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One Turner of Charlestown, having led an SECT. II. immoral life, became alarmed at his situation by 1642. the preaching of Mr. Shepard. His religious melancholy rose to such an intolerable height, that he threw himself into a pit and drowned..

William Aspinwall, who had formerly been banished for his adherence to Wheelwright, came and voluntarily confessed his errours, and was received into the bosom of the church. He did the same to the general court, who thence released his banishment.

Capt. Underhill was now in favour with the church, who assisted him in his preparations to go with his family and seek a settlement among the Dutch in the state of Newyork.

A cooper's wife at Hingham, under the influence of enthusiasm, went to a creek in the neighbourhood of her house and threw in her child, about three years old, with an intention to drown it. This attempt was repeated, though it proved successless through the interposition of passengers. She assigned no other reason for her conduct, than an endeavour to save her child from everlasting misery; and she could not endure, that it should suffer that torment, of which she was certain. She insisted upon it, that she had sinned against the Holy Ghost, and was incapable of repentance.

In this year appeared a surreptitious edition of Mr. Cotton's book on the seven vials. A Mr. Humphrey had gotten the notes from a man, who

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SECT. I. had taken them in short hand from the preacher's 1642. mouth, and printed them in London. Mr. Cotton

complained much and justly of this injury; not that he was ashamed of his sentiments, but he was entitled to the care, at least, of perusing and correcting the copy, before it was printed.

Almost every year brought generous contributions of people into the infant settlement from the parent country. Latterly however from the circulation of unfriendly reports concerning Newengland, the spirit of emigration had greatly cooled. It was therefore a pleasing circumstance to welcome, in September of this year, the arrival of Mr. William Hibbins with a small company, whose dispositions and habits were in unison with the feelings and views of those, who had already become attached to the soil. Their voyage had been perilous, and their thanksgiving to almighty God for the escape, they had made from a world of dangers, were proportionally fervent and observable.

It was in this year, that Messrs. Cotton, Davenport, and Hooker received an invitation from England to visit that country, for the purpose of sitting in synod upon the principles and mode of ecclesiastical government. The request excited much attention and a diversity of opinion. Mr. Cotton, at first, thought favourably of a compliance, and so thought Mr. Davenport; but Mr. Hooker, in this instance wiser than his brethren, openly gave it, as his opinion, that it was not their duty to leave their flocks in this wilderness, and

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and traverse an ocean of three thousand miles SECT. II to enter upon disquisitions and a controversy, of which it was impossible to foresee the probable termination. Several circumstances, fortunately for these worthy divines, obstructed their voyage; for letters soon were received from England, informing of a breach between the king and parliament, and advising the ministers to remain in Newengland.

Another application of a different nature shortly after was received from Virginia. It was addressed to the general court, and gentlemen of influence in the community, beseeching them to send ministers of the gospel into that region, that its inhabitants might be privileged with the preaching and ordinances of Jesus Christ. Messrs. Phillips, Tomson, and Miller were designated by a meeting of the ministers at thursday lecture; but Mr. T. only could be prevailed on to obey the call.

If ministers were unwilling to emigrate from Massachusetts, others were differently inclined. Many persons, growing discontented with their situation, thought to mend it by a removal; but they not only thence lost the benefit of the education, discipline, and worship of christians; but also plunged themselves into new and inextricable difficulties of a temporal kind. These distresses excited so much sympathy, and the propensity to emigrate nevertheless continuing, that it began to be a question in the church, whether, among christians thus situated, emigration was

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lawful. It was said, on the one part, that people coming together into a wilderness of beasts and savages, and here entering into a state of civil and ecclesiastical society, do implicitly bind them. selves to support that social state. How then can they break away from such a society without the general consent? Who would abandon the privileges of European society for a residence in the desert, if he must run the risk of being left to subdue it alone? If one may take up his connexions, so may another; and in the event of a general departure, where is the commonwealth, the hope of so many ardent and excellent minds ? Where is the church, which was planted with so much difficulty, and watered with so many tears? On the other side, it was alleged, that, if restraint was begun to be laid on the actions of settlers, there was no knowing, what would be the end; that enterprize would be checked; that it was resisting that very liberty, in the exercise of which this colony was commenced; and that people never would vigorously assist in building up a state, in which they were compelled to remain. It was therefore pretty generally agreed, that all should enjoy their freedom, though it clearly was the duty of each one to choose rather with Moses to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to seek temporal ease and pleasure at the hazard of ruin.

In November, 1642, arrived here from the island of Madeira a small ship laden with wines and fruit, in which came her owner, Mr. Parish. This

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On coming to

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gentleman had lived several years with papists SECT. II. and jesuits, who endeavoured to dissuade him from coming to Newengland, telling him, that its inhabitants were the worst of all hereticks, the destroyers of bishops and churches, and the moters of all sorts of mischief. this country however, he found the previous representations of it to have been false. He blessed the providence of God, which had conducted him hither, and departed with a declaration, that he would not lose what he had gotten in Boston for the wealth of the world.

On hearing the news of the civil wars between the king and parliament of England, First Church devoted a day to fasting and prayer; and her example was followed by most of her sister churches. These days of humiliation, in the opinion of the magistrates, were becoming too frequent; but they neither durst nor chose to abridge the liberty of the churches.

The mode of raising the salaries of ministers was different in different churches. Some did it by taxation, others by voluntary contribution.

On 4 June, Mr. Knolles, having returned from Virginia, whither he and his fellowlabourers had gone to disseminate the gospel, presented letters from respectable gentlemen in that region to the governour and some of the ministers. It appeared that the mission had been productive of happy effects.

There are instances of severity in the discipline of the church, which have been salutary in the

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