Roger Williams, Prophet and Pioneer of Soul-Liberty

by Arthur Barsazou Strickland

Roger Williams published his fifth work in 1652. It was a pamphlet of forty-four small quarto pages, entitled:

The Hireling Ministry None of Christs, or A Discourse touching the Propagating the Gospel of Christ Jesus. Humbly Presented to such Pious and Honourable Hands, whom the present Debate thereof concerns. By Roger Williams, of Providence, in New England. London Printed in the second Moneth, 1652.

The purpose of this work was to oppose a legal establishment of religion, and the compulsory support of the clergy. An original copy is in the Library of Brown University, two copies are in the American Antiquarian Society Library at Worcester, and one in the John Carter Brown Library, Providence, R. I.

The same year he issued a pamphlet entitled:

Experiments of Spiritual Life & Health, And their Preservatives, In which the weakest Child of God may get Assurance of his Spirituall Life and Blessednesse, and the Strongest may finde proportionable Discoveries of his Christian Growth, and the means of it. By Roger Williams of Providence in New-England. London, Printed, in the Second Month, 1652.

This book is in the form of a letter addressed to his wife, upon her recovery from a dangerous sickness. A limited edition was published, comprising sixty small quarto pages. For years no original copy has been found. There is an original copy now in the John Carter Brown Library at Providence, R. I.

The
Hireling Ministry
None of
CHRISTS,
OR
A Discourse touching the Propagating
the Gospel of Christ
Jesus.
Humbly Presented to such Pious
and Honourable Hands, whom
the present Debate thereof concerns.
By ROGER WILLIAMS, of Providence
in New England.
London Printed in the second
Moneth, 1652.

EXPERIMENTS
OF
Spiritual Life & Health,
And their
PRESERVATIVES
In which the Weakest Child of God may
get Assurance of his Spirituall Life
and Blessednesse
And the Strongest may finde proportionable Discoveries
of his Christian Growth, and the means of it.
By Roger Williams of Providence in
New-England.
London, Printed, in the Second Month,
1652.