Baptists had to flee Massachusets because of the law passed in 1644.

"It is ordered and agreed, that if any persons or persons, within this jurisdiction, shall either openly condemn or oppose the baptizing of infants, or seduce others, or leave the congregation during the administration of this rite, they shall be sentenced to banishment."

Many of them went to Rhode Island where Roger Williams had founded the only colony were Baptists were free to worship without persecution. (He also founded the first Baptist church in America there. In fairness, Williams didn't remain a Baptist however. He later labeled himself a seeker. He decided that there was no "true church" left to administer the ordinances.)

In July 1651, three Baptists from Newport went to Lynn, Massachusetts, where they "preached, prayed, baptized new believers, and served communion - all in the home of the aged Baptist who had invited them." The three were arrested by two constables during a meeting. "After a week or more in a Boston Jail, the three were brought into court, tried int he morning, and sentence int he afternoon 'without' said the pastor, John Clarke, 'producing either accuser, witness, jury, law of God or man'." They were charged with "seducing the subjects of this Commonwealth frotthe truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ" and with daring to baptize those who, as infants, had been baptized before. "All three were fined, with he stipulation that if the fines were not paid they would be 'well-whipped'." Friends paid the fines of two. But one of them, Obadiah Holmes refused to let anyone pay it.

On September 5th, 1651, Obadiah Holmes was "brought to Boston's marketplace, tied to a post, and stripped tot he waist to receive 30 lashes with a three-pronged whip on his bare back. Holmes responded to his persecutors saying: 'I am now come to be baptized in afflictions by your hands.'"

When Roger Williams heard of this he wrote an angry letter to the governor of Massachusetts. What possible justification was there for this barbarism? Why did they have "so little respect, mercy or pity to the like conscientious persuasion of other men?" He said don't try to tell me that this poor Baptist, Obadiah Holmes, sinned against his own conscience. For "that is the outcry of Pope and Prelates, and Scotch Presbyterians, who would fire all the world, to be avenged on the ...blasphemous heretics, the seducing heretics."

Williams continued in his letter. He asked, How can you be so sure you are right and so many millions of others are wrong? How can you be sure that in persecuting the many you do not end up persecuting Christ himself? Listen carefully governor, for you may hear " a dreadful voice from the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords: Endicott, Endicott, why huntest thou me? Why imprisonest thou me? Why so finest, who so bloodily whippest?"

Four years later, while president of Providence Plantations, Williams wrote a letter to his town in an attempt to articulate just what religious liberty meant. He used the analogy of a ship at sea. "Papists, Protestants, Jews, Turks" were free to worship as they chose and not compelled to attend anyone elses. But the captain had to keep peace and justice. The government was like the captain. Citizens had to pay taxes and fulfill their obligations and obey in civil matters. But in religion, their liberty should be complete.

These ideas were kept alive for the next century until it was time for our Constitution to be written. To be continued...