Page:The collected works of Theodore Parker volume 7.djvu/170

166 ruins." "The serious people throughout the land were awakened by these intimations of Divine displeasure to inquire into the causes and matters of the controversie." Accordingly, 1679, a synod wast convened at Boston, to "inquire into the causes of the Lord's controversie with His New England people," who determined the matter. The Synod declared: "That God hath a controversie with His New England people is undeniable" "There are visible manifest evils, which without doubt the Lord is provoked by." 1. "A great and visible decay of the power of godliness amongst many professors in these churches." 2. "Pride doth abound in Now England. Many have offended God by strange apparel." 3. "Church fellowship and other divine institutions are grossly neglected." "Quakers are also worshippers," "and Anabaptists… do no better than set up an altar against the Lord's altar." 4. "The holy and glorious name of God hath been polluted;" "because of swearing the land mourns" "It is a frequent thing for men to sit in prayer-time… and to give way to their own sloth and sleepiness." "We read of but one man in Scripture that slept at a sermon, and that sin had like to have cost him his life." 5. "There is much Sabbath-breaking; since there are multitudes that do profanely absent themselves from the public worship of God,…" walking abroad and travelling… being a common practice on the Sabbath day." "Worldly unsuitable discourses are very common upon the Lord's day." "This brings wrath, fires, and other judgments upon a professing people." 6. "As to what concerns families and Government thereof, there is much amiss." "Children and servants… are not kept in due subjection." "This is a sin which brings great judgments, as we see in Eli's and David's family." 7. "Inordinate passions, sinful heats and hatreds, and that amongst church members." 8. "There is much intemperance:" "it is a common practice for town-dwellers, yea, and church members, to frequent public-houses, and there to mis-spend precious time." 9. "There is much want of truth amongst men." "The Lord is not wont to suffer such an iniquity to pass unpunished." 10. "Inordinate affection unto the world." "There hath been in many professors an insatiable desire after land and worldly accommodations; yea, so as to forsake churches and ordinances, and to live like heathen, only be that they might have elbow-room in the world. Farms and merchandisings have been preferred before the things of God." "Such iniquity causeth war to be in the gate, and cities to be burned up." "When Lot did forsake the land of Canaan and the church which was in Abraham's family, that so he might have better worldly accommodations in Sodom, God fired him out of all." "There are some traders that sell their goods at excessive rates; day-labourers and mechanics are un-reasonable in their demands." 11. "There hath been opposition to the work of reformation." 12. "A public spirit is greatly wanting in the most of men." 13. "There are sins against the, gospel, whereby the Lord has been provoked." "Christ is not prized and embraced in all His offices and ordinances as ought to be." A little later, in 1690, the General Court considered the subject anew, and declared that "A corruption of manners, attended with inexcusable degeneracies and apostacies…