82)           148                    1676.

^{_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}

without repentance is destruction, according to those Solemn Scriptures which wⁿ

I read I saw I was in a wofull Condition 21 Rev 8 & 22 15. I desire hearti

=ly to bless god that he hath spared my life, notwithstanding I was in soe many dan

=gers in the warr,[53] I might have bin left in y^e wilderness dead above ground as

many others have bin, but that God has spared my life & given me oppertunity I

desire to acknowledg his mercy & never to forgett it

One time when I was going out w^th others to seek after Indians, I had noe mind

to goe, being afraid what might become of me if God took away my life, I should

then perish for Ever, but yet I wore of that trouble & fear without any incor

ragement from God or his word: I desire the prayers of Gods pp that the

lord would be pleased to set on my sins upon my heart, as also those sins y^t

led to & made way for such a fall, for though my parents counselled me many

times to attend family dutyes, & to keep home, yet I made light of their counsell

& therfore I acknowledg God was just to leave me to my beasts lusts, & alsoe

because I was soe fearless of my own heart, thinking I should never committ

such sin, but God showed me that my heart was deceitful. ^______

^{_________________}

The church was not satisfied with y^s acknowledgm^t but waighted a considerable time

to se if he might come to a further sence of his great sin & y^rfore it was desired

by some of y^e brethren that a Coppy of his Confession might be given him that he

might waigh it & pray over it; but still after more time given him y^r appear^d

noe more sight of his great sin, but some brethren speaking with him found him

rather stoute saying the Church were partiall & had lett pass as great offences

as his more easily & dealt more hardly with him; & others did mention y^t y^ei

observed in his cours much vanity & Jollity , The church y^rfore voted that he

should be solemnly & publickly admonished upon octob 1. 1676. that soe a more

publick Testimony might be born against his sin then yet had bin, & y^t he might

be farther awak^nd to consider of his wayse if y^e lord soe please: When y^e Sab was

come & the congregation stay^d about y^s business & Thomas Tenny cal^d forth he

appeared not but it seems stay^d at home though he was warned the week before

to take heed of absenting himself in y^t it would be an aggravation of his evills

Upon this I desired the church to stay & to consider what God further called to

in reference to this young man, it was concluded y^t in case he did not appear

the next Sab: viz octob 8 but againe show such contempt of Gods ordinance he

should be cast out; if he came & acknowledged his sin in turning his back upon

the church an Admonition should onely pass upon him The next Sab viz octob 8

he did appear but would not speak a word to blame hims for his soe turning his back

for his admonition: It was proceeded to as followes

 

It was then declared the foulness of his sin Especially upon these considerations

1 That it was of an incestious nature comitted with one soe nere a kind God forbids

coming near to any near a kind 18 Levit 6 now cousin Germins are near a kind

& though not forbidden there Expressly by just consequence because degrees as farr

remote yea farther are forbidden as to marry with ones uncles wife is y^t w^ch are only

a kind by affinity but y^e others are a kind by consanguinity viz 24 y^e lord cast out the heathen

for these evills, & threatens to cast out his pp if y^ei did y^e like v. 23. God tells us y^t for y^s he has

a controversy with a land because blood toucheth blood 4 Hoseah 2. those y^t are near akind

they come near one another in filthy lusts:

2 though to marry such is not lawfull yet your sin was greater in y^t you intended not mar

                                                                          riage