1677                   159      93

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you with these accusations charged on me by M^r Phillips, wherby you may

be somewhat sensible of my suffering condition.

1 I am charged with y^e breech of y^e 5^th comandmt - disobedience to superiors

whom I desier to ascribe all due honour unto

2 I am likewise charged by M^r Phillips with y^e breech of y^e 8^th comandemt

robbing & stealing &c.

3. I am charged with y^e breech of y^e 9^th comandemt bearing falls wittness

4 I am charged to be y^e principal cause of those unhappy devisions that

are amongst us, I am likewise charged with y^e rest of my freinds & neigh=

=bours with y^t horrid sin of cheating

Several other greviances I might alleadg but being tender of M^r Phillips

his reputation I thought meet onely to hint of those scandells that render

me uncomfortable in y^e discharg of y^t office that God & y^e country have

placed me in : Solomon in his divine sentences tells us that a good name

is to be desired above great riches,[67] & those that were guided onely by the

dim light of nature could tell us that it is as great a virtue to keep as to get

a good name, non minor est virtus quàm quærere, parta tueri;[68] if it be

a sin to discredit another man, then much more is it a sin to discredit our

selves by not vindicating our good name, soe farr as we can with a good

Conscience, If we be charged to promot y^e good name of our neighbour

then are we straitly comanded to help forward our own.

 The world might think y^t I did cast of y^e care of my own credit if I

Should Sufer such reproaches to be lay^d on me & never labour to take

them off, I doe y^rfore humbly present my Shattered condition to your ho=

=nourable protection, Esteeming your honours noe others then fathers in

our common wealth, not doubting but that justice will take place without

respect of persons

                          Philip Nelson.

 

 S P being summoned to answer this complaint I told the honoured

Court that it seem^d to me (considering what we find in y^e scriptures in y^e

platform[69] & lawes Ecclesti[asti]cal of y^e Country) soe strang & unheard of an

Example as I conceived silence was a suffitiant answer

                                                      not

 The major Generell[70] answer^d he did beleev my meaning was that members

of churches might not seek for redress of wrongs to y^r name estate &c. to

a court in case they were wronged : I answer^d I hoped his worship

would not gather that inference from my Silence for I own that every soul

is to be subject to y^e higher powers to answer to the breech of y^e wholsom

lawes of y^e country . But the complainer could alleadg nothing wherin he

was wronged The Church had onely a quarter of a year since lay^d before

M^r Nelson Severel Evills w^ch y^ei desired him seriously to consider off

and y^t their soe long patience in waighting for satisfaction should be

requited with summoning y^e officer of y^e Church to y^e court & charging

him before Civil Authority, with wronging him by laying to his charg

unjust reproaches, is a practise y^t can scarsly if at all he para[l]elled in y^e

Country

  [-] As to his preface 1 he Hopes his Innocency will challeng a vindication

wherby he reflects upon Officer & church as if we had imputed blame

to an Inocent man;

Those yt think he has passed the bound of X^stian modesty in presenting a com

plaint against his officer who had done him noe wrong but sought his

                                                   Conviction