own heart) did voluntarily leave his warme nest; and to the wonder of his kindred and amazement of them that knew him, undertooke this hard, but, in my judgement, heroicall resolution to go to Virginia, and helpe to beare the name of God unto the Gentiles.' A memoir of this man would find readers every where.

In 1619-the year the first colonial assembly was held-the year African servants were brought into the colony-the year that the king determined to send dissolute persons to Virginia, and the company determined to send the colonists wives, Mr. Stith tells us there were about six hundred persons in the colony divided into eleven parishes, and for the supply of these there were five preachers. The doings of the colonial assembly before the year 1623, 4, are not known; but from after reference it appears the salary of the ministers was ten pounds of tobacco per poll and a bushel of corn, provided it did not exceed fifteen hundred pounds of tobacco and sixteen barrels of corn.

In 1623, 4, the first assembly, whose records have been preserved, held its meeting in the month of March. The first Act says "There shall be in every plantation, where the people use to meete for the worship of God, a house or room sequestered for that purpose, and not to be for any temporal use whatever, and a place empaled in, sequestered only for the buryal of the dead."

"Act 2d. That whosoever shall absent himselfe from divine service any Sunday without an allowable excuse shall forfeite a pound of tobacco, and he that absenteth himselfe a month shall forfeite 50 pounds of tobacco."

"Act 3d. That there be an uniformity in our church as neere as may be to the canons in England, both in substance and circumstances, and that all persons yield readie obedience to them under paine of censure.'

"Act 5th. That no minister be absent from his church above two months in all the yeare upon penalty of forfeiting halfe his means, and whosoever shall absent above foure months in the yeare shall forfeit his whole means and cure."

"Act 7th. That no man dispose of any of his tobacco before the minister be satisfied, upon pain of forfeiture double his part of the ministers means, and one man of every plantation to collect his means out of the first and best tobacco.'

The meaning of the word "poll" is defined in Act 1st, 1642, 3-"be it also enacted and confirmed, that there be ten pounds of tob'o per poll and a bushell of corne per poll paid to the ministers within the severall parishes of the collony for all titheable persons, that is to say, as well for youths of sixteen years of age as upwards, as also for all negro women at the age of sixteen years." By Act 8th, 1662, the tithables were

intended to include all males imported and all negroes males or females imported.

In the year 1632, there was a revisal of the laws. The act for conformity was re-enacted, somewhat varying in words but not in spirit. The penalty for non-attendance at church was changed to "one shillinge for every tyme of any person's absence from church having no lawfull or reasonable excuse to bee absent." By Act 6th, The minister was required to preach one sermon every Sunday in the year-"havinge no lawful impediment." By Act 7th, The ministers were required to catechise the youth and others every Sabbath "halfe an houre or more before evening prayer." By Act 13th, "All preachinge, administeringe of the communion baptizinge of children and marriages shall be done in the church except in cases of necessilie.”

Act 11th, 1632-"Ministers shall not give themselves to excesse in drinkinge or ryott, spending their tyme idelie by day or by night playinge at dice, cards, or any other unlawfull game, but at all tymes convenient they shall heare or reade somewhat of the holy scriptures or shall occupie themselves with some other honest studies, or exercise, always doinge the things which shall appertayne to honestie and endeavour to profitt the church of God, havinge alwayes in mynd that they ought to excell all others in puritie of life, and should be examples to the people, to live well and christianlie."

By Act 56, 1632-"It is ordered, That no person or persons shall depart out of this colony to inhabit or abide within any other plantations of New England or elsewhere, unlesse he obtayne a lysense or passe for his departure under the Governor's hand.”

In the Revisal of 1642, the Act for conformity was made more severe on ministers. "Ffor the preservation of the puritie of doctrine and unitie of the church, It is enacted that all ministers whatsoever which shall reside in the collony are to be conformable to the orders and constitutions of the church of England, and the laws therein established, and not otherwise to be admitted to teach or preach publicly or privately, And that the Gov. and Counsel do take care that all nonconformists upon notice of them shall be compelled to depart the collony with all convenience."

This law was not a dead letter as will be seen in the treatment of the Puritans. These people began early to emigrate to Virginia hoping to find a resting place. And although in 1614 Mr. Whitaker-"complaineth and museth much, that so few of our English ministers that were so hot against the surplice and subscriptions come hither where neither is spoken off-in ten years the colonial Legislature resolved to con

form the Church-"as neere as may be to the forms and ceremonies of the Church of England. There is no intimation given by historians of any persons in the colony to whom this law could apply but the Puritans. Cotton Mather in his Magnalia, vol. 1st, pp. 538, 539, tells us-"In the year 1741, one Mr. Bennet, a gentleman from Virginia, arrived at Boston, with letters from well disposed persons there, unto the ministers of New England, bewailing their said condition, for the want of the glorious gospel, and entreating that they might hence be supplied with ministers of that gospel. These letters were openly read at Boston, upon a lecture day; whereupon the ministers agreed upon setting apart a day for fasting and prayer, to implore the direction of God about this business; and then the churches of Watertown, Braintree and Rowley, having each of them two ministers apiece, Mr. Philips of Watertown, Mr. Thompson of Braintree, and Mr. Miller of Rowley were pitched upon for the intended services, whereof the General Court so approved, that it was ordered the Governor should recommend these persons by his letters to the Governor and council of Virginia. Mr. Philips being indisposed to the voyage, Mr. Knowles went in his room; and Mr. Miller's bodily weakness caused him also to decline the voyage. But the two churches of Watertown and Braintree, though they loved their ministers very well, yet cheerfully dismissed them unto this great concern; accounting it their honour that they had such desirable persons, by whom they might make a mission of the gospel, unto a people that sat in the region and shadow of death. On October 7th, 1642, they began their voyage: at Rhode Island they lay long wind bound; and they met with so many other difficulties, that they made it eleven weeks of dangerous passage before they arrived at Virginia; nevertheless they had this advantage on the way, that they took in a third minister for their assistance, namely Mr. James then at New Haven.

"Though their hazardous retardation in this voyage, made them sometimes to suspect whether they had a clear call of God unto their undertaking, yet the success of their ministry, when they came to Virginia, did sufficiently extinguish that suspicion. They had little encouragement from the rulers of the place, but they had a kind entertainment with the people; and in the several parts of the country where they were bestowed, there were many persons brought home to God. But as Austin told mankind, the devil was never turned Christian yet; the powers of darkness could not count it for their interest, that the light of the gospel powerfully preached, should reach those dark places of the Earth. The rulers of that province did not allow of their publick preaching; but instead thereof

an order was made,-That such as would not conform to the ceremonies of the Church of England, should by such a day depart the country. By which order, these holy, faithful, painsful ministers, were driven away from the Virginia coast. But when they returned, as they left behind them not a few seals of their ministry, so they brought with them some who afterwards proved blessings to New England." Mr. Winthrop tells us, that two years previous some Emigrants from Massachusetts had sought a residence in Virginia. It is not improbable that the messenger Mr. Bennet was one of these. Or he might have been sent in their behalf. He also remarks"that though the state did silence the ministers, because they would not conform to the order of England, yet the people resorted to them in private houses to hear them." This mission from Massachusetts took place about the time of the last war of Opechankanough, which resulted in his capture. About this time also a great sickness prevailed in the colony, which Mather connects with the driving away of the missionaries.

This was

Mr. Calamy in his life of Baxter tells us-in a sketch of the life of Mr. Knowles-that in Virginia, "Mr. Harrison, that was the Governor's Chaplain, openly moved they might have full liberty, but secretly endeavoured they might be dismissed, as he owned afterwards with concern and sorrow. that Mr. Harrison that was afterwards so useful a man in England and Ireland. Mr. Knowles and Mr. Thomson being discharged from public preaching in Virginia, continued a while preaching, privately and did much good." After having referred to the massacre in the Indian war that followed-he says "five hundred are reported to have been murdered on this occasion. Among those that escaped this miserable massacre, some were gathered into church order by Mr. Harrison, who became quite another man after this providence than he was before. But the Governor dismissed his chaplain who was now grown too serious for him."

In 1648, as Mr. Holmes tells us in his annals, the Puritans were still numerous. About one hundred and eighteen were associated in church fellowship under the Pastoral care of Mr. Harrison. The greatest numbers were in Nansemond County. This year Mr. Harrison, being driven from the colony, went to New England and thence to England. Mr. Durand one of its Elders having been banished by the Governor, retreated to North Carolina and took his abode on a neck of land which

still bears his name. The Congregation was scattered, and nothing more is heard of any puritan preacher from New England, or elsewhere, unless some that came over in the time of Cromwell were such. John Hammond, the author of a

pamphlet called Leah and Rachel, published in 1656, says― "And there was in Virginia a certaine people Congregated into a church calling themselves Independents, which daily increasing, severall consultations were had by the State of that colony, how to suppress and extinguish them, which was duely put in execution; as first their pastor was banished; next their other teachers; then many by information clapt up in prison, then generally disarmed (which was very harsh in such a country where the heathen live round about them) by one Colonel Samuel Matthews, then a Counsellor of Virginia, so that they knew not in those straights how to dispose of themselves." Mr. Winthrop tells us that Mr. Harrison reported that many of the council were favourable to him and his opinions, and that by conjecture about a thousand of the people were of a similar mind. Mr. Hubbard tells us that Mr. Harrison after spending a year or two in New England, went to England and received the degree of Doctor of Divinity, and finally settled in Ireland. These events signalized the early part of Sir William Berkeley's administration.

During the protectorate of Cromwell the legislature of Virginia made efforts that were in part successful, to obtain a supply of proper ministers. Act 5th 1656 declared-" Whereas many congregations in this colony are destitute of ministers. whereby religion and devotion cannot but suffer much impairment and decay, which want of the destitute Congregations ought to be supplied by all means possible to be used, As also to invite and encourage ministers to repaire hither and merchants to bring them in, Bee it therefore hereby Enacted for the reasons aforesaid that what person or persons soever shall at his or their proper cost and charge transport a sufficient minister into this collony without agreement made with him shall receive for satisfaction of his or their said charges of him the said minister or they that shall entertain him for their minister, twenty pounds sterling by bill of exchange or two thousand pounds of tobacco, and also for what money shall be disbursed for them besides their transportation to be allowed for." By act 1st the power of managing the affairs of the parish was lodged in the hands of the vestry. This was productive both of good and evil. The vestry were supposed to consult the wishes of the parishioners, and thus was there an approach to freedom of conscience. But the power of oppressing the whole parish in the choice of a minister was lodged in the hands of the vestry. "Be it enacted by this present Grand Assembly concerning church Government as followeth, that all matters concerning the vestry, their agreement with the minister, touching the Church Wardens, the poore, and other things concerning the parishes or parishioners respec