USA > Massachusetts > The history of Massachusetts, the colonial period. 1492-1692 v. I > Part 22
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 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42
Resolutions condemning the public meetings of Mrs. Hutchinson were next passed; and others restricting the liberty of questioning the ministers openly for their ser- mons ; after which, having been in session three weeks, " the assembly broke up," much to the satisfaction of Gov- ernor Winthrop, who was so pleased with its " comfortable and cheerful" termination, that he proposed holding a similar meeting " the next year, to nourish love, and settle what remained to be agreed ; " but his motion, though " liked of all," seems not to have prevailed ! The minis- ters may have doubted the expediency of such conventions for "nourishing love! " 3
The result of this conclave could not be judged by the apparent harmony which prevailed at its gatherings. Mr. Hooker had expressed his doubts of the policy of a Synod, as its chief agents would be chief parties in the cause ; and " for them only who are prejudiced in the controversy to pass sentence, against cause or person, how improper ! how unprofitable!"4 The justice of these views was soon evident. In all ages of the Christian church, controversies have arisen; nor are such to be deprecated when conducted in the spirit of candor and kindness. Discussion elicits truth. Mind slowly progresses in the acquisition of light.
1 Cotton's Way, 41-7.
2 Hist. N. E., 303.
' Winthrop, 1. 285-8. Hub-
bard, chap. 40, gives a full account of this Synod.
+ Hutchinson, 1. 68.
256
RESULT OF THE SYNOD.
CHAP. And it is only by the active exercise of its powers that it IX. is preserved from stagnation, or from being encrusted with
1637. conservatism. We may lament the rancor which has too often disgraced such discussions ; the headstrong zeal, which has prompted to malevolence, rending anew the seamless coat of the Saviour ; and the contest for victory rather than for truth. So was it with the Synod which con- demned Antinomianism. Mr. Wheelwright and his friends were supposed to have been "clearly confuted and con- founded ; " yet, according to their accusers, " they per- sisted in their opinions, and were as busy in nourishing. contentions as before." Mr. Cotton alone stood aloof from : his old allies. The remonstrances of his brethren, and his perceptible decline in popular favor, operated, perhaps, far more effectually than all argumentation to disengage him from the interest of Mrs. Hutchinson. From the day of the Synod, therefore, he was no longer formidable. Past the " centre of indifference," he was now in a transition state, inclining to retrace his steps, and to come back to the bosom of the church, never more to depart.1
Hence Mr. Wheelwright stood comparatively alone; and, as the last male head of the Hydra monster which had so long disturbed the visions and harrowed the souls of the rest of his brethren, it was resolved to strike the final and effectual blow of decapitation. Accordingly, at the next court, " finding upon consultation that two so opposite par- ties could not continue in the same body without apparent hazard of ruin to the whole," it was "agreed to send away some of the principal ; " and for this a " fair opportunity," or more properly pretext, " was offered by the remonstrance or petition," which had been preferred by the friends of Mr. Wheelright, in which they affirmed him to be " inno-
1 Hubbard, 302; Cotton's Way, 47, 64; Baillie's Dissuasive, 58.
257
BANISHMENT OF MR. WHEELWRIGHT.
cent, and that the Court had condemned the truth of CHAP. Christ." His sentence was disfranchisement, and banish- 1X. ishment within fourteen days. From this he appealed to Nor 2, 1:39. the king; but was told an appeal did not lie, for by the king's grant they had power to determine without any res- ervation.1 Winter had set in when he took his departure from this scene of strife, and, with a few faithful compan- ions, who adhered to him through all vicissitudes, he jour- neyed to New Hampshire, and laid the foundations of · Exeter.2 Capt. Underhill, a " soldier of fortune, sceking provant and plunder," whose exploits in the Pequot War are blazoned by his own pen ; 3 a man in whom religious fervor was not so blended with Christian purity as to pre- serve him from suspicions of lechery and incontinency ; 4 who professed to have received the spirit of grace while " smoking his pipe "5 - though from the accompanying "smoke " it has been suggested that the spirit " came from the bottomless pit ; " 6- one of those hangers-on, who will attach themselves to any sect for the sake of notoriety, and whose excesses are not chargeable to those who have the misfortune to be afflicted with such adherents ; being sentenced to banishment as a signer of the seditious peti- tion, purposed to have joined Mr. Wheelwright, and was, for a time, a turbulent and refractory citizen of Dover ; but, becoming dissatisfied with his location, and " making his peace with his brethren at Boston," he removed to the Dutch settlement at Long Island, - his wife being a Dutch woman,- and age having cooled the impetuosity of his
1 Mass. Rec's., 1. 205, 207 ; Win- throp, 1. 293-4; Short Story, 28- 9; Coddington's Demonstration, 12. 2 Winthrop, 1. 338; Hutchinson, 1. 74; Hubbard, 242; Belknap's N. H., 1. 37. In 1644, " upon the acknowledgement of his evil car- riages," his sentence was commuted, 22*
and he was " received again as a member of this colony." Mass. Rec's., 3. 6.
8 In 3 M. H. Coll., 6.
+ Winthrop, 1. 324-6; 2. 16-17, 49, 76.
5 Winthrop, vol. 2.
6 Hubbard.
258
SENTENCE OF MRS. HUTCHINSON.
CHAP. passions, he there sobered down into a respectable " Burger- IX. master," and died in peace.1
Mr. Wheelwright being banished, the last obstacle to the expulsion of Mrs. Hutchinson was removed; and at the Nov. 2, same court, she was charged with her errors; but, neither 1637. softened by persuasion, nor moved by terror, she argued for two days ably and spiritedly in her own defense. Claiming to be supernaturally inspired, she " vented her revelations," rebuking her judges for their wicked persecu- tion of the truth, comparing herself to the prophet Daniel. in the den of lions, and declaring it had been " revealed to her, that she should come into New England, and should be persecuted, and that God would ruin the colonists, their posterity, and the whole estate for the same."2 In vain did Bradstreet intercede in her behalf. Neither her sex nor her claims impressed or softened the hearts of her judges ; and the prevailing party, exulting in its power, determined to cut up by the roots this " pestilent source of contention ; " and "Mrs. Hutchinson, the wife of Mr. William Hutchinson, being convented for traducing the ministers, and their ministry in the country .... was there- upon banished, and in the meanwhile was committed to Mr. Joseph Welde (of Roxbury) until the Court shall dis- pose of her."3
Finally, as spring dawned, the last act of the drama closed ; and, while the rude winds of March were bluster- Mar. 2, ing around, she was convented upon Lecture-day, and 1637-8. examined anew. She had been previously catechized by the church, and, persisting in upholding her " errors," Mr. Cotton, " fully satisfied that he had been made her stalking horse," and who was zealously engaged, publicly and pri-
1 Mass. Rec's., 1. 208; Winthrop, passim ; Dunlap's N. Y., 1. 73-83 ; Brodhead's N. Y .; Wood's Long Island, 1. 65, &c., &c.
" See Hutchinson, vol. 2, App.,
for her defense; and comp. Hub- bard, 284.
3 Mass. Rec's., 1. 207, 225, 226; Winthrop, 1. 304, 306.
259
PROCEEDINGS AGAINST HER ADHERENTS.
vately, in confuting her "heresies," was called upon to CHAP. pass the verdict of the church, and " pronounced the sen-
163S.
IL. tence of admonition with great solemnity, and with much zeal and detestation of her errors and pride of spirit." This was the unkindest cut of all! This blow staggered her! And the unhappy woman, baited and worried by her clerical .tormentors, " pumped and sifted to get something against her," stigmatized as "the American Jezebel," cast out of the church, spit upon, and defied as it were, scarce knew what she said; and, failing to give satisfaction to those whom nothing probably would now have made len- ient, was excommunicated in due form; and her husband having gone with others to Narraganset, thither she fol- lowed him, and upon the island of Aquidneck found a tem- porary but stormy home.1
The next step of the magistrates marks the intolerance of the age. All, who had adhered to Mr. Wheelwright or Mrs. Hutchinson, or signed petitions or remonstrances in their favor, and who refused to acknowledge their fault, were disarmed ; the powder and arms of the country were removed to Roxbury for safety ; divers military officers were censured for being " favorers of familistical persons and opinions ;" a law was passed to punish by fine, imprisonment, disfranchisement or banishment, any who should " defame any court, or any of its sentences ;" and the proceedings of the General Court upon this whole affair, with the reasons, were sent to England to be pub- lished, " to the end that our godly friends might not be dis- couraged from coming to us."2
1 Cotton's Way, 84-6; Winthrop, 1. 307-8, 309-11, 318, 322; 2. 18, 46-8; Johnson, in 2 M. H. Coll., 7. 14; Glass for the people of N. E., 10. 2 Mass. Rec's., 1. 208, 209, 211, 213; Winthrop, 1. 296-8; John- son, in 2 M. H. Coll., 7. 6; Hutch- inson, 1. 74. The work here re-
ferred to is that usually quoted as Welde's Short Story, though it would appear from the statements of Cotton, Way, 56-8, and Baillie, Dissuasive, 57, 6-4, that only the Preface was written by Mr. Welde, and that the body of the work was from another hand.
260
RESULTS OF THIS CONTROVERSY.
CHAP. 1X. Such was the end of the second controversy. Through- out, it was attended with the usual evils resulting from strong religious excitement. Some, during its progress, were " driven to utter desperation ;" and one poor mother, who " could not endure to hear of any comfort," took her infant and threw it into a well, exclaiming : "Now I am sure I shall be damned, for I have drowned my child !"1 Even after the departure of Mrs. Hutchinson, the rancor of the age, blinded with the spirit of malignant intolerance, invented and circulated stories of the most loathsome and extravagant character.2 And an earthquake, which occurred that year, was regarded as symbolical of the Antinomian shaking which the churches had received.3
Dec. 13, 1638. Very soon, however, complaints were heard of the " de- cay of religion, and the general decline of professors to the world."4 The customary reaction was taking place. Passions, intensely excited, must subside ; and experience proves that, in nearly all cases, where great religious com- motions have prevailed, characterized by more zeal than knowledge, there has been afterwards a dropping off of some of the more zealous, and they often become worse than they were before.
The sequel to Mrs. Hutchinson's history is melancholy and tragical. Remaining at Aquidneck until the decease 1642. of her husband, she removed thence to the "Dutch coun- try " beyond New Haven ; and the next year, with all her family save one daughter, was killed by the Indians. Her friends charged the guilt of her murder upon those who expelled her from Massachusetts ; her enemies pronounced it a judgment of God.5 No one, it is presumed, will exon-
1 Winthrop, 1. 281-2. 5 Short Story, Winthrop, Hub- bard, Mather, Trumbull, &c. Comp. also Bolton's West Chester, Brod- head's N. Y., Ellis's Life of Mrs. H., Upham's Life of Vane, and the Glass for the people of N. E., p. 8.
2 Winthrop, 1. 313-17, 326-8; Pref. Short Story ; Johnson,in 2 M. H. Coll., 4. 15; Cotton's Way, 91; Glass for the people of N. E., 11-12. : Winthrop, 1. 319.
+ Winthrop, vol. 2; Hubbard, 297; Hutchinson, 1. 74.
261
FATE OF MRS. HUTCHINSON.
erate either party from blame in this affair. Encompassed CHIAP. with the privations of a wilderness life, and invested with IX. the cares of a young and numerous family, the gentleness of her sex should have moderated the enthusiasm of Mrs. Hutchinson's zeal, and have restrained it within those bounds which can never be exceeded without detriment to the character of woman, however extraordinary her genius or brilliant her accomplishments. On the part of her judges, too, there was inexcusable severity, and unnecessary virulence ; and, had they profited by their own experience in the land of their nativity, they would have tempered their conduct with more charity and forbearance. The same spirit, doubtless, which, in 1646, adjudged Mrs. Oli- ver " to be whipped for reproaching the magistrates," and which actually inflicted the disgraceful punishment, and even added the indignity of placing " a cleft stick upon her tongue for reproaching the elders," might have hurried our fathers into similar excesses in their dealings with Mrs. Hutchinson, had it not been for the number and respecta- bility of her friends.1
Before the close of the controversy with Mrs. Hutchin- son, he whose destiny it was to stir afresh the bitter waters of theological strife, was already in the country ; and three colonies at least were involved in disputes with him. This was Samuel Gorton, a citizen of London, who arrived at Bos- ton in 1636, but who soon left that place and settled at Ply- 1636. mouth.2 By nearly all early writers he is branded as a "prodi- gious minter of exorbitant novelties," a " proud and pestilent seducer," " laden with blasphemies and familistical opin- ions."3 But later writers are more moderate in their cen- sures ; and one in particular, well qualified to judge in
1 Winthrop, 1. 33S-40; Morton's Mem., 106-8.
2 Simplicity's Defence, 18, 19, in Force, vol. 4, Tract 6; Hubbard, 402; Cotton's Tenet Washed, 5;
Hutchinson, 1. 112; N. E. Gen. Reg .. 4. 201, &c.
2 Cotton, Morton, Johnson, Hub- bard, Josselyn, Mather, &c.
262
CONTROVERSY WITH GORTON.
CHAP. such matters, speaking of his civil career in Rhode Island, IX. where most of his time was spent, says: "He was almost constantly in office; and during a long life there is no instance of record, to my knowledge, of any reproach or censure cast upon him." 1
.
That he professed little reverence for constituted author- ities, civil or religious, is unquestionable ; and his conduct towards such was never over respectful, nor is it matter of surprise that it was regarded, in many instances, as con- temptuous and provoking. That he was sincere in his reli- gious opinions, we see no reason to doubt; but, unfortu- nately for him, those opinions were at variance with the creed of his day ; and unfortunately for us, they are couched in such ambiguous language that few can comprehend them. His idiosyncrasies were mysticism and enthusiasm ; and, conceiving himself inferior to no one in abilities or conse- quence, he was usually in the attitude of opposition and defiance. Yet we are unwilling to admit that he possessed naturally a malevolent spirit, or that his character was radically and wholly corrupt. In either respect, it is quite probable, he was as good as the average of his accusers. His greatest fault was rashness ; that lack of forbearance, affability and courtesy, without which the path of life is rugged and thorny. He was a leveler of the sternest kind, and withal an enthusiast, not without conceit. In his wri- tings there are strong and even eloquent passages ; and he pleads his own cause with that air of sincerity, which makes it the more necessary to subject to an impartial scru- tiny the conflicting details of his extraordinary career.
June, 1638.
Soon after his settlement at Plymouth, we find him in collision with both ministers and magistrates ; and for his
1 Hon. S. Eddy, in Savage's Win- C. Deane, Esq., in N. E. Gen. Reg., throp, 2. 70-1. See also Eliot, in 4. 211, &c., &c. Hubbard, chap. 47, gives an account of the contro- versy with Gorton. 1 M. H. Coll., 9. 35-6 ; Callender, in 4 R. I. Coll. ; Mackie's Life of Gorton; Staple's Annals of Prov. ;
263
HE IS BANISHED TO RHODE ISLAND.
" turbulent carriage " he was amerced in a heavy fine, and CHAP. required to find sureties during his stay, which was limited~ IX. to fourteen days.1 In "the extremity of winter" he left for Rhode Island. Here, being convicted of similar insub- ordination, he was first imprisoned, and afterwards whipped.2 Moving to Providence, Roger Williams, true to his princi- 1639-40 ples, afforded him a shelter, although he had no sympathy with his particular views. But here, too, as elsewhere, he was soon involved in disputes, growing out of lands he had purchased ; and in the heat of passion blows were given, and " some few drops of blood were shed on either side."3 The old residents, fearful that Gorton would expel them from their possessions, applied to Massachusetts for aid ; Nov. 17, but were required first to "submit themselves to some 1641. jurisdiction," and after nearly a year's delay, four persons
Sept , went to Boston and " yielded themselves and their lands to 1. be protected by Massachusetts."4
Immediately the colonial authorities, assuming jurisdic- Oct- 28, tion over all the inhabitants of Providence, - a claim which 1612. was eagerly set up, and long persisted in, -issued a war- rant informing them of this submission, and adding : " We . are to maintain them in their lawful right. If therefore you have any just title to anything they possess, you may proceed against them in our court, where you shall have equal justice : but if you shall proceed to any violence, you must not blame us, if we take a like course to right
1 Morton, Mem., says he was con- vented in Dec. 1638; but Callender and Staples say he wasat Aquidneck in June .- See further on the causes of his removal, Winslow's Hypoc. Unmasked; Gorton's Lett. to Mor- ton, 6, 7, in Force, vol. 4; and Deane, in N. E. Gen., 4. 212-13. " Winslow's Hypoc. Unmasked, 51-4; Lechford, in 3 M. II. Coll., 3. 96-7; Josselyn, in ibid., 382; Morton's Mem., 108; Gorton's Lett., 8; N. E. Gen. Reg., 4. 214.
3 Winslow ; Winthrop, 2. 71; Providence Letter, in 3 M. H. Coll., 1. 2-4; Williams's Lett., and Ar- nold and Winthrop's Statement, in N. E. Gen. Reg., 4. 216-19; Wil- liams's Reply to Cotton, 113; Mor- ton's Mem.
+ Winthrop, 2. 69-71, 102; Col. Rec's., vol. 2 .; 3 M. H. Coll., 1. 2-4; Staples, Ann. Prov., 45-6.
264
A WARRANT ISSUED AGAINST HIM.
CHAP. them."1 To this warrant a characteristic reply was sent ;2 IX. and, purchasing of Miantonomo, a parcel of land at Shaw- Jan. 12, omet, now Warwick, thither, with his eleven associates, 1642-3. Gorton soon after removed. But here he was again involved in difficulty ; for " Pomham and Socononoco," two - petty . sachems, laid claim to the land he had purchased, and came under the jurisdiction of Massachusetts for defense.3
June, 1643. Sap. 12. Upon this, a warrant was issued to the inhabitants of Shaw-omet requiring their appearance at Boston ;4 and Sep. 15. three days after, a Reply from Randall Holden was sent to " The Great and Honoured Idol General now set up in the Massachusetts," in which he says : "We are resolved that according as you put forth yourselves toward us, so shall you find us transformed to answer you. If you put forth your hand to us as countrymen, ours are in readiness for you ; - if your sword be drawn, ours is girt upon our . thigh ; - if you present a gun, make haste to give the first fire, for we are come to put fire upon the earth, and it is our desire to have it speedily kindled."5 Gorton's reply was verbal, refusing to appear ;6 and the government, Sep. 19. taking it " disdainfully," issued a second warrant, and sent troops to enforce its execution.7
Sep. 28. Hearing of their approach, Gorton forbade their setting foot upon his land ; but the reply of the officers was, that they should attend their duty. Finding a collision was inevitable, the little colony prepared for resistance ; but by the intervention of Providence friends, a parley was pro- posed. This, however, delayed matters but a short time.
1 Simplicity's Defence, 21.
* Simplicity's Defence, 24-44. 3 Winthrop, 2. 144-8; Simplici- ty's Def., 24, 45 ; Hutch. Coll., 131, 275-82; Cotton's Reply, 6; Mass. Rec's., 2. 38, 40.
Simplicity's Defence, 46.
' 3 M. H. Coll., 1. 5-15. " Simplicity's Defence, 45.
7 Mass. Rec's., 2. 41; Winthrop, 3. 165-6; Simplicity's Def., 47; Cotton's Reply, 6; Johnson, in 2 M. H. Coll., 7. 50.
265
GORTON TAKEN PRISONER.
The fortress of the colonists was besieged, they were taken CH .!! '. prisoners, and marched to Boston. Here they were parad- -
IX. ed through the streets with great pomp; and, being com- mitted to jail, at the next court they were called to answer to- the charge of heresy. From the writings of Gorton, " twenty-six blasphemous particulars " were gathered ; and, as he failed to clear himself to the satisfaction of the court, he was condemned as a blasphemer. The clergy were for Nov. ::. passing a sentence of death ; but the deputies dissented, 1611. and his life was spared. Yet the sentence of the party was a cruel one. They were confined with irons upon their legs, kept at work for their living, and their cattle and goods were taken to defray the expenses of the court.1
At the spring court they were released ! - because, for- Mar. ; sooth, " we found they did corrupt some of our people, especially the women, by their heresies."2 We suspect, however, there is truth in the suggestion of Gorton, that the people were dissatisfied with the severity of their sen- tence ; and possibly the government may have heard of the appointment of the Earl of Warwick, as Governor-in-Chief of the Plantations in America, and it may have been feared that complaints would be made to him, and the affair become troublesome.3
Returning to Shaw-omct, there the liberated "heretics" remained for a time, and continued residents of the Rhode Island Colony after its charter was received ; and, though frequently in collision with the people of Massachusetts, and never regarded with favor, they were comparatively unmolested, the shield of a higher power being thrown
1 Simplicity's Def., 45, 49-75; Mass. Rec's., 2. 51, 52; Winthrop, 2. 168-177 ; Downing's Letter, in
3 M. H. Coll., 1. 15-16.
2 Winthrop, 2. 178-9 ; Chalmers, Ann., 197.
' Simplicity's Def., 83-4. This
whole affair, on the part of Massa- chusetts, was a stretch of authority, into which the magistrates were doubtless betrayed by their zeal for the suppression of heresy, and their fears of contamination from the proximity of the heretics.
23
1643-4.
اند
266
REFLECTIONS UPON THESE CONTROVERSIES.
CHAP. around them than that which emanated from a colonial IX. court.1
There is little that is pleasant in the details of the pres- ent chapter, and we may be blamed for the plainness with which we have spoken. It is difficult at all times, espe- cially where religious dissensions are the subject of inquiry, to discern the truth through the refractions of paradox, and contradictory extremes. Each party is inclined to favor its own side, and to cast opprobrium upon its oppo- nents. We have endeavored to guard against the influence of prejudice, and to weigh in an even balance the state- ments of all. Doubtless the controversies of the seven- teenth century were as important in the eyes of the gen- eration then living, as the controversies of the nineteenth century are in our eyes. The form of discussion may be changed, but the subjects remain. And though it is diffi- cult to interest ourselves strongly in what appear to be unintelligible subtleties, these subtleties were not cold abstractions, but earnest and solemn realities then ; and men were as ready zealously to contend for them, as if the interests of time, as well as those of eternity, hung upon their decisions.
1 The details of the controversy with Gorton, and the other inhabi- tants of Rhode Island, more properly belong to the history of the latter State, and are, therefore, omitted here. The interference of Massa- chusetts was unquestionably impoli-
tic, if not unjust, and can only be accounted for on the grounds stated in the preceding note. For further particulars, see Mass. Archives ; Mass. Records; and Mass. Hist. Coll's.
CHAPTER X.
LEGISLATION OF THE COLONY. DIFFICULTIES WITH ENGLAND.
THE civil history of every country is profoundly inter- CHAP. esting, as a development of the progress of mind in the X. sublime science of government ; and State and National laws are criteria of that progress, discovering, to the phi- losophic observer, the different steps by which, as virtue and intelligence increase, communities advance to higher and still higher degrees of freedom and improvement. Especially has the jurisprudence of the Massachusetts Com- monwealth peculiar claims upon our attention, as unfolding the principles and policy of the founders of that Common- wealth. The Charter of Charles I. was the cherished pal- ladium of their rights ; its broad seal was the sanction of the authority which was exercised; and it was the intention of the grantees, under its provisions, to frame their laws, so far as practicable, in harmony with the laws of the land of their birth.
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.