Thanks for posting your 52 churches experience. Your comments on visiting the Friends intrigued me because of something I’ve learned recently while conducting Genealogy research.

My Ancestor John Warren (1585-1667) traveled to the new world with John Winthrop on the Arbella and heard the “A Modell of Christian Charity” (sic) sermon given onboard ship just before they reached New England in 1630. Winthrop warned the Puritan colonists that their new community would be a “city upon a hill,” watched by the world:

“For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken… we shall be made a story and a by-word throughout the world. We shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God… We shall shame the faces of many of God’s worthy servants, and cause their prayers to be turned into curses upon us til we be consumed out of the good land whither we are a-going.”

John Warren apparently got something different from the speech than many of the other Puritans. This is from a biography:

“The fleet arrived at Salem June 12,1630. …. From Salem, he with the rest of the company went to Charlestown, whence, after a brief stay they moved to Watertown. John Warren settled in Watertown, Massachusetts at age 45. He was admitted as a freeman on May 18,1631; and was Selectman from 1636 to 1640 which was a position of high regard. … However, he does seem to have lost some favor with the authorities sometime thereafter as can be seen from the old records. He sympathized with the Quakers, and was at odds with the Puritan Church. In October 1651, he and Thomas Arnold were each fined 20 shillings for an offence against the laws concerning baptism. On April 4, 1654, he was fined, for neglect of public worship, 14 Sabbaths, each 5 shillings = 3 pounds, 10 shillings. On March 14, 1658/59, he was to be warned for not attending public worship; but “old Warren is to be found in town”. On May 27, 1661, the houses of “old Warren and goodman Hammond”, were ordered to be searched for Quakers. He appears to have agreed in religious sentiments with Dr. John Clark, of Newport, Nathaniel Briscoe, Sr., who returned from Watertown to England, Thomas Arnold, who moved from Watertown to Providence, RI. They were probably all Baptists. Despite his lack of conviction for the established church and his leanings toward the Quaker faith, John never gave up or lost his church membership. He may have kept his membership to avoid losing some privileges, such as voting, etc.”

I have a book at home that may answer your question about the Quakers and whaling. This project will give me something to do during commercl breaks in tonights Pats-Saints game.

Best regards,

Jim