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truth_n	church_n	holy_a	word_n	6,560	5	4.2187	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96686	Hypocrisie unmasked: by a true relation of the proceedings of the Governour and company of the Massachusets against Samuel Gorton (and his accomplices) a notorious disturber of the peace and quiet of the severall governments wherein he lived : with the grounds and reasons thereof, examined and allowed by their Generall Court holden at Boston in New-England in November last, 1646. Together with a particular answer to the manifold slanders, and abominable falshoods which are contained in a book written by the said Gorton, and entituled, Simplicities defence against seven-headed policy, &c. Discovering to the view of all whose eyes are open, his manifold blasphemies; as also the dangerous agreement which he and his accomplices made with ambitious and treacherous Indians, who at the same time were deeply engaged in a desperate conspiracy to cut off all the rest of the English in the other plantations. VVhereunto is added a briefe narration (occasioned by certain aspersions) of the true grounds or cause of the first planting of New-England; the president of their churches in the way and worship of God; their communion with the Reformed Churches; and their practise towards those that dissent from them in matters of religion and Church-government. / By Edw. Winslow. Published by authority.	Winslow, Edward, 1595-1655.; Gorton, Samuel, 1592 or 3-1677.; Williams, Roger, 1604?-1683.	1647 (1647)	Wing W3037; Thomason E409_23; ESTC R204435	90,941	117

of the most Orthodox Divines as Poliander Festus Homlius c. disputed daily against Episcopius in the Academy at Leyden and others the grand champions of that error and had as good respect amongst them as any of their own Divines Insomuch as when God took him away from them and us by death the University and Ministers of the City accompanied him to his grave with all their accustomed solemnities bewayling the great losse that not onely that particular Church had whereof he was Pastor but some of the chief of them sadly affirmed that all the Churches of Christ sustained a losse by the death of that worthy Instrument of the Gospel I could instance also divers of their members that understood the English tongue and betook themselves to the communion of our Church went with us to New-England as Godbert Godbertson c. Yea at this very instant another called Moses Symonson because a child of one that was in communion with the Dutch Church at Leyden is admitted into Church-fellowship at Plymouth in New-England and his children also to Baptism as wel as our own and other Dutch also in communion at Salem c. And for the French Churches that we held and do hold communion with them take notice of our practise at Leyden viz. that one Samuel Terry was received from the French Church there into communion with us also the wife of Francis Cooke being a Walloone hold● communion with the Church at Plymouth as she came from the French to this day by vertue of communion of Churches There is also one Philip Delanoy born of French parents came to us from Leyden to New-Plymouth who comming to age of discerning demanded also communion with us proving himself to be come of such parents as were in ful communion with the French Churches was here upon admitted by the Church of Plymouth and after upon his removal of habitation to Duxburrow where M. Ralph Partridge is Pastor of the Church and upon Letters of recommendation from the Church at Plymouth hee was also admitted into fellowship with the Church at Duxburrow being six miles distant from Plymouth and so I dare say if his occasions lead him may from Church to church throughout New-England For the truth is the Dutch and French Churches either of them being a people distinct from the world and gathered into an holy communion and not Nationall Churches nay so far from it as I verily beleeve the sixth person is not of the Church the difference is so small if moderately pondered between them and us as we dare not for the world deny communion with them And for the Church of Scotland however wee have had least occasion offered to hold communion with them yet thus much I can and doe affirme that a godly Divine comming over to Leyden in Holland where a Booke was printed Anno 1619. as I take it shewing the nullity of Perth Assembled whom we judged to bee the Author of it and hidden in Holland for a season to avoid the rage of those evill times whose name I have forgotten This man being very conversant with our Pastor Mr. Robinson and using to come to hear him on the Sabbath after Sermon ended the Church being to partake in the Lords Supper this Minister stood up and desired hee might without offence stay and see the manner of his administration and our participation in that Ordinance To which our Pastor answered in these very words or to this effect Reverend Sir you may not onely stay to behold us but partake with us if you please for wee acknowledge the Churches of Scotland to be the Churches of Christ c. The Minister also replyed to this purpose if not also in the same words That for his part bee could comfortably partake with the Church and willingly would but that it is possible some of his brethren of Scotland might take offence at his act which he desired to avoid in regard of the opinion the English Churches which they held communion withall had of us However he rendered thanks to Mr. Robinson and desired in that respect to be onely a spectator of us These things I was earnestly requested to publish to the world by some of the godly Presbyterian party who apprehend the world to bee ignorant of our proceedings conceiving in charity that if they had been knowne some late Writers and Preachers would never have written and spoke of us as they did and still doe as they have occasion But what they ignorantly judge write or speak of us I trust the Lord in mercy wil passe by In the next place for the wholsome counsell Mr. Robinson gave that part of the Church whereof he was Pastor at their departure from him to begin the great worke of Plantation in New-England amongst other wholsome Instructions and Exhortations hee used these expressions or to the same purpose We are now ere long to part asunder and the Lord knoweth whether ever he should live to see our faces again but whether the Lord had appointed it or not he charged us before God and his blessed Angels to follow him no further then he followed Christ And if God should reveal any thing to us by any other instrument of his to be as ready to receive it as ever we were to receive any truth by his Ministery For he was very confident the Lord had more truth and light yet to breake forth out of his holy Word He took occasion also miserably to bewaile the state and condition of the Reformed Churches who were come to a period in Religion and would goe no further then the instruments of their Reformation As for example the Lutherans they could not be drawne to goe beyond what Luther saw for whatever part of Gods will he had further imparted and revealed to Calvin they will rather die then embrace it And so also saith he you see the Calvinists they stick where he left them A misery much to bee lamented For though they were precious shining lights in their times yet God had not revealed his whole will to them And were they now living faith hee they would bee as ready and willing to embrace further light as that they had received Here also he put us in mind of our Church-Covenant at least that part of it whereby wee promise and covenant with God and one with another to receive whatsoever light or truth shall be made known to us from his written Word but withall exhorted us to take heed what we received for truth and well to examine and compare and weigh it with other Scriptures of truth before we received it For saith he It is not possible the Christian world should come to lately out of such thick Antichristian darknesse and that full perfection of knowledge should breake forth at once Another thing hee commended to us was that wee should use all meanes to avoid and shake off the name of Brownist being a meer nick-name and brand to make Religion odious

said Pumham and Socononoco or their lands At the time appointed hee came and pretended that they were his vassalls but it appeared clearly both by a writing from Mr. Williams and the testimony of some other English in those parts and of divers other Indians no way related to them that they were free Sachims so as Myantonimo having nothing to reply the Court received the two Indian Sachims with their subjects and lands under the government and protection of the Massachusetts and upon that writ to our neighbours of Providence intimating the same to them and advising Gorton and his company that if they had any just title to the lands they possessed they should come or send some for them to shew the same to the Court and offered them safe conduct This letter from the Court they tooke in great disdaine and returned scornfull and menacing answers by word of mouth and a good time after they wrote a letter to the Court full of reproach and blasphemies not onely against the Magistrates but against the Churches and Ordinances as by the Copy thereof hereafter following will appeare Notwithstanding these provocations and daily wrongs offered to those few English their neighbours who had formerly submitted themselves to our Government wee sate still neare halfe a yeare and before we attempted any thing against them wee advised with the Commissioners of the united Colonies who upon testimony of their insolent and injurious courses and perusall of the letter they sent to us left them to us to proceed according to Justice Whereupon the Court sent againe to them by two of their members who carryed letters to require and perswade them to come and give satisfaction and a safe Conduct withall but they entertained those Messengers as they had done the former threatening to whip one whom they tooke along with them and sent us word that if wee had any thing to say to them wee should come to them and wee should have justice there and that if wee came with force they would meet us half the way Our messengers returning with these scornfull answers the Court resolved to send some force to fetch them in and in the mean time there came a second letter from them the Copy whereof is hereafter also set downe but before wee sent forth our souldiers wee wrote to them to this effect Viz. That although the injuries and provocations wee had indured from them were very grievous yet that our Justice and moderation might appeare to all men wee had condescended so farre to their owne proposition as wee would send some Commissioners to them to heare their answers and allegations and if thereupon they would give us such satisfaction as should bee just wee would leave them in peace if otherwise wee would right our selves by force of Armes And signified withall that wee would send a sufficient guard with our Commissioners for seeing they would not trust themselves with us upon our safe conduct wee had no reason to trust any of ours with them upon their bare curtesie Accordingly about a week after wee sent three Commissioners and 40 Musqueteers with them with instructions first to speak and treate with them and to require satisfaction according to Justice and if it were denyed then to take them by force and bring them prisoners to Boston and to take withall so much of their substance as should satisfie our charges By the way as they went they met with another letter from them letting them know that they feared them not but were prepared for them And accordingly they had fortified themselves in one house some 12 of them and had lined the walls with earth Musket proofe and had made Flanckers and provided victualls c. to indure a siege So that when our Commissioners came to the place they would admit no parly But after a while by the mediation of some of their neighbours they were content to parley and offered to referre the cause to Arbitrators so as some of them might bee of Providence or of Roade Island Our Commissioners were content to send to us to know our minds about it and in the meane time sate still Such of the Court as could meet returned answer that their Proposition was neither seasonable nor reasonable nor could it bee safe or honourable for us to accept thereof 1 Because they would never offer nor hearken to any termes of agreement before our souldiers had them in their power 2 Because the ground of their Proposition was false for wee were not parties as they pretended but equall Judges between the Indians and others who were complainants and themselves and yet in a case of warre parties may bee Judges 3 They were no State or Body politique but a few fugitives living without Law or Government and so not honourable for us to joyne with them in such a way of reference 4 The parties whom they would referre it unto were such as had been rejected by us and all the Governments in the Country and so not likely to bee equall to us nor able to judge of the cause and their blasphemous and reproachfull writings c. were not matters fit to bee composed by Arbit●ement being deeply criminall but either to bee purged away by repentance and publique satisfaction or else by publique punishment For these and other reasons the Commis●●oners were required to pro●●●d according to their Instructions And thereupon they intrenched themselves about the house and in few dayes forced them to yeeld and so brought them to Boston where they were kept in prison till the Court sate and had their dyet from the Cookes as good meat and drinke as the Towne afforded The next Lords day they refused to goe to the Church assembly except they might have liberty to speake there as occasion should be They were answered by some of the Magistrates that it appertained to the Elders to order the affairs of the Church but they might presuppose they should not bee denyed such liberty speaking words of truth and sobernesse So in the afternoon they came and were placed in a convenient seate before the Elders Mr. Cotton the Teacher taught then in his ordinary course out of Acts 19. of Demetrius speech for Diana her silver shrine After Sermon Gorton desired leave to speake which being granted hee tooke occasion from the Sermon to speake to this effect That in the Church now there was nothing but Christ so that all our Ordinances Ministers and Sacraments c. were but mens inventions for shew and pomp and no other then those silver shrines of Diana He said also that if Christ lives eternally then he died eternally and other speeches of like kinde And indeed it appeareth both by his speeches and letters that it was his opinion that Christ was incarnate in Adam and was that image of God wherein Adam was created and that the chiefe worke and merit lay in his Inanition when he became such a thing so meane c. and that his being borne

violently taking our goods making us to runne for it if wee will have it and If wee speake to them to amend their manners they can presently vaunt it out that the Massachusets is all one with them let the Villanie they doe bee what it will they thinke themselves secure for they looke to bee upheld by you in whatever they doe if you bee stronger then them which they have to deale withall and they looke with the same eye your selves doe thinking the multitude will beare downe all and perswade themselves as well as they may that you tolerate and maintaine them in other of their daily practices as lying Sabbath-breaking taking of many wives grosse whoredomes and fornications so you will doe also in their stealing abusing of our Children and the like for you have your diligent ledgers amongst them that inculcate daily upon this how hatefull wee are unto you calling us by other names of their owne devising bearing them in hand wee are not English men and therefore the object of envy of all that are about us and that if wee have any thing to doe with you the very naming our persons shall cast our case bee it what it will as it is too evident by the case depending betweene William Arnauld and John Warner that no sooner was the name of Mr. Gorton mentioned amongst you but Mr. Dudley disdainefully asking is this one joyned to Gorton and Mr. Winthrop unjustly upon the same speech refused the oath of the witnesse calling him knight of the post are these the wayes and persons you trade by towards us are these the people you honour your selves withall the Lord shall lay such honour in the dust and bow downe your backes with shame and sorrow to the grave and declare such to bee Apostatisers from the truth and falsifiers of the word of God onely to please men and serve their owne lusts that can give thankes in their publique Congregations for their unity with such grosse abominations as these Wee must needes aske you another question from a Sermon now preached amongst you namely how that bloud relisheth you have sucked formerly from us by casting us upon straights above our strength that have not beene exercised in such kinde of labours no more then the best of you in former times in removing us from our former conveniences to the taking away of the lives of some of us when you are about your dished up dainties having turned the juice of a poore silly Grape that perisheth in the use of it into the bloud of our Lord Jesus by the cunning skill of your Magicians which doth make mad and drunke so many in the world and yet a little sleepe makes them their owne men againe so can it heale and pacifie the consciences at present but the least hand of God returnes the feares and terrour againe let our bloud wee say present it selfe together herewith you hypocrites when will you answer such cases as these and wee doe hereby promise unto you that wee will never looke man in the face if you have not a fairer hearing then ever wee had amongst you or can ever expect And bee it knowne to you all that wee are your owne Country-men whatever you report of us though the Lord hath taught us a language you never spoake neither can you heare it and that is the cause of your alienation from us for as you have mouthes and speake not so have you eares heare not so we leave you to the judgement and arraignment of God Almighty The joynt act not of the Court Generall but of the peculiar fellowship now abiding upon Mshawomet Randall Holden This they owned in Court though onely Holdens hand were to it Postscriptum VVEE need not put a seale unto this our warrant no more then you did to yours The Lord hath added one to our hands in the very conclusion of it in that effusion of bloud and horrible Massacre now made at the Dutch plantation of our loving Country-men women and children which is nothing else but the compleate figure in a short epitomie of what wee have writ summed up in one entire act and lest you should make it part of your justification as you do all such like acts provided they bee not upon your owne backes concluding them to be greater sinners then your selves wee tell you nay but except you repent you shall likewise perish For wee aske you who was the cause of Mistresse Hutchinson her departure from amongst you was it voluntarie No shee changed her phrases according to the dictates of your tutors and confessed her mistakes that so shee might give you content to abide amongst you yet did you expell her and cast her away no lesse are you the originall of her removall from Aquethneck for when shee saw her children could not come downe amongst you no not to conferre with you in your own way of brotherhood but be clapt up and detained by so long imprisonment rumors also being noised that the Island should bee brought under your Government which if it should shee was fearefull of their lives or else to act against the plaine verdict of their owne conscience having had so great and apparant proofe of your dealings before as also the Island being at such divisions within it selfe some earnestly desiring it should bee delivered into your hands professing their unity with you others denyed it professing their dissent and division from you though for what themselves know not but onely their abominable pride to exercise the like tyranny From these and such like workings having their originall in you shee gathered unto her selfe and tooke up this fiction with the rest of her friends that the Dutch plantation was the Citie of refuge as shee had gathered like things from your doctrines before when she seemed to hold out some certaine glimpses or glances of light more then appeared elsewhere whilst there was such to approve it in whom there might bee some hope to exalt the instruments thereof higher then could bee expected from others but you know very well you could never rest nor bee at quiet till you had put it under a Bushell idest bounded and measured the infinite and immense word of God according to your owne shallow humane and carnall capacities which howsoever may get the highest seates in your Synagogues Synods and Jewish Synedrions yet shall it never enter into the kingdome of God to be a doore-keeper there Do not therefore beguile your selves in crying out against the errours of those so miserably falne for they are no other things which they held but branches of thesame root your selves so stoutly stand upon but know this that now the axe is laid to the root of the tree whereof you are a part and every tree that brings not forth fruit according to the law of that good things which the father knowes how to give to those that aske it shall bee cut downe and cast it into the fire Neither doe you fill

hath been disproved that they were sent out from those places from whence they came for Religion neither are they medled with here for any such matter but rather that they themselves in their bravery are more ready to meddle with others 3 They themselves and others of their followers have rather been troublers and persecutors of the Saints of God that lived here before they came and doe but waite their opportunity to make themselves manifest in that they intend Ergo it cannot bee truly said of any that any persecution is offered by us unto them if it could possibly be said of them that they are Saints Obj. But if it be further objected that we doe not give them the liberty of men neither doe wee afford them the bowells of mercy to give them the meanes of livelihood amongst us as some have said Answ To this I say 1 there is no State but in the first place will seeke to preserve its owne safety and peace 2 Wee cannot give land to any person by vertue of our combination except wee first receive them into our state of combination the which wee cannot doe with them for our owne and others peace-sake c. 3 Whereas their necessity have been so much pleaded it is not knowne that ever they sought to finde out a place where they might accommodate themselves and live by themselves with their friends and such as will follow after them where they may use their liberty to live without order or controule and not to trouble us that have taken the same course as wee have done for our safety and peace which they doe not approve nor like of but rather like beasts in the shape of men to doe what they shall thinke fit in their owne eyes and will not bee governed by any State And seeing they doe but here linger out the time in hope to get the day to make up their penny-worths in advantage upon us we have just cause to heare the complaints of so many of our Neighbors that live in the Town orderly amongst us and have brought in their complaints with many reasons against them and not to admit them but answer them as unfit persons to bee received into our meane State c. Now if these Reasons and much more which have been truly said of them doe not satisfie you and the rest of our neighbours but that they must be received into our Towne-state even unto our utter overthrow c. then according to the order agreed upon by the Towne I doe first offer my house and land within the liberty of the Towne unto the Towne to buy it of mee or else I may and shall take liberty to sell it to whom I may for mine advantage c. William Arnold A PARTICVLAR ANSWER TO THE Manifold Slanders and abominable Falsehoods contained in a Book called Simplicities defence against Seven-headed Policy Wherein Samuel Gorton is proved a disturber of Civill Societies desperately dangerous to his Country-men the English in New-Engl and notoriously slanderous in what he hath Printed of them WHEN first I entertained the desires of the Countrey to come over to answer the complaints of Samuel Gorton c. and to render a reason of the just and righteous proceedings of the Countrey of New-Engl in the severall parts of it against him being a common disturber of the peace of all Societies where hee came witnes New-Plymouth 2 Roade-Island 3 Providence and lastly the Massachusets being the most eminent I little thought then to have appeared in print but comming into England and finding a Booke written by Mr. Gorton called Simplicities defence against Seven-headed policy or A true complaint of a peaceable people being part of the English in New-Engl Old-England against cruell persecutors united in Church-Government in those parts I then conceived my selfe bound in duty to take off the many grosse and publike scandalls held forth therein to the great amazement of many tender consciences in the Kingdom who are not acquainted with his proud and turbulent carriage nor see the Lion under his Lambe-skinne coate of simplicity and peace The Lord knowes how unwilling I was personally to engage and I trust hee will also guide mee in answering his booke as I shall bee farre from bitternesse t is true time was when his person was precious in mine eies and therefore I hope and desire onely to make a righteous and just defence to the many unworthy things by him boldly ignorantly proudly and falsly published to the great dishonour of God in wronging and scandalizing his Churches which the Lord Jesus Christ will not leave unpunished I know the world is full of controversies and t is my great griefe to see my dear native Country so engaged in them especially one godly person against another 'T is my present comfort I come not to accuse any but to defend New-England against the injurious complaints of Samuel Gorton c. but as it comes to passe oftentimes that men wound others unavoidably in defending their persons from the violent assaults of such as draw upon them which otherwise they would never have done so if Mr. Gorton receive any such hurt which is unavoidable hee becomes an accessary thereunto by forcing mee to defend the Country without which I should bee unfaithfull I know the world is too full of bookes of this kinde and therefore however I am unfitted of many things I have and could procure at home would well become a relation of the late and present state of New England yet I shall now onely with as great brevity as may bee give answer to such injurious complaints as hee maketh of us And however his Title Preface and every leafe of his booke may bee justly found fault with I shall clearely answer to matters of fact such as hee chargeth the severall Governments withall so as any indifferent Reader may easily discerne how grosly wee are abused and how just and righteous censures were against him for disturbing the civill peace of all societies where hee came in such a manner as no Government could possibly beare and for the blasphemies for which hee was proceeded against at Massachusets they fell in occasionally by his owne meanes without any circumstance leading thereunto And first whereas hee accuseth us in the first page of his booke to got over to suppresse ●ereticks 'T is well knowne we went thither for no such end laid downe by us but to enjoy those liberties the Lord Jesus Christ had left unto his Church to avoid the Episcopall tyranny and the heavy burthens they imposed to which sufferings the kingdome by this ever to bee honoured Parliament have and doe beare witnesse to as religious and just And that wee might also hold forth that truth and ancient way of God wherein wee walke which Mr. Gorton cals heresie Next in the same Pag. hee chargeth us with affection of Titles c. To which I answer either we must live without Government or if wee have