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 holds communion with the Church at Plymouth as she came from the French to this day be vertue of communion of Churches There is also one Philip Delanoy born of French parents came to us from Lâ—yden 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 Dâ—xburrow 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 〈◊〉 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 â—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 parâ—k 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 hee could comfortable 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 thè 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 Preacher 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 gavâ— 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 them 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 saith 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 so lâ—tely cut of suâ—h 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 and the professors of it to the Christian world and to that end said hee I should be glad if some godly Minister would goe over with you or come to you before my comming For said hee there will bee no difference between the unconformable Ministers and you when they come to the practise of the Ordinances out of the Kingdome And so advised us by all meanes to endeavour to close with the godly party of the Kingdome of England and rather to study union then division viz. how neare we might possibly without sin close with them then in the least measure to affect division or separation from them And be not loath to take another Pastor or Teacher saith hee for that flock that hath two shepheards is not indangered but secured by it Many other things there were of great and weighty consequence which he commended to us but these things I thought good to relate at the request of some well-willers to the peace and good agreement of the godly so distracted at present about the settling of Church-government in the Kingdom of England that so both sides may truly see what this poor despised Church of Christ now at New-Plymouth in New-England but formerly at Leyden in Holland was and is how far they were
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 themsâ—lves 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 with all 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 â—usket proofe and had made Flanckers and provided victualls c. to indure a siege So that when our Commissiâ—ners 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 â—hem 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 terms 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 Arbiâ—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 Commissioners were required to proceed 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 poâ—p 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 after of the Virgin Mary and suffering c. was but a manifestation of his suffering c. in Adam Another of them said that the Sabbath was Christ and so was borne of the Virgin Mary They called Magistracy among Christians an Idol yet they did acknowledge a Magistracy in the world to bee subjected to as an Ordinance of God but onely as naturall as the father over his wife and children and an hereditary Prince over his subjects Their first appearance before the Court was upon the Lecture day at Boston before a very great Assembly where first the Governour declared the cause and manner of all the proceedings against them and their Letters were openly read and they had liberty to object and anwers were given as followeth First to their plea That they were not within our Jurisdiction it was answered 1 If they were not within ours yet they were within the Jurisdiction of one of our confederates who had referred them to us 2 If they were within no Jurisdiction then was there none to complaine to for redresse of our injuries in way of ordinary Justice and then we had no way of relief but by force of Armes Secondly to their plea Of persecution for their Conscience c. It was answered
that wee did not meddle with them for their opinions otherwise then they had given us occasion by their owne Letters and free speeches amongstus for wee wrote to them about civill Controversies onely and gave them no occasion to vent their blasphemies and revilings against the Ordinances of Religion set up with us Thirdly for their title to the Indians lands wee had divers times desired them to make it appeare but they alwayes refused even to our Commissioners whom according to their owne motion wee sent last to them and since they were in prison wee offered them to send for any witnesses they would name to us for that end but this also they refused So that our title by the Indians surrender appeareth good and having regained possession we need not question them any further about that Their Letters being read and their Subscriptions acknowledged they were demanded severally if they would maintaine those things which were contained therein Their answer was that they would in that sense they wrote them and so were returned to prison The next day they were brought before the Court severally to be examined upon particulars many of the Elders being desired to bee present because they had said they could give a good interpretation of every part of their Letters But the interpretation they gave being contrary to the words they were demanded if they would then retract those words so plainely different from their pretended meanings But this they refused to doe saying that then they should deny the Truth for instance in one or two Their Letters were directed one of them To their Neighbours of the Massachusets and the other To the great honoured Idoll Generall of the Massachusets and by a messenger of their owne delivered to our Governour and many passages in both Letters particularly applyed to our Courts our Magistrates our Elders c. and yet upon their examinations about their meanings in their reproachfull passages they answered that they meant them of the corrupt estate of mankinde in generall and not of us So whereas in their Letter they charged it upon us as an errour that we teach That Christ dyed Actually onely when he suffered under Pontius Pilate and before onely in Types c. upon their examination they said that their meaning was that his death was actuall to the faith of the Fathers under the Law which is in effect the same which we hold Yet they would not retract their words they had written The Elders conferred many houres with them before the Court and by occasion there of they discovered divers blasphemous opinions which they maintained we will instance one which was mentioned before delivered by Gortâ—n viz. that the Image of God wherein Adam was created was Christ and Adams loosing that Image was the death of Christ and the restoring of that Image in the Regeneration was the resurrection of Christ and so the death of him that was borne of the Virgin Mary was but a manifestation of the former Master William Tompson one of the Elders had spent some time with them before in the prison about the opinions which they held forth and they had professed their agreement with him for substance in every point so as he came to the Court with a purpose to speak in their behalf but when he heard themselves discover thus upon their publique examinations he shewed how he had beene deluded by them For they excell the Iesuites in the art of equivocation and regard not how false they speake to all other mens apprehensions so they keepe to the rules of their owne secret intentions Being asked why they spake against the Ordinances of the Ministery Sacraments c. seeing the Scripture allowes them They answered that they were ordained onely for the time of Nonage but after the Revelation was written they were to cease because we finde no mention of them in that booke They were unlearned men the ablest of them could not write true english no not in common words yet they would take upon them to interpret the most difficult places of Scripture and wrest them any way to serve their owne turne As for instance Mr. Cotton pressing Gorton with that in Act. 10. Who can forbid water why these should not be baptised c. He interpreted thus who can deny but these hâ—ve beene baptised sâ—eing they have received the Holy Ghost c. so he allowed them to have beene baptised This shift he was put to that he might maintaine his opinion viz that such as have beene baptized with the Holy Ghost need not the baptisme of water Divers dayes were spent both by the Court and the Elders in labouring to bring them to repentance but all in vaine They continued obstinate Whereupon they agreed to sentence them but first they brought them in publique before a great Assembly and there out of their Letters and Speeches they laid upon them this charge viz. they were found to be blasphemous enemies of the true Religion of our Lord Jesus Christ and of all his holy Ordinances and likewise of all Civill Government among his people and particularly within this jurisdiction Then they were demanded if they did acknowledge this charge to be just and would submit to it or what exception they had against it They answered they did not acknowledge it to be just but they fell into some cavilling speeches so they were returned unto prison againe Being in prison they behaved themselves insolently towards their keeper and spake evill of the Magistrates so as the keeper was forced to threaten them with Irons to keepe them quiet After all meanes used to reclaime them and not prevailing they were brought before the Court to receive their sentence which was this Gorton and six more of them were to be sent to severall townes there to bee kept to worke for their livings and to weare an Iron chaine upon one leg and not to depart the limits of the Towne nor by word or writing to maintaine any of their blasphemous or wicked errours upon paine of death except in conference with any of the Elders or any other allowed by some Magistrate to conferre with them and this to continue during the pleasure of the Court. Three of the Company because they had not their hands to the Letters were set at libertie two of them upon a small ransome as prisoners taken in warre and the other freely for that he was amongst them in his Masters house where they were taken a fourth being found to be a plaine ignorant young man was discharged also onely enjoyned to abide a time in one of our Townes but hee went away and returned no more contrary to his promise There were two other who were brought in after but not by force the one of them disclaiming to have any hand in the Letters was discharged presently the other was kept a while in prison and after upon his submission c. was released Gorâ—on and the other fix remained in the severall Townes all
Robert Potter Who went in the same Ship with mee into New-England and expressing by the way so much honesty and godlinesse as gained my good opinion and affâ—ction towards him I hearing that hee was affected with Samuel Gortons blasphemous conceits and carriages and therefore now imprisoned with him I went to visit him and having free speech with him in the open prison yard who shedding many teares might happily move me to expresse my affâ—ction to him which Samuel Gorton calls passion After some debate about his new opinions I remember I used a speech to him to this effect That hee should doe well and wisely to make such acknowledgement of his errours as his conscience would permit telling him that Mr. Cotton Whom hee had so much reverenced in Old England and New had given him a godly example in that kinde by a publique acknowledgement upon a solemne Fast day with many teares That in the time when errours were so stirring God leaving him for a time he fell into a spirituall slumber and had it not been for the watchfulnesse of his brethren the Elders c. hee might have slept on and blessed God very cordially for awakening him and was very thankefull to his Brethren for their watchfulnesse over him and faithfulnesse towards him wherein hee bonoured God not a little and greatly rejoyced the bearts of his bearers and therefore it would bee no shame for him to doe the like Concerning Mr. Cotton were I worthy I would presume to speake that now of him which I have said more then many times of him elswhere That I hold him such an eminent Worthy of Christ as very few others have attained unto him and that I hold my selfe not worthy to wipe his slippers for matters of grace learning and industry in the worke of God For the Author Samuel Gorton my self and others farre more judicious take him to bee a man whose spirit is starke drunke with blasphemies and insolencies a corrupter of the Truth and a disturber of the Peace where ever hee comes Iiutreat him to read Titus 1. 13. with an humble beaâ—â— and that is the greatest harm I wish him N. W. Thus much of the Answer and testimony of that Reverend and Grave Divine wherein the Reader may see how Mr. Gorton abuseth all men by casting mire and dirt in the faces of our best deserving Instruments In page 54. he accuseth Mr. Wilson and Mr. Cotton for stirring up the people against them c. Answ. What they pressed in their Sermons I was not present to heare but this I can affirme that from the time of their liberty to my departure from New England which is not much above two moneths I have heard many precious godly men affirme that Sam. Gorton and his company needlesly in their writings and conference belched out such blasphemy as they thought God was offended with the Country for giving them the liberty they had And that you may the better see his carriage it being the manner of the Countrey to let their prisoners come to heare the Word preached Mr. Gorton c. being there after Mr. Cotton had ended his Sermon on a Sabbath day asked leave to speake which Mr. Cotton assenting to the Governour being present gave him leave where with a loud voice before the whole Congregation being very great hee declared That the Ministery of the Word Sacraments Censures and other Ordinances of Religion in the hands of Ministers are like the silver Shrines of Diana in the hands of the craâ—tsmen of Ephesus c. And if the truth of this be questioned I have testimony upon Oath to make it good In pag. 55 56 57. many things might bee excepted against as in p. 55. his great respect manifested to that government because derived from the State of England which what it was thou maist largely see in certaine Observations of a godly Divine annexed hereunto upon his owne two contemptuous and blasphemous Letters or rather Bookes wherein are 48 severall aspersions cast on them Secondly his appealing pag. 56. from their Justice when their Charter enjoynes none In pag. 50 57 the Questions as hee hath set them downe and the relation about the time allowed him to give his answer I question whether he have dealt fairely therein because hee is so often found faulty To passe by his Answer and his large explanation of himselfe pag. 58. and come to 59. c and so the rest of his Answers to the Questions to 64. I answer though I know not whether hee doe right as hee states things yet this I know being attested by reverend persons That hee then maintained that God made man after â—is owne image and that God 〈◊〉 but one image and that is Christ and this was the Incarnation of Christ his exinanition by which we are saved And when it was objected wee are not saved by the incarnation of Christ but by the death of Christ. True saith hee therefore Adam fell and so destroyed Gods image and that was the death of Christ. When it was objected againe Adams fall was not our salvation but condemnation but the death of Christ was our salvation and therefore Adams fall could not be the death of Christ. Hee would by no meanes either revoke or explaine his speech though much urged thereunto to agree with the principles of Christian Religion Being further demanded what he then thought of that Christ in whom we beleeve borne of the Virgin Mary and who suffered under Pontius Pilate He answered That that Christ was a shadow and but a resemblance of what is done in â—â—e and every true Christian. And now judge good Reader whether this be like what hee mentioneth or whether it were a trifle not worthy the mentioning But if he will be so unfaithfull as to omit it I dare not As for his censure pag. â—4 I know not whether it bee right set downe and so the charge pag. 65. wherein I dare say he wrongeth the Ministers in saying They stirred up the people to famish them As for his long and tedious Letter to Mr. Green from page 66 to 74. I passe it by as he saith Mr. Green did But in 74. hee would make it an aspersion upon Mr. Endecâ—t for saying that God had stirred them up to goe out of their owne jurisdiction to feteâ— them from their 〈◊〉 places Take notice as it is litterally within the line of Plimouth Government in their Grant yet the Indians before mentioned having subjected themselves to the Massachusets the Commissioners for Plimouth as well as those for Conâ—etacuâ— and New-Haven upon the manifold complaints and reasons before mentioned being met together at their ordinary time and place appointed and ordered it should bee so as appeares by the copy of their act At a meeting of the Commissioners for the United Colonies of New-England holden at Bâ—â—ston the seventh of September 1643. Where as complaints have beene made against Samuel Gorton and his company and some of them weighty and
knew the practise of that Church of Christ under his government or was acquainted with the wholsome counsell he gave that part of the Church which went for New-England at their departure and afterward might easily resolve the doubt and take off the aspersion For his Doctrine â— living three yeares under his Ministery before we began the worke of Plantation in New-England It was alwayes against separation from any the Churches of Christ professing and holding communion both with the French and Dutch Churches yea tendering it to the Scots also as I shall make appeare more particularly anon Ever holding forth how wary persons ought to bee in separating from a Church and that till Christ the Lord departed wholly from it man ought not to leave it onely to beare witnesse against the corruption that was in it But if any object he separated from the Church of England and wrote largely against it I acknowledge hee wrote largely against it but yet let me tell you hee allowed hearing the godly Ministers preach and pray in the publick Assamblies yea hee allowed private communion not onely with them but all that were faithfull in Christ Jesus in the Kingdome and else where upon all occasions yea honored them for the power of godlinesse above all other the professors of Religion in the world nay I may truly say his spirit cleaved unto them being so well acquainted with the integrity of their hearts and care to walke blamelesse in their lives which was no small motive to him to perswade us to remove from Holland where wee might probably not onely continue English but have and maintain such sweet communion with the godly of that Nation as through Gods great mercy we enjoy this day 'T is true I confesse he was more rigid in his course and way at first then towards his latter end for his study was peace and union so far as might agree with faith and a good conscience and for schiâ—â—â— and division there was nothing in the world more hatefull to him But for the government of the Church of England as it was in the Episcopall way the Liturgy and stinted prayers of the Church then yea the constitution of it as Nationall and so consequently the corrupt communion of the unworthy with the worthy receivers of the Lords Supper these things were never approved of him but witnessed against to his death and are by the Câ—urch over which he was to this day And if the Lord would be pleased to stir up the hearts of those in whom under him the power of Reformation lies to reform that abuse that a distinction might once be put between the precious and the vile particular Churches might be gathered by the powerfull preaching of the Word those onely admitted into communion whose hearts the Lord perswades to submit unto the Iron rod of the Gospel O how sweet then would the communion of the Churches be How thorow the Reformation How easie would the differences be reconciled between the Presbyterian and Independent way How would the God of peace which commandeth love and good agreement smile upon this Nation How would the subtle underminers of it be disappointed and the faithfull provoked to sing songs of praise and thanksgiving Nay how would the God of order be glorified in such orderly walking of the Saints And as they have fought together for the liberties of the Kingdome Eccleâ—iasticall and Civill so may they joyn together in the preservation of them which otherwise 't is to be â—eared will not long continue and in the praises of our God who hath been so good to his poore distressed ones whom he hath delivered and whom he will deliver out of all their troubles But I have made too great a digression and must return In the next place I should speak of Mr. Robinsons Apology wherein he maketh a briefe defence against many adversaries c. But because it is both in Latine and English of small price and easie to bee had I shall for beare to write of it and onely refer the Reader to it for the differences between his congregation and other the Reformed Churches The next thing I would have the Reader take notice of is that however the church of Leyden differed in some particulars yet made no Schisme or separation from the Reformed Churches but held communion with them occasionally For we ever placed a large difference between those that grounded their practise upon the Word of God tho differing from us in the exposition or understanding of it and those that hated such Reformers and Reformation and went on in Antichristian opposition to it and persecution of it as the late Lord Bishops did who would not in deed and truth whatever their pretences were that Christ should rule over them But as they often stretched out their hands against the saints so God hath withered the Arm of their power thrown them down from their high lofty seaâ—s and slain the chiefe of their persons as well as the Hierarchy that he might become an example to all those that rise against God in his Sabbath in the preaching of his Word in his Saints in the purity of his Ordinances And I heartily desire that others may heare and feare withall As for the Dutch it was usuall for our Members that understood the language and lived in or occasionally came over to London to communicate with them as one Iohn Ienny a Brewer long did his wife and family c. and without any offence to the Church So also for any that had occasion to travel into any other part of the Netherlands they daily did the like And our Pastor Mr. Robinson in the time when Arminianisme prevailed so much at the request 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 Duâ—ch 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 Dâ—etch also in communion at Salem c. And for the French Churches thâ—â— we held and do hold communion with them take notice of our