of the Saints on Earth above those in Heaven." But there was one of his composures which did more nearly concern himself than perhaps his persecutors did imagine, and that was about "The Slaughter of the Witnesses:" for he bore a part in that slaughter, when his testimony to the kingly office of the Lord Jesus Christ, in his church, procured him the condition of a silenced non-conformist, from May 24, 1662, to March 21, 1677, when he died in or near London, and went from the privileges of labours among the saints on earth, to those of rewards among the saints in heaven. He lies buried in the sleeping-place on the north side of the New Artillery Garden. Mr. ROBERT PECK.-This light having been by the persecuting prelates "put under a bushel," was, by the good providence of Heaven, fetched away unto New-England, about the year 1638, where the good people of our Hingham did "rejoice in the light for a season." But within two or three years, the invitation of his friends at Hingham in England perswaded him to a return unto them; where being, though a great person for stature, yet a greater for spirit, he was greatly serviceable for the good of the church. Mr. HUGH PETERS.-A brief narrative of his life, both before and after his abode, for about seven years, in the charge of the church at Salem, the reader may find at the conclusion of his advice to his daughter, published under the title of, "A Dying Father's last Legacy to an only Child:" and, indeed, I heartily recommend it unto his reading. The narrative of his death has also been long since published unto the world: and it reports those to have been amongst his last words: "Oh! this is a good day! He is come that I have long looked for, and I shall be with him in glory!" Mr. THOMAS PETERS.-He came over unto New-England, in the time of the civil war; and, staying but about three years, he returned into England. A worthy man, and a writer of certain pieces which will, I suppose, preserve his memory among those that are strangers, as I am, thereunto. Mr. SAXTON.-He was a Yorkshire man; a studious and a learned person, a great Hebrician. The unsettled condition of the colony, and some unhappy contention in the plantation where he lived, put him upon removing from Scituate, first unto Boston, and so unto England, in his reduced age. I find in honest Mr. Ryther's devout book, entituled, "A Plat for Mariners," this passage related concerning him: "An old Puritan minister, [Mr. Saxton, of Leeds, in Yorkshire,] in a storm, coming from New-England, when they were all expecting the vessel to sink, he said, 'Oh, who is now for heaven! who is bound for heaven!"" I say nothing, because I know nothing of Mr. BRECY; but this, he also returned into England. But the less of him, the more might be written of Mr. GILES FIRMIN, who visited New-England in his younger years, but afterwards became, in England, an eminent preacher of the gospel, and a writer, as well as a preacher of it. Among the rest of his books, that golden one, which is entituled, "The Real Christian," does really prove the title to be his own character; and the rest, as well as that, prove him to be an able scholar, as well as a real Christian. I suppose him to be yet living in a fruitful old age, at Ridgewel in Essex: but such demonstrations he hath still given of his affections to New-England, on all occasions, that he might have justly resented it, as an injury, if he had been wholly omitted in the catalogue of them that have deserved well of that country. Besides these persons, there are some others, of whom a larger account might be endeavoured. Three shall be all that we will offer. CHAPTER II. THE LIFE OF MR. THOMAS ALLEN. It was a computation made in that year when our colony was just forty years old, and our land had "seen rest forty years," that of ministers which had then come from England unto us, chiefly in the ten first years, there were ninety-four: of which number, thirty-one were then alive; thirty-six had retired unto heaven; twenty-seven had returned back to Europe. Of those first comers, who again left the country, soon after their first coming, one was that worthy man Mr. Thomas Allen, who, after he had for some time approved himself a pious and painful minister of the gospel in our Charlestown, saw cause to return back into England; where he lived unto a good old age, in the city of Norwich. The name of Allen being but our pronunciation of the Saxon word Alwine, which is as much as to say beloved of all, expressed the fate of this our Allen among the generality of the well-disposed. And being a man greatly beloved, he applied himself to enquire much into the times, wherein his predecessor Daniel was an hard student, when the angel came to call him so. Though he staid not very long in this country, yet this country lays claim especially to two of his composures, which have been serviceable unto the world. The former of these was printed here; namely, "An invitation unto Thirty Sinners to come unto their Saviour;" prefaced and assisted into the light by our worthy Higginson. But the latter was printed beyond the sea; and entituled, "A Chain of Scripture Chronology:" wherein the author was disposed, like the illustrious Bucholtzer, who, being weary of controversy, betook himself to chronology, saying, Malle se Computare quom Disputare.* This is a most learned and useful piece; and all my further account of the author shall be in the words of the famous Greenhill, in his epistle before it. Says he, "This work having had its conception in a remote quarter of the world, it was latent in his closet the greatest part of seven years; as Joash sometimes was kept secret in a chamber of the temple, before he was brought to public view by the means of Jehojadah, that good old high priest: and it had still been suppressed had not the author been pressed, and charged with hiding of a talent in a napkin, by such another as Jehojadah was, [Mr. John Cotton,] whose soul is now amongst the saints in heaven, resting from its manifold labours, and whose name both is, and ever will be precious in all the gates of the daughters of Sion, through all ages. When Moses, Daniel, and John were in suffering conditions, they had much light from God, and gave forth much truth concerning the church and the times: and many of our reverend, learned, and godly brethren, being through the iniquity of the times driven into America, by looking up unto God, and by searching of the Scriptures, received and found much light concerning the church and the times; and have made us, and ages to come, beholden to them, by communicating the same; amongst whom now is this learned and judicious author." From the epitaph of Helvicus, the great chronologist, we will presume to borrow a tetrastick for this great student in chronology: EPITAPHIUM. Angelicos inter cætus, Animasque Beatas; Ad Litui Sonitum dum Corpus et Ossa resurgant, CHAPTER III. THE LIFE OF MR. JOHN KNOWLES. OUR blessed Saviour has denounced that righteous and fearful curse upon those who despise the offers of his glorious gospel, "Whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, it shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah, in the day of judgment, than for that city." And the excellent Knowles was an eminent person among those "embassadors of Heaven," in the quarrel of whose entertainment the King of Heaven. wonderfully accomplished that prediction. If New-England hath been in some respects Immanuel's land, it is well; but this I am sure of, Imman • He preferred computation to disputation. + Amid angelic choirs, and realms of day, When the last trumpet wakes his slumbering clay, uel College contributed more than a little to make it so, a fellow whereof once was our Mr. John Knowles. He was among the first comers into New-England, joined as a colleague with Mr. Philips at Watertown. But as he began, so he ended his pious days in England; between which there occurred one very remarkable providence, now to be related. In the year 1641 one Mr. Bennet, a gentleman from Virginia, arrived at Boston, with letters from well-disposed people there unto the ministers of New-England, bewailing their sad condition for the want of the glorious gospel, and entreating that they might hence be supplied with ministers of that gospel. These letters were openly read at Boston upon a lectureday; whereupon the ministers agreed upon setting apart a day for fasting and prayer, to implore the direction of God about this business; and then the churches of Watertown, Braintree, and Rowley, having each of them two ministers apiece, Mr. Philips of Watertown, Mr. Thompson of Braintree and Mr. Miller of Rowley, were pitched upon for the intended service; whereof the General Court so approved, that it was ordered the governour should recommend these persons by his letters to the governour and council at Virginia. Mr. Philips being indisposed for the voyage, Mr. Knowles went in his room; and Mr. Miller's bodily weaknesses caused him also to decline the voyage. But the two churches of Watertown and Braintree, though they loved their ministers very well, yet cheerfully dismissed them unto this great concern; accounting it their honour that they had such desireable persons, by whom they might make a mission of the gospel unto a "people that sat in the region and shadow of death." On October 7, 1642, they began their voyage: at Rhode-Island, they lay long wind-bound; and they met with so many other difficulties, that they made it eleven weeks of dangerous passage before they arrived at Virginia: nevertheless, they had this advantage in the way, that they took in a third minister for their assistance; namely, Mr. James, then at New-Haven. Though their hazardous retardations in their voyage made them sometimes to suspect whether they had a clear call of God unto their undertaking, yet the success of their ministry, when they came to Virginia, did sufficiently extinguish that suspicion. They had little encouragement from the rulers of the place, but they had a kind entertainment with the people; and in the several parts of the country where they were bestowed, there were many persons by their ministry brought home to God. But as Austin told mankind, "the devil was never turned Christian yet:" the powers of darkness could not count it for their interest that the light of the gospel, powerfully preached, should reach those "dark places of the earth." The rulers of that province did not allow of their publick preaching; but instead thereof, an order was made, "That such as would not conform to the ceremonies of the Church of England, should by such a day depart the country." By which order, these holy, faithful, painful ministers, were driven away from the Virginia coast: but when they returned, as they left behind them not a few seals of their ministry, so they brought with them some who afterwards proved blessings to New-England. Well, before the day fixed for the departure of these ministers came, the Indians far and near having entred into a conspiracy to cut off the English in those territories, executed it in an horrible massacre, whereby at least three hundred poor English Virginians were at once barbarously butchered, which massacre was also accompanied with a grievous mortality, that caused many sober persons to remove out of that colony, and others to acknowledge the justice of God upon them, for the ill-treats which had been given to the ministers of his gospel, and the gospel brought by those ministers. After this did Mr. Knowles remove back to England, where he was a preacher at the Cathedral, in the city of Bristol, and lived in great credit and service for divers years. But when the act of uniformity made such a slaughter of non-conformists, Mr. Knowles was one of the ministers which were silenced by that act. And after that civil death, he lived in London a collegue to the famous Mr. Kentish, and a blessing to the Church of God. Exercising his ministry in the city of London, he underwent many grievous persecutions, and received as many glorious deliverances.-But when some of his friends discouraged him, with fears of his being thrown into prison, if he did not affect more of privacy, he replied, "In truth, I had rather be in a gaol, where I might have a number of souls, to whom I might preach the truths of my blessed Master, than live idle in my own house, without any such opportunities." He lived unto a very great age, and staid longer out of heaven than the most of them that live in heaven upon earth. But in his great age he continued still to do great good; wherein his labours were so fervent and eager, that he would sometimes preach till he fell down; and yet have a youthful readiness in the matter and spirit of his preaching. His last falling down was a flying up; and an escape to that land where "the weary are at rest." EPITAPHIUM. Vis Scire, Quis Sim? Nomen est KNOLESIUS: Dixi Satis!* • Do you wish to know who I am? My name is KNOWLES-I have told you enough! |