Ill News from New England, Floating text 11 – Floating text 12
Mr. Cotton (ſaith he) in his Sermon immediatly before the Court gave their Sentence againſt M. Clark, Obediah Holmes, and Iohn Crandell, affirmed, that denying Infants Baptiſm would overthrow all; & this was a capitall offence; and therefore they were ſoul-murtherers; when therefore the Governor M. Iohn Indicot came into the Court to paſs Sentence againſt them, he ſaid thus, you deſerve to dy, but this we agreed upon, that Mr. Clarke ſhall pay 20 li. Fine, and Obediah Holmes 30 li. Fine, and Jo. Crandall 5 li. Fine, and to remain in priſon untill their Fines be either payed or ſecurity given for them, or elſe they are all of them to be well whipped; When Obediah Holmes was brought forth to receive his Sentence, he deſired of the Magiſtrates, that he might hold forth the ground of his practice; but they refuſed to let him ſpeak, and commanded the whipper to do his Office; then the whipper began to pull off his Cloathes, upon which Obediah Holmes ſaid, Lord lay not this ſin unto their charge; and ſo the whipper began to lay on with his whip; upon which Obediah Holmes ſaid, O Lord I beſeech thee to manifeſt thy power in the weakneſſe of thy Creature; he neither moving nor ſtirring at all for the ſtrokes, brake out into theſe expreſſions, Bleſſed and praiſed be the Lord, and thus he carryed it to the end, and went away rejoycingly; I Iohn Spur being preſent, it did take ſuch an impreſſion in my Spirit to truſt in God, and to walk according to the light that God had communicated to me, and not to fear what man could do unto me; that I went to the man (being inwardly affected with what I ſaw and heard) and with a joyfull countenance took him by the hand when he was from the Poſt, and ſaid, praiſed be the Lord; and ſo I went along with him to the priſon; and preſently that day there was information given to the Court what I had ſaid and done; and alſo a warrant was preſently granted out that day to areſt both my ſelf and Iohn Hazel, which was executed on the morrow morning upon us, and ſo we were brought to the Court and examined; the Governour asked me concerning Obediah Holmes, according as he was informed by old Mr. Cole, and Thomas Buttolph, of my taking of him by the hand, and ſmiling, and I did then freely declare what I did, and what I ſaid, which was this; Obediah Holmes, ſaid I, I do look upon as a Godly man; and do affirm that he carryed himſelf as did become a Chriſtian, under ſo ſad an affliction; and his affliction did ſo affect my Soul, that I went to him being from the Poſt, and ſaid, bleſſed be the Lord, but ſaid the Governour what do you apprehend concerning the cauſe for which he ſuffered? my Anſwer was, that I am not able to judge of it, then ſaid the Governour, we will deal with you as we have dealt with him, I ſaid unto him again, I am in the hands of God, then Mr. Simons a Magiſtrate ſaid, you ſhall know you are in the hands of Men; the Governour then ſaid, keeper take him, and ſo I was preſently carried away to priſon.
The next day about one of the Clock I was ſent for again into the Court; the Governour (being then about to go out of the Court, when I came in) delivered this ſpeech to me; ſaid he, you muſt pay 40 ſhi…lings or be whipped; I ſaid then to thoſe of the Court that remained, that if any man ſuffer as a Chriſtian let him glorifie God in this behalf then I deſired to know what Law I had broken, and what evill I had done, but they produced no Law, only they produced what the two witneſſes had ſworn againſt me; my ſpeech thereto was this, my practice and cariage is alowed by the word of God, for it is written in Rom. 12. Be like affectioned one towards another, rejoyce with them that rejoyce; and it is contrary to my Iudgment and Conſcience to pay a Peny; then ſaid Mr. Bendall, I will pay it for him and there preſented himſelf, I anſwered then and ſaid, I thanked him for his love, but did believe it was no acceptable ſervice, for any man to pay a peny for me in this caſe; yet not withſtanding the Court accepted of his profer, and bid me be gone, then came Iohn Hazell to be examined.
Iohn Spur.
Here followeth the teſtimony of thoſe that came in againſt me.
I—Cole being in the Market place, when Obediah Holmes came from the Whipping Poſt, Iohn Spur came and met him preſently, laughing in his face, ſaying, Bleſſed be God for thee Brother, and ſo did go with him, laughing upon him up towards the priſon, which was very grievous to me to ſee him harden the man in his ſin, and ſhewing much contempt of Authority by that cariage, as if he had been unjuſtly puniſhed, and had ſuffered as a righteous man, under a tyrannicall Government Depoſed before the Court the 5th. of the 7th. M. 1651.
Increaſe Nowell.
I Thomas Buttolph did ſee Iohn Spur come to Obediah Holmes, ſo ſom as he came from the Whipping Poſt, laughing in his face, and going along with him towards the Priſon to my great grief to ſee him harden him in his ſin, and to ſhew ſuch a contempt of Authority. Depoſed the 5th. of the 7th. Month 1651. Before the Court.
Increaſe Nowell.
As for Iohn Hazell, to my knowledge, although he had ſome occaſion of buſineſs in theſe parts; yet the main buſineſs that drew him hither, was to viſit the priſoner, whom he at this time took by the hand, who was indeed his neer Neighbour, lived in the ſame Town together, walked together in the ſame fellowſhip, and faith of the Goſpell, and had their hearts knit together in a more than ordinary neer bond of love, and as a manifeſtation thereof, he undertoke ſo great a journey (it being between fourty and fifty miles) to viſit him, he being indiſpoſed by reaſon of his age for ſuch an undertaking (being between three and fourſcore years old) and when he was there underſtanding it would not be long before he ſhould ſuffer; out of the ſame tender love, could not leave him before it was over; who alſo accompanied him from the Priſon to the Poſt, and ſo back again; now for him, only for taking his friend by the hand, when he had ſuffered his puniſhment, and was looſed from the Poſt, to be thus handled, ſhall not the Nations that know not civility, that neither fear God nor reverence man, be aſtoniſhed at this? if this be to do to others as we would that others ſhould do to us, which is the Law and the Prophets, the command of Chriſt and his Apoſtles, let all true Chriſtians judge; the Man being old did profeſſe, as I was informed, That if they ſhould have laid the ſtrokes upon him, they would certainly have killed him, which I know ceized not a little upon him, and how far what was done had influence into his death, the Lord onelyonly knowes; for as is before ſaid, the ſame day he went forth, he fell ſick, and within ten dayes he died; The Lord grant that no part of his death may be laid to their charge, and that they may ſee the exceeding greatneſſe of the evill of thirſting after the blood of the Innocent, before the Lord come forth to avenge it, and as to that ſtory I ſhall ſay no more, but leave the Reader to his own relation, which partly in Priſon, and partly upon his death Bed, as may be perceived, he wrote and left behind him, with an intent it ſhould be publiſhed. The relation followeth, writ and ſubſcribed with his own hand.