of Mr. Brooke have already been detailed (p. 291), in his own language. During the fall and winter of 1705-6, Col. Townley's house accommodated the congregation on the Sabbath, and, it is thought, furnished a home for the missionary. In the spring of 1706, they began to worship in a barn, fitted for the purpose. After the harvest season, the barn being occupied with the summer crops, the missionary was permitted to officiate twice every Sabbath in the Independent Church, on terms, which, though literally observed, were not fulfilled in fact. He was "not to read any of the prayers of the Church." The obvious understanding was, that the service of the Common Prayer-Book was not to be used. He evaded these conditions by committing the prayers to memory, and saying them "by heart." It certainly is very much to the credit of the old church, that they allowed the rival congregation the stated use of their "meeting house," twice every Sabbath, on any terms, and continued this permission, when they saw that, in effect, the contract was habitually broken by Mr. Brooke.

In his report of Oct. 11, 1706, Mr. Brooke says:—

The people, in general, in all the places where I officiate, were either Dissenters or of no religion at all, when I came; but now (through the blessing of God) many are come into the Fold. There are about ten communicants added since I wrote last. I laid the Foundation of a Brick church, at Elizabeth Town, on St. John the Baptist's day, whosename it bears. It is fifty foot long, thirty wide, and twenty-one high,-it bath nine windows-one in the East end, ten foot wide and fifteen high, two in each side, six foot wide and ten high, and four ovals-one of the East window, one in the West end, and one over each door, which are near the west end. The church is now covering, and I hope to preach in it in six weeks or two months. Wee shall only gett the outside of our church up this year, and I'me afraid t'will be a year or two more before we can finish the inside, for I find these hard times a great many are very backward to pay their subscriptions.*

Secretary Busse said of the Church, that it was "erected chiefly by the care and diligence of Colonel Richard Townly, who has given the ground it stands on, and a place for a Burying Ground."+

Clark's St. John's, pp. 18-20.

Ib., 26. Prot. Ep. His. Coll., I. 70.

He seems to have labored very conscientiously and diligently in his vocation. He performed no small amount of missionary work :—

Upon my arrival here (he says), insted of a body of church people to maintain me, I only met with a small handfull, the most of which could hardly maintain themselves, much less build churches or maintain me. Upon which, being almost discouraged to find the Church had got so little footing in these parts, I resolved heartily and sincerely to endeavor to promote her, so much as in my power, in order to which I began to preach, catechize, and expound, twelve, fourteen, sometimes fifteen days per month (which I still do), and on other days to visit the people, through which means, by the blessing of God, my congregations increased every where so that I found very great necessity for churches.

Towards the building of five churches, and printing a tract, he contributed £50; and, besides, he says,

It hath cost me above £10 in riding about the Provinces of New York and Pennsylvania, and this to get subscriptions. I could not have given near so much out of your £100 per annum, had not I been very well stocked with cloaths I brought from England, and had had some money of my own. For I ride so much, I'm obliged to keep two horses, which cost me £20, and one horse cannot be kept well under £10 or £11 per annum. 'Twill cost a man near £30 per annum to board here, and sure 'twill cost me much more who, Pilgrim-like, can scarce ever be three days together at a place. All cloathing here is twice as dear, at least, as 'tis in England, and riding so much makes me wear out many more than I ever did before. The Ferries which I've frequently to cross, and every thing else I've occasion for here, are very chargeable, and I've nothing to defray all my charges but what I receive from your Society; neither can I expect any thing from my people before their churches be finished. To ask any thing [from them] yet, would be a means to deter people from joyning with me, and would be looked upon as offensive. I've so many places to take care of, that I've scarce any time to study; neither can I supply any of them so well as they should be. I humbly beg, therefore, you'll be pleased to send a minister to take the charge of Elizabeth Town and Rawway upon him, and I'll take all the care I can of the rest.*

The Secretary of the Society, Rev. Dr. Humphreys, said of him,

Mr. Brook used exceeding diligence in his cure, and was pleased to find the best of all sorts of people coming over to the Church of England. He exerted himself and at times used to perform Divine service at

* Clark's St. John's, pp. 20-2.

seven places, fifty miles in extent; namely, at Elizabethtown, Rahway, Perth Amboy, Cheesequakes, Piscataway, Rock Hill, and in a congregation at Page's. This duty was very difficult and laborious.*

The ministry of Mr. Brooke came to an abrupt termination, in November, 1707. The Rev. Thorowgood Moore, of Burlington, had, by his faithful rebuke of Lord Cornbury's disgusting immoralities, drawn upon himself the wrath of the Governor, by whom he was arrested and imprisoned at N. York. Mr. Brooke deeply sympathized with his afflicted brother, and, when in prison, visited him. Mr. Moore escaping, and Mr. Brooke being sought for by the enraged Governor, they resolved to proceed to London, and lay their grievances before the proper authorities at home. They embarked at Marblehead, Mass., in November, 1707, for England, but the vessel was lost at sea, and all on board perished.†

Mr. Brooke seems to have been greatly esteemed and much lamented. The Rev. Mr. Talbot says of him and Mr. Moore, they are "the most pious and industrious Missionaries that ever the Honorable Society sent over." "Honest Elias

Neau," as Col. Morris called him, said of them, they

Were assuredly an honor to the mission, and labored with much vigor for the enlargement of the Kingdom of our glorious Redeemer, and we may say, without prejudice to the rest, that they were the Glory of all the Missionaries the Illustrious Society has sent over hither. The purity and candor of their manners preached as efficaciously as their mouths, insomuch that we cannot sufficiently lament the loss of these two good servants of God,-whose crime was for opposing and condemning boldly vice and immorality.

His people, years afterwards, spoke of him as their "worthy, and never to be forgotten Pastor, whose labors afforded them universal satisfaction." +

He left a widow, the younger of the two daughters of Capt. Christopher Billop, whose residence and large plantation at the southern extremity of Staten Island, gave to it the name of Billop's Point, which it still retains. Subsequently she

Humphreys' His. of S. P. G. F. P., pp. 188-90.

↑ Clark's St. John's, pp. 24-32. N. Y. Col. Docmts., IV. 1077.

Clark's St. John's, p. 25. Humphreys' S. P. G. F. P., p. 190. N. Y. Col. Docmts., V. 818