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Show t.7Y!after John Cottons A~<fwer meaning of my fpeech, ~~~t for the hafiening of the Sen~ence of the Court againft M'. w,u..,m, chat a a of the Court ( ~vhtch was the a a of the body of the Magif\rate,, ~nd of the Deptmes) ~~was . ne;ther done by my counfell, ·nor content. For the body ot them neicll<r required my counfell, nor recei~ed my confent. What one of them.did( for I remember but one rhat confu I ted with me about it) was not the a a done by theM tgilirates, whereof 1 fpake. And Jet che occafion, and fcope, and mamr of that freech be remem· bred and it will ·be found to tend co that purpnfe, and no other. A~t a yeare before the Sentence in Coilrt paff,d ag•inil M' Wil· liam1 the Govemour, and uther M•gillrat~s havinv undedlood of ch'e dillurbances put upon the Civil! State by M'. W>Oiaii!J, (which have been declared above) they fent f~r the Elders of the Churches in thefe parts, to acquamt us cherewuh, and to decl.re thereupon, the jull grounds which they had to proceed againlt him : yet willing to conferre thereof with us , becaufe he was an Elder of a Church. I doe not love to predicate mine own good of• ficcs co any : but his importunitie forceth me co utter ic; when I heard che motiol'l, I prefented (with the confent of my fellow· El· ders•and Bt•i:tltren) • fedous Requefr-to 'rhe Ma~ilh.ues, that they would be pl.a(ed co forbeare •II ctvill prote:mion •.gainft him, [,J1 ourfelvcs(with our Churcaes)had dealt w:th him tn a Church way, to convince him of finne: alled~ing, that my felfe, and brethren hoped, hi• violent courfe did rather fprin~ from fcruple of confcience, (though carried ·with an ioordlfla'e z~ale) therrfr0!11 a feHlticus Princif•le. To which the Governouc replyed, That"'" were dtceived in him, if we thought he would conde fend to leame of al1'} of ttr : And wbat will ya>t doe{ t:Oith be) R>he" Y'i~bJve run your cowfi, and fnund all your /, bour loft? I anfwet ed for the refl,we hoped bet• ter things: ific fdl otit contr>ry to our hope!, we·con!d not helpc ir, but mufl fit downe, and q'1iet our confcience in the Lord sac· ccJira•-.ce of our will, and end~a:vour for the deed. . . Tbis interceding of my fel!e, and mht<r Elders tn hts behalfe, rave me juft occaflon of chat proftilion above-mentioned, Thad bad fought to dtli11er•him,-R>bo ivit~out caufwproached '!'ee. The ilfae v:uwhen che Church ofNe,_.'f.wne, wtrh ourowne; ·and 'ochers had endeavou;ed to convince bath M'. WiUi•mJ 0 ·ihefe offence!, and the Ghurch of·Salemof cheirindulg~nt tole_ra· tJO!l to Mafter Roger Williams. tion ofhlm therein; it pl;:;fed the Cord to open the hearts of the Church to affi(t us in dealing with him: but he in ftead of hear· ken in~;, eicherto them, or m, renoun~ed us all, as no Churches of Chrill :-and therefore not •t all to be hearkened unto. Whereupon the M•gillrares being to afTemble to the next Gene· rail Court at New-To.,ne, intending (as appeared by the event) to proceed ag:inft him:And one uf the MagHirares of our Towne being to goe thicher,acquainted me chat it was likely M'. WiUiamt hi&caufe would then be iffued, and asked me wh•t I thought ,)f it. '1ruely ( faid I,) I pitie tb• m.m~ and have a1reJdy interceded for him, wbtkjl tber< R>aJ any hope nf domg good. But noR> he having refufod t<J be11re both hu oR>n Church, and..,., and having rejeBed..,. aU, at no Chwchei•fChrifl before any convil1ian, w• haV< now no mare to fay i!l bit behalfe, 7W hope to prevaik f or him, W<e h:we told the Govmznur, ,nd Magiftrafes before, that if our labour waJ in vainc, "'" could not btlpe it, bHI muft fit downt. And yoUl know tbej art gmsrally fo rnucb incenjed againfl hit courfe,th~t it it not your wyce,n?T the voyce1 of two, fiT three "'ore, that ca" fo[pend the Smten"· Some further j}eech I had •ithhim of min< own marvell at the wea~ejJe, ~nd jlendernc_De of the g,..,ndJ of bit opiniom, motiom, and aourfes, and yet carrud o" rvitb (Ncbvthemency, andimpetUi>ufneffi·, ..ndpreftdmce nf Spirit. l'o this purpofe was my fpeech to him, nor can I call to minde that I fpake lo much as this to any m•n clfo ; nor can I remember at all, that further then fo, I g.ve him any grounds to prove the fCntencing of him to B-anHhm"ot,to be juft and warrantable to his Confcience. Nor would it infri.Jge the truth of my fpeech if I had fo done, feeing itis not one mans vote (nor two, if there had been two) chat denominaceth the fentence of the Court, or the a& to be done by the Magiftrates, much leffe done by the M•gillrat<s With my countell, and confent: but though I looked a~ the Sen• tence of the Court, as neither hafieued nor done by my counfel!, . and confent, yet I did never intend to fay, that I did not confent to the jullice of the Sente;>ce when it was pa t\.Not that I withdrew myfelfe out of the Coun (•s. hc is plea fed to confirueic) oHt offome 1fiH11atifJ1l; or :bat I meant it, I mit her coHT1feUed nor conjimerl in the v~rytime of tho femwce p•Jfing:bm that I did nlJt before·h .. nd either lfVe counfdl, or coofent to ttle budy of the M•gifrraces, or D~puIICI, to paife that Sentence again It him. To 39 |