Morning journal and courier., 1889-04-12
NORTH HAVEN ANNALS.

Spiritual Lifeline Qualifications o1 Freemen-Duty of Attendance Upon 1 Divine WOrshIp-S0me Of the VAa
 Stringent Laws of the Colony 1 Whatever of hindrance beset the settler in his struggle to obtain material subsistence for his family, was all unknown in his quest for spiritual food at the "meeting house.. ;. To this sacred spot nothing barred the way; and though rude it's proportion and barren iss furnishings, yet to his vision it was the gate
 to the heaven beyond. Says the historian Bancroft: "Puritanism exalted the iaity. Every individual who had experienced the
 raptures of devotion, every believer whe in moments of ecstasy had felt the assurance ot the favor of God, was in his own eyes con-
 secrated person chosen to do the noblest and godliest deeds. Before heaven he prostrated l himself in the dust; looking out upon man kind how could he but respect himself whom God had chosen and redeemed. He cherish ed hope; he possessed faith; as he walked ! the earth, his heart was in the skies." Of such mettle were our fathers made. I One other element entered into their pur- | poses, Reighting and trimming the balance l wheel of their lives; the element ot Christian watchfulness over each other. No kingdom, no empire, no nation or kindred under heaven ever kept such detailed espionage of it's suD- jects as did in the main the colonies of New England. No forest dense enough to hide no river too wide to cross-no settlement too remote to reach any soul from whom allsgi- apce was due. Did the settler locate along the Quinnipiac; or on Eye country road to Hartforde;" or by "Muddy riyer," or else. where within our borders, the eye of the col ony followed him and it's hand could reach
 him. Nor does it appear such guardianship was distasteful or oppressive. The Bible was their guide, and though no visible cloud or pillar marked Jehovah's presence over the shores of New Haven bay, yet none the less the eyes of the planters, wherever they
 might be, turned thitherward to know His
 will.
 Let us turn aside moment and note some of the laws under which our fathers lived. Laws are the fossils in the rocks of human life by which we judge of the condition and temper of their makers.
 It was ordered in the code of 1643 that
 'none shal be admitted freemen or free bur gessess within this jurisdiction or any part of it, but such planters as are members of some one or other of the approved churches of New England; nor shal any but such bee chosen to magistracy or to carry on any part of eivil1 judicature or vote in establishing lawers, or in making or repeating orders or to any chiefe military office or trust, nor shal any others but such church members have any vote in any such elections
 And further, "Wheresoever the ministry of the word is established within this juris- diction according to the gospell, ,.every person according to the mind of God shal duly re- sort and attend thereunto upon the Lords day at least and alsoe upon days of publick fasting or thanksgiving ordered to be gene eally kept and observed. And if any person shall without just and necessary cause absent and withdraw from the same, he shal, after due means of conviction used, for every such sinful miscarriage forfeit five shillings to the plaHtation to be levied as other fines"
 It was further ordered "That the ordinances of Christ may be upheld and comfortable mayutaynce of the ministry according to the rule, the deputies with the constable shal call all the inhabitants, whether plant CTS or sojourners, before them and desire every one particularly to settle down what proportion he is willing and able to allow yearly while God contin- ues his estate toward the mayntaynce of the delay, or sett down an unmeet proportion, the court shal rate and assess every such per son according to estate, with due moderation and in equall proportion with his neigh- bors"
 Ordered; "If any man make God's waves contemptible and ridiculous, every such per- son or persons Whatsoever censure the chuch may passe) shal for the scandal bee converted and reproved openly by the megis- trates at some lecture, and bound to their good behaviour. And if second time they brake forth into the like contemptuous car riages, they shal either pay five pounds to the publique treasure, or stand two hours openly uppon blocke or stoole four foott high uppon lecture day with paper fixed on his breast written with capitalle letters: AN OPEN AND OBSTINATE CONTEM- NER OF GODS HOLY ORDINANCES"
 Here follows some of the capital laws:
 "Whosoever shal prophane the Lords day or any part of it either by sinful ssrvile work or by unlawful sport, recreation or other wise, whether wilfully or in careless neglect, shal be duly punished by fine, imprisonment or corporally according to offence. But if the court upon examination by clear and sat isfying evidence find that the sim was proudly, preeumptuously and with high hand committed against the known command and authority against the blessed God, such a person despiseing and representing the Lord shal be put to death that all others may feare and shunn such provoking rebel Eous courses"
 shall willingly and willingly presume to blaspheme the Holy name of God, Father, Son or Holy Ghost, with direct, expresse, presumptuous or high-handed blasphemy, either by willfull or obstinate denying the true God, or his Creation, or government of the world, or shal curse God, &c., or re- proach the holy religion of God, or saal utter any other kind of blasphemy of like nature and degree, such person shall be put to death"
 "It is ordained. That if any person after legall or other due conviction shall have or worship any other God but the Lord God, he shal bee put to death"
 eff any person bee witch he or she shal bee put to death."
 elf any person shal commit any willfull murder he shal be put to death."
 "If any person slsyeth another in anger or cruelty of passion, he shal bee put to death. ;"
 If any person steals 8 man or mankind, that person shal surely bee put to death"
 eff any child or children above 16 years old and of competent understanding shal curse or smite his, her or their natural father or mother, each such child shal bee put to death; unlesse it can be proved that the parents have been very unchristianly neg lectful in the education of such children, or so provoked them by extream or cruell cor rection that they have been urged or forced thereunto to preserve themselves from death or mayming."
 ''If any man have & stubborn or rebellious son of sufficient age or understanding, name ly 16 year old or upward, which father or or the voyce of his mother, and that when they have chastened him will not hearken unto them, then shal his father and his mother lay hold on him and bring him to the magistrates and tsstife unto them that their son is stubborn and re- bellious and will not obey their voyce and chastysement, but lives in sundry notorious crimes; such son shal bee put to death."
 Holdl says the reader. Did Futile, Hum aston, Yale. Thorp, Ives, Crockett, Blakes- lee assent to thisa Yes, thanks be to God they did. With just such feshy arm did they purpose, yea and did defend the church, the palladiuna of all their rights. Less than this would have imperilled them and their de- ! sire. Quaint and blunt and terribly in earn est, there was no long road to justice, nor l bubbles to hide behind on the way. If \ criticism there must be Dr. Palfrey voices it \ in his history of New England when he says,