Peter Bulkly

Peter Bulkly, B. D.—This excellent person was born at Odell in Bedfordshire, January 31, 1582, and educated in St. Joint's college, Cambridge, where he was chosen fellow. He had a considerable estate left him by his fatber, Dr. Edward Bulkly,* whom he succeeded in the ministry at the ()lace of his birth. By favour of the excellent Bishop Wilianis, who connived at his nonconformity, as he had done at the nonconformity of his venerable father, he continued unmolested upwards of twenty years. Towards the close of this period, his ministry was attended with wonderful success • in the conversion of souls. But information was no sooner given to Archbishop Laud than he was immediately silenced for noiiconformity.i His mouth being stopped, and having no further prospect of ministerial usefulness in his own country, he sold his estate, and, in 1635, went to New England. He took with him a considerable number of planters, who, upon their arrival, settled at a place which they called Concord. There he gathered a church, became its worthy pastor, and expended a large estate, while most of his servants got estates under him. It was his custom, when any one had lived with him a certain number of years, to dismiss him from his service, and fix him in a comfortable situation, and so take another in his room.

Mr. Bulkly was author of " The Gospel Covenant opened," of which the pious Mr. Shepard has given the following account:"The church of God," says he," is bound to bless God for the holy, judicious, and learned labours of this aged, experienced, and precious servant of Jesus Christ; who hath taken much pains to discover, in demonstration and evidence of the Spirit, the great mystery of godliness wrapt up in the covenant; and hath now fully opened many knotty questions concerning the same, which have not been brought so fully to light until, novv."J The work passed through several editions,

* Dr. Bulkly was a faithful minister of the gospel, and a person of distinguished eminence, lie made additions to Fox's " Acts and Monument! of the Martyrs."—See rez't Martyrs, vol. iii. p. 861—b63.

+ Mather's Hist, of New Eng. b, iil. p. 96. J Ibid. p. 97.

was highly esteemed, and was one of the first books published in New England.

Mr. Bulkiy was twice married. By his first wife he had nine sons and two daughters; and by his second wife, the amiable daughter of Sir Richard Chitwood, he had three sons and one daughter. Old age, and its numerous infirmities, at length coming upon him, put an end to his zealous and useful labours. He was afraid of out-living his work, and died March 9, 1659, aged seventy-seven years. He was an excellent scholar, a thundering preacher, a judicious divine, a strict observer of the sabbath, an exemplary christian, and one who was esteemed as a father, a prophet, and a counsellor in the new commonwealth.* He had three sous employed in the ministry, Gresham, Edward, and John. Edward succeeded his father as pastor of the church at Concord, where he died. John, his youngest son, was educated, and took his degrees, in Harvard college; and, coming to England, settled in the ministry in this country, but was ejected by the act of uniformity in l662.t