THE TRUE COPY OF A LETTER: Written By Mr. Thomas Parker, a learned and godly Minister, in New-England, unto a Member of the Assembly of Divines now at Westminster.  
Declaring his judgement touching the Government practised in the Churches of NEW-ENGLAND.  

Imprimatur.  
Ja. Cranford   
feb: 19 LONDON, Printed by Richard Cotes, for Ralph Smith, and are to be sold at his shop, at the sign of the Bible in Cornhill, near the Royal Exchange. 1644. 1643   

THE COPY OF A LETTER.  
Loving Brother,  
MY eyes do yet serve me, though with much difficulty; and therefore I will spend some part of their last strength in writing a word or two unto you. I desire to mourn with you, for the sore afflictions of the Church, and for those in particular which you have suffered, and my poor Sister, and Mother, with you. I hope the Lord doth bear up your hearts by Faith and Patience, and that you do rejoice under hope of the glory that shall follow He that shall come will come, according to promise.  
I presume you are in the number of those, which are gathered into a Synod now at London; and therefore I writ unto you as being there.  
I suppose you are so prepared and qualifyed by these present afflictions, beside all your learning and sufficiency of parts, that God will discover great things by you.  
I assure you we have great need of help in the way of discipline, and we hope that we shall receive much light from you. My cousin Noise and myself, have seen such confusion of necessity depending on the government which hath been practised by us here, that we have been forced much to search into it within these two or three years.  
And although we hold a fundamental power of government in the people, in respect of election of Ministers, and of some acts in cases extraordinary, as in the want of Ministers; yet we judge, upon mature deliberation, that the ordinary exercise of government must be so in the Presbyters, as not to depend upon the express votes and suffrages of the people. There hath been a Convent, or meeting, of the Ministers of these parts, about this question, at Cambridge, in the Bay; and there we have proposed our arguments, and answered theirs; and they proposed theirs, and answered ours: and so the point is left to consideration. Also concerning admission of Members, we hold, the rule must be so large, that the weakest Christians may be received; and there was, according to appearance, much conjunction in this particular: Pray for us, as we do for you.  
From Newbury in New-England, Decem. 17. 1643. Your Brother, true and faithful in the Lord, THOMAS PARKER.  
FINIS.