Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1917-04-05
old BOSTON DIVINE
JOHN COTTON FAMOUS AMONG
cLERGYMEN.
Driven From England, He Sought Ref.
uoe In the New World, Where He
Was Received With Honors
and Given High Place.

who introduced into New England the
custom of keeping the Sabbath from
evening to evening, according to some
historians, died December %, 1862. He
was born in Derby, England, Decein.
Der 4, 1855.
John Cotton was minister at Boston,
In Lincolnshire, England, when he fled
to Boston, In New England. He had
been minister in the Boston of the old
England for more than 20 years, when
he found that his theological views
were about to get him into trouble.
The father of John Cotton was a
lawyer named Roland Cotton. John
entered Trinity college, Cambridge,
when he was only thirteen years old,
and he rapidly distinguished himself
for scholarship.
He was brilliant as we'll as learned,
and he enjoyed IL great reputation. It
was while he was tenching in Emanuel
college ut Cambridge that he imbbed
Puritan views of theology, observes a
writer in the Washington Post. He
was about twenty.sevcn years old
when he was appointed minister ut
Boston.
In this charge he got into his first
ecclesiastical trouble by refusing to
conform to certain ceremonies of the
established church. He believed that
many Of these ceremonials were I'M.
scriptural.
lie was suspended by his bishop,
but the majority of his people stood
by him and lie was restored For more
than 20 years he remained there as
minister, and his influence is said to
have been of the most salutary na.
ture. A change in the authority of
the church took place and Cotton's
pnrishioners were divided into fac.
lions. 1t was reported to Cotton that
he was about to be summoned before
the high commission court, and he fled
to London, whence utter Il period Of
hiding lie sailed for Boston in New
England. He was welcomed cordially
there. and within two weeks after his
arrival was appointed by the magis.
trates teacher in the First church.
Here he remained until his death.
Cotton was rure scholar. He de.
voted IL hours q day to study, and
before going to sleep at night he loved,
as he said, ITO swectcn his mouth with
1 piece Of Calvin" With all his pro.
found learning he preached in the sim.
plest language. Soon after coming to
Boston he prepared, at the request of
the general court, an abstract Of the
laws OF Moses for use in the col.
ony. 1t was not adopted, but revi.
zion of 1t, supposed to be the joint work
If Cotton and Sir Henry vanc, was
afterward used.
Cotton wrote nearly so books, which
were sent to London to be published.
Ele could discuss fluently In Hebrew.
Greek and Latin.
1t Is one of the perplexities Of hu.
man nature that persons who have
suffered from intolerance are SO sci.
dom taught by that experience to he
tolerant toward others. Jonn Cotton
was an example of this unhappy fact.
tie had been prosecuted in old Eng.
land and he had to flee for safety to
New England, but once here he showed
tile extrcmities Of his views us to the
power of the civil authority in rclig-
lous matters. On this subject he car.
fled on famous controversy with
Roger Williams, who charged him with
holding a "bloody tenet of pcrsccu.
tion."
His son, John, and his grandson,
Josiah were distinguished clcrsy,uc,,.
as was another son, Seaborn. so named
because born at sea- on the passage
II his parents to New England In 1888,