(Featured image: Tercentenary plaque in front of the home of the Rev. John Wise on Rt. 133 in Essex)
In 1687, the Rev. John Wise of Chebacco Parish in Ipswich (now the Town of Essex) was arrested and briefly deprived of his ministry for his role in the town’s resistance to appointing a collector of taxes imposed by the Crown. For their fearless actions, the Town of Ipswich is known as the “Birthplace of American Independence“. After Andros was overthrown two years later, Wise was appointed representative from Ipswich to the convention that reorganized the Massachusetts government.
When Increase Mather published a pamphlet in 1705 advocating centralized control of the Congregational Churches, Rev. Wise published his own pamphlet, “The Churches Quarrel Espoused,” and Mather’s proposals were defeated. Seven years later, he published “Vindication of the Government of New England Churches,” laying out democratic concepts for civil and ecclesiastical governments. The two works were reprinted by the Sons of Liberty in the lead-up to the Revolutionary War, and several of the principles laid out by Wise were included in the wording of the Declaration of Independence.
Excerpts from Demonstration II
THE LIGHT OF NATURE
“The first human subject and original of civil power is the people; for as they have a power every man over himself in a natural state, so upon a combination they can and do bequeath this power unto others, and settle it according as their united discretion shall determine. For that, this is very plain that when the subject of sovereign power is quite extinct, that power returns to the people again. And when they are free, they may set up what species of government they please; or if they rather incline to it, they may subside into a state of natural being, if it be plainly for the best.” (p. 38)
“The chief end of civil communities is that men thus conjoined may be secured against the injuries they are liable to from their own kind; for if every man could secure himself singly, it would be great folly for him to renounce his natural liberty, in which every man is his own king and protector.” (p. 41)
“In general, concerning rebellion against government for particular subjects to break in upon regular communities duly established, is from the premises to violate the law of nature, and is a high usurpation upon the first grand immunities of mankind. Such rebels in states, and usurpers in churches, affront the world, with a presumption that the best of the brotherhood are a company of fools, and that themselves have fairly monopolized all the reason of human nature. Yea, they take upon them the boldness to assume a prerogative of trampling under foot the natural original equality and liberty of their fellows; for to push the proprietors of settlements out of possession of their old, and impose new schemes upon them, is virtually to declare them in a state of vassalage.” (pp 46-47)
“It is certainly a great truth, namely, that man’s original liberty after it is resigned (yet under due restrictions) ought to be cherished in all wise governments; or otherwise, a man in making himself a subject, he alters himself from a freeman into a slave, which to do is repugnant to the law of nature. Also the natural equality of men amongst men must be duly favored; in that government was never established by God or nature, to give one man a prerogative to insult over another, therefore, in a civil, as well as in a natural state of being, a just equality is to be indulged so far as that every man is bound to honor every man, which is agreeable both with nature and religion, (1 Pet. 2:17): Honor all men. (p. 54)
“The end of all good government is to cultivate humanity, and promote the happiness of all, and the good of every man in all his rights, his life, liberty, estate, honor, etc., without injury or abuse done to any” (p. 55)
“I shall now conclude my demonstration with this brief appeal to the common reason of mankind, namely, how can it consist with the honorable terms man holds upon here on earth; that…when they enter into a charter-party to manage a trade for heaven, must ipso facto be clapped under a government that is arbitrary and despotic? And when a government so settled shall throw itself from its foundations, or the subjects of sovereign power shall subvert or confound the constitution, they then degrade themselves; and so all power returns again to the people, who are the first owners.” (p. 58)
Sources and further reading:
- Vindication of the Government of New England Churches, by Rev. John Wise.
- The Churches Quarrel Espoused, by Rev. John Wise.
- The Rev. John Wise of Ipswich
Historic Ipswich 