and was more than forty years after alive to testify her experience of the accomplishment which God had given unto that faith of her dying husband: who at his death commended his family to God, in strains not unlike those of the dying Widerus: Christe, tibi soli mea pignora Viva relinquo, Pavisti, Largam dans Mihi semper opem; Tu quoque Pasce meos defende, tuere, doceque Et tandem ad Cœil gaudia transfer. Amen.* EPITAPHIUM. Mortuus hic Jacet, qui in Omnium Cordibus Vivit. In Unius BURRI Funere invenerunt Sepulchrum.t To make up his epitaph, I will borrow a line or two from the tomb-stone of Volkmarus: Hic Jacet Exutis nimium cito BURRIUS Annis, Ac Scriptis Animum notificare Libris, Tot Verbis non esset opus hoc Sculpere Saxum; CHAPTER IV. THE LIFE OF MR. GEORGE PHILIPS. Vitâ Ministri est Censura et Cynosura.§ 1. Nor only the common sign-posts of every town, but also some famous orders of knighthood in the most famous nations of Europe, have entertained us with traditions of a certain champion, by the name of St. GEORGE dignified and distinguished. Now, whilst many do, with Calvin, reckon this notable St. George, with his brother St. Kit, among the larvæ and fables of the romantic monks; others, from the honourable mention of him in so many liturgies, do think there might be such a man; but then he must be no other, neither better nor worse, in the most probable opinion of Rainolds, than George the Arrian bishop of Alexandria, the antagonist and adversary of Athanasius; of this memorable trooper, the Arrians feigned miracles, and with certain disguises imposed the fame of him upon the orthodox. But the churches of New-England being wholly unconcerned To thee, O Christ, this tender flock I leave; Be Thou their father when I am no more, Thou from the morn of life until its eve EPITAPH: Here he lies dead, Here lieth BURR, whose span too soon was sped: Hast fed me with the riches of Thy store: And stamped his genius on some deathless page, The life of the minister is a reproach to some-a guiding-star to others. with any such a St. George, and wishing that they had been less concerned with many Quakers, whose chief apostles have been so many of them called Georges, but in effect so many dragons, there was one George who was indeed among the first saints of New-England! and that excellent man of our land was Mr. George Philips. § 2. He was born at Raymund, in the county of Norfolk; descended of honest parents, who were encouraged by his great proficiency at the grammar-school to send him unto the university; where his good invention, strong memory, and solid judgment, with the blessing of God upon all, attained a degree of learning that may be called eminent. The diligent reading of the fathers, while he was yet himself among young men, was one of the things that gave a special ornament unto that skill in theology, whereto he attained; but that which yet further fitted him to become a divine, was his being "made partaker of the divine nature," by the sancti fication of all his abilities for the service of God, in a true regeneration. 3. Devoting himself to the work of the ministry, his employment befel him at Boxford in Essex; whereof he found much acceptance with good men; as being a man "mighty in the Scriptures." But his acquaintance with the writings and persons of some old non-conformists had instilled into him such principles about church-government, as were like to make him unacceptable unto some who then drove the world before them. Some of these principles he had intimated in his publick preaching; whereupon some of his unsatisfied hearers repaired unto old Mr. Rogers of Dedham, with some intimations of their dissatisfaction. But Mr. Rogers, although he had not much studied the controversy, yet had so high a respect for Mr. Philips, that he said, he "believed Mr. Philips would preach nothing without some good evidence for it from the word of God, and therefore they should be willing to regard whatever Mr. Philips might, from that word, make evident unto them." And as for Mr. Philips, the more he was put upon the study and searching of the truth, in the matter contro verted, the more he was confirmed in his own opinion of it. § 4. When the spirit of persecution did at length with the extreamest violence, urge a conformity to ways and parts of divine worship, conscientiously scrupled by such persons as our Mr. Philips. He, with many more of his neighbours, entertained thoughts of transporting themselves and their families into the desarts of America, to prosecute and propagate the glorious designs of the gospel, and spread the light of it in those "goings down of the sun," and being resolved accordingly to accompany the excellent Mr. Winthrop in that undertaking, he with many other devout Christians, embarqued for New-England, where they arrived in the year 1630, through the good hand of God upon them. Here, quickly after his landing, he lost the desire of his eyes, in the death of his desirable consort, who, though an only child, had cheerfully left her parents, to serve the Lord Jesus Christ with her husband in a terrible wilderness. At Salem she died, entering into the everlasting peace; and was very solemnly interred near the Right Honourable the Lady Arabella, the sister of the Earl of Lincoln, who also took New-England in her way to heaven. § 5. Mr. Philips, with several gentlemen and other Christians, having chosen a place upon Charles-River for a town, which they called WaterTown, they resolved that they would combine into a church-fellowship there, as their first work; and build the house of God before they could build many houses for themselves; thus they "sought, first, the kingdom of God!" And, indeed, Mr. Philips being better acquainted with the true church-discipline than most of the ministers that came with him into the country, their proceedings about the gathering and ordering of their church, were methodical enough, though not made in all things a pattern for all the rest. Upon a day set apart for solemn fasting and prayer, the very next month after they came ashore, they entred into this holy covenant: "JULY 30, 1630. "WE whose names are hereto subscribed, having through God's mercy escaped out of pollutions of the world, and been taken into the society of his people, with all thankfulness do hereby both with heart and hand acknowledge, that his gracious goodness, and fatherly care, towards us: and for further and more full declaration thereof, to the present and future ages, have undertaken (for the promoting of his glory and the church's good, and the honour of our blessed Jesus, in our more full and free subjecting of our selves and ours, under his gracious government, in the practice of, and obedience unto all his holy ordinances and orders, which he hath pleased to prescribe and impose upon us) a long and hazardous voyage from east to west, from Old England in Europe, to New-England in America; that we may walk before him, and 'serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness, all the days of our lives: and being safely arrived here, and thus far onwards peaceably preserved by his special providence, that we may bring forth our intentions into actions, and perfect our resolutions, in the beginnings of some just and meet executions; we have separated the day above written from all other services, and dedicated it wholly to the Lord in divine employments, for a day of afflicting our souls and humbling our selves before the Lord, to seek him, and at his hands, a way to walk in, by fasting and prayer, that we might know what was good in his sight: and the Lord was intreated of us. "For in the end of that day, after the finishing of our publick duties, we do all, before we depart, solemnly and with all our hearts, personally, man by man for our selves and ours (charging them before Christ and his elect angels, even them that are not here with us this day, or are yet unborn, that they keep the promise unblameably and faithfully unto the coming of our Lord Jesus) promise, and enter into a sure covenant with the Lord our God, and before him with one another, by oath and serious protestation made, to renounce all idolatry and superstition, will-worship, all humane traditions and inventions whatsoever, in the worship of God; and forsaking all evil ways, do give our selves wholly unto the Lord Jesus, to do him faithful service, observing and keeping all his statutes, commands, and ordinances, in all matters concerning our reformation; his worship, administrations, ministry, and government; and in the carriage of our selves among our selves, and one towards another, as he hath prescribed in his holy word. Further swearing to cleave unto that alone, and the true sense and meaning thereof to the utmost of our power, as unto the most clear light and infallible rule, and all-sufficient canon, in all things that concern us in this our way. In witness of all, we do exanimo, and in the presence of God, hereto set our names or marks, in the day and year above written." About forty men, whereof the first was that excellent Knight Sir Richard Saltonstal, then subscribed this instrument, in order unto their coalescence into a church-estate; which I have the more particularly recited, because it was one of the first ecclesiastical transactions of this nature managed in the colony. But in after time, they that joined unto the church, subscribed a form of the covenant, somewhat altered, with a "confession of faith" annexed unto it. § 6. A church of believers being thus gathered at Watertown, this reverend man continued for divers years among them, faithfully discharging the duties of his ministry to the "flock, whereof he was made the overseer;" and as a "faithful steward giving to every one their meat in due season. Herein he demonstrated himself to be a real divine; but not in any thing more, than in his most intimate acquaintance with the divine oracles of the Scripture: being fully of Jerom's perswasion, Ama Scientiam Scripturarum, et Vitia Carnis non amabis.* He had so thoroughly perused and pondered them, that he was able on the sudden to turn unto any text, without the help of Concordances; and they were so much his delight, that as it has been by some of his family affirmed, "he read over the whole Bible six times every year:" nevertheless he did use to say, "That every time he read the Bible, he observed or collected something, which he never did before." There was a famous prince of Transylvania, who found the time to read over the Bible no less than twenty-seven times. There was a famous King of Arragon, who read over the Bible fourteen times, with Lyra's Commentaries. A religious person, who was a close prisoner in a dark dungeon, having a candle brought him, for the few minutes in the day when his poor meals were to be eaten, chose then to read a little of his Bible, and eat his necessary food when the candle was gone. Yea, the Emperour Theodosius wrote out the New Testament with his own hand; and Bonaventure did as much by the Old; and some have, like Zuinglius and Bcza, lodged vast paragraphs of it in the memories. Among such memorable students in the Scriptures, our Philips deserves to have some remembrance: who was fully of the opinion expressed by Luther, "If the letters of Princes are to be read three times over, surely then God's letters (as Gregory calls the Scriptures) are to be read seven times thrice, yea, seventy times seven, and, if it could be, a thousand times over;" and he might say with Ridley, giving an account of how much of the Bible he had learnt by heart, "Though in time a great part of the study departed from me, yet the sweet smell thereof, I trust, I shall carry with me to heaven." Indeed, being well skilled in the original tongues, he could see further into the Scriptures than most other men; and thereby being "made wise unto salvation," he also became "a man of God, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." § 7. Hence also he became an able disputant; and ready upon all occa * Love the study of the Scriptures, and you will not love the vices of the flesh. sions to maintain what he delivered from the word of God; for which cause his hearers counted him, "the irrefragable Doctor;" though he were so humble and modest, as to be very averse unto disputation, until driven thereto by extream necessity. One of his hearers, after some conference with him about infant-baptism, and several points of church-discipline, obtained a copy of the arguments in writing for his further satisfaction. This copy the man sends over to England, which an Anabaptist there published with a pretended confutation; whereby the truth lost nothing, for Mr. Philips hereupon published a judicious treatise, entituled, “A Vindication of Infant-Baptism," whereto there is added another, "Of the Church." This book was honourably received and mentioned, by the eminent assembly of London ministers; and a preface full of honour was thereto prefixed by the famous Mr. Thomas Shepard; notwithstanding the difference between him and Mr. Philips, upon one or two points, whereabout those two learned neighbours managed a controversy with so much reason, and yet candor and kindness, that if all theological controversies had been so handled, we need not so much wish, Liberari ab Implacabilibus Theologorum Odiis.* He § 8. About fourteen years continued he in his ministry at Watertown; in which time his ministry was blessed for the conversion of many unto God, and for the edification and confirmation of many that were converted. was, indeed, "a good man, and full of faith, and of the Holy Ghost:" and for that cause he was not only in publick, but in private also, very full of holy discourse on all occasions; especially on the Lord's day at noon, the time intervening between the two exercises, he would spend in conferring with such of his good people as resorted unto his house, at such a rate as marvellously ministered grace unto the hearers; not wanting any time then, as it seems, for any further preparations than what he had still aforehand made for the publick sermons of the afternoon. 9. He laboured under many bodily infirmities: but was especially liable unto the cholick; the extremity of one fit whereof, was the wind which carried him afore it into the haven of eternal rest, on July 1, in the year 1644, much desired and lamented by his church at Watertown; who testified their affection to their deceased pastor by a special care to promote and perfect the education of his eldest son, whereof all the country, but especially the town of Rowly, have since reaped the benefit. EPITAPHIUM. Hic Jacet GEORGIUS PHILIPPI. Vir Incomparabilis, nisi SAMUELEM genuisset.t • To be delivered from the implacable contentions of theologians. + EPITAPH: Here lies George Philips: an incomparable man, had he not been the father of Samuel. |