Patriarch of Dorchester, Father of Massachusetts

The man who is singly most responsible for the Puritan settlement of Massachusetts is John White, Patriarch of Dorchester (1575-1648). One of many John Whites in his era, and possibly related to John White, Artist and Governor of the Lost Colony of Roanoke (c. 1540-c. 1593), our "Patriarch," who was also the great-grandfather of John and Charles Wesley, was a leading Puritan of his day, and influential on both sides of the Atlantic.

John White was a Puritan whose ties to Dorchester, England, began with his appointment as rector there in 1606. He spent the rest of his life ministering to that community, and his importance as a leader in the town after a calamitous fire in 1613, after which, under his preaching, the town was greatly rebuilt, with a view towards employing and helping the poor, and reformed in its spiritual character. The town prospered in the ensuing years, and White, having noted the Pilgrim expedition to Plymouth upon the publication in 1622 of Mourt's Relation, helped to establish the Dorchester Company, which in 1623 founded a trading settlement at Cape Ann, near what is now Gloucester, Massachusetts, overseen by Thomas Gardner, said by some to be the first governor of Massachusetts, which in 1626 was moved further south, under the leadership of Roger Conant, and would become the town of Salem. White recruited emigrants and helped to raise funds for the work of the Dorchester Company, to help build Massachusetts as both a refuge for nonconforming Puritans as a profitable trading colony, though he himself conformed to the Church of England.

Daniel Neal, The History of New-England, Vol. 1, p. 122:

...the Reverend Mr. White, Minister of Dorchester, encourag'd by the Success of the Plimouth Colony, projected a new Settlement in the Massacuset Bay as an Asylum for the silenced Ministers;...

His trips to London, networking and earnest appeals led to the granting of a patent by the Plymouth Council for New England in 1628 to the successor of the Dorchester Company, the New England Company for the Plantation in Massachusetts Bay, which established the Massachusetts Company. It was under the auspices of this company that the Great Puritan Migration to New England commenced in 1630 with the sailing of the Winthrop Fleet. The Humble Request of His Majesties Loyall Subjects, the Governour and the Company late gone for New England; to the rest of their Brethren in and of the Church of England (1630) was published by John Winthrop and his group is thought to have been been drafted by John White of Dorchester. It sets forth their formal farewell to England, yet affirming their unbroken communion with the Church of England. John Cotton preached a farewell sermon at the departure of the Winthrop Fleet, God's Promise to His Plantation (1630), in which he promised a fuller accounting of the reasons for the Puritan migration, a promise which was fulfilled by the publication later that year of The Planters Plea, Or the Grounds of Plantations Examined, and usual Objections answered. Together with a manifestation of the causes moving such as have lately undertaken a Plantation in NEW ENGLAND: For the satisfaction of those that question the lawfulness of the Action. 2 Thess. v. 21. Prove all things, and hold fast that which is good. by John White. This important document constitutes a full treatise on the history of the settling of Massachusetts to date, and setting forth the Biblical reasons for the planting of this particular settlement, its relation to the Church of England, and the establishment of colonial endeavors generally (including arguments "from Gods gift of the earth to men," "from the Law of marriage" and "from the benefit that comes to mens outward estates"), as well as answering concerns by friends and foes of the Puritans' enterprise. He continued to correspond with John Winthrop, and to labor for the benefit of the colonial settlement. Thus, though White himself never sailed to Massachusetts, his efforts to establish the Puritan colony there have led many to refer to him as the "Father of Massachusetts," even more so than the Pilgrim Fathers.

In 1643, White was chosen to serve among the Westminster Assembly of Divines. When the Assembly swore to uphold the Solemn League and Covenant on September 25, 1643, John Lightfoot recorded in his Journal that "Mr. White prayed near upon an hour." White attended faithfully and contributed diligently to the work of the Assembly, and was in fact married to the sister of Cornelius Burgess, his co-assessor at the Assembly. While the Assembly was engaged in a battle over whose metrical Psalter would be chosen to serve as the instrument of uniformity and "get the civil sanction," the leading candidates being Francis Rous and William Barton, White, who had prepared his own version of the metrical Psalms, preferred not to publish it while the debate was going on, in the interests of harmony. It was published posthumously with the permission of his son under the title David's Psalms in Metre, agreeable to the Hebrew. To be sung in usuall Tunes To the benefit of the Churches of Christ (1655) and shows his poetic skills. He also wrote a catechism. A.F. Mitchell writes, The Catechisms of the Second Reformation, p. xlvii:

His catechism, entitled A Plaine and Familiar Exposition upon the Creed, X. Commandments, Lord's Prayer, and Sacraments, etc., passed through several editions, and, save in the introduction, is identical with that of Josias White, his elder brother, though probably this last was the copyist.

He retired to the country after the end of the English Civil War, and wrote A Way to the Tree of Life: Sundry Directions for the Profitable Reading of the Scriptures: wherein is described occasionally the nature of a spirituall man, and, in A digression, the morality and perpetuity of the Fourth Commandment in every circumstance thereof, is discovered and cleared (1647). He also wrote A Commentary upon the Three First Chapters of the First Book of Moses called Genesis (1656), which contains prefaces by Stephen Marshall and Thomas Manton, commending the work. Charles Spurgeon said of White's commentary, "A folio upon three chapters! There were giants in those days." Manton himself said:

...That praise which was reserved for our Author, was, besides a solid Exposition of the Text, The deducing of Apt and pertinent Observations, together with fit and proper Reasons to each Point, which with what Judgment and Acutenesse it is performed, I leave to the Reader to judge.

To speak of the Worth of the Authour is needlesse, his praise being already in all the Churches:...

He died in 1648, having poured his life into a ministry which served the cause of Christ's kingdom on both sides of the Atlantic, and the name of this good man, as common as it is, is uncommonly worthy of remembrance.

The Lost Nachlass of Henry Ainsworth

The Hartlib Circle, a diffuse group of intelligentsia centered on the endeavors of the German polymath Samuel Hartlib to make accessible all human knowledge, which was a precursor to the Invisible Society, and in turn was a precursor to the Royal Society, included such notable brilliant lights John Dury and John Worthington. One interesting trajectory of their labors involves the project to find the lost Nachlass of Henry Ainsworth.

Henry Ainsworth, one of the most famous of the Christian Orientalists, author of the celebrated Annotations on the Pentateuch, the Psalms, and the Song of Solomon, as well as the metrical version of the Psalms used by the Pilgrims, died suddenly in Amsterdam in 1622 or 1623 at around the age of 51 under mysterious circumstances. In fact, he was thought by some to have been poisoned. Daniel Neal, in his History of the Puritans, Vol. 1 (1844 ed.), p. 243, writes:

His death, was sudden, and not without suspicion of violence; for it is reported that, having found a diamond of very great value in the streets of Amsterdam, he advertised it in print, and when the owner, who was a Jew, came to demand it, he offered him any acknowledgment he would desire; but Ainsworth, though poor, would accept of nothing but a conference with some of his rabbies upon the prophecies of the Old Testament relating to the Messiah, which the other promised, but not having interest enough to obtain it, 'tis thought that he was poisoned.

Benjamin Brook, Lives of the Puritans, Vol. 2, p. 302, says that other accounts hold that the conference with the Jewish rabbis did indeed take place, that Ainsworth confounded his opponents, and that they did in revenge poison him.

Be that as it may, at his death, Ainsworth, a voluminous writer, left behind him a large body of unpublished manuscripts. The existence of these papers became the subject of interest of the British Council of State which in 1652 planned a revision of the Authorized (King James) Version of the Bible. Ainsworth's writings were intended to serve as the basis for marginal notes that would accompany this revision. A committee which included Ralph Cudworth, a Hartlibian, was entrusted with the aim of obtaining these papers. The planned revision did not materialize but Hartlib, who greatly desired to see a complete commentary on the Bible written according to Ainsworth's method, did not forget about them. He and his friend John Worthington corresponded about the project to track down these lost Ainsworth manuscripts shortly before Hartlib's death.

In 1661, Worthington wrote to Hartlib, as recorded in the first volume of Worthington's Diary and Correspondence, pp. 263-269:

There is another author, whose remains are most worthy to be retriev'd: I mean Mr. Ainsworth, whose excellent Annotations upon the Pentateuch, &c., sufficiently discover his great learning, and his most excellent observation of the proper idiom of the holy text; with every jot and tittle of which he seems to be much acquainted as any of the Masoreths of Tiberius. I have been told that there are these MSS., of his, viz., his Comment upon Hosea, Notes upon S. Matthew, and Notes upon the Epistle to the Hebrews: which latter he was the more prepared for, by reason of his former labours upon the Pentateuch; the Epistle to the Hebrews being Moses unveil'd. Mr. Cole, (a bookseller at the Printing Press, in Corn-hill,) told one, that he had once these MSS., in his keeping, and thought to have printed them; but that a kinsman (or a son, I do not so well remember,) of Mr. Ainsworth's at Amsterdam, and John Can, could not well agree, either about the right of disposing the copy, or the price for the MSS. I have heard that Mr. [Philip] Nye, or Mr. [Henry] Jessey, knew something of these MSS. If they could be recovered, so they be like the other printed works of the author, it would be a good work indeed, and might be of singular use. Nay, if they be not throughout so compleated as the author intended, yet the whole is too good to be lost or [embezzled]. Perhaps you or Mr. Dury may be acquainted with the forementioned persons in England; or could by some understanding persons enquire of this business at Amsterdam. If the MSS., can be found, and may be purchased at a fit rate, there is no fear of being a looser. His other works have always sold well, and at a good price; and were bought by men of different perswasions from him; who did esteem him for his modesty and singular learning, and were much obliged to him for his skill in Jewish antiquities, lighting their candle by his.

This business I think is worthy of consideration.

Dury did in fact track down the one who held Ainsworth's manuscripts: it was Ainsworth's son. Worthington wrote again to Hartlib later that year (ibid, p. 353) to encourage Dury in this contact with Ainsworth's son. But Dury's efforts to persuade the son to part with the manuscripts were ultimately unsuccessful. Ainsworth's son did not feel that his father's reputation would be enhanced by their publication.

As for what happened to them next, the trail grows cold, at least for this writer. It would be nice to think that they were not destroyed but tucked safely away to be discovered by some researcher centuries later, like a hidden treasure of gold. But as for now they remain a literary mystery and a lost Nachlass.

Westminster Assembly Ground Rules

Daniel Neal gives us an account, based in part upon John Lightfoot's Journal of the Proceedings of the Westminster Assembly, of the ground rules that were laid at the commencement of this Assembly for its deliberations and activities.

History of the Puritans, Vol. 1 (1843 ed.), pp. 461-462:

The Assembly was opened on Saturday, July 1, 1643, with a sermon preached by Dr. [William] Twisse. The ordinance for their convention was then read, and the names of the members called over, after which they adjourned to Monday, and agreed on the following rules:

(1.) "That every session begin and end with a prayer.

(2.) "That after the first prayer, the names of the Assembly be called over, and those that are absent marked ; but if any member comes in afterward, he shall have liberty to give in his name to the scribes.

(3.) "That every member, before his admission to sit and vote, do take the following vow or protestation:

"I, A. B., do seriously and solemnly, in the presence of Almighty God, declare that, in this Assembly whereof I am a member, I will not maintain anything in matter of doctrine but what I believe in my conscience to be most agreeable to the Word of God; or in point of discipline, but what I shall conceive to conduce most to the glory of God, and the good and peace of his Church."

And, to refresh their memories, this protestation was read in the Assembly every Monday morning.

(4.) "That the appointed hour of meeting be ten in the morning; the afternoon to be reserved for committees.

(5.) "That three of the members of the Assembly be appointed weekly as chaplains; one to the House of Lords, another to the House of Commons, and a third to the committee of both kingdoms. The usual method was to take it by turns, and every Friday the chaplains were appointed for the following week.

(6.) "That all the members of the Assembly have liberty to be covered, except the scribes," who some time after had also this liberty indulged them.

Besides these, the Parliament, on the Thursday following, sent them some farther regulations. As,

(1.) "That two assessors be appointed with the prolocutor, to supply his place in case of absence or sickness, viz., Dr. Cornelius Burges [Burgess], and the Rev. Mr. John White, of Dorchester.

(2.) " That scribes be appointed, who are not to vote in the Assembly, viz., the Rev. Mr. [Henry] Roborough and Mr. [Adoniram] Byfield.

(3.) "That every member, on his first entrance into the Assembly, take the fore-mentioned protestation.

(4.) "That no resolution be given upon any question the same day wherein it was first proposed.

(6.) "What any man undertakes to prove as a necessary truth in religion, he shall make good from the Holy Scriptures.

(6.) "No man shall proceed in any dispute after the prolocutor has enjoined him silence, unless the Assembly desire he may go on.

(7.) "No man shall be denied the liberty of entering his dissent from the Assembly, with his reasons for it, after the point has been debated; from whence it shall be transmitted to Parliament, when either house shall require it.

(8.) "All things agreed upon and prepared for the Parliament shall be openly read, and allowed in the Assembly, and then offered as their judgment, if the majority assent; provided that the opinions of the persons dissenting, with their reasons, be annexed, if they desire it, and the solution of those reasons by the Assembly."

Larry Holley notes further in his unpublished dissertation, The Divines of the Westminster Assembly: A Study of Puritanism and Parliament (1979), Appendix III, p. 225, that an additional rule was propounded by the House of Lords on June 29, 1643, but rejected by the House of Commons on July 6:

No long Speeches to be permitted, that Matters may not be carried by impertinent Flourishes; but all Debates to be by Way of Argument, soberly and gravely managed.

The Continuators (Part 1)

In literature, a continuator completes the unfinished work of an author after their death or creates a new work based on another's prior text. Because I like to know when I am reading something who wrote what, I have done a bit of research on the continuators of certain Puritan works which may be of interest to some who share my love for historical or literary trivia.

I have previously listed the continatuors of Matthew Poole's English Annotations here. I would add that at least one authority claims it was not Peter Vinke but Edward Veale who completed the annotations on Acts.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Bible

Matthew Henry died after completing the section on Acts. Romans - Revelation was completed by his friends and colleagues as noted below:

Mr. [afterward Dr.] John Evans (1680-1730) (see below) - Romans.
Mr. Simon Browne (1680-1732) - 1 Corinthians
Mr. Daniel Mayo (1672-1733) (his father Richard Mayo was a continuator of Matthew Poole's English Annotations) - 2 Corinthians; 1 & 2 Thessalonians.
Mr. Joshua Bayes (1671-1746) - Galatians.
Mr. Samuel Rosewell (1679-1722) - Ephesians.
Mr. [afterwards Dr.] William Harris - Philippians; Colossians.
Mr. Benjamin Andrews Atkinson - 1 & 2 Timothy.
Mr. Jeremiah Smith - Titus; Philemon.
Mr. William Tong (1662-1727) - Hebrews; Revelation
Dr. S. Wright - James.
Mr. Zec. Merrill - 1 Peter.
Mr. Joseph Hill (1667-1729) - 2 Peter
Mr. John Reynolds, of Shrewsbury - 1, 2 & 3 John.
Mr. John Billingsley - Jude.

William Gouge's Commentary on Hebrews

William Gouge died before completing his commentary on Hebrews. His son, Thomas Gouge, completed the last chapter.

William Perkins' Commentary on Galatians

William Perkins died after completing his exposition of the fifth chapter of Galatians. The sixth chapter was completed by Ralph Cudworth (d. 1624), father of the famous Cambridge Platonist by the same name.

John Flavel's Exposition of the Westminster Shorter Catechism

John Flavel died before completing his exposition of the Westminster Assembly's Shorter Catechism. George Trosse (1631-1713) completed the last five questions.

The History of the Puritans

John Evans began the work of writing a History of Nonconformity, but died before it could be completed, as it was by his assistant Daniel Neal with the title The History of the Puritans.