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18 retribution from too many[at whose hands they have deserved other things] but now both the chtian Indians and all that favor ym are enimies to the english & ought to bee proceded against accordingly if som men might have had yr will, so great was the rage & unreasonable prejudice of many at this time. It might rationaly have beene considered that those two persons above named who had[ one of them for above 20 yeares & the other above 30 yeares] been aquainted with & conversant among these chtian inidians should have more knowledge & experience of them, then others had, and consequently should bee able to speake "concerning" crossed out more particularly concerning such of those Indians whome they knew [according to A judgment of Charity] to bee honest & pious persons, And if at such a time they should have been wholy silent & remisse in giveing a modest testimony, concerning them, when called thereunto God might justly have chardged it upon them, as a sinne & neglegt of their duty: had they for feare declined to witnes the truth for cht & for these his poore distressed servants,"the" crossed out som of yr poore chtian Indians; And in this day of Massah & meribah says(Some that have the repute & I hope truly & Godly men) were so farre gon with the temptation that they accounted it a crime in any man to say that they hoped Some of those Indians were pious persons: or that they had grounds of perswasion that such & such would "go to heaven" crossed out Bee saved, & This evil frame of spirit [for I can give it noe word crossed out gentler denomination], Arose as I apprehend from a duble ground. first the malice of Sathan against chts worke among these indians; & to hinder their progres in Religion, for they finding English men profesing chtian Religion so inraged against them & injurious to them without cause, as they very wel knew in yr owne consciences, what ever others thought or spake to the contrary this was a sore temptation to such weake ones & little children as it were in the wais of charity, and herby incline them to Apostacy & if the devil by this stratagem could have prevailed then the whole worke of cht among them [So spoken of Blessed & owned by the lord would have beene utterly over throwne; this would have gratified sathan & his instruments greatly, A second root of less trouble arose from the perfydeous & unfaithfull dealing of the wicked indians & their causeles, rage, & cruelty