Ought a public teacher to state that which a little research on his part would have shown him to be false?
Miss Caulkins sets this matter in its true light, as already shown, and it will be further elucidated by the words of John Rogers, 2d, here given:—
Forasmuch as we acknowledge the worldly government to be set up of God, we have always paid all public demands for the upholding of the same, as Town Rates and County Rates and all other demands, excepting such as are for the upholding of hireling ministers and false teachers, which God called us to testify against.
Now when the worldly rulers take upon themselves to make laws relating to God’s worship, and thereby do force and command men’s consciences, and so turn their swords against God’s children, they then act beyond their commission and jurisdiction.
Thus it is by misrepresentations without number that the name and fame of these moral heroes have been tarnished.
We will again refer to the false statements in Dr. Trumbull’s History, nearly all of which aspersions are taken from that volume of falsehoods written by Peter Pratt after Roger’s death, from which we shall presently make quotations that, we doubt not, will convince the intelligent reader that this author was unscrupulous to a degree utterly incomprehensible, unless by supposition of a natural tendency to falsehood.
Yet it is from this book of Pratt’s that historians have drawn nearly all their statements regarding the Rogerenes.
Trumbull (quoting from Pratt) says: “John Rogers was divorced from his wife for certain immoralities.”
The General Court divorced him from his wife without assigning any cause whatever, of which act Rogers always greatly complained. It was left for his enemies to circulate the above scandal, with the intent to blacken his character and thus weaken Rogerene influence. John Rogers, 2d, testifies that his mother left her husband solely on account of his religion. He says (“Ans. to Peter Pratt”):—
I shall give the reader a true account concerning the matter of the first difference between John Rogers and his wife, as I received it from their own mouths, they never differing in any material point as to the account they gave about it.