more than the most, in explaining and maintaining the points of ChurchGovernment then debated. The discourse about the Church-Covenant, and the answer to the thirty two questions, both written in the year 1639, though they pass under the name of the ministers of New-England, Mr. Mather was the sole author of them. And when the "Platform of Church-Discipline" was agreed by a Synod of these churches, in the year 1647, Mr. Mather's model was that out of which it was chiefly taken.

And being thereto desired, he also prepared for the press a very elaborate composure, which he entituled, "A Plea for the Churches of New-England."

Moreover, to defend the Congregational, in those lesser punctilio's, wherein it seems to differ from the "Presbyterian way of Church-Government," he printed one little book in answer to Mr. Herl, and another in answer to Mr. Rutherford; and yet was he so little Brownistically affected, that besides his apprehension of so vicious and infamous a man as Brown's not being likely to be the discoverer of any momentous truth in religion, he wrote a treatise to prove, that whatever priviledge and liberty may belong to the fraternity, the rule of the church belongs only to its presbytery. Furthermore, when the propositions of the Synod, in 1662, were opposed by Mr. Davenport, Mr. Mather was called upon to answer him; which he did, and therein, as in his former answers, he gave such instances of a close regard unto the truth and the cause, without the least expression or disrespect unto the persons answered, that, as my reverend friend Mr. Higginson hath said sometimes to me, "He was a pattern for all answers to the end of the world."

But as he judged that a preacher of the gospel should be, he was a very hard student: yea, so intent was he upon his beloved studies, that the morning before he died, he importuned the friends that watched with him to help him into the room, where he thought his usual works and books expected him; to satisfie his importunity, they began to lead him thither; but finding himself unable to get out of his lodging-room, he said, "I see I am not able; I have not been in my study several days; and is it not a lamentable thing, that I should lose so much time?" He was truly "abundant in his labours;" for though he was very frequent in hearing the word from others, riding to the lectures in the neighbouring towns till his disease disabled him, and even to old age writing notes at those lectures, as the renowned Hildersham likewise did before him; yet he preached for the most part of every Lord's day twice; and a lecture once a fortnight, besides many occasional sermons both in publick and private; and many "cases of conscience," which were brought unto him to be discussed. Thus his ministry in Dorchester, besides innumerable other texts of scripture, went over the book of Genesis, to chap. xxxviii.; the sixteenth Psalm; the whole book of the Prophet Zachariah; Matthew's gospel to chap. xv.; the fifth chapter in the first Epistle to the Thessa

lonians; and the whole second Epistle of Peter; his notes whereon he reviewed and renewed, and fitted for the press before his death.

He also published a treatise of justification, whereof Mr. Cotton and Mr. Wilson gave this testimony: "Thou shalt find this little treatise to be like Mary's box of spikenard, which, washing the paths of Christ towards us, (as that did his feet) will be fit to perfume not only the whole house of God with the odour of his grace, but also thy soul with the oyl of gladness, above what creature comforts can afford. The manner of handling thou shalt find to be solid, judicious, succinct, and pithy, fit (by the blessing of Christ) to make wise unto salvation." And besides these things, he published catechisms, a lesser and a larger, so well formed, that a Luther himself would not have been ashamed of being a learner from them.

Nevertheless, after all these works, he was, as Nazianzen saith of Aths nasius, Ύψηλτος τοῖς ἔργοις, ταπεινος δε τοῖς φρονημασι :" As low in his thoughts, as he was high in his works." He never became "twice a child" through infirmity, but was always one, as our Saviour hath commanded us, in humility.

§ 15. A Jerom would weep at the death of such a man, as portending evil to the place of his former, useful, holy life: but such an occasion of tears, the death of Mr. Mather must at last give to his bereaved people.

Some years before his death, [having sent over unto his old flock in Lancashire, a like testimony of his concernment for them] he composed and published, “A Farewel Exhortation to the Church and People of Derchester," consisting of seven directions, wherein his flock might read the design and spirit of his whole ministry among them; on a certain Lord's day he did, by the hands of his deacons, put these little books into the hands of his congregation, that so whenever he should by death take his farewel of them, they might still remember how they had been exhorted. But old age came now upon him, wherein, though his hearing was decayed, and (as with great Zanchy) the sight of one of his eyes, yet upon all other accounts he enjoyed an health, both of body and spirit, which was very wonderful, and agreeable as well to his hardy constitution, as to the simple and wholsome diet whereto he still accustomed himself. He never made use of any physician all his days; nor was he ever sick of any acute disease, nor in fifty years together by any sickness detained so much as one Lord's day from his publick labours. Only the two last years of his life, he felt that which has been called Flagellum Studiosorum,* namely, the stone, which proved the tombstone, whereby all his labours and sorrows were in fine brought unto a period.

§ 16. A council of neighbouring churches being assembled at Boston, April 13, 1669, to advise about some differences arisen there, Mr. Mather, for his age, grace, and wisdom, was chosen the Moderator of that reverend assembly. For divers days, whilst he was attending this consultation, he

The scourge of the sedentary.

enjoyed his health better, than of some later months; but as Luther was at a Synod surprised with a violent fit of the stone, which caused him to return home, with little hope of life, so it was with this holy man. On April 16, lodging at the house of his worthy son, a minister in Boston, he was taken very ill with a total stoppage of urine, wherein, according to Solomon's expression of it, "The wheel was broken at the cistern." So his Lord found him about the blessed work of a peace-maker; and with an allusion to the note of the German Phoenix, Mr. Shepard, of Charlestown, put that stroke afterwards into his Epitaph:

Vixerat in Synodis, Moritur Moderator in Illis.*

Returning by coach, thus ill, unto his house in Dorchester, he lay patiently expecting of his change; and, indeed, was a "pattern of patience to all spectators, for all survivors. Though he lay in a mortal extremity of pain, he never shrieked, he rarely groaned, with it; and when he was able, he took delight in reading Dr. Goodwin's discourse about patience, in which book he read until the very day of his death. When they asked "how he did?" his usual answer was, "Far from well, yet far better than mine iniquities deserve." And when his son said unto him, "Sir, God hath shewed his great faithfulness unto you, having upheld you now for the space of more than fifty years in his service, and employed you therein without ceasing, which can be said of very few men on the face of the earth;" he replied, "You say true; I must acknowledge the mercy of God hath been great towards me all my days; but I must also acknowledge that I have had many failings, and the thoughts of them abaseth me, and worketh patience in me." So did he, like Austin, having the "Penitential Psalms" before him until he died, keep up a "spirit of repentance" as long as he lived. Indeed, this excellent man did not speak much in his last sickness to those that were about him, having spoken so much before. Only his son perceiving the symptoms of death upon him, said, "Sir, if there be any special thing which you would recommend unto me to do, in case the Lord should spare me on earth after you are in heaven, I would intreat you to express it;" at which, after a little pause, with lifted eyes and hands, he returned, "A special thing which I would commend to you is, care concerning the rising generation in this country, that they be brought under the government of Christ in his church, and that when grown up, and qualified, they have baptism for their children. I must confess I have been defective as to practice; yet I have publickly declared my judgment, and manifested my desires to practice that which I think ought to be attended; but the dissenting of some in our church discouraged me. I have thought that persons might have right to baptism, and yet not to the Lord's Supper; and I see no cause to alter my judgment, as to that particular. And I still think, that persons qualified, according to the

• In Synods he had lived; he died their Moderator.

fifth proposition of the late Synod-Book, have right to baptism for their children." His dolours continued on him till April 22, at night; when he quietly breathed forth his last; after he had been about seventy-three years a citizen of the world, and fifty years a minister in the church of God.

§ 17. The presage which he had upon his mind of his own approaching dissolution, was like that in Ambrose among the ancients, and in Gesner, Melancthon, and Sandford, among the modern divines; whence the last of the texts, whereon he insisted, in his public ministry, was that in 2 Tim. iv. 6, 7, 8: "The time of my departure is at hand-I have finished my course. And the last before that, was that in Job xiv. 14: "All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come." And for a private conference, he had prepared a sermon on those words, in 2 Cor. v. 1: "For we know, that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens;" but by his removal from this house to that, he was prevented in the preaching of the sermon. How ready he was for the last end of his days thus expected, is a little expressed in certain passages of his last will; the whole of which, if I should here transcribe it, after the example of Beza, writing the life of Calvin, and Bannosius, writing the life of Ramus, and other such examples, it would be no ungrateful entertainment, but I shall only offer that one paragraph, wherein his words were:

'Concerning death, as I do believe, it is appointed for all men once to die; so because I see a great deal of unprofitableness in my own life, and because God hath also let me see such vanity and emptiness even in the best of those comforts which this life can afford, that I think I may truly say, that 'I have seen an end of all perfection: therefore, if it were the will of God, I should be glad to be removed hence, where the best that is to be had doth yield such little satisfaction to my soul, and to be brought into his presence in glory, that there I might find (for there I know it is to be had) that satisfying and all-sufficient contentment in him, which under the sun is not to be enjoyed; in the mean time, I desire to stay the Lord's leisure. But thou, O Lord, how long!"

Thus lived and thus died Richard Mather; able to make his appeal unto an evil world, at his leaving of it:

Nullum Turbavi; Discordes Pacificavi:

Læsus sustinui; nec mihi Complacui.*

§ 18. The special favour of God which was granted unto some of the ancients, that their sons after them succeeded in the ministry of the gospel -and which was particularly granted unto the happy fathers of Gregory Nazianzen, Gregory Nyssen, Basil and Hillary—this was enjoyed by many of those good men that planted our New-English churches, but by none more comfortably than by Mr. Mather. It is mentioned as the felicity of the blessed Vetterus, a Bohemian pastor in the former century, that he

I ne'er raised discord, but have quench'd its flame;
All wrongs I suffered in my Master's name;

Nor has self-seeking been my life's great aim.

gave the church no less than four sons to be worthy ministers of the gospel. Such was the felicity of our Mather. Many years before he died, he had the comfort of seeing four sons that were preachers of no mean consideration among the people of God; it was counted the singular happiness of the great Roman Metellus, that he expired in the arms of his four sons, who were all of them eminent persons; as happy was our Mather; and, in a Christian account, much more happy. And since his death, our common Lord has been served by Mr. Samuel Mather, pastor of a church in Dublin; Mr. Nathanael Mather, pastor after him of the same church, but, before that, of Barnstable, and then of Rotterdam, and since that of a church in London; Mr. Eleazer Mather, pastor of a church at our Northampton; and Mr. Increase Mather, teacher of a church in Boston, and president of Harvard Colledge. Now, because this mighty man, and the youngest but one of these "arrows in his hand," were not only "lovely and useful in their lives," but also "in their deaths not divided," (for he died about three months after his father,) it will be pity to divide them, in the history of their lives; and therefore of this Mr. Eleazer Mather we will here subjoin some small account.

§ 19. Mr. Eleazer Mather, (born May 13, 1637,) having passed through his education in Harvard-Colledge, and having by the living and lively proofs of a renewed heart, as well as a well-instructed head, recommended himself unto the service of the churches, the church of Northampton became the happy owner of his talents. Here he laboured for eleven years in the vineyard of our Lord; and then the twelve hours of his day's labour did expire, not without the deepest lamentations of all the churches, as well as his own; then sitting along the river of Connecticut. As he was a very zealous preacher, and accordingly saw many seals of his ministry, so he was a very pious walker; and as he drew towards the end of his days, he grew so remarkably ripe for heaven, in an holy, watchful, fruitful disposition, that many observing persons did prognosticate his being not far from his end. He kept a diary of his experiences; wherein the last words that ever he wrote were these:

"JULY 10, 1669.-THIS evening, if my heart deceive me not, I had some sweet workings of soul after God in Christ, according to the terms of the covenant of grace. The general and indefinite expression of the promise, was an encouragement unto me to look unto Christ, that he would do that for me which he has promised to do for some, nor dare I exclude my self; but if the Lord will help me, I desire to lie at his feet, and accept of grace in his own way, and with his own time, through his power enabling of me. Though I am dead, without strength, help or hope in my self, yet the Lord requireth nothing at my hands in my own strength; but that by his power I should look to him, 'to work all his works in me and for me.' When I find a dead heart, the thoughts of this are exceeding sweet and reviving, being full of grace, and discovering the very heart and love of Jesus."

He died July 24, 1669, aged years about thirty-two.