CERTAINE VSEFVL ADVERTISEMENTS SENT in a Letter written by a discreete friend vnto the Planters in New England, at their first setting saile from Southhampton, who earnestly desireth the prosperitie of that their new Plantation. Ouing and Christian friends, I doe heartily and in the Lord salute you all, as being they with whom I am present in my best affection, and most earnest longings after you, though I be constrained for a while to be bodily absent from you, I say constrained, God knowing how willingly and much rather than otherwise I would haue borne my part with you in this first brunt, were I not by strong necessitie held backe for the present. Make account of me in the meane while, as of a man deuided in my selfe with great paine, and as (naturall bonds set aside) hauing my better part with you. And though I doubt not but in your godly wisedomes you both foresee and resolue vpon that which concerneth your present state and condition both seuerally and ioyntly, yet haue I thought but my dutie to adde some further spurre of prouocation vnto them who run already, if not because you need it, yet because I owe it in loue and dutie. And first, as we are daily to renew our repentance with our God, speciall for our sinnes knowne, and generall for our vnknown trespasses, so doth the Lord call vs in a singular manner vpon occasions of such difficultie and danger as lieth vpon you, to a both more narrow search and carefull reformation of our wayes in his sight, lest he calling to remembrance our sinnes forgotten by vs or vnrepented of, take aduantage against vs, and in iudgement leaue vs for the same to be swallowed vp in one danger or other; whereas on the contrary, sin being taken away by earnest repentance and the pardon thereof from the Lord, sealed vp vnto a mans conscience by his Spirit, great shall be his securitie and peace in all dangers, sweete his comforts in all distresses, with happy deliuerance from all euill, whether in life or in death. Now next after this heauenly peace with God and our owne consciences, we are carefully to prouide for peace with all men what in vs lieth, especially with our associates, and for that end watchfulnes must be had, that we neither at all in our selues do giue, no nor easily take offence being giuen by others. Woe be vnto the world for offences, for though it be necessary (considering the malice of Satan and mans corruption) that offences come, yet woe vnto the man or woman either by whom the offence cometh, saith Christ, Math. 18. 7. And if offences in the vnseasonable vse of things in themselues indifferent, be more to be feared than death itselfe, as the Apostle teacheth, 1. Cor. 9. 15. how much more in things simply euill, in which neither honour of God nor loue of man is thought worthy to be regarded. Neither yet is it sufficient that we keep our selues by the grace of God from giuing offence, except withall we be armed against the taking of them when they are giuen by others. For how vnperfect and lame is the worke of grace in that person, who wants charitie to couer a multitude of offences, as the Scriptures speake. Neither are you to be exhorted to this grace onely vpon the common grounds of Christianitie, which are, that persons ready to take offence, either want charitie to couer offences, or wisedome duly to weigh humane frailtie; or lastly are grosse, though close hypocrites, as Christ our Lord teacheth, Math. 7. 1, 2, 3. as indeed in mine owne experience, few or none haue beene found which sooner giue offence, than such as easily take it; neither haue they euer proued sound and profitable members in societies, which haue nourished in themselues that touchey humour. But besides these, there are diuers spetiall motiues prouoking you aboue others to great care and conscience this way: As first, you are many of you strangers, as to the persons, so to the infirmities infirmities one of another, and so stand in neede of more watchfulnesse 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 wisedome and charitie for the couering and preuenting of incident offences that way. And lastly your intended course of ciuill communitie wil minister continuall occasion of offence, and will be as fuell for that fire, except you diligently quench it with brotherly forbearance. And if taking of offence causlessly or easily at mens doings be so carefully to be auoided, how much more heed is to be taken that we take not offence at God himselfe, which yet we certainly do so oft as we do murmure at his prouidence in our crosses, or beare impatiently such afflictions as wherewith he pleaseth to visit vs. Store we vp therefore patience against the euill day, without which we take offence at the Lord himselfe in his holy and iust works. A fourth thing there is carefully to be prouided for, to wit, that with your common emploiments you ioyne common affections truly bent vpon the generall good, 'auoiding as a deadly plague of your both common and speciall comfort all retirednesse of minde for proper aduantage, and all singularly affected any maner of way; let euery man represse in himselfe and the whole bodie in each person, as so many rebels against the common good, all priuate respects of mens selues, not sorting with the generall conueniencie. And as men are careful not to haue 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 carefull, that the house of God which you are and are to be, be not shaken with vnnecessary nouelties or other oppositions at the first settling thereof. Lastly, whereas you are to become a body politik, vsing amongst your selues ciuill gouernment, and are not furnished with any persons of speciall eminencie aboue the rest, to be chosen by you into office of gouernment: Let your wisedome and godlinesse appeare, not onely in chusing such persons as do entirely loue, and will diligently promote the common good, but also in yeelding vnto them all due honour and obedience in their lawfull administrations, not beholding in them the ordinarinesse of their persons, persons, but God's ordinance for your good; nor being like vnto the foolish multitude, who more honour the gay coate, than either the vertuous mind of the man, or glorious ordinance of the Lord. But you know better things, and that the image of the Lords power and authoritie which the Magistrate beareth, is honorable, in how meane persons soeuer. And this dutie you both may the more willingly, and ought the more conscionably to performe, because you are at least for the present to haue onely them for your ordinary gouernours, which your selues shall make choise of for that worke. Sundrie 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 thinke you heedlesse of these things, there being also diuers among you so well able to admonish both themselues and others of what concerneth them. These few things therefore, and the same in few words I do earnestly commend vnto your care and conscience, ioyning therewith my daily incessant prayers vnto the Lord, that he who hath made the heauens and the earth, the sea and all riuers of waters, and whose prouidence is ouer all his workes, especially ouer all his deare children for good, would so guide and guard you in your wayes, as inwardly by his Spirit, so outwardly by the hand of his power, as that both you and we also, for and with you, may haue after matter of praising his Name all the days of your and our liues. Fare you well in him in whom you trust, and in whom I rest An vnfained well-willer I. R. THE BEGINNINGS OF THE PILGRIMAGE, PRELIMI NARY TO THE JOURNAL. THE abrupt commencement of the Journal of the Pilgrims, at the date of their last parting from Plymouth in England, will be best introduced by the simple extract from Governor Bradford, given by Mr. Prince, commencing with the departure of the Pilgrims from Leyden. From that day to the date of their arrival in Cape Cod Harbor, the time was 108 days. From August 5th, the date of their first setting sail from Southampton in England, to Nov. 10th, the date of their anchorage in Cape Cod Harbor, 98 days, which in truth was the length of their voyage across the Atlantic; but from their last setting sail, after being compelled to put back to Plymouth, Sept. 6th, at which day the Journal of the Pilgrims commences, the voyage occupies 66 days, from port to port. It was a boisterous passage; their first experience of the equinoctial storms between England and America, of which no record remains, save in the few lines from Governor Bradford under date of September 6th. They were in great peril, obliged to beat about for days, unable, through the violence of the gale, to carry a single sail. We should have been glad of some record of those days and nights of anxiety and prayer, in which they were sometimes in such serious question of the possibility of the ship enduring, as to ask whether they ought not again to put back to England. Thus their various delays, under Divine Providence, threw them upon our coast on the verge of winter, which, had it not been by the same Divine Provi |