d 1 Col. 1. 25. then man (4); countrey men, for wee cannot but call you so, though we find your carriage to be so farre worse then these Indians, we advise you to take things together, and what God hath joyned, let none dare to put asunder, (e) so that if you be ashamed of the Crosse ine Marke 10. 9. Baptisme, be ashamed of the Baptisme also, for such as the Crosse is, such is the Baptisme: Therefore your Ancestors goe beyond you, in that they joyne crossing of the ayre, and sprinkling with the Element of water together: But wherever Baptisme according to the word of Christ is, there is the Crosse of Christ also, [] they can no more be separated then his Scepter and Kingdom can, for f Matt. 20. 22, where the one is, there is the other also; for as Luke 12. 50. they are coincident, so are they coaparant: So that 23. if ever you see the Baptisme of Christ, truly in use, and exercised upon any, you doe as truly see that party partaking in, and communicating with the Crosse and Sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ, and to see persons in such estate, and conclude afterward they are worthy of sensure, yea possibly to an Athema, Maranatha, is nothing else but to conclude a totall and finall falling away from the grace of God, as your Fathers have done before you, for no grace greater then the Crosse of our Lord Jesus; Behold therefore you Despisers the vanity and abomination of all your Baptismes, how prejudiciall they are to the Cross of Christ, be ashamed, and return in time, or he shal be a swift witness against you for ever, when your Repentance shal come too late; but you think the Crosse of Christ is not but in bowing the back under every burden, and cringing, and crouching to the lust of every man otherwise his g Shebet; [] is not fit, nor suteth it with your Regi- & That is, his Scepter, Rod ment at all, unlesse so servile, that every one may Staffe, or tribe. serve their lusts of him, to Wealth and Honour, Friends and Allies, by setting bounds and limits to the holy Word of God; some in the way of one devise, some in the way of another, and he that will not walke as a dumbe beast, worse then Balams Asse, and say nothing, or else give a sense of the holy Writings to maintaine that devised Plat-forme, if mercy must be used, not to hang and burne, yet banishment is ready wayting for them: Therefore shall you know, by the Rod of his power that comes out of Sion, [h] that h Psal. 110. 2 he will be Ruler even in the midst of his Ene- 2. mies. VOL. IV.-No. 6. 21 By i the word Elem signifies dumbnesse, so that the Phrase is, doe ye indeed, do dumb Justice, o Congregation? and so describes such persons what they are that speake not a word of Righteousnesse in their acts and executions, which Psalme shewed unto us the spirit, practice and successe of our Adversaries. * These being the Purchasers of Shawo-met the Sachim, Myantonomy, as he sold it to 12. men, so his] price was that every man should pay 12. Fatham of Wamppum peage, that is, 144. Fatham, as our deed, By us whom you stile your Neighbours of Providence, you have said it, Providence is our hold, the Neighbour-hood of the Samaritan we professe, and for the lookings on, and turnings aside of your Priests and Levites, without either Unction, or Compassion, all your slaine and wounded in soule finding no remedy, doe plainely testifie the nature of your travels, and Neighbour-hood what it is; your speech to us in generall, not using our names, when as we know, it is particulars you ayme at, gives us plainely to see the word Elem, [i] Revived and Living in you, as it stands with its Coherence, in Psalme 58. Verse the first, &c. lohn Wickes. William Waddle. Samuel Gorton. which he made unto us being extant, witnesseth to be paid unto him. This Writing sent to the Massachusets we have related verbatim; only what is in the margent is added for explanation, and more ease to the Reader to understand our meaning which we sent at the time when their general Court sat; desiring that all the Country might take notice of it, doubting they were not well informed how the Magistrates and Ministers had carryed themselves towards us, nor upon what ground they had, or did proceed against us: But the chief of them taking the matter into consideration, thought good to call an Assembly of Magistrates and Ministers to consult, in way of a Synod, what course to take uniting themselves together that what was done by any of them might be the act of them all: and they perusing of our writings, bet who cryed writings, framed out of them 26 particulars, or thereabouts, which they said were blasphemous, changing of phrases, altering of words and sense, not in any one of them taking the true intent of our writings; but if they spake our own words, it was to such purpose as this; as though a man would write the words of the Psalme, and affirm (there is no God) such words he may find written therein; but if he leave out this, That the fool hath said in his heart so, he spoils the sense, and in such manner did they deal with our writings, and those things they were free to divulge and make known amongst the people: These things concluded to be heresies and blasphemies before ever they heard a word of what interpretation we could give of our meaning therein: The Ministers did zealously preach unto the people the great danger of such things, and the guilt such lay under that held them, stirring the people up to labour to find such persons out and to execute death upon them, making persons so execrable in the eyes of the people, whom they intimated should hold such things, yea some of them naming some of us in their Pulpits, that the peo- k As Mr. Cobple that had not seen us thought us to be worse by out against far in any respect then those barbarous Indians are Gorton that in the Country, which some of the Ministers have arch heretick, rendred unto the people as Hittites, Cananites, and who (saith he) Peresites, urging it as a duty unto the English to men to be put them to death; whereupon we heard a rumor preachers. that the Massachusets was sending out an Army of, turned his men to cut us off: but when they perceived we speech against were removed further into the Countrey, and had Moses, who left our Lands, Houses, and Labours, where their the Lords peopretended subjects, by meanes of whom they sought ple were profor some temporall occasions against us, lived, they phets, he had thought it not safe to come out against us, having plainly expresshow of nothing against us, but only our Religion; sed the bent therefore seeing themselves disappointed in that of his spirit, & designe, wherein their Coadjutors, had wrought to of zeal he had. bring them in, to make an inroad upon us, they then wrought by these their Agents, who traded for them with the Indians, to insinuate themselves into two, or three Indians amongst us, to become subiects to the government of Massachusets, hereby with-drawing them from their lawful and naturall Prince, Myantonomy; and the name of these his subjects, who now became subjects to the Massachusets, were Pumhom, and Soccononocco; and when this was accomplished, then would have al But if he had wished that al far more what manner they they againe sent forth their warrants unto us, as formerly to command our appearance at their Courts, in the Massachusets, and that without any consideration or delay, at the first time of their sending unto us after our removall, the Court being then siting at Boston in the Massachusets. Here followeth a true Copie of the first Warrant sent unto us, by the Generall Court assembled at Boston, in the Massachusets, after our removeall unto, and planting upon our Land at Shaw-omet, verbatim, the Warrant under their hand being still extant. To our Neighbours, Master Samuel Gorton, Iohn Wickes, Randall Houlden, Robert Potter, Francis Weston, Richard Carder, lohn Warner, and William Waddle. Whereas we have received upon good ground, into our Ju banished some risdiction, and Protection, two Indian Sachims, whose names are Pumham, and Soccononoco, who have lately complained unto us of some injurious and unjust dealing, towards them by your selves; and because we desire to doe They having equall right and justice to all, and that all parties of us five or might be heard, we have therefore thought good to six years be write unto you, to give you notice hereof, that so fore, and you might make present answer in the Generall threatning, Court now assembled at Boston to their comthat if some of us were plaints, who are now here with us, to attend your amongst them comming: And because some of you have been hardly see the denyed the liberty of comming amongst us, and it place of our may be, others are not willing in other respects, personally to appeare, ['] we doe therefore hereby give and grant safe conduct for your free egresse & regresse unto us, whereby there may be no just excuse, for with-holding you to give satisfaction in this particular. we should aboad any more. Dated the 12th. 7th. Mo. 1643. Per cur. general. Incr. Nowell Secret. This Warrant being delivered unto us, by some of their forenamed Agents, the English, we presently returned them this answer by word of mouth, by their Messenger, telling them, that we being so far out of their jurisdictions, could not, neither would we acknowledge subjection unto any in the place where we we were; but only the state and government of old England, who only had right unto us, and from whom we doubted not but in due season we should receive direction, for the well ordering of us in all civill respects; and in the meane time we lived peaceably together, desiring and indevouring to doe wrong to no man, neither English nor Indian, ending all our differences in a neighbourly and loving way of Arbitrators, mutually chosen amongst us: They receiving our answer, tooke it disdainfully, as their intent was to take any we sent, without our personall appearance, being resolved what course to runne concerning us; whereupon they sent us another Writing immediately from the Court, to informe us, that they were resolved to come downe amongst us, to exercise Justice there. Here followeth a true Copie of the Writing which they sent unto us, verbation, being still extant. To Samuel Gorton, lohn Wickes, lohn Warner, John Green, Randall Houlden, Francis Weston, Robert Potter, Richard Waterman, Richard Carder, Sampson Shotton, Nicholas Power, and William Waddle. Whereas upon occasion of divers injuries, offered by you to us, and the people under our jurisdiction, both English and Indians, we have sent to you to come to our Court, and there make answer to the particulars charged upon you, and safe conduct to that end: To which you have returned us no other but contemptuous and disdainfull answers; and now at the last, that if we vvould send to your selves, that the cause might be examined, and heard among your owne Neighbours, we should then have justice and satisfaction: We have therefore, that our moderation and justice may appeare to all men, agreed to condescend herein to your owne desire; and therefore intend shortly to send Commissioners into your parts to lay open the charges against you, and to heare your Reasons and Allegations, and thereupon to receive such satisfaction from you, as shall appeare in justice to be due. We give you also to understand, that vve shall send a sufficient Guard, with our Commissioners, for their safety against any violence, or injury; for seeing you will not trust your selves with us, upon our safe conduct, we have no reason to trust ours with you, upon your bare courtesie: But this you may rest assured of, that if you will make good your owne offer to us, of doing us right, our people shall returne, |