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TO THE WHOLE COMPANY.

93

VII.

July.

Matt.

Neither yet is it sufficient that we keep ourselves, CHAP. by the grace of God, from giving offence, except withal we be armed against the taking of them, when they 1620. be given by others. For how unperfect and lame is the work of grace in that person who wants charity to cover a multitude of offences,' as the Scripture speaks. Neither are you to be exhorted to this grace only upon the common grounds of Christianity, which are, that persons ready to take offence, either want charity to cover offences,' or wisdom duly to weigh human frailties, or, lastly, are gross though close hypocrites, as Christ our Lord teacheth; as indeed, in my own ex- v.1-5. perience, few or none have been found which sooner give offence, than such as easily take it; neither have they ever proved sound and profitable members in societies, which have nourished this touchy humor. But, besides these, there are divers motives provoking you, above others, to great care and conscience this way. As first, you are many of you strangers, as to the persons, so to the infirmities one of another, and so stand in need of more watchfulness this way; lest, when such things fall out in men and women as you suspected not, you be inordinately affected with them; which doth require at your hands much wisdom and charity, for the covering and preventing of incident offences that way. And lastly, your intended course of civil community will minister continual occasion of

1

The passage between ' and ' is omitted in Morton's copy, in the Church Records, but is restored from his Memorial, p. 26. It is also contained in the Relation or Journal mentioned in the Note on page 91. The cause of this accidental omission is evident enough

-

the recurrence of the word of fences the eye of the transcriber glancing over the intervening words. This is what the critics calls an ὁμοιοτέλευτον. See Le Clerc's Ars Critica, ii. 49; Michae lis, Introd. N. T. i. 271, (Marsh's ed.); Wetstein, N. T. ii. 863.

94

VII.

ROBINSON'S LETTER OF ADVICE

CHAP. offence, and will be as fuel for that fire, except you diligently quench it with brotherly forbearance. And 1620. if taking of offence causelessly or easily at men's July. doings be so carefully to be avoided, how much more heed is to be taken that we take not offence at God himself; which yet we certainly do, so oft as we do murmur at his providence in our crosses, or bear impatiently such afflictions as wherewith he pleaseth to visit us. Store we up therefore patience against the evil day; without which we take offence at the Lord himself in his holy and just works.

A fourth thing there is carefully to be provided for, to wit, that with your common employments you join common affections, truly bent upon the general good; avoiding, as a deadly plague of your both common and special comfort, all retiredness of mind for proper advantage, and all singularly affected any manner of way. Let every man repress in himself, and the whole body in each person, as so many rebels against the common good, all private respects of men's selves, not sorting with the general conveniency. And as men are careful not to have a new house shaken with any violence before it be well settled, and the parts firmly knit, so be you, I beseech you, brethren, much more careful that the house of God, which you are, and are to be, be not shaken with unnecessary novelties, or other oppositions, at the first settling thereof.1

"Plutarch," says Jeremy Taylor, "compares a new marriage to a vessel before the hoops are on." "Therefore" Plutarch adds, "it behooves those people who are newly married to avoid the first occasions of discord and dissension; considering that vessels newly formed are subject to be bruised

and put out of shape by many slight accidents; but when the materials come once to be settled and hardened by time, nor fire nor sword will hardly prejudice the solid substance." See Plutarch's Morals, iii. 17, (ed. 1694); Taylor's Works, v. 260, (Heber's ed.)

TO THE WHOLE COMPANY.

your

95

VII.

Lastly, whereas you are to become a body politic, CHAP. using amongst yourselves civil government, and are not furnished with any persons of special eminency 1620. July. above the rest to be chosen by you into office of government, let wisdom and godliness appear not only in choosing such persons as do entirely love and will diligently promote the common good, but also in yielding unto them all due honor and obedience in their lawful administrations, not beholding in them the ordinariness of their persons, but God's ordinance for your good; nor being like the foolish multitude, who more honor the gay coat than either the virtuous mind of the man, or glorious ordinance of the Lord. But you know better things, and that the image of the Lord's power and authority, which the magistrate beareth, is honorable, in how mean persons soever. And this duty you both may the more willingly and ought the more conscionably to perform, because you are, at least for the present, to have only them for your ordinary governors which yourselves shall make choice of for that work.

Sundry other things of importance I could put you in mind of, and of those before mentioned in more words. But I will not so far wrong your godly minds as to think you heedless of these things; there being also divers among you so well able to admonish both themselves and others of what concerneth them. These few things, therefore, and the same in few words, I do earnestly commend unto your care and conscience, joining therewith my daily, incessant prayers unto the Lord, that He who hath made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all rivers of waters, and whose providence is over all his works, especially over all his dear children, for good, would so guide and guard you in your

96

ROBINSON'S LETTER OF ADVICE.

CHAP. ways, as inwardly by his Spirit, so outwardly by the VII. hand of his power, as that both you, and we also, for 1620. and with you, may have after matter of praising his name all the days of your and our lives. Fare you

July

well in Him in whom you trust, and in whom I rest An unfeigned well-wisher of your

Happy success in this hopeful voyage,

JOHN ROBINSON.

This letter, though large, being so fruitful in itself and suitable to their occasions, I thought meet to insert in this place.'

'There is no date to this letter; but it was written about the same time as the one to Carver, since in

that letter Robinson says, “I have written a large letter to the whole."

CHAPTER VIII.

OF THE TROUBLES THAT BEFELL THE FIRST PLANTERS
UPON THE COAST OF ENGLAND, AND IN THEIR VOYAGE
IN COMING OVER INTO NEW ENGLAND, AND THEIR ARRI-
VAL AT CAPE COD, ALIAS CAPE JAMES.

VIII.

ALL things being got ready, and every business CHAP. despatched, the company was called together, and this letter read amongst them; which had good 1620. acceptation with all, and after fruit with many. Then they ordered and distributed their company for either ship, as they conceived for the best, and chose a governor and two or three assistants for each ship, to order the people by the way, and to see to the disposing of their provisions, and such like affairs; all which was not only with the liking of the masters of the ships, but according to their desires.

Aug.

Which being done, they set sail' from thence about the fifth of August.2 [But, alas, the best enterprises 5.

1

Smith, in his New England's Trials, printed in 1622, and Purchas, in his Pilgrims, iv. 1840, printed in 1625, say they sailed "with about 120 persons."

2"But what befell them further upon the coast of England, will

appear in the book entitled New
England's Memorial, page 31; and
likewise of the voyage, and how
they passed the sea, and of their
safe arrival at Cape Cod, see New
England's Memorial, page 33."
Morton's Note.

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