them

46          112      1673

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Them out of his own heart soe did you & Solomon tells us there is a de

gree of hatred of such as a lying tongue afflicts prov. 26. 28.

It was alsoe shown that there was presumtion in those lyes especially to ly after

you had bin calling upon y^e holy name of God in prayer now such as sin presum

tuously are to be cutt off at least by excomunication 15 numb. 30. 31.

Gods stroak upon Annanias & Zaphira tho y^s told but each of them onely

showes us how much it concernes the Church of god to show their zeal & holy

indignation against such sin especially soe multiplied & aggravated.

All those Evills were aggravated

1 Comitted after many warnings it greatens sin hastens y^e Siners misery when

 gone on in after admonitions 29 prov. 1. the forementioned lying many of them were

deliberate uttered after warnings to take heed, there was some dayse between your

lyes in y^e same thing, after you had prayed in your family & slept upon it

2 here was adding one Sin to another & every step in sin is a step to misery wher

as your Duty was to be adding grace to grace 2 Pet 1. 5 but you were busied in

covering but not w^th a cover of gods spirit (but of y^e evill spirit) that you might

ad sin to sin 30 Isai 1. your soul should have say^d I have done iniquity but

Ile doe it noe more, but you went on from from evill to wors, Gods children

may fall often into y^e same sin but not often into y^e same gross & scandalous sin

God doth not suffer him his children to fall often into y^e mire.

3 all these evills after & notw^thstanding Soe great & long sickness the winter & spring

past 2 Chr. 26. 22 thus is y^t Ahaz a sad thing to sin against judgm^t threatened

much more against judgm^t executed

4 After some reviving & recovery out of such great affliction but when your body

mended your soul grew worse 2 sam 12. 8 9 y^r you se mercy aggravating sin

Exceedingly, did not y^e lord say when you began to get strength why should he be

smitten any longer, let him take his course oh sin is y^e saddest punishment

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ffor those great & scandalous evills John Watson was dealt w^th by the church July

20 1673. and showed noe remorse but threatened b^r Brown before the church to

have him to y^e court, & told a ly then in saying he had confessed his fault to

M^r Nelson for his slanders & lyes y^t he had told of the family & yoakfellow of

S. P. blamed me before y^e church [--------] wondring by what rule it was y^t

I mentioned your former way of lying when as it was reported of & forgiven

I answered that those Evills were forgiven upon condition that you acknowledg

ed your sin to those before whom you had told lyes of y^e family but that was

never done yet that we can hear off

Ther being an Essay to know y^e Churches mind whether for such gross Crimes he

ought not to be cast out w^thout delay most of y^e church together w^th myself was

of that mind but B^r Pickard & B^r Harrison & B^r Platts though y^y judged

the evills very heinous yet thought patience might be used & offendor first

admonished, but y^e body of y^e Church not consenting to their apprehension

it was desired that y^e matter might be farther considered against y^e next

sab: & then y^e Churches mind might be discovered after y^e forenoon service

accordingly y^e Church staying, It was shown y^t it was the unanimous judgm^t

of those churches that for such publick scandalous evills y^e offendour was to

be cast out w^thout any grevious admonition as Platform Chapters 14 SS. 3

M^r Cotton way of the Churches page 93. D^c Owen Chatechism page 189

M^r Norton in a letter to me in y^e like case of Scandalous evill D^c Ames Case of con

=science page 235. M^r Davenport & M^r Hook in y^r Chatechism.[7]

But still B^r Pickard stood up to plead again that a solemn admonition was fitter

in his judgmt the man was poor & ther might be some occasion to give

some to think y^r was some reveng for former faults, Answ Thou shalt not respect

neither poor nor rich in judgm^ts & for any such revenge his former faults should

not be mentioned nor were as any addition to his crime for w^ch he was to be