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I. Wherefore it is fully Agreed . . . That they all be called by the name of, The United Colonies of New Eng

land.

II. The said United Colonies. ... doe . . . hereby enter into a firm and perpetuall league of friendship and amity, for offence and defence, mutuall advice and succour, upon all just occasions, both for preserving and propagating the truth, and liberties of the Gospel, and for their own mutuall safety, and wellfare.

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IV. It is also by these Confederates agreed, That the charge of all just Wars . . shall . . . be born[e] by all the parts of this Confederation, in different proportions, according to their different abilities.

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VI. It is also agreed, That for the managing and concluding of all affairs, two Commissioners shall be chosen by, and out of the foure Jurisdictions, namely two for the Massachusets, two for Plimouth, two for Connecticut, and two for New-haven, being all in church-fellowship with us, which shall bring full power from their severall generall Courts respectively, to hear, examine, weigh, and determine all affaires of war, or peace, receiving of more confederates,

and all things of like nature, which are the proper consequences of such a Confederation, not intermedling with the Government of any of the Jurisdictions, which . . . is preserved intirely to themselves.

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VIII. It is also agreed, That the Commissioners deavour to frame and establish Agreements and Orders in generall cases of a civil nature, wherein all the Plantations are interested, for preserving peace amongst themselves, and preventing . . . all occasions of war, or differences with others, how all the Jurisdictions may carry it towards the Indians, that they neither grow insolent, nor be injured without due satisfaction. . . It is also agreed, that if any Servant run away from his Master, into any other of these Confederated Jurisdictions, that the said Servant shall be delivered

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C.

The Presbyterian Appeal, and Its Suppression:

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Dr. Robert Child and Others: A Remonstrance and Petition to the Government of Massachusetts (May 19, 1646). Whereas there are many thousands in these Plantations of the English Nation free-born, quiet, peaceable men, . . . known friends to the honourable and victorious Houses of Parliament, . . who are . . . not being permitted to beare the least office . . [nor] so much, as to have any Vote in choosing Civil or Military Officers; notwithstanding they have paid all . . . taxes : We therefore desire, that

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civil liberty and freedome be forthwith granted to all truly English without imposing any Oaths of Covenants on them. Whereas there are divers sober, righteous and godly men [who] are detained from the Seals of the Covenant of Free Grace [i. e., from Congregational church membership], because . . . they will not take these churches covenants . . . [and yet] are compelled, under a severe Fine, every Lord's day, to appear at the Congregation, . . . and in some places forced to contribute to the maintenance of those Ministers, who vouchsafe not to take them into their Flock. . . . We therefore humbly intreat you . . . to give liberty to the Members of the Churches of England not scandalous in their lives to be taken into your Congregations, and to enjoy with you all those liberties and ordinances Christ hath purchased for them ; that the Seals of the Covenant may

be applied to them

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; or otherwise to grant liberty to set

tle themselves here in a church-way according to the best Reformations of England and Scotland.

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Major John Child: A Relation of the Effects this Petition Produced (1647). "Though this Petition of Dr. Child was in a peaceable way presented . . ; yet . . . the Elders publikely used several Expressions

end . . . that it was a seditious Petition, to Church and Commonwealth

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to . . . the

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subversive both

; some calling those that

so Petitioned . . . Sons of Belial, Judasses, Sons of Corah, which seemed not to arise from a Gospel Spirit; . . yea publikely exhorting Authority to lay hold upon those Peti

7. Peter Force, Historical Collections, IV, No. 3, pp. 11-13.

tioners, which the same night they did. Nor were the Magistrates . . . altogether silent, but spake in the same key. Now at the next sitting of the General Court, six of the seven that Petitioned, were sent for . . . [and] charged . . . with great offences against the Court and Government. And the Cause afterwards came to Hearing, notwithstanding they did appeal to the high court of Parliament . . ; they were Fined, . . [and] two of them . . . had their trunks and Studies broke up, and their Papers taken away, and imprisoned close prisoners, and are in danger of their lives by reason of that Capital Law [of Massachusetts, that reads:] If any man .. shall . . . attempt the alteration . . . of our Frame of Polity or Government fundamentally, he shall be put to death.” 8

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Major John Child: The Presbyterian Appeal (From his pamphlet of 1647, "New England's Jonas cast up at London"). . . . First, they give out of my Brother and others, that they desire a Toleration of all Religions. . . . 4ly, that their Petition . . . to the Parliam[ent] (which they had named Jonas) in a Ship called the Supply, being in a storme neer Silly, out of horror of conscience, the Petition was . . thrown overboard and that then the storm immediately ceased, and they miraculously saved.. Concerning [this] . . . it was as

followeth. When the

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was almost ready to come

. ship . . . from New England . . Mr. Cotton . . . took occa

sion to say, That if any shall carry any Writings, Complaints against the people of God, . . . it would be as Jonas in the ship. . . Whereupon, having great storms (as could not be otherwise expected [in the winter season]),

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a woman

came up from between the Decks about midnight to Mr. William Vassall . . . [and] earnestly desired him, if there were any Jonas in the ship,

it might be thrown overboard . . . : but he answered her, He had nothing but a Petition to the Parliament that they might enjoy the liberty of English subjects, and that could be no Jonas. . . . After this she went to . . . Mr. Tho. Fowle . . . who told her he had nothing but the copy of the Petition to the Court at

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8. Peter Force, Historical Collections, IV, No. 3, pp. 15-17.

Boston. . . So she took it . . . and it was thrown overfor... at least

board: but the storm did not leave us

14 days ship,

...

[and] the Petition to Parliament was still in the [and is] here in London to be seen and made use of, in convenient time." "

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Congregational Synod of New England: A Platform of Church Discipline (Cambridge, Mass., 1648). "The . church is either triumphant or militant. Triumphant, the number of them, who are glorified in heaven; militant, the number of them, who are conflicting with their enemies upon earth. The state of the members of the militant visible church [is], . . since the coming of Christ, only Congregational. The doors of the churches of Christ upon earth, do not by God's appointment stand so wide open, that all sorts of people good and bad, may freely enter therein at their pleasure, . . . but such as are admitted thereto, as members, ought to be examin'd and tried first, whether they be fit and meet to be received into church-society or not. . . Altho' churches be distinct

. and equal, rightly proceeding,

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we acknowledge as the ordinance of Christ: and . . . necessary to the well-being of churches, for the establishment of truth and peace therein. ... Magistrates have power to call a Synod. The power and authority

of magistrates is not for the restraining of churches, ... but for helping in and furthering thereof. . . . The end of the magistrates office is not only the quiet and peaceable life of the subject in matters of honesty and righteousness, but also in matters of godliness. . . Idolatry, . . prophanation of the Lord's day, . . disturbing the peaceable administration and exercise of the worship and holy things of God, . . . and the are to be restrained and punished by civil author

like,

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ity." 10

9. Peter Force, Historical Collections, IV, No. 3, pp. 3-4, 18-20.

10. Cotton Mather, Ecclesiastical History of New England, II, parts of 183-203.

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3. EFFECTS OF PURITAN REVOLUTION UPON THE COLONY OF VIRGINIA

Expulsion of the Puritans from Virginia:

General Assembly of Virginia:A Law against Puritan Dissenters (March, 1643). "For the preservation of the puritie of doctrine and unitie of the church, it is enacted that all ministers whatsoever which shall reside in the collony are to be conformable to the orders and constitutions of the church of England, and the laws therein established, and not otherwise to be admitted to teach or preach publickly or privately, and that the Gov. and Counsel do take care that all nonconformists upon notice of them shall be compelled to depart the collony with all conveniences." 11

John Hammond: Puritan Migration from Virginia to Maryland, 1643-1649 (From his pamphlet, "Leah and Rachel," London, 1656). “And there was in Virginia a certaine people congregated into a church, calling themselves Independents, which daily encreasing, severall consultations were had by . . . that Coloney, how to suppresse and extinguish them.

. [F]irst their Pastor was banished, next their other Teachers, then many clapt up in prison, and lastly in a condition of banishment, so that they knew not in those straights how to dispose of themselves. Maryland . . . was courted by them as a refuge, the Lord Proprietor and his Governor solicited to, and severall addresses and treaties made for their admittance, their conditions were pittied, their propositions were harkened to and agree[d] on, which was that they should have convenient portions of land assigned them, libertie of conscience and privilege to choose their owne officers, and hold courts within themselves, all was granted them, they had a whole County of the richest land in the province, and nothing was exacted from them, but appeales to the Provincial court, quitrents, and an oath of fidelitie to the Proprietor. An assembly was called . . . after their comming over (consisting as well of themselves as of the rest) and . . . an act passed that all professing in Jesus Christ should have equall justice, privileges

11. W. W. Hening, Statutes of Virginia, I, 277.

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