John Wise's appraisal of church governance in Massachusetts during the early 1700s offers deep insight into the religious and political thinking of the era.
Wise sought to evaluate how and whether the churches of New England conformed to the principles set out by the English royal charter of 1630. Since the entire communities were built from scratch as colonies, with most colonists being avowedly Christian, the role of the church was central to daily life. As the generations passed the growth of the settlements, in size and population, altered how the local churches behaved. Questions such as whether each church was independent of another, or where the colonial churches stand in relation to those of England and Scotland, were important by the time Wise wrote this work.
The direction of travel of the churches was also concerning to the settlers; should these churches evolve to have a hierarchy, with bishops and other officers? Or should each church retain a sole focus upon their local village congregations? Amicably resolving such debates was paramount in the context of the devout societies of colonial-era New England, and the author sets about doing so eloquently and persuasively.