Springfield 1636-1886, History of Town and City, by Mason A. Green ...

94 SPRINGFIELD, 1636-18S6.
Christians. " This is a fair expose of tlie spirit at the bottom of Mr.
Pyuchon's warm polemics. Tlie attempts both m Euglaud and this
country to secure an iron-bound form of religion as handmaid to the
State had set him to philosophiznig. The attempt to secure liberty of
conscience had the effect to drive him into more conservative lines of
perceive by some godly min-
thought, and even led him to say : "I
isters that have wrote mto this country, that this is not a tyme of
reformation, but of liberty of conscience. I beleeve by the tyme they
see a little more of the lawlessnesse of liberty of conscience, they
will change their judgmentt, & say that liberty of conscience will
give liberty to Sathan to broch such horrid blasphemous oppinions as
were not the like in any age."
The open winter of 1646-47 was followed by terrible floods and in
the following autumn an epidemic of sickness. During the previous
summer also caterpillars had appeared in such numbers, to the great
damage of the wheat, that it may be called a plague. The settlers
had many natural enemies. The pigeons in overwhelming flocks
assaulted the crops and the wolves made free with sheep. A bounty
of lOd. was paid for ever}^ wolf killed within five miles of the
town.
The building of the meeting-house added to the solemnity of the
Lord's-da}' observances. John Matthews, as we have intimated, was