1678                   177          111

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when we had sent in these grounds of our dissent from their result they sent

to the church to desire us to meet them at the meeting house, the first sessions I

prevailed with the church to attend them though several brethren were unwilling

but this second session they were all unwilling to goe, & why not will appear

afterward, yet we did goe at their breaking up to hear what their last result

was which was publickly read in the meeting house as followes.

 

   Wheras we the Elders & messengers of the Several Churches of Christ

who chose and sent us on the account of M^r Philip Nelson of Rowley y^t we

might inquire into some particular actings wherin the say^d Nelson judged

himself wronged by the church of Rowley with reference to y^e Censure of Excom

=munication passed on him by the say^d churches; Having met together according

 to the day appointed viz 10 decemb 1678 we therfore declare as followeth

  That we have heard the case on both sides, & haveing seriously considered

the whole case, we found M^r Nelson justly culpable in some particulars charg

ed against him, ffor which we did advise him to such an humble confession as

we thought might have bin received (as by us soe by them) for Satisfaction

which acknowledgm^t he accordingly made before the church and council

ffurhtermore out of tenderness to the credit and peac of the church we

moved that particular Strickness in takeing notice of Several irregularityes

of the church in their proceedings with M^r Nelson, which we judg we might

justly have lay^d upon them: hopeing alsoe that after a long series of dis-

=cord, & due consideration therupon, they would gladly have accepted our

advise, which we unanimously & publickly offered to them to consider upon.

Now after some months waiting, understanding they had neither voted nor

accepted the say^d advise of the Council, one of the moderators with advise

of some of the principal members of the council wrot to the Teacher and

Brethren of the church to give them a meeting ffeb 25 1678. And the messen

=gers repairing to Rowley, & sending to the Teacher & Brethren to meet them

they received from the Church a paper of complaints against the councill

which having read, They sent to the say^d teacher to desire him & y^e church

to meet them at their meeting house, whether the council repaired, & have

ing waighted some time, a paper was sent from the Teacher in the name of

the church (Though noe church meeting was regularly warned at that time, &

about 15 of the dissenting Brethren unacquainted with the meeting which was,

were seperated or absent from them, when they sent those lines to the council)

that they thought it not convenient to meet us wherupon a member of the

council was desired to goe to them (being assembled in another place) to rei

=iterate our desire, but he returned without them, they holding their formar

resolution, & determining amongst themselves (upon some frivilous causes as we

judg) to discourse the matter with the council at a distance by writing a cus=

-tome doubtless unwonted & intollerable in such agitations & comissions, wher up

=on the council inquired, who of the church were then present amongst them

viz the council: And therby understanding ther were about 15 or 17 and the

whole church were about 38, and understood by them, that they had noe no

tice of any meeting at the other place, nor indeed of the meeting house save

onely by the reading of one of the moderators letter, which they therfore did

attend) The Teacher not desiring or moving for any meeting in answer ther

=unto: By all which it is too apparent that the Teacher and some of the