Jews in America, Part 3 · Chapter 9
CHAP. IX. The Novangles religious care to advance Piety and Learning.
IT hath been laid and left at the doores of thoſe whom ſome call Independents here in this England, that they have ſhewed little love to others going aſtray, and that their zeale hath been wanting againſt thoſe blaſphemies and hereſies that have manifeſtly diſhonoured the moſt ſweet and holy name of God, Father, Son, and Spirit. Our booke tells us of aAgathon in Doroth. Doctr. & vita patrum.a good man in former times when hee was accuſed of luſt, pride, &c. He ſaid, I confeſſe I am a ſinner, and I beſeech you pray for me, but when they laid hereſie to his charge, his heart was hot within him, his zeale was inflamed, and hee ſaid, Haereticus non ſum, & hoc vitium nulla patientia poſſum aut vole diſſimulare, hoereſis enim ſeparat hominem a Deo, & adſociat Diabolo: alienatus a Chriſto non habet Deum, quem oret propeccatis ſuis. Tis not for me to judge any, every one ſhall stand or fall to his owne Maſter, Rom. 14. 4. but I would remember my ſelfe and others of his zeale, who ſaid bEraſm, Ep. 6.fateor in cauſa fidei etiam vitam negligendam; I finde this grace very warme and working in our Novangles, for whom I have ſome few words more to mention in this particular, that my readers may be invited to thinke well of them, to doe well to them, and for them, or for the poore Indians rather, or ratheſt for Chriſt himſelfe, who ſhall have honour from us all, if wee all by communication of counſells, prayers, purſes, and every other way endeavour the furtherance of their converſion to our Lord Jeſus; and to procure our cordiall conjunction with our brethren there in this, I ſhall tranſcribe ſome things out of their owne late printed booke of the lawes and liberties concerning the inhabitants of Maſſachuſets, by which their love to truth, godlineſſe, peace, and learning will be evident, together with their liberall and enlarged care to propagate the eternall Goſpell of our Lord among the Natives.
At the title of haereſie, cp. 24.this is the preface. Although no humane power be Lord over the faith and conſciences of men, and therefore may not conſtraine them to believe or profeſſe againſt their conſciences, yet becauſe ſuch as bring in damnable hereſies, tending to the ſubverſion of the Chriſtian Faith, and the deſtruction of the ſoules of men, ought duly to be reſtrained from ſuch notorious impiety, it is therefore ordered and decreed by this Court:
That if any Chriſtian within this jurisdiction ſhall goe about to ſubvert and deſtroy the Chriſtian Faith and Religion, by broaching or maintaining any damnable hereſie, as denying the immortality of the ſoule, or the reſurrection of the body, or any ſinne to be repented of in the regenerate, or any evill done by the outward man to be accounted ſinne, or denying that Chriſt gave himſelfe a ranſome for our ſinnes, or ſhall affirme that wee are not juſtified by his death and righteouſneſſe, but by the perfection of their owne workes, or ſhall deny the morality of the fourth Commandement, or ſhall endeavour to ſeduce others to any the hereſies aforementioned, every ſuch perſon continuing obſtinate therein after due meanes of conviction ſhall be ſentenced to baniſhment. 1646. And before dTit. Eccleſiaſticall. p. 19. 20having ſaid, that the open contempt of Gods word, and the meſſengers thereof is the deſolating ſinne of civill States, &c. It is therefore ordered, and decreed, That if any chriſtian, ſo called, within this jurisdiction, ſhall contemptuouſly behave himſelf towards the word preached, or the meſſengers thereof—either by interrupting him in his preaching, or by charging him falſely with any error, which he hath not taught, or like a ſon of Korah caſt upon his true doctrine, or himſelfe, any reproach—every ſuch perſon or perſons (whatſoever cenſure the Church may paſſe) ſhall for the firſt ſcandall be convented and reproved openly by the Magiſtrate at ſome Lecture, and bound to their good behaviour, and if a ſecond time they breake forth into the like contemptuous carriages, they ſhall either pay five pounds to the publique treaſury, or ſtand two houres openly upon a blocke or ſtoole foure foot high on a Lecture day with a paper fixed on his breaſt, written in capitall letters, AN OPEN AND OBSTINATE CONTEMNER OF GODS HOLY ORDINANCES, that others may feare and be aſhamed of breaking out into the like wickedneſſe. 1646.
There be ſome in this England that account it piety and Religion to ſpeake evill of Chriſts Miniſters, and caſt off his Ordinances; now bleſſed of God from heaven and earth be our Novangles, Magiſtrates, Miniſters, and people that have ſo ſeaſonably witneſſed againſt theſe abominations.
They are great lovers of peace and government, theſe therefore be their words in another place; eTit. Anabaptiſts. p. 1.For as much as experience hath plentifully & often proved that ſince the firſt-riſing of the Anabaptiſts about an hundred yeeres paſt they have bin the Incendiaries of Common-wealths, and the infectors of perſons in maine matters of Religion, and the troublers of Churches in moſt places where they have been, and that they who have held the baptizing of infants unlawfull, have uſually held other errors or hereſies together therewith (though as heretiques uſe to doe they have concealed the ſame untill they eſpied a fit advantage and opportunity to vent them by way of queſtion or ſcruple) and whereas divers of this kinde have ſince our comming into New-England appeared amongſt our ſelves, ſome whereof, as others before them, have denyed the Ordinance of Magiſtracy, and the lawfulneſſe of making warre, others the lawfulneſſe of Magiſtrates and their inſpection into any breach of the firſt Table, which opinions, if connived at by us, are like to be increaſed among us, and ſo neceſſarily bring guilt upon us, infection and trouble to the Churches, and hazard to the whole Common-wealth: It is therefore ordered by this Court and authority thereof, that if any perſon or perſons ſhall either openly condemne or oppoſe the baptizing of infants, or goe about ſecretly to ſeduce others from the approbation, or uſe thereof, or ſhall purpoſely depart the Congregation at the adminiſtration of that Ordinance, or ſhall deny the Ordinance of Magiſtracy, or their lawfull right, or authority to make warre, or to puniſh the outward breaches of the firſt Table, and ſhall appeare to the Court willfully and obſtinately to continue therein, after due meanes of conviction, every ſuch perſon or perſons ſhall be ſentenced to baniſhment. 1644.
And that wee may diſcerne how worthy they are that wee ſhould doe all the good wee can for them, for they love the nation where they inhabite, and are very ſerious in preparing them for one husband, to preſent them a pure virgin unto Chriſt, 2 Cor. 11. 2. Severall therefore are their decrees in order to their converſion.
fTit. Indians. p. 28. 29.1. Every Towne ſhall have power to reſtraine all Indians from prophaning the Lords day. 1633. 1639. 1641.
2. The Engliſh ſhall not deſtroy the Indians corne, but ſhall help them to fence in their grounds.
3. Conſidering one end in planting theſe parts was to propagate the true Religion unto the Indians, and that divers of them are become ſubjects to the Engliſh, and have engaged themſelves to be willing and ready to underſtand the Law of God; It is therefore ordered and decreed, that ſuch neceſſary and wholeſome Lawes which are in force, and may be made from time to time, to reduce them to civility of life, ſhall be once in the yeer (if the times be ſafe) made knowne to them, by ſuch fit perſons as the generall Court ſhall nominate, having the helpe of ſome able Interpreter.
4. Conſidering alſo that interpretation of tongues is appointed of God for propagating the truth; It is therefore decreed that two Miniſters ſhall be choſen every yeer, and ſent with the conſent of their Churches (with whomſoever will freely offer themſelves to accompany them in that ſervice) to make knowne the heavenly counſell of God among the Indians, and that ſomething be allowed them by the Generall Court to give away freely to thoſe Indians whom they ſhall perceive moſt willing and ready to be inſtructed by them.
5. They decree further that no Indian ſhall at any time Powaw, or performe outward worſhip to their falſe gods, or to the devill, and if any ſhall tranſgreſſe this law, the Powawer ſhall pay 5 l. the procurer 5 l. &c. 1646.
Their love to learning alſo is meet to be remembred, and encouraged, wherein they have gTit. Scheels. p. 47.obſerved a chief project of that old deluder Satan to keepe men from the knowledge of the Scriptures, as in former times keeping them in an unknowne tongue, ſo in theſe latter times by perſwading from the uſe of tongues, that ſo at leaſt the true ſenſe and meaning of the originall might be clouded with falſe gloſſes of ſaint-ſeeming deceivers, and that learning may not be buried in the graves of our forefathers in Church and Common wealth, the Lord aſſiſting our endeavours, It is therefore ordered by this Court and authority thereof, That every Townſhip encreaſing to the number of fifty houſholds, ſhall appoint one within their Towne to teach all ſuch children as ſhall reſort to him, to write and read, whoſe wages ſhall be paid either by the Parents or Maſters of ſuch children, or by the Inhabitants in generall by way of ſupply, as the major part of thoſe that order the Prudentialls of the Towne ſhall appoint, and where any town ſhall encreaſe to an hundred families or houſehoulders, they ſhall ſet up a Grammer ſchool, the Maſters thereof being able to inſtruct youth ſo far, as they may be fitted for the Univerſity, and if any town neglect this above a yeere, every ſuch Towne ſhall pay five pound per ann. to the next ſuch Schoole, till theyſhall performe this order. 1647.
And an Academy or Univerſity is not onelyonly in their aime, but a good while ſince they had more than begun well, and therefore wee read theſe words in another hTit. College. p. 12.part of their lawes, Whereas through the good hand of God upon us there is a College founded in Cambridge in the County of Middle ſex, called Harvard College, for incouragement whereof this Court hath given the ſum of four hundred pounds, and alſo the revenue of the Ferry betwixt Charles Towne and Boſton, and that the well ordering and mannaging of the ſaid College is of great concernment; It is therefore ordered by this Court, &c. Then follow directions for the Preſident and Commiſſioners to eſtabliſh orders and diſpoſe gifts, &c. 1636. 1640. 1642.
Mr. Coleman that was Eraſtianly principled, preached publikely that except ſome other way be found to Sermon at Weſtm. in Ann. 1646. Iuly, 30. è Iob. 11. 22keepe up learning, our Univerſities will be but uſeleſſe places, and learning it ſelfe an unneceſſary thing; for under this notion of Independency, Weavers and Tailors may become Paſtors, ſo that if ſome ſtop be not, the iſſue may be, that one may binde his ſonne Apprentice to a Cobler, and at ſeven yeeres end he may go out a free Miniſter, &c.
But our Brethren of New England wee ſee have other principles and practiſes, and notwithſtanding that they went out as exiles hence, mStat. Eccleſ. Brit. praeface.extra anni ſoliſque viam—yea as Iacob of old with his ſtaffe onelyonly paſſed over Iordan, and ſuddenly became two bands, Gen. 32. 10. Theſe ventured upon the wide and wild Ocean with poore and ſmall proviſion, and how great how many are the mercies that our God hath ſhewed unto his ſervants there, that they are not onelyonly furniſhed themſelves with neceſſaries of all ſorts, and have made large ſteps in an Academicall way, having Acts, Degrees, and Commencements according to the commendable faſhion of England, as their own words are; The theſes at their Commencements diſputed upon have been printed ſeverall yeeres at Cambridge in New England, and thence diſperſed here; but they have alſo induſtriouſly furthered by their godlineſſe, gentleneſſe, and good orders, the converſion of a miſerable people that have lien ſo long in darkeneſſe. To warme the affections of the Engliſh here, to raiſe all our hearts and endeavours to joyne all poſſible forces here and there in this ſoule-worke, the next chapter is added.