puted to Dr. Mather. He cares nothing for the college, and nothing for his country. His only concern is, so to conduct affairs, and so to act, that his own private ends may be answered, and the sense of his personal importance may be augmented.

But farther; in nominating individuals to compose the first council under the provincial charter, Mr. Mather is said to have been guided, in part at least, "by personal motives." p. 80. His opposition to the founders of the Brattle-street church was the result of an "excited temper," and "wounded pride,” and a desire to retain "his popularity with the prevailing sect.' p. 133. He was compelled, however, from prudential reasons, so far "to smother his resentments, as to take part in the religious services at the dedication of the church." p. 135. It was "the indignation of the Mathers against Dudley," because one or the other of them was not elected president of Harvard College, in place of Leverett, that induced them to write to the governor the letters, to which I have referred above. p. 201.

Such is a specimen of the manner in which President Quincy goes on, through more than a hundred pages, in imputing the basest, the most unworthy motives, to Dr. Mather. And he feels authorized to do this, because he has had sight of Mather's diary, and is" able to speak with great certainty as to the motives and master-passions of his eventful presidency." But where, I ask, is the evidence from the diary, that such were “the masterpassions" by which he was moved? Does Mather confess as much as this? Does he record it in his diary? As our author has been pleased to appeal to the diary, as a means of deciding upon the motives of the writer of it, we may insist, I think, that he should abide by the diary. He should, at least, so far abide by it, as in no instance directly to contradict it. And yet this he has very frequently done. In many instances he imputes motives to President Mather, the very opposite of those which the diary affirms. For example, President Mather, in his diary, continually assigns it as his motive, and his only motive, for desiring to return to England, that he might there have an opportunity to glorify God, and serve the cause and kingdom of Christ. But President Quincy can see nothing here, but "the natural cravings of an ambitious spirit." Again: President Mather, in his diary, repeatedly, and with the utmost apparent sincerity, expresses his determination to resign his office, in connection with the college. He did this in 1695, and was prevented from carrying his determination into effect, only by the

earnest remonstrances of the corporation against it. He did the same, in two several instances, in 1697. Under date of August 7th, he says: "I am determined to resign my relation to the college the next week, having desired a corporation meeting for that end." "September 3d. My discouragements are such, that I am fully purposed to resign the presidentship." "September 15th. At college to attend a corporation meeting, when I intended to resign the presidentship; but, it being a stormy day, there wanted one to make a sufficient number for a meeting." Yet President Quincy persists in insinuating, if not asserting, that "these threats of resigning were intended only for effect, and that there was no sincerity in them." p. 96. What we complain of here is, that having appealed to the diary as the grand source of evidence, by which to decide upon the motives of his predecessor, President Quincy thus confidently imputes to him unworthy motives, not only without the evidence of the diary, but directly in face of it. He will appeal to the diary, so far as he can find any thing there disreputable to its author,―any thing which, judged of by our modern standards, can be turned into ridicule or reproach; but when the diary assumes another character, he can easily dispense with it, or directly contradict it.

I only remark further, in reference to President Quincy's treatment of Increase Mather, that he represents him often, I had almost said generally, as manifesting an unhappy spirit and temper, as a disturber more than a father of the churches, as being rather a bad, than a good man. Both to him and his son," controversy was not so much an incident, as an element of their natures." Their "theological zeal was always at the boiling point." Their controversy with the innovators of the times was conducted "neither with temper, nor policy." pp 132, 137. In the progress of it, they became "excited to such a height of indignation, that they seem to have lost all sense of prudence and character." p. 141. "Violent doctrinal dissensions were by them excited, and perpetuated" in the churches, through a long course of years. p. 349. Of Increase Mather himself it is said, that in his controversy respecting church order," he lost all patience and self-possession," and "was led to the exhibition of great violence and personality." pp. 133, 139. In a word, the character of President Mather is summed up by our historian, in the following terms: he was "restless, obtrusive, excitable, boastful of his public services, and complaining of SECOND SERIES, VOL. VII. NO. I.

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neglect and ingratitude." His whole life " had been one series of theological and political controversy."* He was a partisan by profession; always harnessed, and ready, and restless for the onset; now courting the statesman; now mingling with the multitude; exciting the clergy in the synod, and the congregation in the pulpit, and the people in the halls of the popular assembly." p. 147. Yet this is the man, whom Dr. Elliot describes as "the father of the New England clergy, whose name and character were held in veneration, not only by those who knew him, but by succeeding generations."

This is the man who (to use the language of the General Court), by "unwearied, indefatigable labor and service, voluntarily undertaken for the good of his country, attended with much difficulty and hazard to his person," and followed by much obloquy from fiery demagogues, saved Massachusetts from revolution and bloodshed, and gave to her a charter of government, under which she prospered for almost a century. This is the man who, by his resistance to unscriptural and alarming innovations, kept back the tide of spiritual desolation from rolling over the churches of the Pilgrims for a series of years, and greatly restricted its ravages, when at length it came ;-the man to whom, I think, New England is more indebted, ecclesiastically and civilly, than to any other individual who ever lived in it; who, when he died, was "honored with a greater funeral than had ever been seen in these parts of the world," and in consequence of whose death, "the pulpits, throughout the country," rang with mingled eulogies and funeral lamentations. But we must leave this venerable man to his rest. will not be disturbed, nor will his reputation permanently suffer, by any attempts at this late day, to tarnish or reproach it. The shafts of his revilers will be more likely to recoil and fasten on themselves, than to fall injuriously on him.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF REV. COTTON MATHER.

It

As Increase Mather was one of the presidents of Harvard College, it was natural that the historian of the college should dwell

* Yet of his ninety-three or four publications, at least eighty were decidedly of a practical character. See titles of most of them at the end of Remarkables, etc., pp. 234-239.

+ Remarkables, etc., p. 211.

somewhat particularly upon his life and character. But the same reason does not exist, why Cotton Mather should be made the subject of extended remark. He, to be sure, was a graduate of the college; was for some time a member of the corporation; and, during the greater part of his life, was entitled to a seat among the overseers; but beyond this, he had little direct concern with the college, and there seems no good reason why he should hold a conspicuous place in its history. Since, however, President Quincy has thought differently, it will be necessary to follow him, and to inquire into the correctness and justness of his representations. But in order that the subject may be better understood, I shall preface these inquiries with a brief sketch of the life of Cotton Mather.

He was the eldest son of Dr. Increase Mather, and grandson of the celebrated John Cotton; in consequence of which he was named Cotton Mather. He was born in Boston, Feb. 12, 1662. When a boy at school, he endeavored to persuade his youthful companions to become persons of prayer, and even wrote for them some forms of devotion. He had also the courage to "reprove his playmates for their wicked words and practices." At the age of fourteen, he began to observe days of secret fasting and prayer; at which times, he was accustomed to read as many as fifteen chapters in the Bible daily.

He entered college, when but twelve years old, and graduated, with distinguished applause, at the age of sixteen.* At this

* It has been thought by some, that Cotton Mather possessed an undue measure of vanity. If this were so, it is scarcely to be wondered at, considering the applause which was lavished on him, and the raised expectations which he knew were entertained respecting him, in his earliest years. Take the following as a specimen, which was pronounced by President Oakes on the day when he graduated. "Another is named Cotton Mather. What a name! But, my hearers, I confess that I am wrong. I should have said, what names! I shall say nothing of his reverend father, since I dare not praise him to his face; but should he resemble and represent his venerable grandfathers, John Cotton and Richard Mather, in piety, learning, elegance of mind, solid judgment, prudence and wisdom, he will bear away the palm. And I trust that, in this youth, Cotton and Mather will be united and flourish again." The wonder is not, that a mere youth should be injured by such fulsome adulation, but rather that he was not utterly spoiled.

early period, he matured and disciplined his understanding, by drawing up systems of the sciences, and writing remarks upon the books which he had read. At the age of seventeen, he entered into covenant with the church, after a most careful and methodical examination of himself, and with the fullest consecration of his entire being to the Saviour. Having been engaged for some time, in the study of theology, he was ordained minister of the North Church in Boston, as colleague with his father, in 1684. In this situation he passed the remainder of his days, unwearied in his exertions to promote the glory of God, and the highest welfare of his fellow men. He was three times married, and had fifteen children, only two of whom survived him.

One of the earliest manifestations of the Christian life, in the case of Cotton Mather, was his desire to be useful. He commenced by instructing his brothers and sisters, exhorting the domestics, and doing them every service in his power. He imposed it on himself as a rule, never to go into company, where it might be proper for him to speak, without endeavoring to make himself useful. When very young, he commenced devoting a tenth of all his substance to charitable purposes;—a practice which he continued-though the proportion of a tithe was often exceeded-to the end of life.

Mr. Mather seems to have anticipated, when young, that fields of usefulness, then unimagined, would erelong be opened. "A vast variety of new ways to do good will be lit upon; paths, which no fowl of the best flight at noble designs has yet known, and which the vulture's most piercing eye hath not seen, and where loins of the strongest resolution have never passed." It was under the influence of impressions such as these, that he engaged in the composition of his well known work, entitled " Essays to do Good;-a work which Dr. Franklin read in his youth, and to which he ascribes "all the good that he ever did to his country or to mankind.”

* In a letter to Dr. Samuel Mather, son of Cotton Mather, dated "Passy (in France), Nov. 10, 1779," Dr. Franklin says: "Permit me to mention one little instance which, though it relates to myself, will not be quite uninteresting to you. When I was a boy, I met with a book, entitled Essays to do Good, which I think was written by your father. It had been so little regarded by its former possessor, that several leaves of it were torn out; but the remainder gave me such a turn of thinking,