AN ECCLESIASTICAL COUNCIL. 8 1 



some of the charges, their general character may be surmised. 

 It has been thought that the troubles grew out of Mr, Brad- 

 street's Episcopal tendencies, but by the light of the manu- 

 script this theory seems untenable. The paper itself is not 

 the original report of the Council, but a contemporaneous 

 copy of the same. Both from the style of writing and from 

 the spelling it appears to be in the hand of Jonas Prescott, an 

 inhabitant of Groton, who at that period was prominent in the 

 affairs of both church and town. While he may have been 

 illiterate himself, like most men of his times, and unused 

 to scholarly wa)^s, he became the ancestor of a long line of 

 families distinguished in many different walks of life. 



The Council consisted of five ministers or elders, and nine 

 lay delegates or messengers. The ministers were the Rev. 

 Grindall Rawson, of Mendon, who acted as Moderator of the 

 Council ; Rev. John Hancock, of Lexington, grandfather of 

 the signer; Rev. Joseph Baxter, of Medfield ; Rev. John 

 Swift, of Framingham ; and Rev. John Prentice, of Lancaster. 

 The messengers were Thomas Wilder and John Houghton, 

 of Lancaster; Samuel Stone and Joseph Bowman, of Lexing- 

 ton ; Jonathan Boyden and Samuel Roocit (Rockwood), of 

 Medfield; David Ryse (Rice) and Joshua Hemenway, of 

 Framingham ; and John Tyler, of Mendon. 



At a Councel of fine Churches Called by y*" Reud mr dudly brod- 

 stret and the disatisfied bretherin of the Church of Crist in Groton & 

 held in sd Groton Aprel 15 : 1712 refering to the un hapy differince 

 betwen them wee the subscribers Conuened at the time and plase aboue 

 sd & hauing Earnstly Implored the help of all mity God and herd 

 & Examined Euedinces and allagations one all sids do aduise and 

 determin as foloueth 



Impremise or Impmy That the aduise tack plase as to the furst arti- 

 col in the Charg which the reuernt Eldrs which were with them in 

 nouembr y*" \_date omitted'] 17 10 did giue them namly that nither mr 

 brodstret nor others should insist one the charges mad by them that 

 could not be mad out Concidring the ouer of temtation thay were in 

 & that a contry corse mit haue a tendencey to Cast them in to further 

 and grater confusons 



II as to thee woord raysing in y^ 2 articoll the sudscribers to the 



