present) to be erroneous and very dangerous, and that the calling of him to office, at that time, was judged a great contempt of authority. So, in fine, time was given to him and the church of Salem to consider of these things till the next General Court, and then either to give satisfaction to the Court, or else to expect the sentence; it being professedly declared by the ministers (at the request of the Court to give their advice) that he who should obstinately maintain such opin ions (whereby a church might run into heresy, apostacy, or tyrany and yet the civil magistrate could not intermeddle) were to be removed, and that the other churches ought to request the magistrates so to do."

"At this General Court, Mr. Williams, the teacher of Salem, was again convented, and all the ministers in the Bay being desired to be present, he was charged with the said two letters, that to the churches, complaining of the magistrates for injustice, extreme oppression, &c. and the other to his own church, to persuade them to renounce communion with all the churches in the Bay, as full of antichristian pollution, &c. He justified both these letters, and maintained all his opinions; and, being offered further confidence or disputation, and a month's respite, he chose to dispute presently. So Mr. Hooker was chosen to dispute with him, but could not reduce him from any of his errors. So, the next morning, the Court sentenced him to depart out of our jurisdiction within six weeks, all the ministers, save one, approving the sentence; and his own church had him under question also for the same cause; and he, at his return home, refused communion with his own church, who openly disclaimed his errors, and wrote an humble submission to the magistrates, acknowledging their fault in joining with Mr. Williams in that letter to the churches against them," &c.

The sentence was in these terms: "Whereas Mr. Roger Williams, one of the elders of the church of Salem, hath broached and divulged divers new and dangerous opinions, against the authority of magistrates; as also writ letters of defamation, both of the magistrates and churches here, and that before any conviction, and yet maintaineth the same without any retractation; it is therefore ordered, that the said Mr. Williams shall depart out of this jurisdiction within six weeks now next ensuing, which, if he neglect to perform, it shall be lawful for the Governor and two of the magistrates to send him to some place out of this jurisdiction, not to return any more without license from the court."

"11 mo. January. The Governor and Assistants met at Boston to consider about Mr. Williams, for that they were credibly informed, that, notwithstanding the injunction laid upon him (upon the liberty granted him to stay till the spring,) not to go about to draw others to his opinions, he did use to entertain company in his house, and to preach to them, even of such points as he had been censured for; and it was agreed to send him into England by a ship then ready to depart. The reason was, because he had drawn above twenty persons to his opinion, and they were intended to erect a plantation about the Nar

raganset Bay, from whence the infection would easily spread into these churches, (the people being many of them much taken with the apprehension of his godliness.) Whereupon a warrant was sent to him, to come presently to Boston to be shipped, &c. He returned answer (and divers of Salem came with it,) that he could not come without hazard of his life, &c. Whereupon a pinnace was sent with commission to Capt. Underhill, &c. to apprehend him, and carry him aboard the ship, (which then rode at Nantasket ;) but, when they came at his house, they found he had been gone three days before; but whither they could not learn.

"He had so far prevailed at Salem, as many there, (especially of devout women) did embrace his opinions, and separated from the churches, for this cause, that some of their members, going into England, did hear the ministers there, and when they came home the churches here held communion with them."

Ann Hutchinson, her opinions, &c.—Mrs. Hutchinson, the wife of one of the most respectable New England planters, came over to Boston in 1636. She was treated with respect and much noticed by Mr. Cotton and other principal persons, particularly by Mr. Vane, the Governor. Being a woman of superior abilities, she set up religious meetings of her own, where she repeated the sermons which were delivered on the Lord's day before, adding her remarks and expositions. Her lectures, which made much noise, were attended by 60 or 80 of the principal women. Countenanced and encouraged for a time by Mr. Cotton and Mr. Vane, she advanced doctrines and opinions which involved the colony in disputes and contentions, which seemed to threaten ruin both to the church and state. Mr. Wheelwright, her brother in law, a minister of learning and piety, was firmly attached to her, and suffered with her on account of his tenets. The progress of her sentiments occasioned the Synod of 1637. Mrs. Hutchinson was finally banished to Rhode Island, and from thence, in 1642, after her husband's death, she removed into the Dutch country beyond New Haven, and the next year she and all her family, consisting of sixteen persons, were killed by the Indians, excepting one daughter whom they carried into captivity. The following extracts from Winthrop's Journal, will serve to show the proceedings against her, and the opinions which she advanced.

1637, mo. 10." The court also sent for Mrs. Hutchinson, and charged her with divers matters, as her keeping two public lectures every week in her house, whereto 60 or 80 persons did usually resort, and for reproaching most of the ministers, viz. all except Mr. Cotton, for not preaching a covenant of free grace, and that they had not the seal of the spirit, nor were able ministers of the new testament, which were clearly proved against her tho' she thought to shift it off, and after many speeches to and fro, at last she was so full as she could not

that

contain, but vented her revelations, amongst which this was one, she had it revealed to her that she should come into New England, and should here be presented, and that God would ruin us and our posterity and the whole state for the same. So the court proceeded and banished her; but because it was winter they committed her to a private house where she was well provided, and her own friends and the elders permitted to go to her, but none else.

mo. 10. "Upon occasion of the censures of the court upon Mrs. Hutchinson and others, divers other foul errors were discovered which had been secretly carried by way of inquiry, but after were maintained by Mrs. Hutchinson and others, and so many of Boston were tainted with them, as Mr. Cotton finding how he had been abused, and made (as himself said) their stalking horse (for they pretended to hold nothing but what Mr. Cotton held and himself did think the same) did spend most of his time both publicly and privately, to discover these errors, and to reduce such as were gone astray. And also the magistrates calling together such of the elders as were near, did spend two days in consulting with them about the way to help the growing evils. Some of the secret opinions were these, That there is no inherent righteousness in a child of God-That neither absolute nor conditional praises belong to a christian-That we are not bound to the law not as a rule &c.-That the sabbath is but as other days-That the soul is mortal 'till it be united to Christ, and then it is annihilated, and the body also, and a new given by Christ-That there is no resurrection of the body.

1638. mo. 1, 22. Mrs. Hutchinson appeared again. She had been licensed by the court, in regard she had given hope of her repentance, to be at Mr. Cotton's house, that both he and Mr. Davenport might have the more opportunity to deal with her, and the articles being again read to her, and her answer required, she delivered it in writing, wherein she made a retraction of near all, but with such explanations and circumstances as gave no satisfaction to the church, so as she was required to speak further to them.

After she was excommunicated, her spirit which seemed before to be somewhat dejected, revived again, and she gloried in her sufferings, saying that it was the greatest happiness next to Christ, that ever befel her. Indeed it was a happy day to the church of Christ here, and to many poor souls who had been seduced by her who by what they heard and saw that day, were, thro' the grace of God, brought off quite from her errors, and settled again in the truth.

At this time the good providence of God so disposed, divers of the congregation (being the chief men of the party, her husband being one) were gone to Naragansett to seek out a new place for plantation, and taking liking of one in Plymouth patent, they went thither to have it granted them, but the magistrates there knowing their spirit, gave them a denial, but consented they might buy of the Indians an island in the Naragansett Bay.

After two or three days the Governor sent a warrant to Mrs. Hutchinson to depart this jurisdiction before the last of this month, accord

ing to the order of court, and for that end set her at liberty from her former constraint, so as she was not to go forth of her own house 'till her departure; and upon the 28th, she went by water to her farm at the Mount, where she was to take water with Mr. Wheelwright's wife and family to go to Piscat: but she changed her mind and went by land to Providence and so to the Island in the Narragansett Bay, which her husband and the rest of that sect had purchased of the Indians and prepared with all speed to remove unto. For the court had ordered that except they were gone with their families by such a time, they should be summoned to the General Court.

1641. Mrs. Hutchinson and those of Aquiday island broached new heresies every year. Divers of them turned professed anabaptists, and would not wear any arms, and denied all magistracy among christians, and maintained that there were no churches since those founded by the apostles and evangelists, nor could any be, nor any pastors ordained, nor seals administered but by such, and that the church was to want these all the time she continued in the wilderness, as yet she was. Her son Francis and her son in law Mr. Collins (who was driven from Barbadoes where he had preached a time and done some good, but so soon as he came to her was infected with her heresies) came to Boston and were there sent for to come before the Governor and council, but they refused to come except they were brought, so the officer led him, and being come (there were divers of the elders present) he was charged with a letter he had written to some in our jurisdiction, wherein he charged all our churches and ministers to be antichristian, and many other reproachful speeches, terming our king, king of Babylon, and sought to possess the people's hearts with evil thoughts of our government and of our churches &c. He acknowledged the letter, and maintained what he had written, yet sought to evade the confessing there was a true magistracy in the world and that christians must be subject to it. He maintained also that there were no gentile churches (as he termed them) since the apostles times, and that none now could ordain ministers &c. Francis Hutchinson did agree with him in some of these, but not resolutely in all; but he had reviled the church of Boston (being then a member of it) calling her a strumpet. They were both committed to prison; and it fell out that one Stoddard, being then one of the constables of Boston, was required to take Francis Hutchinson into his custody 'till the afternoon, and said withal to the Governor, sir, I came to observe what you did, that if you should proceed with a brother otherwise than you ought, I might deal with you in a church way. For this insolent behaviour he was committed, but being dealt with by the elders and others, he came to see his error, which was that he did conceive that the magistrate ought not to deal with a member of the church before the church had proceeded with him. So the next Lord's day in the open assembly, he did freely and very affectionately confess his error and his contempt o authority, and being bound to appear at the next court he did the like there to the satisfaction of all; yet for example's sake he was fined 20s. which, tho' some of the magistrates would have had it much less,

or rather remitted, seeing his clear repentance and satisfaction in public left no poison or danger in his example, nor had the commonwealth or any person sustained danger by it. At the same court Mr. Collins was fined £100 and Francis Hutchinson £50 and to remain in prison 'till they gave security for it. We assessed the fines the higher, partly that by occasion thereof they might be the longer kept in from doing harm (for they were kept close prisoners) and also because that family had put the country to so much charge in the synod and other occasions to the value of £500 at least: but after, because the winter drew on, and the prison was inconvenient, we abated them to £40 and £20 but they seemed not willing to pay any thing. They refused to come to the church assemblies except they were led, and so they came duly. At last we took their own bonds for their fine, and so dismissed them. Other troubles arose in the island by reason of one Ni: Eason, a tanner, a man very bold, tho' ignorant, he using to teach at Newport where Mr. Coddington their Governor lived, maintained that man hath no power or will in himself, but as he is acted by God, and that seeing God filled all things, nothing could be or move but by him, and so he must needs be the author of sin &c. and that a christian is united to the essence of God. Being shewed what blasphemous consequences would follow hereupon, they professed to abhor the consequences, but still defended the propositions, which discovered their ignorance, not apprehending how God could make a creature as it were in himself, and yet no part of his essence, as we see by familiar instances. The light is in the air, and in every part of it, yet it is not air, but a distinct thing from it. There joined with Ni: Eason, Mr. Coddington, Mr. Coggeshall and some others, but their minister Mr. Clark and Mr. Lenthall and Mr. Harding and some others dissented and publicly opposed, whereby it grew to such heat of contention, that it made a schism among them.

Difficulties with Gorton.-Samuel Gorton, the first settler of Warwick, R. I. came to this country in 1636, and in a few years occasioned a good deal of disturbance by the religious principles which he advanced. Leaving Boston, he went to Plymouth, and disturbing the church there, he was whipped and required to find sureties for his good behavior, which not being able to do, he was driven, it is said, to Rhode Island. At Newport he was also whipped for his contempt of the civil authority. From this place he went to Providence, where Roger Williams, with his usual humanity, although he disliked his principles and practice, gave him a shelter. Gorton afterwards purchased some lands of the Indians, and having made some encroachments, complaints were entered against him in the court of Massachusetts. Being required to answer for his conduct, by the court, he treated their summons with contempt. In May, 1643, Capt. Cook, with about 40 soldiers, were sent against Gorton and his associates, who were taken prisoners and carried to Boston. He was sentenced to imprison