"Church Book"

Church Book Belonging to Salem Village, 1691-1692 (excerpt)

SAMUEL PARRIS

Seeing sr you say the voice of Gods People is the voice of God, desiring your Prayers, & the prayers of the Church, for divine assistance therein I do accept of the call. – Samuel Parris (1690)

---

Sab. 15. Nov. 1691

The church were desired to meet at Brother Nathaniel Putnams, the next eighteenth instant, at 12. a clock, to spend some time in Prayer & Seeking Gods presence with us, the next Lords-Day at his Table, as has been usual with us some time before the sacrament.

18. Novembeer. 1691

After some time spent as above said, at this Church-meeting; the Pastor desired the Brethren to stay, for as much as he had somewhat to offer to them, which was to this purpose. viz. Brethren several church-meetings have been occasionally warned, & sometimes the appearance of the Brethren is but small to what it might be expected, & particularly the case mentioned. 10th. instant. I told them, I did not desire to warn meetings unnecessarily, & therefore when I did, I pray'd them they would regularly attend them.

Furthermore, I told them I had scarce wood enough to burn till tomorrow, & prayed that some care might be taken. In fine, after discourses passed: these following votes were made unanimously. Namely.

1.That it was needfull that complaint should be made to the next Honoured County Court to sit at Salem the next third day of the week against the neglects of the present Committee.
2. That the said complaint should be drawn up which was immediately done by one of the Brethren & consented to.
3. That our Brethren, Nathaniel Putnam, Thomas Putnam & Tho: Wilkins should signe said complaint in behalf of the Church.
4. Last, That our Brethren, Capt. John Putnam & the two Deacons should be improved to present the said complaint to the said Court.

In the meantime, the pastor desired the Brethren that care might be taken that he might not be destitute of wood.

27. March. Sab. 1692 Sacrament day

After the common Auditory was dismissed & before the Church's communion at the Lords Table, the following testimony against the Error of our Sister Mary Sibly, who had given direction to my Indian man in an unwarrantable way to find out witches, was read by the Pastor.

It is altogether undeniable, that our Great & Blessed God, for wise & holy ends hath suffered many persons, in several families, of this little Village, to be greivously vexed, & tortured in body, & to be deeply tempted endangering to the destruction

page: 11
 

of their souls; & all these amazing feats (well known to many of us) to be done by Witchcraft, & Diabolical operations. It is also well known that when these calamities first began, which was in my own family, the affliction was several weeks before such Hellish operations, as Witchcraft was suspected. Nay, it [never brake] forth to any considerable light, until Diabolical means was used by the making of a cake by my Indian man, who had his direction from this our sister Mary Sibly: since w'ch Apparitions have been plenty, & exceeding much mischief hath followed. But by this means (it seems) the Devil hath been raised amongst us, & his Rage is vehement & terrible, & when he shall be allay'd silenc'd the Lord only knows. But now that this our Sister should be instrumental to such distress, is a great-grief to my self, & our godly Honoured, & Reverend neighbours, who have had the knowledge of it. Nevertheless, I do truly hope, & believe that this our sister doth truly fear the Lord, & am well satisfied from her, that what she did, she did it ignorantly, from what she had heard of this nature from other ignorant, or worse[,] persons. Yet we are in duty bound, to protest against such actions, as being indeed a going to the Devil for help against the Devil; we having no such directions from Nature, or Gods word, it must therefore be, & is, accounted by godly Protestants, who write or speak of such matters as Diabolical, & therefore call this our sister to deep humiliation for what she has done, & all of us to be watchful against Satans wiles & Devices.

Therefore, as we in duty, as a Church of Christ are deeply bound, to protest against it, as most directly contrary to the Gospel, yet in as much, as this our Sister did it in ignorance as she professeth, & we believe, we can continue her in our holy fellowship, upon her serious promise of future better advisedness and caution, & acknowledging that she is indeed sorrowful for her rashness herein.

Brethren, If this be your mind that this iniquity be thus borne witness against, manifest it by your usual sign of lifting up your hands.

The Brethren voted generally, or universally: None made any exceptions.

Sister Sibley, If you are convinced that you herein did sinfully, & are sorry for it: Let us hear it from your own mouth.

She did manifest to satisfaction her error & grief for it.

Brethren, If herein you have received Satisfaction, testify it by lifting up of your hands.

A general vote passed: No exception made.

Note 25. March. 1691/2. I discoursed said Sister in my study about the grand error above said, & also then read to her what I had written as above to read to the church, & said Sister Sibley assented to the same w'th tears & sorrowful confession.

page: 12
 

Sabbath day. 14 Aug: 1692.

The Church was stayed after the congregation was dismissed, & the Pastor spake to the Church after this manner

Brethren you may all have taken notice that several Sacrament days past our brother Peter Cloyes & Sam: Nurse & his wife, & John Tarbell & his wife have absented from Communion with us at the Lords Table, yea have very rarely except our brother Sam: Nurse have been with us in common publick worship, now it is needful that the Church send some persons to with them to know the Reason of their absence. Therefore if you be so minded, express your selves.

None objected: But a general or universal vote after some discourse passed that Brother Nathaniel Putman, & the 2 Deacons should joyn with the Pastor, to discourse with the said absenters about it.

31. August. [1692]

Brother Tarbell proves sick, unmeet for discourse, Bro'r Cloyce hard to be found at home being often with his wife in prison at Ipswich for witchcraft & Brother Nurse & sometimes his wife attends our publick meeting, & he the Sacrament. 11. Sept. 1692. Upon all which, we choose to wait further.

11 September. Lords day

[Magrinal note
in Mr. Parris's hand]
Martha Kory
Excommuni-
cated.

Sister Martha Kory taken into the Church 27. April. 1690. was after examimination upon suspision suspicion of witchcraft, 21. March. 1691/2 committed to prison for that Fact, & was condemned to the Gallows for the same yesterday: And was this day in Publick by a general consent voted to be excommunicated out the Church; & Lt. Nathaniel Putman, & the 2. Deacons chosen to attest signify to her with the Pastor the mind of the church herein. Accordingly this 14. Sept. 1692. the 3 afores'd Brethren went with the Pastor to her in Salem Prison, whom we found very obdurate justifying herself, & condemning all it had done any thing to for her just discovery or condemnation. Whereupon after little discourse (for her imperiousness would not suffer much) & after prayer (which she was willing to decline) the dreadful sentence of excommunication was pronounced against her.

[Marginal note:
The Church's Petition
to ye Court]

The Church's Petition
to the Court for the maintenance of the Ministry here,viz:

At a church-meeting at Salem Village 26 Dec. 1692 warned the Lord's day fore, the following humble petition was unanimously voted, viz:

[*Marginal note:
it should have been
it seems Quarter Sessions]

To the Honoured Court of *Common Pleas
to be held at Salem. 27. Dec'r. 1692

The humble Petition of the Church abovesaid humbly sheweth, that
Whereas among the other laws passes by the great & general Court of their Maj'sties Province of the Massachusetts Bay in N-England, some of them bear particular respects to the maintainance of Religon as
Whereas our Village as to some of its inhabitants in special hath indespensible need of support by such wholesome acts Acts, several among us, for several years past having made no payment to our Reverend Pastor, & and some as little as they pleased and some have been chosen to the service of making Rates, who have refused (though urged by this Church) to make any, insomuch that the first of January next one year & half is passed, & no Rate made: Besides the former Rates in great part uncollected: Nay no Reparation of the very meeting-house has for a great while Regarded, so yt by reason of broken windows stope up some of them by boards, or otherwise, & others wide open, it is sometimes so cold that it makes it uncomfortable, and sometimes so dark that it is

---

https://youtu.be/UDEGcyE-_i0