Thomas Painter, Whipped
New England AnabaptistThe following transpired seven years before Obadiah Holmes was whipped for not obeying the religious leaders of New England.
In his July 15, 1644 journal entry, Massachusetts Bay Colony Governor John Winthrop wrote the following:
“A poor man of Hingham, one [Thomas] Painter, who had lived at New Haven and at Rowley and Charlestown, and been scandalous and burdensome by his idle and troublesome behavior to them all, was now on the sudden turned anabaptist, and having a child born, he would not suffer his wife to bring it to the ordinance of baptism, for she was a member of the church, though himself were not. Being presented for this, and enjoined to suffer the child to be baptized, he still refusing, and disturbing the church, he was again brought to the court not only for his former contempt, but also for saying that our baptism was antichristian; and in the open court he affirmed the same. Whereupon, after much patience and clear conviction of his error, etc., because he was very poor, so as no other but corporal punishment could be fastened upon him, he was ordered to be whipped, not for his opinion, but for his reproaching the Lord’s ordinance, and for his bold and evil behavior both at home and in the court. He endured his punishment with much obstinacy, and when he was loosed he said, boastingly, that God had marvelously assisted him.”============================ [From John Winthrop’s Journal, “History of New England” 1630-1649 Volume 2, reprint, 1901, p. 171; via R. L Vaughn, baptistsearch.blogspot.com . Scanned and formatted by Jim Duvall.
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