Σῶμ' έχει ἡ κονις, ἐπὶ γῆς τ ̓ ὄνομ ̓ ὑποτ' ὀλεῖται, Ψυχη δ' ἐκ ρεθέων πταμενη, βή υρανον ἀιπεῖνον, Μιχθεῖς ἀθάνατος πνεύμασιν αθανατοις. ELEAZAR, Indus Senior Sophista [Translation of the preceding.] THOUGH earth contains his dust, his name is yet immortal: CHAPTER XXVII. THE LIFE OF MR. PETER HOBART. § 1. It was a saying of Alphonsus (whom they sir-named, "the wise, King of Arragon,") that "among so many things as are by men possessed or pursued in the course of their lives, all the rest are baubles, besides old wood to burn, old wine to drink, old friends to converse with, and old books to read." Now, there having been Protestant and reformed colonies here formed, in a new world, and those colonies now growing old, it will certainly be no unwise thing for them to converse with some of their old friends, among which one was Mr. Peter Hobart, whom therefore a new book shall now present unto my readers. § 2. Mr. Peter Hobart was born at or near Hingham, a market town in the county of Norfolk, about the latter end of the year 1604. His parents were eminent for piety, and even from their youth "feared God above many;" wherein their zeal was more conspicuous by the impiety of the neighbourhood, among whom there were but three or four in the whole town that minded serious religion, and these were sufficiently maligned by the irreligious for their Puritanism. These parents of our Hobart were such as had obtained each other from the God of heaven, by Isaac-like prayers unto him, and such as afterwards "besieged Heaven" with a continual importunity for a blessing upon their children; whereof the second was this our Peter. This their son was, like another Samuel, from his infancy dedicated by them unto the ministry, and in order thereunto, sent betimes unto a grammar-school; whereto, such was his desire of learning, that he went several miles on foot every morning, and by his early ap pearance there, still shamed the sloth of others. He went afterwards unto the free-school at Lyn, from whence, when he was by his master judged fit for it, he was admitted into a colledge in the University of Cambridge; where he remained, studied, profited, until he proceeded Batchellor of Arts; giving all along an example of sobriety, gravity, aversion from all vice, and inclination to the service of God. VOL. I.-32 § 3. Retiring then from the university, he taught a grammar-school; but he lodged in the house of a conformist minister, who, though he were no friend unto Puritans, yet he employed this our young Hobart sometimes to preach for him: and when asked, "What his opinion of this young man was?" he said, "I do highly approve his abilities; he will make an able preacher: but I fear he will be too precise." When the time for it came, he returned unto the university, and proceeded Master of Arts: but the rest of his time in England was attended with much unsettlement of his condition. He was employed here and there, as godly people could obtain permission from the parson of the parish, who upon any little disgust would recal that permission: and yet all this while, by the blessing of God upon his own diligence and discretion, and the frugality of his vertuous consort, he lived comfortably. The last place of his residence in England was the town of Haverhil, where he was a lecturer, laborious and successful in the vineyard of our Lord. § 4. His parents, his brethren, his sisters, had not without a great affliction to him embarked for New-England; but some time after this, the cloud of prelatical impositions and persecutions grew so black upon him, that the solicitations of his friends obtained from him a resolution for NewEngland also, where he hoped for a more settled abode, which was most agreeable to his inclination. Accordingly, in the summer of the year 1635, he took ship, with his wife and four children, and after a voyage by constant sickness rendred very tedious to him, he arrived at Charles-town, where he found his desired relations got safe before him. Several towns now addressed him to become their minister; but he chose with his father's family and some other Christians to form a new plantation, which they called Hingham; and there gathering a church, he continued a faithful pastor and an able preacher for many years. And his old people at Haverhil indeed, in some time after, sent most importunate letters unto him, to invite his return for England: and he had certainly returned, if the letters had not so miscarried, that before his advice to them, there fell out some remarkable and invincible hindrances of his removal. § 6. Not long after this, he had (as his own expression for it was) "his heart rent out of his breast," by the death of his consort; but his Christian, patient, and submissive resignation, was rewarded by his marriage to a second, that proved a rich blessing unto him. His house was also edified and beautified with many children, on whom when he looked he would say, sometimes with much thankfulness, "Behold, thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord!" and for whom he employed many tears in his prayers to God, that they might be happy, and, like another Job, offered up his daily supplications. His love to learning made him strive hard that his hopeful sons might not go without a learned education; and accordingly we find four or five of them wearing laurels in the catalogue of our graduates; and several of them are at this day worthy preachers of the gospel in our churches. 87. He was mostly a morning student, not meriting the name of Homo Lectissimus,* as he in the witty epigrammatist, from his long lying a bed; and yet he would improve the darkness of the evening also for solemn, fixed, and illuminating meditations. He was much admired for well-studied sermons; and even in the midst of secular diversions and distractions, his active mind would be busie at providing materials for the composure of them. He much valued that rule, study standing; and until old age and weakness compelled him, he rarely would study sitting: which practice of his he would recommend unto other students, as an excellent preventive of that Flagellum Studiosorum,† the stone. And when he had an opportunity to hear a sermon from any other minister, he did it with such a diligent and reverent attention, as made it manifest that he worshipped God in doing of it: and he was very careful to be present still, at the beginning of the exercises, counting it a recreation to sit and wait for the worship of God. Moreover, his heart was knit in a most sincere and hearty love towards pious men, though they were not in all things of his own perswasion. He would admire the grace of God in good men, though they were of sentiments contrary unto his; and he would say, "I can carry them in my bosome:" nor was he by them otherwise respected. § 8. There was deeply rooted in him a strong antipathy to all profanities, whereof he was a faithful reprover, both in publick and in private; and when his reproofs prevailed not, he would "weep in secret places. Drinking to excess, and mispence of precious time, in tipling or talking with vain persons, which he saw grown too common, was an evil so extremely offensive to him, that he would call it, "Sitting at meat in an idol's temple;" and when he saw that vanity grow upon the more high professors of religion, it was yet more distastful to him, who in his own behaviour was a great example of temperance. Pride, expressed in a gaiety and bravery of apparel, would also cause him with much compassion to address the young persons with whom he saw it budding, and advise them to correct it, with more care to adorn their souls with such things as were of great price before God: and here likewise his own example joined handsomeness with gravity, and a moderation that could not endure a show. But there was no sort of men from whom he more turned away than those who, under a pretence of zeal for church discipline, were very pragmatical in controversies, and furiously set upon having all things carried their way, which they would call "the rule;" but at the same time were most insipid creatures, destitute of the "life and power of godliness," and perhaps immoral in their conversations. To these he "Lectus," which means "select" or "eligible," signifles also "a bed." Hence the double entendre of the text-"a most eligible man," or, "a man most a-bed." + The scourge of the sedentary. would apply a saying of Mr. Cotton's, "That some men are all church, and no Christ." § 9. He was a person that met with many temptations and afflictions, which are better forgotten than remembered; but he was internally and is now eternally a gainer by them. It is remarked of the Patriarch Jacob, that when he was a very old man, and much older than the most that lived after him, he complained, "Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life:" in which complaint the few is explained by the evil; his days were winter-days, and spent in the darkness of sore calamity. Winter-days are twenty-four hours long as well as other days; yea, longer, if the equation of time should be mathematically considered: yet we count them the shorter days. Thus, although our Hobart lived unto old age, he might call his days few, because they had been evil. But "Mark this perfect man, and behold this upright one; for the end of this man was peace. In the spring of the year 1670, he was visited with a sickness that seemed the "messenger of death;" but it was his humble desire that, by having his life prolonged a little further, he might see the education of his own younger children perfected, and bestow more labour also upon the conversion of the young people in his congregation: "I have travelled in the ministry in this place thirty-five years, and might it please God so far to lengthen out my days, as to make it up forty, I should not, I think, desire any more." Now, the Lord heard this desire of his praying servant, and added no less than eight years more unto his days. The most part of which time, except the last three-quarters of a year, he was employed in the publick services of his ministry. Being recovered from his illness, he proved that he did not flatter with his lips in the vows that he had made for his recovery; for he now set himself with great fervour to gather the children of his church under the saving wings of the Lord Jesus Christ; and in order thereunto he preached many pungent sermons, on Eccl. xi. 9, 10, and Eccl. xii. 1, and used many other successful endeavours. § 10. Though his labours were not without success, yet the success was not so general and notable but that he would complain, "Alas, for the barrenness of my ministry!" And when he found his lungs decay by old age and fever, he would clap his hands on his breast, and say, "The bellows are burnt, the founder has melted in vain!" At length, infirmities grew so fast upon this painful servant of our Lord, that in the summer of the year 1678 he seemed apace drawing on to his end; but after some revivals he again got abroad; however, he seldom, if ever, preached after it, but only administered the sacraments. In this time his humility, and consequently all the other graces which God gives unto the humble, grew exceedingly and observably; and hence he took delight in hearing the commendations of other men, though sometimes they were so unwisely uttered as to carry some diminutions unto himself; and he set himself particularly to put all respect and honour upon the ministers that came in the time of his weakness to supply his place. After and under his confinement, the singing of psalms was an exercise wherein he took a particular delight; saying, "That it was the work of Heaven, which he was willing to anticipate." But about eight weeks before his expiration, he did with his aged hand ordain a successor; which when he had performed with much solemnity, he did afterwards, with an assembly of ministers and other Christians, at his own house, joyfully sing the song of aged Simeon, "Thy servant now lettest thou depart in peace." He had now "nothing to do, but to die;" and he spent his hours accordingly in assiduous preparations; not without some dark intervals of temptation; but at last with "light arising in darkness" unto him. While his exteriour was decaying, his interiour was renewing every day, until the twentieth day of January, 1678, when he quietly and silently resigned his holy soul unto its faithful Creator. EPITAPHIUM. D. PETRI HOBARTI, Ossa sub hoc Saxo Latitant, defossa Sepulchro, CHAPTER XXVIII. A MAN OF GOD, AND AN HONOURABLE MAN. THE LIFE OF MR. SAMUEL WHITING. Hi mihi Doctores semper placuere, docenda Qui faciunt, plus, quam qui facienda docent.t § 1. WHEN the miserable Saul applied himself to the Witch of Endor for the invoking of and consulting with some spirit in the invisible world, he chose that the spirit should rather appear in the shape of the venerable Samuel, than in any other. A dispute is raised among learned men, on the occasion of the spirit thus raised, "who it should be?"—for while some think that, beyond the expectation, and unto the astonishment of the Witch, it was the true Samuel which now appeared; in as much as the apparition is five times over called by the name of Samuel, and the apocryphal Ecclesiasticus affirms of Samuel, that "after his death he prophesied:" and several of the fathers and of the school-men, herein followed by Mendoza, Delrio, Dr. More, Mr. Glanvil, and others, are of this opinion: they imagine, with Lyra, that God then sent in the real Samuel, unlooked • Beneath this stone his buried ashes lie, Teachers who do what should be taught, Have pleased me best-'tis very true; But his freed spirit is beyond the sky. |