gly, something that was erroneous might be gathered, and might seem naturally to follow therefrom; but was so qualified in other parts, as might admit of a charitable construction. Mr. Mather reports to the church the seeming erroneous matter that might be collected, without mentioning the qualification, or acquainting Mr. Burr with it before hand. When this was published, Mr. Burr disclaimed the erroneous matter, and Mr. Mather maintained it from his writings. Whereupon the church was divided about it, some joining with the one, and some with the other, so as it grew to some heat, and alienation of minds, and many days were spent for reconciliation, but all in vain. In the end they agreed to call in help from other churches; so as, the 2d of February, 1640, there was a meeting at Dorchester of the Governour, and another of the magistrates, and ten of the ministers of the neighbouring churches, wherein four days were spent in opening the cause, and such offence as had fallen out in the prosecution; and in conclusion they all declared their judgment and advice in the case to this effect:

That both sides had cause to be humbled for their failings; Mr. Burr for his doubtful and unsafe expressions, and backwardness to give clear satisfaction; Mr. Mather for his inconsideration, both in not acquainting Mr. Burr with his collections, before he published them to the church, and in not certifying the qualifications of the erroneous expressions which were in his writings; for which they were advised to set a day apart for reconciliation. Upon this both Mr. Mather and Mr. Burr took the blame of their failings upon themselves, and freely submitted to the judgment and advice given, to which the rest of the church yielded a silent assent. And God was much glorified in the close thereof, and Mr. Burr did fully renounce these errours of which he was suspected, confessing he had been in the dark about those points, till God, by occasion of this agitation, had cleared them to him; which he did with much meekness and tears.

But that holy man continued not long after,

being observed to express so much of heaven in his publick ministry, as his hearers judged he would not continue long upon the earth, as it came to pass.

About that time, viz. November 8th, a church was gathered at Dedham, with good approbation: and the 28th of the same month, Mr. Peck was ordained teacher of the church at Hingham.

Concerning other ecclesiastical matters which fell out in this lustre, being of such a nature as they require a more particular discourse, viz. divers errours prevailing in and about Boston, and so violently carried on, as did need the help of the civil power to redress them, they shall be treated of in the following chapters: only let it be here noted, that as well Boston, as many other churches, having received the infection of many dangerous errours, by the application of due means, like athletick bodies, did in a little time either work out the contagion themselves, or by the discipline of the church, did purge out the leaven of corrupt and unsound doctrine and practices, and so became a new lump, as the apostle speaks.

The hands of those on that side of the country, near Connecticut, were strengthened by the coming over of Mr. Fenwick, a gentleman of great estate, and eminent for wisdom and piety. July 15th, 1639, he arrived at New Haven with a ship of three hundred and fifty tuns, with his lady and family. His intent was to make a plantation at Saybrook, about the mouth of Connecticut river. He laid the foundation thereof, and within a few years after returned to England. Two other plantations were begun at that time beyond New Haven; but every one stood so much for their liberty, that every plantation almost intended a peculiar government of themselves, if they could have brought it about; but those designs tended to the weakening of the country, and hinderance of the general good of the whole.

CHAP. XXXVIII.

Disturbance in the Massachusetts colony, in New England, from the year 1636 to 1641, by Mr. Wheelwright and Mrs. Hutchinson.

HITHERTO the beauty of the Lord had been upon the priantive plantations of New England, prospering their handy work, and blessing the labour of their hands, so as in them might have been, in a sense, observed that which was said of the primitive church, in the days of the apostles, that they had rest; and, walking in the fear of God, and comforts of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied; for hitherto their churches, as well as their townships and families, were increased; nor were they without the comforts of the Holy Ghost in their measure. But the wicked one, that always envies at the prosperity of the church, took al opportunities to obstruct their flourishing, either in civil or ecclesiastical respects; for he had stirred up several of his instruments, as the Pequod Indians, (the history of which may be seen in the Narrative thereof, page 117,) who made cruel and fierce war, besides troubles from within, by several persons that laboured to infest the plantation, by sowing the seeds of dissension and corrupt doctrine, the one much increasing and fomenting of the other, as may appear briefly in what follows. That which is in sacred writ recorded of John Baptist may in its measure not unfitly be applied to Mr. John Cotton, that holy man of God, and reverend teacher of the church of Boston, viz. that he was a burning and shining light; and so many of his hearers, that abundantly resorted to his weekly lecture, might be said to have rejoiced in his light for a season, and much gloried in their gifts and enjoyments, looking upon themselves in so flourishing a condition as were scarce any where else to be paralleled. For some have been heard to say, they believed the church of Boston to be the most glorious church in the world; and indeed they deserved to be highly honoured, both for their faith

and order, with their eminent gifts of utterance and knowledge. But he who uses to stain the pride of the glory of all flesh, by withdrawing or withholding the influence of his grace, (which at that time some pretended so much to magnify,) blasted their beauty, that it might appear, that all flesh was grass, and the goodliness thereof, as the flower of the field. For some of the church and town of Boston, and the neighbouring assemblies, who either did not understand, or notoriously abused, what their reverend teacher had expressed, concerning the doctrine of free grace, union with Christ, and evidencing that union, had secretly vented sundry corrupt and dangerous errors and heresies, denying all inherent righteousness, and all evidencing a good estate thereby in any sort, and, (to use Mr. Cotton's own words in print,) "some of them denying the immortality of the soul, and resurrection of the body." And when they were questioned by some brethren about these things, they carried it as if they held forth nothing but what they had received from Mr. Cotton; and possibly they might strangely pervert some unwary expressions, occasionally let fall by that worthy and eminent divine, to a far different and contrary sense, than ever they were intended by the speaker, insomuch that himself, after he was advertised thereof, and had preached against these errours, yet did this generation of familists make their friends believe, that they were otherwise informed by himself in private. So as when Mr. Cotton himself, who, by reason of his candour and charity, was not forward to believe, that those erring brethren and sisters were so corrupt in their judgments as they were reported to be, much suffered thereby in his repute; for it occasioned some of the country to have a jealousy that himself was a secret fomenter of the spirit of familism; if he were not far leavened that way. These erroneous notions inspired many of the place also with a strange kind of seditious and turbulent spirit, and that upon every occasion they were ready to challenge all, that did not run with them, to be legal christians, and under a covenant

of works. Under the veil of this pretence, men of corrupt minds and haughty spirits secretly sowed seeds of division and schism in the country, and were ready to mutiny against the civil authority. For at a general court, held March 9th, 1636, complaint was made of a sermon, preached by Mr. Wheelwright a little before, supposed to tend to sedition and disturbance of the publick peace; and being sent for to the court, he was evidently convict of sedition and contempt of authority, for sundry passages in his sermon, which he stood to justify; and notwithstanding all means used, would not be brought in the least to retract. On which account the court saw cause to order his removal out of the jurisdiction. The magistrates set forth an apology to justify the sentence, which the adverse party had remonstrated against, altering the words and meaning of such passages as were the grounds of the court's sentence. Mr. Wheelwright also himself put forth a small tractate, to clear the doctrine of his sermon from sedition, as if he had only declared therein the covenant of grace, which was also differing from his sermon, and was confuted by some of the ministers by many strong arguments. Mr. Cotton replied largely to their answer, and brought the differences to a narrow scantling. But Mr. Wheelwright could not be prevailed with, to make any kind of recantation, which might have saved himself and others much trouble. The court also, though they had power enough to crush that party, yet deferred passing their sentence, that their moderation and desire of reconciliation might appear; but himself persisting in his way, it was at the last declared, and put in execution.

And in the latter session of the general court, wherein he was sentenced, sundry persons were called in ques tion for subscribing their names to a remonstrance or petition, (there were about sixty of them in all,) wherein they did not only justify Mr. Wheelwright's doctrine and practice, but strongly reflect upon the proceedings of the court against him; whereupon the petitioners were all called before the court, and proceeded with ac