known to Leicester, which being strongly fortified and garrisoned, and having the wealth of all the country about brought into it, was besieged, and at length carried by storm; and the town was horribly plundered, and eleven hundred people were slain in the streets.

But Mr. Higginson having ended his prophetical sermon, he gave thanks to the magistrates and the other Christians of the place, for all the liberty, countenance, and encouragement which they had given unto his ministry: and he told them of his intended removal to New-England, the principal end of which plantation, he then declared, was the propagation of religion; and of the hopes which he had, that New-England might be designed by Heaven as a refuge and shelter for the non-conformists against the storms that were coming upon the nation, and a region where they might prac tise the church-reformation, which they had been bearing witness unto. And so he concluded with a most affectionate prayer for the King, the church, the state, and peculiarly for Leicester, the seat of his former labours. And after this he took his journey, with his family, for London; the streets as he passed along being filled with people of all sorts, who bid him farewel with loud prayers and cries for his welfare.

§ 12. When he came to London, he found three ships ready to sail for New-England, with two more, that were in a month's time to follow after them: filled with godly and honest passengers, among whom there were two other non-conformist ministers. They set sail from the Isle of Wight about the first of May, 1629, and when they came to the Land's End, Mr. Higginson, calling up his children and other passengers unto the stern of the ship, to take their last sight of England, he said, "We will not say, as the separatists were wont to say at their leaving of England, 'Farewel Babylon!' 'farewel, Rome!' but we will say, 'farewel, dear England! farewel, the Church of God in England, and all the Christian friends there! We do not go to New-England as separatists from the Church of England: though we cannot but separate from the corruptions in it: but we go to practise the positive part of church reformation, and propagate the gospei in America."" And so he concluded with a fervent prayer for the King, and church, and state, in England; and for the presence and blessing of God with themselves, in their present undertaking for New-England. At length, by the good hand of God upon them, they arrived, after a com fortable passage, unto Salem harbour on the twenty-fourth of June ensuing

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§ 13. Mr. Higginson being in this voyage associated with Mr. Skelton a minister of the like principles with himself, they were no sooner got shore, but they likewise associated in pursuing their principles and inter tions of religion, which were the end of their coming hither. Accordingly laying before the chief of the people their desires, and their designs of settling a reformed congregation in the place, after a frequent converse abou the methods of it, they came unto a hearty concurrence to take a day in the following August for it. In order hereunto, Mr. Higginson drew u

a "confession of faith," with a scriptural representation of the "covenant of grace" applied unto their present purpose; whereof thirty copies were taken for the thirty persons which were to begin the working of gathering the church. The day was kept as a fast; wherein, after the prayers and sermons of the two ministers, these thirty persons did solemnly and severally profess their consent unto the confession and covenant then read unto them; and they proceeded then to chuse Mr. Skelton, Mr. Higginson their teachers, and one Mr. Houghton, for a ruling elder. And after this, many others joined unto the church thus gathered; but none were admitted, of whose good conversation in Christ there was not a satisfactory testimony. By the same token, that at this first church gathering, there fell out a remarkable matter which is now to be related. At a time when the church was to be gathered at Salem, there was about thirty miles to the southward of that place a plantation of rude, lewd, mad, English people, who did propose to themselves a gainful trade with the Indians, but quickly came to nothing. A young gentleman belonging to that plantation being at Salem, on the day when the church was gathered, was at what he saw and heard so deeply affected, that he stood up, expressing with much affection his desire to be admitted into their number, which, when they lemurred about, he desired that they would at least adınit him to make his profession before them. When they allowed this, he expressed himself o agreeably, and with so much ingenuity and simplicity, that they were xtreamly pleased with it; and the ministers told him, that they highly pproved of his profession, but inasmuch as he was a stranger to them, they wuld not receive him into their communion until they had a further cquaintance with his conversation. However, such was the hold which he grace of God now took of him, that he became an eminent Christian and a worthy and useful person, and not only afterwards joined unto the hurch of Boston, but also made a great figure in the commonwealth of Yew-England, as the major-general of all the forces in the colony; it was Major-general Gibbons.

14. The church of Salem now being settled, they enjoyed many smiles of Heaven upon them; and yet there were many things that lookt like rowns; for they were exercised with many difficulties, and almost an undred of good people died the first winter of their being here; among hom was Mr. Houghton, an elder of the church. Mr. Higginson also ell into an hectic fever, which much disabled him for the work of his ainistry; and the last sermon under the incurable growth of this malady pon him, was upon the arrival of many gentlemen and some hundreds of passengers to New-England, in the beginning of the ensuing summer. He then preached on those words of our Saviour, Matth. xi. 7, "What rent ye out into the wilderness to see?" From whence, he minded the People of the design whereupon this plantation was erected, namely, relipon: and of the streights, wants, and various trials which in a wilderness

they must look to meet withal; and of the need which there was for them to evidence the uprightness of their hearts in the end of their coming hither. After this, he was confined unto his bed, and visited by the chief persons of the new-colony, who much bemoaned their loss of so useful a person, but comforted him with the consideration of his faithfulness to the Lord Jesus, in his former sufferings and services, and the honour which the Lord had granted him, to begin a work of church-reformation in America. He replied, "I have been but an unprofitable servant; and all my own doings I count but loss and dung: all my desire is to win Christ, and be found in him, not having my own righteousness!" And he several times declared, "That though the Lord called him away, he was perswaded God would raise up others, to carry on the work that was begun, and that there would yet be many churches of the Lord Jesus Christ in this wilderness." He likewise added, "that though he should leave his desolate wife and eight children, whereof the eldest was but about fourteen years old, in a low condition, yet he left them with his God, and he doubted not, but the faithful God would graciously provide for them." So, in the midst of many prayers, he fell asleep; in the month of August, 1630, and in the forty-third year of his age, and his funeral was attended with all possible solemnity.

§ 15. Reader, prepare to behold and admire and adore the faithfulness of our God, in providing for the children of them that faithfully have served him. He moved the hearts of many charitable Christians, who ye were spending on the stocks which they brought out of England with them, to provide as comfortably for the widow and off-spring of this deceased minister as if he had left them some thousands of pounds. And his two sons, who had been brought up at the grammar-school in Leicester, had a particular taste of this liberality, in the provision which was thus made for their having such a learned education as might fit them for the service of the church in the ministry of the gospel.

One of these, Francis by name, was for a time a school-master at our Cambridge; but having attained as much learning as New-England could then afford, he was desirous to visit some European university; and being recommended unto Rotterdam, some Dutch merchants, out of respect unto an hopeful scholar of New-England, contributed fourscore pounds in money to assist his juvenile studies at Leyden. Afterwards having visited some other universities in those parts, he returned into England; where he declined a settlement in some other, which he thought more opinionative, and so more contentious and undesireable places, to which he was invited, and settled at Kerby-Steven in Westmoreland, hoping to do most good among the ignorant people there. But it pleased the God of heaven to permit the first out-breaking of that prodigious and comprehensive heresy, Quakerism, in that very place; and a multitude of people being bewitched thereinto, it was a great affliction unto this worthy man; but it occasioned his writing the first book that ever was written against that sink of blas

phemies, entituled, "The Irreligion of Northern Quakers." This learned person was the author of a Latin treatise, De quinq, maximis Luminibus: De Luce Increata; De Luce creata; De Lumine Naturæ, Grative et Gloria;* and having illuminated the house of God in that part of it where our Lord had set him to shine, he went away to the light of glory, in the fifty-fifth year of his age.

The other, named John, has been on some laudable accounts another Origen; for the father of Origen would kiss the uncovered breast of that excellent youth, whilst he lay asleep, as being the temple where the spirit of God was resident, and as Origen, after the untimely death of his father, had his poor mother with six other children to look after; whereupon he taught first a grammar-school, and then betook himself unto the study of divinity; thus this other Higginson, after a pious childhood, having been a school-master at Hartford, and a minister at Saybrook, and afterwards at Guilford, became at length, in the year 1659, a pastor, and a rich and long blessing, succeeding his father in his church at Salem. This reverend person, has been always valued for his useful preaching and his holy liv ing; and besides his constant labours in the pulpit, whereby his own flock has been edified the whole country has, by the press, enjoyed some of his composures, and by his hand, the composures of some others also, passing the press, have been accompanied. Having formerly born his testimony to "The Cause of God, and his People in New-England," in a sermon so entituled, which he preached on the greatest anniversary solemnity which occurred in the land, namely, the anniversary election; when he thought, that the advances of old age upon him directed him to live in the hourly expectation of death, he published a most savoury book, on "Our dying Saviour's Legacy of Peace to his Disciples in a troublesome world; with a Discourse on the Duty of Christians, to be Witnesses unto Christ; unto which is added, some Help to Self-Examination."

Nevertheless, this true Simeon is yet "waiting for the consolation of Israel." This good old man is yet alive; (in the year 1696) arrived unto the eightieth year of his devout age, and about the sixtieth year of his publick work, and he that "from a child knew the holy Scriptures," does, at those years wherein men use to be twice children, continue preaching them with such a manly, pertinent, judicious vigour, and with so little decay of his intellectual abilities, as is indeed a matter of just admiration. But there was a famous divine in Germany, who on his death bed, when some of his friends took occasion to commend his past painful, faithful, and fruitful ministry, cried out unto them [Auferte Ignem adhuc enim puleus inbeo!] "Oh! bring not the sparks of your praises near me, as long as I have any chaff left in me!" And I am sensible that I shall receive the ike check from this my reverend father, if I presume to do him the justice which a few months hence will be done him, in all the churches; nor * The five Great Lights: Light Uncreated; Light Created; the Light of Nature, of Grace, and of Glory.

they must look to meet withal; and of the need which there was for them to evidence the uprightness of their hearts in the end of their coming hither. After this, he was confined unto his bed, and visited by the chief persons of the new-colony, who much bemoaned their loss of so useful a person, but comforted him with the consideration of his faithfulness to the Lord Jesus, in his former sufferings and services, and the honour which the Lord had granted him, to begin a work of church-reformation in America. He replied, "I have been but an unprofitable servant; and all my own doings I count but loss and dung: all my desire is to win Christ, and be found in him, not having my own righteousness!" And he several times declared, "That though the Lord called him away, he was perswaded God would raise up others, to carry on the work that was begun, and that there would yet be many churches of the Lord Jesus Christ in this wilderness." He likewise added, "that though he should leave his desolate wife and eight children, whereof the eldest was but about fourteen years old, in a low condition, yet he left them with his God, and he doubted not, but the faithful God would graciously provide for them." So, in the midst of many prayers, he fell asleep; in the month of August, 1630, and in the forty-third year of his age, and his funeral was attended with all possible solemnity.

§ 15. Reader, prepare to behold and admire and adore the faithfulness of our God, in providing for the children of them that faithfully have served him. He moved the hearts of many charitable Christians, who yet were spending on the stocks which they brought out of England with them, to provide as comfortably for the widow and off-spring of this deceased minister as if he had left them some thousands of pounds. And his two sons, who had been brought up at the grammar-school in Leicester, had a particular taste of this liberality, in the provision which was thus made for their having such a learned education as might fit them for the service of the church in the ministry of the gospel.

One of these, Francis by name, was for a time a school-master at our Cambridge; but having attained as much learning as New-England coud: then afford, he was desirous to visit some European university; and being recommended unto Rotterdam, some Dutch merchants, out of respect ur: an hopeful scholar of New-England, contributed fourscore pounds in morey to assist his juvenile studies at Leyden. Afterwards having visited son other universities in those parts, he returned into England; where ha declined a settlement in some other, which he thought more opinionative and so more contentious and undesireable places, to which he was invited and settled at Kerby-Steven in Westmoreland, hoping to do most good among the ignorant people there. But it pleased the God of heaven to permit the first out-breaking of that prodigious and comprehensive heresy Quakerism, in that very place; and a multitude of people being bewitche thereinto, it was a great affliction unto this worthy man; but it occasione his writing the first book that ever was written against that sink of blas