our Duty in waiting the answer of him wh[o] is soe much desired. We therefore desire you to put on charity, and not to thinke of us, nor act otherwise towards us than become Brethren, as we [ ] desire to carry it to you; And if we cannot all speake the same thing [ ] judging yourselves to exceed us in number, yett shew the spirit of Christ Jes[us] in a patient bearing with us and regular indeavour of our convictions [if] we erre in not acting with you, we trust through grace we sh[all] attend your ffull indeavours that way, that soe if it be possible we ma[y] be of one heart and mind in the Lord, whereby they that seek an advantage [over] us, and would rejoice in our division may be disappointed, we therefore beseech [you] to surcease that prosecution of your votes till we may have opportunity for [a] free and full consultacion togither with yourselves of what may most conduc[e to] the glory of god, the wellfare not only of this Church but of all the Churches he[re] and elswhere, and if upon a deliberate consideracon of things we cannot We hereby declare 30: (7) 67. ourselves ready and willing and oblige ourselves to acquiesce in the advice of a Council of Elders and Messengers of Churches mutually to be chosen, we shall add no more but that of the Apostle 2 Phill: 2: 3: subscribed by the dissenting Brethren 28: (7) 1667. Notwithstanding this our petition or addresse some of the Brethren desired they might not be hindered in the work they were met about and that the Elder would attend to the work of the day, although the Elder did affectionately with teares in his eyes desire that the motion of the dissenters might be harkened unto, but he could not prevaile being overruled to read the letters agreed to be sent unto Newhaven Church and Mr. Davenport a coppy whereof followeth.1 The church of Christ at Boston to the church of Christ at Newhaven wisheth all grace and peace may bee multiplyed. Boston Churches Reverend and beloved in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, wee know you cannot butt have heard of the dispensations of the Lord in his afflicting of us, by his righteous bereavings of those pretious instruments who sometimes were as stars in his right hand, and officers, having the oversight of us in the Lord, under whom, and their Administration of his ordinances, wee had greatt delight refreshing and ædification through his rich grace, butt nott soe improoving under enlargements, we are streightned, and breaches have beene made upon us one after another, and that which adds to our affliction before wee could obtaine a repayre of the first (notwithstanding our endeavours) a second hath overtaken us, whereby we are made to sitt sollitary, which our condition we are providentially led to present unto you, hoping to find 1 [We have corrected the copy of this letter by what appears to be the original draft, now in the possession of the Mass. Hist. Society.] LETTER TO THE NEW HAVEN CHURCH. 15 that Christian sympathy and fellow feeling with us, that your pure minds will bee ready to contribute to our assistance thereby forwarding the work of the Lord amongst us, by your willing resigning to the will of the Lord your sometimes settled pastor the Reverend Mr. Davenport, though now as wee understand providentially loosned from those engagements hee sometimes were under to and with you, unto whome wee have sent as to yourselves, by our beloved Brethren Mr. Ed. Tyng, C[apt.] James Olliver and L[ieut.] Richard Cooke whome wee desire you to receive in the Lord and to give creditt to in this matter; and although the call of the Church is nott soe unanimous as were to bee desired, yett itt it is soe full free and large, that wee accompt it our duty to make this Essay by our Brethren and letters, that thereby wee may have discovery of the mind of the Lord in the case, hoping that the houre of temptation passing over our Brethren nott so minded with us, they will nott onely acquiesce, butt rejoyce in the accomplishment of the will of the Lord, when they shall see his work. to prosper among us though by an instrument they did nott so eye with their Brethren: wee cannott butt be under a good degree of sence how exercising itt must needs bee for you to part with soe Reverend a person as the Reverend Mr. Davenport is, who is so richly furnished, that wheresoever hee is or shall bee disposed, hee may bee as a polished shaft in the hand of Christ coming in the fullness of the blessing of the gospell: yett resignations in the most desirable blessings circumstanced with the highest grounded expectations, have beene testimonyes of loves sincerity to him that gives, and to and for whome. wee ought to part with all when hee calls thereto : itt was enough to make free to send, when by him itt was said the Lord hath neede, that itt is so in this case wee speak as wee beleive the Lord hath need of Mr. Jno. Davenport att Boston, and that you may so beleive and accordingly doe, wee pray the mover of all hearts to work you up togither that you may say wee have a little sister and shee hath no breasts, and what shall wee doe for our sister in the day when shee shall be spoken for, and wee further pray that you and wee may in all conditions tryalls changes bee so managed in our day, that when our Lord shall come, wee may bee so watching and doing that wee may bee counted worthy to enter into his joy through the meritts of him that hath purchased us to be a peculiar [people] to himselfe, zealous of good workes, unto whom with the ffather and the eternall spirit the onely one and true good bee glory for ever, in whome we remaine. yours in the highest and best bond J. P.1 in the name of the Brethren.2 28: (7) Boston. 1 [James Penn, ruling elder in the First Church, Boston, from 1650 to 1671.] 2 [On the back of the paper with which we have compared this letter we find what we suppose to have been a postscript, as follows: "In the last Letter our church received from Rev. Dr. Owen it is [ ] he had such a valedictorie speach to our reverend Pastor Wilson that iff the wise orderer of all things should soe design that he should not see him in this world At the same time we presented them with the reasons of our dissent, intreating they might have bin read before they voted their letters, but could not prevaile untill their letters were read and voted: Reasons of dissent. Reasons of our dissent from calling of Reverend Mr. Davenport unto office relation with us and subscribed by 30 Brethren were as followeth. 30: (7) 67. REASONS OF DISSENT. 1.ly ffrom the state of the Church he stands now an officer unto, which is a state of peace and amity wherein they have lived without the least breach unto us knowne, [which] hereby may be broken to the occasion of the hazard of the ruine or rent both of Church and towne. 2.ly from the state of the person called who as it hath bin reported by some of our Brethren looketh at himself as free from the Church but by what doth appeare hath not bin dismissed from them, whose temptation may hereby be heightned to dessert his flock without any cause that ever we heard of unlesse alteration of civil government which hath not put any impositions upon them nor abridged their Church liberties.1 3ly from the persons calling whose acting as we humbly conceive hath bin sudden and not soe suitable unto the order of the Gospell and discipline which we all profess as a matter of such high concernment might require. Gall: 5. 13: I in respect that free debate in matters of such import was not without reflexion upon the dissenters. 2. in respect where as it was agreed that what was to be voted should be written, yet that all votes did passe and none were written. yet att that great Assembling there would be A glad meeting. And he earnestly desired our church would not hinder themselves from Enjoyment of Able Teachers for soe unworthy a one as himselfe who was hindered yet withall Promised that he would take the first opertunity that the Providence off god should offer to him off coming unto us wher in he might but Rationally hope to have the free exercise of his ministry when he should come."] 1 ["There was one point," on the part of Mr. Davenport, "which made it desirable for him to change the location of his ministry. This was his strong disapprobation of the policy adopted by Connecticut to compel the union of the New Haven colony with them, and his aversion to live under the government which had so acted. There was another particular which brought the leading men, such as Leverett, to like him more than they had disliked him for what he wrote against the half-way covenant. This was the decided and strong encouragement which he gave the authorities of Massachusetts to deny the offensive claims of the royal commissioners, and to hold out in their independent attitude. In addition, he and his Boston friends seem to have so far tolerated each other in their different views of such a covenant as not to disturb their friendly coöperation in other respects."- Felt's Eccles. History, vol. ii. p. 421. Mr. Davenport declined a call from the Second Church to become its minister at the time of its formation. The Rev. John Mayo was settled over it in 1655.] POSITION OF THE DISSENTERS. 17 3. in that the dissenters though soe considerable a number appeared declaring ourselves ready to render our reasons before the vote was passed, yet soe violently was it carryed on by our brethren manifesting that they desired to heare none, we suppose that [in] a civill Assembly the like would not have bin done, much lesse ought our brethren soe to have acted, who in diverse Church administrations of far lesse concerne than this of dreadfull obligation to office, and when pressed by lesse than the 7th part of ourselves, yet the body of the Church rather than to act unto their greivances hath desisted therefrom. 4 in that when we desired an orderly councill our motion was not complyed with but they proceeded unto action. 5 that the Reverend Mr. Allin hath bin acknowledged by our Brethren the voters as unmeet to lead and rule our congregation alone, and therfore another must be first voted to guide and rule him, which we conceive may tend unto the confirmation of Prelacy, and we see not but that it may be contrary to that of the Apostle, who requireth a sufficiency in the Ruler to Rule well. 6 in that some of the cheif voters saw not ground to admit Mr. Thatcher to be a member of our body for deserting his flock [at Weymouth] although they were supplyed with another officer, amicably parted with him, and had recommended him to our communion, yet now as we conceive incourage that in one which they condemne in another. 4 [1.] from the state of the dissenters who lay under an awfull ingagement to maintaine the travelling truth relating to duty unto the children of the Church and Heb: 13: 8: to remember those who have spoken the word of the Lord unto us, which now we should forgit plucking downe what they have built and in stead of following their faith, should now divert from it, and cease to consider the end of their conversation Jesus Christ the same yesterd[ay] and to day the same forever : 2 we should walk contrary to Rev: 3: 3: not holding fast what we have received Coll: 2: 6: nor should we as we have received Christ Jesus the Lord soe walk in him, it having bin a received and professed truth, by the body of our Church having voted it in the affirmative, and that after much patience with and candour towards those otherwise minded diverse daies having bin spent in inquiring about this great Generation truth which (since hath bin confirmed by the Synod) full liberty also being granted unto those (who scrupled) to propose their questions and were answered with such Publique satisfaction; that those few who remained unsatisfied promised to sitt downe, and leave the Body to act, excepting one or two; accordingly there was an entrance upon the worke, But the Lord lay not to the charge of those that hindered the progress therein; which with great blessing and success hath bin and is practiced in neighboring Churches: Thirdly our Churches double experience of her widdow hood, and the difficulty of meat supply, causeth us in prudence to conceive, a person of soe great an age not soe suitable to that end. 4ly and lastly in that we take ourselves regularly bound by an unanimous consent of the Church, further to waite the determinate answer of the Reverend Dr. Owen which [were then by an ordinary 1] disapointement of providence and hath bin hether to retarded. The Reasons were then read and no answer was made unto them for 9 months time (onely mr. Stodder said they were irregular, irrationall and he was ready to say ungodly) but after 9 months in the Publique a paper was read which the Elder said was an answer to the Reasons, the dissenters desired to know whether it was from him[self or] the Church, he said from the Church, then up stood mr. Ed: Ting an honourd Brother of the Church and said he doubted the Elder might not say the Church, for he knew not that he had ever heard them read before; the dissenters desired a coppy, the Elder said he would give no coppy; neither was it any more than once read at that or any other time untill the councill sate and then it was read. After the Lord brought in Ships from England and they could heare of no letters from Dr. Owen many of them together went to the Elder to solicite and intreate for a Church meeting freely to consider and debate about any persons meet to be called to office in the Church but the Elder totally refused to grant any. Mr. Davenport wrote to the Church where in he saith he considered the clearnes and strength of the call of christ by the Church 8 (8) 67. and that they may take notice and be assured of his strong inclination to obey this call, and hoped to be with them before winter. COPPY OF MR. DAVENPORT FIRST LETTER TO THE CHURCH: 8 (8) 67. Honourable Reverend and dearly beloved in our Lord Jesus The hast of your Honoured Messengers to returne unto you, compelleth me to be more briefe than other wise I should have bin, Let it please you to accept many harty thankes for this reall expression of your love in your invitation of me to such a service, as I accont the minnistration of the Gospel in your Church to be, both in respect of those eminent lights, which have formerly shined in that Golden Candlestick, and in reference to the General Influences from thence through out the Country, In which respects I am apt to be discouraged from such an undertaking, being-conscious to my selfe of my nothingness in myselfe, yett when I consider the clearnes and strength of the call of Christ, by you unto worthless me, to come and helpe you in such atime of your streights, I finde myselfe incouraged 1 [These words are erased in the MS.] |