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Reveren^d Teacher doth lay to my charg as matters of Scandall, I hope I may with

all Good Conscience plead my Innocency; & could heartily desire satisfaction in

one particular, namely whether a whole church, being under gross scandall can

conscietiously deal with any one member, before they have given satisfaction for

their own offence, ffor If I mistake not this very church as well as Town hath

bin Charged with that abominable sin of cheating, & that by the Reveren^d

Teacher M^r Phillips himself our cheif officer, who hath affirmed & Stands to vin

dicate the same that they had cheated him : Now to have my case heard &

judged by a church w^ch are charged with soe scandelous a sin, I something scru

-le it, for I have not knowne the like president in y^e country, that any church guil

=ty of soe great a crime have called before them offenders to answer for lesser

crimes : Yet notwithstanding acknowledging it a christian duty when called to

it especially (by a church officer) to vindicate my Innocency wherein I am

wronged, & to acknowledg my fault wherin I have offended, I doe give in my An

=swers to my accusations

 To the first particular wher o^r Reveren^d Teacher doth charg me with the

breach of y^e fifth comandment, I answer that himself haveing soe lately & largly

comented upon y^e same, noe doubt maybe better acquainted with y^e duty therof

then myself, yet (submitting to his better judgm^t) I answer that in reference of

what he hath charged me with as a breach of the say^d comandm^t, namely not

coming to that church meeting, namely when his ninety pounds was voated I

am noe transgressor, for the onely reason why I absented my self was because y^t

I was informed that the church was assembled to agree what Stipend to give

him, a business that did not belong to them alone to determine, the civill

          in

law determing the power of such things to belong to y^e inhabitants of the Towne

and I perceiving that this would make a difference between Town & church

I thought it were best to absent my self, & as I conceive if Every man had soe

 

                                                     y^e

done, we had bin at this present more in peace both in church & Towne

Secondly wheras he did charg me for acting contrary to what the councill had

agreed upon, & that I have acted in calling M^r Shepard, my answer is that I

have acted noe otherwayse then y^e rest of my Brethren 4 or 5 onely dissenting

as may appear by the voat, neither doe I conceive that I lay^d myself under

any obligation not to manifest my willingness for M^r Shepards preaching by

voating for it, the act of the counsell noe way obliging me to the contrary

Thirdly wheras the Reveren^d M^r Phillips had accused me of rayling I answer y^t

he had charged me with in noe particular, but onely in general, & therfore in

general I answer y^t I doe not know what I have to answer for

 

  This answer gave y^e church noe satisfaction but rather farther offence

1 wheras he sas the church was charged by S P. with the abominable Sin of cheat

=ing It is a falls accusation of his minister I never charged the church nor any

member of the church, but onely charged the Towne (having bin told that it

was a Toun act To set the price of Indian corn at 3^s a bushell when it

was but at 8 groates throut the land neither would it be taken by the mar

chant at 8 groates wher I was in debt,) in which ther has bin acts passed wher

in few of the freemen has had any hand & whether any one had hand in y^t

act I know not  as concerning his preface y^e first part of it he had need look

to his sin onely & that he takes not gods name in vain in seeing to bewayle al

our divisions when hims has bin the cheif dissenter of this churches