is tuition, (a better than the best in any colledge under heaven!) and then also he miraculously famished 'em with more learning than any of us by seven years' hard study can attain unto. If God should be provoked, by the unthankfulness of men, to send the plague of an unlearned ministry upon poor New-England, soon will the "wild beasts of the desart lye there, the houses will be full of doleful creature, and owls will dwell there." Ordinarily, that man who undertakes the ministry of the gospel without some education for it, is, we doubt, in as presumptuous an error as the anhappy Uzzah that perished in his error; though we also allow different measures and places for dat education. And that man was never worthy to preach one sermon, who did not feel, and would not own, that all the learning that can be had, is little enough to accomplish an able minister of the New Testament. Upon the whole, as Luther observed, that God punished the primitive churches with false teachers, for their starving and slighting of their faithful ministers, thus we fear the churches of N w-England ray suffer mischiefs in time to come, from false teachers; and we see cause to admire the compassion of Heaven unto this land, that such dangerous things have all this time done so little damage anto any of our churches. But as the church of Ephesus, having been warned by the apostle, *that grievous wolves would enter in among them," was afterwards commended by our Saviour for so taking the warning, "they tried them who said they were apostles when they were not so, and find them liars;" even so we would hope, that after this day no untried persons will be entermined for preachers in any of our colonies. We lay this advice before our churches, purposing to do our part in attending to it. INCREASE MATHER, SAMUEL WILLARD, JOHN DANFORTH, Boston, December 28, 1699. NEHEMIAH HOBART, AN HISTORY OF SOME IMPOSTORS, REMARKABLY AND SEASONABLY DETECTED IN THE CHURCHES OF NEW ENGLAND; WETTEN TO MAINTAIN THE ADVICE PUBLISHED BY SOME OF THE PASTORS IN THOSE CHURCHES RELATING TO IMPOSTORS, AND PREVENT ALL FUTURE MISCHIEFS FROM THEM. It was a notable discipline by which the reformed churches in France preserved themselves from the intolerable mischiefs arising by the allow ance of "unworthy preachers:" their national synods, every time they sat, would publish a roll of those "unworthy preachers" that could be found creeping in among them, and with a description of their feature and stature, and other circumstances like what uses to be given in an "hue in erv." this roll would notifie the crimes laid unto their charge, and admonish all people to beware of entertaining them. The churches of New-England have heretofore been in such good order, that no man could be ordained and received as a pastor in them, without the concurrence of the churches in the vicinity, and a very solemn and publick action. But a good order has never yet been provided among us, that no untried and unfit person shall set up for a preacher, and run about from town to town, getting into the too much unguarded pulpits, and threatening our holy religion with no little inconvenience. Now, to prevent and redress this inconvenience, it has been by some considerate persons desired, that something like the French roll may be exhibited unto the churches of New-England, which may exemplifie some few of the many cheats that have gone to impose upon them. It is unreason able to complain that the crimes of those cheats are thus openly exposed for I beseech you, sirs, are they not as openly committed? Men are too insensible of the horrid villany and blasphemy in the crimes of those fellows, who set up for teachers to the people of God, when God knows they are wicked vagrants and varlets, designing to abuse the honest people if they imagine it a severe thing to stigmatize them in the view of all the affronted churches. The faults of the penitent, indeed, should be concealed but these pretended preachers of repentance are not known to practice the repentance which they preach. A pillory were a very gentle punishment for the wretches, who, wholly unqualified, steal into a pulpit, and forge a commission from the King of Heaven unto his churches. Our laws not providing such a punishment for them, they that would be faithful to the churches, will do well (for did not the apostle as much to Hymenæus and Alexander?) to set them up in an history, instead of a pillory, with a writing as it were in capitals, to signifie, THESE WERE IMPOSTORS THAT WOUL HAVE BEEN ESTEEMED MINISTERS. The consequence and advantage of this action 'tis hoped will be, tha: both pastors and people will be more wary of being too sudden in asking to preach for them those to whom they are utter strangers; that needy and prophane strangers will no more venture to preach in a country, where their detected wickedness will be proclaimed for the terror of all that shall come after them: that all pious minds will give glory to the Lord Jesus Christ, who "walks in the midst of his churches," when they see what quick work he has ordinarily made in these churches, to discover those Atheistical preachers that have so horribly mocked him; and admire hi gracious and watchful providence, in still delivering his churches from those "little Foxes" that would have spoiled them. And now we will address our selves to do that which, when 'tis done, what will they merit but the cardinal's blessing who will take no warning? §1. The very first minister (one Lyford) that ever came into New-Eng land, (which was in the year 1624,) at his first coming did caress the gool people at Plymouth with such extream show of affection and humility, that the people were mightily taken with him; nevertheless, within a little while he used most malignant endeavours to make factions among them, and confound all their civil and sacred order. At last there fell into the hands of the Governour his letters home to England, fill'd with wicked and lying accusations against the people, of which things being shamefully convicted, he did publickly in the church confess with tears, "that he had slanderously abused the good people, and that God might justly lay innocent blood unto his charge; for he knew not what hurt might have come through his writings, and that pride, vain-glory, and self-love had been the causes of his miscarriages." These things he uttered so pathetically, that they again permitted him to preach among them; and yet, in two or three months, he so notoriously renewed his miscarriages, which he had thus bewailed, that his own wife, thro' the affliction of her mind at his hypocrisie, could not forbear declaring her fears that God would bring some heavy judgment upon their family, not only for these, but some former impieties by him committed, especially in fearful breaches of the seventh commandment, which he had with an oath denied, though they were afterwards evinced. Being thereupon banished, he went unto Virginia, where he soon ended his days. The disaster thus befalling of this country in the first minister that ever came into it, seems to have been an intimation from Heaven unto the country, to beware of all after-times how they suffered cheats in the evangelical ministry to be imposed upon them. Nevertheless, there have crept in several cheats among the churches, which have been speedily and notably detected. It will be neither needful nor useful, that they should be all enumerated: some of them shall. 32. Many among us do still remember a fellow that made himself memorable by preaching zealously on that text, "Let him that stole, steal no more;" when he had at that very time a parcel of stolen money in his pocket. The sum, as I remember, was five pounds; but in the dozed conscience of the thief, it hardly made the weight of a scruple. 3. I have been informed that a certain gentleman in the southern part of this land, having with much pains taught an Irish servant in his family to be almost able to read English, this fellow, after his time was out, set up for a preacher in a neighbouring plantation; but the gentleman his master happening some time after to meet our preaching Teague, severely chid him for his presumptuous arrogance; and among other expressions, bestowed this pretty satyrical scourge upon him: "If such fellows as thou art may set up for preachers, there will be one text impossible ever to be preached upon, or to be fulfilled or understood: the Almighty in one text threatens as a judgment, 'a famine of hearing the word of the Lord;' but if such varlets as thou art may be preachers, 'tis impossible that such a judgment should ever be executed!" 4. Many of those persons who have gone to insinuate themselves into our churches, with spirits in them that were, for their covetous, or contentious, or ambitious, or otherwise evil inclinations, displeasing to the "God of the spirits of all flesh," have been immediately and remarkably confounded by their being left unto the criminal folly of preaching stolen sermons. The detected plagiaries have gone off, "as a thief is ashamed when he is found." One happy hindrance to the designs of the "fiery serpent" have been this way afforded among us.--Others remember instances; I shall not mention them. $5. A young fellow, (one Dick Swayn,) that had been servant unto a captain of a ship in Boston, after a thousand rogueries, had his time given lim by the widow of the captain, when she became so, because that she would not be troubled with so thievish, lying and wicked a villain. This fellow was afterwards detected in villanies enough to fill a volume, which procured his going in miserable circumstances to Virginia; from whence he got through several stages at length unto the Island of Providence! There the monster set up for a preacher of the Gospel, and putting on a mighty show of religion, he was mightily followed and admired; and the people treated him with more than ordinary liberality. Perceiving that it was time to be going from thence, he forged letters of his father's deat in England, by which a vast estate had fallen to him; under the umbrage of that forgery, he gets off immediately by a vessel that must first carry him to New-England. Having preached several sermons in the southern parts of New-England, he comes to Boston in the year 1698, where in private houses he would be ridiculously forward in thrusting himself upon prayer, which he would manage with a noise that might reach all the neighborhood. He began to court opportunities of preaching among the neighbours: but forgetting to change his name, the gentlewoman to whose deceased husband he had been a servant, accidentally coming into the house where he lodged, and hearing one of that name exceedingly cried up, as a worthy, able, eminent man, asked for a sight of him. When to her astonishment she found it was Dick-even that very scandalous Dick that had play'd so many abominable pranks in her own family some years ago-the gentlewoman could scarce believe her own eyes; and finding the vagrant not give her any intelligent account how he became a Christian, it was yet more unintelligible to her how he became a minister. He beg ged her pardon for all his old knaveries, but she being advised that he was now practising of new ones, too a course that the people should be deprived of so "charming" a preaching, as no doubt some of the giddy populace would have counted him. So, without any more disturbance, but only the cheating some credulous folks of considerable sums of money, he marched off. § 6. A fellow in this present year (1699) appeared in Boston, pretending to be a minister; concerning whom an honest and a discreet man in the country having a just fear, lest our charity should unjustly and unawares take too kind notice of him, wrote me the following account: "This day a man whose name is Eleazer Kingsberry, in discourse with him, told me he had preached the gospel four months; he shewed me a certificate to prove it, with about twelve names to it, all written by his own hand, (the instrument was drawn by another:) he also told me he preached the last Sabbath between Tanton and Freetown, before a consid erable assembly; which was confirmed by a man of Tanton then present. Considering how God is likely to be dishonoured, and the gospel scandalized by him, I thought it my duty to undeceive you, by giving you the following relation: He was born and brought up in Wrent ham, and bound prentice to a taylor, but so vicious a servant, that his master could do no good with him. He got free, and married a wife; but not long after stole, and left her; and adding to his felony several other vicious tricks, he went to the westward. From thence he wrote a letter to Wrentham, which consisted chiefly of lies and curses. When I now spake with him, I advised him to follow his calling, and provide for his wife, and not seek to dis honour God and deceive his people. He replied, as for his wife, she was a devilish jade, and would never take her more; but when he was settled, and had an house, he would take er as a servant; and if she would not obey him, he would kick her into the fire; but he would go on in preaching, and he would wage twenty pieces to eight, he would get oney and credit in a short time.'-I could fill a sheet of paper, but I hope I have said enough to prevent his having any encouragement from you; and what further ought to be dose concerning him I leave to your consideration." One of the ministers in Boston immediately sent after him a letter under a flying seal, solemnly charging him to leave off the presumptuous and blasphemous course that he had thus taken up, and return unto his family and employment; and giving him to understand, that the justices every where should be informed of him, as being a vagabond. Hereupon the vagabond, as I am told, changed his name into Berry, and ran away to a place called Cape May, where I am also told the people were so bewitched with him, that they were almost ready to tear in pieces any man that should speak diminutively of him. $7. But tho' this bird flew away to the southward, unto Cape May, another, whose pretended name was May, came upon this coast about the same time. And on that occasion an excellent and ingenious person wrote anto me such passages as these: "MAY uses to prove pleasant and healthy; but the mob are wont to dance at the entrance of it, let it prove how it will. Mr. Parker used to say, 'The people love to tap a new barrel.' I think I once told you of E. F. and M. J., but lest I have not, I'll give you a word of each. "E. F. sometimes of Salem, coming to New-Haven on Saturday even, being cloathed in black, was taken for a minister, and was able to ape one, and humoured the mistake like him that said, Si vult populus decipi, decipiatur.* Word being carried to Mr. J. T. that a minister was come to town, he immediately procured him to preach both parts of the day. The first was to acceptation; but in the last exercise he plentifully shewed himself to be a whimsical opinionists, and besides railed like Rabshakeh, and reviled the magistrates, ministers and churches at such a rate, that the people were ready to pull him out of the pulpit." $8. The same worthy person goes on: “M. J., a Welch tanner by trade, sometime servant unto Captain P. at Salem, left Salem, went to Saybrook, work'd at his trade, and stole Mr. W.'s leather breeches. Thence he went to Staten-Island by New-York, and set up for a preacher, being a ready prater. At the information of a pedling trader, he had an invitation by some few of Killingsworth to visit them, and preach in order to settlement. He came, but happening to speak irreverently of something in the Scripture before some of the people, it occasioned such division and tamult, that he was not suffered to preach before Mr. Buckingham's advice and consent was obtained: which, when sought, he advised them to enquire first whether this were not the fellow that stole the leather breeches. This proving even so, prevented him at Killingsworth. Thence he went to Brainford, the night before the fast, and making known his pretended function, it was counted a good providence; for they had no minister, and he was earnestly desired to preach, and as readily accepted it. But one Peter Stent, a brother that used to pray and read a good sermon among the people, when they had no minister, knew nothing of this, (for he lived at a farm,) but in the morning came provided to read one of Mr. A. Gray's sermons. But he found Morgan at it when he came; and when he named his text, it was the same his intended sermon was on; and out of the curiosity to see how If folks want to be cheated, let them be cheated. |