64     130             1674

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 Brother Philips o^r Church hath unamimously voted to Salem vote &

voted my self, M^r Rogers Cap^t Appleton & Deacon Pengrey to signify y^r

dissent to Roots & the rest proceeding soe suddenly in y^e gathering of a church

at Lyn; If your Church should fayl & not doe any thing this way; yet your

self as an Elder of a neighbour church hath some liberty by law to be pre

sent at such an assembly & to show your own dissent: And by y^s law title eccl

siastical it is provided y^t none out of church comunion here shall gather into

any church by y^mselves without the consent of y^e Elders of y^e neighbouring churches

wherfore fayl not I beseech you to come to us tomorrow about 8 of y^e clock to

accompany us to Salem, for I prepose if the weather be tollerable to goe with

the rest. More I have to inform you of their conbination & strengthning

their party, & y^rfore y^e more need to help against the mighty the lord in

mercy be seen in y^e mount.

    Ipsw. 6 decemb 1674.                Y^or very own

    Tho. Cobbett.

 

When we came to lyn The Elders & messengers of y^e 1^st Church of Boston with y^e messen

gers of 3 churches were viz Malden Lyn Woodborn (none of y^e Elders of the 3 last

mentioned were ther or consented not) they had in private agreed to goe on in ga

thering the church appointed M^r Oxenbury for y^e moderator he began with a short

prayer & after y^t a speech very breifly and then desired those y^t were to be gathered into

church state to come forth Rootes first m^r Higgeson desired that the vote of Salem

church might be read wherin they manifested their dissent as to that hasty ga

thering of a church but the Boston Elders did tell him y^t y^r was noe room for

his objections it was too late &tc. but at last it was read & alsoe y^e dissent of Ipsw

Beverly Rowly: notwithstanding M^r Oxenbridg put it to vote to y^e messengers that

were sent to what that those y^t were of y^e mind y^t y^e work should not goe on should hold

up their hands Malden Church messengers held up theirs the rest voted for pro

ceeding and then 3 of ye men Roote Simon Cutler related Gods work upon

them in w^ch relations ther were good Expressions & many promises mentioned but

w^thout application to y^ms: yet I judge in charity that y^e persons had some good things

in them towards God though weak & ignorant insome til y^t y^e governour & major

Clark did declare they judged they were not sufficiently prepared or fitted to be the

foundation of a church and soe the matter was put to an issue

This work was begun w^thout a sermon w^ch is not usuall all things are sanctified by

the word & prayer

Ther was after a breaking out into laughter by a great part of y^e congregation at

a speech of M^r Battres that he did not approve of what major Holbore had spoak

en w^th that y^e assembly most of y^m broke frely into laughter such carriage was never

knowne on a fast day that I know of: but whilst we are with God God is with us

and noe longer

Decemb 16. 1674 The Church mett about B^r Remington business mentioned page

61 . to hear how farr God had helpt him with repentance for his offences. he acknow

=ledged by word of mouth that he had done sinfully in both those thing the church

were offended by and gave in meeting his acknowledgm^t as followeth.

  In indeavouring to take away the herbage of an ox gate & quarter

that I sould unto B^r Johnson in y^e East end ox pasture doe acknowledg my sin &

evill therin, & as I have say^d before I doe say soe still that if it were to doe a=

gaine I hope I should better consider then to doe any such thing & whatsoever

sin & Evill I have bin observed to have comitted in y^e striving to get it againe