they told of rare Revelations of things to come from the spirit (as they say) it was onely devised to weaken the Word of the Lord in the mouth of his Ministers, and withall to put both ignorant and unlettered Men and Women, in a posture of Preaching to a multitude, that they might be praised for their able Tongue. Come along with me sayes one of them, i'le bring you to a Woman that Preaches better Gospell then any of your blackcoates that have been at the Ninneversity, a Woman of another kinde of spirit, who hath had many Revelations of things to come, and for my part, saith hee, I had rather hear such a one that speakes from the meere motion of the spirit, without any study at all, then any of your learned Scollers, although they may be fuller of Scripture (I) and admit they may speake by the helpe of the spirit, yet the other goes beyond them. Gentle Reader, thinke not these things fained, because I name not the parties, or that here is no witnesse to prove them, should so do neither of both is the cause I assure you, but being somewhat acquainted with my own weakenesse, should the Lord withdraw the light of his word, and also I verily believe some of them are truly turned againe to the truth, the which I wish to all, yet by relating the story all men may see what a spirit of giddinesse they were given up to, and some of them to strong delusions, even to most horrid and damnable blasphemies, having itching eares, or rather proud desires to become Teachers of others, when they grosly erred in the first Principles of Religion themselves. There was a man in one of the farthest Townes of the Mattacusets Government, where they had no Ministers for the present, he being much desirous to shew himselfe some body in talking to as many as hee could get to hear him one the Sabbath day, missing some of his Auditors, he meets with one of them some few days after, they passing over the water together, where were you quoth he on the Sabbath day that you were not at the meeting? we had a notable piece of Prophecy, quoth the man that was missing, who was it that Preached? The other replying not: his Wife being in presence, answered; it was my husband, nay

wife, quoth he thou shoulds not have told him, teach him to stay at home another time.

By this and divers other such like matters, which might be here inserted, you may see how these Sectaries love the preheminence, and for this end seeke to deprive the Ministers of Christ inveigling as many as they can in the head, that they take to much upon them (just like the rebellious Korath, Dathan, and Abiram) scoffing at their Scoller-like way of Preaching, wherein the grosse dissimulation of these erronious persons hath appeared exceedingly, as for instance first of a Woman, even the grand Mistris of all the rest, who denied the Resurrec tion from the dead, shee and her consorts mightily rayling against learning, perswading all they could to take heed of being spoyled by it, and in the meane time, shee herselfe would dispute (forsooth) and to shew her skill that way, here is a falacy quoth she in this syllogisme : as also one of the Gortonists, as shallow a pated Scoller as my selfe, far from understanding Latine, much lesse any other Language the Scriptures were writ in, yet when hee would hold out some of the best of his false Doctrines, as namely, that there were no other Devills but wicked men, nor no such thing as sin. Quoth he that place in the fourth Psalme, where men commonly read, stand in awe and sin not, in the originall it is read stand in awe and misse not. But to go on, at this time there were many strange Revelations told both of Men and Women, as true some of them said as the Scripture, so that surely had this Sect gone on awhile, they would have made a new Bible, and their chief Mistris when she was shipt for N. England, what will you say quoth she, and it hath beene revealed to me that we shall be there in six weekes, and one of the femall Gortonists said, she was a Prophetesse, and it was revealed unto her, that shee must prophecy unto the People in the same words the Prophet Ezekiel did, as also a lusty big man to defend this tenent held forth to his Pastor before the whole Congregation, that the spirit of Revelation came to him as he was drinking a pipe of Tobacco.

The fourth dividing way to bring in their 3. Christ, Heresies, was to devide betweene Christ and his Ordinances, and here they plaid their game

and his Ordinances.

to purpose, even to casting down of all Ordinances as carnall, and that because they were polluted by the Ordinance of man, as some of these Sectaries have said to the Minister of Christ, you have cast off the crosse in Baptisme, but you should do well to cast off Baptisme it selfe; as also for the Sacrament of the Lords Supper, for to make use of Bread, or the juce of a silly Grape to represent the Body and Bloud of Christ, they accounted it as bad as Negromancy in the Ministers of Christ to performe it. But seeing there will be occasion to bring in a *bedroule of these Blasphemies in the yeare (43) and (44) take the lesse here; onely minde that these persons being first bewildred in the deniall of Infants being Baptized, could neither finde right faith to be Baptized into, nor yet any person rightly constituted to Baptize remaining. Seekers they came to this, but yet here must not be omitted the slights these Erronists had to shoulder out the Officers Christ hath ordained, and set up in his Churches; and verily in this point they sided directly with the Papist and Prelates, although in most of the other they went directly out of the way on the other hand. Ignorance say the Papist is the Mother of devotion, its better say the Protestant Prelates to have (a blind sir John) one that cannot tell how to Preach, provided he will conforme to our Ceremonies, than to have one that will Preach constantly, and not conforme also: these Erronist, shewing themselves to be whelps of the same litter, Cry out against a learned Presbitery, as the onely way to captivate liberty, and herein the transformed Devill came to shew his Hornes, for why, his errors would not take where the people were followers of their seeing guids, and if it be well noted, here is the Master-piece of all their knavery, the which comes in after this manner, The Lording Prelacy, Popes, Cardinalls, Bishops, Deanes, &c. Were ordinarily brought up at the University to learning, and have most tyrannically abused it: usurping over the people of Christ, and exercised most inhumane

bead-roll?

and barbarous cruelty upon them; as also the Presbyterian Kirke by these Provinciall Classes, men of learning having robbed the particular Congregations of their just and lawful priviledges, which Christ hath purchased for them. Each Congregation of his being invested with full power to Administer all the Ordinances he hath ordained, in and toward their owne Members; and further learned men in some places, feeding the people for their Tith-sake in a Parishioniall way, desire the upholding thereof, lest their fat Benefices should grow leane.

Now the Redemption of the people of Christ out of all these bondages, being full of difficulty to attaine, as is abundantly witnessed in the great hardship Gods people have undergon in this Wildernesse-worke; as also much more by that bloudy war so long continued in our Native Country, and the two adjacent Kingdomes. This makes a very faire bottome for those to build upon, who would have the sluce of authority in the Officers of Christs Churches plucked up, that so their errors might flow in like a floud; And therefore they impannell a Jury of their own Sectaries to passe upon all such as put a higher esteem upon their Pastors and Teachers (in point of discerning the holy things of God) then upon other men, who returne in their Verdit as finding them guilty of the crime above expressed, either as party, or privy abetters unto them, upon this the Vote goes for advancing such men as will let them out line enough for such as will worke without wages, and give to every man liberty to exercise a large conscience, provided it be his own, and as for authority they would have none used, as being a thing two opposite to liberty. My friend cast off as much of thy owne power as thou canst, and beware of Lording it over Gods Heritage, but I pray thee let Christ alone with his, which he hath given to his Pastors and Teachers in administring the holy things of God, peculiar to their Office, and tremble all you Presbyterians, who to please the people prostrate the authority Christ hath put upon the Eldrs of his Churches as Officers, to the resolute liberty of man: the people may and ought to call them to Office, to the which Christ hath united

double honour and authority, and appointed them to be had in high esteeme for their worke sake, being Embassadors of Christ Jesus. This may no man take from them, nor yet they themselves cast off, and yet all this makes nothing for the Papall, Prelaticall, Classicall or Parishionall authority of the Presbitery, for it holds onely in their ruling well, while they rule for Christ, they must and shall have the power hee hath put upon their Office. From these foure dividing Tenents by the cunning art of these deceivers, were forescore grosse errours broached secretin N. England. ly, sliding in the darke like the Plague, proving very infectious to some of the Churches of CHRIST in their Members.

Fourescore Errors derived

from these four

heads, and spread abroad

CHAP. LXII. Of sad effects of the pitifull and erronious Doctrines broached by the Sectuaries.

THE number of these infectious persons increasing now, haveing drawn a great party on their side, and some considerable persons they grow bold, and dare question the sound and wholesome truths delivered in publick by the Ministers of Christ. Their Church-meetings are full of Disputes in points of difference, and their love-Feasts are not free from spots, in their Courts of civil Justice. some men utter their Speeches in matters of Religion very ambiguously, and among all sorts of persons a great talke of new light, but verily it proved but old darknesse, such as sometime over-shadowed the City of Munster; But blessed be the Lord Christ, who now declared himselfe to be a helpe at hand for his poore New England Churches, being now in their infancy, whose condition at present was very dolorous, and full of difficulties, insomuch that the better part of this new transported people stood still many of them gazing one upon another, like Sheepe let loose to feed on fresh pasture, being stopped and startled in their course by a Kennell of devouring Wolves. The weaker sort wavered much, and such as were more growne Christians hardly durst discover the truth they held one unto another, the fogs of errour increasing the bright beames of the glorious Gospell of