40         106         1672

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Letter. ‘I cannot but conclude it was an occasion of bodily weakness

to her, now to be an instrument by your sin to occasion boduly weakness to

your wife what was it but to bring upon yourself noe little degree of

blood guiltiness, & the nearer the relation the greater the guilt therin

                                               his

To greev & vex a neighbour to y^e shortning of their life is not soe bad as to

greeve & vex a wife y^e shortning of her life, oh what a burden was it a heart killing

thing to take notice of her husband as one whose heart was gone from her to im

                                         (walking wth you)

=brace another, to have buried her husband would not have so Grievd her as to se him

left to his hearts lusts: To be sure such sorrow of heart as she felt did break her spirit

weaken & wast her body. 15. prov: 13: you know what Solomon Sayth of Jelosy how

it fill a man (& as wel a woman) so wth vexation soe y^t nothing wil satisfy or make amends

6 Prov. 32 to y^e End, Tis not enough y^t your wife when she was leaving the world

did forgive you what will y^t avail if god grant you not deep repentance without w^ch no

remission: ^__

To say noe more at p^rsent if y^e lord help you soe To consider of thos things as that

      not onely

you doe hereby own before the pp you converse w^th what you have writ to us y^e

substance wherof we have heer mentioned) but alsoe what farther we heer call up

on you to be humbled & judg your self for: If we have it attested under the

hand of y^e Reveren^d M^r Collins & who els he sees meet, that God hath given

you some measure of sutable Repentance for soe great evills, to gether w^th a

conversation meet for repentance, you shall find us more ready to imbrace you

into brotherly relation again yⁿ ever had we to reject you: now the good l^d

(that has promised y^t where he has begun a good work he will finish it unto y^e day of

Christ) carry on in yo^r soul y^e work of sound humiliation, heart purifying fayth and

repentance unto life throw X^st Jesus Soe prayes

Rowley.

 November 1672                    Y^or loving frends       Samuel Phillips

Earnestly desirous of y^or     Samuel Brottlebank

best good      William Teney

Thos. Leaver.

To The Rever^d M^r Nathanial Collins

Reven^d S^r

Hearty Respects premised to yourself & M^rs Collins

I Received your lettre w^th y^e inclosed: We are glad to hear (though it be

long first) from Tho: Miller that God is pleased to help him to consider of

his ways in some measure, yet we conceive (as you will perceive by the

inclosed) that God calls for some farther confession & sence of his evill

ways then we find manifested in his lettre to us: I doe & the Church

heer give you thanks for the love you have shoun & the paines you have

taken to bind up & to get home that poor wandering Soul. I have according to

your advise draun out y^e substance of what he sayth, & therafter in y^e be

ginning of y^e inclosed & y^e rather because its most likely y^t he kept noe copy

of what was taken from him & soe may easily forget what he has writ to us

We have alsoe lay^d before him sundry things that y^e Church w^th my self doe

judg he ought to have farther consideration of & to be more particu

-lar & explicite in judging him^s: for y^m: The managmt of y^s great af

-fair (wherin the hand of god, y^e consent of gods pp & y^e good of y^e offenders

soul is soe much concerned) lyes cheifly upon your self y^e Good lord dir

ect you in it: If he shall publickly & pœnitently acknowledg what has bin

Evill yea wicked in his wayse soe as that your self & Gods pp w^th you doe

judg him in some measure in truth healed soe as y^t you can humbly