52)     118              1673.

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When dinah was gadding from home she was defiled keeping at

home & chastity was joyned 2 Titus 5 & y^e contrary w^th uncleaness 7 Prov

11 12. 13. now abroad now on y^e street & lying in waight at Every Corner

pride & Idleness you se what it brought Sodome to in respect of uncleaness.

____

Take heed of thinking y^t repentance for these things is sooner attayned & doe not

catch hold of comfort till god prepares for it, and gets w^ch to heer y^e voice of ioy

& gladness before he has broaken bones, ly low y^e what want of sound humi

liation is one main bottom of all unsoundness; & y^t was your wound when

you first made profession & you minded it not after take heed it be not soe still

                          A letter from the Church of Christ at York

  to the Church of X^st at Rowley

                    To the Reverend & beloved brethren of the Church of X^st at

                           Rowley  these present

 Reverend & beloved Grace mercy & peace be multiplied &c.

These are to acquaint you that God by his gratious Providence having soe farr

revived the work of his house amongst us, which for soe many late years past

seemed to ly languishing & sinking into a declyining Lethargie (to o^r great hum

-bling be it spoaken) as that now our hearts are inclined & raysed up & soe

farr as lyeth in us by Gods assistance are resolved to settle all the ordinances of

X^st according to y^e order & comand of the gospell amongst us: and to y^t end to

ordaine our Reverend brother M^r Shubael Dumer an officer as our mediat

head under the lord Jesus X^st over us upon the 4^th day of the week being

the 3^d day of December next: These are therfor to crave your help by the assis-

-tance of your prayers & your presence upon that day with us by y^or Elders & messen

gers for the furtherance & accomplishment of soe good a work, from whom

we hope according to Regular approbation we may expect & receive the

right hand of fellowship.

  November 10^th 1673.

                                      Y^ors to be comanded in the be

                                       half of y^e church according to the

                                      [----] rules of y^e lord Jesus

                                           Edward Rishworth

                                            Richard Bankes.

                                                                    /=bank

The Church of X^st at Rowley sent As their messengers S. P. & Captain Brottl=

The Church of Dover M^r Reynor M^r Clemens[14] the Church of Portsmouth M^r Moody

M^r Richard Cutts.[15]

After M^r Dumer his precious & sutable sermon from 20 Ps 14 M^r Moody prayed

& read to y^e Church a Solemn Covenant w^ch they had before consented to before

the Messengers of y^e Churches, desiring them that they would publickly express

their consent therto w^ch they did by lifting up their hands

Then S P being desired by the vote of the church to ordain M^r Dumer & give

to him the right hand of fellowship with the assistance of M^r Moody & M^r Reynor

& M^r Rishworth it was accordingly though weakly performed, & In this method

ffirst the Churches mind was tryed by a silential vote whether they did continue

                                               to Elect

of the Same mind as they had formerly expressed, that y^e Reverend brother M^r Shu

bael Dumer to y^e office of a Pastor:-

Their Silence testifying their consent it was nextly propounded to the whole assem

bly that if y^r were any either the messengers of y^e churches or any other person that

                                                                          had