John Norton (divine)

He was an active member of the convention that formed The Cambridge Platform in 1648, and was a contributor to its drafting.

In the following years, Norton became a leading opponent of the Antinomians and a chief instigator of the persecution of the Quakers in New England.

[2] In 1662 he accompanied Governor Simon Bradstreet as agent of the Massachusetts Bay Colony to present an address to King Charles II after his Restoration, and to petition on behalf of New England.

The king assured them that he would confirm the charter of the colony, but he required that justice should be administered in his name, and attached other conditions that the colonists regarded as arbitrary.

Upon the return of the agents to Massachusetts, they were regarded with suspicion, and the report was circulated that they had sold the liberties of the country.