modation of the widely scattered believers, to organize a second church of the Separation.

In one of these churches, "besides several of note, is Mr. John Smith [or Smyth] a man of able gifts, and a good preacher, who is chosen their pastor. ** In the other church, besides several worthy men, is Mr. Richard Clifton [Clyfton], a grave and reverend preacher; and the Rev. John Robinson, who is afterwards their pastor for many years, till God takes him away by death; as also Mr. William Brewster, a reverend man, who afterwards is chosen Elder, and lives with them till old age.'

After the settlement of the new government-civil and ecclesiastical-these two churches were greatly harassed by the bishops. The brethren sought to cover themselves by secretly meeting in private houses, and by moving from place to place; still, fines and imprisonment were imposed upon them with an unsparing hand.

At length, despairing of any peace in their native land, they began to emigrate to Holland. Mr. Smyth and his friends went over first, in the year 1606, and settled at Amsterdam, where the London church, under Messrs. Johnson and Ainsworth, had been for several years in exile.

In the fall of 1607, Governor Bradford tells us that "Messrs. Clifton and Robinson's church being extremely harassed, some cast into prison, some beset in their houses, some forced to leave their farms and families, they begin to fly over to Holland, with their reverend pastor, Mr. Clifton."

It seems to have been, however, with great difficulty that they escaped from England. "A large company of them

* Bradford, in Prince, p. 114. I use the new edition of 1826,— Cummings, Hilliard and Co. Boston.

:

had hired a ship wholly to themselves," at Boston, (Eng.) to carry them to Holland. The captain promised to be ready at a time and place agreed upon, but disappointed them he afterwards took them on board in the night, only to betray them to their enemies; who stripped them of their property, treated their females with indecency, carried them through the streets of Boston, to be a laughing stock to the inhabitants; and afterwards arraigned them before the magistrates; and, though chargeable with no crime, procured them a month's imprisonment, and seven of them to be bound over to the next assize, or county court.* Another attempt appears to have been more successful, and Mr. Clifton and several members of his church reached Amsterdam in safety,

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Those who first went over with their pastor, connected themselves with the English churches already established in Amsterdam. Mr. Smyth, the pastor of one of these churches, soon embraced the sentiments of the Dutch Remonstrants, who were Arminians; and also imbibed some peculiar opinions on the validity of the administration of baptism."+ These opinions occasioned his separation from his exiled friends-they being generally staunch Calvinists and paedo-baptists-and the formation of a new sect, which has since been known as The General Baptists. Mr. Smyth, considering himself as unbaptized, and knowing of no one qualified, in his judgment, to administer the ordinance; and believing it improper to engage in any ministerial act, even so much as public prayer, much less the formation of a church,-until baptism had been administered, proceeded first to re-baptize himself, by immer

* Bradford, in Hutchinson's His. of Mass, Vol. II.—Appendix No. 1.

Hanbury, p. 179,

sion; and then to immerse Mr. Helwisse, his associate, and several others, his followers.*

*

**

Ivimey (His. Eng. Baptists) and Toulmin, in his note on Neal, (His. Pur. I. p. 72,) speak of this as a "silly charge fabricated by Smyth's enemies;" and as a "slander" upon his memory. The following passage upon the subject, from the candid and excellent Mr. Robinson, must, I think, be conclusive on this point: "If the church be gathered by baptism, then Mr. Helwisse's church appear to all men to be built upon the sand, considering the baptism it had and hath. Which was, as I have heard from THEMSELVES, on this manner;-Mr. Smyth, Mr. Helwisse, and the rest, having utterly dissolved and disclaimed their former church state, and ministry, came together to erect a new church by baptism; unto which, they also ascribed so great virtue as that they would not so much as pray together before they had it. And, after some straining of courtesy who should begin, and that John the Baptist, Matt. 3: 14, misalleged, Mr. Smyth baptized first himself, and next Mr. Helwisse, and so the rest, making their particular confessions. Now, to let pass his not sanctifying a public action by public prayer, his taking unto himself' that honor' which was not given him either immediately from Christ or by the church; his baptizing himself, which was more than Christ himself did;-1 demand-Into what church he entered by baptism? Or, entering by baptism into no church-How his baptism could be true, by their own doctrine? Or Mr. Smyth's baptism not being true; nor he, by it, entering into any church-How Mr. Helwisse's baptism could be true; or into what church he entered by it?"

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Smyth seems to have been a man of talents; but according to Neal, a man " of an unsettled head."-Vol. II. p. 71. Ainsworth says of him: "In three sundry books he hath showed himself of three several religions."-Hanbury, p. 179. Robinson speaks of "his instability and wantonness of wit."-Ib. p. 209. He certainly was singular in his opinions as well as variable.-He condemned the use of an English translation of the Bible; averring that teachers should carry the original Hebrew or Greek Testatament into the public assembly "and out of them translate by voice." He maintained also, that the money contributed by the

These things, of necessity, laid the foundation for controversy and difficulty between the exiles, which materially influenced Mr. Robinson and his brethren in their subsequent movements.

Mr. Clyfton, on going to Amsterdam, found the ancient exiled church under Johnson and Ainsworth, divided in sentiment upon the question, whether the elders were authorized to act authoritatively in church matters, independently of the church. Johnson maintained the affirmative of the question: Clyfton sided with him, and became a teacher in that church, in the place of Ainsworth, who dissented from Johnson, and finally separated, with his followers, from the ancient church.

In the spring of 1608, the remaining number of Mr. Clyfton's and Robinson's church,* made arrangements for removing to Holland.† Having sold their estates, and put

impenitent part of the congregation should be kept separate from the gifts of the pious, and be appropriated to "common use." -He also objected to singing, as a part of public worship.

Neal says he removed to the city of Ley, and there died; Hanbury says, in 1610. But John Cotton says: "I understand by such as lived in those parts at that time, he lived at Amsterdam, and there died; and at Ley, in Holland, he never came."-" Way of Congregational churches," Sec V. p. 7. Neal represents his congregation as being "dissolved" by his death. But, Ivimey tells us, that Helwisse, Mr., Smyth's associate, removed with the church to London, soon after 1611; and constituted the first Baptist church in England. They returned to England under the impression that flight in time of persecution was sinful.

* It seems probable that Mr. Robinson was chosen pastor, of the North of England church, or at least acted as such, immediately upon Mr. Clyfton's removal to Holland.

† Mr. Robbins, in his Historical Review, says, they first contemplated removing to America-(p. 41): he does not, however, give his authority for the assertion; and I can find no intimation of the kind elsewhere.

themselves in readiness for their departure, they engaged a Dutch captain to take them on board from an unfrequented common, remote from any house, between Hull and Grimsby, (or Grimestone, as Bradford calls it,) near the mouth of the river Humber. The women and children, with all the baggage, were sent down the river in a bark :

They all arrived at the

while the men went by land. place of embarkation a day before the ship. The sea was rough, and the females were sick: this induced the mariners, who had charge of the bark, to put into a small creek, and there await the arrival of the Dutch ship. The next morning she came; but the tide was out, and the bark was aground and could not be got off. The captain of the vessel seeing the men on the beach, sent his boats and took on board a number of them; as the sailors were about to return for a second load, "the master espied a great company, both horse and foot, with bills, and guns, and other weapons, for the country was raised to take them. The Dutchman seeing that, swore his country oath, sacramenti, and having the wind fair, weighed anchor, hoisted sail and away." The men on land might all have escaped; but a part of them going to the rescue of the women and children, were taken with them. And, "pitiful it was to women in distress; what

6

see the heavy case of these poor weeping and crying on every side, some for their husbands, that were carried away in the ship; others not knowing what should become of them and their little ones, crying for fear and quaking with cold."*

The captives were dragged from one justice to another, with the hope of finding some one to convict and imprison them. Finding, however, nothing against them, and not knowing what to do with such a number of distressed and

* Bradford, in Hutchinson, ut sup.