CHAPTER XIII. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE PLANTATION IN XIII. FIRST, it will be a service to the Church of great CHAP. consequence, to carry the Gospel into those parts of the world, and to raise a bulwark against the king- 1629. dom of Antichrist, which the Jesuits labor to rear up in all places of the world. Secondly, all other churches of Europe are brought to desolation, and it may be justly feared that the like judgment is coming upon us; and who knows but that God hath provided this place to be a refuge for many whom he means to save out of the general destruction? Thirdly, the land grows weary of her inhabitants, so that man, which is the most precious of all creatures, is here more vile and base than the earth they tread upon; so as children, neighbours and friends, especially of the poor, are counted the greatest burdens, which, if things were right, would be the chiefest earthly blessings. Fourthly, we are grown to that excess and in 272 GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS CHAP. temperance in all excess of riot, as no mean estate XIII. almost will suffice [a man]1 to keep sail with his 1629. equals; and he that fails in it, must live in scorn and contempt. Hence it comes to pass, that all arts and trades are carried in that deceitful manner and unrighteous course, as it is almost impossible for a good, upright man to maintain his charge, and live comfortably in any of them. Fifthly, the schools of learning and religion are so corrupted as, (besides the unsupportable charge of their education,) most children, even the best, wittiest, and of fairest hopes, are perverted, corrupted, and utterly overthrown by the multitude of evil examples and licentious governors of those seminaries. Sixthly, the whole earth is the Lord's garden, and he hath given it to the sons of Adam to be tilled and improved by them. Why then should we stand starving here for places of habitation, (many men spending as much labor and cost to recover or keep sometimes an acre or two of lands as would procure him many hundreds of acres, as good or better, in another place,) and in the mean time suffer whole countries, as profitable for the use of man, to lie waste without any improvement? Seventhly, what can be a better work, and more noble, and worthy a Christian, than to help to raise and support a particular church while it is in its infancy, and to join our forces with such a company of faithful people as by a timely assistance may grow stronger and prosper, and for want of it may be put to great hazard, if not wholly ruined? 1 So in Mather, Magnalia, i. 65, who says he transcribes from a MS. FOR PLANTING NEW-ENGLAND. 273 XIII. Eighthly, if any such as are known to be godly, CHAP. and live in wealth and prosperity here, shall forsake all this to join themselves with this church, and run 1629. in hazard with them of a hard and mean condition, it will be an example of great use both for the removing of scandal and sinister and worldly respects, to give more life to the faith of God's people in their prayers for the Plantation, and also to encourage others to join the more willingly in it. OBJECTIONS. OBJ. 1. It will be a great wrong to our own Church and country to take away the best people; and we shall lay it more open to the judgments feared. ANS. First, the number will be nothing in respect of those that are left. Secondly, many that live to no use here, more than for their own private families, may be employed to a more common good in another place. Thirdly, such as are of good use here may yet be so employed as the Church shall receive no loss; and since Christ's coming, the Church is to be conceived as universal, without distinction of countries; so as he that doth good in any one place, serves the Church in all places, in regard of the unity. Fourthly, it is the revealed will of God that the Gospel should be preached to all nations; and though we know not whether the Indians will receive it or not, yet it is a good work to observe God's will in offering it to them; for God shall have glory by it, though they refuse it. OBJ. 2. We have feared a judgment a long time; but yet we are safe. Therefore it were better to stay till it come; and either we may fly then, or if |