Tristitae ecclesiarum or, A brief and sorrowful account of the present state of the churches in New-England: in a letter from a minister in the country to the publick. Wherein is contained, some remarks on the rise, progress and unhappy effects of the different sentiments among us at this day in matters of religion. : To which is added by way of advice some healing measures. : With an appendix. / By Samuel Niles, a mournful spectator and sharer in the present calamities. And Pastor of a church of Christ in Braintree. ; [One line epigram in Latin]

APPENDIX.

WHOEVER impartially consults the Antiquities of New-England, will find that many of these Churches in their infant State, were infested with Antinomian, Enthusiastick and many other Errors, which gave them and the People of GOD here much trouble: As a direct and necessary Effect of such Errors, nothing less can be expected but Factions and Parties, evil Surmisings and open Reflections, on such especially as adhere to the Truth, and labour to stem the Torrent of Corruption flowing in upon them: Thus it was in that Day, and thus it is with us in this Day of our Zion's Trouble, as sorrowful Experience teaches us.

The faithful Ministers of CHRIST were then loaded with Obloquy and open Contempt, termed,

No better than legal Preachers, Baal's Priests, Popish Factors, Scribes, Pharisees, and opposers of CHRIST himself — Such a Church-Officer is an ignorant Man, and knows not CHRIST: Such an one is under a Covenant of Works: Such a Pastor is a proud Man, and would make a good Persecutor: Such a Teacher is grosly Popish.—That they did not preach the Covenant of free Grace, and that they themselves had not the Seal of the Spirit, &c

And in these Times (as the same Author observes)

You might see many of the Opinionists rising up and contemptuously turning their Backs upon the faithful Pastor of that Church, and going forth from the Assembly when he began to Pray or Preach.

—

Then also,

You might have seen open Contempt cast upon the Face of the whole General-Court in subtle Words, to this very Effect, that the Magistrates were Ahab's, Amaziab's, Scribes and Pharisees, Enemies to CHRIST, led by Satan, that old Enemy of free Grace; and that it were better that a Mill-stone were hung about their Necks, and they were drowned in the Sea, than they should censure one of their Judge∣ment.

—

The worthy Author proceeds to say,

By a little taste of a few Passages (instead of Multitudes) here presented, you may see what a Height they were grown to in a short Time; and what a Spirit of Pride, Insolency,

Contempt of Authority, Division, Sedition, they were acted by. It was a wonder of Mercy that they had not set our Common wealth and Churches on fire, and consumed us all therein.

—

These are a few Hints taken from the Rev. Dr. Chauncy's Preface to his Book, entitled, — Seasonable Thoughts on the State of Religion in NEW-ENGLAND. — A Performance aptly calculated to obviate the Objections of the present Day, raised in our Churches against Ministers and others, by Persons of the like censorious corrupt Dispositions, with those refer'd to above. Would to GOD, there were more found among us of the like Zeal and Concern for these Churches of our Lord JESUS CHRIST, with the renowned Patriots of the first Times, who have endeared their Memory to after-Posterities, by bearing down those Errors than then did so sadly assault them, like these which we now feel the miserable Effects of.

It may also serve for our Caution to take a short View of some later Occurences of the like kind, which fall within the Compass of the Memo∣ries of many of us, as we find them transmitted from a Number of our venerable Fathers (two of whom are yet surviving* 1.1) bearing the Title of A faithful Advice from several Ministers of the Gospel, in and near Boston, unto the Churches of New England; Relating to the Dangers that may arise from Impostors, pretending to be Ministers.

The manifest Reasons leading to the Publication of this faithful Advice was partly from a Number of illiterate and unqualified Persons in Succession, who appeared in their Day, to set up for Preachers; who were of the like make with the numerous Exhorters of these Times, and partly from the over-fondness of the People (especially the weaker sort) to hear them, which is also remarkably exemplified among us in this our Day—As a Proof whereof we have the Testimony of the Rev. Dr. Cotton Mather, in his History of some Imposters, — annexed to the above Advice, and written to maintain it, as he there tells us.

The Doctor gives a Relation in that short History of several of these Impo∣sters appearing on the Stage; and also the Manner of their Exit, within the Compass of Time, between 1624 and 1699. I shall for brevity sake take Notice here only of one Samuel May, (who appeared the last men∣tioned in that Account) as the most remarkable in the Influence he had on many of the People in Boston. Of this Samuel May the Dr. writes thus,—

Fascination is a Thing whereof Mankind has more Experience than Comprehension; and Facination is never more notoriously sensible, than in Men's running after False Teachers of Religion. — One cannot

easily ascribe unto a truer Cause than a satanick Energy, the strange Biass upon the Minds of a Multitude, forcibly, and furiously; sometimes carrying them into Follies, from whence the plainest Reason in the World will not reclaim them: What but such an Energy could be upon the Minds of many People in Boston, after the arrival of one that went by Name of Samuel May, about the Beginning of July, 1699? The won∣derful Success of Mahomet upon a World where Christianity was to another Degree lost, than it is yet in Boston, was no longer a wonder to us, when we saw the Success of May, in a Place of so Christian a Cha∣racter as Boston.—It was all over pure Enchantment. — So silly and shallow a Person he was, that it was impossible for any but such, to be many Minutes in his Company without being sensible of it. The first Thing that made some to suspect him was, his using to lift up his Eyes and Hands, with Strains of Devotion, used by none others in the Assembly. He was able to imitate a plausible Utterance and Action, and seem'd so zealously set upon inviting Men to CHRIST, that after Sermon was over he would make another Speech to put them in Mind on't. Abundance of the People became so fiercely set for him, that they pour'd out a Thousand Expressions of Rage, upon the Faithful Pastors of the Town.

He proceeds to say—

The Disciples of this Money-Catcher, became so exceeding fierce many of them, that some sober Men, became afraid of passing by that Way, where one must encounter them; tho' he were detected in several Crimes, — yet his Followers would go on, making Ridi∣culous Apologies for him, and malicious Invectives against any that would not believe him an Eminent Saint. Yea, they began to throw Libels into the Houses of the Ministers, the most Insolent that ever I saw.

He proceeds to shew the Reflections the Ministers made on the Car∣riage of the People, that were May's Admirers, which was to this pur∣pose, — That however long and indefatigably, they had endeavour'd to serve them, &c.

yet if any Wolf in Sheeps Cloathing do come with a few good Words among them; the simple Souls of many, will not only follow the Wolf, but on his Account bark at the Shepherds.

— Applicable to what we now see and feel tragically acted among us.

The Invasions these Impostors made on the Churches, as has been noted, moved our Fathers (above hinted at) to offer their Opinions on these Things, apprehensive of Danger in Time to come, and have left this their Faithful Advice as a lasting Testimony and Caution to these Churches for the future. A few Paragraphs whereof, I shall Transcribe, with their Names, for the Benefit of the Publick.—

They say thus,—

It is not without some Concern on our Minds, that in the late Writings of our Presbyterian Brethren in England, we find awful Complaints about bold Intruders into the Work of the Ministry,

&c. — And then they go on, and express their Satisfaction in the Care that had been taken by their Brethren at Home, to prevent those Confusions. Pag. 3. by a Vote of this Importance,

That they would employ none to Preach in any of their Pulpits, but such as either arrived unto them with credible Testimonials, or submitted themselves unto a solemn Trial of their Qua∣lifications for the evangelical Ministry.

P. 4. And in Pag. 5. they say,

In Conformity to this Watchfulness of our united Brethren, we cannot but in the most Publick Manner, call upon our Churches, that they beware of all undue Precipitancy, in their admitting unquallified Persons, to be received and employed, in the Character of Preachers unto them.

—See, Page 6. —

We do also solemnly advise all our People to beware of running after new Preachers of whose Endowments and Principles they have not had a reasonable Attestation, lest they unawares run themselves into shameful and woful Reflections. —

And in Page 8, they say,

We are not unsensible, that one Thing which has much exposed some injudicious People among us is, an Opinion that illiterate Men may be serviceable and admirable Preachers. Now inasmuch as the Jesuits have given this among their Instructions to their Emissaries to teach, that Learning is needless in a Minister; and if they understand the Gospel, it is sufficient. We are sorry that any of our People should be so besotted not to say so be-jesuited. When the Knowledge of the Tongues and Arts revived, Religion had a Revival with it: And tho' some unlearned Men have been useful to the Interests of Religion; yet no Man ever decried Learning but what was an Enemy to Religion, whether he knew it or no.

—And then to conclude, they say Page 9, 10.

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 New-England may suffer Mis∣chiefs in Time to come from false Teachers: And we see cause to ad∣mire the Compassion of Heaven unto this Land, that such dangerous Things have all this Time done so little Damage unto any of our Churches. But as the Church of Ephesus, having been warned by the Apostles, That grievous Wolves would enter in among them, was after∣ward commended by our Saviour for so taking the Warning, that they tried them who said they were Apostles when they were not so, and found them Liars: Even so we would hope, that after this Day, no untried Persons will be entertained 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
• ...James Allen
• ...Samuel Willard
• ...Moses Fiske
• ...Benjamin Woodbridge
• ...Nehemiah Hobart
• ...John Danforth
• ...Cotton Mather
• ...Nehemiah Walter
• ...Jonathan Pierpont
• ...Joseph Belcher
• ...Benjamin Wadsworth
• ...Benjamin Cosman.

BOSTON, December 28. 1699.

There are also in this Province above an Hundred Reverend Ministers, who have appeared as a Cloud of Witnesses at this Day in the Cause of CHRIST, for these Churches, and our Gospel Constitution, who by their subscribed publick Testimonies, either as associated Bodies of Pastors, or by single Letters, shewing their Concurrence with the renowned Subscribers above, in Testifying against Intruders into the Ministry, and all enthusi∣astick, erroneous Itinerant Preachers, and illiterate irregular Exhorters.

And as a Proof of my concurrent Sentiment and Resolution with these my Reverend Fathers and Brethren, I subjoin my Name, who am the weakest and most unworthy of the whole Body,

Samuel Niles.

Braintree, May 1st. 1745. Having obtained Help of GOD, I continue unto this Day:— The Day wherein I enter on the 72d Year of my Age; and in the 46th Year of my publick Labours in the Ministry, in which Time (praised be GOD) I have not been prevented Preaching publickly, by bodily Indisposition, more than two Sabbaths.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The venerable Mr. Nehemiah Walter and Dr. Colman.