of it at the "resurrection of the just." Poor New-England has been as Glastenbury of old was called, "a burying place of saints." But we cannot see a more terrible prognostick than tombs filling apace with such bones as those of the renowned Eliot's; the whole building of this country trembles at the fall of such a pillar.

For many months before he dyed, he would often chearfully tell us, "That he was shortly going to heaven, and that he would carry a deal of good news thither with him; he said, he would carry tidings to the old founders of New-England, which were now in glory, that churchwork was yet carried on among us; that the number of our churches was continually encreasing; and that the churches were still kept as big as they were, by the daily additions of those that shall be saved." But the going of such as he from us, will apace diminish the occasions of such happy tidings.

What shall we now say? Our Eliot himself used most affectionately to bewail the death of all useful men; yet if one brought him the notice of such a thing with any despondencies, or said, "O, sir, such an one is dead, what shall we do?" he would answer, "Well, but God lives, Christ lives, the old Saviour of New-England yet lives, and he will reign till all his enemies are made his footstool." This, and only this, consideration have we to relieve us; and let it be accompanied with our addresses to the "God of the spirits of all flesh," that there may be Timothies raised up in the room of our departed Pauls; and that when our Moses's are gone, the spirit which was in those brave men may be put upon the surviving "elders of our Israel."

The last thing that ever our Eliot put off was, "the care of all the churches," which with a most apostolical and evangelical temper he was continually solicitous about. When the churches of New-England were under a very uncomfortable prospect, by the advantage which men that sought the ruine of those golden and holy and reformed societies had obtained against them, God put it into the heart of one well known in these churches to take a voyage into England, that he might by his mediations at Whitehall divert the storms that were impending over us. It is not easy to express what affection our aged Eliot prosecuted this undertaking with; and what thanksgiving he rendered unto God for any hopeful successes of it. But because one of the last times, and, for ought I know, the last of his ever setting pen to paper in the world, was upon this occasion; I shall transcribe a short letter, which was written by the shaking hand that had heretofore by writing deserved so well from the Church of God, but was now taking its leave of writing for ever. It was written to the person that was engaging for us, and thus it ran:

66

"REVEREND AND BELOVED MR. INCREASE MATHER: I cannot write. Read Neh. ii. 10: When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobijah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it; it grieved them exceedingly, that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel

"Let thy blessed soul feed full and fat upon this and other scriptures. All other things I leave to other men; and rest,

"Your loving Brother,

"JOHN ELIOT."

These two or three lines manifest the "care of the churches" which breathed in this great old man, as long as he had a breath to draw in the world. And since he has left few like him for a comprehensive and universal regard unto the prosperity of all the flocks in this wilderness, we have little now to comfort us in the loss of one so like a patriarch among us, but only this, that our poor churches, it may be hoped, have still some interest in the cares of our Lord Jesus Christ, "Who walks in the midst. of the golden candlesticks." Lord! make our churches and keep them yet golden candlesticks! Amen.

BUT I have not obtained the end of this history, nor may I let this history come to an end, until I do with some importunity bespeak the endeavours of good men every where to labour in that harvest which the blessed Eliot justly counted worthy of his utmost pains and cares. It was the confession of Themistocles, that the victory of Miltiades would not let him sleep in quietness; may those of our Eliot raise a like emulation in those that have now seen the life of this evangelical hero! One Robert Baily (a true son of Epiphanius) many years ago published a book, wherein several gross lies, by which the name of that John Cotton, who was known to be one of the holiest men then alive, was most injuriously made odious unto the churches abroad, were accompanied with some reflections upon poor New-England, whereof this was one: "The way of their churches hath most exceedingly hindred the conversion of the poor pagans: of all that ever crossed the American seas, they are noted as most neglectful of the work of conversion." We have now seen those aspersions and calumnies abundantly wiped away. But let that which has been the vindication of New-England, be also the emulation of the world; let not poor little New-England be the only Protestant country that shall do any notable thing for "the propagation of the faith," unto those "dark corners of the earth which are full of cruel habitations." But the addresses of so mean a person as my self are like to prevail but little abroad with men of learning and figure in the world. However, I shall presume to utter my wishes in the sight of my readers; and it is possible that the great God, who "despises not the prayer of the poor," may, by the influences of his Holy Spirit upon the hearts of some whose eyes are upon these lines, give a blessed answer thereunto.

Wherefore, may the people of New-England, who have seen so sensible a difference between the estates of those that sell drink and of those that preach truth unto the miserable salvages among them, as that even this alone might inspire them, yet from a nobler consideration than that of their own outward prosperity thereby advanced, be encouraged still to pros

ecute, first the civilizing, and then the Christianizing of the barbarians in their neighbourhood; and may the New-Englanders be so far politick, as well as religious, as particularly to make a mission of the gospel unto the mighty nations of the Western Indians, whom the French have been of late so studiously, but so unsuccessfully tampering with; lest those horrid pagans, who lately (as it is credibly affirmed) had such a measure of devilism and insolence in them, as to shoot a volley of great and small shot against the heavens, in revenge upon "the man in the heavens," as they called our Lord, whom they counted the author of the heavy calamities which newly have distressed them; be found spared by our long-suffering Lord, [who then indeed presently tore the ground asunder, with immediate and horrible thunders from heaven round about them, but killed them not!] for a scourge to us, that have not used our advantages to make a vertuous people of them. If a King of the West Saxons long since ascribed all the disasters on any of their affairs to negligencies in this point, methinks the New-Englanders may not count it unreasonable in this way to seek their own prosperity. Shall we do what we can that our Lord Jesus Christ may bestow upon America (which may more justly be called Columba*) that salutation, "O my dove!"

May the several plantations, that live upon the labours of their negroes, no more be guilty of such a prodigious wickedness as to deride, neglect, and oppose all due means of bringing their poor negroes unto our Lord; but may the masters (of whom God will one day require the souls of the slaves committed unto them) see to it that, like Abraham, they have "catechised servants;" and not imagine that the Almighty God made so many thousands of reasonable creatures for nothing, but only to serve the lusts of Epicures, or the gains of Mammonists; lest the God of heaven, out of meer pity, if not justice, unto those unhappy blacks, he provoked unto a vengeance which may not without horrour be thought upon. Lord, when shall we see Ethiopians read thy Scriptures with understanding!

May the English nation do what may be done, that the Welch may not be destroyed for the lack of knowledge, lest our indisposition to do for their souls bring upon us all those judgments of Heaven which Gildas their country-man once told them that they suffered for their disregards unto ours; and may the nefandous massacres of the English by the Irish awaken the English to consider whether they have done enough to reclaim the Irish from the Popish bigotries and abominations with which they have been intoxicated!

May the several factories and companies whose concerns lie in Asia, Africa, or America, be perswaded, as Jacob once, and before him his grandfather Abraham was, that they always owe unto God certain proportions of their possessions, by the honest payments of which little quit-rents, they would certainly secure and enlarge their enjoyment of the principal;

* A dove.

but that they are under a very particular obligation to communicate of our spiritual things unto those heathens by whose carnal things they are enriched; and may they therefore make it their study to employ some able and pious ministers, for the instruction of those infidels with whom they have to deal, and honourably support such ministers in that employment! May the poor Greeks, Armenians, Muscovites, and others, in the eastern countries, wearing the name of Christians, that have little preaching and no printing, and few Bibles or good books, now at last be furnished with Bibles, orthodox catechisms, and practical treatises by the charity of England; and may our presses provide good store of good books for them, in their own tongues, to be scattered among them. Who knows what convulsions might be hastened upon the whole Mahometan world by such an extensive charity!

May sufficient numbers of great, wise, rich, learned, and godly men in the three kingdoms, procure well-composed societies, by whose united counsels, the noble design of evangelizing the world may be more effectually carried on: and if some generous persons will of their own accord combine for such consultations, who can tell but, like some other celebrated societies heretofore formed from such small beginnings, they may soon have that countenance of authority which may produce very glorious effects, and give opportunity to gather vast contributions from all well-disposed people, to assist and advance this progress of Christianity. God forbid that Popery should expend upon cheating, more than ten times what we do upon saving the immortal souls of men!

Lastly, may many worthy men, who find their circumstances will allow of it, get the language of some nations that are not yet brought home to God; and wait upon the divine providence for God's leading them to and owning them in their apostolical undertakings. When they remember what Ruffinus relates concerning the conversion of the Iberians, and what Socrates, with other authors, relates concerning the conversion wrought by occasion of Frumentius and Ædesius, in the Inner India, all as it were by accident, surely it will make them try what may be done by design for such things now in our day! Thus, let them see whether while we at home, in the midst of wearisome temptations, are angling with rods, which now and then catch one soul for our Lord, they shall not be fishing with nets, which will bring in many thousands of those, concerning whom with unspeakable joy in the day of the Lord they may say, "Behold, I and the children which God has given me!" Let them see whether, supposing they should prosper no farther than to "preach the gospel of the kingdom in all the world for a witness unto all nations," yet the end which is then to come, will not bring to them the more happy lot wherein they shall stand that are found so doing.

Let no man be discouraged by the difficulties which the devil will be ready to clog such attempts against his kingdom with; for I will take

leave so to translate the words of the wise man, Prov. xxvii. 4: "What is able to stand before zeal?" I am well satisfyed that if men had the wisdom "to discern the signs of the times," they would be all hands at work to spread the name of our Jesus into all the corners of the earth. "Grant it, O my God; and Lord Jesus, come quickly!"

A COPY OF A LETTER FROM THE VERY REVEREND MR. RICHARD BAXTER,

TO MR. INCREASE MATHER, THEN IN LONDON.

WRITTEN UPON THE SIGHT OF MR. ELIOT'S LIFE IN A FORMER EDITION.

DEAR BROTHER: I thought I had been near dying at twelve o'clock in bed; but your book revived me: I lay reading it until between one and two. I knew much of Mr. Eliot's opinions, by many letters which I had from him. There was no man on earth whom I honoured above him. It is his evangelical work that is the apostolical succession that I plead for. I am now dying, I hope, as he did. It pleased me to read from him my case, ["my understanding faileth, my memory faileth, my tongue faileth, (and my hand and pen fail) but my charity faileth not."] That word much comforted me. I am as zealous a lover of the NewEngland churches as any man, according to Mr. Noyes', Mr. Norton's, Mr. Mitchel's, and the Synod's model.

"I loved your father, upon the letters I received from him. I love you better for your learning, labours, and peaceable moderation I love your son better than either of you, for the excellent temper that appeareth in his writings. O that godliness and wisdom thus increase in all families! He hath honoured himself half as much as Mr. Eliot: I say, but half as much; for deeds excel words. God preserve you and New-England! Pray for

August 3, 1691.

"Your fainting, languishing Friend,

RI. BAXTER."