264 CHAP. XVII. Dec. THE DUTY OF SELF-SACRIFICE. Surely 1 Now, brethren, I pray you, remember yourselves, and know that you are not in a retired, monastical 1621. course, but have given your names and promises one to another, and covenanted here to cleave together in the service of God and the King. What then must you do? May you live as retired hermits, and look after nobody? Nay, you must seek still the wealth of one another, and inquire, as David, How liveth such a man? How is he clad? How is he fed? He is my brother, my associate; we ventured our lives together here, and had a hard brunt of it; and we are in league together. Is his labor harder than mine ? will ease him. Hath he no bed to lie on ? have two; I'll lend him one. Why, I have two suits; I'll give him one of them. Eats he coarse fare, bread and water, and I have better? Why, surely we will part stakes. He is as good a man as I, and we are bound each to other; so that his wants must be my wants, his sorrows my sorrows, his sickness my sickness, and his welfare my welfare; for I am as he is. And such a sweet sympathy were excellent, comfortable, yea, heavenly, and is the only maker and conserver of churches and commonwealths; and where this is wanting, ruin comes on quickly. Why, I Hath he no apparel ? It wonderfully encourageth men in their duties, when they see the burthen equally borne; but when some withdraw themselves, and retire to their own particular ease, pleasure, or profit, what heart can men have to go on in their business? When men are come together to lift some weighty piece of timber, or vessel, if one stand still and do not lift, shall not the rest be weakened and disheartened? Will not a few idle drones spoil the whole stock of laborious bees? So THE IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC SPIRIT. 265 XVII. Dec. one idle belly, one murmurer, one complainer, one self- CHAP. lover, will weaken and dishearten a whole colony. Great matters have been brought to pass, where men 1621. have cheerfully, as with one heart, hand and shoulder, gone about it, both in wars, buildings and plantations ; but where every man seeks himself, all cometh to nothing. The country is yet raw; the land untilled; the cities not builded; the cattle not settled. We are compassed about with a helpless and idle people, the natives of the country, which cannot, in any comely or comfortable manner, help themselves, much less us. We also have been very chargeable to many of our loving friends, which helped us hither, and now again supplied us; so that before we think of gathering riches, we must even in conscience think of requiting their charge, love, and labor; and cursed be that profit and gain which aimeth not at this. Besides, how many of our dear friends did here die at our first entrance; many of them, no doubt, for want of good lodging, shelter, and comfortable things; and many more may go after them quickly, if care be not taken. Is this then a time for men to begin to seek themselves? Paul saith, that men in the last days shall be lovers of themselves; but 2 Tim. it is here yet but the first days, and, as it were, the dawning of this new world. It is now therefore not time for men to look to get riches, brave clothes, dainty fare; but to look to present necessities. It is now no time to pamper the flesh, live at ease, snatch, catch, scrape, and pill, and hoard up; but rather to open the doors, the chests, and vessels, and say, Brother, neighbour, friend, what want ye? any thing that I have? Make bold with it; it is yours to command, to do you iii. 2. 266 THE GENERAL GOOD TO BE REGARDED. CHAP. good, to comfort and cherish you; and glad I am that XVII. I have it for you. 1621. Let there be no prodigal person to come forth and say, Dec. Give me the portion of lands and goods that appertainxv. 12. eth to me, and let me shift for myself.' It is yet too Luke soon to put men to their shifts. Israel was seven years, in Canaan, before the land was divided unto tribes, much longer before it was divided unto families; and why wouldest thou have thy particular portion, but because thou thinkest to live better than thy neighbour, and scornest to live so meanly as he? But who, I pray thee, brought this particularizing first into the world? Did not Satan, who was not content to keep that equal state with his fellows, but would set his throne above the stars? Did not he also entice man to despise his general felicity and happiness, and go try particular knowledge of good and evil? And nothing in this world doth more resemble heavenly happiness, than for men to live as one, being of one heart and one soul; neither any thing more resembles hellish horror, than for every man to shift for himself; for if it be a good mind and practice, thus to affect particulars, mine and thine, then it should be best also for God to provide one heaven for thee, and another for thy neighbour. Objection. But some will say, If all men will do their endeavours, as I do, I could be content with this Throughout this paragraph there is a manifest reference to the copartnership into which they had been obliged to enter with the merchant adventurers, by which all the property and profits of the Plantation for seven years were to be held as a joint stock, not to be divided till the expiration of that time. The colonists had already become impatient of this arrange ment, and were clamorous for a partition of the lands, and the institution of separate property. It was the design of Mr. Cushman to exhort them to be faithful to their engagement, to cherish a public spirit, and to seek the general and ultimate good of the Colony, rather than their personal and immediate interest. See the CONDITIONS on page 81, and note on page 84. THE NEED OF MUTUAL HELP. 267 XVII. generality; but many are idle and slothful, and eat up CHAP. others' labors, and therefore it is best to part, and then every man may do his pleasure. If others be idle and thou diligent, thy fellowship, provocation, and example, may well help to cure that malady in them, being together; but being asunder, shall they not be more idle, and shall not gentry and beggary be quickly the glorious ensigns of your commonwealth? Be not too hasty to say men are idle and slothful. All men have not strength, skill, faculty, spirit, and courage to work alike. It is thy glory and credit, that canst do so well, and his shame and reproach, that can do no better; and are not these sufficient rewards to you both? If any be idle apparently, you have a law and governors to execute the same, and to follow that rule of the Apostle, to keep back their bread, and let them not eat. Go not therefore whispering to charge men with idleness; but go to the governor and prove them idle, and thou shalt see them have their deserts. And as you are a body together, so hang not together by skins and gymocks, but labor to be jointed together and knit by flesh and sinews. Away with envy at the good of others, and rejoice in his good, and sorrow for his evil. Let his joy be thy joy, and his sorrow thy sorrow. Let his sickness be thy sickness, his hunger thy hunger, his poverty thy poverty; and if you profess friendship, be friends in adversity, for then a friend is known and tried, and not before. Lay away all thought of former things and forget them, and think upon the things that are. Look not gapingly one upon other, pleading your goodness, you lived, your means you had and your birth, your life 1621. Dec. 268 XVII. Dec. EXHORTATION TO PEACE AND UNION. CHAP. might have had. Here you are by God's providence under difficulties; be thankful to God it is no worse, 1621. and take it in good part that which is, and lift not up yourselves because of former privileges. Consider therefore what you are now, and where you are. Say not, I could have lived thus and thus; but say, Thus and thus I must live; for God and natural necessity requireth, if your difficulties be great, you had need to cleave the faster together, and comfort and cheer up one another, laboring to make each other's burden lighter. There is no grief so tedious as a churlish companion; and nothing makes sorrows easy more than cheerful associates. Bear ye therefore one another's burthen, and be not a burthen one to another. Avoid all factions, frowardness, singularity, and withdrawings, and cleave fast to the Lord and one to another continually; so shall you be a notable precedent to these poor heathens, whose eyes are upon you, and who very brutishly and cruelly do daily eat and consume one another, through their emulations, wars and contentions. Be you, therefore, ashamed of it, and win them to peace, both with yourselves and one another, by your peaceable examples, which will preach louder to them than if you could cry in their barbarous language. So also shall be you an encouragement to many of your Christian friends in your native country, to come to you, when they hear of your peace, love and kindness that is amongst you. But, above all, it shall go well with your souls, when that God of peace and unity shall come to visit you with death, as he hath done many of your associates; you being found of him, not in murmurings, discontent, and jars, but in brotherly love and peace, may be translated from this wandering wilderness unto that joyful and heavenly Canaan. |