116. 182              1679.

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 The councill went into y^e meeting house & we ther presented to y^m the grounds

of our proceeding as followes

    May It Please this Revered assembly

The ground why the major part of this church peti[ti]oned to y^e honoured General Court

ffor help by a Council of Churches, which is now (by gods good providence[)] conveened by

their order, Is to lay before you some uncomfortabl differences which have fallen

out in y^s Church (& which we could not issue amongst our selves) in reference to y^e

Excomunication of M^r Philip Nelson; Which differences appeered not amongst us

(Excepting 3 who by holding up their hand Expressed their dissent from y^e churches

act) till a considerable time after his Ejection, how it came to pass that any such

division did then appear, & was increased from a spark to a flame, it may not

be soe pertinent at present to Express

As for y^e person Excomunicated we have by sad Experience found him for divers years

an Incendiary or stirrer up of strife in this place : And although the church (out of

the respect they bore to his worthy parents) did shew much lenity & patience as

to foremer offensive carriages, not laying him under any censure (though he de

cerved it) but waited long for repentance, which at last was manifested, not by

any pains y^e church had taken (which was not little) but by conviction he mett with

at y^e general Court ; soe that we hoped his spirit had bin heeled, But not long after

his reconciliation to y^e church, his unmodified passions broak forth with greater vio

lence then ever, to y^e offence of many, & for well nigh half a year he was by several

at several times, laboured with y^t he might be brought, to a sight of & repentance

for his Scandelous speeches & carriages, but noe sence of his evills could be obtayned

but rather more offence given by his unruly tongue : soe y^t we had noe other way

but according to Christs comand to tell the church, & 3 times before y^e whole church his

Evills were lay^d before him

The first time they were mentioned to him he say^d publickly, as to one of y^e Evills lay^d

to his charg, he would doe it again, as to another of y^m viz his actings about y^e

deaf lad & dum, he say^d did not Christ doe soe, mentioning y^e 7 Mark, he put his

finger into the eare of y^e deaf & say^d Epatha, & may not we follow X^sts example, upõ

this a church meeting was appointed the 4^th day of y^e same week, & y^e church waight

=ed about an hour (after y^e hour appointed for meeting) & he came not, he was yⁿ

sent for but still came not till almost another hour was past, at last he came and

after looking up to God in prayer for his pressence with us; his offences were again

lay^d before him, beginning with y^e first

But he told the church y^e he knew not y^t he was to make answer to that neither

had any dealt with him privately about it, Though 3 brethren did attest that sometime

before they had bin with him to deal with him about it, but he possitively denied y^t they

had dealt with him about it, & y^t he was not provided at present to answer the brethren y^t

dealt with him was Deacon Tenny y^e offended brother & two more he took with him B^r Harris

and brother Tod, & soe we concluded with prayer, & dissolved the meeting, haveing ap

pointed another church meeting of y^e 6^th day following; In which his five Scandelous

Evills were lay^d before him, but he showed noe repentance, but either denyed what

was fully proved against him, or iustified himself of what he had spoaken and done

upon y^s after the whole day spent & noe repentance appearing, but rather contempt turning

his back uppon his officer, when he ask^t him whether he was sorry for his Sin, in pro

faneing gods name in y^e duty of prayer in a conference meeting and now and yⁿ

saying you may take your owne cours, and doe as you like: The church did by a

full vote declare, that they judged him to deserve the highest sentance of[106]