"holy orders," and sustained the ministerial office as a clergyman of the establishment, had been constrained by the tyranny of archbishop Laud and king Charles the first, to seek for that liberty of conscience which in his native country was denied. It was Roger Williams, who, accompanied by his affectionate wife, had abandoned the comforts and prospects of former days, crossed the ocean, and, after a tempestuous voyage, landed in an unknown region in the depth of winter. Freedom to serve God according to the directions of his word, and to profess the truth unrestrictedly, was, however, so necessary to their happiness, and so pleasant to their hope, that for the sake of this they had willingly followed others who had suffered from the same despotism as themselves, and had formed a settlement in the wilderness. Eagerly, therefore, they turned their steps to Boston, anticipating a cordial welcome from their congregational brethren.

But

these brethren had made arrangements a few months before of which the new comers were not aware. On the 23rd of the previous August, on board the ship Arabella, the men who were fleeing from persecution at home, and seeking for religious advantages in the new world, held the first meeting of what was called the Court of Assistants. "The first question propounded was, How shall the ministers be maintained? It was ordered, that houses be built for them with convenient speed, at the public charge, and their salaries were established. This," says David Benedict, "was the viper in embryo; here was an importation and establishment in the outset of the settlement, of the odious doctrine of church and state, which had thrown Europe into confusion, had caused rivers of blood to be shed, had crowded prisons with innocent victims, and had driven the pilgrims themselves, who were now engaged

in this mistaken legislation, from all that was dear in their native homes. From these resolutions, on board this floating vessel, which by subsequent acts became a permanent law, subjecting every citizen, whatever was his religious belief, to support the ministry of the established church, and to pay all the taxes which the dominant party might impose, for their houses of worship, their ordinations, and all their ecclesiastical affairs, proceeded the great mistake of the puritan fathers. And from the same incipient measure grew all the unrighteous tithes and taxes, the vexatious and ruinous lawsuits, the imprisonments and stripes of the multitudes who refused to support a system of worship which they did not approve.

"The provident foresight and pious care of the puritan fathers, to provide by law for the support of religion, that their ministers should not be left to the uncertain donations of their flocks, have been the subject of commendation and eulogy by many of their descendants. The plan was indeed specious in appearance, but could they have foreseen all the evils which followed it through all the colonies—could they have had a full view in their early movements, of all the distress to individuals and families, which their legal policy for many generations occasioned, and of the frightful extremities to which it soon conducted them, they must have shuddered at the prospect, and faltered in their course." These being the principles and established practices of the community, when Williams and his wife arrived, it was at once apparent to them that the freedom from ecclesiastical tyranny which they had crossed the Atlantic to obtain, was not to be found at Boston. The church was wielding the sceptre of civil power, and heard with astonishment and indignation the statement of the new comer, that in his judgment, "civil governments, being

constituted only for civil and secular ends, the magistrate had no right to interfere in the affairs of conscience." "He seems at that time," says Mr. Knowles, "to have fully matured the truth, that a church established by civil law, cannot be, as to its outward order, a true church of Christ; that so far as civil authority enforces religious duties, so far the church which allows it becomes a kingdom of this world, and not the spiritual empire of which Jesus Christ is the only sovereign."

Four years and nine months after the arrival of Roger Williams at Nantasket, all the ministers of Massachusetts Bay were summoned to meet at Salem. The pastor of the independent church at Salem was to be tried before the civil authorities of the whole district, and the charges against him were of such a nature that it was requisite that the ministers should be present. That church had excited the suspicion of the ruling powers at its formation in 1629, as the governor of Plymouth and other members of the church there, who had been invited to attend the ceremony, were not permitted to give the right hand of fellowship to the new church, till an explicit declaration had been made, that this service was not meant to indicate any right of interference or control. This church at Salem had also given offence a few weeks after Williams's arrival in New England, by inviting him to become assistant to their aged pastor. The civil authorities had then interfered, in accordance with a principle which was afterwards laid down formally, that, "If any church, one or more, shall grow schismatical, rending itself from the communion of other churches, or shall walk incorrigibly and obstinately in any corrupt way of their own, contrary to the rule of the word, in such case the magistrate is to put forth

his coercive power, as the matter shall require." Williams had consequently been obliged to leave Salem, and had continued about two years at Plymouth; but the "ruling elder of the church there disliked his opinions, and feared that he would be successful in diffusing them in that neighbourhood. He alarmed the church by expressing his fears that Williams would run the same course of rigid separation and anabaptistry which John Smith had run at Amsterdam. Williams was not then a baptist; but then as now, a tendency to anabaptism might be discerned by acute observers, even where the climax of anabaptistical heterodoxy had not been reached. Anabaptism," says Benedict," was a spectre which haunted the imaginations of the early settlers. The word possessed a mysterious power of inspiring terror, and creating odium, It has, perhaps, been sometimes employed to justify measures which might else have wanted the appearance of justice and humanity." The ruling elder of the church at Plymouth prevailed on the church to dismiss Williams, and the church at Salem inviting him to return to them, he went thither, accompanied by some of his friends at Plymouth. So strong, however, was the feeling of the secular authorities against him, that the town at Salem presenting a petition soon afterwards claiming some land in Marblehead, as belonging to the town, the petition was refused a hearing, on the ground that the church of Salem had chosen Mr. Williams her teacher, and by such choice had offered contempt to the magistrates. Now, he was cited to meet charges made against him, all the ministers of the district being convened to assist in the solemn proceedings, those ministers having already determined at a previous hearing, that "he who asserted that the civil magistrate ought not to interfere in case of heresy, apostacy, &c., ought to be

"holy orders," and sustained the ministerial office as a clergyman of the establishment, had been constrained by the tyranny of archbishop Laud and king Charles the first, to seek for that liberty of conscience which in his native country was denied. It was Roger Williams, who, accompanied by his affectionate wife, had abandoned the comforts and prospects of former days, crossed the ocean, and, after a tempestuous voyage, landed in an unknown region in the depth of winter. Freedom to serve God according to the directions of his word, and to profess the truth unrestrictedly, was, however, so necessary to their happiness, and so pleasant to their hope, that for the sake of this they had willingly followed others who had suffered from the same despotism as themselves, and had formed a settlement in the wilderness. Eagerly, therefore, they turned their steps to Boston, anticipating a cordial welcome from their congregational brethren. But these brethren had made arrangements a few months be fore of which the new comers were not aware. On the 23rd of the previous August, on board the ship Arabella, the men who were fleeing from persecution at home, and seeking for religious advantages in the new world, held the first meeting of what was called the Court of Assistants. "The first question propounded was, How shall the ministers be maintained? It was ordered, that houses be built for them with convenient speed, at the public charge, and their salaries were established. This," says David Benedict, "was the viper in embryo; here was an importation and establishment in the outset of the settlement, of the odious doctrine of church and state, which had thrown Europe into confusion, had caused rivers of blood to be shed, had crowded prisons with innocent victims, and had driven the pilgrims themselves, who were now engaged

in this mistaken legislation, from all that was dear in their native homes. From these resolutions, on board this floating vessel, which by subsequent acts became a permanent law, subjecting every citizen, whatever was his religious belief, to support the ministry of the established church, and to pay all the taxes which the dominant party might impose, for their houses of worship, their ordinations, and all their ecclesiastical affairs, proceeded the great mistake of the puritan fathers. And from the same incipient measure grew all the unrighteous tithes and taxes, the vexatious and ruinous lawsuits, the imprisonments and stripes of the multitudes who refused to support a system of worship which they did not approve.

"The provident foresight and pious care of the puritan fathers, to provide by law for the support of religion, that their ministers should not be left to the uncertain donations of their flocks, have been the subject of commendation and eulogy by many of their descendants. The plan was indeed specious in appearance, but could they have foreseen all the evils which followed it through all the colonies-could they have had a full view in their early movements, of all the distress to individuals and families, which their legal policy for many generations occasioned, and of the frightful extremities to which it soon conducted them, they must have shuddered at the prospect, and faltered in their course." These being the principles and established practices of the community, when Williams and his wife arrived, it was at once apparent to them that the freedom from ecclesiastical tyranny which they had crossed the Atlantic to obtain, was not to be found at Boston. The church was wielding the sceptre of civil power, and heard with astonishment and indignation the statement of the new comer, that in his judgment, "civil governments, being

constituted only for civil and secular ends, the magistrate had no right to interfere in the affairs of conscience." "He seems at that time," says Mr. Knowles, "to have fully matured the truth, that a church established by civil law, cannot be, as to its outward order, a true church of Christ; that so far as civil authority enforces religious duties, so far the church which allows it becomes a kingdom of this world, and not the spiritual empire of which Jesus Christ is the only sovereign."

Four years and nine months after the arrival of Roger Williams at Nantasket, all the ministers of Massachusetts Bay were summoned to meet at Salem. The pastor of the independent church at Salem was to be tried before the civil authorities of the whole district, and the charges against him were of such a nature that it was requisite that the ministers should be present. That church had excited the suspicion of the ruling powers at its formation in 1629, as the governor of Plymouth and other members of the church there, who had been invited to attend the ceremony, were not permitted to give the right hand of fellowship to the new church, till an explicit declaration had been made, that this service was not meant to indicate any right of interference or control. This church at Salem had also given offence a few weeks after Williams's arrival in New England, by inviting him to become assistant to their aged pastor. The civil authorities had then interfered, in accordance with a principle which was afterwards laid down formally, that, "If any church, one or more, shall grow schismatical, rending itself from the communion of other churches, or shall walk incorrigibly and obstinately in any corrupt way of their own, contrary to the rule of the word, in such case the magistrate is to put forth

66

He

his coercive power, as the matter shall require." Williams had consequently been obliged to leave Salem, and had continued about two years at Plymouth; but the "ruling elder" of the church there disliked his opinions, and feared that he would be successful in diffusing them in that neighbourhood. alarmed the church by expressing his fears that Williams would run the same course of rigid separation and anabaptistry which John Smith had run at Amsterdam. Williams was not then a baptist; but then as now, a tendency to anabaptism might be discerned by acute observers, even where the climax of anabaptistical heterodoxy had not been reached. Anabaptism," says Benedict," was a spectre which haunted the imaginations of the early settlers. The word possessed a mysterious power of inspiring terror, and creating odium, It has, perhaps, been sometimes employed to justify measures which might else have wanted the appearance of justice and humanity." The ruling elder of the church at Plymouth prevailed on the church to dismiss Williams, and the church at Salem inviting him to return to them, he went thither, accompanied by some of his friends at Plymouth. So strong, however, was the feeling of the secular authorities against him, that the town at Salem presenting a petition soon afterwards claiming some land in Marblehead, as belonging to the town, the petition was refused a hearing, on the ground that the church of Salem had chosen Mr. Williams her teacher, and by such choice had offered contempt to the magistrates. Now, he was cited to meet charges made against him, all the ministers of the district being convened to assist in the solemn proceedings,-those ministers having already determined at a previous hearing, that "he who asserted that the civil magistrate ought not to interfere in case of heresy, apostacy, &c., ought to be