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the churches in other places. I am not yet got so far as London; but I shall, I expect, to-morrow. Dearly beloved, my desire and prayer to our Father, on your behalf, is, that your souls may be satisfied with his fulness, that you may live above, and then you shall not want comfort. My exhortation to you is, to wait upon the Lord, in his own way, and not to look forth into the world. There is bread enough in your Father's house, where he hath promised his presence. Though you seem to want gifts, yet you shall not want the presence of your Father, your Jesus, if you wait upon him. There are two brethren I suppose will visit you from Hampton; brother Sims and brother Row, whom I desire you to receive as from the Lord. The unlimited power of the presbyterians is denied them, of which you shall hear more shortly. I desire to be remembered to all my kind friends with you, and at present rest

"Your dear brother in the faith and fellowship of the gospel, "THOMAS COLLIER."

In a note to the above letter, Mr. Collier says, " I shall see you as speedily as possible." His second letter breathes the same pious feelings, and is also addressed "To the Saints in the order and fellowship of the gospel." It is dated from London, May 2, 1646, and is as follows:*

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'My dear ones in the Lord Jesus,

"I salute you, desiring Him who is our head and husband, our life and liberty, our all and in all, to gather up our souls more abundantly into the glorious unity and fellowship of the Son of God; that you may not live upon these lower things, which are but instruments to convey light and love unto us: I mean, even ordinances, or the like; which indeed are but as a shell without the kernel, further than we enjoy Christ in them. My dear ones, you are in my heart continually, and my desire is to be with you as soon as possibly I can, to impart some spiritual gifts unto you, and to enjoy fellowship in Jesus Christ with you. But what is this? you are upon the heart of Christ; nay, engraven upon his hand, and shall be had in everlasting remembrance before him. I am much in haste at present, the post coming forth of town, only I have sent you these few lines, and two books here enclosed, as a remembrance of my love. I desire to be remembered to all my dear friends with you, and at present rest and remain "Your dear brother in the faith and fellowship of the gospel, "THOMAS COLLIER."

• Edwards's Gangræna, part iii. p. 52.

Mr. Collier was author of several other pieces, in addition to the one we have mentioned, which were probably on the controversies of the day. But at what place or places he afterwards preached, or when he died, we are not informed.

PHILIP TANDY was a minister in the established church, but afterwards joined the brethren of the separation, and espoused the sentiments of the baptists, observing the seventh day as the christian sabbath. He was remarkably zealous to promote his own views of divine truth, and appears to have been a person of great abilities and piety. Edwards denominates him “ a great sectary," who had been at York and in the northern parts, propagating his sentiments. While he was in the north, he held a disputation concerning his opinions, with a pious and learned minister of York. The debate was carried on by letters, in one of which Mr. Tandy remarks as follows: "Let us lay aside tradition, custom, the reputation of learning, and all selfish respects; and let us speak and write so as knowing that we must shortly give an account to Jesus Christ for all that we build, whether it be hay or stubble, gold or wood. For my part, I am confident, that, within a few years, I shall see him whom my soul loveth, and much will it go to my heart, if I either oppose a truth, or maintain an error. Sir, let us look about us: the vail is not yet taken off. In something most good men have been blinded. It may be in this for one. It is good to be tenderly jealous. Pardon me, that I thus exhort you. I see so many temptations that strongly invite even godly men to contend for pædobaptism, and so far do I see, also, into the mystery of antichrist's sitting in the temple of God as God, that I cannot but give a caution to the godliest man upon earth, who undertakes the defence of this practice." Mr. Tandy undertook, in his next letter, to vindicate his own views of baptism and the fourth commandment concerning the sabbath; to which the minister mentioned above wrote a large and full reply, in which, it is said, he confuted him in all the particulars contained in his letter. It does not appear at what place Mr. Tandy preached, or when he died, but he was living in the year 1646.

Edwards's Gangræna, part iii. p. 54—59.

THOMAS MOORE was a zealous and active preacher among the separatists during the civil wars. Edwards calls him "a great sectary and manifestarian," who, in his opinion, did much hurt in Lincolnshire, in some parts of Norfolk and Cambridgeshire. He obtained great fame at Boston, Lynne and Holland, at which places he had many followers, who accompanied him from place to place, attending upon his ministry. He did not confine his labours to buildings that were consecrated; but, without distinction of places, he preached in houses, and in all places wherever the people were disposed to assemble. It is observed, that he and his followers refused to keep days of public fasting and thanksgiving, in the time of civil wars; "because," says my author, "they will not give thanks to God for one man killing another." On account of his opinions and practice, he was shamefully persecuted by the presbyterian ministers and others of a bigotted, party spirit. At Boston he was questioned by Colonel King, governor of the town, when he was cast into prison for keeping a conventicle in the night season. It does not, however, appear how long he remained under the malice and power of his persecutors, nor what afterwards became of him, only he was living in the year 1646.*

JOHN DURANCE was a zealous and popular preacher of the independent denomination. Edwards says, " he was formerly an apprentice to a washball-maker in Lombard-street, London, and afterwards became a preacher without being ordained; yea, after preaching some years, he presumed, without ordination, to baptize and administer the Lord's supper." This was certainly a dreadful crime in the opinion of this bigotted writer. He often preached at Sandwich in Kent, but lived at Canterbury, where he gathered a separate church, and dispensed the word and ordinances of the gospel. The author mentioned above, with a view to reproach his memory, gives the following curious account of him: "There is one Master Durance, a preacher at Sandwich in Kent, a bold conceited man, and an independent, who, since the beginning of this parliament, was a washing-ball maker, or seller of washing-balls, here in London, but now turned preacher; and being never ordained minister, hath consecrated himself to be one of the priests of the high places. Among many high affected strains of new light, and strange expressions, which

⚫ Edwards's Gangræna, part ii. p. 86. iii. 80. **-*

the man uses in his sermons and prayers, to get himself the name of such a rare man, these are some: he prayed to the Trinity to take care of these three kingdoms; God the Father to take care of one, God the Son of the second, and God the Holy Ghost of the third kingdom." This author charges Mr. Durance with having prayed publicly in the church at Sandwich, " that the king might be brought up in chains to the parliament." He also observes, that, after his preaching at Canterbury, he hath the use of a great room near the cathedral, where many resort to him, and "he takes occasion to build them up in independency." Although he preached regularly every week at Canterbury and Sandwich, he would have done the same also at Dover; but he was opposed by the godly ministers of the town, who wrote up to London against him, and, by this means, prevented him from going thither. This shews his great zeal and diligence, and their extreme bigotry and intolerance. Mr. Edwards, one of the most bitter enemies to toleration, further charges him with saying, after the surrender of Oxford to the parliament, "that, notwithstanding this, there would be no peace till there was a general liberty of conscience in England." A dreadful crime was this in the eyes of this bigotted writer! Mr. Durance lived in one of the prebendaries houses in Canterbury; and, after preaching on the Lord's day in one of the churches, he preached and administered the ordinances of the gospel to his own church, in his own house, in the evening. How long he continued in this situation, or when he died, we are not able to learn; but he was living in the year 1646.

JOHN BATCHELOR was a divine of the independent denomination, who lived some time at Rotterdam in Holland, where he was probably driven by the Laudian persecution. Several of his letters, dated from this place in September, 1641, expressive of the liberal sentiments of the independents, were afterwards printed. He soon after returned to his native country, and became a chaplain in the army; on which account, and on account of his views of church government, Edwards has classed him anong "the notorious sectaries, and those who smell of the army." He was an avowed advocate for liberty of conscience, and a universal toleration, for which he has incurred the hot displeasure and indignation

* Edwards's Gangræna, part ii. p. 124, 144. iii. 96, 97. + Edwards's Antapologia, p, 39.

Gangræna, part iii. p. 266.

of this censorious writer. About the year 1643, he was appointed, with several other learned divines, one of the licensers of the press, for books in divinity. In this office he discovered his generous sentiments, by giving his public sanction to all publications which were founded on the broad and liberal principles of christian freedom and a toleration of all parties. This was sure to incur the indignant censure of Mr. Edwards, who gives the following amusing account of

him:

"Master Batchelor," says he, " is the licenser-general of books, not only of independent doctrines, but of books for a toleration of all sects, and against pædobaptism." What a shocking crime was this in the opinion of this bigotted and intolerant writer! In another place he says, "There is one Master John Batchelor, licenser-general of the sectaries' books, and of all sorts of wicked opinions, who hath been a man-midwife to bring forth more monsters begotten by the devil, and born of the sectaries, within this three last years, than ever were brought into the light in England by all the former licensers, the bishops and their chaplains, for fourscore years. He hath licensed books pleading for all sorts of sectaries: as, seekers, antinomians, anabaptists, antiscripturists, arians, antitrinitarians, questionists, and all blasphemers. This is apparent by his licensing that late wicked pamphlet, called, 'Some modest and humble Queries concerning a printed Paper, entitled, An Ordinance presented to the Honourable House of Commons.'

"This Master Batchelor hath licensed several pamphlets for a toleration; yea, not only for a limited toleration of some sects and opinions, as anabaptists and independents; but for a universal toleration of all consciences and opinions, as may be seen in Walwin's book licensed by him: yea, he hath licensed unlicensed books printed before he was born, as a pamphlet, entitled, Religious Peace,' made by one Leonard Busher, and printed in 1614; wherein there is a pleading for a toleration of papists, jews, and all persons differing in religion; and that it may be lawful for them to write, dispute, confer, print and publish, any matter touching religion. That the wickedness of Master Batchelor the more appear, may I desire the reader to observe these following particulars-He gives not a bare imprimatur to this book of Busher's, but gives his imprimatur with a special recommendation in these words: This useful treatise, entitled, Religious Peace, long

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