TO

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE, the Earl of Warwick, Lord High Admirall of ENGLAND, and Governour in chiefe of the English Plantations in America, and upon the coasts thereof, and to the rest of that Honourable Committee, joyned in Commission with his Excellencie, For the wel ordering, government, and safety of Forrain Plantations.

RIGHT HONORABLE,

Ccording to the Fame we have heard of you, so have we found in you, a spirit of tendernesse and compassion towards the oppressed, which ever springs from the courage and fortitude of a heart resolute to suppresse the Oppressor, be his power and policie what it may, whilst men unsensible of the cause of the Needy, ever stand in readinesse to side with the strongest partie, and so (as occasion serves) to become one with the cruell, venting the same spirit, which for advantage can easily transform it selfe, so as if power comply with the just mans cause, the vizard of hypocrisie is soon put on by such, either to become dumb & silent, or else to speak so, as may best advantage it selfe, let the cause be what it will. Your wisdom and noble care in those weighty affairs committed to your trust, commands and binds us over to make a more particular and full relation (then formerly we have done) of what hath passed betwixt some other Colonies in NEVV-ENGLAND,

and

and our selves; that if it be possible to find any leisure hours in a crowd of so great imployments, your Honours might be pleased to take a more full view of things; in the mean time we stand humbly ingaged, as we have done; and ever shall in any service, that what we are, or have, can tender to the honour and peace of our Native Countrey, or to any true-hearted well-Wisher thereof; and if no other service (we can) may be acceptable, yet of this imployment none shall prevent us (whilst our God gives us hearts) daily to pray for you.

Your Honours most humble Servants, the
Inhabitants of Shaw-omet, whose
names are often expressed in this
Narration.

THE

EPISTLE

TO THE

READER,

COURTEOUS READER.

D

Oe not thinke that we delight to lay open the infirmitie and weaknesse of men (except our weaknesses and infirmities, as the Son of God sustained them) any further, nor to other end, but as they serve to discover and lay open that one spirit of the God of this world, which now works effectually in the children of disobedience, which spirit in all its severall wayes of operation, may be gathered up, and centred in, that son of perdition, yea, in that seven-headed, and ten horned beast, whose power and policie like unto that deluge in the old world, hath so long overspread the face of the earth, swallowing up in death every living thing that hath its motion upon the earth, after or according to the flesh.

Nor can any be offended justly with us, (no not our adversaries themselves) for making this true Narration of things that_have_passed amongst us, of which this Treatice truly speaks; For actions performed wherein men have cause to glory, the further they spread, the more satisfactory to the agents; nor are actions of such publick nature seldom performed, but to such end and purpose, for if they be good, they ought not only to be reall and essentiall in them amongst whom they are acted and done, but also presidentiall and exemplary unto others where ever the Fame of them, may come; and if they be evill, then a whorish Fore-head must needs accompany them, being done in the light of the Sun, and then can no wise man be offended, that a way-marke is cast up to give notice of such desperate, and dangerous wayes, unlesse himselfe be of

the

the same spirit, and is about, or else waits for an opportunity for the like design.

Thou art intreated therefore not to looke upon this Treatise, as simply matter of History, but as matter of mysterie also: For as it was acted to make manifest the operations and workings of a differing spirit, to that end it is published also: so that if it be narrowly looked into, not only a savour of that mysterie of iniquity will appeare (which always works effectually to the same end and purpose, namely, to extinguish and put out the light of divine truth, Wheresoever, or in whomsoever it appears) but thou wilt find some Foot-steps also of that great mysterie of God, whose bright beams of light where ever made manifest, declare the men of the world to sit in the shadow of death. Though the mysterie of iniquity works not always in the same manner and forme, nay seldome any long time together, without taking a new face, and using the art of transformation of it selfe into one an other shape, and herein lies the policie of Sathan, that when some time hath been spent (yea it may be an age) in hopes and expectation of glorious times of peace, ease, and exaltation, from the mouths of lying Prophets, who alwayes drive the peace, power, and principality of the Kingdome of God, some certaine time before them, or at the least before the common people (as they call them) as though they themselves were the onely men, that for the present were admitted into the counsells and secrets of the Kingdome of God, and the people to take it upon their report, where, and when, the appearance of it shall be.

But when the world by due proof, finds their prædictions to fail, and sees troups of its ancestors go down to the grave, not having the possession put into their hand, it then works effectually for a transformation, to cast its worship of God into another form, wherin it hopes in shorter time for to attain him, in which state it cannot rest to wait, unlesse it hath the strongest partie, according to the power of the arm of flesh on its side, and therefore must of necessity labour diligently as for life, to borrow a coercive power from the civil Magistrate, to be transferred, turned over, and put into their hands, whereby they may subdue others, and compell them to follow their way, and to acknowledge their worship to be onely divine, yea the onely God of the world, for there is but one divinitie, which they have now made and set up unto themselves, or else that the Civil Magistrate will be pleased to detain and keep his own power upon this condition (binding him unto themselves) that

he

he shall not fail, to bind the hands and tongues, yea and hearts also (if they can but search and know what is in them) that none shall be permitted to intermeddle, or any way to disturb them: But that they may peaceably worship, every man in his garden, and under such a green tree, as he shal choose unto himself, being fearfull of trouble and disquiet, not knowing better, but that the crosse of Christ is terrible, as though the Sonne of God had not taken away the terror and angry face of it, putting no lesse disparagement upon him, but as though the sting were in death still, being ignorant of this, how that by death he overcomes death, even untill now.

The reason why the civil Magistrate is so sought after, and (as I may justly say) troubled, if not tortured, in the depopu lation of Kingdoms, and losse of true-hearted Subjects by the church, in her formalities, and perfunctory worships, is this, a naturall heart conceives the condition of the Church of Christ, to be like a common weal or Kingdome, which cannot be well, unlesse every individuall within such naturall and terrene confines, agree in one, for the well being and glory of each particular in the whole, so that the humble submission of every Subject becomes one, in that one heart and Spirit of the King, who submits to the deniall of himself (in any thing) for the preservation of the whole, and that one heart, courage, and magnanimity of the King, is in every individuall of the Kingdome, to go forth for the honour, peace and preservation, of that their one Lord; and so it is in the true Church rightly considered in its relation with the King of Saints, truly considered in Spirituall, and not in terrene respects; but that naturall spirit that works in a naturall changeable and vanishing Church, judgeth of its peace according to the consent of all within the compasse of such naturall bounds and terrene confines as it self resides & abides in; and therefore the false prophet is said to be the Tail, because which way the honorable person looks, or the head of the place where he is (according to man) he alwayes steers the body of the people, yea though it be but the body of the beast that way, that he may have strength according to sence on his side, not knowing how to live or walk according to the power of faith; therefore must either have all (if it be possible) or at least the greatest both for authority and number on his side; for he sees not the blessing of the Divine presence that goes with the ark of God though among many adversaries in a wildernesse; therefore will he take up nothing but the Tabernacle of Molech (or as the word