First, it will be a service to the church of great consequence, to carry the gospell into those parts of the world, and to raise a bulwarke against the kingdom of Antichrist which the Jesuits labour to rear up in all places of the world.

Secondly, all other churches of Europe are brought to desolation, and it 118may be justly feared that the like judgment is coming upon us; and who knows but that God hath provided this place to be a refuge for many whom he meanes to save out of the general destruction.

Thirdly, the land growes weary of her inhabitants, so that man, which is the most precious of all creatures, is here more vile and base than the earth they tread upon; so as children, neighbors and friends, especially of the poore, are counted the greatest burdens which, if things were right, would be the highest earthly blessings.

Fouthly. Wee are growen to that excess and intemperance in all excess of riot as no meane estate almost will suffice to keep saile with his equals, and he that fayles in it must live in sorrow and contempt. Hence it comes to passe that all arts and trades are carried in that deceitful manner and unrighteous course as it is almost impossible for a good upright man to maintayne his chardge and live comfortably in any of them.

Fifthly. The schools of learning and religion are so corrupted, as (besides the unsupportable chardge of this education) most children, (even the best wittiest and of fayerest hopes) are perverted, corrupted and utterly over powered by the multitude of evill examples and licentious governors of those seminaries.

Sixthly. The whole earth is the Lord's garden and hee hath given it to the sons of Adam to bee tilled and improved by them, why then should we stand starving here for places of habitation (many men spending as much labour and cost to recover or keepe sometymes an acre or two of lands, as would procure him many hundreds of acres, as good or better in another place) and in the meane tyme suffer whole countryes as profitable for the use of man, to lye waste without any improvement?

Seventhly. What can bee a better worke and more noble and worthy a Christian, than to helpe to raise and support a particular church while it is in its infancy, and to join our forces with such a company of faithfull people, as by a tymely assistance may grow stronger and prosper, and for want of it may be put to great hazzard if not wholly ruined?

Eightly. If any such as are known to bee godly and live in wealth and prosperity here, shall forsake all this to joyn themselves with this church, and runne in hazard with them of hard and meane condition, it will be an example of great use both for the removing of scandall and sinister and worldly respects, to give more lyfe to the faith of God's people in their prayers for the plantation and also to encourage others to joyne the more willingly in it.

Object, 1. It will be a great wrong to our owne church and country to take away the best people; and we still lay it more open to the judgments feared.

Ans. 1st The number will be nothing in respect of those that are left. 2dly, Many that live to no use here, more than for their own private familyes may bee employed to a more common good in another place. 3dly, Such as are of good use here may yett be so employed as the church shall receive no losse. And since Christ's coming the church is to be conceived as universall without distinction of countryes, so as he that doth good in any one place serves the church in all places, in regard of the unitye. 4thly, It is the revealed will of God that the gospell should be preached to all nations, and though we know not whether the Indians will receive it or not, yet it is a good worke to observe God's will in offering it to them; for God shall have glory by it though they refuse it.

Obj. 2. Wee have feared a judgment a long tyme, but yet we are safe; therefore it were better to stay till it come, and either we may flie then, or if we be overtaken in it wee may well be content to suffer with such a church as ours is.

Ans. It is likely that this consideration made the churches beyond the seas as the Palatinate and Rochel, etc. to sit still at home, and not look out for shelter while they might have found it, but the wofull spectacle of their ruine may teach us more wisdome to avoid the plague while it is foreseene, and not to tarry as they did till it overtooke them. If they were now at their former liberty wee may be sure they would take other courses for their safety. And though most of them had miscarried in their escape, yet it had not been halfe so miserable to themselves, or scandalous to religion, as this desperate backsliding and abjuring the truth, which many of the antient professors among them, and the whole posterity that remayne are plunged into.

Obj. 3. Wee have here a fruitfull land with peace and plenty of all things.

Ans. Wee are like to have as good conditions there in tyme; but yet we must leave all this abundance, if it bee not taken from us. When we are in our graves, it will be all one whether we have lived in plenty or in penury, whether we have dyed in a bed of downe or lockes of straw. Onely this is the advantage of the meane condition, that it is a more freedom to dye. And the lesse comfort any have in the things of this world, the more liberty they have to lay up treasure in heaven.

Obj. 4. Wee may perish by the way or when wee come there, having hunger or the sword, etc. and how uncomfortable will it be to see our wives and children and friends come to such miserie by our occasion?

Ans. Such objections savour too much of the flesh. Who can secure himselfe or his from the like calamities here? If this course be warrantable, we may trust God's providence for these things. Either he will keepe those evils from us, or will dispose them for our good and enable us to beare them.

Obj. 5. But what warrant have we to take that land, which is and hath been of long tyme possessed of others the sons of Adam?

Ans. That which is common to all is proper to none. This savage people ruleth over many lands without title or property; for they inclose no ground, neither have they cattell to maintayne it, but remove their dwellings as they have occasion, or as they can prevail against their neighbours. And why may not Christians have liberty to go and dwell amongst them in their waste lands and woods (leaving them such places as they have manured for their corne) as lawfully as Abraham did among the Sodomites? For God hath given to the sons of men a twofould right to the earth; there is a naturall right and a civil right. The first right was naturall when men held the earth in common, every man sowing and feeding where he pleased: Then, as men and cattell increased, they appropriated some parcells of ground by enclosing and peculiar manurance, and this in tyme got them a civil right. Such was the right which Ephron the Hittite had to the field of Machpelah, wherein Abraham could not bury a dead corpse without leave, though for the out parts of the countrey which lay common, he dwelt upon them and tooke the fruite of them at his pleasure. This appears also in Jacob and his sons, who fedd their flocks as bouldly in the Canaanites land, for he is said to be lord of the country; and at Dotham and all other places men accounted nothing their owne, but that which they had appropriated by their own industry, as appears plainly by Abimelech's servants, who in their own countrey did often contend with Isaac's servants about wells which they had digged; but never about the lands which they occupied. So likewise betweene Jacob and Laban; he would not take a kidd of Laban's without speciall contract; but he makes no bargaine with him for the land where he fedd. And it is probable that if the countrey had not been as free for Jacob as for Laban, that covetuous wretch would have made his advantage of him, and have upbraided Jacob with it as he did with the rest. 2dly, There is more than enough for them and us. 3dly, God hath consumed the natives with a miraculous plague, whereby the greater part of the country is left voide of inhabitants. 4thly, We shall come in with good leave of the natives.

Obj. 6. We should send our young ones and such as can best be spared, and not of the best of our ministers and magistrates.

Ans. It is a great worke, and requires more skilfull artificers to lay the foundation of a new building, than to uphold and repayre one that is already built. If great things be attempted by weake instruments, the effects will be answerable.

Obj. 7. Wee see that those plantations that have been formerly made succeeded ill.

Ans. The fruit of any public designe is not to be discerned by the imediate success: it may appear in tyme, that they were all to good use. 2dly, There were great fundamental errours in others, which are like to be avoided in this: for 1st there mayne end and purpose was carnall and not religious. 2d, They aymed chiefly at profitt and not at the propagation of religion. 3d, They used too unfitt instruments, a multitude of rude and ungoverned persons, the very scums of the land. 4th, They did not stablish a right fourme of government.

. . . which now lyes waste there, more plenty wilbe lefte to suche as remaine behinde.

3: For the 3: if it be a personall instance, it may best receive answere from such as it concerns, but as it may be extended to the estate of our Churche and Common wealth let the grones and fears of Godes people giue a silent answer: If our condition be good, why doe his Embassadours, turne their messages into complaintes and threatninges? why doe they so constantly denounce wrathe and iudgment against vs? why doe they pray so muche for healinge if we be not sicke? why doe their soules wepe in secret? and will not be comforted, if there be yet hope that our hurt may be healed? One Calfe set vp in Israel removed the tabernacle out of the host,2 and for 2 God forsooke them for ever.3 One Achan troubled all the people, let not vs trust to the Temple of the Lord, yea many faithfull ministers and good people: Israel had suche priveledges when her destruction was at hande, Elias and Elisha and aboue 400: good prophettes4 and 7000 good protes­122tantes5 in Ahabs tyme, (I suppose the best dayes before could not shewe the like): had not Jerusalem Jeremy and his Contemporaries: yet she came downe wonderfully because she half a line blank what though the princes and great ones of the earthe would not believe that an enemy could enter into her gates, shall not the iniquity of the prophett and Priestes and the Lam. 4: 12, 13, 17. crye of innocent blood make all her confidence vaine? if it be thus with vs, where then is the happinesse we should rest in? if we imytayte Sodom in her pride and intemperance, if Laodicea in her lukewarmnesse, if Ephesus Sardis etc. in the sins for which their Candlesticke was removed, if the turks and other heathen in their abominations, yea if the Sinagogue of Antichrist in her superstition, where is yet the good should content vs? but it may be it is to be found in the civill state; what means then the bleating of so many oppressed with wronge, that drink wormwood, for righteousnesse? why doe so many seely sheep that seeke shelter at the iudgment seates returne without their fleeces? why meet we so many wandering ghostes in shape of men, so many spectacles of misery in all our streetes, our houses full of victuals, and our entryes of hunger-starved Christians? our shoppes full of riche wares, and vnder our stalles lye our own fleshe in nakednesse. Si haec bona omnia, ignorare adhuc placet.

For the Abiennes Albigenses etc.: yet you will grant that it had been better suche had fled, for they may yet belonge to God, at least some of them, dothe not the history of the Churche give vs many examples of the like, who have been renewed by repentance? and for the posteryty bothe of good and badde, they were in the Covenant, and a holy seed, and so suche as the Churche might have had good hope of, if they might have been brought vp vnder the menes, yet we ascribe no suche vertue to the soile, therefore that Conclusion might have been spared.

For the Corruption in trade, I see it is not denyed, if it were, I would desire him to instance one (being fitt imployment for an ingenuous minde) wherein a man may looke for recompence sutable to his expence of tyme and industrye, except falshood be admitted to equall the ballance: And for that course of husbandry which Jacob and the patriarchs vsed, it was honourable and vsefull in those tymes and Countryes, but not in ours, they had their lande for nothinge, if we should imploye our children in that waye now, their worke would soon eate vp their stocks, and for your supposition of what redresse might be had in these thinges by the magistrate, it dothe not conclude that it shalbe, nor tye vs to expect what you give vs no grounde to hope for. we confesse indeed that the multitude of people is the glorye of 123a kinge, and to maintain these and imploye them to the more profit doth not diminish but increase his glorye. those which goe over remaine still his subiectes, they may multiply as fast there as heere, by their labour, more food and other provisions for life shalbe raysed abroad, and yet no whitt the lesse at home: so that it is likly the nayls shalbe somewhat shortened, and yet the flesh remaine wholl.

If6 the fifte. you will have vs follow you, as you goe, we must yeild you the Question: you should first have proved that the foundation was erronious, otherwise you conclude nothing, we saye, and maintaine by sufficient reasons, that the plantation is a lawfull and good worke: but seeinge your 2d argument implyes a denyall, hic pes ligatur, and to omitt all the former, I will insist vpon this one Argument. A lande ouerburdened with people, may ease it self, by sending a parte into some other Countryes which lye wast and not replenished: but suche is the condition of our lande ergo: etc: the proposition I prove thus, God at first did not replenish the earthe with men, but gave them a general Commission Gen: 1: 28. encrease and multiply and replenish the earth and subdue it: the endes are naturall and double, that man may enioye the fruit of the earth, and God may have his due glory from the Creature, which is imperfect while it lyes waste, the Assertion I thus prove (though I never heard it denyed) many of our people perish for want of sustenance and imployment, many others live miserably and not to the honor of so bountifull a housekeeper as the lord of heaven and earth is, through the scarcity of the fruites of the earth, the whole lande of the kingdom as it is reconed is scarce sufficient to give imployment to one half of the people: all our townes complain of the burden of poore people and strive by all menes to ridde any such as they have, and to keepe of such as would come to them, masters are forced by authority to entertaine servantes parentes to maintain their children, more strife there is and expence between parishes to get ridde of some of their poore, then would suffice to maintaine them many yeares, and to fill vp this cloud of testimonyes, (quamquam animus meminisse horret) I must tell you, that our deare mother findes her famyly so overcharged, as she hathe been forced to denye harbour to her owne children, witnesse the statute against Cottages and inmates,7 so that whither it be of necessity or by inevitable 124accident, this is our condition, and no remedy appeares, so the assumption is proved and the argument standes good, as for those allusions resemblinge Davides longinge for a draught of water8 to this action, the thinges are so vnlike, as neede no answere, your similitudes must have more legges if you will have them stande vpright or prove any thinge.

Amonge all other difficultyes, the provision for your poore will prove a laberinth, because to preserve life in the weaker you must draw blood from the stronger yet you shall finde often thus, that gentle speeches, and a small releife from your owne hande, will prevaile muche with bothe partyes: and if thinges growe to an extremity as I feare they will soone, it will prove a savinge bargain, if popular tumultes should arise, which God forbide, remember the issue of the commotion of the pesantes in Germany.9 those base people were soone punished or subdued, but then were the riche men of the Countrye called to a reconinge, which cost many of them their lives and estates, wherof some did but looke on, and durst not relieve them, and others relieved them against their willes, givinge a parte to save the rest: and so founde the proverbe true facile invenies etc: but these thinges are to highe for my conceipt, though not vnfitt for your consideration. I have been over teadious, and bolde vpon your gentlenesse, but my hearte is still full either of matter or affection, and I could vent it freely, for Literae non erubescunt.