SKETCH OF JOHN ALLIN. BY WILLIAM F. ALLEN, A. M., PROFESSOR OF HISTORY IN UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN. John Allin was born, probably early in 1597, at Colby, a village in Norfolk, England, a few miles northeast of Norwich. He was baptised May 22. His father was Reginald Allin, a man of considerable property, called "yeoman" in his will, but in another document "gentleman"; he was probably what we should call a rich farmer. John was the eighth of fifteen children, and appears to have been the only one who received a university education. He attended school at the neighboring town of North Walsham, and matriculated. at Caius College, Cambridge-the great puritan and East Anglian CollegeApril 27, 1612; took the bachelor's degree in 1615, and the master's degree in 1619. Jo: Allin SIGNATURE OF JOHN ALLIN, OF COLBY, NORFOLK, ON TAKING THE DEGREE OF M. A., AT CAMBRIDGE, 1619. He was married at Wrentham, Suffolk, Oct. 22, 1622, to Margaret Morse; and here, Oct. 24, 1623, his eldest son, John, was baptised, having been born Oct. 13; at this time he was a resident of Denton, probably the village of that name on the southern border of Norfolk, a few miles from Wrentham. This son, John, graduated at Harvard College, Mass., in the second class (1643); he afterwards returned to England, where he became rector of Rye, Sussex, from which living he was ejected by Charles II. From 1623 to 1637 nothing is known of John Allin. In July, 1637, he settled in Dedham, and the following year was ordained as pastor of the church in that town. In this office he remained until his death, August 26, 1671. HANDWRITING OF JOHN ALLIN, THE FIRST PASTOR AT DEDHAM, AS During the thirty-three years of his ministry he appears to have been one of the most active and respected of the ministers of the Prov ince, and to have been called upon for service in various activities. In 1648 he was chosen to preach the opening sermon before the Synod which met at Cambridge, September 15, for the purpose of forming a system of church government. In 1654 he was appointed an overseer of Harvard College. In 1656 he was appointed upon a commission, with Mr. Norton, Cotton, and others, to consider certain questions propounded by the General Court at Hartford. He was a strong, but not a voluminous writer. The following works by him have been published: 1648. A "Paper marking the just limitations of colonial allegiance and imperial right," "The Voice of the Colony against Parliament." "A Defence of the Answer made unto the Nine Questions, or Positions, sent from New England against the Reply of that Revd Servant of Christ, Mr. John Ball, entitled, Tryall of the New Church Way in New England, and in Old. Wherein, besides a more full opening of Sundry Particulars concerning Liturgies, Power of the Keys, Matter of the Visible Church, &c., is more largely handled that controversy concerning the Catholic Visible Church, tending to clear up the Old Way of Christ in New England Churches. By John Allin, Lon, 1648. Tho. Shepard, Pastor of Cambridge, in N. E. "Animadversions upon the Antisynodalia Americana, a Treatise Printed in Old England, in the Name of the Dissenting Brethren in the Synod held at Boston, 1662,” Cambridge: S. G[reen] and M. J[ohnson] for Hezekiah Usher, 1664, 4o pp. (6) 82. Two Sermons. "The Spouse of Christ," delivered at the administration of the Lord's Supper, Aug. 16, 1671, and “The Lord Jesus, His Legacy of Peace," being the last that he preached before his death. Cambridge, 1672. In the introduction to these two sermons, signed "By some of the hearers of the ensuing sermons," he is spoken of as "a constant, faithful and diligent steward in the House of God, a man of peace and truth, and a burning and shining light." These sermons were re-printed, 1840, in "Dedham Pulpit." His wife, Margaret, having died, he was married a second time, Nov. 8, 1653, to Katharine, widow of Gov. Dudley. He died Aug. 26, 1671. [NOTE. This sketch of Mr. Allin's life differs in some important particulars from that contributed by Dr. A. B. Grosart to the National Biography, edited by Leslie Stephen. The evidence for all the facts will be found in Dr. Lamson's sermon, preached upon the fortieth anniversary of his ordination, and in two short articles in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, for January, 1887, and July, 1888. The year of his birth is given in Mather's Magnalia (iii, 132–3,) as 1596, and this corresponds to the statement of his matriculation at Caius College, as 16, April 27, 1612. But his baptism, May 22, 1597, indicates a later date, which again is confirmed by the statement, in the introduction to the two sermons published the year of his death (Aug. 26, 1671), that he was "in the seventy-fifth year of his age." This testimony, which is of far more weight than that of Mather, points at earliest to the closing months of 1596. If he was born before March 25, 1597, it would still be 1596, according to the reckoning of that time, and in April, 1612, he would have been in his sixteenth year.] FIRST CHURCH RECORDS. BOOK I. [See introduction for interpretation of signs and abbreviations.] A briefe history of ye Church of Christ (gathered) in his name, at Dedha' in New England y 8th day of ye 9th month 1638 relating only such passages of p'vidence & cariages of ye affairs thereof both in & about yei gathering of ye Church & ye p'ceedings thereof as were thought most materiall & usefull both for ye present state of yt Church to revew upon any occasion & allso for future ages to make use of in any case yt may occur wherein light may be fettched from any examples of things past, no way intending hereby to bind ye co'science of any to walke by this patterne or to approue of the practise of ye Church further than it may appear to be according to ye rule of ye gospell. The township of Dedha' consisting of about 30 families residing ther 1637. being co'e together by divine p'vidence from se'rall pts of England: few of them knowne to one an other before, it was thought meete & agreed upon that all ye inhabita'ts yt affected church co'munion or pleased to co'e, should meete e'ry 5th day of ye weeke at severall houses in order, lovingly to discourse & consult together such questions as might further tend to stablish a peaceable & co'fortable civil society, & ppare for spirituall co'munion in a church society, that we might be further acquainted w'h ye (spiritual) tempers & guifts of one an other, & partly yt we might gaine further light in ye waies of Christ Kingdome & govermt of his Church, wh we thought might much conduce to this end. The order of wch meetings was this ye question being p'pounded & agreed upon ye week before, ye Mr of ye family wher ye meeting was, began & concluded wth prayer: & he first speaking as god assisted to ye question others yt pleased spake after him as thay saw cause to ad, inlarge or approue wt was spoken by any or purposly to treate of y qu: its': or else to propound any questions pertinent to ye case or any objections or doubts remaining in any conscience about ye same, so it were humbly & wth a teachable hart not wth any mind of cavilling or contradicting. w'h order was so well observed as generally all such reasonings were very peaceable, loving, & tender, much to edification. For ye subject of thes disputes or conferences divers meetings att first were spent about questions as p'tayned to y just, peaceable & comfortable p'ceeding in ye civil society * towne. After wh questions we p'eeeded to such as more p'p'ly concerned yo chiefe scope of our meetings, the chiefe of wth the substance of ye resolutions thereof wherein ye company generally consented; because thay lead on & make way to ye gathering of the church I thought not unmeete to sett downe breitly as follow in order. 1 Question whether such as in ye judgmt of charity looke upon one an other as Christians may assemble together, speak & heare ye w4, pray & fast, or confer together being out of church order as we were & many unknowne to each other. Ans. Affiratively That taking one an other for Christians nothing yet appearing to ye contrary; all Christians by virtue of ther union wth X' & one wth an other have a co'mon right to & use of all such priviledges & spirituall helpers unto ediflcation as naturally flows from yt union as to justification Adoption &c, so to ye word prayer & fasting as an helpe ther to & to ye guifte one of an other for mutual edification but for instituted priveledges & ordinances thay were to be injoyed only in ye order instituted by X. q. 2. concerning ye duties of Christian loue, how far we stood bound therto in our condicion. An: to all such christian & sprituall duties of loue as flows from yt union wh× & one an other; as to exhort admonish privately comfort, to communicate & im'pue any guift received to mutual edification, to releine ye wants of each other &c. qu: 3. whether having thes priveledges of christian co'munion & being bound to such duties, we may not rest in such a condicion & looke no further. Ans: negatively, we may not, but seeke for a further union & com'union even such as may intereste vs in & convey unto us all ye ordinances of X instituted worship both beca's it is y com’and of god yt whole Christ should be received & submitted unto & so in his kingly office & ye outward administration of his kingdome, & allso because ye spirituall condicion of ev'ry Xan is such as stand in need of all instituted ordinances for ye repaire of ye sts & edification of ye body of X Eph. 4. qu 4. wt is yt further & neerer union & co'munion to be sought after for such ends. An. Church co'munion of ye fellowship of a certaine number of visible saints or belevers agreeing to liue together in spirituall co'munion wh X & one an other in ye use of all ye holy instituted ordinances & worship of ye gospell. & yt this is an institution of Xin ye gospell yt ye sts of X should be distributed into p'ticular vissible congregations injoying ther distinct officers &c is clere; Mat 18 where 2 or 3 agre together, & 1 Cor 1. 1 & 16. 2 Phil: 1. 1 Revel 1 ye 7 X' of Asia. q. 5. concerning ye matter of such a church the p'per matter of such a ehurch is visible belevers or st, for as faith itselfe unites to Christ & makes a member of ye invisible church so such a p'fession of faith & holynes y frute of it as makes it visible makes a man a fitt matter for a visible church. 1 Cor. 1:1 Phil 1. 1 &c 7. * * 6. That ye band of this society yt knitt them together is a mutuall consent or p'fession of ye covenant of graces or an application of ye covenant of ye gospell to a number of sts, wherby thay proffessing ther faith * doe lay claime to all ye grace privileges ** of ye gospell, & promise to ye lord & one unto an other to live together in such co'munion wth ye lord & one an other according [to] rule of ye gospell in ev'ry thing. The ground of wh covenant was shewed from ye nature of ye thing * being no union of many p'sons into one body yt can be made wthout mutuall consent or some kind of covenant. 2ly from ye practice of ye lord who nev'r took any people unto himselfe to worship him according to his ordinances as a church, but by covenant: as appears in ye stories of Abraha' & his family constituted a church by covenant Gen 15 & 17. ye people of Israel coming out of Egypt Exod: 20 &c. & when yei brak yt covenant this caused ther divorce from ye lord, & when thay were restored againe in any way of solemn reformation it was by renewing this covenant as many examples shew. 3ly in ye new testamt X describes his Church to be such as agree together in his name. Mat 18 & ye Ap. 2 Cor 9. 13 obserue ye forwardnes of ye X in ministering to ye sts was one experimt of ther p'fessed subjection so yt yei had p'fessed ther subjection to ye gospell wch is ye substance of this covenant a touch whereof we haue allso recorded of Tim. in ye 1 Tim 6. 12. 7 concerning ye manner of gathering sts together into coven' it ought to be so ordered as ye high & spirituall ends there may best be attained accordng to rules of Christian prudence so yt ye co'munion may be spirituall edifiing & ye persons knitt firmly in ye band of loue, yt allso ye ordinances may be kept in purity, & a sweete co'munion maintained in ye Churches, it is requisite yt p'fessours being strangers to one an other before, meeting fro' many parts should be well acquainted wth ye harts and states of one an other-joyne by way of confession & p'fession of ther faith & yt this be publikely testified for ye better union of ye harts of other X unto the'. Butt y number & wt p'sons should 1 joine it is not much materiall so ye be such as are living stones; & such as may haue some measure of faithfull care & diseerving to keep ye X pure & allso be of yt inocency of life as may invite other sts more willingly to joine to ym. S. it was concluded yt a Church thus gathered haue from X not only a right to all ye institutions of ye gospell but ye power of ye kies wherby she may dispence ye same to hir me'bers & doth receive this power imediately from X on whom she depend alone as hir head; for ye kies were giuen to peter not as an Ap. but as a bel'vr upon ye confession of his faith. & Paul rebuke ye cor: even |