LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 014 079 000 A # Hollingier pH S3 F 74 .G9 G73 Copy 1 AN ECCLESIASTICAL COUNCIL HELD AT GROTON, MASSACHUSETTS, APRIL 15, 1712. At a meeting of the Massachusetts Historical Society, held in Boston on Thursday, November 9, 1899, Dr. Samuel A. Green, in presenting an old manuscript, said : — The following paper, recently brought to light, gives about the only information we have of an Ecclesiastical Council, held at Groton, on April 15, 1712, which was called to con- sider the troubles between Mr. Bradstreet, the minister, and the church. The exact nature of the complaints then made by his parishioners is not known, but from the answers to some of the charges, their general character may be surmised. It has been thought that the troubles grew out of Mr. Brad- street's Episcopal tendencies, but by the light of the manu- script this theory seems untenable. The paper itself is not the original report of the Council, but a contemporaneous copy of^he same. Both from the style of writing and from the spelling it appears to be in the hand of Jonas Prescott, an inhabitant of Groton, who at that period was prominent in the affairs of both church and town. While he may have been illiterate himself, like most men of his times, and unused to scholarly ways, he became the ancestor of a long line of families distinguished in many different walks of life. The Council consisted of five ministers or elders, and nme lay delegates or messengers. The ministers were the Rev. Grindall Rawson, of Mendon, who acted as Moderator of the Council ; Rev. John Hancock, of Lexington, grandfather of the Signer; Rev. Joseph Baxter, of Medfield ; Rev. John Swift, of Framingham ; and Rev. John Prentiss, of Lancaster. The messengers were Tiiomas Wilder and John Houghton, of Lancaster''; Samuel Stone and^Joseph Bowman, of Lexing- ton ; Jonathan Boyden and Samuel Roocit (Rockwood), of Medfield; David Ryse (Rice) and Joshua Hemenway, of Framingham ; and John Tyler, of Mendon. '^'f^J^ At a Councel of fine Churches Called by y*" Reud mr dudly brod- stret and the disatisfied bretheriu of the Church of Crist in Groton & held in sd Groton Aprel 15: 1712 refering to the un hapy differince betwen them wee the subscribers Conuened at the time and plase aboue sd & hauing Earnstly Implored the help of all mity God and herd «& Examined Euedinces and allagations one all sids do aduise and determin as foloueth Impremise or Impmy That the aduise tack plase as to the furst arti- col in the Charg which the reuernt Eldrs which were with them in nouembr y'' \date otnitted] 1710 did giue them namly that uither mr brodstret nor others should insist one the charges mad by them that could not be mad out Concidring the ouer of temtation thay were in & that a contry corse mit haue a tendeucey to Cast them in to further and grater confusons II as to thee woord raysing in y'^ 2 articoll the sudscribers to the charge desiered it mit be with drawne as to mr brodstrets reporting the story refered to in the sd Charge mr brodsti'et has giuen ampel satis- faction partickerly to Thomas Tarboll iuuer y'' parson Imedatly Con- carned and the 4 brethren whoo sined the sd Charge publickly de clared them selues satisfyed III Concidring y" unacountabol parplexity and Contridixon of Euedinces i-efering to y*^ 3'^ articol uise y*" charge layed against mr brodstret for abominadle Cariage towherds towerds [sic] the wife of Samuell Keemp wee are not aboil to de termin for the present one which side the truth lyes & there fore shall leue it to farther concidra- tion untill wednsday y® 18 day of June next insuing at raalbray unto which time and place we do agorne the councel hoping that thare may bee sumthing more of lite by that time gained by the help of which wee may be Enabled to pas to a more full determintion nil whers the reuorant mr brodstret is Charged with Immodst actions at the house of Sameuell Commines one a satudday night we find the Euedinces in that Case so Conuyctine that we determin it to be mr brodstrets dixty to submit to the Euidences and mack satisfaction according to gospell ruU V the fifth and sixt articls in the Charges Exhidited to us ware re- VI caled by the disatisfyed brethren them selues & therefore we find uo reson to tack it in to our thouts too determin any thing apone thera we cannot but Expres the grat & aflicttiue sence we haue of the lamantabl condison ouer beloued brethren are in & of the sufering state of religon among them by reson of the long contineued and Exer- siseiug diferences & diuesons where bey their pese and quieat haue bin ob structed & it is with Extreme sorou and aflicton of sperit wee be hould the diffrances arision be twene y^ reurend mr dud brodstret and the disatisfied brethren and other iuhabintence be come so wide & grate as for bid us to hope for such reconcilation betwene them as may of fer a prouibel prospect of the con tinuance of the relation thay stand in Each to other comfortablle to either and do therefore beleue it to be y" most hopeful! Expedaent to their peese and comfort that the '" Church of Crist and in haditauce of Groton do frely Consent that the '-'^ reurend nir dudly bradstt may re moue from them & wee beleue it will c;^^ Conduse to his oune Comfort to exsept that liberty when aloued him : wee furder ad that in order to his pesoble remoue from them it is their duty to maintaine a Du regard to his iust rits according to thare a greement with hime upone his setlement with them in the pastorl offise whilst this be dune wee cannot supepose thay will dell iustly with him nor comfortably for them seines & to y'' prouiding to a nu setl- ment finely we Judge it the duty of paster and pepel to humbell them selues under the the [sic\ ueru sever and Just & holy prouidence of God in per miting saton the Enemy of souls so long to inuad & imbors thare peese & to be uery lawfull to in quier into the causes of God anger & holy indignation manifest in so sore & humdling a dispershon of prouidence touerds them and we beleue it their duty to beg that God would shou to Euery of them where in thay haue dun a uiis to be waill it be fore God & to ask importinatly his pardoning marsey throu the blond of a gratious & all mity redemer to hear the fait of these misers of iniquitys which cannot be by ouer most thout full & Cristell Endeuers Come att lyes where not able to determin but the holy god is the sercher of all harts beleue it tis the dudy of all parsons concarned to consider it and to act acording ly that thay may not Hue and dye with out indeuers af ter reconceilaton to God in order to y"' ob taining for giuenes it shall be ouer prayer to god that thay may in gods time which the lord in marsey hasen see a comfortadl eshue of all thare trobles one the acount of which thay haue bin grat thoughts & serching of harts we pray that ouer endeuers toners bringing one of such an ishue may be Exceptable to god whose presence we haue desiered & whoos rules we haue acordingly to ouer light a lowed & to thos whoo here Desiered ouer presens with thaare and ouers result one the perticu- lers laid before us whome we recomend to the mersefuU fauer & Conduct of gracous God and subscrid ouer selues youre serunts for Crists sack grindall roson mod John hancock Josef baxter John Swift John Prentis Thomas AVilder John houton Sameuel Stoon Jonathan boydon Dauid Ryse mesengers Sameuell roocit Josheuh hemiugway Joseph bowman John Tyeler [Endorsed] the ad uis. of a Counsill of eldrs & mesingers LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 014 079 000 fl ^ According to the answer given to the third Article, the Council adjourned to meet at Marlborough, on June 18, 1712. While there is no record extant of what was then done at this adjourned meeting, the general result of the proceedings, and the action of the town thereon, may be gathered from the fol- lowing entries in the Groton town-records (page 24) : — Whereas at A Metting of the Reu'! Elders & messengers lately con- uened At Grotton april 15 1712 & at the meting of said Reu*^ Elders & messengers at Malbro June 18° 1712 upon adiournmeu Aduice hath been giuen to the Reu'^ M'' dudley Bradstret Pastor of the church in Grotton & to the church of Christ there that the s*^ church & town should forthwith proseed to dismis the said M'' Bradstret from his office bond & Relation to them as the most probable expedient in their Judg- ment to promote their peace & comfurt lu pursuance of the aboue specified Aduice the church of Christt In Grotton declare and It is noted that the Reud !\P dudley Bradstret is dismised from & is discharged of his pastoral] Relation & office Obliga- tion to the church of Grotton noted allso that our Bretheren capt prescot simon stone Jonas prescot ir be desiered & are impowered to present the aboue written notes of the church to the Inhabitanes of the town of Grotton for thair cchcurrence & to joyn with such person or persons as the town shall appoint to presant these uots & the towns concurrence therewith to the iiu.A M"' Bradstret Grotton July 22 1712 At a Meting of the Inhabitants of the town of Grotton legalley warned to '"ousider certain notes of the church of Christ in Grotton Re- faring to th V discharging the Reud : M^ dudley Bradstret from his Pastorall Relaiion to tham & his office bond to sd church = noted that the town doth concur with the uots of the church refering to M'' brod- strets dismission as a boue expresed & that the Inhabitants of sd Grot- ton doe release the sd ]\P Bradstret from the Relation he stands in to them as their minister uoted also that Nathanill Woods Ephrim Pare with capt prascot simon ston Jonas Prascot ir Chosen by the church to present the uotes to the town at this presant meeting of the Inhabitants be a commitey on the behalf of the town to presant the uots of the church & town to the Reud M"" Bradstret Grotton July 24 .Or '^ (rOj LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 014 079 000 A # HolUnger nFT ft S