Nunc Vero, Postquam Custos Israelis, Deus Pacis, dedit in Corda tot Ecclesiarum et Magistratuum, ut Vulneribus istis Medicinam faciendam esse, Necessarium Judicârint, En! Bonorum omnium Animi, in Spem erecti, Malorum istorum Sal. atarem Clausulam Expectant, et Votis intimis, Patrem Misericordiarum Vobiscum invocant, ut Spiritus sui Gratia, Secundum Verbum Suum, Consilia et actiones Servorum Suorum dirigere, ad Sancti Nominis Sui Gloriam dignetur.”

"But now that the 'Keeper of Israel,' the 'God of peace,' hath put it into the hearts of many churches and rulers, to apprehend it necessary that a cure should be sought for these wounds, behold! the minds of all good men do with a raised hope expect an happy close of these mischiefs; and with most hearty prayers do beseech the Father of Mercies, that he would, by the grace of his Spirit, according to his word, please to direct the counsels and actions of his servants, for the glory of his own holy name."

"Recte quidem fecisti, Reverende Frater Durae, quod nos etiam in eodem Vobiscum Corpore, Sub eodem Capite Jesu Christo, Constitutos, ad Negotium hoc, in Sanctorum Communione Promovendum, fraterne invitâsti.”

"You have done right well, reverend brother, in that you have, after a brotherly manner, unto the promoting of this affair, in the communion of saints invited us, who belong to the same mystical body with your selves, under one head, our Lord Jesus Christ."

"Dica Vero non est Orthodoxis impingenda, quasi Optatissimæ illi Paci, quæ inter Scissas Evangelicas Ecclesias quæritur, Offendiculum posuerint et remoram, qui, Necessitate Postulante, ea utuntur Libertate Refutandi Errores, quam Pax non debet impedire: adeoque suo Exemplo futuram pacem præmuniunt, à Vitiis in Excessu positis." -“Quippe quod sincere de Erroribus Judicare, et Errores tamen in Fratribus Infirmis Tolerare, Utrumque Judicamus esse Apostolica Doctrinæ Consonum. Toleratio Vero Fratrum Infirmorum, non debet esse adsque Redargutione, Sed tantum absque Rejectione."

"Nevertheless, 'tis not to be made an article of complaint against the orthodox, as if they would hinder or delay the peace desired so much among the reformed churches, because they do, as necessity shall call for it, use that liberty of refuting errors, which peace ought to be no bar unto; and by their example, would rescue the future peace from the extremes wherewith it would be rendred faulty.”—“For we reckon that as well to judge what things are errors, as to bear with such errors in weaker brethren, are both of them agreeable to what we have been taught by the apostles. The toleration of our erroneous brethren should not be without rebuking, but it should be without rejecting of those brethren."

10. It is a notable expression, and a wonderful concession of that great Cardinal Bellermine, the last Goliah of the Romish Philistines: Ecclesia ex Intentione Fideles tantum Colligit, et si nosset Impios et incredulos, eas aut nunquam admitteret, aut casu Admissos Excluderet: "The church" (he says) "intentionally gathers only true believers, and if she knew who were wicked and faithless, either she would not admit them at all, or, if they were accidentally admitted, she would exclude them." Our Davenport, conceiving it a shame that any Protestant should protest for less church purity than what the confessions of a learned Papist allowed, ere he was aware, to be contended for, did now at New-Haven make church purity to be one of his greatest concernments and endeavours. It was his declared principle, that more is required of men, in order to their being members of an instituted

church, than that they profess the Christian faith, and ask the visible seals of the covenant in the fellowship of the church; all which may be done by persons notoriously scandalous in their lives, from whom the command is, "turn away;" but only such persons may be received as members of a particular church, who (according to Matt. xvi. 18, 19,) make such a publick profession of their faith, as the church may, in charitable discretion, judge has blessedness annexed unto it, and such as flech and blood hath not revealed. In pursuance of this principle, he was, like his dear friend, that great man, Dr. Thomas Goodwin, perswaded, "that (as he speaks) there are many rules in the word, whereby it is meet for us to judge who are saints; by which rules those who are betrusted to receive men unto ordinances in churches, are to be guided, and so to separate between the precious and the unclean, as the priests of old were enabled and commanded by ceremonial differences, which God then made to typifie the like discrimination of persons." And, therefore, making the marks of a repenting and a believing soul, given in the word of God, the rules of his tryals, he used a more than ordinary exactness in trying those that were admitted unto the communion of the church: indeed, so very thor oughly, and, I had almost said, severely strict, were the terms of his communion, and so much, I had well nigh said, overmuch, were the golden snuffers of the sanctuary employed by him in his exercise of discipline towards those that were admitted, that he did all that was possible to render the renowned church of New-Haven like the New-Jerusalem; and yet, after all, the Lord gave him to see that in this world it was impossible to see a church state, whereinto there "enters nothing which defiles." This great man hath himself, in one of his own treatises, observed it: "The officers and brethren of the church are but men, who judge by the outward appearance. Therefore their judgment is fallible, and hath deceived; as we see in the judgment of the apostles, and the church at Jerusalem, concerning Ananias and Sapphira; and in that of Philip and the church in Samaria, concerning Simon Magus. Their duty is to proceed as far as men may, by rule, with due moderation and gentleness, to try them who offer themselves to fellowship, whether they be believers or not; refusing known hypocrites: though when they have done all they can, close hypocrites will creep in." And now I might entertain my reader, I hope, with a profitable, I am sure with a very prodigious history: I will on this occasion relate most "horrible things done in the land;" which this good man. saw, to confirm his own observation: but I will take a fitter occasion for it.

§ 11. After this, the remaining days of this eminent person were worn away under the unhappy temptations of a wilderness. It so happened that the most part of the first church in Boston, the metropolis of the colony, out of respect unto his vast abilities, had applied themselves unto him, to succeed those famous lights, Cotton, and Norton, and Wilson, who having from that "golden candlestick" illuminated the whole country, were now gone to shine in an higher orb. His removal from New-Haven

was clogged with many temptatious difficulties: (for, Miraculi instar, vitæ Iter si longum, sine Offensione Percurrere:*) but he broke through them all, in expectation to do what he judged would be a more comprehensive service unto the churches of New-England, than could have been done by him in his now undistinguished colony. On this occasion, if I should mention that lamentable observation of old Epiphanius, who says, "I have known some confessors, who delivered up their body and their spirit for the Lord, and, persevering in confession and charity, obtained great proof of the sincerity of their faith, and excelled in piety, humanity, and religion, and were continual in fastings, and in a word, flourished in vertue: and these very men were blemished with some vice, as either they were prone to reproach men, or would swear profanely, or were over talkative, or were prone to anger, or got gold and silver, or were defiled with some such filth: which nevertheless detract not from the just praises of their vertue."— I must add upon it, that Mr. Davenport was a confessor flourishing in vertue, upon whom they that, upon the score of his removal, were most of all dissatisfied at him, would not yet charge those unhappy blemishes: and if any good men, in the sifting times, did count him either too straight, or too high, in some of his apprehensions; nevertheless, these things also detract not from the just praises of his vertue.

§ 12. So rich a treasure of the best gifts as was in our Davenport, was well worth coveting by the considerablest church of the land. He was a most incomparable preacher, and a man of more than ordinary accomplishments; a prince of preachers, and worthy to have been a preacher to princes: he had been acquainted with great men, and great things, and was great himself, and had a great fame abroad in the world; yea, now he was grown old, like Moses his "force was not abated." And the character which I remember that old pagan historian, Diodorus the Sicilian, gave of our Moses, every body was ready to give of our Davenport, "He was a man of a great soul, and very powerful in his life." But his removal did seem too much to verifie an observation, by the famous Dr. Tuckney thus expressed; "It is ill transplanting a tree that thrives in the soil;" for accepting the call of Boston-Church, in the year 1667, that church, and the world, must enjoy him no longer than till the year 1670: when on March 15, aged seventy two years, he was by apoplexy fetched away to that glorious world, where the spirits of Cotton and Davenport are together in heaven, as their bodies are now in one tomb on earth.

§ 13. His constant and various employments otherwise, would not permit him to leave many printed effects of his judicious industry, besides those few already mentioned: although he were so close and bent a student, that the rude Pagans themselves took much notice of it, and the Indian salvages in the neigbourhood would call him, "So big study man." Only there is in the hands of the faithful a savoury treatise of his, entituled, "The Saints' Anchor-Hold;" in the preface whereof, a Duumvirate of renowned

* It would be a miracle if one should make so long a journey of life without encountering some stumbling-stone.

men; to wit, Mr. Hook, and Mr. Caryl, give this attestation: "As touching the author of this Treatise, in whose heart the text was written by the finger of God, before the discourse was penned by his own hand; his piety, learning, gravity, experience, judgment, do not more commend him to all that know him, than this work of his may commend it self to them that read it." The Christian faith has also been solidly and learnedly maintained by him, in a discourse long since published, for the "demonstration of our blessed Jesus, to be the true Messias." Nor would I forget a sermon of his on 2 Sam. xxiii. 3, at the anniversary court of election at Boston, 1669, afterwards published. Among the many which he hath prefixed unto the books of other authors, I know not whether his excellent epistle before Mr. Scudder's "Daily-walk," may not, for the worth of it, be reckoned it self a book, as the book it self was the directory of his own daily walk. Moreover, there is published a treatise of his under this title, "The Power of Congregational Churches," in the preface whereof Mr. Nathanael Mather, (at this time the worthy and well-known Pastor of such a church in the city of London,) has these very significant expressions concerning him: "Certain it is, the principles held forth in this treatise cost the rev erend author not only many sufferings, but also many, very many sad searchings, and much reading and study, on set purpose, accompanied with manifold prayers and cries to the Father of Lights, for light therein. After all which, he was more confirmed in them, and attained to such comfort able clearness therein, as bore him up with much inward peace and satis faction, under all his afflictions, on the account of his perswasion in these points. And so perswaded, lived, and so died this grave and serious spirited man." There is likewise published, "A Discourse about Civil Government, in a New Plantation, whose design is Religion:" in the title page whereof the name of Mr. Cotton is, by a mistake, put for that of Mr. Davenport. And there was lately transcribed for the press, from his notes, a large volume of accurate and elaborate sermons, on the whole book of Canticles. But the death of the gentleman chiefly concerned in the intended impression, proved the death of the impression it self.

14. To conclude: there will be but an unjust account given of the things preached and written by this reverend man, if we do not mention one singular favour of Heaven unto him. It is well known that, in the earliest of the primitive times, the faithful did, in a literal sense, believe the "second coming" of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the rising and reigning of the saints with him, a thousand years before the "rest of the dead live again;" a doctrine which, however, some of later years have counted it heretical; yet, in the days of Irenæus, was questioned by none but such as were counted hereticks. 'Tis evident, from Justin Martyr, that this doctrine of the Chiliad was in his days embraced among all orthodox Chris tians; nor did this kingdom of our Lord begin to be doubted until the kingdom of antichrist began to advance into a considerable figure; and then it fell chiefly under the reproaches of such men as were fain to deny

the divine authority of the book of Revelation, and of the second Epistle of Peter. He is a stranger to antiquity who does not find and own the ancients generally of the perswasion, which is excellently summed up in those words of Lactantius: Veniet Summi et maximi Dei Filius. Verum ille, cum deleverit injustitiam, Judiciumque maximum fecerit, ac Justos, qui a Principio fuerunt, ad vitam Restauraverit, Mille Annos inter Homines Versabitur, eosque Justissimo Imperio reget. Nevertheless, at last men came, not only to lay aside the modesty expressed, by one of the first considerable Anti-Millenaries-namely, Jerom-when he said, Quae licet non sequamur, tamen condemnare non possumus, eo quod multi Virorum Ecclesiasticorum et Martyrum, ista dixerint; but also with violence to persecute the millenary truth as an heretical pravity. So the mystery of our Lord's "appearing in his kingdom," lay buried in Popish darkness, till the light thereof had a fresh dawn, since the antichrist entred into the last half time of the period allotted for him; and now, within the last few sevens of years, as things grow nearer to accomplishment, learned and pious men, in great numbers every where, come to receive, explain, and maintain the old faith about it. But here was the special favour of Heaven to our Davenport, that so many years ago, when in both Englands the true notion of the Chiliad was hardly apprehended by as many divines of note as there are mouths of Nilus, yet this worthy man clearly saw into it, and both preached and wrote those very things about the future state, and coming of the Lord, the calling of the Jews, and the first and second resurrection of the dead, which do now of late years get more ground against the opposition of the otherwise minded, and find a kinder entertainment among them that "search the Scriptures:" and whereof he afterwards, when he was an old man, gave the world a little taste, in a judicious preface before a most learned and nervous treatise, composed by one that was then a young man, about "the mystery of the salvation of Israel." Even, then, so long ago it was, that he asserted, "A personal, visible, powerful, and glorious coming of the Lord Jesus Christ unto judgment, long before the end of the world." But thus we take our leave of this renowned man, and leave him resting in hope to stand in his lot at that end.

EPITAPHIUM.

JOHANNES DAVENPORTUS:

In Portum Delatus.

Vivus, Nov-Angliæ, ac Ecclesiæ Ornamentum,

ET

Mortuus, Utriusque Triste Desiderium.

The Son of the Most High and Mighty shall come. And He, when he shall have overcome injustice, and established universal righteousness, and shall have raised up from the dead all the saints who have existed from the beginning of the world, shall dwell in person among men for a thousand years, and shall govern them with most righteous sway.

+ Though we may not cordially assent to all these doctrines, we cannot condemn them, for they have been firmed by many of the heroes and martyrs of the Church.

EPITAPH.-JOHN DAVENPORT: Safely in port. In life, the ornament of New-England and the Church: dead, the object of their common regret.