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Nathaniel Morton

I

Vnderstand that you haue latly put forth a Booke of records, whether of Church or State I know not, perticuler or vniuersall, but this I know that I am vniustly inrouled because I was neuer free nor member incorporate in your body or any of your territories, Therfore I may not refraine to make a short returne only as it concernes my selfe;

* 1 Cor.

2. 14

And first concerning your peremtory judging of one you know not, for I am a stranger to you, Besides that, your vnderstanding reacheth not, the things wherin God excerciseth his people, * with wishes of better things in you and all men, I must giue you a true description of your vnderstanding from the apostle Jude verse 10; therfore I have no railing speech to returne, or iudgment of blasphemy (as the wordes are) either to seeke any revenge of my selfe, or to comply with any such spirit I dare not; but I dare not but comply with the spirit of the apostle in this his saying The Lord rebuke thee, "Jude; Know that all our contention is about the body of Moses, as Moses hath respect vnto all Israel being King in Jeshurun Moses as a deliuerer out of bondage, Moses as a conducter of Israel through the wildernesse, Moses as imbodied in the law, and the law in Moses, in and about this body stands all our strife;

"Jude

ver. 9

Whether this body is to be vnderstood carnally or spiritually, whether Pharisaically or apostolically, whether according to Antichrist which is the law of workes, the misterie of iniquitie, or according to Christ which is the law of the spirit the mistery of God, in this case I contend concerning the whole body of the holy scriptures against the Deuill in the whole body of Antichrist, which takes the word and law of God humanly and not spiritually, hipocritically to make merchandise of the word and not apostollically to spend themselues and be spent for the flock of God; Antichristianly to multiply and make themselues strong to persecute & kill the poore weakling and such as haue of man at all, and not Christianly that plentifully feeds the hungry refresheth the weary without any respect of persons

no

* Zech. 3:2

"1 John

5: 19

either in the vppermost seates in the synagogues gold ring on the hand, or gold in [the] bagge, of which carnall Antichristian and Diabollicall spirit I say with the prophet the Lord reproue thee, O Sathan, euen the lord that hath chosen Jerusalem reproue thee* and such as are plucked as brands out of that Satanicall fire though they be branded by a whole world that are of that wicked one "as the apostle himselfe was stigmatized † yet we know that God standeth at the right hand of the poore and skillfully performes all their workes in them & for them, "It is also most aparant and plaine that Sathan himselfe standeth at the right hand of cruell and dissembling hipocrites whether Doeg or Judas by whose craft and power + Psal: 109 they prosecute all their desighnes and enter6; prisest

+ Gal 6: 17

"Psalm 109,

30: 31

Isay 26

:

11: 12

My second word concernes your eminencie in assuming authoritie to Canonize and put into the ranke and number of Saints such men when they are dead which in their life time were persecutors especially you hauing acknowledged them to be such your selfe, As also to thrust downe under your feet and make as bruit beastes hauing only hope in this present life, such as are knowne to be fearers' of God worshiping him instantly day and night, Though they be not acknowledged to be such by some perticuler sectaries as your selfe, for you are no Orthodox Christian because you deny the whole and compleat word of God to be concerned in the present state of the Church of Christ, but haue chosen a part of it only to concern your present profession therfore a sectarie and no Catholique Christian, for such as hold a temporary word, they hold a temporary worship, and such as hold a temporarie worship they hold a + John 1. 1: temporary God, for god and his word are one, t and if you worship a temporary God my portion is not with you, for if you chuse but some part of the word to be your rule then you chuse but a part of Christ for a Saviour, for the whole word of god is nothing else but a description of Christ, and if you diuide Christ you make anullity of him,

but this your teachers cannot know though it be "Hab: 1.5 told them "Therfore that which you charge upon me returnes into your owne bosome, and more if more may be, for you hold not only a temporary state of mankind, but a temporary word also, which made man and all things, yea a temporary god which is the greatest Athisme that

I know, and of such sectaries I passe little to be iudged or by man's day † But for these things you + 1 Cor: 4.3: seeke to besmeare [me ] with which returne iustly

upon your selfe, mine aduersaries shall be my iudges where any sparke of hmanitie remaines ;

I haue often wondered in my younger dayes how the Pope came to such a height of arogancie, but since I came to New England I haue perceiued the height of that tripple crowne, and also the depth of that Sea, together with the multitudes. that flock together through the one and the other under the vizard of the ascention and descention of Christ whence such things arise, and not from the personall presence of Peter, but from corrupting the apostollicall Doctrine, bending and bowing it to comply with corrupt Auarice, pride superstition and vaine imaginations of the minds of men, setting vp their gods at Dan and Bersheba (if you understand the etimologie of the words) and the glory apearing there is no other but that which the leuiticall priests carue below the mount of God, forming it of the eare and heart iewels of the egiptians, adorning carnall Israel who turne back in their hearts into the house of bondage, whence they were delivered; yea I see and feele that Idolatry hath an illimitted originall, and that Antichrist that did work doth now worke and shall worke so long as men are inhabitants vpon the earth without intermission, yea that carnall and Popish interpretation of the fifth monarchie shall not hinder him but incourageth the men to play the part of the Deuill, that being a maine piller to set him vp, kindling his rage against the Saints of god that cannot conforme to his tyranie; of like effect is your carnall opinion of the calling of the naturall Jewes, and bringing in a certaine fullnesse of the gentiles;

A third word I haue to say concernes your office of record, mistake me not, I medle not with your records further then they concerne my selfe, do not wrest my words as once they were in a letter taken in pieces, and what was plainly exprest to be spoken of the Clergie, was aplied to the magistracie to make me obnoxiouse among men, and when the truth apeared it was professed that it was done by a reuerend Diuine, before the State of England, who got no honour there by that; who euer he was; deale fairly with me as I shall do with you and all men, I then affirme that your record is fetched further then Cape Cod, namly from him who is a lyer from the beginning and a murtherer also; and truth he aboad not in, nor can he abide it, and I take it to be the highest point of murther, to

VOL. IV.-No. 7.

26

strike

strike at the life of the Soule, which life is the Spirit of Christ, which I professe to liue by, and account all other + Gal. 2: 20 life not worthy the name of life with respect unto

that,f

Your record therfore comes from farre with an intent to kill Abell that Cain's offering may be in your highest esteeme, yea your Record ariseth out of the bottomlesse pit, the smoake whereof is as a stifling fog of darknesse in your booke, It is vntruly recorded concerning Plimouth's government dealing with my selfe, for it is a false record that conceales many passages that were acted, and falsifies things expressed, A difference betweene Mr Ralph Smith and my selfe was not the ocation of Plimouths dealing with me, I say Mr Ralph Smith as you please to call him, but why is not your Canonization not exercised upon him, he was your ancient pastor and of my knowledge as pure and precise in your religion as any of you all, What was he not rich enough, or was he not honourable enough, or had neither himselfe nor his poets made verses enough to bring him into the ranke, What a wofull neglect was that, yet I neuer knew it before that without poetrie we cannot be esteemed holy and honourable; neither gray haires nor pastorall charge will bring vs into holy order no not so much as to be numbred among the Chemarims; If you had recorded truly you should haue made report of Plimouths dealing with me had bin their threatning of a widow one Ellin Aldridge whom they said they would send out of the Collony as a vacabond by some of your inferiour officers, when as nothing was laid to her charge, only it was whispered priuatly that she had smiled in your congregation, whervpon it may be the Church grew iealous that she did not well like your Doctrine and graue pollished Church order, And she hauing bin a woman of good report in England and newly come ouer, being carefull of her credit she fled into the woods to escape the shame which was threatened to be put upon her, there remaining seuerall dayes and nights, at the least part of the nights and absented her selfe againe before people stirred in the morning; my speaking on her behalfe (she being then my wiues servant) was the ocation that Plimouths government tooke to deale with me, whervpon they called me to a Court more priuatly held to examine me, and one of them inlarging vpon a point agravating the matter more then it deserued, I said he spake hyperbollically whervpon they asked your Elder then present, what was the meaning of that word, and he was pleased to expound it that I told the magistrate that he lyed;

and

and this was the dealing with me, and accordingly they gaue their owne constructions of what I spake afterwards, only in your Court more publique the foreman of the jury (your Elders son Jonathan Brewster) befriended me so much as to moue the Court that I should not speake in my owne behalse at all, and there was no Atourney to be had in those dayes that I knew of;

But if all the figures that the Rhetoricians haue invented should be so interpreted as the Hyperbole was the common ministry might be ashamed of their exposition of the numerous places of Scripture, and if they lay these figures aside they know not how to bring the Scriptures into a gramaticall sence as God's proper intent therin, I wonder what language they will vtter in heauen when humane sense failes, for I am sure the deuice of grammer is not part of the holy tongue for it neuer entred into the heart of humane

reasont

+1 Cor. 2

9: 10

In the time of these agitations Mr Smith tooke offence at me whether of himselfe or instigated I know not, neither know I any ocation I gaue him, vnlesse it was because his ancient wife and others of his family frequented mine vsually morning and euening in the time of family exercises, and so did a religious maid liuing then with your teacher Mr Reyner, mistriss Smith often expressing her selfe how glad she was that she could come into a family where her spirit was refreshed in the ordinances of god as in former dayes which she said was much decayed and allmost worne out of religion since she came to Plimouth; In this offence taken by Mr Smith he applied himselfe to the gouernment of Plimouth for help to breake his couenant made with my selfe, I hauing hired one part of his house for the terme of foure whole yeares, Whervpon I was perswaded to put the matter to arbitterment the men were apointed, my writings deliuered, as I Remember, John Cooke was one an eminent member of your Church; who shortly after said the writings were comanded out of their hands by the Gouernour, insomuch that they could doe nothing to issue the matter, neither could I procure my writings againe vnto this day, least the iustice of my cause should apeare to any, but the Court proceeded to fine and banishment, together with sentence giuen that my family should depart out of my owne hired house, † within the space of fourteene dayes vpon the penalty of another great summe of money (besides my fine paid) and their further wrath and displeasure, which

Acts

28: 30

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