John Rogers, 3d.

To see their Worship and worshippers Weighed in the balance and Found Wanting.—With a true account of what the people called Rogerenes have suffered in that town, from the 10th of June 1764 to the 13th of December 1766. Who suffered for testifying, That it was contrary to Scripture for ministers of the gospel to teach for hire. That the first day of the week was no Sabbath by God’s appointment. That sprinkling infants is no baptism and nothing short of blasphemy, being contrary to the example set us by Christ and his holy apostles. That long public prayers in synagogues is forbidden by Christ. Also for reproving their church and minister for their great pride, vain-glory and friendship of the world they lived in.—With a brief discourse in favour of women’s prophesying or teaching in the church.—Written by John Rogers, New London. Providence N.E. Printed by the author 1767.

June 10, 1764. We went to the meeting house at New London, and some of our people went into the house and sat down, others tarried without and sat upon the ground some distance from the house. And when Mather Byles their priest began to say over his formal, synagogue prayer, forbidden by Christ, Mat. VI. 5 etc., some of our women began to knit, others to sew, that it might be made manifest they had no fellowship with such unfruitful works of darkness. But justice Coit and the congregation were much offended by this testimony, and fell upon them in the very time of prayer and pretended divine worship; also they fell upon all the rest of our people that were sitting quietly in the house, making no difference between them that transgressed the law and them that transgressed not; for they drove us all out of the house in a most furious manner; pushing, kicking, striking etc., so that the meeting was broken up for some considerable time and the house in great confusion: Moreover, they fell upon our friends that were sitting abroad, striking and kicking both men and women, old and young, driving all of us to prison in a furious and tumultuous manner.

... The authority and minister and some of the people were greatly offended at our opposing their false worship; for they carried on their worship in such pride, and so contrary to the Holy Scriptures that they could no ways defend it by the Scriptures and therefore took another way to defend it never practised by Christ or any of his followers. For justice Coit did continually fall upon us when we came among them and drive us to prison, in an angry and furious manner; sometimes twenty sometimes thirty in a day, striking and kicking both men and women, pulling off women’s caps and bonnets and tearing them to pieces with their hands, setting an example to the rest of the people; also he made no difference between them that spoke at the meeting house against their worship and those that did not speak; for his constant practice was to fall upon all our friends that came to the meeting house and all that he could see in sight of the house and drive them to prison, he and his company, in a most furious and tumultuous manner, stopping their mouths when they went to speak, choking them etc. Also he doubled our imprisonments every time we came among them; but this method he took added no peace to them, for some of our friends were always coming out of prison, as well as going in, ... However, this was the method they took, and after this manner they celebrated their Sabbaths from the 10th of June to the 12th of August.

... February 16. Some of our friends were sitting quietly in the meeting house, between meetings, and Col. Saltonstall[[194]] came in and laid hold of an old man that had the numb palsy, aged 73 years, and with great violence hauled him out of the seat, setting an example to others, who fell upon them and drove them out of the house and to the court house, in a furious manner, and carried them up through a trap door into a dark garret and locked them in, and at night a company of their base men got together, among which were ... This base company went into the court house and shut themselves in and took our friends out of the attic and offered shameful abuse to our women in the dark.... Now after this shameful abuse to the women, they took two men and stripped off their clothes and tied them to a post in the court house and whipped them in a most unmerciful manner, especially one of them, which they struck unmerciful blows with a staff and with bunches of rods on his back, till it was like a jelly, also they rubbed tar into their wounds and whipped upon the tar, forcing it into their flesh, also they rubbed tar in the mouths of the men and women when they went to speak. When these two men were first tied to the post they sang praises to God, and in the time of their torment they called upon God to strengthen them. After this, they laid hold on these two men and forced them to run down near to the town wharf and threw them into the water several times; also they took their hats and threw water on them for some considerable time. Moreover, they threw the women into the water. And after this the sheriff’s eldest son and another man with him took a poor weakly woman, forty odd years of age, and forced her to run through the streets till she dropped down, and then they left her....

Now the next first day of the week, after Col. Saltonstall shut our friends up in the court house and set his son Dudley and others to abuse us, it being the 23d of February, we were coming to the meeting house again, but as soon as we appeared in sight, Col. Saltonstall run out and met us, and a great company with him, and fell upon us in a very angry manner, before we had spoke one word, to drive us to the court house, as he did the week before, when our friends were sitting quietly in the house between meetings. But as soon as they fell on us, we spoke and made a great noise, and refused to go with them, telling them we chose to be killed publickly before the people, rather than to be murdered privately in the court house.

Now the tumult grew very great, so that the meeting was broken up for some considerable time, and they dragged both men and women on the ground to the court house;[[195]] some by their hands, some by their legs, and some by the hair of their heads, striking them with their fists, kicking them, striking and punching them with staffs and tearing the clothes from their backs, and they dragged them into the court house and hauled both men and women up two pair of stairs, and hauled them up through a trap door into that dark loft that they had shut our friends up in the week before, and they locked them in. In this tumult an aged woman was so overcome that she fainted away and they left her lying on the ground. Now there were present in this riot justice ——, justice ——, justice ——, the high-sheriff and Col. ——, besides constables and grandjurymen: There was also a deacon among them, which makes us write as follows.

The deacon and the justices

Were busy in this fray,

Church members and grandjurymen