his admirable article on the philosophical genius of Bacon and Locke. Mr. Locke was admitted to Christ Church College in 1651, when Dr. Owen, the Independent, was Dean, - the same who was thought of for the presidency of Harvard College. "Educated," says Sir James," among the English Dissenters, during the short period of their political ascendency, he early imbibed the deep piety and ardent spirit of liberty which actuated that body of men; and he probably imbibed also, in their schools, the disposition to metaphysical inquiries which has everywhere accompanied the Calvinistic theology. Sects, founded on the right of private judgment, naturally tend to purify themselves from intolerance, and in time to learn to respect in others the freedom of thought to the exercise of which they owe their own existence. By the Independent divines, who were his instructors, our philosopher was taught those principles of religious liberty which they were the first to disclose to the world."

Such was the origin of New England; such the men who founded it. Religion, the church, was the great thought, and civil interests were only incidental. This is not only evident in our history, as already narrated, but it is distinctly avowed and reiterated in the writings of the fathers of New England from the very beginning. Thus Roger Conant, the first Governor of Massachusetts Colony, suggested to the Rev. John White, of Dorchester, that it might be a refuge from the coming storm "on account of religion."1 Protestantism seemed to be in great danger on the Continent and in England, where the king, court, and many of the hierarchy were more than suspected of sympathy with Popery. Mr. White conferred with Bishop Lake, who favored the suggestion, especially as an opportunity for Christian missions among the Indians, and entered

1 History of New England, Edit. 1848, p. 107, by Hubbard, who, no doubt, had the facts from Governor Conant himself, who lived at Beverly, near Ipswich, Hubbard's residence.

into it with such zeal as to say to Mr. White that "he would go himself but for his age.".

This most Christian bishop availed himself of an early and providential opportunity to speak, with apostolic earnestness, on the national neglect and duty in this matter. On the second of July, 1625, he "preached in Westminster, before his Majestie, the Lords, and others of the Upper House of Parliament, at the opening of the Fast," which had been ordered throughout the kingdom, on petition of the Puritan Parliament. It was on account of the public calamities, civil and religious. He spoke with great plainness. "There is," he said, "a kind of metaphysical locusts and caterpillars, -locusts that come out of the bottomless pit,—I mean popish priests and Jesuits, and caterpillars of the Commonwealth, projectors and inventors of new tricks" - well known to the king and others who

listened to these words "how to exhaust the purses of the subjects, covering private ends with public pretences; . . . in well-governed states they were wont to be called Pestes Reipublicæ, Plagues of the Commonwealth." Near the close of his sermon, the preacher said: "Neither is it enough for us to make much of God's truth for our own good, but also we should propagate it to others. And here let me tell you, that there lieth a great guilt upon Christian states, and England among the rest, that they have not been careful to bring them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death to the knowledge of Christ and participation of the gos

1 The anecdote seems to come direct from the lips of Mr. White to Mr. Hugh Peter, who records it in his autobiography, -"Last Legacy to his Daughter," Boston, Ed. 1717, p. 77,—and says, "That good man, my dear firm friend, Mr. White, of Dorchester, and Bishop Lake, occasioned, yea, founded that work;" i. e., Massachusetts Colony. It is a curious fact, that part of Archbishop Laud's library came into the possession of Mr. Peter, who intended to send it to New England. There is an interesting reference to Mr. White and Mr. Peter in Governor Cradock's letter to Governor Endecott. Mass. Records, i. 384.

2 "Svndrie Sermons de tempore, by Arthur Lake, D. of Diuinitie, Lord Bishop of Bath and Welles." London, 1629: folios 200-220.

pel. Much travelling to the Indies, East and West, but wherefor? Some go to possess themselves of the lands of the infidels, but most, by commerce, to grow richer by their goods. But where is the prince or state that pitieth their souls, and, without any worldly respects, endeavours the gaining of them unto God? Some show we make, but it is a poor one; for it is but an accessorie to our worldly desire; it is not our primary intention; whereas Christ's method is, first seek ye the kingdom of God, and then all other things shall be added unto you; you shall fare the better for it in your worldly estate. If the apostles and apostolic men had affected our salvation no more, we might have continued to this day such as sometimes we were, barbarous subjects of the Prince of Darkness."

In exact accordance with these teachings, the king and colonists declared "the principal ende of this plantation" of Massachusetts to be, "to win and incite the natives of the country to the knowledge and obedience of the only true God and Saviour of mankind, and the Christian faith;" and to complete the moral unity of the bishop's missionary sermon, and the designs of our fathers, we parallel with his anathema against the Papacy the first of their “ general considerations for the plantation in New England,” which was in these words: "It will be a service to the church, of great consequence, to carry the gospell into those parts of the world, and to raise a bulwarke against the kingdom of antichrist, which the Jesuits1 labor to rear up in all places of the world."

When the " that branch of the governor and companie". Massachusetts government which, under the charter, had its legal residence in England were about emigrating to the colony, they issued a manifesto, April 7, 1630, declaring themselves to be a

1 "The Jesuits," wrote John Cotton, in 1647, "have professed to some of our merchants and marriners, they look at our plantations (and at some of us by name) as dangerous supplanters of the Catholick cause" in America, especially in Canada.

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CHURCH, a weake colonie from their brethren in and of the Church of England," as "the Church of Philippi was a colony of the church at Rome." The Rev. John Norton, in the Election Sermon of 1661, said that they came "into this wilderness to live under the order of the gospel ;' ""that our polity may be a gospel polity, and may be compleat according to the Scriptures, answering fully the Word of God: this is the work of our generation, and the very work we engaged for into this wilderness; this is the scope and end of it, that which is written upon the forehead of New England, viz., the compleat walking in the faith of the gospel, according to the order of the gospel."

The venerable Higginson, of Salem, in his Election Sermon of 1663, stated the point with great fulness, as follows: "It concerneth New England always to remember that they are originally a plantation religious, not a plantation of trade. The profession of the purity of doctrine, worship, and discipline, is written upon her forehead. Let merchants, and such as are increasing cent. per cent., remember this: that worldly gain was not the end and design of the people of New England, but religion. And if any man among us make religion as twelve, and the world as thirteen, such an one hath not the spirit of a true New England man.” In the Election Sermon of 1677, the Rev. Dr. Increase Mather uttered these words: "It was love to God and to Jesus Christ which brought our fathers into this wilderness. did not, in their coming hither, propound any great matters to themselves respecting this world; only that they should have liberty to serve God, and to walk with him in all the wayes of his worship. There never was a generation that did so perfectly shake off the dust of Babylon, both as to ecclesiastical and civil constitution, as the first generation of Christians that came into this land for the gospel's sake.”

They

The Rev. William Hubbard, the historian, in a Fast-day sermon,

preached June 24, 1682, declared that the fathers " came not hither for the world, or for land, or for traffic; but for religion, and for liberty of conscience in the worship of God, which was their only design."

The historical fact was stated by President Stiles, of Yale College, in 1783: "It is certain that civil dominion was but the second motive, religion the primary one, with our ancestors, in coming hither and settling this land. It was not so much their design to establish religion for the benefit of the state, as civil government for the benefit of religion, and as subservient, and even necessary, towards the peaceable enjoyment and unmolested exercise of religion of that religion for which they fled to these ends of the earth."1

The result of all this was, a new community, voluntarily gathered in New England, primarily for religion, organized into many "independent" churches, each of them a petty democracy, electing its officers and ministers, making its own laws, and regulating its own affairs, so far as possible, by the system of polity indicated with more or less distinctness in holy Scripture. Out of this condition of things the state was gradually developed. Here was individualism, an admirable system for making good full-blooded Puritan citizens, but very poor and unmanageable subjects. So George III. and George Grenville, "The Gentle Shepherd," found it in 1763 and afterward.

By the change, the clergy could retain no authority, but their influence was probably increased. They had "great power in the people's hearts," says Winthrop. Religion predominated over all other interests.

"As near the law of God as they can" be, was the instruction of the General Court to their committee of laity and ministry, ap

1 This very exact statement of fact explains the exclusive policy of the early legislation. It was at that time absolutely necessary to self-preservation against the plottings of the hierarchy, to confine the privilege of franchise to their known friends.