257 



institution of the First Church in Salem, the first organized 

 church in New England ; and more especially the very impor- 

 tant error that instead of the one truly scriptural " confession 

 of faith and covenant," adopted by the First Church at its foun- 

 dation, there was established together with the covenant a test 

 creed, or sectarian articles of faith, to which subscription or 

 assent was required in order to church membership. These 

 publications were, — " The Ecclesiastical History of New Eng- 

 land," by Mr. Felt,* and a new edition of "Morton's New 

 England's Memorial," containing an appendix, which seemed 

 to misrepresent the real meaning of the author as well as that 

 of Cotton Mather, the two original and indubitable authorities 

 on the subject. f The correction of these errors was demanded 

 of us in justice to the memory of our forefathers, as well as by 

 the sancity of history and the importance of the principles in- 

 volved in the question. The fundamental rule inculcated by 

 Cicero, that " the historian must never dare to utter what is 

 false, or to suppress anything that is true, and must always 

 keep his mind above prejudice or partiality," had been sanc- 

 tioned and enforced by the highest Christian authorities ; " truth 

 being the very life and soul of history." The publications 

 referred to having been issued by the " Congregational Board 

 of Publication," and one of them highly extolled for its " thor- 

 oughness of research and accuracy of statement," it became the 

 more necessary to correct their misrepresentations concerning 

 the First Church, as otherwise error might supplant truth at 

 the very foundation of our ecclesiastical history. 



There were three sources of evidence, each of which was con- 

 clusive, to prove that the First Church had never adopted any 

 such test creed, or articles of faith. 



1. The avowed principles of the founders of the church. 



2. The authentic history of its foundation. 



3. The ancient records of the church. 



* The Ecclesiastical History of New England, by Jos. B. Felt. Bos- 

 ton. 1855— p. 115 and 267. 



t New England's Memorial— 6th ed. Boston : 1855— p. 459. 



