The Triumphs of the Reformed Religion in America, Conclusion
The CONCLUSION. Or, ELIOT Expiring.
BY this time, I have doubtleſs made my Readers loth to have me tell what now remains of this little Hiſtory; doubtleſs they are wiſhing that this John might have Tarried until the Second Coming of our Lord. But, alas All-Devouring Death at laſt ſnatch'd him from us, and ſlighted all thoſe Lamentations of ours, My Father, My Father, the Chariots of Iſrael, and the Horſemen there f!
When he was become a ſort of Miles Emeritu…, & began to draw near …s End, he grew ſtill more Heavenly, more Savoury, more Divine, and Scented more of th… ſpicy Country, at which he was ready to put a ſhoar. As the Hiſtorian obſerves of Liberius. That when his Life and Strength were going from him, his Vice …et remained with him; on the contrary, the Grace of this Excellent Man rather increaſed than abated, when every thing elſe was dying with him. 'Tis too uſual with Old men, that when they are paſt work, they are leaſt ſenſible of their inabilities and incapacities, and can ſcarce endure to ſee another ſucceeding them in any part of their Office. But our Eliot was of a Temper quite contrary thereunto; for finding many Months before his Expiration, That he had not ſtrength enough to Edify his Congregation with publick Prayers, and Sermons, he importun'd his people with ſome impatience to …all another Miniſter; profeſſing himſelf, unable to Dy with Comfort, until he could ſee a …ood Succeſſor ordained, ſettled, fixed among them. For this cauſe, he alſo cry'd mightily unto the Lord Jeſus, our Aſcended Lord, that he would give ſuch a Gift unto Roxbury, and he ſometimes call'd his whole Town together to joyn with him in a Eaſt for ſu…h a bleſſing. As the return of their Supplications, our Lord quickly beſtow'd upon them, a perſon young in years, but old in Diſcretion, Gravity, and Experience; and one whom the Church of Roxbury hopes to find, A Paſtor after God's own Heart.
It was Mr. Nehemiah Walter, who being by the unanimous Vote and Choice of the Church there, become the Paſtor of Roxbury, immediately found the Venerable Eliot Embracing & Cheriſhing of him, with the tender Affections of a Father. The good Old Man like Old Aaron as it were disrobed himſelf, with an unſpeakable satisfaction, when he beheld his garments put upon a ſon ſo dear unto him. After this, he for a year or two before his Tranſlation, could ſcarce be perſwaded unto any publick Service, but humbly pleaded, what none but he would ever have ſaid, It would be a wrong to the Souls of the people, for him to do any thing among them, when they were ſupply'd ſo much to their Advantage otherwiſe. If I miſtake not, the Laſt that even he Preached was on a Publick Eaſt; when he fed his people with a very diſtinct, and uſeful, Expoſition upon the Eighty Third Pſalm; and he concluded with an Apology, begging his Hearers to pa…don the poorneſs, and meanneſs, and b…okenneſs, (as he called it) of his Meditations; but added he, My dear Brother here, will by'nd by mend all.
But altho' he thus diſmiſſed himſelf as one ſo near to the Age of Ninety, might well have done, from his publick Labours; yet he would not give over his Endeavours, in a more pri…ate Sphaere, to Do good unto all. He had alwayes been an Enemy to Idleneſs; any one that ſhould look into the little Diary that he kept in his Almanalks, would ſee that there was with him, No day without a Line; he was troubled when he ſaw how much Time was devoured by that ſlavery to Tobacco, which too many debaſe themſelves unto, and now he grew old, he was deſirous that his work ſhould hold pace with his Life; the leſs Time he ſaw left, the leſs was he willing to have loſt. He imagined that he could now do nothing to any purpoſe in any Service for God; and ſometimes he would ſay with …n Air peculiar to himſelf, I wonder for what the L…rd Jeſus Chriſt lets me live; he knows that ro… I can do nothing for him! And yet he could …ot forbear Eſſaying to Do ſomething for his deareſt Lord; wheref…re, thought he, What ſhall I do? And he then co…ceived, that tho' the Engliſh could not be benefi ed by any Gifts which he now fancied himſelf to have only the Ruines of, yet who can …ell but the Negro's might! He had long lamented it with a bleeding and a burning paſſion, that the Engliſh uſed their N…gro's but as their Horſes or their Oxen, and that ſo little care was taken about their prec…ous and immortal Souls; he look d upon it as a prodigy, that any wearing the Name of Chriſtians, ſhould ſo much have the Heart of Devils in them, as to prevent and hinder the Inſtruction of the poor Blackanu…res, and confine the Souls of their miſerable Slaves to a deſtroying ignorance, meerly for fear of thereby looſing the benefit of their Vaſſalage; but now he made a mo…on to the Engliſh within two or three miles of him that at ſuch a time and place they would ſend their Negro's once a week unto him: for he would then Catechiſe them, and Enlighten them to the utmoſt of his power in the Things of their Everlaſting Peace; however, he did not live to make much progreſs in this Undertaking.
At length, when he was able to do L…le without doors, he try'd then to do ſomething within; and one thing was this. A young Boy in the Ne…ghbourhood, had in his infancy fallen into a fire, ſo as to burn himſelf into a perfect Blindneſs; but this Boy being now grown to ſome Bigneſs, the good old man took him home to his houſe, with ſome intentions to make a ſcholar of him. He firſt informed him of and from the Scripture, in wich the Boy ſo profited, that in a little time he could, even Repeat many whole Chapters Verbatim, and if any other in Reading miſſed a word, he would mind them of it; yea, and an ordinary piece of latin wa… become eaſy to the lad; but having his own Eye… cloſ d by Death, he could no longer help the poor Child againſt the want of …is.
Thus, As the Aged Polycarp could ſay, Theſe Eighty Six years have I ſe…ved my Lord J…ſus Chriſt; and he has been ſuch a good Maſter in me all this while, that I will not now forſake h m Such a Polycarp was our Eliot; he had been ſo many years engaged in the ſweet ſer…ice of his dear Jeſus, that he could not now give it over: 'twas his Ambition, and his priviledge, to bring forth Fruit in old Age; and what veneration the Church of Smyrna paid unto that Angel of theirs, we were upon the like Accounts willing to give unto this Man of God.
While he was, thus making his Retreat out of this evil world, his Diſcourſes from time to time ran upon, The Coming of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt; it was the Theme which he ſtill had Recourſe unto, and we were ſure to have ſomething of this, whatever other Subject he were upon. On this he talk d, of this he pray'd, for this he long'd, and eſpecially when any bad News arriv'd, his uſual reflection thereupon would be, Behold, ſome of the Clouds, in which we muſt look for the Coming of the Son of Man. At laſt, his Lord, for whom he had been long wiſhing, Lord, come! I have been a great while ready for thy Coming! at laſt, I ſay, his Lord came, and fetched him away into the Joy of his Lord.
He fell into ſome Languiſhments, attended with a Fever, which in a few days brought him into the Pangs (may I ſay? or Joyes) of Death, and while he lay in theſe, Mr. Walter coming to him, he ſaid unto him, brother, …hou art welcome to my very Soul. Pray, Retire to thy Study for me, and give me leave to …e gone; meaning that he ſhould not, by Petitions to Heaven for his Life, detain him …here. It was in theſe Languiſhments, that ſpeaking about the work of the Goſpel among the Ind ans, he did after this Heavenly manner expreſs himſelf, There is a Cloud (ſaid he) a dark cloud upon the w…rk of the Goſpel among the poor Indians. The Lord Revive and proſper that work, and grant it may live when I am Dead. It is a work, which I have been Doing much and long about. But what was the word I ſpoke laſt? I Recal that word, My Doings! Alas, they have been poor and ſmall and lean Doings, and I'le be the man that ſhall throw the firſt ſtone at them all.
It has been obſerved, that they who have ſpoke many conſiderable things in their lives, uſually ſpeak few at their deaths. But it was otherwiſe with our Eliot, who after much Speech of and for God in his Life-time, uttered ſome things little ſhort of Oracles on his Death-Bed; which, 'tis a thouſand pities, they were not more exactly regarded and recorded. Thoſe Authors that have taken the pains to Collect, A…p…th…gmata Morientium, have not therein been unſerviceable to the Living; but the Apophtheg…ms of a Dying Eliot muſt have had in them a grace & a ſtrain truly extraordinary; and indeed the vulgar Error of the ſignal ſweetneſs in the Song of a Dying Swan, was a very Truth in our Expiring Eliot; his laſt Breath ſmelt ſtrong of Heaven, and was Articled into none but very gracious Notes; one of the laſt whereof, was, Welcome Joy! and at laſt it went away calling upon the ſlanders by, to, Pray, pray, pray! which was the Thing in which ſo vaſt a portion of it, had been before Employ'd.
This was the peace, in the end of this Perfect and upright man; thus was there another Star fetched away to be placed among the Reſt that the third Heaven is now enriched with. He had o…e, I think, a pleaſant Fear, that the old ſaints of h… Aq…aintance, eſpecially thoſe two deareſt … …b…uts of h…s, Cotton, of Boſton, and Mather, of D…er, which were got ſafe to Heaven befo…e him, would ſuſpect him to be gone the w…o…g way, becauſe he ſtaid ſo long behind th…m. But they are now together with a bleſſed J…s, beholding of his Glory, and celebrating the High Praiſes of Him that has call d them into his marvellous light. Whether Heaven was any more Heaven to him, becauſe of his finding there, ſo many Saints with whom he once had his Delicious and Caeleſtial Intimacies, yea, and ſo many Saints which had been the ſeals of his own Miniſtry, in this lower world, I cannot ſay; but it would be Heaven enough unto him, to go unto that Jeſus, whom he had lov'd, preach'd, ſerv'd, and in whom he had been long Aſſured, there does All Fullneſs awell. In that Heaven I now leave him: but not without Grynaeus's pathetical Exclamations, [O beatum illum diem!] Bleſſed will be the Day, O bleſſed the Day of our Arrival to the glorious Aſſembly of Spirits, which this great Saint is now rejoycing vvith!
Bereaved New-England, vvhere are thy tears, at this Ill-boding Funeral? We had a Tradition among us, That the Country could never periſh, as long as Eliot was alive. Put in… whoſe Hands muſt this Hippo fall, now the A… ſtin of it is taken away? Our Eliſha is gone, and now who muſt next year invade the Lan…? The Jews have a ſaying, Quando Luminaria patiuntur Eclipſin, malum ſignum eſt mund…; But I am ſure, 'tis a diſmal Eclipſe that has now befallen our New-Engliſh World. I confeſs, many of the Ancients, fell into the vanity, of eſteeming the Reliq…es of the De…d Saints, to be the …owers and Ramparts of the places that enjoy'd them; and the dead Bodies of two Apoſtles in the City, made the Poet cry out, A Facie Hoſtili duo propugnacula praeſunt.
If the Duſt of dead Saints could give us any protection, we are not without it; here is a Spot of American Soyl that will afford a rich Crop 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 dy'd, 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 vvould carry Tidings to the Old-Founders of New-England, which were now in Glory, that Church-work 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 bewayl 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; & that when our Moſes's are gone, the Spirit which 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 o…e well-known in theſe Churches, to take a Voyage into England, that he might by his Mediations at Whitehal, di…ert the Storms that were impending over us. 'Tis not eaſy to expreſs what Aff…ction our Aged Eliot proſecuted this Undertaking with; and what Tha…k…giving he rendred 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 Pe… to Paper in the world, was upon this occaſion; I ſhall tranſcribe a ſhort Letter, which was wri… ten 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 Ra….
Reverend and Beloved, Mr. Increaſe Mather.
I cannot write. Read Neh 2.10. When Sanballat. the Horonite, and Tob…jah 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 breath'd 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 Comprehe…ſive and Univerſal Regard unto the proſperity of all the Flocks in this Wilderneſs, we …a…e little now to comfort us in the loſs of one ſo like a Patriarch among us, but only this, …at our poor Churches, it may be hop'd, ha…e …till ſome Intereſt in the Cares of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, Who walks in the midſt of the G…lden Ca…dleſticks. Lord! make our Churches and keep them, yet Golden Candleſticks! Amen.
BUt I have not obtained the end of this Hiſto…y, nor may I let this H…ſto y 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 FLIO… juſtly counted worthy of his utmoſt pains and cares. It was the confeſſion of …hemiſt…cle…, that the victorie… of M…lti…e… would not let him ſleep in quie neſs; may thoſe of our Eliot raiſe a like emutation in thoſe that have now ſeen the life of this evangelical He…! When one Robert Ba…ly man… years ago publiſhed a Book, wherein ſeveral G…oſs Lie… by wh ch 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 aboundantly wip'd away. But let that which has been the Vindication of New England, be alſo the Aemulation of the world: for ſhame, 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 ful 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 Ey…s are upon theſe lines, give a Bleſſed Anſwer thereunto.
Wherefore, May the people of New E…gland, 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 proſecute, 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 Religions, as particularly to make a Miſſion of the Goſpel unto the mighty Nations of the Weſtern Indi…ns, whom the French have been of late ſo ſtudiouſly, but ſo unſucceſsfully Tampering with; leſt thoſe horrid Pagans, who lately (as 'tis credibly affirmed) had ſuch a meaſure of Deviliſm and Inſolence in them, as to ſhoot a Volley of great and ſmall S…ot aga…nſt the Heavens, in Revenge upon, The Man in the Heavens, as the… 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 …ore the Ground aſunder, with immediate and horrible Thunders from Heaven round about them, but kill'd them not … for a Scourge to Ʋs, that have not …ſ…d our advantages to make a vertu…us people of them. If a King of the Weſt Saxons long ſince aſcribed all the Diſaſters on any of their Affa…rs, to Negligencies in this point, meth…nks 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 may beſtow upon Ame…ic…, which may more juſtly be call'd Columba, that Salutation, O my D…ve!
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 Epic…res, or the gains of Mammoniſts; leſt the God of Heaven out of meer Pity, if not Juſtice, unth thoſe unhappy Black, be provoked unto a vengeance which may not without Horrour be thought upon. Lord, when ſhall we ſee Ethiopians …ead thy Scriptures with Ʋnderſtanding!
May the E…gliſh Nation do what may be done, that the Welch may not be deſtroy'd for the lack of Knowledge, leſt our indiſpoſition to do for their Souls, bring upon us all thoſe Judgments of Heaven, which Gild…s their Country-man, once …old them, that the… ſuffered for their diſ…ards unto ou…; and may the …ſandous Maſſacres of the Engliſh by the Iriſh, awaken the E…gliſh to conſider, whether they have done enough to reclaim the Iriſh, from the Popiſh …igottries and Abominations, with which they have been intoxicated.
May the ſeveral F…ctories and Companies, whoſe Concerns ly 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 Poſſ…ſſions, by the honeſt payments of which little Quit-rents, they would certainly ſecure and enlarge their Enjoyment of the Principal; but that they are under a very particular obligation to Communicate of our Spiritual Things, unto thoſe Heathen, by whoſe Carnal Things they are Enriched: And may they therefore make it 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, Armentans, Muſcovites, and others, in the Eaſtern Countrys, 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 Pra…tical Treatiſes by the Charity of England; and may our Preſſes provide good ſtores of good Books for them, in their own Tongues, to be ſcattered among them. Who knowes 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 kingdomes, procure well-compoſed Socie…ies, 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 Gods 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 & Aedeſius, in the Inner India, all as it were by Accident, ſurely twil make them Try, wha… may be done by Deſign for ſuch things now in our Days! 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 Lott, 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 Kingdome with; for I will take leave ſo to Tranſlate the words of the wiſe man, in Prov. 27.4. what is able to ſtand before ZEAL? I am well ſatisfy'd, 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.
FINIS.
ERRATA
PAge 26. line. 7. for. of. r. as. p. 48. l. 19. f. Miniſtry. r. Magiſtracy. p. 58. l. 3. r. Second. p. 77. l. 22. r. Corporation. p. 87. l. 16. r. Reflection. p. 120. l. 1. f. Anſwer r. Queſtion; [and add.] Sampooaonk, or an Anſwer.
End of the text · Cotton Mather, The Triumphs of the Reformed Religion in America (1691)