underwent great hardships, water was their common drink, and glad if they might have had but that which they had given at their doors here (many of them): and all this suffering was to avoid your impositions, and that they might dwell in the House of God, and enjoy all things therein, according to his own appointment."

CHAPTER XV.

BIBLIANDER NOV-ANGLICUS: THE LIFE OF MR. SAMUEL

NEWMAN.

Nulla Tuas unquam Virtutes nesciet Etas;

Non Jus in Laudes Mors habet Atra Tuas. †

§ 1. NONE of the least services which the pens of ingenious and industrious men have done for the Church of God, hath been in the writing of CONCORDANCES for that miraculous Book, where, Quicquid docetur est Veritas; Quicquid præcipitur, Bonitas; Quicquid promittitur, Fœlicitas The use of such concordances is well understood by all that "search the Scriptures," and "think thereby to have eternal life:" but most of all by those Bezaleels, whose business 'tis (as one speaks) "to cut and set in gold the diamonds of the divine word."

And therefore there have been many concordances of the Bible since that Origen first led the way for such composures, and divers languages; whereof, it may be, the Maxima et absolutissima Concordantia,§ most compleat, have been those that were composed by the two Stephens, Robert the father, and Henry the son; these, as their name signifies a crown, so in this work of theirs, like Demosthenes in his oration, De Corona, have carried away the garland from all that went before them.

Now, in the catalogue of concordances, even from that of R. Isaac Nathans, in Hebrew, to all that have in many other derived languays imitated it, there is none to be compared unto that of Mr. Samuel New man, in English. Indeed, first Marbeck in a concordance which pointed unto chapters, but not unto verses; then Cotton, who, though no clergyman himself, yet by his more, but not quite perfect concordance and his diligence, obliged all clergy-men; and afterwards Bernard, who yet (20 more than his name's sake) "saw not all things;" and then Downham, Wickens, Bennet, and how many more? have "done vertuously;" but thou, Newman, "has excelled them all!" It hath been a just remark, sometimes, made by them, who are so wise as to observe these things, that the Lord Jesus Christ, in his holy providence, hath chose especially to make the

The author of a New-England Concordance.

+ Thy virtues shall be known to future story:
Death may destroy thy fame, but not thy glory.

Every thing taught is truth; every thing inculcated is goodness; every thing promised is felicity.
The most voluminous and complete concordances.

| On the Crown.

names of those persons honourable, who have laboured in their works, espe cially to put honour upon the sacred Scriptures. And in conformity to that observation, there are dues to be now paid unto the memory of Mr. Samuel Newman, who (that the Scriptures might be preserved for the memory, as well as the understanding of the Christian world,) first compiled in England a more elaborate concordance of the Bible than had ever yet been seen in Europe; and after he came to New-England, made that concordance yet more elaborate, by the addition of not only many texts that were not in the former, but also the marginal readings of all the texts that had them, and by several other contrivances so made the whole more expedite for the use of them that consulted it.

2. The life of Mr. Samuel Newman commenced with the century now running, at Banbury, where he was born of a family more eminent and more ancient for the profession of the true Protestant religion than most in the realm of England. After his parents, who had more piety and honesty than worldly greatness to signalize them, had bestowed a good education upon him, and after his abode in the university of Oxford had given more perfection to that education, he became "an able minister of the New-Testament." But being under the conscientious dispositions of real Christianity, which was then called Puritanism, the persecution from the prevailing Hierarchy, whereto he therefore became obnoxious, deprived him of liberty for the peaceable exercise of his ministry. Whence it came to pass, that although we might otherwise have termed him a presbyter of one town by ordination, we must now call him an evangelist of many, through persecution; for the Episcopal molestations compelled him to no less than seven removes, and as many places may now contend for the honour of his ministry, as there did for Homer's nativity. But an eighth remove, whereto a weariness of the former seven drove him, shall bury in silence the claims all other places unto him; for after the year 1638, (in which year, with many others, as excellent Christians as any breathing upon earth, he crossed the water to America) he must be styled, "a New-England man.'

§ 3. After Mr. Newman's arrival at New-England, he spent a year and half at Dorchester, five at Weymouth, and nineteen years at Rehoboth, which name he gave unto the town, because his flock, which were before straitned for want of room, now might say, "The Lord hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land;" nor will it be wondered at, if one so well versed in the Scripture, could think of none but a Scripturename, for the place of his habitation. How many straights he afterwards underwent at Rehoboth, in the dark-day, when he was almost the only minister whose invincible patience held out, under the scandalous neglect and contempt of the ministry, which the whole colony of Plymouth was for a while bewitched into, it is best known unto the compassionate Lord, who said unto him, "I know thy works, and how thou hast born and hast

patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted." But no doubt the straits did but more effectually recommend Heaven to him as the only Rehoboth; whither he went July 5, in the year of our Lord 1663, when by passing through nine sevens of years he was come to that which we call, "the grand climaterical." Nor let it be forgotten, that in this memorable and miserable year, each of three colonies of New-Eng land was beheaded of the minister from whence they had most of their influences; Norton went from the Massachuset colony, Stone went from Connecticut colony, and Newman from Plymouth colony, within a few weeks of one another.

§ 4. He was a very lively preacher and a very preaching liver. He loved his church as if it had been his family, and he taught his family as if it had been his church. He was an hard student; and as much toyl and oyl as his learned name's sake Neander employed in illustrations and commentaries upon the old Greek Pagan poets, our Newman bestowed in compiling his concordances of the sacred Scriptures: and the incomparable relish which the sacred Scriptures had with him, while he had them thus under his continual rumination, was as well a mean as a sign of his arriving to an extraordinary measure of that sanctity which the truth produces. But of his family-discipline there was no part more notable than this one, that once a year he kept a solemn day of humiliation with his family; and once a year a day of thanksgiving; and on these days he would not only enquire of his houshold what they had met withal to be humbled or to be thankful for, but also he would recruit the memoirs of his diary; by being denied the sight whereof, our history of him is necessarily creepled with much imperfection.

But whether it were entered in that diary or no, there was one thing remarkable which once befel him, worthy of a mention in this history. He was once on a journey home from Boston to Rehoboth: but hearing of a lecture at Dorchester by the way, he thought with himself, "Perhaps I shall not be out of my way if I go so far out of my way as to take that lecture." There he found Mr. Mather at prayer; the prayer being ended, Mr. Mather would not be satisfied except he would preach. Accordingly, after the singing of a psalm, he preached an excellent sermon; and by that sermon a poor sinner, well known in the place, was remarkably converted unto God, and became a serious and eminent Christian.

§ 5. Hospitality was an essential of his character: and I can tell when he entertained angels not unawares. 'Tis doubtless, a faulty piece of insensibility among too many of the faithful, that they do little consider the guard of holy angels wherewith our Lord Jesus Christ wonderfully supplies us against the mischief and malice of wicked spirits. Those holy angels are, it may be, two hundred and sixty times mentioned in the sacred oracles of Heaven: and we that read so much in those oracles are so earthly-minded, as to take little notice of them. 'Tis a marvellous thing that, as one says, the natives

of heaven do not grudge to attend upon those who are only the denisons thereof; and that, as the ancient expresses it, we may see the whole heaven at work for our salvation, God the Father sending his Son to redeem us, both the Father and the Son sending their Spirit to guide us, the Father, Son and Spirit sending their angels to minister for us. Now, of the whole angelical ministration concerned for our good, there is, it may be, none more considerable, than the illustrious convoy and conduct which they give unto the spirits of believers, when, being expired, they pass through the territories of the "prince of the power of the air," unto the regions where they must attend until the resurrection. What Elijah had at his translation, "a chariot of angels," does, in some sort, accompany all the saints at their expiration; they are carried by angels unto the feast with Abraham, and angels do then "receive them into everlasting habitations." The faith of this matter has therefore filled the departing souls of many good men with "a joy unspeakable and full of glory;" thus the famous Lord Mornay, when dying, said, "I am taking my flight to heaven; here are angels that stand ready to carry my soul into the bosom of my Saviour;" thus the famous Dr. Holland, when dying, said, "O, thou fiery chariot, which camest down to fetch up Elijah, you angels, that attended the soul of Lazarus, bear me into the bosom of my best beloved!" thus we know of another, that when dying, said, "O that you had your eyes open to see what I see! I see millions of angels; God has appointed them to carry my soul up to heaven, where I shall behold the Lord face to face." And now, let my reader accept another instance of this dying and most lively expectation!

Our Newman, towards the conclusion of his days, advanced more and more towards the beginning of his joys; and a joyful as well as a prayerful, watchful, and fruitful temper of soul, observably irradiated him. At length, being yet in health, he preached a sermon on these words in Job xiv. 14, "All the days of my appointed time will I wait, until my change come;" which proved his last. Falling sick hereupon, he did in the afternoon of a following Lord's day ask a deacon of his church to pray with him; and the pious deacon having finished his prayer, this excellent man turned about, saying, "And now, ye angels of the Lord Jesus Christ, come, do your office!" with which words he immediately expired his holy soul into the arms of angels: the spirit of this just man was immediately with the "innumerable company of angels."

6. The believing sinner then has the "forgiveness of sin" effectually declared and assured unto him, when the holy spirit of God, with a special operation (which is called "The Seal of the Holy Spirit") produces in him a solid, powerful, wonderful, and well-grounded persuasion of it; and when he brings home the pardoning love of God unto the heart with such immediate and irresistible efficacy, as marvellously moves and meits the heart, and overwhelms it with the inexpressible consolations of a par

don. The "forgiveness of sin" may be hopefully, but cannot be joyfully evident unto us, without such a special operation of the Holy Spirit giving evidence thereunto. When we set ourselves to argue our justification, from the marks of our sanctification that we can find upon ourselves, we do well; we work right; we are in an orderly way of proceeding. But yet we cannot well see our sanctification, except a special operation of the spirit of God help our sight; and if we do see our sanctification, yet our sight of our justification will be no more than feeble, except a special operation of the spirit of God shall comfort us. Our own argument may make us a little easy; and it is our duty to be found in that rational way of arguing; but this meer argument of our own, will not bring us to that joyful peace of soul that will carry us triumphantly through the "dark valley of the shadow of death," and make us triumph over our doubts, our fears, and all our discouragements. At last, the Spirit of God, he will come in gloriously upon our hearts, and cause us to receive the pardon of our sins, offered freely through Christ unto us; and then we shall "rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." Nevertheless, whenever the "forgiveness of our sins" is by a special operation of the Holy Spirit revealed unto us, the symptoms of a regenerate soul do always accompany it. Though the marks of sanctification are not enough to give us the full joy of our justification, yet they give us the proof of it. When a special operation of the Holy Spirit, gives us to see our justification, it will give us to see our sanctification too.

In writing this, I have written a considerable article of our church-history: for it was this article that, perhaps more than any whatsoever, exercised the thoughts and pens of our churches for many years together. But the mention hereof serves particularly to introduce a few more memoirs of our holy Newman.

All good Christians do sometimes examine themselves about their inte riour state: and they that would be great Christians, must often do it. Though the reserved papers of our Newman are too carelessly lost, yet I have recovered one, which runs in such terms as these:

"NOTES, OR MARKS OF GRACE, I FIND IN MY SELF;

Not wherein I desire to Glory, but to take Ground of Assurance, and, after our Apostles' Rules, to make my Election sure,' though I find them but in weak measure.

"1. I find, I love God, and desire to love God, principally for himself.

"2. A desire to requite evil with good.

"3. A looking up to God, to see him, and his hand, in all things that befal me.

"4. A greater fear of displeasing God, than all the world.

"5. A love to such Christians as I never saw, or received good from.

"6. A grief, when I see God's commands broken by any person.

"7. A mourning for not finding the assurance of God's love, and the sense of his favour, in that comfortable manner at one time as at another; and not being able to serve God as I should.