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

acter ; Aud
SPRINGFIELD, 1636-1SS6. 233
a great many other such reports. . . . AVheu oue Story
of this Nature was worn out, another of the same Kiucl was set on
Foot, as that Mr. Clap wrote Mr. Huutiugton's Evidence for him ;
that he wrote what he pleased, and that Mr. Huntington knew not
what was in it, and so on. Aud there is too much Reason to think
that Mr. Breck was the Author of those ill Reports."
No more need be quoted to show the animus of all parties. If men
like Mr. Edwards and Stephen Williams would put themselves on
record as above, the feeling must have been deep indeed. The next
step of the Hampshire ministers Avas to secure evidence as to Mr.
Huntington's reliability and 'Slv. Clap's impartiality ; for Clap, who it
will be remembered afterward became president of Yale College, was
noted for his intense denunciations of theological error. To show
how Clap fortified himself we give this long extract from the affidavit
of Samuel Manning, dated Windham, March 12, IT.').') —
:
Sam" Manning testifieth and Saith that on ye Sabath day ensuing after ye
Kevr'i Mr Clap preached at Scotland it being ye Sabath before our people here
gave your Mr. Breck a call, Joshua Eazel and Sam" Cook and I desired Mr.
Clap to goe into Jacob Libbes litle room to ask liis judgment about Mr. Brecks
principles and accordingly we did ask him. And Mr. Clap sat silent some time
& said nothing and upon our asking him to speak Mr. Clap said that Mr. Breck
was a stranger to him and he could not readil}' make a judgment about him ;
then
he was asked whether he had talked with him aboute his denying some part of ye
scripture, he said yes, then he was asked wliat 'Slv. Breck said : Mr.
Clap
answered that he did not think it convenient at present to declare espetially since
they had not talked so much as to enable him to make a clear judgment. Some
of us urged Mr. Clap several times l)ut he said very little, and after some time
one of us said that he thought that Mr. Clap had had time long enough to talk
with Mr. Breck and wondered he could not know what his principals were yet.
Mr. Clap said it was not always so easie a thing to know what a mans principals
are as some might imagine.
After a little j^ause some of us proposed to call ye committee of the associa-
tion together to examine Mr. Breck about his principals before the meeting :
Clap said it was an unusual thing to call the committee of the association to
examine a man so upon a sudden, and we might depend upon it that the associa-
Mr-