was enthusiastick, and conformed to the peculiar scruples of the day. The people of Boston very soon became attached to him. He was admitted into the church on the first of November, and on the 30th of that month we find his name in the following important regulation, adopted in a general townmeeting:

'None of the members of this congregation, or inhabitants amongst us, shall sue one another at the law, before that Mr. Henry Vane and the two elders, Mr. Thomas Oliver and Thomas Leverett, have had the hearing and deciding of the cause, if they can.'

It does not appear that it was found expedient to renew this order, in any future year.

The next notice we find of Mr. Vane is that he united with Hugh Peters, also a famous man afterwards, in endeavours to procure a reconciliation between the magistrates and some other persons of quality.' There was not indeed any publick or notorious disagreement existing, that required this interference, but there was evidently some alienation of affection, and the result of it had been that factions were beginning to rise among the people, some adhering more to Winthrop and some more to Dudley, of whom the former was thought to be too lenient and the latter too severe. At the meeting now procured by Vane and Peters, explanations were made on all sides, and harmony restored on terms which were satisfactory to all.

It is not strange that the man whom the people of Boston had thought worthy of their highest confidence, and who had shown so good a faculty at regulating magistrates themselves, should be thought worthy to be himself elected to some office. Accordingly, having been admitted a freeman on the third of March, Mr. Vane was at the next Election, in May 1636, chosen Governour of the colony.* Mr. Winthrop was at the same time chosen Dep. Governour. On this occasion Hutchinson remarks, that Gov. Haynes who seemed to stand most in the way of Mr. Winthrop had left the colony, and was settled in Connecticut; and Mr. Winthrop would have had a good prospect of recovering his former share of the people's regard, if Mr. Vane's solemn, grave deportment had not cngaged almost the whole colony in his favour.

Gov. Vane had great respect shown to him at first, and took more state upon him than any Governour had ever done before. (Because he was son and heir to a privy counsellor in England') the ships in the harbour, which were 15 in number, congratulated his election with a salute; and the next

* Roger Williams had previously to this received sentence of banishment, on account of his sentiments, and left this jurisdiction in January 1636.

at

week he invited all the masters to dinner. This was the first entertainment of the kind in Boston. Mr. Vane took advantage of the good feelings occasioned, and brought the captains to enter into some engagements respecting their trade and conduct here, which promised much utility, but which were never effectually carried into execution. His administration for several months met with much applause, but towards the end of the year the people grew discontented and he perceived it, and grew weary of the government. He received letters from his friends in London urging his return home: Messrs. Winthrop and Dudley, to whom as members with himself of the standing council he first communicated them, were agreed that the occasion would justify his compli ance with the request. He therefore called a meeting of the general court, and made known to them the necessity there was for his departure, and of course for his quitting the administration. The court took time till the next morning to consider the subject, and when they met, one of the Assistants so pathetically lamented the loss of such a governour, a period of so much danger, both from the French and the Indians, that Mr. Vane burst into tears, and avowed, that notwithstanding the occasion on which he proposed to leave the country involved the utter ruin of his estate in England, he would yet have hazarded all that, rather than have left them at such a crisis, if other things had not pressed him more. He alluded to the inevitable danger of the judgments which he feared were coming upon them, for the differences and dissensions which he saw among them, and the scandalous imputations brought upon himself, as if he were the cause of all: therefore he thought it was best for him to give place for a time. The addition of the last reasons displeased the court, but upon his acknowledgment, that the expression of them slipped from him out of passion, the court silently consented to his departure. But some of the church of Boston, being loth to part with the Governour, had a meeting and agreed that they did not apprehend the necessity of the Governour's leaving, for the reasons alleged, and sent some of their number to signify as much to the court. The Governour thereupon expressed himself to be an obedient child of the church, and therefore, notwithstanding the license of the court, he durst not go away contrary to her expressed will.

The differences and dissensions to which the Governour referred, originated in the Boston church, which it will be recollected at that time composed the great body of the people of the town. The members of the church had been accustomed to meet once a week, to repeat the sermons they had heard on the Lord's day, and to debate upon the doctrines that had been delivered. These meetings being pecu

liar to the men, at least none of the other sex being allowed to take part in the debates, some of the zealous women thought it might be useful for them to have such meetings among themselves. Accordingly, Mrs. Ann, wife of Mr. William Hutchinson, a woman of a bold and masculine spirit, of ready talents and great flow of speech, established one at her house.

Mr. Hutchinson was a man of fair estate and sustained a good reputation in England. His wife, as Mr. Cotton says, was also highly esteemed, and people of piety cultivated her acquaintance. After she came to Boston, which was on the 18th September 1634, she was treated with respect. Much notice was taken of her by Mr. Cotton, and particularly by Mr. Vane. Her husband served in the General Court on several elections as a representative for Boston, until he was excused at the desire of the church. So much attention seems to have increased Mrs. Hutchinson's natural vanity, and produced too much self-confidence.

The novelty of the thing and the fame of Mrs. H. quickly gained her a numerous audience at her meetings. They were kept every week, and from sixty to eighty women would usually attend. Mrs. H. took the lead in prayer and in the repetition of Mr. Cotton's sermons, and afterwards made reflections of her own. She grounded her practice on the injunction given by Paul, that the elder women should teach the younger. At first these meetings were generally approved, but after some time it appeared that Mrs. H. was in the habit of making an invidious distinction between the ministers in the colony two or three of them she allowed to be sound men, under the covenant of grace; the rest she condemned as under the covenant of works.

Mr. John Wheelwright, a brother-in-law to Mrs. Hutchinson, a minister of character for learning and piety, joined with her in sentiment. To their fault of classing the clergy under so exceptionable a distinction, as was that of grace and works in those days, they added the propagation of two tenets, which were deemed to be dangerous errours: 1. That the person of the Holy Ghost dwells in a justified person. 2. That sanctification is no proof of justification. And Mrs. H. maintained the belief, that individuals might, as herself had been, be favoured with immediate revelations equally infal lible with the scriptures.

It was not long before it was found, that the far greater part of the Boston church, with Mr. Cotton and Gov. Vane (whom Mr. Winthrop yet styles a wise and godly gentleman, when he records the fact in his journal) held to the doctrine of the indwelling of the Holy Ghost: but Mr. Vane went so far before the rest as to maintain the idea of a personal

union. Mr. Winthrop, with Mr. Wilson the pastor, and four or five other members, denied both. The parties discussed their different opinions in writing, and came to this conclusion; that they all agreed in the chief matter of substance, namely, that the Holy Ghost is God, and doth dwell in the believer, as the Father and Son are both said also to do; but as the scriptures do not declare the manner of this union, and as the mention of the person of the Holy Ghost is not found in them, nor in the writings of the primitive churches for the three first centuries, it was earnestly desired, and one would think must have been agreed, that the word person should be forborne, as tending only to doubtful disputation.

Such were some of the notions that turned the city upside down, as they are unintelligibly communicated to us. Had the trouble ended here, as it ought to have done, we should probably have known still less about it. But opinions had been expressed too freely, and some persons retained too. much attachment to their own notions to let the matter rest. On the contrary, affairs were so managed that the Boston church became embroiled in its own private concerns, and before the close of the difliculty, found herself opposed to all the other churches in the country, and ministers and magistrates in all quarters arrayed against her.

Some members of this church were strongly inclined to - have Mr. Wheelwright settled as a colleague with Messrs. Wilson and Cotton. It was proposed on a Lord's day, and another day appointed for deciding on the measure. When the question was introduced, one of the members, probably Mr. Winthrop, rose and declared that he could not give his consent. The reason he assigned was, that he considered the church already furnished with able ministers, with whose sentiments and dispositions they were well acquainted, and whose services had been highly blessed he saw no urgent necessity for the proposed step, and therefore doubted the propriety of putting the welfare of the church to the least hazard, by calling in another man who was known to hold obnoxious sentiments. Gov. Vane expressed his surprise at such objections, as Mr. Cotton bad lately approved Mr. Wheelwright's doctrines. Mr. C. did not precisely recollect, and desired Mr. Wheelwright to explain some expressions attributed to him. He did so, and in such a manner that the first mentioned member was obliged to say he thought it quite likely that he and Mr. Wheelwright might agree; but still, notwithstanding he allowed him to be a very good man and very capable minister, he could not consent to choose him for a teacher here, for he was at best too apt to raise 'doubtful disputations. On the whole, the church concluded to give way, with the understanding that Mr. Wheelwright might be called

to a new church about to be formed at Mount Wolaston. Thus the influence of one reasonable man, who obstinately dares to do his duty, may oftentimes prevent his friends from injuring themselves. Mr. Winthrop, however, was not forgiven for this opposition to the wishes of so many, until he offered an apology for the manner in which he made it.

- The ministers in the other towns could not be inactive witnesses of what was taking place in Boston: indeed the Boston ideas had crept into some of their churches. They had repaired hither, to examine the case in a private and friendly way, soon after the obnoxious doctrines were broached. On the subject of sanctification, they could not find much difference between themselves and Messrs.Cotton and Wheelwright, but on the other subject of the personal union, they could not agree. The Court at last in a more formal way called in the aid of the clergy, and so a joint meeting of ministers and magistrates was held to exterminate heresy.

In the course of this conference Mr. Peters took occasion to tell Governour Vane that within less than two years since, the churches were in peace; and besought him to consider his short experience, and to beware of hasty and peremptory conclusions, which he perceived him to be very liable to. The bearing of these kind hints could not be misunderstood. Mr. Wilson made a very sad speech on the condition of the churches, and on the unavoidable danger of a separation, if the differences and alienations were not speedily remedied; and he laid the blame of all the trouble at the door of the new opinionists. All the magistrates except Gov. Vane and two others, (probably Messrs. Coddington & Dummer) and all the ministers except two, confirmed his declaration.

This speech of Mr. Wilson was taken so ill by Mr. Cotton and others of his church, that they called on him to obtain satisfaction. But Mr. Wilson, and some others considered that the call of the court made the case a special one, and left him at liberty, indeed made it his duty, to speak freely. In regard to any allusion to particular churches, he assured them that he meant not the Boston church or its members more than others. This explanation would not satisfy, and he was called to answer publickly for his offence, on Lord's day, Dec. 31, 1636. There Mr Vane pressed it violently against him, and so did all the church, except Mr. Winthrop and one or two others. It was strange, says the Governour's journal, to see how such as had known Mr. Wilson so long, and known what good he had done for that church, should fall upon him with such bitterness for justifying himself in a good cause; for he was a very holy and upright man, and for faith and love inferior to none in the country, and most dear to all men.' Mr. Cotton joined with the church in their