you unfeined

repentance & a heart to mourne whilst you have a day to live; And indeed you

may find cause as wel as David did that your sin should be Evre hasten[ing][106] you to

humble you & to make you more watchfull over your heart & afrayd of y^e plagues

of it then ever you have bin.

Now the relation you make how god has brought you to a sight of & repen

tance for your great sin Is in substance this: that whilst you were in

chains in y^e prison you had great trouble of spirit to think what you had

done & wher you were, & god did then shew you that you deserved not onely

thes chaines, but to be in everlasting chains of darkness to all Eternity, in the

midst of those flames of conscience you took notice of that dreadfull Text 2 prov

18 w^ch caused you to conclude that y^r was noe mercy to be found for such a

vile wretch as you, Sathan alsoe setting in did tempt you to think that it

was to noe end for you to hope for pardon; But you found some help from y^t

Scripture resist the divill & he shall flee from you,[107] You were alsoe convicted

of the Evill of your heart that after you had gone soe farr from god that you

should be going farther soe as to question the never fayling compassions & grace

of that God against whom you had Sinned; yet at that time the lord was

pleased to give you some incouragem^t from those Scriptures Jer 3. 12 13 11 math

28 this is y^e substance of what you offer to us for satisfaction touching your

Repentance:

The church haveing (as time would permitt) considered your lettre doe by thes

give you to understand that as they were not hasty to cast you out if it could

according to Rule have bin prevented, soe neither dare they be ovre hasty to

loos you till they may have farther help to their Charity that your repentance

is soe thorow as that you shall alsoe be loosed in heaven without which