USA > Massachusetts > The Quaker invasion of Massachusetts > Part 8
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13
2. It is the commandment of the blessed God, that Christians should obey magistrates, Tit. 3 : 1; & that euery soule should be subject to the higher powers, Rom. 13: 1; yea, be sub- ject to euery ordinance of man for the Lords sake, 1 Peet. 2 : 13 ; & yeeld honnor & reuer- ence or feare to such as are in authoritje, Prou. 24: 21; 1 Pet. 2: 17; & forbeare all cursing and reviling & evill speeches touching such per- sons, Exod. 22: 28; Eclesiast. 10: 20; Tit. 3 : 2; Acts 23 : 5 ; & accordingly good men haue beene wont to behaue themselves wth gestures and speeches of reuerence and honnor towards superiors in place and power, as Abraham Howed downe himself to the Hittites, Gene. 23 : 7, 12; Jacob & his wives & children unto Esau, Gene. 33 : 3, 6, 7; Josephs brethren vnto Joseph, being governor in Ægipt, Gene. 42 : 6; & 43: 26 & 28; Joseph to his father Jacob, Gene. 48: 12; Moses to his father in lawe Jethro, Exod. 18 : 7; Ruth to Boaz, Ruth 2: 10; Dauid to Saul, 1 Sam. 24: 6 ; . . . 1 Kings 1: 16, 23, 31 ; wth otherr that might be added. And for re- viling or contemptuous speeches, they hane binn so farre therefrom that they haue spoken to and of theire superiors wth termes & expressions of much honor & reuerence, as father, 1 Sam. 19 : 3; 1 Kings 19 : 20 ; & 2 : 2, 12 ; master, 2 Kings
147
APPENDIX.
6. 15; 1 Sam. 24: 6; lord, Gen. 33: 13, 14; 1 Pet. 3: 6; my lord, 1 Sam. 24: 8; Gen. 44: 13, 19, 20; 1 Sam. 1: 15, 26; most noble Festus. Acts 26 : 25 ; most excellent Theophilus, Luke 1 : 3; and the like ; that servant of Abra- ham's, Gen. 24, doth call Abraham by the terme & title of master, a matter of twenty times or not much lesse, in that one chapter ; and on the contrary, it is noted as a brand & reproach of false teachers, that they despise dominion and are not afraid to speake evill of dignitjes, 2 Pet. 2 : 10; Jude 8; though the very aingells would not doe so vnto the divill, 2 Peet. 2: 11; Jude 9. Now, it is well knoune that the practize of the Quakers is but too like these false teachers whom the apostles speake of, & that they are farre from giving that honnor & reuerence to magistrates which the Lord requirethi, & good men haue giuen to them, but on the contrary show contempt against them in theire very out- ward gestures & behavior, & (some of them at least) spare not to belch out rajling & cursing speeches. WVittnes that odjous, cursing letter of Ilumphrey Norton ; and if so, if Abishaj may be judge, they are worthy to die; for so he thought of Shimej for his contemptuous carriage and cursing speeches against Dauid, 2 Sam. 16 : "; & 19 : 21. And though Dauid at that time did forbeare to put him .to death. yet he giues chardge to Solomon, that this Shimej haning cursed him wth such a grievous eurse, he should rot hold him guiltlesse, but bring doune his
148
APPENDIX.
hoarje head to the graue wth blood, 1 Kings .2: 8, 9 ; according to which direction King Solomon caused him to be put to death, Vers. 44, 46.
3. Also, in this story of Solomon & Shimej, 1 Kings 2, it is recorded how Solomon confined Shimei to Jerusalem, chardging him vpon pajne of death, not to goe out thence, & telling him that if he did he should dye for it, which con- finement when Shimej had broken, though it were three yeares after, & vpon an occasion that might seeme to have some weight in it, viz., to fetch againe his servants that were runne away from him, yett for all this, the confinement being broken, Solomon would not spare him, but putts him to death ; and if execution of death be law- full for breach of confinement, may not the same be sajd for breach of bannishment ? Confine- ment, of the two, may seeme to be much sleighter, because in this a man is limited to one place & debarred from all others, whereas in bannishment a man is debarred from no place but one, all others being left to his liberty ; the one debarres him from all places, saue that it giues liberty to one ; the other giues liberty to all places, saue that it restraines from one ; and therefore if death may be justly inflicted vpon breach of confinement, much more for returne vpon bannishment, which is these Quakers case.
4. There is no man that is possessed of house or land, wherein he hath just title & propriety as his oune, but he would count it vureasonably injurious that another who had no authoritje
149
APPENDIX.
thereto should intrude & enter into his house without his, the ounors consent; yea, and when the ouno" doth expressly prohibitt & forbidd the same. Wee say, when the man that so pre- sumes to enter hath no authoritje thereto; for if it were a connstable or other officer legally au- thorized, such an one might indeed enter, not- wthstanding the householdlers dissent or charge to the contrary ; but for them that have no au- thoritje the case is otherwise. And if such one should presume to enter into another man's house & habitation, he might justly be im- pleaded as a theife or an vsurper ; & if in case of such violent assault, the ownor should, se de- fendendo, slay the assaylant & intruder, his blood would be vpon his oune head. And if private persons may in case shed the blood of such intruders, may not the like be graunted to them that are the publicke keepers and guard- ians of the commonwealth ? Haue not they as much power to take away the lives of such, as contrary to prohibition, shall jnvade & intrude into theire publicke possessions or territorjes as private and particcular persons to deale so wth them that, wthout authoritje, shall presume to enter into theire private & particcular habita- tions? which seemes clearly to be the present case; for who cann belieue that Quakers are connstables ouer this colonje, to intrude them- selves, invade, & enter, whither the colonje will o" no, yea, & notwthstanding theire expresse prohibition to the contrary ? If in such violent
150
APPENDIX.
and bold attempt they loose theire liues, they may thank themselves as the blameable cause & authors of theire oune death.
5. Who cann make question but that a man that hath children & family both justly may, & in duty ought to, preserve them of his chardge (as farre as he is able) from the daingerous com- pany of persons infected wth the plague of pesti- lence or other contagious, noysome, and mortall diseases ? and if such persons shall offer to in- trude into the mans house amongst his children & servants, notwthstanding his prohibition and warning to the contrary, & thereby shall jn- dainger the health & liues of them of the familje, cann any man doubt but that in such case the father of the familje, in defence of himself & his, may wthstand the intrusion of such infected & daingerous persons & if other- wise he cann not keepe them out, may kill them ? Now, in Scripture, corruption in minde & judgment is counted a great infection & de- filement, yea, & one of the greatest ; for the apostle, saying of some men that to them there is nothing pure, giues this as the reason of it, because euen theire minde & conscience is de- filed, Tit. 1 : 15; as if defilement of the minde did argue the defilement of all, & that in such case there was nothing pure ; enen as when lep- rosie was in the head, the preist must pronounce such a man vtterly vncleane, sith the plague was in his head, Levitt 13 : 44. And it is the Lords comand that such corrupt persons be not re-
151
APPENDIX.
ceaved into house, 2 John 10, which plainly enough impljes that the householder hath power to keepe them out, & yt it was not in theire power to come in if they pleased, whither the householder would or no. And if the father of a particular family may thus defend his chil- deen & household, may not magistrates doe the like for theire subjects, they being nursing fathers and nursing mothers by the account of ( od in Holy Scripture? Isaj. 49: 23d. Is it not cleare, yt if the father in the family must keepe them out off his house, the father in the comonwealth must keepe them out of his juris- diction ? And if sheepe & lambes cannot be preserved from the dainger of woolves, but the woolves will breake in amongst them, it is easy to see what the shephard or keeper of the sheepe may lawfully doe in such a case.
6. Itt was the comandment of the Lord Jesus Christ vnto his disciples, that when they were persecuted in one citty, they should flee into aj other, Math. 10: 23; & accordingly it was h;s oune practise so to doe many a tjme, both when he was a child, Math. 13: 14; & after- wards, 12: 15; Joh. 7: 1 & 8; last, 10: 39; and so was also the practise of the saints.
Wittnes what is written of Jacob, Gen. 27 : 42, 43 & 28: 5; of Moses, Exod. 2: 14, 15; of Eljas, 1 Kings 19 : 3; of Paul, Acts 9: 24, 25, 29, 30, & 17 : 13, 14; & of the apostle, Acts 14: 4, 5, & others, who when they haue beene persecuted, haue fled away for theire oune
-
1
152
APPENDIX.
safety ; and reason requires that when men haue liberty vnto it, they should not refuse so to doe, because otherwise they will be guilty of tempt- ing God, & of incurring theire oune hurt, as having a faire way open for the avoyding thereof, but they needelessly expose themselves thereto. If therefore, that which is donne against Quakers in this jurisdiction were indeed persecution, as they account of it, (though in trueth it is not so, but the due ministration ( f justice ; but suppose it were as they thinke it to be) what spirit may they be thought to be acted & led by, who are in theire actings so contrary to the comandment & example of Christ & of his saints in the case of persecusion, which these men suppose to be theire case ? Plaine enough it is, that if theire case were the same, theire actings are not the same, but quite contrary, so that Christ and his saints were led by one spirit, and those people by another; for rather then they would not show theire coutempt of autho - itje, and make disturbauce amongst his peop , they choose to goe contrary to the expresse dire :- tions of Jesus Christ, & the aprooved examples of his saints, although it be to the hazard & per- rill of theire oune liues.
153
APPENDIX.
PETITION FOR SEVERER LAWS AGAINST THE QUAKERS, OCTOBER, 1658.1
To the Honored General Court now afsembled at Boston.
THE humble Petition of vs whose Names are Vnderwritten : Humbly sheweth.
That where as through the good hand of the Lord, this Country hath for seuerall yeares past, by means of the pious care & faithfullnes of those which haue satt att ye helme, beene preserued from many menacing dangers, both as to its ciuill & religious interest, in respect of wch we may not but allwayes acknowledg o'selues wth great thankfullnes debtors to the Lord first, and then to o' gouernors in the Lord yett finding by experience, Satan is not wanting to this day by himself and instrumts to attempt new wayes, vnto the disturbing, nay we may truly say the Sub- verting of of ciuill & religious Polities, as well as in other p'ts.
And although, this hath in its measure beene taken notice of, & foreseene by this Hond Court in respect of many who haue of late audaciously intruded themselues among vs, vnder the name of Quakers, whence your pious Endeavours haue Leene exerted to free vs of soe great an Euill threatned.
Notwithstanding, in so much as the prouision
1 Massachusetts Archives, vol. x. p. 246.
154
APPENDIX.
yt is already made [by reason of their prodigious insolency ] doth not secure vs of the future en- joym' of o' ciuill & religious Libertyes, as is to be desired. Wee therefore take o'selues bound, both in conscience to God, and faithfullnes to this Gouermnt aud people, whereof we are a part, to present the following Propositions to yo" most serious considerations, & yt at such a time.
1st. Not here to examine their malignity agst the establishm' of ciuill Gouermnt, in the hands of any such, as is subseruient to ye end thereof viz* the good of ye people.
whether these persons, are not indeed to be looked at, as professed Enemies to ye christian Magistrate,1 and open Seducers of ye people there- from, where they are permitted to be, they call- ing disobedience, vnto a great part of ye 5th Com- mandm", obedience : we say of ye 5th commandmt, ye foundatio of ye p'cepts of ye 2ª table, and this they hauld forth as openly, if not as much, as agst ye power of ye Magistrate, in matters of e- ligion belonging to the first Table.
2ly. Whether, their practise vnder pretence of new light, tends not manifestly, to ye vtter sub- version of the verry body of religion, witnes, their deniall of the Trinity, yt is to say, the Trinity of persons, or distinct subsistances in ye diuine na- ture, their deniall of ye person of Christ, of ye Scripturs as a rule of life, & of ye whole church justitution of ye Gospell, ye ordinary means appointed for ye conversion and edification of Soules.
1 See Capital Law title Conspiracy.
155
APPENDIX.
31y. Whether, their incorrigiblenes after soe much means vsed both for their conviction, & preserving this place from contagion, being such, as by reason of their malignant obduratices, dayly increaseth rather then abateth o' feare of ye Spirit of Muncer, or Jo" of Leyden reviued, & conse- quently of some destrnetine euill impending : Itt be not necessary, after ye example of other chris- tian common weales infected wth pests, not more perillous then these are, and ye common & vni- uersally approued argum of se defendendo, vpon ye sad experience of ye remedy hitherto applyed, is not only not effectuall, but contemned, and abused wth ye highest hand, if after ye sentance of banishm' added therevnto, they shall still pre- sumptuously obtrude themselues vpon this juris- diction, wheth" we say, it be not necessary to punish soe high incorrigiblenes, in such and soe many capitall euills, wth death, rather y" expose religion, this gouermnt, & ye whole people to both temporall and etern" ruine. And as for any y' may arise among o'Selues after conviction of being quakers wth an admonition therevnto, they shall still continue obstinate, y' then they in like man' may be sentenced to banishmt, and if thay shall againe presumptiously obtrude them- selues vpon this jurisdiction, yt yen thay may be proceeded wth as ye others.
Much Hond these Propositions humbly & re- ligiously presented [yo' Servants are far fro pre- scribing any thing to yor wisdomes] wth of prayers y a diuine Sentence may proceed out of
156
APPENDIX.
yo' mouth, & yt yo" lips may not transgress in judgmt, concerning some effectuall & speedy ex- pedient, yt may crowne you with being ye jnstru- mentall Sauiors of this people, in soe weighty a cause, & in this hower of N E temptation and together wth deliverance from o" feares, minister matter of perpetuall thanksgiuing on yor behalfe vnto o"selues, who are
Yo's most humbly devoted in all christian Ser- vice.
Wm Dauis
Natha: Duncan
James Johnson
John Wilson
Nathaniell Williams
Will Colbron
Henry Powning
James Penn
John Euered alies Webb
Ed Raynsford
Hezekiah Vsher
Robert Waker
Thomas Bumsted Tho Clark
Tho Marshall
Will Hudson
Theodore Atkinson William Salter
Willyam Dinsdale
Henry Phillips
Tho : Snow
Thomas Savage
John Hull
John Newgate
Anthony Stoddard
-
157
APPENDIX.
TIVE EXAM. OF QUAKERS AT YE COURT OF ASSISTANTS IN BOSTON, MARCH 7, '59-60.1
Joseph Nicholson, Jane his wife, and Wains- locke Christophersonne.
Christopher sayth he own's ye Scripture to be a true declaracon of X & be true words ; he saith ye mind of God man must know as they did wch gave forth ye Scriptures ; Xt is ye rule for ev'rie one to walk by.
X is ye word.
the letter kills ; ye Spirit giveth life.
I have not put ye Scripture in ye roome of Xt. Nichols to ye Gov" : thou errest, not knowing ye Scripture nor ye pow" of God, thou art not come to yt wych gave forth ye Scriptures. God heareth us, all th. is but jangling.
Christ. Xt sayth sweare not at all, love y" en- emies, & he yt swears is out of ye Doctrine of X.
Nicholson. you er from ye Scripture in keep- ing ye 1st day instead of ye Sabbath. Wee owne ministers of ye word, but not of ye letter. they yt take titles were nev" sent of God.
C
that Xt in whom I believe is a Spirit. a savior to ye Major Denis : thou nev heardest by voice. hearkeu to ye voyce of Xt wthin.
: yt will shew the thy sins.
Christoph. he hath a body. one body, & one spiritt. & no other but wt is meant in yt place Preaching. rea ling. singing. done by yt
1 Massachusetts Archives, vol. x. pp. 261-264.
(
1
158
APPENDIX.
Spirit of ye Lord we owne. All other is an abominacon.
Christoph. in obedience to ye Lord we come hither.
Nicholson. Wee owne quakering to be of God, and wee owne quakers whom you so call to be children of God & to be of ym they call quakers.
Christopher & Jane also answered Each of ym for thems. that they were of them they called Quakers.
The Jury was called over to ym all, and libty given to y" all to challenge any of ym off ye Bench.
March 8th, 1660.
Joseph Nicholson sayth ye law agst Quakers is a wicked law, & not of God.
His wife denyes ye law as not of God.
W. Christophson sayth as a witness for God & his law he stands agst you & yo' law, & yt ye law agst ye quakers is agst ye law of God and is a cor- rupt law neither pure nor holy, seeking for bloud; & Christ fulfilled ye law weh appoint mur- derers to be put to death.
Sayth he saw ye law before he came at M, & he came for a testimony agst this cruelty ; & the God of order ye know not. In ye name & feare of God I am come.
J. N. sayth ye God yt made Heaven & Earth is not yor God.
W. C. sayth the true God yt made heaven & earth we know & owne.
159
APPENDIX.
Math. Stanly sayth she bears witnes agst ye law, for X' came not to kill but to save.
Wm. King sayth he is warned of God not to goe, & yt he will stay, tho banished.
W. Christoph. sayth that he owned ye scrip- ture to be a true declaraccon, but not ye mind of God, & sayth that we know not ye word of God, & yt not one man here can prove ye scripture to be ye word of God. Sayth they are ye words of God, but not ye word; he sayth w+ he sayth is truth according to Scripture, & yt he stands here a witnes for God.
Margarett Smith sayth she denies ye law, & stands as a witnes agst ye same.
Benj. Bulflower sayeth he hath fulfilled ye law of God, & done all yt it requires.
Nich. Jnº Endecutt. I stand as an evidence agst ye thou knowest not ye pow" of God, & yt weh thou callest heresie in me shall stand for ev. higher than thee, although as high as ye Pope
Chambline. sayth yt he find not ye opinion · of ye Quakers to be cursed, but yt wych shall stand when all yors shall fall.
Wm King sayth he own ye Scripture to be a true declaraccon of ye word of God.
Mary Trask. & Smith & Martha Stanly. in a contemptuous & seditious mann. began & con- tinued to speak. to ye disturbance of . Court. so yt ye Court was forced to charge ye Jailor to cary y" out of ye Court.
Wm King sayth I am sure God doth & will plead o' cause.
,
160
APPENDIX.
from Redding.
Benj. Bulflower came into Court wth his hat, cockt : remaineing on his head. & refusing to pul? it of w comanded. & said he could justifie his accon by ye Scripture. Alleading for his prooffo yt Scripture. y' God threatned his people yt for y" sin he would bring a nation agst ym yt would not Hon' ye person of ye old man. ·
being examined in Court, i
Asserted. yt after ye Dissoluccon of ye Body & soule. ye body should nev be united to ye soule more. yt ye first day of ye weeke was not ye sab- boath but ye last day of ye weeke. ye 7th day.
Martha Stanly. late of tenterdon in Kent. & a single woman.
Saith she had a message from ye Lord. to vis- sitt her freinds in prison at Boston. her message was to turn people from darknes to light to ye virtues wthin : in her measure she hath spoaken ye same. & shall go on to ye laying down her life.
Saith wee meet wth many yt tell us we must sin whiles we live.
as any keep to ye light made manifest in con- science they sin not.
Sayth I acknowledge my selfs to be one of ym whom ye world in scorne call quakers.
Jnº Chambline of Boston came into Court wth his Hatt on.
ffrom Salem.
Wm King wth his Hatt on & Mary Trask & Mary Smith came into Court.
5
.
APPENDIX. 161
owned y they were at a meeting at Whartons on ye Sabboath day. & yt they were such as ye world called Quakers. this all of ym pticularly owned.
Wm King sayth Wharton was not at home w they were there - and I am sure We have cbeyed ye voyce of God in wt we have done & God sayth wo. be to y" pastors yt destroy ye fock of X.
March 9, 60.
Major Hawthorne at Dinn" wth ye Gov" & maiestrates at a court of assistants, said that at Salem y" was a woman called Consader Southieck, yt said shee was greater y" Moses, for Moses had seen God but twice & his backe parts, & shee had seen him 3 times face to face, instancing the place (i. e.) her old House one time, & by such a. swamp another time.
Also he said a woman of Lin being at yt meet- ing w Wm Robinson was y" who pressed much ye seeking for ye pow' w'hin. shee asked him How shee should come to feele ye pow" wthin. He told her yt shee must cast of all attendance to or- dinances, as publike p'ching, pray", reading ye Scripture, & attending to times of Gods worp, and then wayte for the communicaccon of ye poiv" sythn.
and He added yt Hee yt will do so, it will not be long, but ye Devill will appeare, either more explicitely, or at least implicitely to comu- necate hims -
11
162
APPENDIX.
JAMES CUDWORTH'S LETTER, WRITTEN IN THE TENTH MONTH, 1658.1
As for the State and Condition of Things amongst us, it is Sad, and like so to continue; the Antichristian Persecuting Spirit is very active, and that in the Powers of this World : He that will not Whip and Lash, Persecute and Punish Men that Differ in Matters of Religion, must not sit on the Bench, nor sustain any Office in the Common-wealth. Last Election, Mr. Hatherly, and my Self, left off the Bench, and my self Discharged of my Captainship, because I had entertained some of the Quakers at my House, (thereby that I might be the better acquainted with their Principles) I thought it better so to do, than with the blind World, to Censure, Con- demn, Rail at, and Revile them, when they neither saw their Persons, nor knew any of their Prin- ciples : But the Quakers and my self cannot close in divers Things ; and so I signified to the Court, I was no Quaker, but must bear my Tes- timony against sundry Things that they held, as I had Occasion and Opportunity : But withal, I told them, That as I was no Quaker, so I would be no Persecutor. This Spirit did Work those two Years that I was of the Magistracy ; during which time I was on sundry Occasions forced to Declare my Dissent, in sundry . Actings of that Nature ; which, altho' done with all Moderation of Expression, together with due respect unto
1 New England Judged, p. 168.
--
APPENDIX. 163
the Rest, yet it wrought great Disaffection and Prejudice in them, against me ; so that if I should say, some of themselves set others on Work to frame a Petition against me, that so they might have a seeming Ground from others (tho' first moved and acted by themselves, to lay me what they could under Reproach) I should do no Wrong. The Petition was with Nineteen Hands ; it will be too long to make Rehearsal : It wrought such a Disturbance in our Town, and in our Military Company, that when the Act of Court was read in the Head of the Company, had not I been present, and made a Speech to them, I fear there had been such Actings as would have been of a sad Consequence. The Court was again followed with another Petition of Fifty Four Hands, and the Court return'd the Petitioners an Answer with much plausibleness of Speech, carrying with it great shew of Respect to them, readily acknowledging, with the Petitioners, my Parts and Gifts, and how useful I had been in my Place ; Professing they had nothing at all against me, only in that Thing of giving Enter- tainment to the Quakers ; whereas I broke no Law in giving them a Nights Lodging or two, and some Victuals : For, our Law then was, - If any Entertain a Quaker, and keep him after he is warned by a Magistrate to Depart, the Party so entertaining, shall pay Twenty Shillings a Week, for Entertaining them. - Since hath been made a Law, - If any Entertain a Quaker, if but a quarter of an Hour, he is to forfeit Five
--
164
APPENDIX.
Pounds. - Another, - That if any see a Quaker, he is bound, if he live Six Miles or more frora the Constable, yet he must presently go and give Notice to the Constable, or else is subject to the Censure of the Court (which may be Hanging) -- Another, - That if the Constable know, or hear of any Quaker in his Precincts, he is presently to apprehend him ; and if he will not presently Depart the Town, the Constable is to Whip him, and send him away. - And divers have been Whipp'd with us in our Patent ; and truly, to tell you plainly, that the Whipping of thern with that Cruelty, as some have been Whipp'd, and their Patience under it, hath sometimes been the Occasion of gaining more Adherence to them, than if they had suffered them openly to have preached a Sermon.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.