1681                             123

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 I think it not meet to Engage for any time certain among you by reason my inability

is such, as y^t I know not but I may be forced to break off: Thus S^r craving your prayers

for me I Rest

Y^ors to Serve

  Boston 24 ffeb. 80                     Edward Paison

 

                                                                                            wife

March 20 1681 did publickly acknowledge y^e great sin of uncleanness Benjamin Peirson & Hannah his

 I desire to confess my sin and in especial manner y^e great sin of uncleanness w^ch I doe own my

self guilty of & I hope y^e lord hath in some measure convinced me of y^e Evill of it, I hope I may say y^t y^s

sin w^ch I am guilty off is my dayly greif & burden, & desire y^t it may be ever before me for my humi

liation as long as I live, my desire Is y^t might have a farther sight & sence of y^e evill y^t is in all my sins

in particular I acknowledg y^t it would be just with god to leave me to hardness & blindness & to spiri

tuall judgm^ts w^ch are y^e greatest of all others, But I desire to plead with God y^t he would be pleased to be

mercifull to me a poor miserable lost sinner, my parents have often warned me to tale heed of Sin & of

that sin w^ch I fell into, I thought y^t my parents had noe need to say soe much concerning y^t sin for

I was not affrayed of it, I thought I should never fall into such a sin: I desire y^t all Gods pp would

pray hard to God for me y^t I may be deeply humbled for y^s Sin, for it is a great sin against God. Y^e

holy name of God hath bin dishonour^d by me, I have broaken covenant w^th god, I have reproached

religion: oh plead w^th God for me y^t he would yet own me, in his Son Jesus X^st & y^t he would

cleans me from y^e guilt of all sin by his blood, & farther desire your prayers y^t all Gods deal

ings w^th me may work for my Spirituall & eternal good

  The acknowledgm^t of Benjamin Peirson

 

 I desire to be deeply humbled for my Sins, & especially for y^e sin of uncleanness w^ch I by my Sin

have provock^d God to leave me to fall unto: I do acknowledg it were just w^th God if he had

cut me off as soon as I had comitted y^t evill, but as god of his Goodness hath spared my life I also

doe desire y^t he would be pleased to give me true repentance Even unto life for all my sins & especially

for y^t sin y^t God hath left me to fall into, & y^t he would therby help me to se more into my own heart &

y^t I may se what I am when God is pleased to leave me to my self, & yt I may se y^t its God alone y^t

can be pure: I desire to be humbled that I should provoak God & dishonour my freinds by com

mitting such an evill, notwthstanding the warnings w^ch I have had, both by parents & by minister, & y^t

I should sin against god in such a matter under such light & means of grace as I have lived under

I have cause to wonder at Gods goodness y^t not withstanding my provoaking sins against him y^t he shuld be

pleased to spare my life in y^e danger of childbirth : I doe earnestly desire the prayers of Gods pp for

me y^t all his dealings towards me be may be for my souls advantage

M^r Edward Payson                           The acknowledgm^t of Hannah Peirson

came to assist M^r S Phillips April 10 1681[120]

Mr Paison came to help in y^e work of y^e ministry April 10 1681 & when he had bin

with us a month or 6 weeks we understood that he was under some discouragem^t in his spirit

about going on in y^e work, & hinted to some y^t ffreinds must part upon y^s y^e church renewed

y^r call & sent several in y^e name of y^e whole to signify our thankfull acceptance of his

godly labours amongst us & desired he would be incouraged to goe on, he notw^thstanding would

would not ingage to stay or settle w^th us but if we would run y^e venture of his leaving us at last he

knew not but he should stay a while w^th us, but going down to y^e comencem^t[121] he intimated

to some that he knew not whether he should return any more to stay upon y^s a town

meeting was warned 17 Aug 81. to try the mind of y^e Towne whether y^ei did concurr w^th

y^e church in desiring M^r Paisons continuance in y^e work of y^e ministry in Rowley and they

signified y^e desire y^roff one & all y^t were present and chose 2 messeng: M^r Neh: Jewitt and

Daniel Weicome to goe to him & his ffreinds to se what might be done for gaining his con

=sent to come again to us. ^_____

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M^r Paison being under discouragem^ts about his continuing in y^e work of y^e ministry heer, & speaking

to some of leaving us  the church a 2^d time sent messengers to him to incourage him in his work &

to manifest their thankfull acceptance of his labours, & desires of his continuance in order to

settlm^t but he would not much incourage us but told us if we would venture to imploy him a while whe

ther he settled w^th us or noe he then might stay, we accepted of that seing we could get noe

more but going down to y^e Commencem^t 1681 he staid a long time  month & more & understanding