Part 19

Next he fals upon y^e church, that indeed is y^e burthensome stone that troubls him. First, he saith they hold this principle, that the Lord hath not apointed any ordinarie ministrie for y^e converssion of those without. The church needs not be ashamed of what she houlds in this, haveing Gods word for her warrente; that ordinarie officers are bound cheefly to their flocks, Acts 20. 28. and are not to be extravagants, to goe, come, and leave them at their pleasurs to shift for them selves, or to be devoured of wolves. But he perverts y^e truth in this as in other things, for y^e Lord hath as well appoynted them to converte, as to feede in their severall charges; and he wrongs y^e church to say other wise. Againe, he saith he was taxed for preaching to all in generall. This is a meere untruth, for this dissembler knows that every Lords day some are appointed to visite suspected places, & if any be found idling and neglecte y^e hearing of y^e word, (through idlnes or profanes,) they are punished for y^e same. Now to procure all to come to hear, and then to blame him for preaching to all, were to play y^e mad men.

[129] 6. Next (he saith) they have had no ministrie since they came, what soever pretences they make, &c. We answer, the more is our wrong, that our pastor is kept from us by these mens means, and then reproach us for it when they have done. Yet have we not been wholy distitute of y^e means of salvation, as this man would make y^e world beleeve; for our reve^d Elder hath laboured diligently in dispencing the word of God unto us, before he came; and since hath taken equalle pains with him selfe in preaching the same; and, be it spoaken without ostentation, he is not inferriour to M^r. Lyford (& some of his betters) either in gifts or larning, though he would never be perswaded to take higher office upon him. Nor ever was more pretended in this matter. For equivocating, he may take it to him selfe; what y^e church houlds, they have manifested to y^e world, in all plaines, both in open confession, doctrine, & writing.

This was y^e sume of ther answer, and hear I will let them rest for y^e presente. I have bene longer in these things then I desired, and yet not so long as the things might require, for I pass many things in silence, and many more deserve to have been more largly handled. But I will returne to other things, and leave y^e rest to its place.

The pinass that was left sunck & cast away near Damarins-cove, as is before showed, some of y^e fishing maisters said it was a pity so fine a vessell should be lost, and sent them word that, if they would be at y^e cost, they would both directe them how to waygh her, and let them have their carpenters to mend her. They thanked them, & sente men aboute it, and beaver to defray y^e charge, (without which all had been in vaine). So they gott coopers to trime, I know not how many tune of cask, and being made tight and fastened to her at low-water, they boyed her up; and then with many hands hald her on shore in a conveniente place wher she might be wrought upon; and then hired sundrie carpenters to work upon her, and other to saw planks, and at last fitted her & got her home. But she cost a great deale of money, in thus recovering her, and buying riging & seails for her, both now and when before she lost her mast; so as she proved a chargable vessell to y^e poor plantation. So they sent her home, and with her Lyford sent his last letter, in great secrecie; but y^e party intrusted with it gave it y^e Gov^r.

The winter was passed over in ther ordinarie affairs, without any spetiall mater worth noteing; saveing that many who before stood something of from y^e church, now seeing Lyfords unrighteous dealing, and malignitie against y^e church, now tendered them selves to y^e church, and were joyned to y^e same; proffessing that it was not out of y^e dislike of any thing that they had stood of so long, but a desire to fitte them selves beter for such a state, and they saw now y^e Lord cald for their help. [130] And so these troubls prodused a quite contrary effecte in sundrie hear, then these adversaries hoped for. Which was looked at as a great worke of God, to draw on men by unlickly means; and that in reason which might rather have set them further of. And thus I shall end this year.

_Anno Dom: 1625._

At y^e spring of y^e year, about y^e time of their Election Court, Oldam came againe amongst them; and though it was a part of his censure for his former mutinye and miscariage, not to returne without leave first obtained, yet in his dareing spirite, he presumed without any leave at all, being also set on & hardened by y^e ill counsell of others. And not only so, but suffered his unruly passion to rune beyond y^e limits of all reason and modestie; in so much that some strangers which came with him were ashamed of his outrage, and rebuked him; but all reprofes were but as oyle to y^e fire, and made y^e flame of his coller greater. He caled them all to nought, in this his mad furie, and a hundred rebells and traytors, and I know not what. But in conclusion they co[=m]ited him till he was tamer, and then apointed a gard of musketers w^ch he was to pass throw, and ever one was ordered to give him a thump on y^e brich, with y^e but end of his musket, and then was conveied to y^e water side, wher a boat was ready to cary him away. Then they bid him goe & mende his maners.

Whilst this was a doing, M^r. William Peirce and M^r. Winslow came up from y^e water side, being come from England; but they were so busie with Oldam, as they never saw them till they came thus upon them. They bid them not spare either him or Liford, for they had played y^e vilans with them. But that I may hear make an end with him, I shall hear once for all relate what befell concerning him in y^e future, & y^t breefly. After y^e removall of his familie from hence, he fell into some straits, (as some others did,) and aboute a year or more afterwards, towards winter, he intended a vioage for Virginia; but it so pleased God that y^e barke that caried him, and many other passengers, was in that danger, as they dispaired of life; so as many of them, as they fell to prayer, so also did they begine to examine their consciences [131] and confess such sins as did most burthen them. And M^r. Ouldame did make a free and large confession of y^e wrongs and hurt he had done to y^e people and church here, in many perticulers, that as he had sought their ruine, so God had now mette with him and might destroy him; yea, he feared they all fared y^e worce for his sake; he prayed God to forgive him, and made vowes that, if y^e Lord spard his life, he would become otherwise, and y^e like. This I had from some of good credite, yet living in y^e Bay, and were them selves partners in the same dangers on y^e shoulds of Cap-Codd, and heard it from his owne mouth. It pleased God to spare their lives, though they lost their viage; and in time after wards, Ouldam caried him selfe fairly towards them, and acknowledged y^e hand of God to be with them, and seemed to have an honourable respecte of them; and so farr made his peace with them, as he in after time had libertie to goe and come, and converse with them, at his pleasure. He went after this to Virginia, and had ther a great sicknes, but recovered and came back againe to his familie in y^e Bay, and ther lived till some store of people came over. At lenght going a trading in a smale vessell among y^e Indians, and being weakly mand, upon some quarell they knockt him on y^e head with a hatched, so as he fell downe dead, & never spake word more. 2. litle boys that were his kinsmen were saved, but had some hurte, and y^e vessell was strangly recovered from y^e Indeans by another that belonged to y^e Bay of Massachusets; and this his death was one ground of the Pequente warr which followed.

I am now come to M^r. Lyford. His time being now expired, his censure was to take place. He was so farre from answering their hopes by amendmente in y^e time, as he had dubled his evill, as is before noted. But first behold y^e hand of God concei[=r]ing him, wherin that of y^e Psalmist is verified. Psa: 7. 15. He hath made a pitte, & digged it, and is fallen into the pitte he made. He thought to bring shame and disgrace upon them, but in stead therof opens his owne to all y^e world. For when he was delte with all aboute his second letter, his wife was so affected with his doings, as she could no longer conceaill her greefe and sorrow of minde, but opens y^e same to one of their deacons & some other of her freinds, & after uttered y^e same to M^r. Peirce upon his arrivall. Which was to this purpose, that she feared some great judgment of God would fall upon them, and upon her, for her husbands cause; now that they were to remove, she feared to fall into y^e Indeans hands, and to be defiled by them, as he had defiled other women; or some shuch like [132] judgmente, as God had threatened David, 2. Sam. 12. 11. I will raise up evill against y^e, and will take thy wives & give them, &c. And upon it showed how he had wronged her, as first he had a bastard by another before they were maried, & she having some inkling of some ill cariage that way, when he was a suitor to her, she tould him what she heard, & deneyd him; but she not certainly knowing y^e thing, other wise then by some darke & secrete muterings, he not only stifly denied it, but to satisfie her tooke a solemne oath ther was no shuch matter. Upon which she gave consente, and maried with him; but afterwards it was found true, and y^e bastard brought home to them. She then charged him with his oath, but he prayed pardon, and said he should els not have had her. And yet afterwards she could keep no maids but he would be medling with them, and some time she hath taken him in y^e maner, as they lay at their beds feete, with shuch other circumstances as I am ashamed to relate. The woman being a grave matron, & of good cariage all y^e while she was hear, and spoake these things out of y^e sorrow of her harte, sparingly, and yet w^th some further intimations. And that which did most seeme to affecte her (as they conceived) was, to see his former cariage in his repentance, not only hear with y^e church, but formerly about these things; sheding tears, and using great & sade expressions, and yet eftsone fall into the like things.

Another thing of y^e same nature did strangly concurr herewith. When M^r. Winslow & M^r. Peirce were come over, M^r. Winslow informed them that they had had y^e like bickering with Lyfords freinds in England, as they had with him selfe and his freinds hear, aboute his letters & accusations in them. And many meetings and much clamour was made by his freinds theraboute, crying out, a minister, a man so godly, to be so esteemed & taxed they held a great skandale, and threated to prosecute law against them for it. But things being referred to a further meeting of most of y^e adventurers, to heare y^e case and decide y^e matters, they agreed to chose 2. eminente men for moderators in the bussines. Lyfords faction chose M^r. White, a counselor at law, the other parte chose Re[~v]e^d. M^r. Hooker, the minister, and many freinds on both sids were brought in, so as ther was a great assemblie. In y^e mean time, God in his providence had detected Lyford's evill cariage in Ireland to some freinds amongst y^e company, who made it knowne to M^r. Winslow, and directed him to 2. godly and grave witnesses, who would testifie y^e same (if caled therunto) upon their oath. The thing was this; he being gott into Ireland, had wound him selfe into y^e esteeme of sundry godly & zelous professours in those parts, who, having been burthened with y^e ceremonies in England, found ther some more liberty to their consciences; amongst whom were these 2. men, which gave [133] this evidence. Amongst y^e rest of his hearers, ther was a godly yonge man that intended to marie, and cast his affection on a maide which lived their aboute; but desiring to chose in y^e Lord, and preferred y^e fear of God before all other things, before he suffered his affection to rune too farr, he resolved to take M^r. Lyfords advise and judgmente of this maide, (being y^e minister of y^e place,) and so broak y^e matter unto him; & he promised faithfully to informe him, but would first take better knowledg of her, and have private conferance with her; and so had sundry times; and in conclusion co[=m]ended her highly to y^e yong man as a very fitte wife for him. So they were maried togeather; but some time after mariage the woman was much troubled in mind, and afflicted in conscience, and did nothing but weepe and mourne, and long it was before her husband could get of her what was y^e cause. But at length she discovered y^e thing, and prayed him to forgive her, for Lyford had overcome her, and defiled her body before marriage, after he had comended him unto her for a husband, and she resolved to have him, when he came to her in that private way. The circumstances I forbear, for they would offend chast ears to hear them related, (for though he satisfied his lust on her, yet he indeaoured to hinder conception.) These things being thus discovered, y^e wom[=a]s husband tooke some godly freinds with him, to deale with Liford for this evill. At length he confest it, with a great deale of seeming sorrow & repentance, but was forct to leave Irland upon it, partly for shame, and partly for fear of further punishmente, for y^e godly withdrew them selves from him upon it; and so co[=m]ing into England unhapily he was light upon & sente hither.

But in this great assembly, and before y^e moderators, in handling y^e former matters aboute y^e letters, upon provocation, in some heate of replie to some of Lyfords defenders, M^r. Winslow let fall these words, That he had delte knavishly; upon which on of his freinds tooke hold, & caled for witneses, that he cald a minister of y^e gospell knave, and would prosecute law upon it, which made a great tumulte, upon which (to be shorte) this matter broke out, and the witnes were prodused, whose persons were so grave, and evidence so plaine, and y^e facte so foule, yet delivered in such modest & chast terms, and with such circumstances, as strucke all his freinds mute, and made them all ashamed; insomuch as y^e moderators with great gravitie declared that y^e former matters gave them cause enough to refuse him & to deal with him as they had done, but these made him unmeete for ever to bear ministrie any more, what repentance soever he should pretend; with much more to like effecte, and so wisht his freinds to rest quiete. Thus was this matter ended.

From hence Lyford wente to Natasco, in y^e Bay of y^e Massachusets, with some other of his freinds with him, wher Oldom allso lived. From thence he removed to Namkeke, since called Salem; but after ther came some people over, wheather for hope of greater profite, or what ends els I know not, he left his freinds that followed him, and went from thence to Virginia, wher he shortly after dyed, and so I leave him to y^e Lord. His wife afterwards returned againe to this cuntry, and thus much of this matter.

[134] This storme being thus blowne over, yet sundrie sad effects followed y^e same; for the Company of Adventurers broake in peeces here upon, and y^e greatest parte wholy deserted y^e colony in regarde of any further supply, or care of their subsistance. And not only so, but some of Lyfords & Oldoms freinds, and their adherents, set out a shipe on fishing, on their owne accounte, and getting y^e starte of y^e ships that came to the plantation, they tooke away their stage, & other necessary provisions that they had made for fishing at Cap-Anne y^e year before, at their great charge, and would not restore y^e same, excepte they would fight for it. But y^e Gov^r sent some of y^e planters to help y^e fisher men to build a new one, and so let them keepe it. This shipe also brought them some small supply, of little value; but they made so pore a bussines of their fishing, (neither could these men make them any returne for y^e supply sente,) so as, after this year, they never looked more after them.

Also by this ship, they, some of them, sent (in y^e name of y^e rest) certaine reasons of their breaking of from y^e plantation, and some tenders, upon certaine conditions, of reuniting againe. The which because they are longe & tedious, and most of them aboute the former things already touched, I shall omite them; only giveing an instance in one, or tow. 1. reason, they charged them for dissembling with his majestie in their petition, and with y^e adventurers about y^e French discipline, &c. 2^ly, for receiving[BV] a man[BW] into their church, that in his conffession renownced all, universall, nationall, and diocessan churches, &c., by which (say they) it appears, that though they deney the name of Bro[=w]ists, yet they practiss y^e same, &c. And therfore they should si[=n]e against God in building up such a people.

Then they adde: Our dislikes thus laid downe, that we may goe on in trade w^th better contente & credite, our desires are as followeth. First, that as we are partners in trade, so we may be in Go[~v]^rt ther, as the patente doth give us power, &c.

2. That the French discipline may be practised in the plantation, as well in the circumstances theirof, as in y^e substance; wherby y^e scandallous name of y^e Brownists, and other church differences, may be taken away.

3. Lastly, that M^r. Robinson and his company may not goe over to our plantation, unless he and they will reconcile themselves to our church by a recantation under their hands, &c.

Their answer in part to these things was then as foloweth.

Wheras you taxe us for dissembling with his majestie & y^e adventurers aboute y^e French discipline, you doe us wrong, for we both hold & practice y^e discipline of y^e French & other reformed churches, (as they have published y^e same in y^e Harmony of Confessions,) according to our means, in effecte & substance. But wheras you would tye us to the French discipline in every circumstance, you derogate from y^e libertie we have in Christ Jesus. The Apostle Paule would have none to follow him in any thing but wherin he follows Christ, much less ought any Christian or church in y^e world to doe it. The French may erre, we may erre, and other churches may erre, and doubtless doe in many circumstances. That honour therfore belongs only to y^e infallible word of God, and pure Testamente of Christ, to be propounded and followed as y^e only rule and pattern for direction herin to all churches & Christians. And it is too great arrogancie for any man, or church [135] to thinke y^t he or they have so sounded y^e word of God to y^e bottome, as precislie to sett downe y^e churches discipline, without error in substance or circumstance, as y^t no other without blame may digress or differ in any thing from y^e same. And it is not difficulte to shew, y^t the reformed churches differ in many circumstances amongest them selves.

The rest I omitte, for brevities sake, and so leave to prosecute these men or their doings any further, but shall returne to y^e rest of their freinds of y^e company, w^ch stuck to them. And I shall first inserte some part of their letters as followeth; for I thinke it best to render their minds in ther owne words.

To our loving freinds, &c.

Though the thing we feared be come upon us, and y^e evill we strove against have overtaken us, yet we cannot forgett you, nor our freindship and fellowship which togeather we have had some years; wherin though our expressions have been small, yet our harty affections towards you (unknown by face) have been no less then to our nearest freinds, yea, to our owne selves. And though this your friend M^r. Winslow can tell you y^e state of things hear, yet least we should seeme to neglecte you, to whom, by a wonderfull providence of God, we are so nearly united, we have thought good once more to write unto you, to let you know what is here befallen, and y^e resons of it; as also our purposes & desirs toward you for hereafter.

The former course for the generalitie here is wholy dissolved from what it was; and wheras you & we were formerly sharers and partners, in all viages & deallings, this way is now no more, but you and we are left to bethinke our sellves what course to take in y^e future, that your lives & our monies be not lost.

The reasons and causes of this allteration have been these. First and mainly, y^e many losses and crosses at sea, and abuses of sea-men, w^ch have caused us to rune into so much charge, debts, & ingagements, as our estats & means were not able to goe on without impoverishing our selves, except our estats had been greater, and our associats cloven beter unto us. 2^ly, as here hath been a faction and siding amongst us now more then 2. years, so now there is an uter breach and sequestration amongst us, and in too parts of us a full dissertion and forsaking of you, without any intente or purpose of medling more with you. And though we are perswaded the maine cause of this their doing is wante of money, (for neede wherof men use to make many excuses,) yet other things are pretended, as that you are Brownists, &c. Now what use you or we ought to make of these things, it remaineth to be considered, for we know y^e hand of God to be in all these things, and no doubt he would admonish some thing therby, and to looke what is amise. And allthough it be now too late for us or you to prevent & stay these things, yet it is[BX] not to late to exercise patience, wisdom, and conscience in bearing them, and in caring our selves in & under them for y^e time to come.

[136] And as we our selves stand ready to imbrace all occasions that may tend to y^e furthrance of so hopefull a work, rather admiring of what is, then grudging for what is not; so it must rest in you to make all good againe. And if in nothing else you can be approved, yet let your honestie & conscience be still approved, & lose not one jote of you^r innocencie, amids your crosses & afflictions. And surly if you upon this allteration behave your selves wisly, and goe on fairly, as men whose hope is not in this life, you shall need no other weapon to wound your adversaries; for when your righteousnes is revealled as y^e light, they shall cover their faces with shame, that causlesly have sought your overthrow.

Now we thinke it but reason, that all such things as ther apertaine to the generall, be kept & preserved togeather, and rather increased dayly, then any way be dispersed or imbeseled away for any private ends or intents whatsoever. And after your necessities are served, you gather togeather such co[=m]odities as y^e cuntrie yeelds, & send them over to pay debts & clear ingagements hear, which are not less then 1400^li. And we hope you will doe your best to free our ingagements, &c. Let us all indeavor to keep a faire & honest course, and see what time will bring forth, and how God in his providence will worke for us. We still are perswaded you are y^e people that must make a plantation in those remoate places when all others faile and returne. And your experience of Gods providence and preservation of you is such as we hope your harts will not faile you, though your freinds should forsake you (which we our selves shall not doe whilst we live, so long as your honestie so well appereth). Yet surly help would arise from some other place whilst you waite on God, with uprightnes, though we should leave you allso.