and such was the impression thereof upon his heart, that from this time. he became a changed and pious man. 9. But if "they that will live godlily, must suffer persecution," a peculiar share of it must fall upon them who are zealous and useful instruments to make others live so. Mr. Wilson had a share of this persecution; and one A-n, was a principal author of it. This A-n had formerly been an apprentice in London, where the Bishops detained him some years, under an hard imprisonment, because he refused the oath ex officio, which was pressed upon him, to tell "Whether he had never heard his master pray against the Bishop?" The charity of well-disposed people now supported him, till he got abroad, recommended by his hard sufferings, unto the good affections of the Puritans, at whose meetings he became so conversant, and thereupon such a forward and zealous professor, that at length he took upon him, under the confidence of some Latinity, whereof he was owner, to be a sort of preacher among them. This man would reverence Mr. Wilson as his father, and yet upon the provocation of seeing Mr. Wilson more highly valued and honoured than himself, he not only became a conformist himself, but also, as apostates use to be, a malignant and violent persecutor of those from whom he had apostatized. By his means Mr. Wilson was put into trouble in the Bishop's courts; from whence his deliverance was at length obtained by certain powerful mediators. And once by his tricks, the most noted pursivant of those times was employed for the seizing of Mr. Wilson; but though he seized upon many scores of the people coming from the lecture, he dismissed the rest, because he could not meet with Mr. Wilson himself, who by a special providence went out of his direct way, to visit a worthy neighbour, and so escaped this mighty hunter. Afterwards an eminent lady, happening innocently to make some comparisons between the preaching of Mr. Wilson and one Dr. B. of B., the angry Doctor presently applied himself unto the Bishop of London, who for a while suspended him. And when that storm was over, he, with several other worthy ministers, came to be wholly silenced in another, that was raised upon complaints made by one Mr. Bird, unto the Bishop of Norwich against them. Concerning this ill Bird, there happened one passage hereupon, which had in it something extraordinary. Falling very sick, he had the help of a famous and skilful physician, one Dr. Duke of Colchester; who having left his patient, in his opinion, safely recovered, gave Mr. Wilson a visit, with an account of it. "Recovered!" says Mr. Wilson; "you are mistaken Mr. Doctor; he's a dead man!" The Doctor answered, "If ever I recovered a sick man in my life, that man is recoveted." But Mr. Wilson replied, "No, Mr. Doctor, he's a dead man; he shall not live: mark my words!" The doctor smiled; but for all that, before they parted, the news was brought them that the man was dead indeed, and "the Lord known by the judgment which he executed." But at last Mr. Wilson obtained from the truly noble Earl of Warwick, to sign a letter, which the Earl bid himself to draw up, unto the Bishop, on his behalf; by the operation of which letter, his liberty for the exercise of his ministry was again procured. This Bishop was the well-known Dr. Harsnet, who a little while after this, travelling northward, upon designs of mischief against the reforming pastors and Christians there, certain ministers of the south set apart a day for solemn fasting and prayer, to implore the help of Heaven against those designs; and on that very day he was taken with a sore and an odd fit, which caused him to stop at a blind house of entertainment on the road, where he suddenly died. § 10. At last, "being persecuted in one country, he must flee into another." The plantation of a New-English colony was begun; and Mr. Wilson, with some of his neighbours, embarked themselves in the fleet, which came over thither in the year 1630, where he applied himself with all the vigour imaginable, to encourage the poor people, under the difficulties of their new plantation. This good people buried near two hundred of their number, within a quarter of a year after their first landing; which caused Mr. Wilson particularly to endeavour their consolation, by preaching on Jacob's not being disheartned by the death of his nearest friends in the way, when God had called him to remove. And how remarkably, perhaps I might say, excessively liberal he was, in employing his estate for the relief of the needy, every such one so beheld him, as to reckon him "the father of them all:" yea, the poor Indians themselves also tasted of his bounty. If it were celebrated, as the glory of Bellarmine, that he would sell his goods, to convert them into alms for the poor; yea, that Quadam die proprium Atramentarium Argenteolum, ut ditaret Inopes, inter pignor obligavit our Mr. Wilson, though a greater disclaimer of merit than Bellarmine was, not only in his writings, but on his death-bed it self, yet came not behind Bellarmine for the extension of his charity. To give instances of his, even over-doing liberality, would be to do it injuries; for indeed they were innumerable: he acted as if the primitive agreement of having "all things in common," had been of all things the most agreeable unto him. I shall sum up all, in the lines of an elegant elegy, which Mr. Samuel Bache, an ingenious merchant, made upon him, at his death: When as the poor want succour, where is he Can say all can be said extempore? Vie with the lightning, and melt down to th' quick God, Christ, and saints, accept, but Wilson sent it. The ergo of his syllogism's love. So bountiful to all: but if the poor Was Christian too, all's money went, and more, His coat, rug, blanket, gloves; he thought their due But he was most set upon the main business of this new plantation: which was, "to settle and enjoy the ordinances of the gospel, and worship the Lord Jesus Christ according to his own institutions;" and accordingly, * On one occasion he pawned his own silver inkstand to raise money for some poor people. he, with the governour, and others that came with him on the same account combined into a church-state, with all convenient expedition. § 11. Mr. Wilson's removal to New-England was rendred the more difficult, by the indisposition of his dearest consort thereunto; but he hoping, that according to a dream which he had before his coming hither, "That he saw here a little temple rising out of the ground, which by degrees increased into a very high and large dimensions," the Lord had a temple to build in these regions; resolved never to be discouraged from his undertaking. Wherefore having first sent over an encouraging account of the good order, both civil and sacred, which now began to be established in the plantation, he did himself return into England, that he might further pursue the effect thereof: and accordingly he made it his business, where-ever he came, to draw as many good men as he could into this country with him. His wife remained unperswadable, till upon prayer with fasting before the Almighty turner of hearts, he received an answer, in her becoming willing to accompany him over an ocean into a wilderness. A very sorrowful parting they now had from their old friends in Sudbury, but a safe and quick passage over the Atlantick; and whereas the church of Boston, observing that he arrived not at the time expected, had set apart a day of humiliation on his behalf, his joyful arrival before the day caused them to turn it into a day of thanksgiving. But Mrs. Wilson being thus perswaded over into the difficulties of an American desart, I have heard that her kinsman, old Mr. Dod, for her consolation under those dif ficulties, did send her a present with an advice, which he had in it, something of curiosity. He sent her, at the same time, a brass counter, a silver crown, and a gold jacobus; all of them severally wrapped up; with this instruction unto the gentleman who carried it: that he should first of all deliver only the counter, and if she received it with any shew of discontent, he should then take no further notice of her; but if she gratefully resented that small thing, for the sake of the hand it came from, he should then go on to deliver the silver, and so the gold: but withal assure her, "That such would be the dispensations of God unto her, and the other good people of New-England: if they would be content and thankful with such little things as God at first bestowed upon them, they should, in time have silver and gold enough. Mrs. Wilson accordingly, by her cheerful entertainment of the least remembrance from good old Mr. Dod, gave the gentleman occasion to go through with his whole present, and the annexed advice; which hath in a good measure been accomplished. § 12. It was not long before Mr. Wilson's return to England once more was obliged by the death of his brother, whose will, because it bequeathed a legacy of a thousand pounds unto New-England, gave satisfaction unto our Mr. Wilson, though it was otherwise injurious unto himself. A tedious and winter-voyage he now had; being twice forced into Ireland, where first at Galloway, then at Kingsale, afterwards at Bandon-Bridge, he occasionally, but vigorously and successfully, served the kingdom of God. At last he got safe among his old friends at Sudbury; according to the prediction which he had let fall in his former farewel unto them: "It may be John Wilson may come and see Sudbury once again." From whence, visiting Mr. Nathanael Rogers at Assington, where he arrived before their morning prayers; Mr. Rogers asked him to say something upon the chapter that was read, which happened then to be the first chapter in the first book of Chronicles; and from a paragraph of meer proper names, that seemed altogether barren of any edifying matter, he raised so many fruitful and useful notes, that a pious person then present, amazed thereat, could have no rest without going over into America after him. Having dispatched his affairs in England, he again embarked for New-England, in company with four ministers and near two hundred passengers, whereof some were persons of considerable quality: but they had all been lost by a large leak sprang in the ship, if God had not, on a day of solemn fasting and prayer, kept on board for that purpose, mercifully discovered this dangerous leak unto them. § 13. That Phoenix of his age, Dr. Ames, would say, "That if he might have his option of the best condition that he could propound unto himself on this side heaven, it would be, that he might be the teacher of a congregational church, whereof Mr. Wilson should be the pastor." This happiness, this priviledge, now had Mr. Cotton in the church of Boston. But Satan, envious at the prosperity of that flourishing church, raised a storm of Antinomian, and Familistical errors, which had like to have thrown all into an irrecoverable confusion, if the good God had not remarkably blessed the endeavours of a Synod; and Mr. Wilson, for a while, met with hard measure for his early opposition to those errors, until, by the help of that Synod, the storm was weathered out. At the beginning of that assembly, after much discourse against the unscriptural enthusiasms, and revelations, then by some contended for, Mr. Wilson pro posed, "You that are against these things, and that are for the spirit and the word together, hold up your hands!" And the multitude of hands then held up, was a comfortable and encouraging introduction unto the other proceedings. At the conclusion of that assembly, a catalogue of the errors to be condemned was produced; whereof when one asked, "What shall be done with them?" the wonted zeal of Mr. Wilson made this blunt answer, "Let them go to the devil of hell, from whence they came." In the midst of these temptations also, he was by a lot chosen to accompany the forces, then sent forth upon an expedition against the Pequed Indians; which he did with so much faith and joy, that he professed himself "as fully satisfied that God would give the English a victory over those enemies, as if he had seen the victory already obtained." And the whole country quickly shared with him in the consolations of that remark able victory. §14. In the wilderness he met with his difficulties; for besides the loss of houses, divers times by fire, which yet he bore with such a cheerful submission, that once one that met him on the road, informing of him, "Sir, I have sad news for you; while you have been abroad, your house is burnt;" his first answer was, "Blessed be God: he has burnt this house, because he intends to give me a better." (Which accordingly came to pass.) He was also put upon complying with the inclinations of his eldest son to travel; who accordingly travelled, first into Holland, then into Italy, where he proceeded a doctor of physick, and so returned into England, excellently well adorned with all the accomplishments of a most pious and useful gentleman. But this worthy person died about the year 1658. And this hastned the death of his mother, ere the year came about; which more than doubled the grief of his father. And these afflictions were yet further embittered by the death of his eldest daughter, Mrs. Rogers, in child-bed with her first child; at whose interment, though he could not but express a deal of sorrow, yet he did it with so much patience, that "In token," he said, "of his grounded and joyful hopes, to meet her again in the morning of the resurrection, and of his willingness to resign her into the hands of him who would make all things work together for good," he himself took the spade, and threw in the first shovelful of earth upon her. And not long after, he buried three or four of his grand children by another daughter, Mrs. Danforth (yet living with her worthy son-in-law, Edward Bromfield, Esq. in Boston) whereof one lying by the walls, on a day of publick thanksgiving, this holy man then preached a most savoury sermon on Job i. 21: "The Lord hath given, and the Lord hath taken away: blessed be the name of the Lord." The next child, although so weakly that all despaired of its life, his prophetical grand-father said, "Call him John; I believe in God, he shall live, and be a prophet top, and do God service in his generation!" which is, at this day, fulfilled in Mr. John Danforth, the present pastor to the church of Dorchester. Encountring with such, and many other exercises, his years rolled away, till he had served New-England, three years before Mr. Cotton's coming over, twenty years with him; ten years with Mr. Norton, and four years after him. 15. In his younger time, he had been used unto a more methodical way of preaching, and was therefore admired above many, by no less auditors than Dr. Goodwin, Mr. Burroughs, and Mr. Bridge, when they travelled from Cambridge into Essex, on purpose to observe the ministers in that county; but after he became a pastor, joined with such illuminating teachers, he gave himself a liberty to preach more after the primitive manner; without any distinct propositions, but chiefly in exhortations and admonitions, and good wholesome councils, tending to excite good motions in the minds of his hearers; (but upon the same texts that were doctrinally handled by his colleague instantly before:) and yet sometimes his pastoral discourses had such a spirit in them, that Mr. Shephard would say, “Me |