Memorable Providences, Appendix
APPENDIX
THere are one or two passages in the first of our foregoing Histories, which I fore-see, (those usually no less Absurd than Angry people) the Quakers, will come upon me with great wrath, for my writing of and the Incivilities lately shown to my Father, for a piece of one Chapter in his Book of Remarkable Providences, by one Keith, in a sort of a thing newly published at Pen-silvania, have made it necessary for me, not only to explain my self, but to defend him, upon the occasion that is now before me.
As for what I have related concerning the strange liberty which the Devils gave unto Iohn Goodwin's Children, to enjoy both the Writings and the Meetings of the Quakers, when offers thereof were (it may be too needlessly) made unto to them, I need only acquaint the world, that I shall procuce good, legal, & sufficient Evidence to Confront what I do Affirm, whenever any man shall demand it of me; And that the Books with which the Tyral happned to he made, were more than one, and such, as the Quickers give as general an Allowance to, as to their own Primers and their Catechisms. But undoubtedly, the matchless Candour and Sweetness of the Quakers will inspire them, with Inclinations to give me some of their public Thanks for the notice I have taken of them; and in the mean time I must let my Neighbours understand, what ridiculous as well as odious Calumnies the Quakers have bestowed upon my absent Father, for his being an Historian (they think) unto their Prejudice.
One would think, That if an Historian, did but secure his Veracity from being Impeached, most of his other Faults were pardonable; and so truly they would be accounted, by any, besides Quakers, who are a people by themselves. But my Father had published a Book entituled, Illustrious Providences; in one part of which, he has a Narrative of several very marvellous Occurrences, that certain deluded and possessed Quakers, in this Countrey were concerned in. The matter of Fāts, never could be dispured; yet one Keith a Quaker, who had been compassing …und to make pr…selytes, visits New-Eng. in his progress, where meeting with small Applause, & less Success, instead of Converts, he picks up what Quarrels our Countrey could afford him, and among the Rest, this book of Providences. At his Return to Pen-silvania, he blesses the world with a little Volumn of Haeresies and Blasphemies against the Protestant Religion, the principle Articles whereof, he endeavours to undermine, with some farther Improvements of Nonsense, than the Abilities of the Quakers had heretofore help'd 'em to; but, tho tis almost pitty that any Eagle (pardon the Comparison, he himself calls us Night-birds) should lose his time, by attending the motions of such a Fly; yet I suppose, he will not be long, without the Castigations of a full, tho' short Answer to the Ipertinences with which he has been craftily assaving to spoyl out Vines. He entitles his Harrangues, The Churches in New-England brought to the Test; and it might be expected; that one so willing to be a Servant of those Churches as Increase Mather, would not escape the Vengeance of those whom these Churches are an eye-sore unto. Accordingly, the Title-page of his Discourses (for truly-Reader, he will not now give us a Silent Meeting) promises to us, An Answer to the gross Abuses, Lyes and Slanders of Increase Mather; which he afterwards detects, just as one of his Predecessours after a Con…ersation with Hogishead, Trampled upon Plato's pride; while he cannot instance in any one Abuse, Lye, or Slander of Increase Mather, without committing more than a few himself. However, he is pleas'd to say, when he comes to talk, Let any of his kindred answer for him in his absence; and because I am somewhat a kin to the said Increase Mather, whom the Ani-mad-versions of this Keith have made such an Assault upon, that were I more dumb than the Son of Croesus himself, yet I must have spoken at the Provocation, I am willing to satisfie our little Authour so far as to Answer these Three Things upon him: Yet I would so far observe one of Solomon's Rules in my Answer, as not to use upon him some Terms of his Art which as a Specimen of his breeding he bestows upon Increase Mather; but offer a few just Reflections on this new Apostle (no doubt a Successor to one of the old ones) unto the world.
First. He charges my absent Father, with Gross Abuses, Lyes, and Slanders; and yet he denies not the Truth of the Stories, the Resation of which flings him into this foaming Rage. He charges him just as last year he did the rest of the Ministers of Boston. He sent us a written Challenge, which begins, I being well assured by the Spirit of God, that the Doctrine ye preach to the People is false—and he then reckons up Twelve Articles (he says) of our Doctrine, the Twelfth of which is directly contrary to what we assert, and maintain and preach every day. This was his Inspiration then! and such is his Narration now. Increase Mather penns Truths, and yet, it seems writes Lyes. But where is Increase Mather's Crime? Why, our Animadvertor tells us, I. M. relates these stories on purpose to abuse the honest and sober people called Quakers, without making any Distinction—But what Metal is this man's Forehead made of? Reader, you shall find my Fathers introduction to his Histories to be, All wise men that are acquainted therewith, observe the blasting rebukes of Heaven upon the late SINGING and Dancing Quakers. And his Inference from them is, That The Quakers are SOME of them undoubtedly possessed with evil spirits; and his Conclusion is, We may, by this, judge whose servants the Singing Quakers are. Behold how carefully he has Repeated the very Distinction which this waspish man complains at the Omission of! Besides, he had no need of making any Distinction at all. That the Quakers fall out among themselves, is but a natural Consequence of their Tempers and Errours, which cannot be otherwise than Incohaerent; and sometimes, their Credit forces them to Explode in one aanother, what they (wish they could but) can't Excuse. Tho it seems if a Woman dress her self like a Devil, and fright some of her Sex almost out of their Lives, on a Lords Day, in one of our biggest Assemblies, G. K. can here canonize her for a Saint. Case's Crew are substantially of the same Drove with Keith's Crue; both Mad, tho with some variety of Application in their Phrensies. What if those Ranters, and these Quakers be shaken together in a Bag? 'Tis a more allowable method of Sorting, that of this G. K.'s, who would make us a Crew of Ranters, because we hold, That God hath fore-ordained infallibly and unchangeably, whatever comes to pass. And whereas our Answerer tells us, that when those horrid monsters were whipt at Plimouth, for their wonderful hideous Devilism, Some of the honest people called Quakers, openly declared before the people, that the Quakers did not at all own them to he of their Society, I am to ask him, Who of this honest people then it was, That then declared them to be, The dear Children of God? But Reader, pray observe, Tho he will not leave Urging, that for a Quaker to be Possessed, is no more than for a Presbyterian or an Independent so to be; There is Difference enough, where our notable Disputant would contrive a Parallel. Because a Possession by evil Spirits, may besal one of our Communion, What then? The Possession does not move any to be of that Communion: we see the contrary. But the Stories Recorded by my Father, (plainly enough) demonstrate, That Diabolical Possession was the Thing which did dispose and encline men unto Quakerism; Their Quakerism was the proper Effect of their Possession; and not an unconcern'd Consequent. 'Tis our Logicians Fault here, that he cavils without making any Distinction; if he would have pleased to distinguish a little, he might have spared the pains of his tedious Excursions, about Charging the innocent with the crimes of the guilty. But from such a G. K. what better Dealing might have been look'd for?
Secondly, I think, I may rather charge this G. K. with Gross Abuses, Lyes and Slanders, by him offer'd unto that Increase Mather whom he shows himself so much (beyond the cure of Hellebore) inflamed at. He saies, Increase Mather hath shew'd his Rashness and Folly in some other passages of his life, if not Malice, that hath occasion'd him for some time past to abscond, and depart from the place where he preached at Boston. I am sorry that this man obliges me to trouble the World with Stories about such Domestick and personal matters as these are. For me to Commend my yet living Father would perhaps be counted an Indecency. But if I should not now Defend him from such unhandsome Imputations, I were worse than the worse of the Sons of Noah, and it must be a greater Malice than what G. K. ever pretended to discover in Increase Mather, that shall criminate my Vindication of an absent and a wronged Parent. My Reader's Patience must then permit me to tell him, that all New-England well knows, That Increase Mather never departed from hence, through any Rashness or Folly of his ewn, but through the Malice of unreasonable men. Our Charter being unjustly Vacated (which even G. K. reckons among the Judgments of God upon us) the Government of this Territory was fallen into the hands of men that immediately took all sorts of measures to make us miserable. A knot of people, that had no design but to enrich themselves on to the ruines of this flourishing plantation, were placed over us, & our Land strangers devoured in our presence. The sight of our Calamities made my Father willing to undertake a Voyage uuto England, for no other cause but meerly to endeavour the Service of his afflicted Countrey; and not a few among the principal Gentlemen of the place, did both Advize and Assist his Undertaking. His Intent in Going he did not publish, but his Intent of Going he did; and he had no sooner done it, but one Randolph, the late Secretary, whom (like a Scavenger) our late Oppressors cheefly used in their more dirty Businesses, gave Trouble unto him to obstruct and prevent his Voyage. The Circumstances of it were these: This Randolph some time since, carried unto Sr. Lionel Ienklns, a Letter which he assur'd him was Mr. Mather's; Tho the Letter was a most Villanous Forgery, Filled with Treason and Madness in the Exaltation of it, and never was one line of it written by my Father. The Letter-Forger had so foolishly drawn it up, That Randolph could not get the Blood of the Gentlemen, whom he (after his manner, that is) falsly Charged with being the Authour it, yet care was taken thereby to blast his Name: The Observator, (whom one calls The Father of Lyes) here became Nurse, & printed it, with not a few scurrilous Observations on it. So that in all the Taverns and Coffee-houses throughout Three-Kingdoms, this innocent Person was made a Ridicule, and Barbados too, with other of the Lee-ward Islands, took this opportunity to spit their venome on one who had never done any thing to deserve it, but by being (in the account of some that are Both) somewhat of a Learned and Honest man. My Father to Vindicate himself, while our old Government yet lasted, wrote a Letter to Mr. Dudley, who had from White-Hall, Received a Copy of that bloody Forgery; and in this Vindication, he intimates that several shrowd things would make him suspect Randolph himself to be the Director of it. It was Evident unto him That the whole Forgery was contrived for Randolph's advantage; tis almost all of him and for him; but could any rational man imagine, that he was then wholly a stranger to it? Besides there were in it several other Expressions, which (twas then thought) no man in his Wits can dream that any without him should have. But Randolph upon his arrival here with our New Government getting a Copy of my Fathers Vindication, dos after so many months now sue him in an Action of Defamation, to Embarass the Affairs he had before him. The Jury which consisted partly of Church of E. Gentlemen, Found for my Father against the Plaintiffe. And yet just within a Week or two before his Voyage, Randolph renewed his Action; his Abetters resolving (as I am credibly informed) That having laid the Arrest upon him, they would have secur'd his Person in the Goal, as the worse of Traytors; for what Illegality would they stick at? He happily understanding, what they would be at, by the counsel of his Friends withdrew, for about a week; and then, tho both by Day and Night, both by Land and Sea, the late Spirits among us way-laid him, God carried him safely thro them all; and when he came to Whitehall, what Favours the Greatest Men in the Kingdom have heap'd upon him, 'tis not proper for me to tell. Whereas our Caviller now says, It wants to be insert in his Book, that what hath befallen him of late, is a Remarkable Iudgment of God upon him, for his Injustice to the Quakers. I join issue with him, and beg the Reader to insert it, if he be owner of that harmless Book Reader, inasmuch as none of Increase Mathers enemies were able to attain their ends upon him; and inasmuch as this Increase Mather has in his whole Negotiation for New-England, been favoured by the merciful God, beyond the imagination of our fondest hopes; pray count it, A Remarkable Iudgment of God upon him, for his Injustice to the Quakers. This G. K. has this Book of his bound up in Canvas; because I suppose, like one of the Witnesses, he would Prophesie in Sackcloth. I confess, Fire proceeds out of his mouth; but it is another sort of Fire than that which our Lords Witnesses are us'd unto; and there is one small Qualification of a Witness which you see he wants, that is Truth; the Contents of his Books require some other Covers for them, ne perpluat.
Thirdly, Not Increase Mather alone, but all New-England, especially the Shepherds of the the Churches here, must thro the Lycanthropy of this man, be Barked at. One while his False-Histories misrepresent us to the world; and he raises dismal Tragedies upon the Persecution which his Friends here have met withal. For my own part, I have long wished; That the Civil Magistrate would never inflict a Civil Penalty, on an Heretick, until Humane Society receive such a Disturbance from him, as in one of mine, or any other perswasion were Intollerable. Yet there is more, far more to be said for the Justification of our ancient Severities on two or three Quakers here, than the world has yet been acquainted with. Oliver Cromwel himself, whose Toleration of Sectaries was notorious euough, yet would speak in the justification of what was here done to them. Since our Ierusalem was come to such a Consistence, that the going up of every Fox would not break down our stone wall, who ever meddled with 'em? And since That, Though a Quaker-woman came (as sometimes they have) stark naked, into some of our Solemn Assemblies, declaring her self to be a Sign; yet the Bruit has not been thought fit to be Hang'd up: but the Generality of the people are enough, & alwaies were, averse to the inflicting of Saecular Punishments on these doting Haereticks. Indeed a Grave Magistrate once (tis said) propounded unto the General Court at Plimouth, a Law that every Quaker might have his head shaved; because they were distracted, & this would both shame & cure them. I believe this is all the Law that ever will be offered for the Suppressing of them here; by long experience, we find, They perish by being let alone. But whereas, he twits the Ministers here, for their Accepting of Maintenance, with goods unjustly taken from the true owners; I may inform the world, the Ministers here are of another Spirit than so; their voluntary Poverty and transcendent Self-Denial, has scarce its parallel in the Christian world. If any maintenance extorted from Quakers hath ever been paid unto them, I am confident it was without their knowledge or consent. The chief Complaints of this kind are in Plimouth Colony; but let the Reader consider, That the Grants of Lands there made by the Court, have still been with an Express Condition & Proviso, that the allowed Ministry be therewith supported. Quakers come and Accept & Improve these Grants, and then refuse the Duty annexed thereunto. Let all mankind judge whether they might not justly be compel'd unto the payment of it? yet how rarely was it ever done? G. K's. Barnstable Story is (I hear) a Romance of the same peice with the rest. But we must be terrified with his False Prophecies too. He pretends to Inspiration & foretells the utter Removing, Vndoing, & Destroying of all our Babylonish Buildings; that is, our Churches; and he adds, The time hastens, & blessed shall he be who receiveth the Warning; and some pages after he praedicts, that In due time our Meeting-Houses shall no more receive us into them. Ay, no doubt of it, in due time! But, I pray Friend George, when is this due time to bee? Our late persecutors, who did last year admit thee to so much familiarity with them, did not so wisely to let thee know what they were driving at, for it seems thou art a Blab of thy tongue. When thy private Conversation with 'em, as well as their public Administration here, gave thee cause to griefs, That, our Churches were quickly to be over turned, & our Meeting houses made too hot for us, twas easie to prognosticate much more than this, I'le assure thee, twas not for this that I put thee into my Book of Witchcrafts, there was no VVitchcraft in it: but some late things have a litle altered our Omens. I humbly beg of God, that he would require us good for this Cursing this day; and that the malicious Vaticinations of men that hate his Truths and Wayes, may rather help to procure for us those happy Revolutions, which may cause our enemies to be found Liars unto us. I do also entreat the Reader, that he would not mis-interpret my approaches (if I have made any) towards Levity in my treating of the Adversary standing at my Fathers right hand to resist him; Tis almost impossible to look upon the Generality of Quakers, without applying to them the Humour which a Gentleman long since thought proper for the creatures contrived on purpose, to be made merry with. I shall only add, That George Keith has given sufficient cause why his own Sect should be ashamed of him, if Shame were compatible to such a perfect People. But as he thinks my Father wants, The true eye opened in him, so I suppose he will tell me, That I am in the dark; and therefore it is time for me to bid him now, Good-Night. I am not willing to contend any further with him, For
Hae scio pro certo, quando cum stercore certo
Vinco, seu vincor, semper ego maculor.
FINIS.
End of the text · Cotton Mather, Memorable Providences (1689)