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Show 4 Mafter John Cottons An[wer ged, tn be godly and dearcly beloved, I did never perceive juft ~round for fuch publick acknowledgement. For before my coming into N"'•-Engl.md, the godly-wife, and vigilant Ruling-Elder of Plymouth (aged M'. Bmijler) had warned the whole Church of the danger of his lpirit,which moved ~he bettcrpartofth~ Church, to be glad of his removall from them mto the Bay. And In the Bay , not long before .my coming, he began to oppofe the Kings Patent with much vehemency,(as he had done at Plymouth before;)which made the Magiftrates to feare, they fhould have more to doe with him, then with a man pub\ickly acknowledged to be godly, and dearely beloved. Soone after, when upon hearing offome Epifcopall,and malig· nant pral?cifes againft the Countrey, the Magiftrates, and whole general! Court thought meet to take a tryall of th~ fidelity of the people( not by lmpo!ingupon them,but) by offermg to ~hem an Oath ofFidelitie, That in cafe any !hould refufc, they m1ght not bctrufr them with place of publick Command ; He vehemently withfrood ir, partly becaufe it was Chrifrs Prerogative to have his Oflice efrabli!hed by Oath; partly, becaufe an Oath was a part of Gods worOlip, and many of the people being carnall (as he con· ceived) it was not meet to put upon them an Oath, which was an aa: of Gods wor!hip. Upon fuch, and the like difrurbances to the Civill Peace (for upon this fundry refufed the Oath, and upon their refufall the Magifrrates could not difcerne how the people fiood affetl:ed to the publick Safety) therefore, both the Magi· firates, and fundry Elders (though I doe not remember my felfe to be one) advifed the Church of Salem, not co proceed to choofe him(as they were then about to doe) unto office in the 'I Church. Yea and in Salem (though many of the Members were taKen with him) fame judicious amonJ!,fi them told me, they could not choofe · him to office, beca,ufe,they found him to be( contrary to the Apo· ftle.s rule) rlu6JJ>"~' fclfe-plea!ing, felfe·full, or (as it is tran{lated) felfe·willed, Tit. 1. 7· Neverthelelfe, the major part of the Church made choice of him. Soone after the Church of Salem made fuit to the Court, for a parcel! of Land, which lay commodious for them: But the Court delayed to gr~nt their req ,,eft, !>ecaufe the C~urch had refufed to hearken to their motion,in forbearing the ch01ce of M'.Williami. Which(o much incenfcd M'.WiOiami, that he cauG:d tht to M after Roger Williams. the Church to joyne with him, in writing Letters of Admonition tO all the Churche!,whereof any of the Magi frrates were members, toadmonifh their MJgifrrates of their breach ofthe rule ofJufrice,. in not granting their Petition. Which following upon all the former diflurbanccs raifed by M'.WiOiamt, it frill aggravated the former jealou!ies, which generally, the judicious fort of Chrifrians had conceived of hi~ fclfe-conceited, and unquier,and unlambelike frame of his Spirit: So that from firfr to lafr of my knowledge of him here,I cannot fee, nor fay, what ground he had offuch aTe· ftimony,as he giveth ofhimfelfe, as of one publicklj ack!Jowledged to be god~, and dearery beloved. 2. When he mak~th it an occafton of my excufe of my felfe, (from ha- • ving an hand in hn fofferingt ) t h•t fome friendt wert much grieved that Juch an one Jhould be expo fed to filCh fujferingJ. . I do beleeve indeed, that notfome friends onely,but many were grieved at the unmoveable friffnelfe, and headinetfe of his Spirit, tbatexpofed him to fuch fufferings. :But he doth not well to fay, that [omefriendJ were grieved, tbat one fo publick!J ack!Jowledged,Jhould be expo fed to juch fujferingt ; thereby to intimate as if his iufferings were greater then his defervings. For neither might fuch friends be truely called his friends ; nor was their judgement of any weight in his caufe. For they cleaved to bim,and his canfe, not out ofjudicious charity,but out of an itching levity, taken with every wind of new Dotl:rine : which foone after appeared. For within a !horttime, when his new Notions grew frale to them, they feparated from him, (as he from them) and began to !iflen after a more prodigious Minter of exorbitant novelties,(the very dregs ofF amililine)heid forth by one M'.Gorton. Gorton at firfr arrived iu our BJy, and continued a while in our Towne, till a reverend Minifler in Londo,., ( M'. Walk~!) fent ~vet Direl:tions to fame friends, to demand an loo.l'.debt of him, which he having borrowed of a Citizen, the Citiz:n bequeathed it to fome good ufe, whereof M'. Wal~r was called to fome T rufr. Butt hen M'. Gmon departed out of thisj urifdiction to Plymouth: and there beginning to fpread fome of his Opinions, to the d,ifrurbance of the Church, and fearing difrurbance to himfclfe, he came toRoade-Ijland;and there raifing fame feditious difrurbance againfr t~ Magi!lrates, he met with publick correl?cion. From thence ' ili- 5 |