[The names of the lay members of the
Council are marked thus, *. They were persons
of high standing in civil life. Samuel Checkley
was not (as stated [Supplement, p. 494], through
an inadvertence, of which, I trust, not many such
instances can be found in these volumes) the Rev.
Mr. Checkley, but his father, Col. Samuel
Checkley, a citizen of Boston, of much prominence
at the time.
The foregoing document is skilfully
drawn. While kindly in its tone towards
Mr. Parris, it is, in reality, a strong condemnation
of his course, especially in Article I., as also
in the paragraph marked (a), (p. 549), “added
by the desire of the Council” to his “Meditations
for Peace.” Article III. discountenances
the proceedings of his church in its censure
of “the dissatisfied brethren,” and requires
that they should be recognized and treated as
members in good standing. The fifth article
administers rebuke with an equal hand to both
sides, while the sixth and last recommends the
removal of Mr. Parris, if the alienation of his
opponents should prove “incurable.”
As an authoritative
condemnation of the proceedings related
in this work, pronounced
at the time, it is a fitting final
close of the presentation
of this subject.]
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