vigorous and propitious Protectorate of Cromwell, none was more ready than Mr. Hooke, to laud the Protector, and recognize the wisdom and grace of the Divine Providence. Of the style of the sermon, we may adopt the words of Dr. Bacon, who has extracted from it, and commented upon it, in his history of the New Haven Church, over which Messrs. Hooke and Street were subsequently called to preside. "Its style, while it has some touches of antique phraseology, is far more ornamented, polished, and rhetorical, than the style of any other New England preacher of that day."

It was on the 23d of July, 1640, less than three years after that company of God-fearing persons had planted themselves in Taunton, that agreeably to a recommendation of the authorities of the colony, the members of the several settlements might have been seen forsaking their humble dwellings, and with devout aspect seeking their several houses of prayer. It is not far from ten o'clock in the forenoon. As 'Mr. Hooke, the pastor of the Taunton flock, is leaving his house, (which stood on the very spot where now stands the venerable house of God, occupied by the Spring Street Church,) he is joined by his associate in the charge of the parish, who afterwards assumed the entire charge, Mr. Nicholas Street. The villagers are forsaking their hamlets, and entering the place of worship. The village sanctuary we will not attempt to describe. But that it had no spire, no tower, no bell, that it was of small dimensions, of an uninviting exterior, of hasty construction, and throughout quite an ordinary affair, is to be inferred from the circumstances of the colony, and the fact that it was hardly three years since the sound of the hammer was first heard in what had been an unbroken wilderness. The villagers came not then to exhibit their fine apparel, to admire the church decorations, to listen to sweet singing, or to sit down. beneath the sound of the viol or the organ. They worshipped Him who is a spirit, in spirit and in truth.

Among the worshippers that day might probably have been seen Elizabeth Pool, "a great proprietor in the township; " her brother, William Pool; her sister, Mrs. Street; Mrs. Hooke, a near kinswoman of Cromwell; and Richard Williams, also related to the Protector, whose family name was once Williams, but changed for an estate. This Richard Williams lived nearly a century. He was a rigid Puritan, and a devout man. There 37*

VOL. II.

is an interesting fact connected with his old age, which the men of this generation would do well to remember. When blind and deaf from age, he was in the habit of attending public worship, saying, "that although he could neither see nor hear, yet it was consoling to his feelings, to know that he was present, while the people of God were at their worship." This Williams, Mr. Baylies well pronounces "the father, if not the founder, of the town." There may have been present on this occasion the families of Uxley, Wilson, Coy, Hall, Corwirthy, Macy, Harvey, Hoar, Dean, Strong, Andrews, Cooke, Smith, Farwell, Case, Kingsley, Paul, Gilbert, Phillips, Hailstone, Parker, Richmond, Holloway, Randall, Doty, Dunn, Scadding, Bryant, Slocum, Gengille, Rossiter, Hobett, Burt, Crossman, Luther, Drake and Brown, for these were the early settlers of the town.

The preliminary services of the occasion, conducted, we will suppose, by Mr. Street, are ended. The sermon is expected. Every eye is fixed on the preacher. There are no averted faces, no heads half hidden from the preacher's view. He has his flock before him, and proceeds to announce his text, — Job ii. 13. "So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great." The doctrine deduced from the text is," that it is the part of true friends and brethren to sympathize and fellow-feel with their brethren and friends, when the hand of God is upon them." This doctrine is confirmed and illustrated by various scriptural reasons. Having established the doctrine, the preacher proceeds to its use, which is first, general; and secondly, special in its application to the state of the mother country, which is the burden of the discourse. England is threatened with a civil war. The horrors of war are dwelt upon at length, and very vividly depicted. Having dwelt upon the miseries of war in general, the preacher proceeds to remark with much power upon the aggravated nature of civil war, or contentions among brethren. In conclusion, that he may excite within his hearers becoming sympathy for England, threatened as she is with such a war, the warm-hearted pastor reminds them of their civil, natural, spiritual, and special relations to that land; of the many mercies they had there enjoyed in former years; and of their share in the sins of that country. His seventh topic is thus expressed:

"Again, let us suppose, that things were even now turned end for end, and that we were this day in distress, and those our brethren in peace. I am confident, that they would condole with us, yea, and pour out many a prayer for us; for they did as much, I know, when this land lay sometimes under death, another time when the Indians rebelled, a third, when the monstrous opinions prevailed. And how have they always listened after our welfare, ebbing and flowing in their affections with us? How do they, (I mean all this while multitudes of well affected persons there,) talk of New England with delight! How much nearer heaven do some of their charities account this land, than any other place they hear of in the world? Such is their good opinion of us! How have some among them desired to die, if they might not be vouchsafed to live in this land? And when sometimes a New England man returns thither, how is he looked upon, looked after, received and entertained, the ground he walks upon beloved for his sake, and the house held the better where he is? How are his words listened to, laid up, and related frequently, when he is gone? neither is any love or kindness held too much for such a man."

The preacher having reminded his hearers, "that of all the Christian people, this day in the world, we in this land, enjoy the greatest measure of peace and tranquillity," closes with the following appeal :

"Let us never go to our secrets, without our censers for Old England, dear England, still, in diverse respects, left indeed by us in our persons, but never yet forsaken in our affections. The good God of Heaven have mercy upon it, and upon all his dear people and servants in it, for Christ his sake. Amen!"

Mr. Hooke ultimately returned to his "dear England." Called to New Haven, as the successor of Samuel Eaton, the brother of Theophilus Eaton, the founder and first governor of New Haven, he accepted the call, as near as can be ascertained, in 1644, and was sometime during that year installed teacher of the New Haven Church, Rev. John Davenport being pastor. Cotton Mather gives us the text of his first sermon at New Haven: "Go thou with Phurah, thy servant." Judges vii. 10. He states, that the doctrine of the discourse was: great services a little help is better than none." sure that even Mr. Davenport did not regard the such a man as Hooke as by any means "little." Dr. Bacon in his "Historical Discourses " makes honorable mention of the associate of Mr. Davenport. He thus alludes to the probable occasion of Mr. Hooke's return to England. "When at last

"That in We may be "help" of

his friend Cromwell had mounted to all but absolute power over the whole British empire; when his wife's brother, Edward Whalley, was one of the eight military chiefs who ruled the eight districts into which the Protector had divided the realm; when the fear of a Presbyterian hierarchy over the churches of England had been taken away, and Congregational principles seemed likely to triumph; it is not strange, that he felt himself drawn toward his native country."

In 1654, "Mr. Hooke's wife was gone for England, and he knew not how God would dispose of her." In 1656, nineteen years after his ordination at Taunton, and twelve years after his removal to New Haven, we find him following his wife to England. He at once became a member of Cromwell's family, and officiated as domestic chaplain. In this capacity he was associated with the famous John Howe. In the order of procession at the funeral of the Protector, "the chaplains at Whitehall, Mr. White, Mr. Sterry, Mr. Hooke, Mr. Howe, Mr. Lockyer, Mr. Peters," had a place assigned them just after the five "Secretaries of the French and Latin tongues," one of whom was "Mr. John Milton." Hooke honored and loved Cromwell. In a letter addressed to John Winthrop, (afterwards governor of Connecticut,) and preserved in the Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society, Mr. Hooke remarks:

"The Protector is a godly man, much in prayer, and good discourses, delighting in good men and good ministers, self-denying, and ready to promote any good work for Christ. As touching myself, I am not yet settled, the Protector having engaged me to him, not long after my landing, who hitherto hath well provided for me. His desire is, that a church may be gathered in his family, to which purpose, I have had speech with him several times. Sir, I would not tire you. I have very great need of the help of your prayers. I am still valetudinarious, and should rejoice to do God any acceptable service before my great change cometh. The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you, and all yours, prospering your endeavors to his glory, and the good of many. To his grace I heartily commend you, and rest Yours very much bound to you,

April 13, 1657. WILLIAM HOOKE. To the much honored, Mr. John Winthrop, at his house in Pequot, in New England."

Mr. Hooke not only officiated as chaplain at the palace of Whitehall, but was also invested with "the mastership of the Hospital called the Savoy, in the city of Westminster." Thus

situated, the sphere of the Taunton and New Haven minister was considerably enlarged. He had indeed been privileged with intelligent and influential auditors in this country; but there, in the metropolis of Great Britain, he might easily imagine himself transferred to a more important and desirable post. How slight, however, is our hold on everything earthly! How uncertain and deceptive are all human calculations! The Protector soon died. A second Charles, far baser than the first, assumes the throne. The Commonwealth is no more. The chaplaincy of Whitehall is at an end. The master of the Savoy is silenced. We should suppose that a relative and confidant of Cromwell, and brother-inlaw of Whalley, would be the last of men to find favor with the licentious Charles or his profligate court. He was ejected from the pulpit, and otherwise persecuted. Doubtless he more than once wished himself at home again in this wilder, but freer and happier, Western world. The regicide Whalley found a refuge from the wrath of the king, in the very parish where his brother-in-law had once officiated as teacher. Mr. Hooke, though absent from them, bore his former charge in kind remembrance. In 1671, he addressed them a letter, in which he confirms their title to what was known as the "Hooke lot" in New Haven, and prescribes certain terms in the donation, which, we are sorry to add, on the authority of Dr. Bacon, have not been strictly complied with. That he was mindful of his former flock, appears not only from his liberal gift, but from the declarations of his letter:

"Brethren, I daily have you in remembrance before the Lord, as retaining my old brotherly affection towards you, desiring the return of your prayers and brotherly love for him, in whose heart you have a great interest. The Father of mercy be with you all, dwell in the midst of you, fill you with all joy and peace in believing, and bring you to his everlasting kingdom in glory, through Jesus Christ, in whom I rest."

66

That the writer was able to find rest and peace in Jesus, in such troublous times," is a pleasing evidence of his good estate. Mr. Hooke had been made a dispenser of the charities of the New Haven Church among the "poor ministers and ministers' widows" in England. In acknowledging it, he adds: "This fruit of your bounty is very thankfully received and acknowledged by us, and the good Lord make all grace to abound. towards you."