instructions of his excellent parents, he feared the Lord from his youth; and, as he grew up to the age of man, he trod in the footsteps of his honoured and worthy father. Though he was indeed a person of most exemplary piety; yet it is related, that, through the hurry of business, he went one morning from home without attending to his usual private devotions, when his horse stumbled and fell, by which he lost much blood, and was exceedingly bruised. This event, however, taught him a valuable lesson. It awakened him to so deep a sense of his omission of duty, that, from that time to the day of his death, no engagements whatever would hinder him from attending upon the exercises of the closet.

Mr. Rogers, having finished his studies at the university, became domestic chaplain to a person of quality, when he gave the first specimen of his ministerial abilities. After he had continued in this situation about two years, he became assistant to Dr. Barkam, at Bocking in Essex. The doctor being a high churchman, and particularly intimate, with Bishop Laud, many people wondered that he employed for his curate the son of one of the most noted puritans in the kingdom. Mr. Rogers was much beloved by the people, and they were remarkably kind to him. Though the doctor treated him with civility, he did not allow him one-tenth of his benefice, amounting to many hundreds a year, when he did above three-fourths of the work. Mr. Rogers now began to examine the controversy about ecclesiastical matters, and, as the result of his inquiries, he became thoroughly dissatisfied with the ceremonies and discipline of the church. Afterwards, the doctor being present at a funeral, and observing that Mr. Rogers did not use the surplice, he was so completely disgusted, that he advised his curate to provide for himself, and so dismissed him. What a sad crime was it to bury the dead without a surplice!

After he had preached about five years at Bocking, he was presented to the living of Assington in Suffolk, where the Bishop of Norwich allowed him to go on in the Lord's work, without molestation, for about five years. His preaching was highly esteemed, and greatly blessed among persons of all descriptions. He had commonly more hearers than could crowd into the church. The ignorant were instructed, the careless awakened, and the sorrowful comforted. He was a "fisher of men," and, by the blessing of God upon his endeavours, many were caught in the gospel-net. At length, the ruling ecclesiastics were resolved to stop the mouths of

all ministers who refused to conform to their arbitrary injunctions; on which account great numbers of the most laborious and useful preachers in the kingdom were either buried in silence, or forced to abscond, to avoid the fury of the star-chamber and of the high commission. Mr. Rogers, perceiving the approaching storm, chose to prevent rather than receive the terrible sentence of those tribunals; and therefore he resigned his living into the hands of his patron. Not being satisfied to lay down his ministry, he forsook the neighbourhood of his father, with all his prospects of worldly advantage; and, casting himself and his young family on the providence of God, embarked for New England, where he arrived November 16, 1636. Mr. Ralph Partridge, another puritan minister, accompanied him in the same ship.*

Upon their arrival, Mr. Rogers was chosen co-pastor with Mr. Norton over the church at Ipswich. These judicious and holy men, whose hearts were cordially united in promoting the glory of God and the salvation of souls, were rendered a peculiar blessing to this religious society. Mr. Rogers was much afflicted, especially with the spitting of blood. When the complaint was upon him, he used to comfort himself by observing, "Though I should spit out my own blood, by which my life is maintained, I shall never cast out the blood of Christ, or lose the benefits of that blood which cleanseth us from all sin." Under one of these afflictions, Mr. Cotton wrote him a consolatory letter, dated March 9, 1631, in which he addressed him as follows:-" I bless the Lord with you, who perfecteth the power of his grace in your weakness, and supporteth your feeble body to do him still more service. You know who said, ' Unmortified strength posteth hard to hell: but sanctified weakness creepeth fast to heaven.' Let not your spirit faint, though your body do. Your soul is precious in God's sight. Your hairs are all numbered.' The number and measure of your fainting fits, and wearisome nights, are all weighed and limited by him who hath given you his son Jesus Christ to take upon him your infirmities, and bear your sicknesses."+ During the last conflict, he was full of heavenly conversation, and closed his life and labours saying, My times are in thy hands. He died July 3, 1655, aged fifty-seven years. He was an eminently holy man, an admirable preacher, and an incomparable master of the Latin tongue. "And I shall do an injury

* Mather's Hist. of New Eng. b. iii. p. 104-106.

+ Ibid. p. 107.

to his memory," says our author, "if I do not declare that he was one of the greatest men and one of the best ministers that ever set his foot on the American shore."*

JEROM TURNER, A. B.-This worthy person was born at Yeovil in Somersetshire, in the year 1615, and educated at Edmund's-hall, Oxford.' Having finished his studies at the university, he became schoolmaster at Bear in Devonshire, where he also preached as assistant to his friend and kinsman, Mr. Hugh Gundry, for the space of two years. At the expiration of this period, he removed to Exmouth in the same county, where, for about two years, he was assistant to Mr. William Hook, afterwards silenced at the restoration.+ He next removed to Compton, near the place of his nativity, and afterwards became chaplain to Sir Thomas Trenchard. But, upon the commencement of the civil war, he was forced to flee for safety, when he took refuge at Southampton. There he abode during the national confusions, and preached among the puritans with considerable approbation. Upon the conclusion of the wars, in 1646, he became pastor at Netherbury in Dorsetshire, where he continued a zealous and useful preacher to the time of his death. In the year 1654 he was appointed one of the assistant commissioners of Dorsetshire, for ejecting ignorant and scandalous ministers. Wood says, "his love to learning was very great, and his delight in the ministerial exercise was greater than his weak body could bear. He had a strong memory, was well skilled in Greek and Hebrew, and was a constant, zealous, fluent, and useful preacher; but," says he, too much addicted to Calvinism." He died at Netherbury, November 27, 1655, aged forty years.

His WORKS.-1. A Breast-plate for the Keeping of the Heart, 1660.-2. A Rich Treasurie for the Promises, 1660.-3. An Exposition on the first Chap. of the Epistle of St. Paul to the Ephesians.

STEPHEN MARSHALL, B. D.-This celebrated person was born at Godmanchester in Huntingdonshire, and educated in Emanuel college, Cambridge. He was some time minister at Wethersfield in Essex, then presented to the benefice of Finchingfield in the same county; but his memory has greatly

* Mather's Hist. of New Eug. b. iii. p. 106-108. Palmer's Noncon. Mem. vol. i. p. 184.

Wood's Athena Oxon. vol. ii. p. 121, 122.

suffered from men of opposite principles. In the former situation, his people, from their warm attachment to him, expended fifty pounds to purchase him a library, and performed for him many friendly offices. It is further observed, that he was sensible of their kindness, and engaged himself by a voluntary promise never to leave them. He had not continued long in this situation before Mr. Pickering, a reverend and learned divine, minister of Finchingfield, died. The fatness of the benefit," it is said, "helped the patron to suitors enow, but, amongst all, our Marshall was the man whom his affection made choice of to bestow his presentation upon; who having unluckily. married himself to Wethersfield, knows not what course to take to sue out a bill of divorce. The great living, worth £200 a year, is a strong temptation to the holy man's concupiscible appetite; however, Wethersfield holds him to his promise, never to leave them. A little assembly of divines is called; and it is there debated how far Mr. Marshall's promise is obligatory. The casuists, knowing his mind before, conclude, that it bound him not to leave them for a lesser salary, but left him at liberty to take a bigger living when he could get it. Indeed, there is no reason why any promise, though ever so solemnly and deliberately made, should stand a perpetual palisado to any godly man's preferment. This decision satisfies his corvan. For he leaves Wethersfield, and away he goes to Finchingfield. This," it is added," is the first noted essay that he gave of his fidelity in keeping his promise."

In this partial and curious account of Mr. Marshall, it is also thus observed: "He was as conformable as could be desired, reading divine service, wearing the surplice, receiving and administering the sacrament kneeling; approving, commending, and extolling episcopacy and the liturgy ; observing all the holidays with more than ordinary diligence, preaching upon most of them. This he did so long as he had any hopes of rising that way. His ambition was such," says this writer, "I have great reason to believe that he was once an earnest suitor for a deanery, which is the next step to a bishopric; the loss of which made him turn schismatic. His son-in-law Nye was heard to say, that if they had made his father a bishop, before he had been too far engaged, it might have prevented all the war; and since he cannot rise so high as a bishop, he will pull the bishops

*Life of Marshall, p. 5. Edit. 1680.

as low as himself: yea, if he can, lower than he was himself when he was at Godmanchester."

This is the representation of a known adversary, and is evidently designed to cast a stigma upon his character. Notwithstanding his conformity, as here represented, after his removal to Finchingfield he was silenced for nonconformity; and he remained a long time in a state of suspension. Upon his restoration to his ministry, in 1640, he did not return to his former charge, but was appointed lecturer at St. Margaret's church, Westminster. Although he was greatly despised and reproached by the opposite party, he was a man of high reputation, and was often called to preach before the parliament, who consulted him in all affairs of importance relating to religion. "And without doubt," says Clarendon, "the Archbishop of Canterbury had never so great an influence upon the councils at court, as Mr. Marshall and Dr. Burgess had upon the houses of parliament."+ November 17, 1640, was observed as a day of solemn fasting by the house of commons, at St. Margaret's, Westminster, when these two divines were appointed to conduct the public service of the day; on which occasion, it is said, they prayed and preached at least seven hours. The service being closed, the house voted thanks to both the preachers, desiring them to print their sermons; and, to afford them encouragement in future, a piece of plate was, by order of the house, presented to each.‡

Lord Clarendon, with other historians of a similar spirit, brings against him a charge unworthy of any honest man. The accusation relates to the ministers' petition presented to the parliament; and, says he, "The paper which contained the ministers' petition, was filled with very few hands, but that many other sheets were annexed for the reception of numbers who gave credit to the undertaking. But when their names were subscribed, the petition itself was cut off, and a new one, of a very different nature, annexed to the long list of names; and when some of the ministers complained to Mr. Marshall, with whom the petition was lodged, that they never saw the petition to which their names were annexed, but had signed another petition against the canons, Mr. Marshall is said to reply, that it was thought fit by those who understood the business better than they, that the latter petition should be preferred

Life of Marshall, p. 10.

Nalson's Collec. vol. i. p. 530, 533.

+ Clarendon's Hist. vol. i. p. 239.