A website from the Massachusetts Historical Society; founded 1791.

Papers of the Winthrop Family, Volume 3

415
Thomas Shepard to John Winthrop1
Shepard, Thomas Wintrhop, John

1637-05-20

To the Right Worshipfull Mr. Winthrop Gouernour
Much Honoured in our blessed Sauiour,

I haue looked vpon the Rod (your Suruey) yow have made to whip the Remonstrants2 back: my dim eyes can find no fault with it but that which yow fear may be on, vizt. that it wants twigs enough: but yet it may be, they may mend by this which if it fall out, the mistake is mine; howeuer it be, your reward of such loue to the Lord and his truth and his people by stepping your selfe betwene them and the blow, shall not be forgotten another day in a better woorld; nor yet I beleeue in this, of all those that know yow and these labours of your loue for the vse and safety of these churches and cuntry: for my own part I am not a little glad to see how the Lord hath helped yow also in this Suruey: I will only leaue these things to be considered of by yow.

1. Pag: 1: In your preface your charity is sweet and good, if yow had to deale with another author of the Apologie then him that indeed yow combat withall: For yow seeme to make him a good man in zeale of a conceiued good cause; who is so notoriously known to be the prime craftsman of forging all our late nouelties, the Sheba of our distractions, and that in this very Apollogye hath cunningly and slyly layd down the principle and sown the seed of the confusion of this and all states in the world; and whom the vigilant eye of judicious obseruers haue noted to cut out all his courses and carriages in so diuerse colours: and vntill we see his repentence and returne why shall our charity couer his craft, and yet tell the woorld he may be an honest man: I do beleeue yow do aime at others as well as he to be authors of his Apology, and so may truly speake as yow do; but I leaue it to your wisdom to consider, if hauing this occasion and cause to speake it would not be fit to leaue others out, and single out him and set your brand vpon him, that it may be is now hatching euill agaynst this place, and by his colours more fit to delude vs then any man else: Admiration of persons yow know hath carryed on great stroke in this cause; and of him among the rest; its our wisdom therefore to make there wickednes and guile manifest to all men that they may goe no farther, and then they will sinke of themselues.

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2. agayne yow say a faythfull seruant is not so stiled in an act of his vnfayth-fulnes; as in Moses and Aaron: Answ. Doubtles the contrary may be found in scripture, ex: gr: 1 Kings 15: 14: Gen: 20: where Abram had told a ly, yet Pss. 7: he is called by god himselfe a prophet: to call him a Prophet, neither his practise deserues it nor yet doe the churches call at this day any men prophets vsually but those that were extraordinary: its the Jesuits craft at this day to put fayre names on fowle things and so to beat religion with its own weapon. He dazles the eyes of the woorld by opposing a prophet of god agaynst the Elders of churches.

Pag. 4: His maxime that a sentence giuen by the major part of the Court when another doe dissent is a nullity: I desire 2 things concerning it if your prudence thinke it fit: 1: that herein yow would lay down more reasons agaynst it and shew more particularly to what it leads, and from what spirit it came; for its as monstrous deuillish hellish a birth as euer wickednes could bring foorth and as yow well note enough to ruine vs and all states in the woorld. 2: To answer his arguments more fully woud seeme to be to haue colour of strength but that of the witnesses dissenting: which if you opend more clearly would be pleasing to many; witnesses answer de facto: Judges sentence is de Jure: if the major part of the Court haue jus with them, i: any law of god or Diduct from it the law must judge: if the lesser part haue the law of god on there side that law should judge.

Pag: 11: Sedition and Murther are sins; Now tho sin in generall be a transgression of the law yet this or that particular sin is according to the seuerall externall circumstances, time place persons etc. and in all morall acts good or evill externall circumstances ad to the internall being and formallity of euery sin, and hence Mr. Vanes addition of deuiding in the good wherein they ought to be vnited is not nothing: for yourselfe make Adition, where mens minds are made feirce. Now if yow had not added by an euill act which is an externall thing yet internall to sedition, Paul and the apostles as they truly say had bin seditious when they preached the truth. Yow seeme also to say that hatred is the formall cause of murther, which is a degree only to it; and to kill a man out of hatred because he crosseth gods will is not murder but Justice: I also question whether that can be the end of sedition also.

I haue not had time exactly to view euery particular woord, because all did so well sute with me that I could not desire to blame any thing; Thus in extreame hast with many thankes for this and all your loue to this cuntry and these churches and my selfe, I leaue yow in his arms that loues yow. Your

T. S. Ca. May 20, 1637
1.

W. 3. 71; 4 Collections , VII. 266–268.

2.

This was the term applied to those who in March, 1636/37, signed the “Remonstrance” against the action taken by the Massachusetts General Court against the Reverend John Wheelwright. The Wheelwright controversy flared up again when the General Court met in May. At that time Winthrop wrote in his Journal (1. 26; also printed in D.J.W. , entry for May 17, 1637 ): “Divers writings were now published about these differences.” His “Survey” may have been one of these writings.