The New York herald., 1869-03-10
LECTURES LAST EVENING.
ms AND OBJECTS or TINE FouHueRs or MASSACHUSETTS.
Lecture by Rev. Gcerse =. ElIis.


Lecture by Rev. George X. Ellis.
Rev. George E. Ellis lectured before ihe New York
Historical Society," specially convened last evening,
on the "Ams and Objects Of the Founders or Massar
chusetts, The president Of the society, Hamilton
Fish, presided and briefly introduced the lecturer OF
the evening
Mr.. Ellis, on coming forward, was very warmly
greeted. lie said it gave HIM pleasure 10 avail
himself OF the privilege Of one OF the members
OF the society In addressing its members this
evening. The subject Of his address would
be the ms ana neq Oes o. and ne
will appear that the founders Of the colony now the
State OF Massachusetts cannot be charged with IN
sincerity secrecy. Their avOwed motives, II will
be found, put into their actions The historian
OF the times says that the corporation OF the COM
ON rSch II 70 eony
which would be refuge for civil and religious free
dom. But the first Governor OF the colony, Governor
winthrop says:-"Wlth the consent and approba-
tion of an Overruling providence and with the ap-
probation OF the Church OF Christ we have In hand
to seek out place OF conanitadion ana consortsnlp
eccleslastica.n Here, then, Is wide DIFF
ference in the asserted motives ana objects
OF the fathers OF Massachusetts, and the state
ment Of the Governor IL was not, in fact,
to establish system Of civil and religious liberty
ant Of men. But this was not their real object nor
was 1t their announcement. They did not come to
establish anything like liberty of conscience. They
everything opposed to their views and beliefs. They
stopped at nothing in suppressing and Furnishing
every form OF dssent-punishing by whipping, fore
ing mutating eyerythiAg and every one who ques-
toned their ways and forms OF belief They did all
this harshly, cruelty and relentlessly. they were
the lnveterate enemies Of what they called
heresies or free thinking and they would punish
II ee thinking quickly they would free speaking.
They opposed the entrance OF strangers among them.
They not only punished strangers and interlopers
who difered in opinion with them, but they punished
men and women In their own fellowship who dis
Hhn fp Nvng fhnr ha npriu
founders OF Massachusetts never possessed such
thing liberty Of conscience The truth OF history
demands it to be SAID that the early coonists came
here to get rid OF liberty OF conscience which TO
them hateful and perniclous. Ihey never Claimed
liberty OF conscience for themselves except under
such restrictions and limitations as rendered the
clatm entirely nugatory In our view OF the
meaning OF the word. They would have snud-
dered in adopting the phrase OF toa liberty q
ter reviewing the first charter for the coloni-
zation or Massachusetts, Bay, the lecturer
proceeded quote from the charter OF the company
the conditions and privileges 1t granted. John VIII
liams was the leader OF the colonists, among whom
ne es hsre as hand S OF reoas
They assumed that character ut once, and as such
they appeared under the hinge trees OF the forest and
recognized the conservation OF their enterprise In
stead OF seeking refuge for freedom OF conscience
they sought refuge from the spread OF that religious
freedom winch In tder % nay wss mnns 20 oe
to agitate England ut this time frightened them
away from their own old homes that they might
~
out their own views OF liberty OF conscience They
desired to establish community founded upon the
Bible taking the Mosaic doctrine as their GUIDE aud
rule OF faith and for their civi government as wel
Lord Brooks wrote tn the leaders OF the people OF
the colony, requesting that certain people OF quality
should be permitted to come out to the colony and
that the franchise should depend on property.
The request was refused. Mr.. Cotton In his answer
says, God has so framed the Church government
and ordinances tnat they may be compatible with
any commonwealth, and he considered that the
Scriptures gave full directions for the framing Of
the best commonwealth. Democracy, Cotton says,
was never ordained by God for civil government.
God never ordained that the people should be gov
ernors for they were 10 be governors who were TO
England received. Strangers were sometimes
received, but there were conditions they had
TO subscribe to, ana these were wen
known In England. The fathers OF Massachu-
setts having covenanted among themselves
to maintain themselves according 70 the conditions
and principles lald down, they were determined to
stand to each other by heart and soul and lfe and
all strangers and all, even among themselves. who
differed with them must be summarily dealt with.
Before letting In new corners the Court OF Massachu-
sets provided by prospective law provision which
tration OF Massachusetts. the provision says:-To
the end that the body OF the commons shall be
composed OF honest and true men for the time 10
come, no man shall be admitted to the body polite
therein. Their great object and aim was to form
commonwealth out OF the church = that
the administration OF civil AFFAIRS should
was the intent OF the early Fathers. They meant
that the rulers and the cnoosers OF the rulers should
be upright, God-fearing men. as they emphattcally
object OF the f0unders and was entirely consistent
with their views the subject OF religion and OF
civil government. The lecturer having concluded
very interesting subject was warmly applsuded, and
motion vote OF THANKS was accorded him, ana a
motion adopted that the lecture be printed and pub
lished and presented to the members OF the society,"