Court: 

Mistress Hutchinson. You are called hither as one of those who have had a great share
in the causes of our public disturbances, partly by those erroneous opinions which you have
broached and divulged amongst us, and maintaining them, partly by countenancing and
encouraging such as have sowed seditions amongst us, partly by casting reproach upon the
faithful ministers of this country, and upon their ministry, and against them, in the hearts of
their people, and partly by maintaining weekly and public meetings in your house, to the
offence of all the same, since such meetings were clearly condemned in the late general
assembly.

Now, the end of your sending for, is, that either upon sight of your errors, and other offences,
you may be brought to acknowledge, and reform the same, or otherwise that we may take
such course with you as you may trouble us no further.

Hutchinson: I am called here to answer to such things as are laid to my charge, name one of
them.

Court: Have you countenanced, or will you justify, those seditious practices which have been
censured here in this Court?

Hutchinson: Do you ask me upon point of conscience?

Court: No, your conscience you may keep to yourself, but if in this cause you shall countenance
and encourage those that thus transgress the law, you must be called in question for it, and
that is not for your conscience, but for your practice.

Hutchinson: What law have they transgressed? The law of God?

Court: Yes, the Fifth Commandment, which commands us to honor father and mother, which
includes all in authority, but these seditious practices of theirs [religious dissenters] have cast
reproach and dishonor upon the fathers of the commonwealth.

Hutchinson: Do I entertain, or maintain them in their actions, wherein they stand against
anything that God hath appointed?

Court: Yes, you have justified Mr. Wheelwright his sermon, for which you know he was
convicted of sedition, and you have likewise countenanced and encouraged those that had
their hands to the petition [which supported him].

Hutchinson: I deny it, I am to obey you only in the Lord.

Court: You cannot deny but you had your hand in the petition.

Hutchinson: Put case, I do fear the lord, and my parent do not; may not I entertain one that
fears the Lord, because my father will not let me? I may put honor upon him as a child of God.

Court: That is nothing to the purpose, but we cannot stand to dispute causes with you now,
what say you to your weekly public meetings? Can you show warrant for them?

Hutchinson: I will show you how I took it up: there were such meetings in use before I came,
and because I went to none of them, this was the special reason of my taking up this course,
we began it but with five or six, and though it grew to more in future time, yet being tolerated
at the first, I knew not why it might not continue.

Court: There were private meetings, indeed, and are still in many places, of some few
neighbors, but not so public and frequent as yours, and are of use for increase of love, and
mutual edification, but yours are of another nature, if they had been such as yours they had
been evil, and therefore no good warrant to justify yours; but answer by what authority, or
rule, you uphold them.

Hutchinson: By Titus 2:3-4 ["The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh

holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may
teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children"] where the
elder women are to teach the younger.

Court: So we allow you to do, as the Apostle there means, privately, and upon occasion, but
that gives no warrant of such set meetings for that purpose; and besides, you take upon you to
teach many that are elder than yourself, neither do you teach them that which the Apostle
commands, to keep at home.

Hutchinson: Will you please to give me a rule against it, and I will yield?

Court: You must have a rule for it, or else you cannot do it in faith, yet you have a plain rule
against it: I permit not a woman to teach [I Timothy 2:12]

Hutchinson: That is meant of teaching men.

Court: If a man in distress of conscience or other temptation, should come and ask your
counsel in private, might you not teach him?

Hutchinson: Yes.

Court: Then it is clear, that it is not meant of teaching men, but of teaching in public.

Hutchinson: It is said, [Acts 2:17] "I will pour my Spirit upon your daughters and they shall
prophecy". If God give me a gift of prophecy, I may use it.

Court: First, the Apostle applies that prophecy unto those extraordinary times, and the gifts of
miracles and tongues were common to many as well as the gift of prophecy. Secondly, in
teaching your children, you exercise your gift of prophecy, and that within your calling.

Hutchinson: I teach not in a public congregation. The men of Berea are commended for
examining Paul's doctrine; we do no more but read the notes of our teacher's sermons and
then reason of them by searching the Scriptures.

Court: You are gone from the nature of your meeting, to the kind of exercise, we will follow
you in this, and show you your offense in them, for you do not as the Bereans search the
Scriptures for their confirming in the truths delivered, but you open your teacher's points and
declare his meaning, and correct wherein you think he hath failed, and by this means you
abase the honor and authority of the public ministry and advance your own gifts, as if he could
not deliver his matter so clearly to the hearer's capacity as yourself.

Hutchinson: Prove that, that anybody doth that.

Court: Yes, you are the woman of most note and of best abilities, and if some other take upon
them the like, it is by your teaching and example, but you show not in all this, by what
authority you take upon you to be such a public instructor…

Hutchinson: I have given you two places of Scripture.

Court: But neither of them will suit your practice.

Hutchinson: Must I show my name written therein?

Court: You must show that which must be equivalent, seeing your ministry is public, you would
have them receive your instruction, as coming from such an ordinance.

Hutchinson: They must not take it as it comes from me, but as it comes from the Lord Jesus
Christ. (Hall, 216-219)