USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Springfield > The first century of the history of Springfield; the official records from 1636 to 1736, with an historical review and biographical mention of the founders, Volume I > Part 7
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"October 16, 1650 .- The General Court now sittinge at Boston in New England, this sixteenth of October, 1650. There was brought to our hands a book written, as was therein subscribed, by William Pynchon, gent, in New Eng- land, entitled The Meritorious Price of our Redemption, Justification, &c., clearing it from some common Errors, &c., which booke, brought over here by a shippe a few days since, and contayninge many errors & heresies generally condemn- ed by al orthodox writers that we have met with, we have judged it meete and necessary for vindication of the truth, so far as in us lyes, as also to keep and preserve the people here committed to our care & trust in the true knowledge & fayth of our Lord Jesus Christ, & of our own redemption by him, as likewise for the clearing of ourselves to our Christian breth- ren and others in England, (where this book was printed and dispersed,) hereby protest our innocency, as being neither partyes nor privy to the writing, composing, printing, nor di- vulging thereof; but that on the contrary, we detest and ab- horre many of the opinions & assertions therein as false, ero- neous, hereticall; yea, & whatsoever is contayned in the said book which are contrary to the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament. & the generall received doctrine of the orthodox churches extant since the time of the last and best reforma- tion, & for proof and evidence of our sincere and playne meaning therein, we do hereby condemn the said book to be burned in the Market Place, at Boston, by the Common Exe- cutioner, on the morrow immediately after lecture, & doe pur- pose with all convenient speed to convent the said William Pynchon before authority, to find out whether the said Wil- liam Pynchon will owne the said book as his or not; which if he doth, we purpose (God willing) to proceed with him ac- cording to his demerits, unless he retract the same, & give full satisfaction both here & by some second writing, to be print- ed and dispersed in England; all which we thought needful, for the reasons above aleaged, to make known by this short protestation & declaration: Also we further purpose, with what convenient speed we may, to appoynt some fitt personto
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make particular answer to all materiall and controversyall passages in the said book, & to publish the same in print, that so the errors and falsityes therein may be fully discovered, the truth cleared, & the minds of those that love & seek after truth confirmed therein."
It being put to vote in the House of Deputies six of its members voted in the negative, viz: Capt. William Hathorne, the Speaker, and Henry Bartholomew of Salem; Joseph Hills of Malden, Richard Walker of Reading, Stephen Kingsley of Braintree, and Edward Holyoke, sitting for Springfield,- the father of Elizur Holyoke.
The following was also adopted immediately after the pas- sage of the preceding :-
"It is agreed uppon by the whole Court that Mr. Norton, one of the reverend elders of Ipswich, should be entreated to answer Mr. Pynchon's book with all convenient speed."
"It is ordered that the foregoing declaration concerning the book subscribed by the name of William Pynchon, in New England, gent, should be signed by the Secretary, and sent into England to be printed there."
"It is ordered that William Pynchon shall be summoned to appeare before the next General Court of Election, on the first day of their sitting to give his answer for the book print- ed and published under the name of William Pynchon, in New England, gent., entitled the Meritorious Price of our Redemption, Justification, &c., & not to depart without leave from the Court."
The books were accordingly burned forthwith in the mar- ket place, a few copies presumably being saved for the use of the authorities and the clergymen who were interested in bringing the author either to justice or to a more orthodox frame of mind.
Mr. Pynchon's disappointment and grief at the cruel de- struction of the fruit of his labor must have been intense. He had published the book, undoubtedly, as a labor of love, hoping to spread among his people a more wholesome re- ligious spirit than that inspired by the old theology, and
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probably without realizing that he was to be reproached with attempting to overturn Christianity and to be summoned to court like a common criminal.
He attended the May session of the General Court in 1651, both in the capacity of a witness against the unfortunate Mary Parsons and to answer to the complaint as to his book. He was detained a fortnight or so in Boston, and at the request of the Court he conferred with the leading clergy- men of the colony about his alleged heresies. One layman even with Mr. Pynchon's, learning, could hardly compete in argument with three eminent divines skilled in the discussion of the metaphysical niceties in which the schools of that day delighted. As a result of a prolonged conference he prac- tically acknowledged himself in error on a single point- that Christ's sufferings were more than mere trials of obedi- ence. as he said. but were appointed as the "due punishment for our sins." He did not admit, however, nor did he ever af- terward, that Christ actually suffered the torments of hell. Still. it was a great concession and was so regarded by the Court, as will be seen by the record:
"May 22, 1651 .- Mr. William Pynchon, being summoned to appeare before the Generall Court. according to their or- der. the last session. made his appearance before the Court. and being demaunded whether that book which goes under his name, and then presented to him, was his or not, he an- swered for the substance of the book. he owned it to be his.
"Whereuppon the Court, out of their tender respect to him. ordered him liberty to conferr with all the reverend eld- ers now present, or such of them as he should desire and choose. At last he took it into consideration. and returned his mind at the present in writing. under his hand, viz :-
According to the Court's advice, I have conferred with the Reverend Mr. Cotton, Mr. Norrice. and Mr. Norton. about some points of the greatest consequence in my booke. and I hope I have so explained my meaning to them as to take off the worst construction, and it hath pleased God to let me see that I have not spoken in my booke so fully of the price and
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merrit of Christ's sufferings as I should have done, for in my book I call them but trials of his obedience, yet intending thereby to amplifie and exalt the mediatorial obedience of Christ as the only meritorious price of man's redemption. But now at present I am much inclined to think that his suf- ferings were appointd by God for a farther end, namely, as the due punishment for our sins by way of satisfaction to di- vine justice for man's redemption.
Subscribed your humble servant in all dutifull respects,
WILLIAM PYNCHON.
Boston 9: 3mo., 1651.
"The Court finding by Mr. Pynchon's writing, given into the Court, that through the blessing of God on the paines of the reverend elders to convince him of his errors in his booke conceive that he is in a hopeful way to give good satisfac- tion, and therefore at his request, judge it meete to grant him liberty, respecting the present troubles of his family, to return home some day the next week if he please, and that he shall have Mr. Norton's answer to his booke up with him. to con- sider thereof, that so at the next sesion of this Court, being the 14th of October next, he may give all due satisfaction as is hoped for and desired, to which session he is hereby en- joyned to make his personall appearance for that end.
"It is ordered that thanks be given by this Court to Mr. John Norton for his worthy paynes in his full answer to Mr. Pynchon's book, which at their desire he made, & since pre- sented them with: & as a recompence for his paynes and good service therein, doe order that the Treasurer shall pay him twenty pounds out of the next levy."
What Mr. Pynchon's family troubles were, to which the Court refers, we do not know, but it is not unlikely that their existence made him less firm in resisting the urgent argu- ments of the clergymen than one would have expected. He must have returned to Springfield saddened and dishearten- ed, having found his faithful work of fifteen years in the wil- derness and his success in building up the chief settlement of the Connecticut valley all set at naught by his old associ-
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ates in Boston in view of what they felt to be his almost un- pardonable sin, the writing of the truth as he believed it.
During the summer which followed William Pynchon's plans for the future were formed. He was in no mood for a contest; he was an old man and he knew that the outcome would be disgrace, confiscation of his property, ruin, and the destruction of his hopes and plans for the career of his son. He had retracted all that he could conscientiously do; the theologians were not satisfied, and if he remained in the colony a conflict must surely come, and with it ruin. He would return to England. The country which had perse- cuted the Pilgrims would now shelter him from New Eng- land by the Puritans and there he could pass his closing days in peace. It is a sad commentary on the extremes to which the Bay authorities proceeded.
In pursuance of his plans he conveyed to his son John Pynchon, as a gift, on September 28, 1651, all his lands and buildings on both sides of the Connecticut River at Spring- field. At this time his land grants from the town aggre- gated about 280 acres, and the conveyance made John Pynchon the largest land owner in the town. He also suc- ceeded to his father's business and later to his position as magistrate.
The Court met according to adjournment on the 14th of October, but Mr. Pynchon did not appear. Ten days later, on the 24th, the following was entered on the records :-
"The Court doth judge it meete and is willing, that all pa- tience be exercised toward Mr. William Pynchon, that, if it be possible, he may be reduced into the way of truth and that he might renounce the errors and heresies published in his book, and for that end, doe give him time to the next Generall Court, in May, more thoroughly to consider of the said er- rors and heresies in his said book, and well to weigh the judi- cious answer of Mr. John Norton, and that he may give full satisfaction for his offence, which they more desire than to proceed to so great a censure as his offence deserves. In case he should not give good satisfaction, the Court doth therefore
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order, that the judgment of the cawse be suspended till the honorable Court in May next, and that Mr. William Pynchon be enjoyned under the penalty of one hundred pounds to make his personall appearance at and before the next Gen- erall Court, to give full answer to satisfaction if it may be, or otherwise to stand to the judgment and censure of the Court."
"It is ordered by this Court that the answer to Mr. Pynch- on's book written by Mr. John Norton, shall be sent to Eng- land to be printed."
Here ends the record history of this remarkable case. Mr. Pynchon and his wife, and Rev. Mr. Moxon and family, left Springfield and returned to England, but the date of depart- ure is not known. His son-in-law, Henry Smith, followed him early the next year. Whether the prosecution was qui- etly dropped, or whether he went in defiance of the authori- ties, there is nothing of record to show. In the rural vil- lage of Wraysbury, England, not far from Windsor, Mr. Pynchon passed the rest of his life in tranquility. He pub- lished several theological works, among others a rejoinder to Mr. Norton's reply to his former book. He died October 29, 1662, aged 72.
The Rev. John Norton, who wrote the reply to Mr. Pynchon's book, was a clergyman of marked ability, and be- came soon afterward minister of the First Church in Bos- ton. It was from his home estate that his widow gave, years afterward, the land on which the Old South Church was built. He was a vigorous writer and one of the most skilful defenders of Calvinistic theology. In his reply he took up Pynchon's book, paragraph by paragraph and combatted his unanswerable logic. The book he declared contained three "damnable heresies," the results of which would be these :-
"The first holdeth us in all our sin, and continuethi the full wrath of God abiding upon tis.
"The second takes away our saviour.
"The third takes away our righteousness and our justifi- cation.
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"What need the Enemy of Jesus, grace and souls add inore?"
Mr. Norton's earnestness in the matter and his kindly per- sonal feeling for Mr. Pynchon are well expressed in the con- cluding paragraph of his book, in which he expresses the hope "that truth may look down from heaven. .. . . pre- serve the Reader from every false way, and lead him into all truth; magnifie his compassion in the pardon and recovery of the Author, a person in many respects to be very much tendered of us; in so saving of him (though as by fire) as that his rising again may be much more advantageous to the truth, comfortable to the people of God, and honourable to himself, than his fall hath been scandalous, grieving or dis- honorable."
William Pynchon's book, literally and figuratively, was "the voice of one crying in the wilderness." The details of his theology are of less importance to us than the fact that he alone in all New England dared to proclaim the faith that was in him when that faith was opposed to the lawfully es- tablished religion. It was a marked step forward in the evo- lution of religious truth, and we see in it a glimmering of the great light which many years later was to break over New England and dispel the gloom of an antequated and cruel theology. When he tests the rules of divine justice by the common standard of man's justice, he makes a bold depart- ure from Calvinism, and one recognizes the same spirit which has inspired others in later times.
Several of Pynchon's friends in England addressed appeals to the Governor and Council and the clergy in his behalf. The first which is printed in Mr. Norton's book, is a signed reply by five of the leading Massachusetts ministers to the appeal of certain English clergymen, and the second is the reply of the Governor and Council to a letter from Sir Henry Vane, both of which follow Mr. Pynchon's book.
On page 90, eleventh line, which reads, "Though I say that Christ did suffer." should read "did not suffer."
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THE MERITORIOUS PRICE OF Our Redemption, luftification, &c. Cleering it from fome common Errors ;
And proving ,
1. That Chrift did not fuffer for us thofe unutterable torments of Gods wrath, that commonly are called Hell-torments, to re- deem our foules from them.
Part I.
2. That Chrift did not bear our fins by Gods imputation, and therefore he did not bear the curfe of the Law for them.
Part II.
3. That Chrift hath redeemed us from the curfe of the Law (not by fuffcring the faid curle for us, but ) by a fatisfactory price of attonement; viz. by paying or performing unto his Father chat invaluable precious thing of his Mediatoriall obedience, wherof his Mediatoriall Sacrifice of attonement was the mafter. piece.
4. A finners righteoufneffe or juftification is explained , and clec- red from fome common Errors.
By William Pinchin, Gentleman, in New England.
The Mediator faith thus to his Father in Pfal 40.8,10.
I delight to do tby will O my God, jea thy Law us within my heart : (we.) I delight to do thy will, or Law, as a Mediator.
I have not hid thy righteousneffe within my heart, I have declared thy faithfulneffe , and thy falvetion: Namely, I have not bid thy rightcoufneffe, or thy way of making finners righteous, but have declared it by the performance of my Mediatoriall Sacrifice of at- tonement, as the procuring caule of thy attonement, to the great Congregation for their everlafting righteoufneffe.
LONDON, Printed by & OH for George Whittington, and James Moxon, and are to be fold at the blue Anchor in Corn hill neer the Royall Exchange. 16 50,
I hold that Jesus Christ our Mediator did pay the full price of our Re- demption to his Father by the merit of his mediatorial obedience, which according to God's determinate counsel, was tried through suffering, in- flicted upon his body as upon a Malefactor, by Satan and his Instruments.
I put as much worth and efficacy in Christ's Mediatorial obedience so tried, as they do that pleade most for our redemption by his suffering God's wrath for us.
They place the price of our Redemption in his suffering God's wrath for
-
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us in the full weight and measure, as it is due to our sins by the curse of the Law: I place the price of our redemption in the merit of his Media- torial obedience, whereof his Mediatorial sacrifice of Atonement was the Master-piece.
I agree with others in this, that divine wrath is fully satisfied for the sins of the Elect, by the merit of Christ's Mediatorial obedience. I differ from others in this, namely, in the manner of his satisfaction; I say that Christ did suffer God's wrath for our sins, by suffering the extremity of his wrath; neither did he suffer the torments of hell, neither in his body, nor in his soul, nor any degree of God's wrath at all.
Secondly, Though I say that Christ didfsuffer his Father's wrath nei- ther in whole nor in part; yet I affirm that he suffered all things that his Father did appoint him to suffer, in all circumstances, just according to the predictions of all the Prophets even to nodding of the head, and the spitting of the face, as these Scriptures do testifie.
I. Peter told the Jews that they had killed the Prince of Life, as God before had showed by the mouth of all the Prophets, that Christ should suffer, and fulfilled it so. Acts 3.17, 18.
2. Christ did expressly by his disciples tell that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things of the Elders and chief Priests and Scribes, and be killed and raised again the third day. Mat. 16.21.
3. After his resurrection he said to the two Disciples, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the Prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to suffer these things and to enter into his glory? Luke 24.25, and in verse 44.46 he said thus to all his Disciples: These are the words which I speak unto you, that all things must be fulfilled which are written in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets and in the Psalms concerning me; thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer and rise again from the dead on the third day.
4. Paul told the men of Antioch that the Rulers of the Jews condemned him because they knew not the voices of the Prophets concerning him, and therefore though they found no cause of death in him, yet they desired Pilate that he should be slain, and when they had fulfilled all things that were written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre. Acts 13.27, 28, 29,-mark this phrase, They fulfilled all things that were written of him; if they fulfilled all his sufferings, then it was not God's wrath that he suffered.
5. The Lord told Adam not only that the promised seed should break the devil's head-plot, but also that the devil should crucifie him and pierce him in the foot-sole. Gen. 3.15. The devil did it by his instrument, the Scribes and the Pharisees, by Pilate and the Roman soldiers.
The Vindication of Gen. 2.17 .- In the day thou eatest thereof thou shall die the death.
You say that the term Thou is thou in thine own person, and thou in thy posterity; thus far I approve of your exposition; but whereas you extend the term Thou unto the Redeemer, this last clause I dislike; for the death
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and curse here threatened cannot extend itself unto the Redeemer in the manner of his working out our redemption.
This Text doth not comprehend Jesus Christ within the compass of it. for this Text is a part of the Covenant only that God made with Adam and his posterity, respecting the happiness they had by Creation.
Death here threatened concerns Adam and his fallen posterity only therefore Christ cannot be included within this death.
God laid down this rule of Justice to Adam in the time of innocency, Why should the Mediator be comprehended under the term Thou? The nature of death intended in this Text is such as it was altogether impos- sible the Mediator should suffer it.
The death here threatened must be understood primarily of a spiritual death in sin.
Calvin in Gen. 2.17, demandeth what kind of death it was, that God threatened to fall upon Adam in this Text; he answereth to this purpose, It seemeth to me (saith he) that we must fetch the definition thereof from the contrary: Consider (saith he) from what life Adam fell, at the first (saith he) he was created in every part of his body and soul with pure qualities after the image of God, therefore on the contrary (saith he) by dying the death is meant, that he should be emptied of all the image of God, and possessed with corrupt qualities as soon as ever he did but eat of the forbidden fruit.
If there be any good and necessary reason (as there is) to exempt our Mediator from the first cursed spiritual death, then there is good reason also to exempt him from suffering any other curse of the Law whatsoever.
Examine the particulars of any other curse of the Law, and they will be found to be such as Christ could not suffer Diseases, natural death, putrefaction of body after death, eternal death, are curses of the law. Christ did not bear diseases and bodily infirmities, yet by common doc- trine of imputation you must affirm it; nor suffer natural death in our stead, nor see corruption, nor suffer eternal death, therefore he did not suffer the cursed death meant, Gen. 2.17.
My reasons why Christ could not suffer eternal death for our redemp- tions therefrom, are first, Then he must have suffered all other curses of the Law to redeem us from them, but I have shown that utterly impossi- ble immediately before. 2. Then he did descend locally into hell itself to suffer it there: for no man can suffer death eternal in this life: no man can suffer the second death after this life is ended.
If Christ bare Adam's sin by God's imputation, and his curse really, then you make Christ to be dead in sin.
Consider the true force of the word Impute in the natural signification thereof, and then I believe you will acknowledge that it cannot stand with the justice of God to impute our sins to our innocent Saviour; for to impute sin to any is to account them for guilty sinners, and to impute the guilt of other men's sins to any is to account them guilty of other men's by imputation.
If our Mediator had stood as a guilty sinner before God by his imputing
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of our sins to him, Then he could not have been a fit person in God's esteem to do the office of Mediator for our Redemption.
The common doctrine of imputation is I know not what kind of impu- tation; it is such a strange kind of imputation, it differs from all the sev- cral sorts of imputing sin to any that ever I can meet withal in all the Scriptures. ,
The Vindication of Isaiah 53.4 .- Surely he hath born our griefs, and carried our sorrows.
He saith not only (saith M. Jacob) that he sustained sorrows but (our) sorrows: yea, the Text hath it more significantly (our very) sorrows themselves, that is to say, those sorrows that else we should have born.
The Evangelist Mathew hath expounded this text in a quite contrary sense, Mat. 8.17, saying that this Text was fulfilled when Christ did bear our infirmities and sickness from the sick, not as a Porter bears a burthen by laying them on his own body, but bearing away by his own power.
Isa. 53.5. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed.
These words I confess do plainly prove that Christ did bear divers wounds, bruises, and stripes for our peace and healing: but yet the Text doth not say that he bare these wounds, bruises, and stripes of God's wrath for our sins.
I. It was Satan by his instruments that wounded and bruised Christ, according to God's prediction, Gen. 3.15.
2. Christ bare these wounds, bruises and stripes in his body only, not in his soul; for his soul was not capable of bearing wounds. Satan could not wound his soul: the Jews fulfilled all his sufferings, Acts 13.27, 29. Peter expounds the Text of his bodily sufferings only, I. Pet. 2.24. If Peter's Phraise, He bear our sins in his body on the tree, had meant any- thing of his bearing God's wrath for our sins, the case of his sufferings had not been a fit example to exhort to patience, his appeal to God had not been suitable. 3. The end was a trial of his mediatorial obedience and our peace.
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