SOME Seasonable Considerations For the good People of CONNECTICUT I Remember there was Advice given us in the Year 1689. when we were about to make our Revolution as 't is called and for ought I know it hà d been good for us thà t we had taken it But we are so unwilling to be à dvised and so ill affected to any that tell us the Truth that there is little Encourâgement for any to expose themselves in that kind for the future The Prophet sayes The Prudent shall keep Silence for it is an evil time And the greatest of Prophets hath said Cast not your Pearls before Swine lest they turn again and rent you But I would hope the case is not yet so desperate And I remember it is also said Thou shalt not hate thy Brother in thy heart thou shalt in any wise rebuke him and not suffer sin upon him And methinks no reasonable Creature should look upon a Perswasion to Consideration as if it were evi Council or did proceed from ill Will Therefore I will adventure for my Country-men and Brethrens sake to make one Essay It was said of Old Consider take Advice and speak your Minds Temerity is always evil Consideration is always good but sometimes necessà ry It is requisite that we be always sober and considerate but especially when we have to do in things that immediately and deeply concern not our selves only but GOD and the KING too With relation to God it is said Be not rash with thy Mouth and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God Ecles 5. 2. With reference to the King Be not hasty to go out of his sight A Wise Mans Heart discerns both Time nnd Judgment Eccles 8. 3 5. With reference to our selves Ponder the path of thy feet and let all thy ways be established Prov. 4. 26. Verily we have cause of Consideration He is a stranger in Connecticut that knows not what hath lately been done there Let us first reflect and see what we have done and then examine and consider it The last Year their Majesties gave a Commission of Lieutenancy to his Excellency Sir William Phips Kt. Captain General and Governour in chief of their said Majesties Province of the Massachusets in New-England whereby he was constituted their Majesties Lieut. and Commander in chief of the Militia c. in Connecticut But upon Notice hereof a General Assembly was cà lled and met and there it was resolved Not to submit to it nor to take any notice of Sir William Phips in that capacity Afterward at another General Assembly we resolve to address their Majesties forthwith and in the mean time request Sir William Phips thereupon to suspend the Execution of his Commission till we can have an Answer from their Mājesties Yet no Address is made to their Majesties as was pretended After which Sir William Phips making some further Demands in the Spring 1693. we promise to pay him some hundreds of Pounds and to take upon us thē Defence of thé upper Towns upon this River belonging to the Massachusets as if these things would satisfie their Majesties Commission This Year 1693. Their Majesties give a like Commission to his Excellency Benjamin Fletcher Captain General and Governour in chief of their Majesties Province of New-York c. whereby he is constituted their Majesties Lieutenant and Commander in chief of the Militia and of all Forces by Seà and Land in their Majesties Collony of Connecticut and of all Forts and places of Strength within the same But upon Notice hereof the Free-men and Souldiers in the several Towns are convened to see how they stand affected and what they will contribute towards addressing their Majesties in this behalf A General Assembly also is called and meets and there it is resolved Forth-with to send an Agent to England to intreat their Majesties favour in this and other respècts also to levy a Tax of a penny in the Pound in Mony upon all the People in the Collony to defray the charge of it and that whatever more it amounts to shall be paid out of the publick Treasury and lastly That if any such Commission do come in the the mean time they will not submit to it but oppose it till they have an Answer from their Majesties By these Methods the Free-men of the Corporation and as many of the People as will fall in with them are ensnared and strongly pre-engaged to make Opposition against their Majesties Commission Insomuch that one Jeers another will spend his Blood to keep off his Excellency another will scruple no more to shoot him than to shoot a Deer and can very well find in his heart to spend a brace of Bullets upon him beside other Flouts At length the Commission arrives and comes to his Excellency's hands In pursuance thereof he speedily takes a Journey to Hartford in the time of our General Assembly held at Hartford October 12. 1693. and causes his Commission to be publickly reà d in the saîd General Assembly and in their Majesties Namé requires and presses Obedience to it and gives us all reasonable satisfaction and encouragement for that end In particular to prevent Mistakes and in order to a good accomodation his Excellency leaves his Memorial of his Expectation with us in Writing desiring our Answer to it in Writing and then further assures us That he hath neither power nor intent to invade our civil Liberties That in case of our Submission he would commissionate all that were in Commission before and take our advice for the supply of vacant places and partiçularly tenders a Commission to oûr Governor for the command of all the Militia in the Collony only in subordination to this Their Majesties Commission But what is the Effect of all Why the Deputies divers of them at least being so prépared as aforesaid are resolved before hand and have determined the Question before the Court meets God hath given them such a Priviledge and therefore if their Majesties put such things upon them they must oppose and hold their own they are bound in Conscience to do it When his Excellency comes to the General Assembly to publish his Commission Order is given to the Halberteérs To admit none but his Excellency and his Retinue as if it were not meet that their Majesties Commission should be known to the People who therefore were kept back and not admitted without hot bickering nor till after great part of the Commission was read and no marvel the General Assembly themselves not over-willingly give the Commission the hearing take no great Notice of his Excellency wave the business would bring him to composition as they had done by Sir William Phips and will not yeild Obedience to the Commission but instead thereof send Orders to such as command the Forts to prevent their Seisure and it seems if the common fame be true it is their Opinion That their Majesties have nothing to do with us Hereupon some will not take Commissions
Government doth not dispose a man to be Hail Fellow well met with every Clown True yet it will condescend as in courtesie to all so to the Relief even of the meanest Witness Solomon in all his Glory personally deciding the Controversie between two Harlots And so the poor Woman that cryed to the King of Israel Help my Lord O King Alas says he whence shall I help c Not that he was unwilling to help her though the extreamity of Famine had disabled him Read also Job 29. 7 c. and you shall see the Distance that he would keep and the Reverence that he expected and rèceived from à ll higher à nd lower that were inferiour to himself If Job were here the Objector would say That Job was a proud stern Fellow But without cause for this notwithstanding He delivered the Poor that cryed the Fatherless and him that had none to help him The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon him and he caused the Widdows heart to sing for joy He put on Righteousness and it cloathed him c. He was Eyes to the blind and feet to the Lame a Father to the Poor and the cause which he knew not he searched out He brake the Jaws of the Wicked and plucked the spoil out of his Teeth vers 12 to 17. Yea he did not despise the cause of his Servant cap. 31. 13. It may be the Wicked fearing to have his Jaws broken would take occasion but none had cause to complain of his Pride and Morosity In a word a great Spirit becomes à great Man A great Spirit we see may be a good Spirit and a Great Man a Good Man and such a one I trust we shall find the Governour of York to be 8 Obj. But some say he is a Papist Answ Verily if this were true it were the most legal Objection that I have yet heard for Papists are 〈…〉 abled by Law But these who are bold to say so had need make good Evidence of it lest they rank themselves à mong those filthy Dreamers who defile the Flesh revile Rulers despise Dominion and speak evil of Dignities and make themselves guilty of all those mischiefs that follow thereupon For 1 st How doth it appeat that he is a Papist He professes that he is an Episcopal Man or for the way of the Church of England which is established by Law whereby Popery is renounced He makes it his first care to provide for an able Gospel Ministry and for the due and strict sanctification of the Sabbath He is a Lover of sound Doctrine and of the free and faithful preaching of Christ crucified and a Friend to good Men. He pays his due Allegiance to their Majesties and vigorously maintaìns their Interest and defends their Subjects against Papists He improves his Authority for the suppression of Vice and Reformation of prevailing Evils He is a Peace-maker and studies the composing and quieting of Differences among their Majesties Protestant Subjects He openly declares That he will never mix his private Interest with the Publick He diligently seeks the Wellfare of the People committed to his Trust and is careful to put such into places of Trust as are duely qualified that Law and Justice may have their free Course These things do not argue that he is a Papist but the contrary 2 dly His Excellency is better known to their Majesties than to us We know how his Majesty hath declared against the putting of Papists into place who are disabled by Law and consequently à ll they do is void in Law And therefore we cannot think that he will do it himself Yet he is a Governour and to us a Lieutenant of his Majesties own chusing and therefore no reason to think that he is a Papist 3 dly What assurance have we that the Objector is not a Papist Papists hold That Faith is not to be kept with Hereticks i. e. with Protestants That the Oath of Allegiance to Heretical i. e. Protestant Princes is not to be taken or if it be taken yet it is null and void and binds not or at least may be dispensed with and made void and sûch like Let the Objector pay his Allegiance and submit to the Kings Commission if he would not be thought to be a Papist or would be allowed to make this Objection 1 Sam. 10. 26 27. There went with Saul a Band of Men whose hearts God had touched But the Children of Belial said How shall this Man save us and they despised him c. but he held his peace John 1. 46. Nathaniel said Can any good thing come out of Nazareth Phillip sayes to him Come and see Lisenced by M. Clarkson Secretary and Printed at New-York Anno Domini 1694.
do not know That to levy War against the King is High-Treason both by the Common Statute Law or That an actual Rebellion or Insurrection is a levying of War against the King That a gathering of Force for the Removal of Counsellors altering of Laws or the like though with pretence of Reformation yet being without Warrant from the King is a levyiug of War against the King or that the holding of a Fort or Castle by force of Arms against the King and his Power is a levying of War against the King What Construction then do we think it will have if we shall be found to rise in Arms against the King's Lieutenant publishing his Commission and commanding Obedience to it and by Force and Arms to with-hold the Militia and all Forces by Sea and Land and all Forts and places of Strength in a whole Collony or Province from the King against his plain Commission published under the great Seà l Do we not know That an Ambassadour from a Ferreign Prince though an Enemy ought to have safe Conduct in all the King's Dominions and 't is against the Law of Nations to offer him any Violence or Indignity The Turks themselves would abominate that Or can we be ignorant of this That Disobedience and Contempt offered to the Kings Ministers redounds and is done to the King himself Is it not a sure Rule in Humane as well as Divine Things He that despises me despises him that sent me What face then will our Behaviour hà ve when it shall appear that our own Kings Lieutenant cannot come among us to execute their Majesties Command bût beside other vile Indignities ùnfit to be named he is in danger of his very Life Such as assert their Allegiance and declare their Submission run the same hazard and others who are willing to serve their Majesties dà re not take Commissions for fear of being destroyed And by this means his Excellency Returns without effecting his Business and with as much Disgrace as we can well cast upon him Yea if any man advise or move another to take a Commission from their Majesties Lieutenant it is accounted a Wicked thing and he an henïous Offender Will this be acceptable News to their Majesties Or will they not rather resent it as David did that Reproach of his Messengers by Hanun Verily a Contempt and Abuse from Subjects is a thousand times worse than from Aliens Some may imagine they hà ve found a neat way to defeat the Kings Commission They will not take Commissions from his Lieutenant themselves but will also deter others that they shall not dare to do it and think it a Project worthy to be gloryed in Truly we have many wayes made it evident enough what low thoughts we have of his Majesty But what do we think he is to be put off in this manner by our scurvey silly little Tricks or do we think that our Obedience is an Arbitrary thing and the King must be beholding to us for it or that he is made up all of Grace and hath nothing of Justice in him If so we do doubtless we shall find our selves mistaken and that he is like Christ whom he serves both a Lamb and a Lyon I believe he will decide the Controversie and make us know who is King before he hath done with us For how can it consist with his Crown and Dignity or with the safety of his Government to pass by such high handed and mischievous Offences without suitable Annimadversion We very much forget Solomon's Advice as if we had never read it I counsel thee says he to keep the Kings Commandment and that in regard of the Oath of God Be not hasty to go out of his sight Stand not in an evil thing for he doth whatsoever pleases him Where the Word of a King is there is Power and who may say to him what dost thou Whoso keeps the Commandment shall feel no evil thing Eccles 8. 2 3 4 5. Yea but the Kings Wrath is as the roaring of a Lyon and as Messengers of Death but his Favour is as the Dew upon the Grass Prov. 19. 12. There is Life in the one but Death in the other We forget also the Parable of the Citizens that hated their Lord and woûld not have him to reign over them Those mine Enemies says he that would not that I should reign over them bring them hither and slay them before me It is but a Comparison taken from things reasonable among men And how easie a thing is it for their Majesties more ways than one to make ns weary of our Rebellion What if their Majesties should hereupon fetch over whom they see cause to England and there proceed against them according to their Demerits Shall we not hereby ruin our selves and our Posterity Or what if they should declare us Rebels and put us out of their Protection and prohibit all their Subjects any Commerce with us For how can we expect that their Majesties should protect us who scorn to be governed and protected by them but by our Unruliness break their Measures in the very point of Protection Or if they should reduce us to our Obedience by Force and keep us under the awe of a strong Garrison and lay the Charge of it upon us Or if they should but lay a sore heavy Fine upon us If they should do any of these or the like what shall we do with our selves Verily we are in their Majesties hands and it is a new sort of Grace if they do nothing Let all good Subjects then consider and as they would deliver themselves from the common Guilt so let them distinguish themselves and make haste to yeild their due Obedience and as for the rest we may say Father forgive them they know not what they do But against all this divers things are objected let us consider them also 1 Objection The Militia is very well disposed of already King Charles the second of happy Memory did by his Charter for himself and his Successors grant it to us and our Successors in the Year 1662. Answ To this I answer divers things 1 st We overween our Charter in more things than one to the no little Prejudice both of King and Subjects Modesty might incline us to think that the King understands our Charter and how well the Militia was thereby disposed of at least as well as we do and he knows what is his own Right and our Right much better than we Their Majesties have given us no cause to suspect that they will take any thing from us that doth of right belong to us But to let other things pass let us here consider That the Charter never granted us a standing Militia but only a Lisence upon occasion of Invasion or the like to array men c. for our special Defence and safety in such case The Charter never gave us Power to raise and send men à broad for the Defence and Aid of others The King's Letter of the
willingly submit to Leysler's Authority but stubbornly reject the Kings Commission and defie his Lieutenant 2dly If we renounce the King à nd his Government we destroy our own We cannot pretend to any thing but from and under the King and how can we demand or expect that others should obey us if we will not obey the King All Loyal Subjects may justly be afraid of having to do with us for such Obedience is indeed Unlawful 3dly We cannot think that our Government shall always shoulder out the Kings Government and 't is not to be doubted but their Majesties have long had the settlement of the Government of these Territories under consideration The Defence of the Dominion is their Majesties great Interest and care It is obvious to every Eye that we are divided from the Massachusets at Sea by the shoals and at Land by a great distance and that Connecticut and York by their natural scituation lie much fairer than Connecticut and the Massachusets for the defence of each other and in particular of Albany that key of the Country à Post necessary to be defended and by the defence whereof we defend our selves and this is laid as the ground of their Majesties dispose of the Militia in this Commission It is not for us to appoint or dictate to their Majesties but to acquiese in their Majesties Wisdom and Goodness in that behalf on whom we may relie being assured that they will do that which shà ll be best for us 4thly We may remember also That whereas their Majesties did the last year give a Commission to Sir William Phips their Governour of thé Massachusets we had then the same jealoûsie of being annexed to the Massachusets and would not submit to that Commission nor take notice of Sir William in that capacity whereby to make the fairest construction of it that may be their Majesties might very well conclude that we were not desirous to be annexed to the Massachusets but had rather be annexed to York às being far more convenient Howbeit we may well look upon this Commission as the consequent of our Non-submission to Sir William Phips It is their Majesties Grace so far to over-look that Disobedience if now we shall finālly reject the second the Third may bring a greater inconvenience than any we can imagine to follow upon our being annexed to York 5thly The Regal and chief Government doth not belong to us The most that we can pretend to is but that of a Corporation The Regal Government is the King 's and their Majesties may commit it here or there as pleases them and 't is our Duty to submit And which I pray is the most likely way to preserve our Government Obedience or Disobedience 6 Object But if we be annexed to York we shall have great Rates to pay and be grievously oppressed The Long-Islanders complain that they are intollerably oppressed by this Governor Answ 1st We have a Friend in the Country that hath told the World That this is a Land full of Lyes and I wish it were not true Howbeit Male-contents will never want Complaints true or false 2dly The Governour neither doth nor can impose any Rates upon them there is none levyed but what their Assembly of the Free-holders see needful for defraying the necessary Charge 3dly That small Province of New-York hath had beside other arrears the burthen of the Defence of Albany so long lying mainly upon them alone by which their Rates no doubt have been much more heavy than otherwise they would have been But have not we great Rates to pay also now as we are standing alone And how doth it appear that their Rates are greater than ours If that mà tter was well examined possibly it might be found thà t our Rates are as great if not greater than theirs and yet we have had no such burden incumbent upon us How many Thousand of Pounds have been raised upon this Collony since the Revolution and who is he that can give account of a farthing benefit accrewing to this Collony by it except that little Skirmish at New-London when two or three French Vessels put in there 4thly If we should be permitted to stand as we are yet we shall have great Rates to pay still especially as long as the War lasts We volûntarily take upon us the Defence of the upper Towns belonging to the Massachusets upon this River which appertains not to us The King by his Letter commands assistance of Men and Money to his Governor of York and we seem willing to comply with that but these things must of necessity augment our Rates as much if not more than our annexion to York if it should be so 5thly If we should be annexed to the Massachusets shall we not have as great Rates to pay as if we be annexed to York or greater Do not they complain as much as the other or rather more and we have seen something of it too So that this is but a common Objectïon for look which way we will whether we be annexed to York or to the Massachusets or stand as we are yet the War continuing will make Rates greater than otherwise yea without any War we can find wayes to make great Rates And if by any way they may be less than other it seems to be by our annexion to York Many hands make light Work and many Occasions whereby much Money is now expended to little purpose will by that means be taken away 6thly Let us do our Duty and let the Skey fall These are but empty Scar-crowes contrived on purpose to fright men from their Duty And let us have their Majesties Government Law and Justice and let it cost what it must 7 Object But the Governour of York is a Proud Morose Stearn and Austere Man we do not desire to come under such Governors Answ Who knows when the Devil and his Children will have done lying and slandering His Excellency may much better say of us He desires not to be set over such a Rude Proud Vngoverned and Disorderly People as we have declared our selves to be And truely it argues but a bad cause that cannot be maintained without the Devils Help in lying and slandering and but an ungoverned Spirit to call a Spirit of Government by the Names of Pride Morosity Austerity and such like None but a Son of Belial will put such Nick-Names upon it We ought to know that the Kings Captain General is a great Man Abner was Saul's and after him Ishbosheths Captain General and says David know you not that there is a Prince and a great Man this day fallen in Israel 2 Sam. 3. 38. Joab was David's Captain General and how doth Vriah none of the least men himself speak of him Why my Lord Joab and the Servants of my Lord are encamped in the open fields shall I then go to my house c. 2 Sam. 11. 11. Let us by the way observe and learn the Language of good Subjects A Spirit of