March 27, 1634. Here, indeed, was an asylum for the Catholic and the Protestant, such as then existed no where else in the Christian world; and, what might excite our special wonder, under the government of Roman Catholics.

It is to be remembered, however, that this colony belonged to a Protestant nation, and could not have existed if there had been no liberty for Protestants. It has been suggested by an able writer* of our country, that a toleration of the Church of England would have satisfied the English government; yet it could not have escaped the sagacity of that observing statesman, Sir George Calvert, that such a toleration would have been the most dangerous for his Catholic colonists. He had experienced, in Virginia, what his colony would have to fear from their Episcopalian neighbors; and if he was compelled to tolerate one sect of Protestants, true policy re. quired that he should give freedom to all, that the Puritans might aid the Catholics in preventing the preponderance and intolerance of those who belonged to the national church. It was, no doubt, in pursuance of this policy, that afterwards, Lord Baltimore invited the Puritans of Massachusetts to emigrate to Maryland, offering them lands, and privileges, and free liberty of religion.

The founder of Rhode-Island, not guided by policy, but pursuing his principle to its legitimate conclusion, confined not his views to the boundaries of Christianity, but denied the right of the magistrate to interfere with the religious conscience of any man. Here the Papist, the Protestant, the Jew, the Turk, might have remained unmolested, so long as they disturbed not the public peace.†

In Maryland, the Statute of 1649, enacted by the Catholics to perpetuate religious freedom in conformity with the Charter, contains exceptions and provisions by which many of those, in our day, who at least believe themselves within the pale of Christianity, so far from being tolerated, might have been punished with death. By

*Mr. Walsh's Appeal, page 428. Note C.

"It is the will and command of God, that since the comming of his Sonne, (the Lord Jesus,) a permission of the most Paganish, Jewish, Turkish or Antichristian consciences and worships, bee granted to all men in all Nations and Countries: and they are onely to be fought against with that sword which is onely (in Soule matters,) able to conquer, towit, the Sword of God's Spirit, the Word of God."-Introduction to the "Bloody Tenent."

B

this Statute it was made a capital offence to deny the Holy Trinity, or the Godhead of any of the three persons of the Trinity.*

;

But this great, and, in our country, conservative principle of Roger Williams, dates not, with him, from the foundation of our State he proclaimed it in Massachusetts three years before the settlement of Maryland, and more than one year before the date of her charter.

Unhappily for Maryland, the enlightened policy of Calvert did not prevail through all the periods of her colonial history. The Catholics, however, were sinned against, not sinning. During the protectorate they were in trouble from the puritans, and, at the accession of the House of Orange, their chartered rights were swept away, and the Church of England became the established religion of the Colony.t

The early history of New-England presents a new scene in the great drama of human life.

The discovery of America had increased the spirit of maritime adventure, opened new sources of commerce, inflamed the cupidity of avarice, destroyed the sympathies of our nature in those who conquered kingdoms, overturned dynasties, and doomed millions of their fellow-creatures to servitude and death in their career of dominion and plunder; so that the philanthropist of the sixteenth century might well have pronounced a wo upon that discovery which gave a new world to the insatiable rapacity of the old, and increased only the catalogue of misery and crime. The next century presents us with another picture. In the northern hemisphere a new principle of colonization commences, a new race of conquerors and adventurers appear :-they have taken the sword, it is "the sword of the spirit," they are clad in armor, it is "the whole armor of God;" theirs is "the helmet of salvation," "the breastplate of righteousness;" they are eager for conquest, it is for the conquest of the wilderness, that it may blossom with the rose of Sharon, and bring forth fruit unto holiness. A sound is on the waters, and echoes along the shore; is it the war cry, or notes of martial minstrelsy? Woman's voice is on the gale, and age and infancy are

* Bancroft's History of the United States, vol. 1, page 276.

"This act was confirmed among the perpetual laws in 1676.-Story's Commentaries on the Constitution, vol. 1, page 96.

+ Walsh's Appeal, page 50.

there; it is the song of deliverance, it comes from pious hearts, and is full of thanksgiving and prayer.

The twenty-second of December, 1620, is memorable for the landing of the fathers of New-England on the rock of Plymouth; and well has it been, and long will it be commemorated, by painting, and poetry, and eloquence. The success of the Plymouth settlers induced other puritans of England to seek here the same liberty. In 1623, was laid the foundation of the Massachusetts Colony, by the settlement of Salem, and in 1630, the City of Boston was founded.

The fathers of the Plymouth Colony were "separatists" from the Church of England, when they took refuge in Holland, twelve years before their pilgrimage to America.

The Massachusetts fathers, and particularly those who came with Governor Winthrop in 1630, though desirous of reforming the exterior worship of the Church of England, retained communion with it; before their departure, on board their fleet, they addressed a farewell letter to their brethren of this church, expressive of their affectionate attachment to it, and of their desires for its prosperity.

In February, 1630, O. S. 1631, new style, Roger Williams ar rived in the Massachusetts colony. He had been ordained a minister of the Church of England, but had become a separatist. On his arrival at Boston, he refused to communicate with the church there, unless they would express their repentance for their communion with the Church of England, and then announced the great and most offensive truth that the magistrate had no right to enforce religious duties. He soon went to Salem, where he was more acceptable, and was called by the church to the office of a teacher. This alarmed the Massachusetts Court. They sent a letter to Salem stating his dangerous opinions. "They marvelled they would chose him without advising with the Council," and desired "that they would forbear to proceed till they had conferred about it." This was in April, 1631.

We here perceive a feature, in the Massachusetts government, which not only struck at the root of liberty of opinion, but at the independency of churches.

The church of Salem was organized August 6th, 1629, in presence of delegates from the Plymouth church, and so attached were they to the principle of independency, and so jealous of whatever

might infringe upon it, that they "declared that the church in Plymouth should not claim any jurisdiction over the church in Salem, and further that the authority of ordination should not exist in the clergy, but should depend on the free election of the members of the church."*

What, then, must have been the surprize of the Salem church at this attempt, of the magistrates, to control their "free election" of a teacher! They treated it as it deserved, and received Mr. Williams (as the historian of Salem† informs us) the same day, as their teacher. But power, `whether right or wrong, was not to be thus slighted with impunity. An opposition was raised against Mr. Williams, and to preserve his own peace and that of the church, he removed, in the same year, to Plymouth, and was there well received by the church, and became an assistant to Mr. Ralph Smith, their pastor. At Plymouth Mr. Williams remained about two years. His teaching was there well approved, "for the benefit whereof, (said Governor Bradford,) I shall bless God, and am thankful to him ever for his sharpest admonitions and reproofs so far as they agree with truth."

Mr. Williams returned to Salem, by the invitation of the church there, in August, 1633. He was induced to accept this invitation from his attachment to the Salem church, and from some of his sentiments not agreeing with those of some of the leading men at Ply. mouth. What these sentiments were we are not particularly informed, but may in part conjecture from the fact that Mr. Brewster, the ruling elder of the Plymouth church, advised those of the church who were unwilling to part with him to let him go, saying "he feared that he would run the same course of rigid separation, and Ana-baptistry, which Mr. John Smith, the Se-baptist at Amsterdam, had done."

The church of Plymouth, had been favored whilst in England and Holland, with the instructions of the celebrated John Robinson, who, though prevented by various causes, and ultimately by death, from coming to America, may be considered as the father of the Plymouth colony. They could not have forgotten his parting memorable injunctions: "I charge you before God and his blessed

* Rev. Mr. Upham's Dedication Sermon on the Principles of the Reformation-Notespage 52.

+ Dr. Bentley.

angels to follow me no further than I follow Christ, and if God shall reveal any thing to you by any other instrument of his, be as ready to receive it as you were to receive any truth by my ministry, for I am very confident that he has more truth and light yet to break forth out of his holy word, for it is not possible the Christian world should come so lately out of such thick anti-christian darkness, and that full perfection of knowledge should not break forth at once."

Roger Williams had drank deeply of this spirit, and this may have been the reason why several of the Plymouth church were so much attached to him that they followed him to Salem; but the ruling elder beheld with fear the working of the free and searching mind of Williams, and thought it most prudent that he should depart, to be dealt with, to use his own words, " "by the abler men of the Bay."*

There was no peace in Salem for Mr. Williams, though beloved by his flock, and approved by Endicott and Skelton. In about four months after his return, " by the advice of some of the most judi. cious ministers," says Winthrop, he was summoned before the Court to answer for a manuscript which he had written at Plym. outh, a copy of which he had delivered to the Governor of Massachusetts, at his request. In this were examined the sins of the patent, and the rights of the natives, and contained some expressions which were seized upon in vindication of the King's majesty. Mr. Williams gave "sufficient satisfaction of his loyalty," and on further consideration the offensive matters appeared "not so evil as at first they seemed," yet there was required of him an oath of allegiance, as if there had been good grounds to question his loyalty.

In August, 1634, on the death of Mr. Skelton, the church ordained him as their pastor, which was deemed a contempt of the authority of the magistrates. The succeeding November, Mr. Williams was called before the Court "for teaching against the king's patent and for terming the churches of England anti-christian"-the next April for teaching that "an oath ought not to be tendered to an unregenerate man." In July, 1635, was preferred against him the great indictment, when he was, for the first time, held to answer for that opinion which had been no doubt the procuring cause of all the other charges against him, as it struck at the root of that au

* New-England's Memorial, page 151, Judge Davis's edition.