An Appeal to the People of the Massachusetts State, Against Arbitrary Power

An Appeal to the People of the Massachusetts State, against Arbitrary Power.

FRIENDS AND COUNTRYMEN,

A Cause is now to be tried before you, which is of infinite and eternal importance to us all; and can I be reasonably blamed for addressing you upon it since I am publicly called to act for many thousands in the affair? The cause I refer to turns upon this point, viz. Whether TRUTH and EQUITY, or PARTIALITY and HYPOCRISY shall constitute the future government of this State? I am far from supposing that you would adopt the latter under these names, or when you viewed them in their true nature and effects. The divine law was violated by our first mother, under a view of its being good and pleasant so to do; and the empire of iniquity ever since has been carried on, by calling evil good, and good evil; by putting darkness for light, and light for darkness, bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. And the inspired apostle says, I fear lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. And he earnestly calls us to mark those who cause divisions and offences, contrary to his doctrine, under good words and fair speeches. 2 Cor. 11.3. Rom 16.17, 18. And the case to be tried by you is, who this mark belongs to, and whether it shall now be put upon the right persons or not?

One of the greatest historians of New England exerted all his art to fix it upon the first baptists therein. [Magnalia, book 7. p 9. Baptist history, p. 109.] And the ruling party in this State, have now made a like attempt to fix it upon me, and upon the communities I am connected with. And you are all called upon, to approve or disapprove of this attempt; and if you suffer a wrong judgment to proceed, when you can prevent it, you cannot be guiltless therein. Upon p. 3this great cause you are to judge according to law and evidence; and my business is to open the case before you, as clearly as I can.

Now you are to note, that Christ himself came on purpose to make divisions upon earth; therefore it is not all divisions, but only such as are contrary to his doctrine, that are condemned. And a first and capital article of his doctrine is that HE IS HEAD OVER ALL THINGS TO THE CHURCH; and that she is complete in him, Eph 1.21, 22. Col. 2.10. And those are to be marked as deceivers who do not thus hold THE HEAD. Col. 2.19—23. Another article in his doctrine is, that no man can see his kingdom, nor have right to any power therein without regeneration. John 1.12, 13 & 3.3 And the first man that offered money as a means of obtaining power therein, is marked with an eternal brand of infamy. Acts 8.19.23. A third article is, that the whole of our duty is included in love to GOD, and love to our neighbour. Mat. 7.12, & 22. 37—40. A fourth is, that the civil magistrate's power is limitted to the last of these; and that his sword is to punish none but such as work ill to their neighbours. Rom. 13.1—10. 1 Pet. 2.13, 14. A fifth is, that those who receive instruction and benefit from Christ's ministers, are required freely to communicate, according to their ability, to their temporal support, as they will answer it to him in the great day. Luke 10.7—12. 1 Cor. 9.4—14. Gal. 6.6, 7. A sixth is, that none should hear, nor give countenance, to any teachers who bring not Christ's doctrine, but pervert his gospel, as they would avoid partaking in their guilt. Prov. 19.27. Mark 4.24. 2 John, 10, 1◊. These are plain points of law. The facts and evidence, that you are called to judge upon are as follow.

p. 3The doctrine that New-England was founded upon was, that

the merits of saints might as well be mingled with the purity of Christ for the saving of the church, as the laws of men with her laws, for the ruling and guiding of it.

Which doctrine was violated fifteen years after, when the legal ◊ at Boston determined to mix their laws with Christ's laws about worship, and to compel every man in the colony to swear allegiance to that power, or to be punished at their discretion. And for testifying against such power and such oaths, they banished the first baptist minister in America out of their jurisdiction [Baptist history, p 31, 62—70, 156, 157.] And to prevent the like evils for the future, our churches sent me to Philadelphia, when the first congress was sitting, to improve the best means we could, to promote impartial liberty among ourselves, seeing we were equally concerned 〈…〉 against foreign invaders. This attempt was plainly encouraged by the 17th resolve of the county of Suffolk, wherein p. 4they promised to pay all due respect and submission to such measures as the Congress should recommend, "for the restoration and establishment of our just rights, civil and religious." It was not then known here that they would refuse to be judges of religious controversies. These resolves I carried with me to that city, where a promise was obtained from our delegates in congress, that they would improve their influence toward diffusing the religious liberty that has long been enjoyed in Boston into the remotest parts of this State. But this was so far from being fulfilled, that some, if not all of those gentlemen accused us in the convention last fall, of acting an unfriendly part towards our country, for making the attempt which procured that promise. Therefore, in the Independent Chronicle of Dec. 2, I gave a narrative of these affairs, and challenged them to a fair hearing thereon. But instead of any such thing, that accusation is repeated in said paper of Feb. 10, to which other horrid ones are added, by one who stiles himself a number of the convention, without intending the public should know his name. And all this, my countrymen, is to persuade you to swallow down the third article, which, after a very hard struggle, they have inserted in the bill of rights, that they would lay as the foundation of our future government. Which article is pregnant with the following evil.