ed, more than in disputable points of doctrine and opinions. That they were utterly opposed to all human injunctions and restrictions in the worship of God, will abundantly appear from the whole tenor of their history and conduct. Although they disclaimed the name of Brownists, they maintained, in common with that sect, 'that every christian congregation ought to be governed by its own laws, without depending on the jurisdiction of bishops, or being subject to the authority of synods, presbyteries, or any ecclesiastical assembly, composed of the deputies from different churches.'

A congregational church is a company of professed christians possessing the exclusive right of self-government in matters of religion, and so far independent as to be amenable to no earthly tribunal for the exercise of its rights and prerogatives. Its rights are to form its own terms of agreement, its own constitutions of doctrine, its own laws of discipline, accountable only to the great Head of all christian churches.

In Prince's Chronology we have the following summary of the religious tenets of the Plymouthean Fathers. They maintained that the inspired scriptures only contain the true religion, and especially, that nothing is to be accounted the Protestant religion respecting either faith or worship, but what is taught in them; and that every man has a right of judging for himself, of trying doctrines by them, and worshipping according to his apprehension of the meaning of them. Their officers were, 1. Pastors, or teaching Elders, who have the power of overseeing, teaching, administering the sacraments, and of ruling; and are, therefore to be maintained. 2. Ruling elders, who are to help the pastor in overseeing and ruling. 3. Deacons, who are to take care of the treasure of the church; to distribute for the support of the pastor, the supply of the needy, and the propagation of religion; and to minister at the Lord's table.

In the year 1624, a minister, by name John Lyford, was sent over to be the pastor of this church, but he proved unworthy of confidence and regard. He manifested a perverse and factious spirit, and, forming a connexion with John Oldham, equally perverse, they created great disturbance and unhappiness in the church and among the people A particular history of these transactions may be found in page 62, of this volume.

In August, 1629, thirty-five families of the Leyden church • arrived at Plymouth; and on the 8th of May, 1630, another portion of about sixty in number arrived. They were received with great joy, and the expenses of their transportation were paid gratuitously by the undertakers, and they were supported from the public stores for more than a year. No minister was

settled over this church till the year 1629, when Mr. Ralph Smith, a man of ordinary capacity, having found his way to Plymouth, and being a pious, honest-minded man, was received and ordained the first pastor of the first church in Plymouth. He continued in that station five or six years, when, from his own sense of incapacity, and the persuasions of the people, he resigned his pastoral office. The next who officiated in the sacred office in that church, though not ordained, was the celebrated Roger Williams. This gentleman had been liberally educated, and for a term a pupil of Sir Edward Coke, the illustrious English lawyer. Mr. Williams possessed brilliant talents, and great acquirements. He resided as minister at Plymouth about three years, from 1631; but, by his eccentricity of opinions, and, as supposed, unsound doctrines, his life and conversation became odious to the puritans; and, being himself discontented, he was, by his own request, dismissed to the church at Salem. The subsequent history of this extraordinary character belongs not to this town, and must be sought for elsewhere.* Mr. John Norton, a man of great worth, came over from England in 1636, and preached one winter at Plymouth; and declining to settle, although earnestly desired, he soon after settled at Ipswich, and was, after the death of Rev. Mr. Cotton, translated to Boston, where he was distinguished as a learned divine. Shortly after the dismission of Mr. Smith, in 1636, the Rev. John Rayner was ordained his successor. He was a person of great humility, worth, and piety. The Rev. Charles Chauncy arrived at Plymouth about the last of December, 1637, being a non-conformist from England. He became an assistant in the ministry to Mr. Rayner, and continued here about three years, when, in 1641, he removed, to Scituate, and was elected pastor of the church in that place, where he remained till November 27, 1654, when he was inaugurated as President of Harvard College. Mr. Chauncy was greatly and justly admired, and was strongly urged to settle in conjunction with Mr. Rayner, but he declined on account of some disagreement in point of doctrine, he having imbibed anabaptist principles. The church and people were so warmly attached to him, that every possible effort was made to prevail on him to become their ordained pastor, but he declined every proposition to that effect. He would baptize by immersion only. To obviate the

* Mr. Williams is entitled to the honor of being the first and only man of his time, who boldly asserted and advocated the great cause of religious toleration. He sternly supported the opinion, that an universal liberty of conscience ought to be allowed to all, in religious matters.'

objection, it was proposed that he should be permitted to baptize in both forms, but still he declined. At the birth of his twin sons while at Plymouth, Mr. Robert Hicks presented to the youngest, Elnathan, 50 acres of land, as a mark of his attachment to the parent. These twins, Nathaniel and Elnathan, were baptized at Scituate, in December, 1641, by immersion; from the coldness of the water one of them swooned away. In the history of Scituate, by Rev. Mr. Deane, the singular character of Mr. Chauncy is fully delineated. 'President Chauncy,' says Rev. Dr. Eliot, in his Biographical Dictionary, as professor of Greek and Hebrew, had no superior, and might have had any preferment in the national church, if he had become subservient to the views of archbishop Laud.'

'A more learned man than Mr. Chauncy was not to be found among the fathers in New England. He was well skilled in many oriental languages, but especially in the Hebrew, which he knew by close study, and by conversing with a few who resided at the same house.' While at Scituate, he was involved in ecclesiastical controversy, but as president of Harvard Col lege his brilliant services and high reputation will ever be gratefully, remembered. President Chauncy left six sons, all of whom were educated at Harvard College, and all were preachers.* Governor Carver and Dr. S. Fuller had been chosen the deacons of this church while in Holland; after their deaths their places were supplied by Richard Masterson and Thomas Blossom, both of whom died about the year 1630.

In the year 1632, a new church set off from Plymouth church, was formed at Duxbury, and another was soon after organized at Green's harbor, in Marshfield.

In 1641, an ordinance passed the General Court, that no injunction should be put on any church or church member, as to doctrine, worship or discipline, whether for substance or circumstance, beside the command of the bible. About the year 1643 or 1644, many of the inhabitants having left the town by reason of the barrenness of the place, and others contemplating a removal, serious apprehensions arose that the church would soon be dissolved. It was therefore proposed, that the whole should remove bodily, and Nauset (Eastham) was chosen as

*It was for a time the practice in congregational ordinations for laymen to bear a part in the solemnities by laying on hands. Dr. Eliot, in his Biographical Dictionary, gives us the following anecdote. When Israel Chauncy, son of the President, was ordained minister of Stratford in Connecticut, in 1665, one of the lay brothers, in laying on hands, forgot to take off his mitten, and this was ridiculed by the Episcopalians by styling it the leather mitten ordination,

the place for settlement. But on further consideration, the plan was relinquished; but a part of the church agreed to pay for the whole purchase, which had been made in the church's name, and proceeded to establish a new church at Eastham, which is the third branch from the ancient church; and thus was this poor church, (say the records,) left like an ancient mother grown old, and forsaken of her children, in regard of their bodily presence and personal helpfulness; her ancient members being most of them worn away by death, and those of later times being like children translated into other families; and she like a widow, left only to trust in God. Thus she, that had made many rich, became herself poor. (See page 87.)

On the 16th of April, 1644, the church and society were most grievously afflicted by the death of William Brewster, their ruling elder and kind benefactor. The life of this excellent man was by a kind Providence protracted to the 84th year of his age. His sacrifices in the puritan cause were eminently conspicuous. His perils and sufferings, however trying, were equalled by his humility and patient resignation. Mr. Brewster was born in England in 1560, and educated at the university of Cambridge. He was a man of considerable abilities and learning, and of eminent piety. Though well qualified for the pastoral office, yet his great diffidence would not allow him to undertake the duties of it. In the destitute state, however, of the Plymouth church, his public services as elder were highly satisfactory and useful. In his discourse he was discriminating, yet pathetic; in the government of the church, as ruling elder, he was resolute, yet conciliatory.

After leaving the university he entered into the service of William Davison, Queen Elizabeth's ambassador to Scotland and Holland; who found him so capable and faithful, that he reposed the utmost confidence in him. He esteemed him as his son and made him his confidential friend. Davison, while negotiating with the United Provinces, entrusted him with the keys of Flushing, and the states of Holland were so sensible of his merit, as to present him with the ornament of a golden chain. When Davison incurred the hypocritical displeasure of the arbitrary Queen, and was by her reduced to a state of utter ruin and poverty, Mr. Brewster remained his steadfast friend, and gave him all the assistance of which he was capable. Being thoroughly disgusted with the forms, ceremonies and corruptions in the established church, he withdrew from its communion and united with Mr. Clifton and Mr. Robinson, and their newly formed society met on the Lord's day, at Brewster's house, and at his expense. He was appointed a ruling

elder, and he came over with the minority of Mr. Robinson's church, and suffered all the hardships attending their settlement in this wilderness, and partook with them of labor, hunger and watching; and he was always ready for any duty or suffering to which he was called. For many months together, he had, through necessity, lived without bread; having nothing but fish for his sustenance, and sometimes was destitute of that. He enjoyed a healthy old age, and was able to continue his ecclesiastical functions, and his field labor, till within a few days of his death, and was confined to his bed but one day. He left an excellent library for that day, valued at £43, as appraised by Governor Bradford, Mr. Prince and Rev. Mr. Rayner. The whole number of volumes was 275, of which 64 were in the learned languages.

Elder Brewster's two eldest daughters, Patience and Fear, were left in Leyden, and arrived in the Ann in 1624. Mr. Robinson writes to him from Leyden, 'I hope Mistress Brewster's weak and decayed health will have some repairing by the coming of her daughters, and the provisions in this and the other ships sent.(Plym. Ch. Records.) Patience was, soon after her arrival, married to Mr. Thomas Prince, and, before 1627, Fear was married to Mr. Isaac Allerton.* In the division of the cattle in 1627, Elder Brewster was at the head of lot No. 5. As his wife is not mentioned, it may be presumed that she was not living at that time. His sons and unmarried daughters, contained in that list, are Love, a son, Wristling, Jonathan, Lucretia, William, and Mary. It would appear, therefore, that he had eight children, two of whom, it is supposed,. were born in this country. These were probably the two last in the list, William and Mary. In an award made August 1645, by William Bradford, Edward Winslow, Thomas Prince and Miles Standish, between Jonathan Brewster and Love Brewster, they are mentioned as the only surviving sons of Elder Brewster. (Colony Records, i. 199.) There are many descendants from this respectable stock who still reside in Duxbury, Kingston, and Plymouth. When the south part of Harwich was separately incorporated, in 1803, it received the name of Brewster, in honor of the venerable pilgrim. A brig was launched in Plymouth, in 1822, and received the name of Elder Brew

ster.

*In one of the voyages from Plymouth to Massachusetts, when Elder Brewster and Isaac Allerton were on board, the three Brewsters were named in honor of the elder, and point Allerton on Nantasket for Mr. Allerton.