CHAPTER XXIII
Death of Mr. William Brewster—His Career—Remarkable longevity of the principal men among the Pilgrims—Confederation of the United Colonies of New England—War between the Narragansetts and Monhiggs—Uncas permitted by the English to execute Miantinomo: 1643.
I must open this year with an event which brought great sadness and mourning to them all. About the 18th of April died their reverend elder, my dear and loving friend, Mr. William Brewster, a man who had done and suffered much for the Lord Jesus and the gospel’s sake, and had borne his part in weal or woe with this poor persecuted church for over thirty-five years in England, Holland, and this wilderness, and had done the Lord and them faithful service in his calling. Notwithstanding the many troubles and sorrows he passed through, the Lord upheld him to a great age; he was nearly fourscore years, if not quite, when he died. He had this blessing added by the Lord to all the rest; he died in his bed in peace, in the midst of his friends, who mourned and wept over him, and gave him what help and comfort they could; and he, too, comforted them whilst he could. His illness was not long, and until the last day he did not keep his bed. His speech continued until about the last half day, and then failed him; and at about 9 or 10 o’clock that evening he died, without any pangs at all. A few hours before, he drew his breath short, and some few minutes from the end he drew it long, as a man fallen into a sound sleep,—without any gaspings,—and so, sweetly departed this life into a better.
I would ask, was he the worse for any of his former sufferings? What do I say? Worse? Nay; he was surely the better, for now they were added to his honour. “It is a manifest token,” says the Apostle (II Thes. i, 5, 6, 7), “of the righteous judgment of God that ye may be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer; seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you: and to you who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven, with His mighty angels.” And I Pet. iv, 14: “If you be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye, for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you.” What though he lacked the riches and pleasures of the world in this life, and pompous monuments at his funeral? Yet “the memorial of the just shall be blessed, when the name of the wicked shall rot,”—with their marble monuments (Prov. x, 7).
I should say something of his life, if to say a little were not worse than to be silent. But I cannot wholly forbear, though perhaps more may be written at some later time. After he had attained some learning, viz., the knowledge of the Latin tongue and some insight into Greek, and had spent some little time at Cambridge,—then being first seasoned with the seeds of grace and virtue,—he went to court, and served that religious and godly gentleman, Mr. Davison, for several years, when he was Secretary of State. His master found him so discreet and faithful, that he trusted him more than all the others who were round him, and employed him in all matters of greatest trust and secrecy. He esteemed him rather as a son than a servant; and knowing his wisdom and godliness he would converse with him in private more as a friend and familiar than as a master. He accompanied him when he was sent as ambassador by the Queen into the Low Countries, in the Earl of Leicester’s time,—besides other important affairs of state, to receive possession of the cautionary towns, in token of which the keys of Flushing were delivered to him in her majesty’s name. Mr. Davison held them some time, handing them over to Mr. Brewster, who kept them under his pillow the first night. On his departure, the Netherlands honoured Mr. Davison with a gold chain; he gave it into the keeping of Mr. Brewster, and when they arrived in England commanded him to wear it as they rode through the country, until they arrived at court. He remained with him through his troubles, when later, he was dismissed in connection with the death of the Queen of Scots, and for some good time after, doing him much faithful service.
Afterwards Mr. Brewster went and lived in the country, much respected by his friends and the gentlemen of the neighbourhood, especially the godly and religious. He did much good there, in promoting and furthering religion, not only by his practice and example and the encouragement of others, but by procuring good preachers for the places thereabouts, and persuading others to help and assist in such work, generally taking most of the expense on himself,—sometimes beyond his means. Thus he continued for many years, doing the best he could, and walking according to the light he saw, till the Lord revealed Himself further to him. In the end, the tyranny of the bishops against godly preachers and people, in silencing the former and persecuting the latter, caused him and many more to look further into things, and to realize the unlawfulness of their episcopal callings, and to feel the burden of their many anti-Christian corruptions, which both he and they endeavoured to throw off; in which they succeeded, as the beginning of this treatise shows.
After they had joined themselves together in communion, as was mentioned earlier, he was a special help and support to them. On the Lord’s day they generally met at his house, which was a manor of the bishop’s, and he entertained them with great kindness when they came, providing for them at heavy expense to himself. He was the leader of those who were captured at Boston in Lincolnshire, suffering the greatest loss, and was one of the seven who were kept longest in prison and afterwards bound over to the assizes. After he came to Holland he suffered much hardship, having spent most of his means, with a large family to support, and being from his breeding and previous mode of life not so fit for such laborious employment as others were. But he always bore his troubles with much cheerfulness and content. Towards the latter part of those twelve years spent in Holland, his circumstances improved, and he lived well and plentifully; for through his knowledge of Latin he was able to teach many foreign students English. By his method they acquired it quickly and with great fluency, for he drew up rules to learn it by, after the manner of teaching Latin; and many gentlemen, both Danes and Germans, came to him, some of them being sons of distinguished men. By the help of some friends he also had means to set up a printing press, and thus had employment enough, and owing to many books being forbidden to be printed in England, they might have had more work than they could do. But on moving to this country all these things were laid aside again, and a new way of living must be framed, in which he was in no way unwilling to take his part and bear his burden with the rest, living often for many months without corn or bread, with nothing but fish to eat, and often not even that. He drank nothing but water for many years, indeed until five or six years before his death; and yet by the blessing of God he lived in health to a very old age. He laboured in the fields as long as he was able; yet when the church had no other minister he taught twice every Sabbath, and that both powerfully and profitably, to the great edification and comfort of his hearers, many being brought to God by his ministry. He did more in this way in a single year, than many who have their hundreds a year do in all their lives.
As for his personal qualities, he was favoured above many; he was wise and discreet and well-spoken, having a grave and deliberate utterance, with a very cheerful spirit. He was very sociable and pleasant among his friends, of an humble and modest mind and a peaceable disposition, undervaluing himself and his own abilities, and sometimes overvaluing others. He was innocent in his life and conversation, which gained him the love of those without, as well as those within; nevertheless he would tell them plainly of their faults, both public and privately, but in such a way that it was usually well taken. He was tender-hearted and compassionate with those in misery, especially when they were of good birth and rank and had fallen into want and poverty, either for religion’s sake or through the oppression of others; he would always say that of all men such deserved to be most pitied. None displeased him more than those who would haughtily and proudly exalt themselves, having risen from nothing, and having little else to commend them than a few fine clothes, or more means than others. When preaching, he deeply moved and stirred the affections, and he was very plain and direct in what he taught, being thereby the more profitable to his hearers. He had a singularly good gift of prayer, both public and private, in ripping up the heart and conscience before God, in the humble confession of sin, and begging the mercies of God in Christ for the pardon of it. He always thought it better for ministers to pray oftener, and divide their prayers, than to be long and tedious—except on special occasions, such as days of humiliation and the like; because he believed that heart and spirit, especially in the weak, could with difficulty continue so long to stand bent, as it were, towards God,—as is meet in prayer,—without flagging and failing. In the government of the church, which was proper to his office as elder, he was careful to preserve good order, and purity both in doctrine and communion, and to suppress any error or contention that might begin to arise; and accordingly God gave success to his endeavours in this, all his days, and he was given to see the fruit of his labours. But I must break off, though I have only touched the heads of a few things.