THE FLUSHING REMONSTRANCE

THE FLUSHING REMONSTRANCE



(from wikipedia) “The Flushing Remonstrance was a 1657 petition to Director-General of New Netherland Peter Stuyvesant, in which several citizens requested an exemption to his ban on Quaker worship. It is considered a precursor to the United States Constitution's provision on freedom of religion in the Bill of Rights.

"According to Kenneth T. Jackson, the Flushing Remonstrance was remarkable for four reasons: (1)it articulated a fundamental right that is as basic to American freedom as any other, (2)the authors backed up their words with actions by sending it to an official not known for tolerance, (3)they stood up for others and were articulating a principle that was of little discernible benefit to themselves, and (4)the language of the remonstrance is as beautiful as the sentiments they express."

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Remonstrance of the Inhabitants of the Town of
Flushing to Governor Stuyvesant,
December 27, 1657

Right Honorable

You have been pleased to send unto us a certain prohibition or command that we should not receive or entertain any of those people called Quakers because they are supposed to be, by some, seducers of the people. For our part we cannot condemn them in this case, neither can we stretch out our hands against them, for out of Christ God is a consuming fire, and it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Wee desire therefore in this case not to judge least we be judged, neither to condemn least we be condemned, but rather let every man stand or fall to his own Master. Wee are bounde by the law to do good unto all men, especially to those of the household of faith. And though for the present we seem to be unsensible for the law and the Law giver, yet when death and the Law assault us, if wee have our advocate to seeke, who shall plead for us in this case of conscience betwixt God and our own souls; the powers of this world can neither attach us, neither excuse us, for if God justifye who can condemn and if God condemn there is none can justifye.

And for those jealousies and suspicions which some have of them, that they are destructive unto Magistracy and Ministerye, that cannot bee, for the Magistrate hath his sword in his hand and the Minister hath the sword in his hand, as witnesse those two great examples, which all Magistrates and Ministers are to follow, Moses and Christ, whom God raised up maintained and defended against all enemies both of flesh and spirit; and therefore that of God will stand, and that which is of man will come to nothing. And as the Lord hath taught Moses or the civil power to give an outward liberty in the state, by the law written in his heart designed for the good of all, and can truly judge who is good, who is evil, who is true and who is false, and can pass definitive sentence of life or death against that man which arises up against the fundamental law of the States General; soe he hath made his ministers a savor of life unto life and a savor of death unto death.

The law of love, peace and liberty in the states extending to Jews, Turks and Egyptians, as they are considered sons of Adam, which is the glory of the outward state of Holland, soe love, peace and liberty, extending to all in Christ Jesus, condemns hatred, war and bondage. And because our Saviour sayeth it is impossible but that offences will come, but woe unto him by whom they cometh, our desire is not to offend one of his little ones, in whatsoever form, name or title hee appears in, whether Presbyterian, Independent, Baptist or Quaker, but shall be glad to see anything of God in any of them, desiring to doe unto all men as we desire all men should doe unto us, which is the true law both of Church and State; for our Saviour sayeth this is the law and the prophets.

Therefore if any of these said persons come in love unto us, we cannot in conscience lay violent hands upon them, but give them free egresse and regresse unto our Town, and houses, as God shall persuade our consciences, for we are bounde by the law of God and man to doe good unto all men and evil to noe man. And this is according to the patent and charter of our Towne, given unto us in the name of the States General, which we are not willing to infringe, and violate, but shall houlde to our patent and shall remaine, your humble subjects, the inhabitants of Vlishing.

Written this 27th of December in the year 1657, by mee.  Edward Hart, Clericus

[NOTE: signers below include my 10th & 9th great grandfathers JOHN TOWNSEND* and his brother HENRY.* (see blog post "By Twig & Turf" 4/9/13) This is particularly interesting because I am related to them through the SMITH line, whereas I am related through the GLOVER line to John Bowne, a fellow townsman who would later suffer imprisonment and temporary banishment to Holland for his defiance of Dutch religious law. Some signers, including Tobias Feake, were jailed for not recanting their part in this document.] 

Additional Signers
Tobias Feake (Hannah Feake Bowne's cousin)	Nathaniell Tue
The marke of William Noble	Nicholas Blackford
William Thorne, Seignior	The marke of Micah Tue
The marke of William Thorne, Jr.	The marke of Philip Ud
Edward Tarne	Robert Field, senior
John Store	Robert Field, junior
Nathaniel Hefferd	Nich Colas Parsell
Benjamin Hubbard	Michael Milner
The marke of William Pidgion	Henry Townsend*
The marke of George Clere	George Wright
Elias Doughtie	John Foard Edward Farrington
Antonie Feild	Henry Semtell
Richard Stocton	Edward Hart
Edward Griffine	John Mastine
John Townesend*



LEGACY OF THE WINTHROP WOMAN - Part III The Bowne House

 Elizabeth and Robert's daughter, HANNAH FEAKE married JOHN BOWNE 7 May 1656.

sketch of Bowne House circa 1850

(In a letter dated April 12, 1656, Captain John Underhill wrote John Winthrop, Jr.

"Sir, I wase latli at Vlissingen (Flushing). Hanna Feke is to be married to verri jintiele young man,

of gud abilliti, of a louli fetture, and gud behafior.")

[Underhill married Hannah's sister, Elizabeth and John "Jack" Winthrop, Jr. was their mother's second cousin and brother to her first husband, Henry Winthrop.]  

Their home, completed in 1661, is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places as the oldest house in Flushing, NY -and one of the oldest in the state of New York.
But, more importantly, it is a structure of historical importance for the early fight for religious freedom in America.

  Hannah became a member of the Society of Friends, who held their meetings in the woods to avoid persecution for not worshipping in the approved church of New Netherland - the Reformed Dutch Church.** 

John soon invited the group to hold their meetings in the Bowne home
-an illegal act that would soon spur government action against Bowne.
In the book The Quaker Cross, A Story of the Old Bowne House by Cornelia Mitchell Parsons, 1911, we get a closer look at the Bowne household:   “The new dwelling was certainly most attractive- with its large, sunny kitchen and great fireplace (holding a log of wood of such enormous proportions that it had to be drawn into place by oxen), and its oven and swinging cranes were there…

“Almost opposite the hearth were raised seats, where the ministers and elders sat during meeting.  John had consecrated this room to the worship of God, as he had promised that day in the wood.  Here every First Day (or Sunday) all Friends gathered from far and near that the might wait upon God, listening to the Divine Voice as it spoke to their souls..." 

In August, 1662, a complaint was made by the new magistrate because John Bowne was allowing Quakers to hold their meetings in his house.   Since this action was against the law, citizens were forbidden to bring the ‘strolling people called Quakers’ into the Province without government consent.  Director General Peter Stuyvesant and other authorities had the complaint posted in the village.  It read:

“’Letter of Sententions of the Lord’s Director-General and Council of the New Nethelands upon Thursday, fourteenth of September, 1662.  Because John Bowne, at present prisoner, dwelling at Vlissingen, Long Island, has made no scruple in Vilependention of the orders and mandates of the Director-General and Council of the New Netherlands, made and published against the Quakers, not only to lodge and entertain some of that Heretick and abominable sect called Quakers, but moreover had condescended unto them at several times to hold their Conventicles and meetings in his house, where he (not alone but his whole family) had been present, by which also the said abominable sect (   ) and ministers of the word of God do blame (   ) do undermine both the policy and worship of God, not only by strengthening their wrongful opinions, but also others be led out of the right way, which altogether are acts of all consequence whereout is like to redound much evil: Heresies and differencies, directly and quite contrary to the orders and mandates of the Lords Director and Counsellor of the New Netherlands; and therefore he out to be corrected as an example to others and mandates of the Lords Director and Counsellor of the New Netherlands…”

The suggested “correction” included imprisonment, a fine of 5820 pounds Flemish, and warning to abstain from all future meetings or be ‘condemned in a double boete’ and banished from New Netherland.  Though not yet imprisoned, Bowne understood that he faced serious consequences by continuing to host the Quaker meetings.

This news spread quickly and Bowne’s friends cautioned him to back down.  It was John’s fearless belief, however, that “God’s worship should not be neglected” (p.126) and again held meeting in his home on Sunday.  At sunset armed men arrived with a warrant from the Governor with orders to arrest John Bowne.  Bowne recorded the following in his journal:

"in the year 1662 nustil on the first day of 7th month Resolued [Resolved Waldron, the schout or sheriff of New Netherland] the scout Came to my house att vlishing* with a company of meen with sords and gonns (where I was tending my wife being sike in bed and my yongest child sike in my armes which was both soe Ill that wee watched too or three with them) hee tould mee I must goe with him to the generall [Stuyvesant] I tould him my famiely was not in a condishon for mee to leu them hee sead hee could not helpe that hee must folow his order but would not show it mee soe it beeing to late to goe that day hee left his men there and went to drinking in the towne and Came agenn in the night and with him the scout of the toune before whome I demanded his order which hee denyed before many people but at last I say it by which order hee was to take such as hee should find in vnlowfull meetings but found mee in non   [*Since Bowne's writing was phonetic, it is easy to see how the town name evolved through the years into "Flushing".]

(Bowne's transcriber attached the following note:  
**In the Provisional Regulations for the Colonists in 1624, the Directors of the West India Company definitely stated, "no other form of divine worship than that of the reformed religion would be tolerated". This was repeated in the Freedoms and Exemptions of 1640, "no other religion should be publicly admitted in New Netherland except the Reformed.

Today the original building houses the Bowne House Historical Society museum open to the public.

Next related blog:  THE FLUSHING REMONSTRANCE