by convincing all about you that you cannot, or will not, use your liberty as becomes the gospel.”  Their advice is, “that you desist, at present, from urging the ordination of the Rev. Mr. Lawson, till your spirits are better quieted and composed.”  They give some judicious suggestions about various matters that had been the occasion of difficulty among them, especially to help them get their records put into good shape, and kept so for the future; and wind up in the following excellent, and in some of the clauses rather emphatic and pithy, expressions:—­

“Finally, we think peace cheap, if it may be procured by complying with the aforementioned particulars, which are few, fair, and easy; and that they will hardly pass for lovers of peace, truth, ministry, and order, in the day of the Lord, that shall so lean to their own understanding and will that they shall refuse such easy methods for the obtaining of them.  And, if peace and agreement amongst you be once comfortably obtained, we advise you with all convenient speed to go on with your intended ordination; and so we shall follow our advice with our prayers.  But, if our advice be rejected, we wish you better, and hearts to follow it; and only add, if you will unreasonably trouble yourselves, we pray you not any further to trouble us.  We leave all to the blessing of God, the wonderful Counsellor, and your own serious consideration:  praying you to read and consider the whole, and then act as God shall direct you.  Farewell.”

     [Salem, Feb. 14, 1687.  Signed by the five referees,—­John
     Higginson and Nicholas Noyes (the elders of the old church),
     and the three gentlemen before named.]

At a meeting of the inhabitants of the Village on the 18th of February, it was voted that “we do accept of and embrace the advice of the honored and reverend gentlemen of Salem, sent to us under their hands, and order that it shall be entered on our book of records.”  But they took care further to vote, that they accepted it “in general, and not in parts.”  In accordance with the advice of the referees, they brought up, considered anew, and put to question, every entry in their past records about the genuineness and validity of which any division of opinion existed.  Some entries that had been complained of and given offence as incorrect were voted out, and others were confirmed by being adopted on a new vote.  A new book of records was prepared, to conform to these decisions, which, having been submitted for examination to leading persons, appointed for the purpose at a legal meeting representing both parties, and approved by them, was adopted and sanctioned at a subsequent meeting also called for the purpose.