He was courageous in dangers, and still was apt to believe the best, and made fair weather in a storm. He was much honoured and esteemed in the country, and his death was much bewailed. I think he may be reckoned among the greatest worthies of this age."

CHAPTER XXVI.

THE LIFE OF MR. THOMAS THACHER.

Virtutem Virtus pariat; De lumine Lumen prodeat.*

§ 1. ATHANASIUS, writing the life of his Antonius, describes him as propounding to his own observation and imitation the various excellencies of the good men whom he conversed withal: the ro xapisy, or good carriage of one; the ro pos ras suxas ouvrovov, or prayerfulness, of another; the so dopуnov, or lenity, of a third; the ro piλavėpwwov, or humanity of a fourth; attending to one s dy puπvšν, or keeping of his watchfulness; to another poλoyev, or loving of learning; remarking of one, rov iv xaprs. ρια, in his patience; of another, τον ἐν νησείαις και χαμευνίαις, in his fastings and hardships: regarding the rv paornra, or mansuetude, of one; the nv μaxpoθυμιαν, or longanimity of another: but, παντων ἐμὲ την εις τον χριστον ευσέβειαν και την προς άλληλες αγαπην, the piety of them all toward the Lord Jesus Christ, and the charity of them all towards one another.

τον καρτε

Such excellencies of good men have been set before my reader, in the Lives that we have written of several such good men, who were the "excellent on the earth." But if my reader would see a many of those excellencies meeting together in one man, there are not many in whom I could more hopefully promise him such a sight, than in our excellent Mr. Thomas Thacher, who is now, therefore, to be considered.

§ 2. Mr. Thomas Thacher was born May 1, 1620, the son of Mr. Peter Thacher, a reverend minister at Salisbury, in England: one whom, in a letter of Dr. Twiss to Mr. Mede, at the end of his works, we find joined with famous Mr. White of Dorchester, in a conversation, wherein the learned exercises of that great man made a grateful entertainment. And because it may be some satisfaction unto good men to see instances multiplied, for the confirmation of a matter mentioned by Mr. Baxter, in his proof of infant baptism, where he says:

"As large experience as I have had in my ministry, of the state of souls, and the way of conversion, I dare say, I have met not with one of very many, that would say, that they knew the time when they were converted: and of those that would say so, by reason that they then found some more remarkable change, yet they discovered such stirrings and workings before, that many, I had cause to think, were themselves mistaken. I was once in a meeting of very many Christians, the most eminent for zeal and holiness of most in the land, of whom divers were ministers, and some at this day as famous and as much followed as any I know in Eng

• Let virtue beget virtue: let light bring forth light.

nd; and it was there desired, that every one should give in the manner of their conversion, at it might be observed what was God's ordinary way; and there was but ONE, that I member, of them all, that could conjecture at the time of their first conversion."

It shall here be noted, that this was the experience of our Thacher. he regenerating and verticordius grace of Heaven took advantage from is religious education, insensibly, as it were, to steal into the heart of this bung disciple.

He afterwards affirmed that he was never able to determine the time hen the spirit of God first began to convince him and renew him; only could say, with the reverend blind man, "I was blind, but now I see." 'hen Thacher was a child, the Lord loved him, and this child also loved e Lord: he was an Abijah that, "while he was a child," had many good things in him towards the Lord God of his father;" he was a Timhy that, while he was a child, knew the holy Scriptures: he was a Saml that, in his childhood, was visited by the Holy Spirit: he was a Josiah, at while he was yet young, "sought after the Lord: and so much marked was his early piety, that while he was in his earliest minority, ey would say of him, "There goes a Puritan." It might indeed be said him, as they report of St. Nicholas, that he led a life, Sanctissimè, ab is Incunabulis Inchoatam.* And it might be said by him, as it was by e blessed ancient in his confessions, Domine, puer cæpi rogare te Auxilium Refugium meum, et rogavi parvus, non parvo affectu.†

§ 3. Having been well educated at the grammar school, he had the offer his father to perfect his education at the university, either of Cambridge Oxford. But considering the impositions of things, to him appearing warrantable, whereto he then must have exposed himself, he conscienusly declined his father's offer, and chose rather to venture over the tlantic ocean, and content himself with the meannesses of America, than wound his own conscience for the academical priviledges of England. When his parents discerned his inclination, they permitted his removal New-England: intending themselves, within a year or two, with their nily, to have removed thither after him: which intention was prevented the death of his mother, before it could be effected.

He arrived at Boston, June 4, 1635. In which year he was wonderfully eserved from a shipwreck, with his uncle, wherein a worthy minister, e Mr. Avery, lost his life, as elsewhere we have related. A day or two fore that fatal voyage from Newberry to Marblehead, our young Thacher d such a strong and sad impression upon his mind about the issue of the yage, that he with another would needs go the journey by land, and so › escaped perishing with some of his pious and precious friends by sea. 4. "Tis well known that in the early days of Christianity, there were > colledges (except we will say the Catechetick Lecture at Alexandria

* Most holily begun at the very cradle.

[feeling.

+ Lord! in boyhood I began to implore thine aid and protection: I prayed as a little child, but not with little

was one) for the breeding of young ministers; but the bishop of every church took the care to educate and elevate some young men, who might be prepared thereby to succeed in their place when they should be dead and gone. And in the early days of New-England, they were for a little while obliged unto such a method of providing young men for the service of the churches. Thus our Thacher, by the good providence of God, was now cast into the family and under the tuition of that reverend man, Mr. Charles Chancey; who was afterwards the President of Harvard-Colledge, in our Cambridge. Under the conduct of that eminent scholar, he became such an one himself; and his indefatigable studies were so prospered, that he became Aliquis in Omnibus,* without the blemish usually, but sometimes unjustly annexed unto it, Nullus in Singulis. He was not unskilled in the tongues, especially in the Hebrew, whereof he did compose a Lexicon; but so comprized it, that within one sheet of paper, he had every consider able word of the language. And he was as well skilled in the arts, especially in logic, whereof he gave demonstration, in his being a most irre fragable disputant on some great occasions.

Moreover, it was his custom, once in three or four years time, at succes sive hours, to go over the tongues and arts at such a rate, that his good skill in them continued fresh unto the last. And to all his other accomplishments, there was this added, that he was a most incomparable serie; he n only wrote all the sorts of hands in the best copy-books then extant, with a singular exactness and acuteness, but there are yet extant monuments of Syriac, and other oriental characters of his writing, which are hardly to be imitated. He had likewise a certain mechanic genius, which disposed him in his recreations unto a thousand curiosities, especially the ingenuity of clock-work, wherein at his leisure he did things to admiration.

§ 5. On May 11, 1643, he was married unto the daughter of that vererable man Mr. Ralph Partridge, the minister of Duxbury. The consort whom the favour of Heaven thus bestowed upon him, was a person of a most amiable temper; one pious, and prudent, and every way worthy the man to whom she became a glory. By her he received three sons an one daughter; and when she had continued three sevens of years with hi she went after a very triumphant manner to be for ever with the Lori June 2, 1664, uttering those for her dying words, "Come, Lord Jess come quickly: why are thy chariot-wheels so long a coming?"

§ 6. Having, as a candidate of the ministry, by his most commends preaching and living, abundantly recommended himself unto the servi of the churches, he was invited by the church of Weymouth to take pastoral charge of them; whereto he was ordained, January 2, 1644. A here he did for many years fulfil his ministry, not only with elabor and affectionate sermons twice every Lord's day, and in a lecture once fortnight; but also in catechising the lambs of his flock, for which he li

Knowing a little of every thing.

† Good în nothing.

wise made a Catechism. These also he would at fit seasons call to an account concerning their proficiency under the means of grace: and such as he found ripe for an admission unto the highest mysteries, at the table of the Lord, he would encourage to put themselves upon the publick and usual probation, in order thereunto, but such as he found short, he would suitably, faithfully, and fervently advise unto the preparations, wherein they appeared hitherto defective. And God crowned these methods and labours of his holy servant with observable successes; which were seen in the great growth of the church whereof he had the oversight. But one excellency that shined above the other glories of his ministry was, hat excellent spirit of prayer which continually breathed in him. It has been used among the arguments for men to be much in prayer, that the lignity of the person praying is thereby much augmented; and Chrysosom, in his book, "De Deo Orando," says: "The very angels cannot but onour him whom they see familiarly and frequently to be admitted unto he audience, and, as it were, discourse with the Divine Majesty." Now, hough this honour have all the saints, yet our Thacher had more than ordiary share of this honour; he was a person much in prayer, and as he was much in prayer, so he had an eminency above most men living, for his pious, his fluent, his fervent manner of performing that sacred exercise. It was an heaven upon earth to be present at the notable salleys of a used soul, a lively faith, and a tongue, toucht with a "coal from the altar," ith which, in his prayers, he did Calum tundere et Misericordiam extorquere.† $7. After the death of his first wife, he married a second in Boston, hich, with a concurrence of many obliging circumstances, occasioned his moval thither. And it was afterwards found that "He who holds the ars in his right hand," had a purpose of service to be done for his name that populous town, by the talents of this his "good and faithful servant." or in the month of May, 1669, a third church swarming out from the first Boston, which afterwards made one of the most considerable congregaons in the colony, this worthy person was chosen the pastor of that church: d installed in the pastoral charge thereof, February 16, 1669, wherein continued until he died. From this time, I behold him in the metrolis of the English America, not only dispensing both light and warmth to his own particular flock, but also, as he had opportunity, expressing "care of all the churches." And for the comfort of those worthy miners who commonly have their spirits buffeted with strong temptations and te dejections, before their performing any special service of their ministry, I mention one passage that may a little describe how this worthy man came so useful: he would say to his son, "Son, I never preach a sermon I cannot preach at all!"

8. As he was in his whole behaviour a serious, holy, and useful man, in his government of his family, he so well "ruled his own house," as to

* On Prayer to God.

To storm Heaven and wrest from it its mercy.

give particular demonstrations of his abilities to "take care of the Church of God." His domesticks both loved him and feared him; and he was most conscientiously and exemplarily careful about their interiour as well as temporal welfare. This appeared especially in the management of his family worship; wherein he usually read a portion of the Scriptures, both morning and evening, and he would raise doctrines from every verse with brief confirmations, and close applications thereof as he went along. Yea, sometimes one might hear from him thus, in one family exposition, as entertaining a variety of truth, notably and pungently expressed, as in several publick sermons: and he has told his worthy son, for his encouragement unto such exercises, that he had found as much advantage by them, as by most of his other studies of divinity; adding, that he looked upon it as the Lord's gracious accomplishment of that word, "Shall I hide any thing from Abraham? I know Abraham, that he will teach his house."

§ 9. He was one very watchful over the souls of his people, and careful to preserve them from errors as well as vices: but of all errors, he discov ered an antipathy unto none more than that sink of all errors, QUAKERISM. It was in his time, namely, about the year 1652, that there appeared a new sect of people in the world, which, from the odd motions of their bodies, that attended especially their first perversion, were called QUAKERS; and it was not long after their first appearance, that New-England began to be troubled with them. Their spirit of the hat, and their fopperies of the and thee, in their language to a single person, were the least of those things which gave our Thacher a dissatisfaction at them; that which caused him to employ a most fervent zeal against those hereticks, was the horrible end of their heresies, to lead men into a pit of darkness, under a pretence of the light, and annihilate all the sensible objects of our holy religion, under a pretence of advancing the spiritual; so that we must have no Bible, no Jesus, no Baptism, no Eucharist, no ordinances, but what shall be evapo rated into dispensations, allegories, and meer mystical notions: when he saw that quite contrary to the tendency and character of every truth, which is to abuse the creature, the main design of Quakerism is to exalt man, and find that in man himself, which may be instead of Saviour, Scripture, Heaven, righteousness and all institutions unto him, he could not but adore the justice and vengeance of God, in permitting such a spiritual plague to be inflicted on places where the gospel had been more eminently sinned against; but he set himself with the more of a pastoral diligence to defend his own flock from the contagion: and hence, when he heard of any books left by the Quakers in any houses of his neighbourhood, he would presently repair to the houses, and obtain those venomous pamphlets from them: for which, that the wolves barked more at him than at many other mer, and would sometimes come with their faces hideously blacked, and ther garments fearfully torn, into his congregation, whereby the neighbours were frighted unto the danger of their lives, is not at all to be wondred at. In