ber," many things were agitated and concluded, as fortifying in Caftle-Ifland, Dorchester and Charlestown; with divers other matters. But the main business, which spent the most time, and caufed the adjourning of the Court, was about the removal of Newtown. They had leave the last General Court to look out for fome place for enlargement or removal, with promife of having it confirmed to them, if it were not prejudicial to any other plantation; and now they moved that they might have leave to remove to Connecticut." The fubject was largely and warmly debated; "the whole Colony being affected with the difpute." When the queftion was put to vote, fifteen of the Deputies voted for leave of departure, and ten against it; the Governor and two Affiftants voted for it; but the Deputy-Governor, with all the other Affiftants, voted against it; fo a legal act could not be obtained. Hence arofe a great difference between the Governor and Affiftants, and the Deputies, concerning the negative voice. "So when they could proceed no further, the whole Court agreed to keep a day of humiliation to feek the Lord," which was kept, accordingly, in all the congregations. The Court met again foon after; but before it proceeded to bufinefs, Mr. Cotton (on Mr. Hooker's declining) preached from Hag. ii. 4. "And it pleased the Lord fo to affist him, and to bless his own ordinance, that the affairs of the Court went on cheerfully ;-and the congregation of Newtown came and accepted fuch enlargement as had formerly been offered them by Boston and Watertown."* This firft enlargement was, doubtlefs, in breadth, to the fouthward and weftward. When the first settlers erected" the New Town," between Charlestown and Watertown, it was "in forme like a lift cut off from the broad-cloath of the two fore-named towns."t The people of Newtown manifefting a perfevering de termination to remove into Connecticut, and thofe of fome neighbouring towns concurring, at the fame time, in the with and project of removal to other places; the General Court, in May, 1635, gave them leave to remove whither they pleased, on condition that they should continue under the jurifdiction of Maffachusetts.. In October, Mr. Thomas Shepard, whofe name holds a confpicuous *Winthrop's Journal, 70. + Wonder-working Providence, 61. confpicuous place in the annals of New-England, arrived at Bofton, together with the people who were to form his pastoral charge. On the firft of February, 1636, the firft permanent church was gathered at Newtown. Mr. Shepard, and "divers other good chriftians," intending to form a church, communicated their defign to the magiftrates, who gave their approbation. Application was alfo made to all the neighbouring churches, "for their elders to give their affiftance at a certain day at Newtown, when they should constitute their body." A great affembly ac cordingly convened, and the church was organized in a public and folemn manner.* The ordination of Mr. Shep ard probably took place foon after this organization of the church; but the precife time cannot now be ascertained. "It was deferred," fays Dr. Mather, " until another day, wherein there was more time to go through the other fo lemnities proper to fuch an occafion." Early in the fummer of 1636, Mr. Hooker, Mr. Stone, and about a hundred men, women, and children, compofing the whole of Mr. Hooker's church and congregation, left Newtown; and travelled above a hundred miles, through a hideous and trackless wilderness, to Connecticut. "They had no guide but their compass; made their way over mountains, through fwamps, thickets and rivers, which were not paffable but with great difficulty. They had no cover but the heavens, nor any lodgings but those which fimple nature afforded them."‡ They * For the form of the organization of this church, and the religious exercises on the occafion, fee Winthrop's Journal, 95, 96. This was the eleventh church, gathered in Massachusetts. The order of the churches was as follows: The first church was gathered at Salem, The fecond The third The fourth The fifth The fixth The feventh at Boston, at Roxbury, in the year 1629. at Charlestown, 1631 1631 1631. The eleventh (Mr. Shepard's) at Newtown, [Cambridge] 1633 at Newtown, [Cambridge] 1636 Trumbull, I. 55. Winthrop's Journal, 100. at Ipfwich, at Newbury, 1634 1634 They drave with them 160 cattle, and fubfifted on the milk of their cows, during the journey. Mrs. Hooker was carried in a litter. This little company laid the foundation of Hartford, now a very flourishing city in Connecticut. Their removal was very opportune for Mr. Shepard and his company, who purchased the dwelling-houses and lands, which they had owned at Newtown; and thus enjoyed the advantage (which fell to the lot of few of the early colonifts) of entering a fettlement already cultivated, and furnished with comfortable accommodations. This year (1636) the General Court contemplated the erection of a Public School at Newtown, and appropriated four hundred pounds for that purpose; which laid the foundation of Harvard College.* Mrs. Anne Hutchinson, a very extraordinary woman, commencing a religious teacher, about this time, and holding lectures for the propagation of her peculiar tenets, attracted a numerous audience, and gained many adherents. "The whole Colony was foon divided into two parties, differing in fentiment, and still more alienated in affection. They ftiled each other Antinomians and Legalifts." Such was the warmth of the controverfy, that it was judged advisable to call a Synod to give their opinion on the controverted points. A Synod was accordingly holden at Newtown on the 30th of Auguft, 1637, at which "all the teaching elders through the country," and meffengers of the feveral churches, were present. The magiftrates, too,attended as hearers, and fpake occafionally, as they faw fit. Of this Synod Mr. Shepard, who opened it with prayer, "was no fmall part." After a feffion of three weeks, the Synod condemned eighty-two erroneous opinions, which had become diffeminated in New-England. The proceedings of this Synod appear to have been conducted with fairness and ability."Lib erty *"After God had carried us fafe to New-England, and wee had builded our houses, provided neceffaries for our liveli-hood, rear'd convenient places for God's worship, and fettled the civil government : One of the next things we longed for and looked after was to advance learning and perpetuate it to pofterity: dreading to leave an illiterate miniftry to the churches, when our prefent minifters fhall lie in the duft." New-England's First Fruits, published in 1643. + Adams's Hiftory of New-England. + C. Mather. erty was given to any man to dispute pro or con, and none to be charged to be of that opinion he difputed for, unleffe he fhould declare himselfe fo to be.-The clearing of the true fenfe and meaning of any place of fcripture, it was done by fcripture." An hiftorian, who lived at that period, fays: "Foure forts of perfons I could with a good will have paid their paffage out, and home againe to England, that they might have been prefent at this Synod, so that they would have reported the truth of all the paffages thereof to their own Colledges at their return." Thefe were "the Prelates"; "the godly and reverend Presbyterian party"; "thofe who with their new ftratagems have brought in fo much old error"; and " those who derided all forts of scholarship."§ ૯. The vigilance of Mr. Shepard was bleft for the preservation of his own church, and of the other New-England churches, from the Antinomian and Familiftical errors, which began at this time to prevail : "And," according to Dr. Mather, "it was with refpect to this vigilancy, and the enlightening and powerful miniftry of Mr. Shepard, that when the foundation of a College was to be laid, Cambridge, rather than any other place, was pitched upon to be the feat of that happy feminary." A contemporary hiftorian clofes "the difmall yeare of fixteene hundred thirty-fix," with the following story, illuftrative, at once, of Mr. Shepard's preaching talents, and of the spirit of his times. A perfon, who had come to New-England," hoping to finde the powerful prefence of Chrift in the preaching of the word," was encountered, at his firft landing, by fome of Mrs. Hutchinson's difciples, who were zealous to profelyte him to their doctrine. Finding that "hee could not skill in that new light, which was the common theame of every man's difcourfe," he betooke himself to a narrow Indian path, which foon led him "where none but fenceleffe trees and echoing rocks make anfwer to his heart-easeing mone." After a perplexed and pathetic foliloquy, in this deep recefs, he formed a refolution "to hear fome one of these able ministers preach, whom § Wonder-working Providence. * Magnalia, III. 87. Wonder-working Providence, 164. D whom report had fo valued," before he would "make choice of one principle," or "crofs the broade feas back againe. Then turning his face to the fun, he fteered his courfe toward the next town, and after fome fmall travell hee came to a large plaine. No fooner was hee entred thereon, but hearing the found of a drum, he was directed toward it by a broade beaten way.' "Following this road, he enquired of the firft perfon he met, what the signal of the drum meant. The anfwer was, "they had as yet no bell to call men to meeting, and therefore made ufe of a drum."* Who lectures, faid he, at this town? "I fee you are a ftranger, new come over," replied the other, "fince you know not the man. It is one Mr. Shepard." "I am new come over," faid the ftranger," and have been told fince I came, that moft of your minifters are legall preachers, onely if I mistake not they told me this man preached a finer covenant of works than the other. However, I fhall make what hafte I can to hear him. Fare you well." Haftening to the place, he preffed through the thickeft crowd into the church, "where having stayed while the glaffe was turned up twice, the man was metamorphofed." He was frequently melted into tears, during the fervice, and overwhelmed with gratitude to God, whofe "bleffed fpirit caufed the fpeech of a poore weake pale complectioned man to take fuch impreffion in his foul." preacher "applied the word fo aptly, as if hee had been his privy counseller; cleering Chrifts worke of grace in the foule from all thofe falfe doctrines, which the erronious party had afrighted him withall." Finding that there was here not only a zeal "for the truth of the difcipline, but alfo of the doctrine," of the gofpel, "he now refolves (the Lord willing) to live and die with the ministers of NewEngland."+ The The Reverend John Harvard, of Charlestown, in 1638, added to the fum, appropriated by the Legislature to the public *The town records confirm Mr. Prince's account, that the church had a bell at firft; for they fhew that the town meetings were then called by the ringing of the bell. A drum, for what reafon does not now appear, was afterwards substituted in its place; for I find an order of the townfmen, in 1646, for the payment of fifty fhillings to a man "for his fervice to the towne, in beating the drum.” Wonder-working Providence, C. XLIII. |