careless nest upon, and shall voluntarily present themselves to perform the office of gleaners after barley harvest; as long as nature shall not grow old and dote, but shall constantly remember to give the rows of Indian corn their edu cation by pairs; so long shall christians be born here, and being made meet shall hence be translated to be made par takers of the inheritance of the saints in light."* So pleasing were his anticipations, and so readily did he find in his na tive town, all the images of duration to satisfy his taste.

The ministers of this ancient church have been respectable for their talents and purity of character. Their first pastor, the Rev. Thomas Parker, was the only son of the Rev. Robert Parker, who with some other ministers was driven out of England, in the reign of queen Elizabeth, for Puritanism. Mr. Thomas Parker was born in 1595. He had been admitted into Magdalen college, in Oxford, before his father's exile; after which he removed to Ireland, where he pursued his studies under the famous Dr. Usher. Thence he went after his father to Holland, where he enonjoyed the assistance of Dr. Ames. His labours were indefatigable, and his progress answerable. Before the age of twenty-two, he received the degree of Master of Arts. In his diploma it is said "Illum non sine magna admiratione audiverimus." He soon returned to Newbury, in England, to pursue his theological studies, where he also for a time preached and kept a school. He thence with a number of christians from Wiltshire, came over to New-England in the year 1634. The next year, with a number of those, who left England with him, and others, he settled at Newbury, where for a long course of years, by the holiness and humility of his life, he gave his people a lively commentary of

* Description of the New Heaven, by S. Sewall, Fellow of Harvard College, printed 1727.

his doctrine. He was a hard student, and by his incessant application, became blind several years before his death. Under this extreme loss, he supported an easy and patient temper, and would, in a pleasant manner, say, "Well, they will be restored shortly in the resurrection." He died April, 1677, in the eighty-second year of his age, and fiftysecond of his ministry. He was a man of charity, and for some peculiarity of opinions, experienced some difficulties with his neighbours. He was considered one of the first scholars and divines of the age.

Mr. Parker's confidence in the success of New-England settlements, may be inferred from the text he selected for a sermon preached at Ipswich, just before he and his people left England. It was Exodus i. 7, "And the children of Israel were fruitful, &c. and the land was filled with them."

Mr. Parker and also his colleague considered the sabbath as beginning the evening preceding, yet both kept sabbath evening, as their people did. Being asked why he adopted a practice different from his opinion, Mr. Parker replied, "Because I dare not depart from the footsteps of the flock, for my own private opinion." When he kept a small school he refused any reward, saying, "He lived for the church's sake, therefore he was not willing to receive any scholars, but those, who were designed for the ministry. His whole life was employed in prayer, study, preaching, and teaching school.

Mr. James Noyes was born in 1608, at Chouldertown, of godly parents; his father being minister of the town. Mr. Noyes was called from college, in Oxford, to assist Mr. Parker in his school at Newbury, in England. In his youth he was admired for his piety; after receiving a call at Watertown, he chose to settle with his beloved Parker, and the people, who came over with him, who invited him to Newbury, He was much beloved by his people, and his

memory is respected there to the present day. A catechism, which he composed for the children of his flock, has lately been reprinted by them. He was their teacher for more than twenty years; and after a long and tedious sickness, which he bore with patience and even with cheerfulness, he died Oct. 22, 1656, in the 48th year of his age. He married Sarah Brown, before he left England, by whom he left six sons and two daughters, who all lived to have families. Though Mr. Noyes fled from the church of England, he was not so high a republican in religious affairs, as his brethren in general. "He no way approved the governing vote of the fraternity, but took their consent in a silential way." He held a profession of faith, and repentance, and subjection to ordinances, to be the rule of admission to church fellowship, but admitted to baptism the children of those, who had been baptised, without requiring the parents to own any covenant, or being in church fellowship. Mr. Parker and Noyes kept a private fast together once a month, while Mr. Noyes lived, as they often had done in England, and while on their passage to this country. Mr. Parker continued the practice after the death of Mr. Noyes. They were the most cordial and intimate friends; in England they instructed in the same school; they came over in the same ship; they were ministers in the same church; and as Mr. Parker never married, they lived in the same house; nothing but death could separate them.

Mr. John Woodbridge succeeded Mr. Noyes as a teacher of the church with Mr. Parker, his uncle, his mother being Mr. Parker's sister. Mr. Woodbridge was born in 1613, the son of a pious clergyman of Wiltshire." John was "trained up in the way he should go," and when prepared, sent to Oxford to receive an education. But not choosing to take the oath of conformity, he left college, and pursued his studies in a more privatę way. The ceremonies of the

church being rigorously enforced, young Woodbridge, in 1634, came over to New-England with Mr. Parker. With the rest he took up lands in Newbury, and continued his studies, till, by reason of his father's death, he was called to England; having accomplished his business and married a daughter of governor Dudley, he returned to New-England, in the the infancy of Andover, where he was ordained, Sept. 16, 1644. Here he continued with reputation, till by the invitation of friends, in 1647, he once more crossed the Atlantic to the pleasant isle of his nativity. There he continued, useful and happy, till the Bartholomew act, in 1663, banished him once more to America. Soon after his arrival on these shores, the church in Newbury invited him to be an assistant of his aged uncle, and to them he devoted his labours. But after some time, a difficulty concerning church discipline rose between him and his people, and he was dismissed. Soon after, he was remarkably blessed "in his private estate," which supplied the loss of his salary. His reputation was good, and he was appointed a justice of the peace, and magistrate of the colony. He had twelve children; eleven of whom lived to be men and women. He had the comfort of seeing three sons, and two sons-in-law, employed in the gospel ministry, and four grandsons candidates for the same work. He was a man of an excellent spirit, and gave good evidence "that he had been sanctified from his infancy." He was of a remarkably patient, pleas ant temper, noted for his readiness to forgive injuries, rarely or never disturbed by worldly disappointments. A messenger once brought him word of great loss of property; his reply was, "what a mercy it is that this is the first time that I ever met with such a disaster." On a sabbath day in March, 1695, after a distressing disease, he died, aged 82 years. To him succeeded the Rev. John Richardson, who was ordained teacher of the first church in Newbury, with

Mr. Parker, Oct. 20, 1675. He died April 27, 1696, in the 50th year of his age, and 21st of his ministry. The Rev. Mr. Tappan was his successor. He, and Dr. Tucker, who followed him, both enjoyed a good old age.

The Massachusetts colony being threatened by the sur rounding Indians, prudence dictated that union should be established between the two infant colonies. To bring about a measure so necessary to their safety, the governor, with the Rev. Mr. Wilson and others, proceeded to Plymouth, forty miles through the wilderness on foot. They were kindly and respectfully received by governor Bradford, and the principal gentlemen at Plymouth. The result of this embassy was a lasting friendship between the colonies.

CHAP. VIII.

Complaint against the colonists; character of Rev. Mr. Higginson; Ipswich settled; further emigrations; representative government; code of laws enacted.

THE colonists, in their zeal to preserve the unity and pu rity of the faith, had expelled from among them some, whose principles and conduct they disapproved. These persons complained to the king of the wrongs they suffered. Their complaint was referred to the privy council for colonies, January, 1632; but most of the charges being denied, and "to avoid discouragement to the adventurers, and in hopes that the colony, which then had a promising appearance, would prove beneficial to the kingdom," the complaint was dismissed.*

* Chalmers.