JUDGMENT OF THE MINISTERS.

203

The final appeal of the women upon which the church acted, as a formal application for admission to its membership, was supported by the judgment of an assembly of ministers convened in the preceding month of May, in a document written by the Rev. Thomas Cobbett, which has been preserved on the files of the Old South :

Upon a motion made by the South church of Boston unto such Elders of other churches as were there assembled upon the 28 of May, 1674, for the resolution of this following question,

"What is our duty towards those members of the Old church who were and still are secluded from communion with that church in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, only because of their participation with us therein, and who also desire to join in church fellowship with us?"

Those elders, having inquired into and labored after a right understanding of the true state of the Question as it ariseth from matter of fact and relates unto matter of practice in the great duties of church communion and communion of churches, do, humbly and in the fear of God, offer our sincere understanding of the case stated in this question: and, 2dly, our advice and counsell thereupon.

1. That the church inquiring, respecting both its constitution and administrations both of Doctrine and worship, is, and ought to be acknowledged, a true church of Christ, standing right in the order of communion of churches in all respects; free and clear from any just scandall or offence given or taken. As appears by the oft renewed acts and constant practise of Communion, and by the right hand of fellowship orderlye and mutually given and taken between them and generally all other churches as occasion doth require.

2. That therefore communion with this church in the participation of the Lord's supper duely and regularly administered is not morall evil, nor justly offensive unto any other church, any of whose inoffensive members shall orderly and occasionally for their own edification and comfort desire to communicate with them therein, by virtue of Communion of churches.

3. That therefore for any other church to seclude or suspend a considerable number of their own (otherwise inoffensive members) from communion with themselves in that holy sacrament, meerly and only for participation with that church therein is not justifiable as to the grounds and reasons thereof: but seems to us to be crosse to the rules and order of the communion of churches, and so to their peace and union.

4. That so to seclude and suspend such and so many members indefinitely from church communion without the ordinary improvement and application of rules of church discipline, or any orderly proceed

ing in a church way, to call them before the church in public church assembly to convince them of the evil and sinfullnesse of the fact, to reduce, recover them and restore them and that singly and severally, each one by themselves, and to let such and so many members to live and ly for divers years together under such a suspension without any further proceeding in any church is not justifyable for the manner of it, there having ben no regular forensicall exercise of judiciall power by the church according to known scripture rules of church discipline, nor any liberty or opportunity granted to reputed offenders either to clear their innocency, if innocent, or to hear the church and expresse their repentance if guilty, and therefore we cannot judge such a seclusion and suspension to be any regular church censure.

5. That therefore any such declarative act of any church whereby they do in such a way and manner sentence any or so many of their own members unto non-communion with themselves and so consequently with all other churches it being neither properly an Ecclesiasticall admonition nor excommunication. It is not (de jure) binding either in foro Dei aut conscientiæ, and is therefore no reall regular bar either unto those members from joining with another church, neither unto another church from receiving them into their fellowship, there having ben all due means used for their reconciliation to and dismission from the said church unto that which they find more for their edification and consolation in the Lord; and yet, it proving in vaine and appearing altogether impossible and (as to man) after so many years waiting utterly hopelesse, that it should be obtained for the future.

In such a case we judge

That such members may joyne, and such a Church unto whome they desire to joyn may receive them into their fellowship without the transgression of any rule of Church order or any just offence given unto the church unto which they did belong, provided they be in a capacity, by a convenient vicinity and other necessary circumstances, to walk with that church constantly in the course of church fellowship, and come according to their church-Covenant.

This judgment was signed by the following clergymen: Samuel Whiting, Sr., of Lynn, John Eliot, of Roxbury, Peter Hobart, of Hingham, Thomas Cobbett, of Ipswich, John Sherman, of Watertown, William Hubbard, of Ipswich, John Higginson, of Salem, John Wilson, of Medfield, Jeremiah Hubbard, of Topsfield, Samuel Phillips, of Rowley, Joseph Rowlandson, of Lancaster, Seaborn Cotton, of Hampton, N. H., and John Hale, of Beverly.

UPON

the abatement of the agitation on the Synodical question, there was a brief period of quiet in the colony. The historian says: "The state of things at this period furnishes no especially exciting topics for conversation. There is no present menace of disturbance from England. The agitation about the Synodical question is abated. Quakers cause little apprehension, and Baptists are getting to be kindly regarded. Now and then a villager who has been at the Thursday lecture in Boston brings back news respecting the King's attitude towards Holland, or the measures of Parliament against the Duke of York, or the conjectured policy of Lord Danby, or the annoyances of English or Scottish Nonconformists. The politics of town and parish are from time to time presenting some new aspect; courtships and marriages, births and deaths, claim notice; militia training days make a recreation and a sort of festival; and all the year round, the doctrine delivered in the last Sunday's sermons is matter for thought and discourse during the week. In the marts of business, interests are more various, and social intercourse has more activity and show. But everywhere alike there is a general appearance of security, prosperity, sobriety, good order, and content." 1

The quiet of this time, we are told, also, was undisturbed by any general apprehension of danger from the aborigines. more than a generation there has been no war with them,

1 Palfrey's History, vol. iii. pp. 136, 137.

though there have been occasional difficulties and quarrels. The youngest person of European parentage who has seen war on this continent is already almost too old for military service." 1

But this brief period of quiet was to be interrupted, and followed by years of terror and disaster.

Massasoit, the friendly chieftain, died in 1660, leaving two sons, Wamsutta and Metacomet, who, being ambitious of highsounding European names, came by order of the court at Plymouth to be called Alexander and Philip. Alexander lived only two years after his father, and in 1662 Philip became chief sachem of the Pokanokets. From the very first, this wily savage was suspected by the colonists of Plymouth, to whom he professed allegiance and attachment. In August, 1662, they summoned him to a conference with them, when he made many protestations of friendship, and promised to adhere faithfully to the treaty engagements of his father and brother; the English, on their part, engaging to afford to him and his people "such friendly assistance, by advice and otherwise, as they justly might," and "at all times to carry friendly towards them." But Philip was almost constantly under suspicion, although he strangely succeeded in defending himself against the charges of hostility and conspiracy which, with a good deal of circumstantiality, were from time to time brought against him. In 1671, during one of his periods of contumacy, he came to Boston, and seems to have made a favorable impression upon the leading men here, for some of them wrote to Plymouth in his behalf, at the same time offering their assistance in bringing about a friendly settlement of the pending quarrel. This proposal for arbitration was accepted, and Major-general Leverett, Mr. Danforth, and Mr. Davis went to Plymouth, and with Governor Winthrop, of Connecticut, who had joined them, "had a fair and deliberate hearing of the controversy." The result was, that after listening to all that Philip had to say for himself, in his relations with the Plymouth authorities, the arbitrators “adjudged that he had done a great deal of wrong and injury respecting the premises, and also abused them by carrying lies and false stories unto them; and they persuaded him to make acknowledgment of his fault, and to seek for reconciliation." He made full submission. to the Plymouth magistrates, by an instrument dated September 29 of the same year, and, in sign of fealty, he engaged to pay yearly a tribute of five wolves' heads, besides a hundred pounds

1 Palfrey's History, vol. iii. p. 132.