The following Memoir, will bring to notice, one of the most eminent ministers of the seventeenth century, among the English Baptists. A man not less distinguished by his literary attainments, than by his extraordinary piety and benevolence. In any age, and in any country, a character combining so many rare excellencies, as adorned the life and ministry of Mr. JESSEY, would be considered an ornament to the denomination to which he belonged. Mr. JESSEY was born on the 3d of September 1601, at West-Routon, near Cleveland, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, his father being minister of that place. When he was seventeen years of age, he was sent to the university, and educated in St. John's college at Cambridge, where he continued about six years, and commenced first bachelor, and then master of arts. But that which is most remarkable, is, that while he was under the teachings of men, and eagerly pursuing after human learning in this place, God himself was pleased to teach him, and enrich his soul with divine learning, working effectually in him, by his Holy Spirit, the knowledge of sin, and faith in Christ; so that he dates his conversion to God, while he was yet at the university, and but of twenty-one years of age; a very rare and uncommon instance! How ever, this put no stop to the prog. ress of his education; for he followed his studies as closely as ever, only he now steered the course of them more directly to qualify him for the ministry of the gospel; having determined from this time to devote himself to that sacred employment. When he removed from the university, old Mr. Bramton Gurdon, of Assington in Suffolk, famous for his having three sons parlament-men, took him to be chaplain in his family. And in this worthy family he continued nine years, where he had the opportunity of perfecting his studies, and qualifying himself yet better for more public service. It was in the year 1627 that he received episcopal ordination. And though after this he was frequently solicited to accept of some promotion in the church, yet he could not be prevailed upon until the year 1633, and then the living of Aughton in Yorkshire was given to him. Here he found that his predecessor Mr. Alder, had been removed for non-conformity, and he knew that his principles would not permit him to conform so far as the other had done, and therefore expected no long continuance in this place. And it proved according to his expectation; for the very next year he himself was removed for not using all those ceremonies enjoined by the rubrick and canons, and for presuming to remove a crucifix set up there. After this, Sir Matthew Bointon, in the same county, took him into his family; by whom he also was introduced to preach frequently both at Barneston and Rowsby, two parishes near adjoining in Yorkshire; and began every day to be more and more taken notice of for his piety, humility, and excellent preaching. In the year 1635 he came up to London with his patron; and he had not been long here, before he was earnestly solicited to take the pastoral care of a congregation of protestant dissenters in this city, which had been formed ever since the year 1616 by one Mr. Henry Jacob. They had often heard him preach to their great satisfaction; and it was now well known, that he would accept no preferment in the established church, but looked upon the imposition of ceremonies, and oaths of episcopal and canonical obedience to be unwarrantable and sinful. His great modesty caused him to decline it for some time; but at length, after many prayers to God, and consultations with his brethren, he accepted of this charge in the year 1637, and in this vineyard did he continue a faithful and laborious servant of Jesus Christ, unto the day of his death. It happened that every now and then several of this congregation were embracing the opinion of the Baptists, and going off from them on that occasion. In 1638, the year after his coming among them, six persons of note espoused it; in 1641 a much greater number; and in 1643 it was revived again, and prevailed more than ever. Many of these were such as Mr. Jessey very much respected for their piety and solid judgment, and the alteration of their opinions occasioned frequent debates in the congregation about it; so that be was by these things necessarily put upon the study of this controversy: and when, upon a diligent and impartial examination of the holy scriptures and antiquity, he found occasion to alter his opinion; yet he did not do it without great deliberation, many prayers, and divers conferences with pious and learned men of a different persuasion. His first conviction was about the mode of baptizing: for he quickly discerned that sprinkling was a mod ern corruption brought in without any just ground either from scripture or antiquity; and therefore in the year 1642, the church being assembled, he freely declared to them that immersion, or dipping the whole body into the water, appeared to him to be the right manner of administering baptism, this being the import of the original word baptizo, this agreeing with those examples of baptism recorded in the holy scriptures, and this best represent ing those spiritual mysteries signified by it, viz. the death and resurrection of Christ, and our dying to sin, and rising again to newness of life. And therefore he proposed, that those who were baptized for the future, should receive it after this manner. And though he continued for two or three years after this, to baptize children, his manner was to dip them into the water. But about the year 1644 the controversy about the subjects of baptism was again revived, and several debates held in the congregation about it; by which not only several pri vate Christians were convinced that infant-baptism was an unscriptural practice, but Mr. Jessey himself also came over to this opinion. How ever, before he would absolutely determine in the point, and practise accordingly, he resolved to consult with divers learned and judicious ministers of those times; and therefore had a meeting with Dr. Goodwin, Mr. Philip Nye, Mr. Jer. Burroughs, Mr. Walter Craddock, and several others. But these giving him no satisfaction, he was in June 1645 baptized by Mr. Hanserd Knollys; and it proved no small honour and advantage to the Baptists, to have a man of such extraordinary piety and substantial learn ing among them. But notwithstanding his differing from his brethren in this, or any other point, he maintained the same Christian love and charity to all saints as before, not only as to a friendly conversation, but also in respect of church communion.* Besides his constant labours in the work of the ministry, there was another profitable work, wherein his soul was engaged, and in which he took great pains for divers years; and this was no less than the making a new and more correct translation of the Holy Bible. ity. But notwithstanding, his qualifications in this, and many other respects, he had not the vanity to think this a work fit for any single man to encounter with; and there, fore sent letters to many learned men of this and other nations, desiring their assistance and joint Jabours with him in this great design.. And by his persuasions many persons of great note for their learning, faithfulness, and piety, did engage in it; particularly Mr. John Rowe, the Hebrew professor at Aberdeen, took great pains with him herein. The writer of Mr. Jessey's life says, that he made it the master study of his life, and would often cry out, "O, that I might see this done before I die!" In that book there is a specimen given of the errors he took notice of in the present translation, the rules he observed in correcting them, and the progress that was made in this work. It appears that it was almost completed, and wanted little more than the appointing commissioners to examine it, and authorise its publication, which was what he always intended, and of which he had from the first some assurances given him. But the great turn that was given to public affairs both in church and state, by the restoration, caused this great and noble design to prove abortive. He was very industrious, in the first place, to understand fully those languages in which it was written: the Hebrew and Greek testaments he constantly carried about him, frequently calling one his sword and dagger, and the other his shield and buckler. And besides the Hebrew He chose a single life, that so not and Greek, he studied the Syriac being incumbered with wife or famand Chaldee dialects, which the un-ily, he might be the more entirely learned Jews spoke in their captiv devoted to his sacred work, and the The dawn of the reformation which succeeded the long night of popish darkness, seems to correspond to that day spoken of by the prophet Zechariah, the "light of which should not be clear nor dark." Luther, though justly esteemed one of the greatest of the reformers, did not perceive the absurdity of the popish doctrine of transubstantiation. Mr. JESSEY, who was born only 55 years after the death of Luther, was first led to renounce sprinkling, but continued the baptism of infants by immersion. But on receiving further light, he renounced the practice altogether. It is far less surprising when we consider the times in which he lived, and the connections which he had previously formed, that he did not perceive the impropriety of mixed communion, than that a man of Mr. R. HALL'S high claims to erudition, should at this day of increased light, espouse the same sentiment. But neither Mr. JESSEY, nor Mr. BUNYAN, his cotemporary, escaped persecution from their Pædobaptist neighbours, on account of their liberal sentiments. EDITORS, |