USA > Massachusetts > The Quaker invasion of Massachusetts > Part 11
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APPENDIX. 201
and about an Hour after brought again into the Court, when the Governour being present, the Clerk read the Sentence as follows, viz.
Margaret Brewster, You are to have your Clothes stript off to the Middle, and to be tied to a Cart's Tail at the South Meeting-house, and to be drawn through the Town, and to receive twenty Stripes upon your naked Body.
M. B. The Will of the Lord be done: I am contented.
The Clerk proceeded, saying, Lydia Wright and Mary Miles, You are to be tied to the Cart's Tail also. Barbara Bowers, you are to be tied also.
M. Brewster. I told the Court before, that Bar- bara was not concerned with us in the Service, and therefore I desire you may remit her Sen- tence ; for I knew not of her Coming with us, neither did I see her with us, till we came into the Common-Gaol : Therefore I desire she may not suffer.
Gov. Take her away.
Gaoler. I am loth to pull you.
M. B. I will go without pulling, and go as chearfully as Daniel went to the Lion's Den, for the God of Daniel is with me ; and the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. goes along with me: The same God that was with the three Children in the fiery Furnace goes with me now ; and I am glad that I am worthy to be a Sufferer in this Bloody Town, and to be numbred amongst my dearly and well-beloved Brethren and Sis-
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ters, that sealed their Testimonies with their Blood.
So they were carried to Prison again, this being the Seventh-day of the Week; and on the Fifth day following, the Sentence was exe- cuted. +
During the Examination of these Women, they appeared altogether unconcerned as to themselves, being fully resigned to whatsoever Sufferings might be their Portion; stedfastly maintaining their full Assurance of a divine Call to the Service they went upon, and a per- fect Peace and Serenity of Mind in yielding Obedience thereunto : In all which they seem to have really exercised the Faith and Patience of the Saints and People of God.
1
ABSTRACT FROM JOINT LETTER OF WIL- LIAM ROBINSON AND MARMADUKE STE- VENSON.1
We that are Free-born English-men, we de- mand our Liberty for the Exercise of our pure Consciences in this Country, as well as other English-men ; we being Free-born English-men, we may, by the Law of God, claim our Liberty before many other People : We who are not Transgressors of the Law of God, neither of any Law or Decree that is according thereunto, What is the Reason that we should be Banished upon Death, out of your Jurisdiction, more than
1 New England Judged, pp. 252-259.
:
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any other People ? What, is it because we are Turners of the World upside-down ? What, is it because we are termed Ring-leaders of a Peo- ple, that are, in Scorn, called Quakers ? What, is it because the Laws of our God, which we Obey, are different from all the Unrighteous and Bloody Laws of New England ? What, is it because we cannot Obey the Commandment of the Rulers of New England, that have com- manded us to Bow to the Spirit that ruled in Haman, which now rules in these bloody Rulers of Boston, and elsewhere in New England ? Nay, I say, the Lord our God hath Raised, and is Raising, the Royal Seed and Spirit that ruled in Mordecai, that could not, nor cannot Stoop nor Bow to the Spirit that ruleth in proud Haman : I say, see and behold, if the same Spirit rules not in you, ye Rulers, Chief Priests, and Inhabitants of Boston and elsewhere. . . . Are not you preparing a Gallows to Hang us thereon, as Haman did for Mordecai? But, take heed, We Warn you in the Name of the Lord God, consider what you are going to do: In the Name of the Lord we demand, that we may have Liberty, for the Exercise of our pure Consciences, within your Juris- diction, as well as other English - men, seeing that you cannot lay to our Charge, the Trans- gression of any Law of God, we being Men that Fear the Lord God of Heaven and Earth ; and we come not for any Thing of yours, God is our Witness ; it is not for any Thing that
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you have, that we come for; for we do not lack any outward Thing ; for many of us have both Houses and Land of our own, and Silver also, in Old England, so that we seek not any Thing that you have (God is our Witness, whom we Serve in the Spirit of Truth, who hath con- strained us to leave all, and to follow him) that it is not the World (that doth perish with the handling thereof) that we seek or labour for, but the Good and Eternal Welfare of the Sons of Men : For the Seed's sake, which is Oppressed in New England, and other parts of the World, do we Labour, and Travel, and Suffer all man- ner of Hardships : For Christ's sake are we become Fools, and do Suffer all manner of Evil to be done unto us. Christ said unto his Dis- ciples, They shall do all manner of Evil to you, for my Name sake; but those that did it, and those that do it, know neither God, nor his Son Jesus Christ, neither have they the Love of God abiding in them: . . . It is written in the Warrant, whereby we were Committed to Pris- on, That we shall be Tryed according to Law. We desire no more, than to be Tryed according to Equity, Truth, and true Judgment, to be Tryed according to the Law of God ; but your Law, you unjust Men, we deny to be Tryed by it; for you are both our Accusers and Judges ; which is not according to the Law of God : For, Equity and Truth Judgeth and Condemneth all unsound Judgment, Unrighteousness, Partiality and Respecting of Persons. . . . This is a Warn-
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ing to you all in New-England, who have had a Hand in persecuting the Saints and Children of the Lord (who are by you, in Scorn and Con- tempt, called Quakers). Give over your Cruelty ; cease from Oppressing the Innocent; for the Lord God hath regard unto their Sufferings, and the Lord God is Risen, and Arising, to plead their Cause against all their Enemies, and all their Adversaries must fall before them ; for the Lord is with them, and the Shout of a Mighty Prince is among the Innocent People, called Quakers ; and this is the Day of their Suffering, and the Day of your Cruelties and Persecution upon them, within this New-England : But the Day of their Deliverance draweth near, and the Day wherein they shall Rejoyce in the Lord, the God of their Salvation, who is mighty to Save, and able to Deliver them out of the Hands, and out of the Mouths of Devourers, and from the Jaws of the Ungodly aud Cruel Men ; who will take Vengeance at that Day upon all bloody-minded Men and blind Perse- cutors : And at that Day you shall find that the Lord will be too hard for you, tho' you now Boast in your Wickedness. And thus far I am Clear, and have cleared my Conscience to you at this time : And whether you will hear, or for- bear, I am clear of your Blood : I who am now a Sufferer under you, with my Brother and Com- panion, whose Lives are not dear unto us, to lay them down as a Witness against such a Bloody, and Unrighteous, and Hypocritical Generation :
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And this we are ready to Seal with our Blood, for the breaking of your Bloody Law.
From us, who are in Scorn called Quakers, who are Sufferers under Zions Oppressors. The 6th Month, 1659.
In the Common Gaol, in the Bloody Town of Bos- ton.
WILLIAM ROBINSON. MARMADUKE SEVENSON.
LETTER OF MARY DYER.1
The 28th of the 8th Month, 1659.
Once more to the general court assembled in Boston, speaks Mary Dyar, even as before : my life is not accepted, neither availeth me, in comparison of the lives and liberty of the truth and servants of the living God, for which in the bowels of love and meekness I sought you : yet, nevertheless, with wicked hands have you put two of them to death, which makes me to feel, that the mercies of the wicked are cruelty ; I rather choose to die than to live, as from you, as guilty of their innocent blood : therefore seeing my request is hindered, I leave you to the right- eous Judge, and searcher of all hearts, who, with the pure measure of light he hath given to every man to profit withal, will in his due time let you see whose servants you are, and of whom you have taken counsel, which I desire you to search into : but all his counsel hath been slighted, and
1 Sewel's History of the Quakers, p. 265.
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you would none of his reproofs. Read your portion, Prov. i. 24 to 32. For verily the night cometh on you apace, wherein no man can work, in which you shall assuredly fall to your own master. In obedience to the Lord, whom I serve with my spirit, and pity to your souls, which you neither know nor pity, I can do no less than once more to warn you, to put away the evil of your doings, and kiss the son, the light in you, before his wrath be kindled in you ; for where it is, nothing without you can help or deliver you out of his hand at all ; and if these things be not so, then say, 'there hath been no prophet from the Lord sent amongst you.' Though we be nothing, yet it is his pleasure, by things that are not, to bring to naught things that are.
When I heard your last order read, it was a disturbance unto me, that was so freely offering up my life to him that gave it me, and sent me hither so to do, which obedience being his own work, he gloriously accompanied with his pres- ence, and peace, and love in me, in which I rested from my labour; till by your order and the people, I was so far disturbed, that I could not retain any more of the words thereof, than that I should return to prison, and there remain forty and eight hours ; to which I submitted, finding nothing from the Lord to the contrary, that I may know what his pleasure and counsel is concerning me, on whom I wait therefore, for he is my life, and the length of my days ; and as I said before, I came at his command, and go at his command. MARY DYAR.
i
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ABSTRACT OF LETTER FROM WILLIAM LEDDRA WRITTEN TO HIS FRIENDS ON THE DAY BEFORE HIS EXECUTION.1
Most dear and inwardly beloved,
The sweet influences of the Morning-Star, like a flood distilling into my innocent habitation, hath so filled me with the joy of the Lord in the beauty of holiness, that my spirit, is as if it did not inhabit a tabernacle of clay, but is wholly swallowed up in the bosom of eternity, from whence it had its being.
Alas, alas, what can the wrath and spirit of man, that lusteth to envy, aggravated by the heat and strength of the king of the locusts, which came out of the pit, do unto one that is hid in the secret places of the Almighty? Or unto them that are gathered under the healing wings of the prince of peace? under whose armour of light they shall be able to stand in the day of trial, having on the breast-plate of righteousness, and the sword of the spirit, which is their weapon of war against spiritual wickedness, principalities and powers, and the rulers of the darkness of this world, both within and without! Oh, my be- loved ! I have waited as a dove at the windows of the ark, and have stood still in that watch, which the Master, (without whom I could do nothing) did at his coming reward with fulness of his love, wherein my heart did rejoice, that I might in the love and life of God, speak a few
1
1 Sewel, p. 312.
APPENDIX. 209
words to you sealed with the spirit of promise, that the taste thereof might be a savour of life, to your life, and a testimony in you of my inno- cent death : and if I had been altogether silent, and the Lord had not opened my mouth unto you, yet he would have opened your hearts, and there have sealed my innocency with the streams of life, by which we are all baptized into that body which is in God, whom, and in whose pres- ence there is life; in which, as you abide, you stand upon the pillar and ground of truth : for, the life being the truth and the way, go not oue step without it, lest you should compass a moun- tain in the wilderness ; for, unto everything there is a season. . . . fear not what they can do unto you : greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world: for he will clothe you with humil- ity, and in the power of his meekness you shall reign over all the rage of your enemies in the favour of God ; wherein, as you stand in faith, ye are the salt of the earth; for, many seeing your good works, may glorify God in the day of their visitation.
Take heed of receiving that which you saw not in the light, lest you give ear to the enemy. Bring all things to the light, that they may be proved, whether they be wrought in God ; the love of the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eye, are without the light, in the world ; therefore possess your vessels in all sanctifica- tion and honour, and let your eye look at the mark : he that hath called you is holy : and if
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there be an eye that offends, pluck it out, and cast it from you : let not a temptation take hold, for if you do, it will keep from the favour of God, and that will be a sad state; for, without grace possessed, there is no assurance of salva- tion : by grace you are saved ; and the witness- ing of it is sufficient for you, to which I com- mend you all, my dear friends, and in it remain, Your brother, WILLIAM LEDDRA.
Boston gaol, the 13th of the First Month, 166º
DANIEL GOULD'S LETTER.1
To the rulers & peopele of the toun & Jurisdiction of bostene.
It is writen in the criptuars wch you say is youar rule, y+ Christ sayed, lern of me. Whear is it writen or declared in the criptuars y+ Christ ever tought or commanded eny to parciquet, to put in prison or to bannish any for thear relegin ; but is it not writen to the contry, & did not he say to his desippels, let them alone, these be blind leders. Now if we wch yee call quakrs be the blind leaders then see if you do not mak it manifest also that you . . . For his desipels obayed his command & let them alowen, but ye do not. Now what doe you exspect to be judged by when your own condems you so plainly. Con- seder it well, the blind ledars were them that did not belive in the light but denyed the light and
1 Massachusetts Archives, vol. x. p. 265.
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would clim up sum other way & so be in the wrong way, there foar caled blind leders out of the light. . . . Again consider of whom yee lerne, for Christ said to his desipels, resist not evel, but yee have put in prison & banished them that have dune you no wrong nor thoght eny towards you. And Peter speking of his suf- arings, said he left us an exsampell yt we should follow his steps; now thearfore consider in youer selves & in your secrit chambers lay it to hart and with the true light which will deceive no man, sarch & see in whose steps ye are, whether in the steps of the sufarars or in the steps of the pursiqutars, for I am greved to see your cruelty and your hard hartednes against a peopell that cannot flatar you nor willfully doe you eny wrong, but if any should doe you any wrong or trespas against eny man, let a rightus law take hold of such ; but what ned any law be made against the innosent ; those yt doe you noe wrong. . . . Conserning religun lete every one be fully parswaded in his owen mind & worship acording as God shal preswad his owne hart, & if any wor- ship not God as thay ought to doe & yet liveth quietly & pesably with ther naibers & contery men & doth them noe wrong, is it not safar for you to let them aloene to receive thear re- ward from him who said I will render venganse to myne ennmys & reward them that hate me. Let God alone be Lord of the conscience & not man, & let us have the same liburty & freedom amongst yee as other ingleshmen hav to com and
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visit owar frends & kindered, & doe that wich is honest & lawfal to be done in bying or seling ; and if any have amind to reason or spek con- sarning the way and worship of God, that thay may not be put in prison or punished for it ; soe let peopel have libarty to try all thing & hold fast that which is good : I allso desiar you serisly to consider & give me an answar to these towe querys. . . . whether Gallio did well being a deputy, yea or nay, when the Jewse brough Paule to the jidgment seate, saying this felow preswads peopell to worship God contrary to the law, & his ansar was, if it wear a matar of wrong or wicked leudnes to ye Jewes, reason would that I should bear with you, but if it be a questyon of words or names of yor law, lok you to it, for I will be no judg on such matters; & he drove them fram the Judgment seat. Acts the 18th, 13, 14, 15, 16. Whether Gemaliall, being a doctor of law, did councell well, yea or nay, when . . . took counsel to kill the apostels after hee had told them of sume that were scatared & brought to naught, & said, take hede to your selvs of what you intend to doe touching these men and let them alone, for if this counsel or this work be of man it will came to naught but if it be of God yee cannot overthrow it, lest yee be found fighters against God. Read the Acts, 5th, from 33 to 40. DANNIAL GOULLD
rod Iland the 3 month 1660.
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LETTER FROM MARY TRASKE AND MAR- GARET SMITH, ACCUSING THE GOVERN- MENT.1
To Thee John Indicot & ye rest of ye rulers of this jurisdiction, who are given up to fight agst ye Lord & his truth in this ye day wherein its springing forth, & by ye comlines of it hath ye Lord of God constrained us to take up ye cross and to follow him through greate tryalls & suffer- ings as to ye outward. And herein we can rejoyce y' we are counted worthy & called hereunto to beare our testimony against a cruell & hard- hearted people who are slighting ye day of yor visitation & foolishly requiting ye Lord for his goodnes, & shamefully intreated his hidden ones whom he hath sent amongst yo" to call yo" from ye evill of yo' waies, yt yee might come wth them to partake of his love & feel his life & power in yo' owne hearts ; yt with us yee might have been brought to be subject to ye higher power, Christ Jesus ; whom yo" should have been obedient to and hearkned to his judgments while he stood at ye dore & knocked (for he will not alwaies strive wth man) & then it should have been well wth yow. But seing yee are gone from this yt leadeth into tendernes, love & meeknes, & to doe unto all as yo" would be done unto; therefore yee are given up unto a Spirit of Error & hardnes of heart & blindnes of mind ; ye eye of yo' minds being blinded by ye god of this world ; so yt yo"
1 Massachusetts Archives, vol. x. p. 267.
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cannot se our life wch is hid wth Christ in God, who is become our light & life & hope of glory and our exceeding greate reward; in whom we doe reigne ; yea surely ye God of Jacob is wth us wtever yo" may be able to say against us : for be- hold ye Lord our God is arising as a mighty and terrible one to plead ye cause of his people and to cleare ye cause of ye innocent ; but surely he will in no wise acquit ye guilty who have shed ye bloud of ye innocent ; & yee shall assuredly feel his judgments who have wilfully put forth yo' hands against his Chosen; & yee have cut of ye righteous from amongst yo" & are still tak- ing councell against ye Lord, to proceed against more of his people, but this know, ye Lord our God will confound yo' councell & lay your glory in ye dust, & to whom will yo" flee for help ; whither will yo" goe to hide yo" selves ; for verely ye Lord will strip of all yo' coverings, for yo" are not covered with ye Spirit of ye Lord, therefore ye wo is gone out against yo"; for yo' place of defence is a refuge of lies & under falsehoods yee have hid your selves ; wo : wo : unto yo", for you have forsaken ye Lord, ye fountaine of living water, & are greedily swallowing ye poluted wat- ers yt comes through ye stinking channell of yo' hireling masters unclean spirits, whom Christ cries wo against, & who cannot cease from sin, having hearts exercised wth coveteous practices : wo unto them (saith ye scripture) for they have run greedily after ye Error of Balaam who loved ye wages of unrighteousnes ; & are seeking in-
APPENDIX. 215
chantments against ye seed of Jacob ; but there divinations against Israell ye Lord will confound; and all yor wicked councells bring to nonght : wo unto yo" yt decree unrighteous decrees & write greiviousnes, y' yo" have prescribed to turne away ye poore & needy from there right. Have ye not sold yo" selves to worke wickednes, & are strengthning yo" selves in your abomination till ye measure of your iniquity be full ; surely ye overflowing scourge will pas over yo" & sweep away yo' refuge of lies, & yo' covenant wth hell shall be disanulled ; for loe, destruction & misery is in yor way & ye way of peace yee doe not know, for you are gone from ye good old way after yor owne waies, therefore ye way of holi- nes is hid from your eyes. O y yo" had owned ye day of yo' visitation before it had been to late, & had hearkned to ye voice of his servants whom he hath sent unto you againe & againe in love & tendernes to yo" soules ; but you would not hearken unto ye Lord when he called, there- fore when you cry & call he will not heare yo". Although you may call unto him yet he will not auswer; he will laugh at yo' calamity when it cometh ; for you have set at nought all his coun- cell, & have chosen rather to walke in yo' owne councell ; but this know, yt if you had hearkned to ye councell of ye Lord (ye light) weh is now yo' condemnation, & had waited there to know his will ; then you should have knowne it; and then these wicked lawes had never been made nor prosecuted by yo", wch you have made in yor
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owne wills, contrary to ye law of God, wch is pure and leadeth all yt yeldeth obedience to it into purity & holines of life. And for our being obe- dient to this law wch ye Lord hath written in our hearts, we are hated & persecuted by yo" who are in Cains nature murdering ye just ; yea, surely ye cause is ye Lords, for wch we have suffered all this time, & ye battell is ye Lords, & he will arise and stand up for them yt faithfully beares forth there testimony to ye end. And yee shall be as broken vessells before him which cannot be joyned together againe ; therefore feare & trem- ble before ye Lord, who is coming upon yo" as a theife in ye night; from whom you shall not be able to hide your selves, & will reward yo" ac- cording to yo' workes ; whose judgments are just ; and he is risen to plead wth unjust rulers preists and people, who are joyned together in a profes- sion of godlines, & glorying in it but denying ye power thereof in them where it apeares; but your glorying will be turned into shame & confusion of face, & yor beauty will be as a fading flower wch suddenly withereth away ; & this yo" shall find to be true in ye day when ye Lord shall accom- plish it upon yo". And we have written to cleare our conscience, & if you should account us yor enemies for speaking ye truth, & heat ye furnace of our affliction hotter, yet know we shall not fall downe & worship yo" wills ; neither esteeme all ye dumb idolls, after wch you are led, of no other use but to be throwne aside to ye moles and ye batts, for so is ye shadows (if it were of good
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things to come) to ye substance, & yt weh seemed glorious hath no glory in respect of yt wch ex- celleth ; & all the sufferings yt we have endured (from yo") for Christ hath not at all marrd his visage to us, but we still se more beauty in him ; well knowing, yt as they did unto him so they will doe unto us, & now they are come to pas, we remember y' he said these things.
MARY TRASKE MARGARET SMITH
From yor house of Correction where we have been unjustly restrained from o' children & habitations one of us above tenn monthis & ye other about eight; & where we are yet continued by yo' opres- sors y' knows no shame ;
Boston 21" of yº 10mtb 1660 ;
JOHN BURSTOW'S LETTER.1
The day of yu' visitation is gon over yu" heads : when yee had y" light yee walked not in it; then darkness overtooke you & ye light judged & con- demned you : then yee hated ye light because yur deeds wear evil, & now yee are in ye night wherin noe man can worke or doe any thing wch is exsepted of ye Lord. Your prayers are sinne & stinke, & an ill saver are you to ye Lord our God, & yu' assemblies are an abomination to ye Lord ; yu' hands are defilled wth blood : yu" eyes are full of adultery & yu' harts is as a caige of unclean spirits, & yt weh should be a house of
1 Massachusetts Archives, vol. x. p. 269.
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prayer is become a denn of theives & robers, and yee comitt ludeness & are joyned wth ye destruc- tion wch is swiftly coming upon you : yee yt have an eare to heer, harken & com forth from among them, yt yee may be as fier brands plucted out of ye fier, for as sartainely as ye plauges was powered forth upon hard harted Faro, shall ye plauges & judgements of ye Lord be powered forth upon ye inhabitanc of this towne of bos- ton ; & then yee shall know who are ye faulce prophets ; wheather we wch pronounce judge- ments & plauges, or yu' hierling prists wch spacke peace to you whilest you put into their mouth. And they are blind leaders of ye blind, & yee shall fall & perish : boath yee & yu" prists whose king is the angell of ye botomless pit ; & out of ye botomless pitt have thay their wisdom wch thay feede you wth; all weh is earthly, sencuall, divil- ish. And this earthily & durty wisdom is ye sar- pents meat weh is had in you : but now is ye seed of ye woman made manifest to bruse ye sarpents head : and wee tread upon scorpions & handell sarpents & cast out unclean spirits by ye power of ye Lord, and thay cannot hurte or destroy, in all his holy mountaine.
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