NEW ENGLAND MINISTERS. 29 



faithful, good men. They were as truly the 

 clergy of an established church as were the 

 bishops and priests of the church from which 

 they had seceded. The law of the state, 

 founded on the pretence of religious liberty, 

 but combining in itself civil and ecclesiastical 

 power, delegated to them an almost absolute 

 control over the religious and secular conduct of 

 their parishioners. If one of them dared to do 

 anything of which the minister might disap- 

 prove he became an outcast from society as 

 well as an "■ alien from the commonwealth of Is- 

 rael." Whether men belonged to the church or 

 not, they were by statute assessed for the sup- 

 port of the gospel, and unless they " signed off " 

 to become members of other societies, whether 

 they went to meeting or not, they were 

 obliged to contribute for the support of the 

 gospel as preached in the old meeting-house. 



It was a most natural desire on the part of 

 the established clergy to keep their flocks 

 from straying into other fields. For this pur- 

 pose they pursued a policy o( conciliation. 

 However much they might for want of 

 other matter preach of " God's plans and his 

 eternal purpose," all that they required of their 

 hearers was a silent assent to what they could 



