MORTON'S PREFACE. took notice of God's great and gracious work in erecting so many churches of Christ in this wilderness. But it was judged by some that were judicious that I was too sparing and short in that behalf; the consideration whereof put me on thought of recollecting something more particularly relating to the church of Plymouth. But it pleased the Lord so to dispose, that having accomplished my desires, some time after the finishing of this work I was solicited to lend it to a reverend friend at Boston, where it was burned in the first fire that was so destructive at Boston, in the year 1667.1 Yet, notwithstanding, I have, through the goodness of God, crowded through many difficulties to achieve it the second time; and, for that end, did once again repair to the study of my much honored uncle, William Bradford, Esquire, deceased, for whose care and faithfulness in such like respects we stand bound; as firstly and mostly to the Lord, so seconda viated." In fact, Morton's chief This is unquestionably an error; it should be 1676. For the writer says he began this compila tion after the publication of the "Gov. Bradford died May 9, 5 6 > MORTON'S PREFACE. rily to him and his, whose labors in such respect might fitly have been published to the world, had they not been involved in and amongst particulars of other nature. Gentle reader, I humbly crave thy patience, and acceptance of this small treatise, so as to read it over considerately; wherein so doing thou wilt discern much of the goodness, mercy, and power of God; who as at the first brought this fabric of the world out of the womb of nothing, hath brought so many famous churches of Christ out of so small beginnings; with many other useful considerations that thou mayest meet with in the serious perusal thereof. So leaving thee and this small work to the blessing of the only wise God, I remain thine in Christ Jesus, NATHANIEL MORTON.' Plymouth, in New England, January 13th, 1680. 'Nathaniel Morton was the son of George Morton, who had married in England a sister of Gov. Bradford, and came over to Plymouth with his family in July, 1623, in the ship Anne. His father died in June, 1624, when Nathaniel was twelve years old. In 1645 he was chosen Secretary of the Colony Court, and continued in this office till his death, June 28, 1685, in his 73d year. His residence in Plymouth was by the side of Wellingsly Brook, half a mile south of the village. See Judge Davis's Preface to Morton's Memorial, pp. iv. and 101, and Mass. Hist. Coll. xiii. 178. INTRODUCTION. AN INTRODUCTION TO THE ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF NEW ENGLAND, AS FOLLOWETH.' It is well known to the godly and judicious, how INTR. that ever since the first breaking out of the light of the Gospel in our honorable nation of England, — which was the first of nations whom the Lord adorned therewith, after that gross darkness of Popery, which had covered and overspread the Christian world,-what wars and oppositions ever since Satan hath raised, maintained, and continued against the saints from time to time, in one sort or other; sometimes by bloody death and cruel torments, otherwhiles imprisonments, banishments, and other hard usages; as being loth his kingdon should go down, the truth prevail, and the churches of God revert to their ancient purity, and recover their primitive order, liberty, and beauty. But when he could not prevail by these means against the main truths of the Gospel, but that they began to take footing in many places, being watered with the blood of the martyrs and blessed from heaven with a gracious This was originally penned by Mr. William Bradford, Governor of New Plymouth. - Morton's Note. 8 INTRODUCTION. INTR. increase; he then began to take him to his ancient stratagems, used of old against the first Christians; that when by the bloody and barbarousness of the heathen emperor he could not stop and subvert the course of the Gospel, but that it speedily overspread with a wonderful celerity to the then best known parts of the world, he then began to sow errors, heresies, and wonderful desertions amongst the professors themselves, working upon their pride and ambition, with other corrupt passions incident to all mortal men, yea to the saints themselves in some measure; by which woful effects followed, as not only bitter contentions and heart-burnings, schisms, with other horrible confusions, but Satan took occasion and advantage thereby to foist in a number of vile ceremonies, with many unprofitable canons and decrees, which have since been as snares to many peaceable poor souls even to this day; so, as in the ancient times the persecution by the heathen and their emperors was not greater than of the Christians, one against another, the Arians' and other their accomplices' against the orthodox and true Christians (as witnesseth Socrates in his second book, saith he) "was no less than that of old practised towards the Christians when they were compelled and drawn to sacrifice to idols; for many endured sundry kinds of torments, others racking, and dismembering of their joints, confiscating of their goods, some bereaved of their native soil, others departed this life under the hands of the tormentor, and some died in banishment, and never saw their country again."2 The like method Satan hath seemed to hold in these So in the MS. Eccles. Hist. lib. ii. cap. 27. INTRODUCTION. to 9 latter times, since the truth began to spring and spread INTR. after the great defection made by Antichrist, the Man of Sin. For to let pass the many examples in sundry nations, in several places of the world, and instances of our own, whenas the old serpent could not prevail by those fiery flames, and other his cruel tragedies, which he by his instruments put in ure every where in the days of Queen Mary and before, he then began another 1553. kind of war, and went more closely to work, not only 1558. to oppugn, but even to ruinate and destroy the kingdom of Christ by more secret and subtle means, by kindling the flames of contention and sowing the seeds of discord and bitter enmity amongst the professors and seeming reformed themselves. For when he could not prevail by the former means against the principal doctrines of faith, he bent his force against the holy discipline and outward regiment of the kingdom of Christ, by which those holy doctrines should be confirmed, and true piety maintained amongst the saints and people of God. Mr. Fox recordeth how that, besides those worthy martyrs and confessors which were burned in Queen Mary's days and otherwise tormented, many, both students and others, fled out of the land, to the number 1554. of eight hundred, and became several congregations at Wesel, Frankfort, Basle, Emden, Marburg, Strasburg, and Geneva, &c. Amongst whom, especially those at Frankfort, began a bitter war of contention and per- 1555. secution about the ceremonies and service book, and other popish and antichristian stuff, the plague of England to this day, which are like the high places in 1 Fox, Acts and Monuments, iii. iii. 146, and Fuller's Ch. Hist. of 40. See also Strype's Memorials, Britain, ii. 405, (ed. 1837.) |