might have his life and be at liberty if he would. He answered I am willing to die, I speak the truth. The court took great pains to persuade him to leave the country but to no purpose. The jury brought him in guilty and he was sentenced to die and suffered accordingly March 14th, 1660.

Mary Wright of Oyster-bay was tried at the court in September 1660. She said she came to do the will of the Lord and to warn them to lay by their carnal weapons and laws against the people of God, told the court they thirsted for blood. The court asked her what she would have them do, she said 'repent of your bloodshed and cruelty and shedding the blood of the innocent William Robinson, Marmaduke Stephenson, and Mary Dyer.' She said her tears were her meat many days and nights before she gave up herself to this work of the Lord, but added that if she had her liberty she would be gone quickly. Being found a quaker she was banished.

Edward Wharton who had been whipped before, was now indicted for being a quaker, convicted and sentenced to imprisonment and afterwards to banishment. Judah Brown and Peter Pierson stood mute. They were sentenced to be whipped at the cart's tail in Boston, Roxbury and Dedham.

John Smith of Salem for making disturbance at the ordination of Mr. Higginson, crying out What you are going about to set up our God is pulling down,' was committed to prison by order of court.

Philip Verin was also tried and imprisoned, Josias Southwick, first banished and returning, whipped at the cart's tail, and John Burstowe bound to his good behavior. These are all who were tried by the court of assistants or by the general court. Some at Salem, Hampton, Newbury and other places, for disorderly behavior, putting people in terror, coming into the congregations and calling to the minister in the time of publick worship, declaring their preaching, &c. to be an abomination to the Lord, and other breaches of the peace, were ordered to be whipped by the authority of the county courts or particular magistrates. At Boston one George Wilson, and at Cambridge Elizabeth Horton went crying through the streets that the Lord was coming with fire and sword to plead with them. Thomas Newhouse went into the meeting-house at Boston with a couple of glass bottles and broke them before the congregation, and threatened Thus will the Lord break you in pieces.' Another time M. Brewster came in with her face smeared and as black as a coal. Deborah Wilson went through the streets of Salem naked as she came into the world,* for which she was well whipped. For these and such like disturbances they might be deemed proper subjects either of a mad-house or house of correction, and it is to be lamented that any greater severities were

One of the sect apologizing for this behavior said, "If the Lord did stir up any of his daughters to be a sign of the nakedness of others, he believed it to be a great cross to a modest woman's spirit, but the Lord must be obeyed." Another quoted the command in Isaiah, cap. 20.-R. Williams. One Faubord of Grindleton carried his enthusiasm still higher, and was sacrificing his son in imitation of Abraham, but the neighbours hearing the lad cry, broke open the house and happily prevented it.

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made use of. After all that may be said against these measures, it evidently appears that they proceeded not from personal hatred and malice against such disordered persons, nor from any private sinister views, as is generally the case with unjust punishments inflicted in times of party rage and discord, whether civil or religious, but merely from a false zeal and an erroneous judgment. In support of their proceedings they brought several texts of the old testament. Come out of her my people,' &c. If thy brother entice thee to serve other gods thou shalt surely put him to death,' and 'for speaking lies in the name of the Lord his father shall thrust him through when he prophecieth,' and the example of Solomon who first laid Shimei under restraint and then for his breach put him to death, as also many passages of the new testament requiring subjection to magistrates, &c. and thus from a zeal to defend the holy religion they professed, they went into measures directly opposite to its true spirit and the great design of publishing it to the world.

That I may finish what relates to the quakers it must be further observed that their friends in England solicited and at length obtained an order from the King Sept. 9th, 1661, requiring that a stop should be put to all capital or corporal punishment of those of his subjects called quakers, and that such as were obnoxious to be sent to England."

Cotton Mather in his "Magnalia" gives a circumstantial account of many things relative to the Quakers. Although some of his narratives are to be received with some grains of allowance; yet it is believed that whatever he states as a matter of fact, is substantially correct. The following is extracted from the Magnalia:

"Although Quakerism has been by the new turn, that such ingenious men as Mr. Penn have given to it become quite a new thing; yet the old Foxian Quakerism, which then visited New England, was the grossest collection of blasphemies and confusions that ever was heard of. They stiled those blind beasts and liars, who should say that the scriptures reveal God; and affirmed it, the greatest error in the world, and the ground of all errors, to say, the scriptures are a rule for Christians. They said, that the scripture does not tell people of a Trinity, nor three persons in God, but that those three persons are brought in by the Pope. They held, that justification by that righteousness, which Christ fulfilled in his own person without us, is a doctrine of devils. They held, that they that believe in Christ are not miserable sinners, nor do those things they ought not to do. They said, if the bodies of men rise again, then there is a pre-eminence in the bodies of men above the bodies of beasts, which is to give Solomon the lie. They said, they are like to be deceived who are expecting that Christ's second coming will be personal. They said, those things called ordinances, as baptism, bread and wine, rose from the Pope's invention. They said, as for that called, the Lord's day, people do not understand what they say; every day is the Lord's day. And for prayer itself, they said all must cease from their own words, and from their own time, and learn to be silent, until the Spirit

give them utterance. They said-But it would be endless to enumerate their heresies; what we have already enumerated is enough to astonish us; in all of which I solemnly protest unto the reader, that I have not wronged them at all, but kept close to their own printed words. Reader, thou canst not behold these heresies, without the exclamation ordinarily used by the blessed Polycarp, when he heard any such matters uttered; "good God, unto what times hast thou reserved me!"

There are many grounds of hope, that the days of prevailing Quakerism will be but threescore years and ten; and if by reason of mens weakness they be fourscore years, yet the strength of it will then be wasted, it will soon be cut off and fly away. And among those grounds, I cannot but reckon the alterations which the sect of Quakers do experience, not only in the points of their faith, but also in that odd symptom of quaking, which by its using to arrest the bodies of their converts, gave denomination to them; for as one of their own expresses it, The mighty motions of the bodies of the Friends are now ceased, and Friends are still cool and quiet; the shaking and quaking of Friends bodies were to purge out sin; but the stillness being come, the mind is brought into a capacity to discern the voice of the Lord."

"Reader, I can foretell what usage I shall find among the Quakers for this chapter of our church history; for a worthy man that writes of them has observed, for pride, and hypocrisie, and hellish reviling against the painful ministers of Christ, I know no people can match them. Yea, prepare, friend Mather, to be assaulted with such language as Fisher the Quaker, in his pamphlets, does bestow upon such men as Dr. Owen; thou fiery fighter and green-headed trumpeter; thou hedghog and grinning dog; thou bastard that tumbled out of the mouth of the Babilonish bawd; thou mole; thou tinker; thou lizzard; thou bell of no metal, but the tone of a kettle; thou wheelbarrow; thou whirlpool; thou whirlegig. O thou firebrand; thou adder and scorpion; thou louse; thou cow-dung; thou moon-calf; thou ragged tatterdemallion; thou Judas; thou livest in philosophy, and logick which are of the devil."

Westminster Assembly of Divines, &c." In the year 1642, letters came to Mr. Cotton of Boston, Mr. Hooker of Hartford, and Mr. Davenport of New Haven, signed by several of the nobility, divers meinbers of the house of commons, and some ministers, to call them or some of them, if all could not come, to assist in the assembly of divines at Westminster.* Such of the magistrates and ministers as were near Boston met together, and most of them were of opinion that it

"The expression of the desires of those honorable and worthy personages of both houses of parlament who call and wish the presence of Mr. Cotton, Mr. Hooker and Mr. Davenport to come ovar with all possible speed, all or any of them, if all cannot. The condityon whearein the state of things in this kingdom doth now stand wee suppose you have from the relations of others, wheareby you cannot but understand how greate need there is of the healp of prayer and improvement of all good meanes from all parts for the seatlinge and composeing the affaires of the church. Wee therefore present unto you our earnest desires of you all. To shewe whearein or howe many wayes you may be useful would easely bee done by us and fownd by you weare you present with us. In all likelyhood you will finde opportunity enough to draw forth all that healpefullness that God shall affoard by you. And wee doubt not these ad

was a call of God, but Mr. Hooker did not like the business, and thought it was not a sufficient call to go a thousand leagues to confer about matters of church government. Mr. Davenport thought otherwise, but his churches having but one minister would not spare him Mr. Cotton thought it a clear call and would have undertaken the voy age if others would have gone with him. Soon after, other letters were received which diverted them from any thoughts of proceeding.* Mr. Hooker was about that time preparing for press a vindication of congregational churches, or rather framing a system or plan of church government, which he designed for the New England churches, let the determination at Westminster be what it would. Had the churches of New England appeared there by their representatives, or any of the principal divines appeared as members of the assembly greater exception might have been taken to their building after a model of their own framing. Several persons who came from England in 1643 made a muster to set up presbyterian government under the authority of the assembly at Westminster, but a New England assembly, the general court, soon put them to the rout."

PROGRESS OF CHRISTIANITY AMONG

THE NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. "IN 1650, a society in England, instituted for propagating the gospel, began a correspondence with the commissioners of the United Colonies, who were employed as agents for the society. In consequence, exertions were made to christianize the Indians. The Rev. Mr. Eliot, minister of Roxbury, had distinguished himself in this pious work. He had established towns, in which he collected Indian families, taught them husbandry, the mechanic arts, and a prudent management of their affairs, and instructed them with unwearied attention in the principles of the christian religion. For his zeal and success he has been called the Apostle of New England.

He began his labours about the year 1646, being in the forty second year of his age. The first pagans, who enjoyed his labours, resided at Nonantum, now the east part of Newton. Waban, a principal chief there, became a convert, and was distinguished for his piety. Being encouraged by the success of his first attempt, he soon after opened a lecture at Neponsit, within the present bounds of Dorchester. These two lectures he continued several years without any reward or encouragement, but the satisfaction of doing good to the souls of men. Beside preach

vantages will be sutch as will fully answer all inconveniencies your sealves, churches or plantations may sustaine in this your voyage and short absence from them. Onely the sooner you come the bettar."

* Hubbard.

ing to them, he formed two catechisms, one for the children, the other for adults. They readily learned these, seriously attended his public lectures, and very generally prayed in their families, morning and evening.

After a number of years, certain individuals in England, affect ed by his pious and disinterested labours, raised some generous contributions for his encouragement; he gratefully received these, declaring that he never expected any thing. By such timely aid he was enabled to educate his five sons at college. All these were distinguished for their piety, and all, excepting one, who died while a member of college, were preachers of the gospel. His eldest son preached several years to the Indians at Pakemit, now Stoughton, and at Natick, and other places. Other ministers, in different parts of New England, by the example of Mr. Eliot, zealously engaged in the missionary work. Messrs. Bourne and Cotton in Plymouth colony, studied the Indian language, and preached at Martha's Vineyard, and other places. At Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, Mr. Mayhew and son entered on the work; and in Connecticut Messrs. Pierson and Fitch preached Jesus and the resurrection to the heathen in their vicinity.

That the natives might have the word of life in their own language, which alone was able to make them wise unto salvation, Mr. Eliot translated the bible for their use. The New Testament was published in 1661, and the whole bible soon after. The expense was borne by the society for propagating the gospel in New England. Beside this, he translated and composed several other books, as a primer, a grammar, singing psalms, the practice of piety, Baxter's call, and several other things. He took care that schools should be opened in the Indian settlements, where their children were taught to read; some were put into schools of the English, and studied Latin and Greek. A building was erected for their reception, and several of them sent to Cambridge college. The legislature instituted judicial courts among the natives, answering to the county courts of the colony. In these courts, one English judge was united with those chosen by the natives. They had rulers and magistrates elected by themselves, who managed their smaller matters.

The first church of christianized pagans was gathered at Natick; they had two instructors of their own body, when the English preachers could not attend. In 1670, they had between forty and fifty communicants. The second praying town was Pakemit, or Punkapaog, now Stoughton; their first teacher was of their own number, William Ahawton, 'a pious man, of good parts.' The second church of Indians was at Hassanamessit, now Grafton; their teacher's name was Takuppa-willin, a pious and able man, and apt to teach.' They had a meeting house built after the