The Massachusetts spy, or, Thomas's Boston journal. [volume], September 23, 1773, Image 1

About The Massachusetts spy, or, Thomas's Boston journal. [volume] (Boston [Mass.]) 1772-1775

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T'W
A Weekly, Political, and Commercial Paper :-Open to all Parties, but hifluencecf by None.
' DOthou Great LIBERTY insure our Souls, — And mikeoar Lives in thy Poffeflion hannv. Or r.iwrDearhs glorious in thy just Defence.’
Vol. lII.]
For the Massachusetts S P Y.
Mr. Thomas. BJhn, Sept. 7. tyyy
Plcafc to insert the following in your Paper,
when you can (pare (efficient Room for it.
To n.y dear Friend, Mr, Z.
a'D 1 believe with a late Re
verend Episcopalian, that
“ a Clergyman is an Adv< -
“ cate, Mediator, Negoti
“ator,Repiefeiitative,V ce
“ gerent, mandatory Inter
** pellant between God and Man, in their
4i Spiritual Addreflcs to, and Negotiations
“ one with another; and that he stands and
aits as M<diator between both Parties,
“ as it were in the midcle Line of Conveda
“ tion, and in the very Centre ofCommu
“ nication between them.” I fav, did I be
lieve all this pious Rant of his Reverence,
I should never call in Qjeftion the Right of
such a spiritual Man, to exercise any Powers
he might think fit to daim, as appertinent
to his Office ; and Mr. Adams’s Piece in
particular should have puffed unnoticed. But
as i have a very different Apprehension of
the Nature of the Office from ei
ther hm, or the reverend Dreamer from
whim I made the above Quotation, and
should beg ad that “ some among us, who
are tn Dinger of paying a superstitious Re ,
gard to the Expounders of our Religion,” as
prejudicial to it, peihaps as an indifetiminate
Contempt of the Order, ni’ght be convinced
hat the Claims of some of them are extrava
gant, I was in duced, firtt to publith the Co
lumns, and as er wards to answer your Pub
lication in the SPY of the sth of August last.
From this Declaration you will fee that I had
“ something if more Importance in Vice,
than merely to figure on the Stage, or amuse
my Readers with a Fiourifh of Words.”
If any of infidel Principles, who “ dffie
gard the Institutions of the Gospel,” are un
friendly to the Clergy, and are really desirous
•* to render them despicable,” mistaking my
Intention, took an ill-natured Pleafuce in
** reading’ what I published, imagining I
was pcffJLd of the fame Pnnciples and Dis
position with themselves, I know not that I
am answerable for their Faults ; my “ De
fig i,” as you charitably “ suppose,” having
been “ good.” 1
If your Apprehensions are well founded
with refpeAto the religious State of the Peo
ple, which, as I (houd choose to be thought
« serious,” I will not “ deny,” it is certainly
greatly to be lamented. An Opponent of
less liberal Sentiments would, perhaps, have
construed my honest Dvfigb a latent At
tempt to (lifcredit Religion ttfelf; becaufc I
have doubted whether a Mimtter is to be
considered by h s Parifbioners as the Pleni
potentiary of Heaven. But you have inti
mated Nothing like it ; and have generously
acquitted me of an Intention to h jure “ that
Order of Men,” th >ugh you If aogely think
“ wh-n the Frailties or Imprudenctes of Indi
vi duals are he d up to the V »ew of the World
in the Jlrongeji Colours, the who’e Body must
expert m Jame M a art to fofEt.”
I am, mv dear Sir, of a quite diffe ent O
pinion ; nor can I ever beiieve that 1 affront
the Order by dcfp'fing him whefe Conduit
and Manners disgrace and vilify it—On the
contrary, I have ever held clearly that he
greatly honours the Office, who exposes (hole
who are its Reproach and B em.th.
I fay not this with Reference to Mr. A
dams, nor have I Occafiun thus to vindicate
myfelf. I have n. t found fau't with any
Body but one, “ who, for aught I know,”
and for aught I have said, in either (nut in
any) A my “ Pieces,” howeer juftiy, ouy te
•« a very goon Man.” i have not a.tacecd
his moral Charader, nor c«: rd hm any
harder “Name” than spiritual Ru
ler, at which, I cruft, he is mA dkaded.
Or, Thomas’s Bolton Journal.
THURSDAY, September 23,
From a thorough Consideration of your
three fi ft Paragraphs, I am constrained, in
Addition to what is said above, to make
these general Obfervations.—lt is next to im
possible for a Clergyman, who conduits hm
(elf agreeable to his FunAion, to m'fs of the
Reverence due to his Character If a
Minister, in Defiance of all the Hum »y and
Condefcendon taught hint bv his Divine
Master, will preposterously iftumc an Air of
Arrogance, and aspire to spiritual D »mma
tion, he deserves the universal Contempt al ah
sober and intelligent Persons. But that Reli
gion muff naturally fuffer by such Contempt,
is perfeA y unintellig’b e. It might as just y
be said, that the regular Pi ad ice of Phy lie la
endangered, in Proportion as Qjacks and
Mountebanks become theObjeds of Deri
lion and Ridicule.
I can with great Sincerity declare, that I
believe no Man on Earth has a greater Re
gard for the worthy Part of ths Clerg. than
myfelf. lam persuaded that a general Con
tempt of the Office would be deftrudive of
Religion, and a D.Gefped for the Order it
fell,attended with the most pernicious Effed,
could it be supposed poflihle to take p'ace,
while the Miniften of Religion are fa highly
deserving of Esteem al they, in general, arc
in New England, which I can by uo Means
admit. ’ •
But you imagine that I am, at least, uri'
kindly disposed toward* Mr. Adams; and
afle what Method 1 “ could have taken to
render him mote odious to the Public.”
Truly I know of none to have rendered his
P inciples more oditvs. To render th<*m
so, was the Point I aimed at; and I molt
sincerely hope, with fonae Degiee of Success.
For after all your fattening and toothing,
and reprefeming as if nope but “ faithful
Ministers,” and they “ on fame Occaii >n»”
only, m'oht exeiciie such a Kind of Role, I
cannot lee Reason to alter my Sentiment*.
i he P >wer either is, or is not annexed to
the Office. If it is not, he that claims it is an
arrogant, presumptuous Man—ls it is, then
any little airy Coxcomb, without Learning
or Virtue, whole highest Motive is a Living,
chat by Means of fame popu ar Talents,and
put’ing on a Shew of Piety for a l ime, can
get into ;he Office, has as full and c ear a
Right to exercise this Power, as Che veneta
ble Mr. Towgood himfe f.
Yuu ask again, whether we “ have any
Reafan co suppose” the worthy Gentleman
last mentioned “ wou»d have exprrfled him -
fe*t in the Manner be did, if the Pajtorj he
referred to, had been ferrous and godly Men,
of thePe »pe’s own chufing ” I answer,
wi hout the least Htfi ation, that 1 believe
be introduced the Nobleman’s Huntsman
me er I y to mike the Abfardity ‘d Mr IVhtte'i
Affitrtion, that Pafton were Governors, &c.
appear the mote glaring;and though he would
not have spoken with such Contempt of a
better Mm, yet I have no Djmm he utteiiy
•icnounced such Powers, as unrcafunable and
ut»fc iptutal, never defiling them, even for
h mfe f, than whom no Man in Cbnitendotn
is moie wot thy to fodefs them.
Y'*ur urtfnl Suppofitron < f a *• New-
Market Hrp JoJbefs*’ beinu ordaincJ, and
“ lent io ejutc.fi. t Authiritv ©ver”
fich as “are cakej Diff ntcia i> B fton,”
you very well know docs not come up to the
Point. But though we fhou’d not “ suppose
ourfetves under any K nd of Obligation to
submit to him as our Guide, or our Gover
nor” vet if he was fen: to be Mmitter of
King’s Chape', and to a People, who claim
n>t the Right nf cbo< fiog then own Mmit
ter, in that C fe. those of his Chute h, whe
are of such Principles as Mr. White was,
a'ni Mr. Adams and you.fe.f aie, ought in
CWc.encc to fabmuto him as their Guice
and Governor — And on the Lme Grounds,
the Nob‘<emaa’a Hanyman ought to have
been regarded as »he spiritual Direihr even
•f h'* Lo ilfhip himielf, if ht had lived in
Ihe fame Pat i(h. lam amazed, my dear
Si', to find you asserting the contrary,while
v< u are vindicating the Right ol New
Eng and Horie Jackies, (far fcveral <4 that
E nploy nent aie Mintfteis) to the Exetcife
<»f the Powers and P.croganves which Mr
Adam» contends for, and Mr. Towgood
“Jtfca.ms with Abhorrence.” It is true you
leem to (peak of faithful and godly Mimfters
•>niy ; but a Gent emao of your Discern
ment mull know that it is their Office, and
not their Goodnejs of Heart, that gives them
the R ght it they have it at all. This Kennel-
Keeper was regu arly, and according to the
Ulage of the Church of which he was a
Member, introduced intn Office, received
epifccpal Oidmation, the Validity of which
you will not deny ; and if he had not Au
tho.ity, to direit, rule and govern the People
undei his Cate, the molt godly and Pious
Minister in New England has no such Pow
er. 1 would even leave this to be dctei min
ed by the Convention.
I heartily join with you in praying “ we
never may be troubled with such Pastors as
are impoled upon the People without then
Content.” But though ours are of our
own choosing, you must i.everthelefs ac
knowledge i* barely possible that as great a
< remus as Mr. Locke, may, in fame future
Time, be of thrt Minority at the Eledion of
as grac«le£i a Blockhead as ever got induded
inio a Benefice, after the Manner of the
Church of England, lo be the Mmiller ul
the Society to which the Gentleman may
belong. He will, noiwithftanding, upon
your own Princip’es, be bound to refped
him as his gboflly COMMANDER, and
to submit to the Creature, as having the
Rule over him.
“ I will not deny but that “ our vener
able Fathers”, who com pi cd the Platloim,
“ confifered Pa lors <-nd Teachers as Rulers
in the Churches”—n#r that in the New
reft. inent the Publ.fhers of the Religion of
Cbnft in that Day, as spoken of as Rultrs
in Matters pertaining thereto. But if you
were to ..fieri, that before the faer d Canon
was compleated, and curing the Preach ng
of the Men whom our bkfled Saviour com
miflionated to be his Ambassadors, to in
st udt a benighted World in the great
Truths of his Gofpo, those who difpcnfed
his O<aces to the Nations, that before had
fd in D« k cfs, at d in the Region of the
Shadow oi Death, were fi>me ot them Fata
list, and uthai Freewilbrs-— that while feme
of hem held their MASTERand Lcro wa>
in the high eJi Senje a Divine Perjon, others,
though iney taught that He fi ft of
the Creation of G'jd, yet maintained that
He was inferior to the Deity— othi rs
still affirmed that He was no more than a
mere Mun, and confvquently lower than the
Anges —that while a few believed that
without bis Righteoulnef? imputed toSinnen
they cou’d not obtain Salvation, more fpokc
only of an Ahmemer-t he h-d mace by h s
Death, and declared that this vicarious Suf
fermg wood be acccpud without any such
Impu.ation— — attd fame even infanned
their Heareis that the wnole Deft in nL
Advent was to reach a more pi kd S stem
of MorJih, and let Example cf Obe
dience for the of uiherj.—Should
y«u affirm iunher, that tnere wcie as many
inttacces in that Day as there are now, ir
Proportion to the Number id pub ic Teach
ers, who engaged in the Employ ment mere
ly fiom tecuiar Vi-ws, dcHiluic of proper
Qualificat’oc.s for their Wqu, v. nhoM a
hcarfe t Deitre to advance the luu-.elts < t
Chrtft’s Kingdom m the World, apd a fin
cere Dif;* finon to do G'*d to the Son's < t
Men—and iha< i • the apoftnlK »hn(r
who wuc denominated Pastors and Teach-
'Numb. 138.
ers had no higher Degrees of Influence fr< m
he bldi d Spirit of God,to lead them to 'he
Knowledge of i ru h and Duty, m/pedal
Cases, than Mimfters have in the ptc'cmD-y
— And if vou were to proceed to shew
which, c infiftcntly with your ownPiinciples,
you might attempt, (hat the fame Kind and
Degree of Authority with which those Mcflim
ge<s ofH aven (puke and afled in thcChu'th,
resided, whi'e he sustained the Office of a
Pastor, in the Author of the Orati
on on the Bbautjes cf Liderty ;
I should most certainly “ differ” as “ wide
ly”-fiom you as I d<> from Mr. Adams ;
though i should be cartful not to treat a
Gentleman of your Poliicnefs,with an unbe
coming “ Severity.”
However “difficult” you may conceive it
to be fur me “to point out exaAly how
much of that Puwer which belonged to
the Picfbytery, is now buried in the
Grave of the Ruling E ders,” yet I will
venture to attempt it, if you will firft
point out, with cxaAncfs, how much Pow
er one of the Corporation of Harvard
College would have remaining in him,
considered in that Character, if the other
Six where this Instant to be taken out of the
World. If the only surviving Gentleman
should take upon him to exercise all the
Powers of the Corporation, there would be a
Woy found out to replace the other Me m
bers. And in the present Case, I will ven
ture to prediA, though I d flike Lay-Elders,
that if Mimfters (hall take upon them to ex
etcife all the Powers of the P.clby tery, and
there (hall be no other Way to prevent it,
here will loon be a RefurieAion of as much
Power a* is now bu ied in the Grave ol the
Ruling Eiders. 1 know you are prepared to
tell me, that the who:e Power was origin
ally in the Minister, and that Lay E ders,
were only appointed as Afiiftants lo him—or,
in other Words, the Power of the former
was from Heaven, that of the latter from
Men. The Tiuth is, that the mighty Bus-
He that is made to preserve the Power of
Negativing, is owing to the Clergy’s suppos
ing themselves poss fled of a P’wei from
Heaven, to ratify or difannul whatever the
Church does. He that can receive it let him
rceotW it.
As er all, I can conceive of a sober Senfo
in which Ministers of modern Times may
be said to be Ruliks ; but if i were to ex
plain myfelf it would not be fatsfaAory to
such spiritual Men as claim an Authority
and JurifdiAion beyond the Bounds of Rea*
fan and Revelation. There is a Sense too in
which they may be called Pr iests, a Title
much used in th* Church of England,though
in these Gofpr Days, it belongs,
no more to (he Minister than to the Choiif
ter, and to neither unleft he is a really pious
and good Christian.
It I had not, by a Declaration in my last,
in a Manner precluded myfelf from
fenoufly into the Argument to improve Ihe
Right of Clergymen to Exercise of the
Powers Mr. Adams claimed for ihtm,
you have mc no C p cn |ng f or jf t fcy
produr an y p roO f 4 f rt) m your “ Bible,”
-rough you are pleated to acquaint me you
have confuted u for your own Informa’ioo.
It was a Right founded onScripture that 1 bad
then in Contemplation.
I ftih think thole detatched Sentences, and
broken Paragraphs, which you produced to
shew that Mr. Adams was not fii gular in
his Opinion, that Minifter* have s Power of
negativing, were infufficicnt for your» Pur
poie. it was not to be expeAed that I
Ihord “give mvfelftbe Trouble to read” de
• t <.r Parts cf the Put form, or “ ibe TraAs
f em which the Sentence*” and Psi ta of Pa
r igraphs in “ the Writings of Dr. Maihrr
w«e »akcn.” They wtic 'aid before the
Public in tha» detached htale, a, a Proof of