TEA AND COFFEE

PREFACE.

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Men profess, in these days, to judge of the truth of everything by its practical effects and tendencies. They even judge of Bible doctrines in the same way.

Taking them, for once, at their word, I submit to their consideration – especially the consideration of young men and youth – the following pages. I ask them to trace, fairly, the connection between Puritan Sabbath-keeping and the general development of Puritan character.

Of course, I do not take the ground, that the Puritans were perfect men, but that they were in many respects remarkable me, as everybody admits; such men, indeed, as the world has
seldom seen. The question I have endeavored to answer – the problem I have tried to solve – is, How did they keep the Sabbath?

To answer this question, I have endeavored to go to the bottom of the best histories on that subject; and to bring forth things new and old. I may have erred in some instances; if so, let the errors be point out in kindness, but in faithfulness, and I will acknowledge them. My aim is to bring my work before the rising generation, and to abide by their decision on its merits.

W. A. A.

West-Newton,

Massachusetts, May 1^st, 1851.

CONTENTS.

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CHAP. PAGE

INTRODUCTION ................................................ 9

I. THE FIRST SABBATH AT CAPE COD .................... 13

II. SECOND SABBATH AT CAPE COD ....................... 22

III. THIRD SABBATH AT CAPE COD ..................... 28

IV. THE FOURTH SABBATH ..................................... 32

V. A SABBATH IN PLYMOUTH HARBOR ............ 43

VI. SECOND SABBATH AT PLYMOUTH .......... 58

VII. THIRD SABBATH AT PLYMOUTH ................... 61

VIII. FOURTH SABBATH AT PLYMOUTH .............. 64

IX. ONE MORE SABBATH IN THE MAYFLOWER ..... 67

X. A SABBATH ON SHORE .................................... 72

XI. THE SECOND SABBATH ON SHORE ................... 78

XII. SEVEN SABBATHS AMONG THE PURITANS ...... 81

XIII. SABBATH VISITING ......................................... 85

XIV. SAILING OF THE MAYFLOWER FOR ENGLAND 94

[This page blank.]

INTRODUCTION.

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A MODERN SABBATH IN NEW-ENGLAND.

The seventeenth day of July, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty --, was as beautiful a summer day as the sun ever rose upon. Not a cloud obscured the sky, and rarely, during the delightful morning hours, was there a sound heard, except from the songsters of the fields and groves. It was the beginning of a New-England Sabbath. It was the opening of that day, which, if kept anywhere as it should be, is so in the land of the Puritans.

But the sun is hastening towards the meridian. The far greater part of the in-habitants of the village are already in their seats at their respective churches; and the most of us who remain at home on account of indisposition or for other causes, are engaged in reading or in contemplation.

Yonder, however, is a man with his
pitchfork. He is attired like a laborer – I mean, a farmer. Yes; he is one. There stand his heaps of hay. Can it be that he is going to work? It certainly is so. He is already throwing his hay about the mea-dow. And in the next field, still farther on, not less than half a dozen men and boys are at work, opening and turning hay; and all this, too, in full view of my door.

Has there been rain for two or three days past, so that the hay in this vicinity is likely to be greatly injured if it stands long in the heap? No such thing. Never, perhaps, was there finer and better weather for hay-making than the past week. Nor is there any prospect of rain now, as I have already intimated. And yet, these men and boys are at work as busily making their hay, as if they had forgotten – entirely forgotten – the great command: “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.”

It is afternoon now, but there is no remission of labor. Here come the teams to cart away the hay. After having been made properly, it would be as safe – or nearly so – in the heap, as in the barn.
This I never saw before. I have seen men work a little while after a long wet, or rainy season to save their wheat, rye, or other grain, when it was on the point of being spoiled; but, although I have lived on the land of the pilgrims more than half a century, I never before saw men and boys all around me, working at hay as if it were a common, or week day, and as if the Sabbath were not in all their thoughts.

It is election to-morrow, however. A representative is to be chosen to Congress. Perhaps some of these people are at work to-day in order to gain time to attend the election. But why gain time? The grass is not suffering either for want of getting in or cutting.

The plain, unvarnished truth is, that the Sabbath is becoming neglected among us – sons of the Puritans though we presume to call ourselves. We not only make calls, and visits, and ride about for the sake of health and pleasure, but when there is the slightest apology for such a course, go to work.

It is not during the season of haying and harvesting alone that we labor on the Sab-

bath; it is at almost all seasons. Nor is it the farmers alone who openly disregard the Sabbath and the ordinances and institutions of religion. It is, in too many instances, professors of religion no less than non-professors.

This very year I have seen men of nearly all the various denominations of Christians which we have among us, at work on the Sabbath; and this again and again. Some often labor in their shops; some in their gardens; others in their fields. And what is to be the end of these things?

Musing on this subject of late, one day, my mind reverted to the character of our pilgrim fathers – the noble race of men from whom we descended. How did they regard the Sabbath, I inquired? Did they labor occasionally, on the holy day, and then plead that it was a work of necessity? Did they waste half the time; and visit, or ride about, or play the other half? Have we the means of ascertaining the facts in the case? And if so, will they not be both interesting and instructive? Let us, at least, make the attempt.

SUNDAY AMONG THE PURITANS.

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CHAPTER I.

THE FIRST SABBATH AT CAPE COD.

IN the autumn of 1620, two hundred and thirty-one years ago, there lay in the har-bor of Cape Cod, not far from Provincetown and Truro, a little ship of one hundred and sixty tons, called the Mayflower. It was Saturday, and the day far advanced.

This little vessel was alone. Not another vessel of any sort, save a few rude canoes, could then have been found in any of the numerous harbors that about on the New England coast, from the neighborhood of New York to the borders of Nova Scotia. Nor was there a white man, or framed house anywhere along the coast.

The brave little ship, the Mayflower, had sailed from England, September the six-
teenth, in the hope of reaching this then uninhabited and savage coast in October. This was, indeed, later in the year than they ought to have undertaken such a voyage, but they could not sail out earlier.

But instead of having, as they had hoped they might, a favorable passage, they had experienced many reverses of fortune – un-favorable winds and severe storms had prolonged the passage to sixty-four days; and two days more elapsed before they could get safe into Cape Cod harbor. So that is was no the twenty-first day of November.

But who were the people on board the Mayflower? Besides the commander, Mr. Jones, and the usual number of hands to take care of the vessel, there were one hundred passengers, being part of a company of Puritans, as they were called, who had removed from England many years before, and settled, for a time, in Holland.

They were come out to New England to form a colony, where they could enjoy religion – freedom and liberty to worship God according to the dictates of their consciences. This freedom and liberty had
been denied them in England; and they had even suffered persecution.

This company of Puritans consisted of men, women, and children. It was not like the company that first settled Virginia – all single men. Among them were no less than eighteen families, embracing seventy six persons; and there were three men who had left their families behind them in England. The remaining twenty-one were single persons; and some of them were servants.

Here, then, in Cape Cod harbor, was the Mayflower, with her hundred Puritan pil-grims, seeking for a place of residence. They were, moreover, somewhat anxious about the matter. They had been, now, more than two months at sea, and their provisions, though sufficient for the pres-ent, as to quantity, were somewhat deter-iorated in quality. Indeed, such as they were, they were slowly diminishing, and it was easy to see could not last always.

Then, again, the weather, which was already cold, was every day becoming more and more severe, and the winter was fast
coming on. Yet here they must settle at all hazards; for in addition to other difficulties the Mayflower herself was injured consid-erably, and without large repairs would not be able to ride out another gale.

They arrived in the harbor and anchored on Saturday, just in time to go on shore and take a hasty survey of the country. But before disembarking, the adult males of the company – forty-two in number – signed an agreement to form themselves as soon as they could into a colony, and submit to good and wholesome laws and regulations.

When through with this formality, fifteen or sixteen of them entered the boat and made for the shore. On landing they found no inhabitants, nor the traces of any. All they could learn during this first excursion was, that they were on a narrow strip of land, consisting of sand-hills slightly covered with timber, but having no underbrush.

They were just now becoming almost destitute of wood on board the vessel. So, in the absence of anything else to convey in

the boat, they gathered a quantity of wood and took it back with them. They had hope to find something to eat; but were disappointed.

The place where they landed was, as I suppose, a part of what is now called Truro – that part of it which is most contiguous to the harbor, and nearly opposite Provincetown. It is now almost devoid of trees and underbrush both; yet it is pretty thickly populated. The inhabitants are chiefly sailors and fishermen.

Well, the next day, November 22, 1620, was Sunday. And in what manner, think you, did these Puritans keep it? How would their descendants – the present in-habitants of New England – be likely to keep the Sabbath in similar circumstances?

Would they dismiss, as much as possible, all thoughts of everything pertaining to their journey and the formation of their colony, and spend the day in religious con-versation, reading, meditation, and prayer? Would they obey the spirit of our Saviour’s command, and take no thought – that is, anxious thought – for the morrow?
Would they remain quietly and content-edly on board their vessel all day?

Thus our pilgrim fathers did. Long as they had been on their voyage, late as it was in the season, bad as was the condi-tion of their vessel, and anxious as they all must have been to explore the country in which they must inevitably, if they lived, spend the coming long winter, not a word do we hear that they said about its being a work of necessity – peradventure of mercy, too – to go on shore and prosecute their search, and endeavor to make further discoveries.

That they had no momentary desires of this kind, no one, perhaps, who reads their story will believe. And yet no one will be-lieve that they cherished them. They were accustomed to self-denial, and it was well for them that they were so.

The long-boat needed repairing; it was almost as much crippled as the Mayflower herself, whereas they needed it even more. They could not run along the coast and search it out in the Mayflower, however excellent her condition. It was necessary that she should remain at Cape Cod. They

must go in small companies in the long-boat. But to repair even this, would take the carpenter a considerable time.

In these circumstances, was there no one who though it a matter of necessity that the carpenter should go about it on Sunday? Was there no conversation on the subject? – no difference of opinion about the line of duty? We hear none. We do not – we cannot – believe there was any. Why not? Because it would not have been like the Puritans.

It was enough for our Puritan fathers to know that Sunday had arrived; and that God had said, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.”

I was myself once very near infringing on the sacredness of the Sabbath in this very harbor of Cape Cod. It was Saturday when I left Boston; but I had a reasonable expectation of reaching Provincetown early in the evening. On our way, however, the wind rose and we were almost all night getting far enough within the harbor to let go our anchor.

When the morning light began to appear,

the captain of the boat having made every-thing secure, began to make arrangements for going on shore. All the passengers and hands were going with him. I must go or spend the Sabbath on board alone, and without provisions. It was in the winter, moreover, and cold on board. I concluded to go with the rest.

As it was low water where we anchored, our first business was to get into the long-boat, and go as far as we could in that. We rowed a mile or more, when the water became so shallow in places that the boat could proceed no farther. And yet it was too deep between the sand-bars to wade. What should we do?

Some attempted to wade out. The sailors too me, and one or two others, on their backs, and carried us in that way a long distance; they having on a species of very high, thick boots. At length we were set down and directed to the shore.

It was now almost sunrise. I soon found myself in the village, but the inhabitants, even in the public boarding-houses, were not yet up. I felt a degree of guilt to

be inquiring for a boarding-house on Sun-day morning. However, I was at length successful in the search, and before many of the inhabitants had risen, I was in quiet quarters, where I had the day to myself.

I have said to myself again and again, both then and since, Would one of the Puritans have done this? – or would he have remained on board the packet? I greatly fear that I did not act as the Puri-tans of the Mayflower would have acted.

But there is another and a more important question to be asked, -- Did I act as my Lord and Master would have acted in the same condition and circumstances? I am not bound to follow the example even of the Puritan pilgrims any farther than they followed Christ. To Him alone shall I be accountable in the judgment of the great day.

CHAPTER II.

SECOND SABBATH AT CAPE COD.

TIME, which waits not, passed on. It did not wait even for our Pilgrim fathers. Another Sabbath came. It was the twenty-ninth of November, or about the time of our present New-England thanksgiving.

The Puritans had not been idle. They had been several times on shore, exploring the country; though, as yet, they had found no place which seemed to them desirable as a residence. The carpenter had made some progress in the work of repairing the boat, but it was not yet half-finished.

One discovery they had made on shore, which awakened their interest, and placed them alternatively between hope and fear. They had seen five or six men – they were the people we call Indians, for want of a better name – with a dog. But instead of having given them any information about the country, they had fled to the woods. Nor had they been able to come up with
them, although they had pursued them ten miles or more, and had been out all night in the pursuit.

Other discoveries were made. Among them was a tract of about fifty acres of plain-land, with the appearance of some-thing having been planted there in small hills, or hillocks. It was in Indian corn-field. For Truro, though sandy, will produce corn even to this day.

They also found springs of water, which to them seemed pure and excellent; and one considerable pond. More even than all this, they found strawberry vines, and grape vines, and an old kettle, left by some ship of discovery from Europe, that had been there before them.

They had found heaps of sand, some of which, on examination, contained human bones, with bows and arrows in a state of decay while others contained baskets of Indian corn. They had procured several bushels of the corn for seed, intending to pay the owners for it, whenever they found them, to their entire satisfaction.

Finally, they had discovered the remains

of an old for or palisade, and two canoes. The latter, doubtless, belonged to the Indians. But as to the fort, whether it had been built by Indians or white people, it was impossible to tell.

But they had found, as I said before, no place which seemed to them suitable for their purposes; though they had pushed their search to Saturday evening. And yet, we do not hear of anything like complain-ing, or of anything like an interpretation of their usual mode of Sabbath keeping.

We do not hear that even the carpenter said a world about the necessity of laboring more than six days in seven; and this, notwithstanding the great want which was felt of the boat: he rested with the others, “according to the command-ment.”

And may we not believe, as I have inti-mated in a preceding chapter, that their minds rested, too, as well as their bodies? However anxious the men, and women, and children, were to have a home on the firm land – however tired of ship and ship-board – there was nothing said about it on Sunday.

Would it be so with the present race of New-Englanders, I must again ask? Would there be no murmuring, at least in the form of oft, and repeated, and impatient inquiry, “When will the boat be finished? When, O when shall we get out of this dirty old vessel?”

Judging a little from what I have seen – for I have spent many Sabbaths on Cape Cod – the people of Truro, as a body, are not behind the rest of New-England in their reverence for the Sabbath. They are quire a church-going, Sabbath-keeping people.

And yet, there are some exceptions to the truth of this remark, not only in Truro, but still more in Provincetown. For let but the news arrive on Sunday morning, that a vessel has just been wrecked on the north shore, and the Sabbath, by very many, seems to be forgotten; even though it is fully announced and understood that the crew and passengers are all safe on shore, though the vessel has gone to pieces, so that no work of necessity remains to be done. You will see scores, it may be hun-

dreds of people, in a very short time, wind-ing their way over the sands – as it were of Zahara – to the spot where the wreck took place.

And what for? Not to afford aid, as I said just now, for no aid is now required. Not, in general, to gratify curiosity, for such scenes are by no means infrequent. Not to turn the mind into a serious channel by rousing it to reflection on the uncertainty of all things below the sun, and the instability, even, of human life.

What then? Why, a few to as wreckers – that is, as men who hunt for the property which may be washed ashore from the wreck. These may be know by having knapsacks on their backs. Some, however, attire themselves with knapsacks and hunt for property, not for the sake of the suffering, but for their own use. The greater part, however, go over chiefly as an amusement. It may not yet be church-time, and if it were, they would be glad of an excuse for absenting themselves. And under color of sympathy, or with some other excuse in their mouths, or with none
at all, they flock to the spot and spend half the day there.

I have said, that it was now about the season of the New-England thanksgiving. Some young reader – who reflects less than he reads – may have had it in his mind to ask, -- did the Puritans stop their work, and cease to prosecute their discoveries, on the day of thanksgiving?

But I hardly need to say, that an annual day of thanksgiving had not yet been established, nor did it occur till many years afterwards. Had such a day existed, and had the Puritans thought it a duty they owed to God to keep it rigidly, I have no doubt they would have done so. They certainly had as good reason to be thankful as any people ever had.

True, they had many and severe trials and sufferings; but then, they had also many and great mercies. It is not the people who have the fewest trials who are the most thankful. It is oftener the reverse of this. A person who has never had any trials, or who has had almost none, is fre-quently ungrateful and unthankful.

CHAPTER III.

THE THIRD SABBATH AT CAPE COD.

DECEMBER, cold December, was now come, and with it frequent cold, piercing winds from the east and north-east. Those who have ever wintered on Cape Cod, or have even spent a winter anywhere in eastern Massachusetts, know well what is meant by cold eastern winds.

Snow had fallen six inches deep, -- not to make sleighing, had they been prepared for it; but only to lie a while, freezing and thawing, and then, perhaps, be carried off by the rains. I have spent several winters on the Cape, and never saw half a dozen sleighs or sleds there.

Another trial now befell them – more severe, if possible, than any to which they had yet been subjected. As long as people have their health, they can get along almost in any way; but in sickness it is far otherwise.

In going from the Mayflower to the shore
and returning often, the Puritans had fallen into the habit–for the water was shallow–of wading; sometimes, perhaps, when both excited to perspiration, and greatly fatigued. Sometimes, too, it is not improbable they neglected, on returning to the vessel, at night, to change their wet clothes.

Do you ask why they waded? Partly from convenience, as they did not like always to wait for the boat; and partly for the pleasure of doing so. Partly, also, from necessity, it may be; for while the boat was undergoing repairs they were not well provided with any other means of convey-ance.

The result of all this, especially as there was much of stormy weather and east wind, was, that many of them took very severe colds. Indeed, they seemed to take them repeatedly. These colds continued with many till the ended in a settled cough; and with a few, in pulmonary consumption.

But they increased also the severity of another disease which they had contracted before, by being so long on board, and having bad provisions, with very few vege-
tables; I mean, of course, the scurvy. For it is the testimony of Mr. Wood, in his book called “New-England’s Prospect,” that their beef and pork were “tainted,” their butter and cheese corrupted, and their fish rotten.

Two or three days before the boat was finished they held a meeting of the colon-ists, at which twenty-four of them were appointed to go out in it, as soon as it could possibly be completed, on a new voyage of discovery. This number was moreover increased by nine volunteers, among whom was the commander of the Mayflower, Captain Jones.

The boat was finished on Saturday, Dec-ember 5; but it was agreed among them not to set out on their excursion till the following Monday, which was December 7.

Why did they not set out on Sunday, the day before? It would appear that the weather was fine for the season on that day.

Many a vessel sets out on its proposed voyage now-a-days on Sunday, as a matter of choice. In truth there was once, it would seem, a kind of superstitious belief among
seafaring people that Sunday was the very best day for beginning a journey.

“The better day,” said one of their old proverbs, “the better deed.” As if, by set-ting out on the best day of the seven, they were more likely to be successful, than by setting out on any other day. As if, too, God would grant a special blessing on a course of conduct opposed to his own fourth commandment.

Or, if there had been any doubt on the minds of the Puritans of the propriety of setting out on Sunday, why did they not contrive to get away on Saturday? It does not appear that there was anything in the way of doing this, unless it was conscience. This, doubtless, told them, that to set out then, and for the reason I have assigned, would be about the same thing before God, as to start the next morning.

In any even, they waited till Monday, and kept this third Sabbath at the Cape, on board their ship; and there is nothing to show that there was one dissenting voice against that course.

CHAPTER IV.

THE FOURTH SABBATH.

THEY set out on their exploring expedition, on Monday, December 7; but the weather was cold and stormy. The historians of those times tell us, that on account of their exposure to the storm in an open boat, “some of them took the original of their death,”—in other words, they took new colds which increased their coughs.

On Tuesday, December 8, the weather appears to have been more favorable to their enterprise. They had, during the first day, but little more than “got under weigh.” [sic] This day they went on very well. They reached the place where they had before found the graves, the corn, and the fort. It was near the mouth of a small creek in Truro. They seem to have been inclined to settle here.

Thought the ground was now frozen so hard, that they were obliged to break it up with their cutlasses and short swords, and
then pry it up with levers, yet they dug for more corn and found it. They procured, in the whole, about ten bushels. They also found among the rest, a bag of beans, which they took with them.

Some may be surprised at their taking away the corn and beans they found; and I confess that I am myself. But people have very different views, in different ages and times,–even good people. No men more conscientious than they, about many things, yet, what shall we say to their con-scientiousness in such a thing as this?

True, they pleaded necessity in the case; while, as we see, they would not plead necessity for journeying on the Sabbath. But was it a case of absolute necessity?

What if they were sick of scurvy, – many of them for want of just such articles of food as they dug up – does this justify their conduct? Besides, as we have already said, they took some of it for seed, the next year.

I must confess, once more, that I am utterly at a loss what to say in the case.

True it is, they steadfastly respected
their former resolution, to pay for the corn and beans whenever they should meet with the owners. But what if they had never met with them?

Another difficulty presents itself to my mind. What if the owners of the property had discovered their loss, and, taking for granted they had been robbed by the new-comers, had been instigated thereby to make war upon them? Was the course they took even politic?

True it is—and I rejoice to be able to mention it to the credit of the Puritans—they did, some time afterwards, find the owners of the property—so history informs us—and paid them for it, the full price. This shows, at least, that they were not disposed to steal, although it does not entirely free them from the charge of imprudence, if nothing worse.

One more remark in passing, I must be permitted to make. We must, in judging men’s characters, make due allowance for the customs and fashions of the times in which men live.

This remark will be seen to be applicable to the Puritans, when we consider that they were armed with cutlasses and short swords. They not only had these, but also guns, pistols, and the like. In truth, they have been represented by some to have been covered with armor.

One of their corselets, says a historian, would be a far more precious relic than a cuirass from the field of Waterloo. A grandson of Miles Standish—one of the company, often indeed the leader of the company in their travels—is said to have been a possessor of his coat of mail and corselet.

A singular appearance they must have presented, you will say; and that truly. Had they no fears that their warlike attire would invite opposition, as preparation for war is always known to invite war?

The weather during this excursion along the coast was so severe, and the hardship of sleeping out during the night by fires so great, that sixteen of the thirty-three who set out in the boat went back to the May-flower. How they went we are not told. I suppose they went back by land, and waded to the vessel when they had arrived.

Those who went back were almost sick with colds, and were the feeblest of the company. Captain Jones was one of them. The rest stayed longer, in hopes of finding their way to some Indian settlement; but they were in this respect wholly unsuc-cessful.

They found, however, one very great curiosity. It was a mound or heap of earth covered with boards, under which they found, first a mat, then a bow, then another mat, and under that a board about three-quarters of a yard long, finely carved and painted. Between the mats they also found trays, dishes, &c.

Still deeper in the earth than all these, they came to a mat, nearly new, under which were two parcels or bundles, one larger, the other smaller. The larger bundle contained a very considerable quantity of red powder, as fine as flour, in which were the bones and skull of a man, together with a knife, a pack-needle, and two or three old iron things. The hair of the person was fine, and yellow.

The smaller bundle contained a quantity of the same kind of powder; but its con-tents were different. Instead of the bones of an adult, they found in it the bones and skull of a little child.

They also found two wigwams, in which were various articles of furniture, such as the Indians were accustomed to use. The wigwams were the first they had seem; and it may not be easy for us to judge how much they excited their curiosity.

Among other articles of food which they found in these wigwams, were two or three baskets full of parched acorns, of which the Indians made much use, both with their corn, and as a substitute for it. Still, however, they could find no inhabitants.

Before the return of another Sabbath, our little company of Puritans were all together in safety on board the Mayflower, preparing themselves to rest according to God’s appointment. For our ancestors, many of them, laid aside their business early on Saturday, and made the closing hours of the day a sort of preparation-season for Sunday.

The only question which they discussed, so far as we can learn, before the prepara-tion-season, was, whether they should establish the new colony at the place they had just visited, or look a little farther. The question elicited quite a warm debate.

A part of the company, especially the more feeble and timid, were for settling down at once, without looking farther. They were tired of thus living in suspense. Besides, they dreaded the diseases with which they were beginning to be afflicted, and which they hoped would disappear when they became established on shore.

Some few of them were in favor of going to Ipswitch, which they had heard of as having a good harbor, and also as being a good place for hunting and fishing. But the distance to many of the company seemed formidable.

The pilot, Mr. Coppin, who had been on the coast before, told them of a place which he said was right over against Cape Cod, westward, not more than twenty miles distant, which possessed many advan-tages. The place referred to is supposed to have been either Marshfield or Scituate.

It was at length concluded, that as soon as Sunday was over, they would make further search along the coast, and if they should not be able to please themselves sooner, stop at the place which the pilot described.

And now another Sabbath – December 13^th – was spent on board the Mayflower, in their accustomed manner. What that was we are not told, except that they held Divine service, as they had been accus-tomed at home; and that they all, men, women, and children, attended, as had been their custom.

For they had constituted, both in England and Holland, part of a most excellent and godly congregation, under the pastoral care of Rev. John Robinson, by whom they had been so thoroughly indoctrinated, that they found no difficulty at all in selecting some one from their number who was fitted to take the lead in their religious exercises.

It was said by the venerable Dr. Beecher, on leaving his people in Boston to go westward, many years ago, that though
he regretted the necessity of parting with a people whom he so much loved, yet there was one consideration which gave him great consolation,–namely, that he had not taught them to depend on their minister; but rather to be ministers to themselves. And so Mr. Robinson might also have said. He was a true Protestant, in every sense of the word. He never taught his people to shuffle off responsibility, but that to their own Master they would stand or fall. He taught them to study the word of God for themselves, and to interpret it for themselves, rather than fasten their faith on him or anybody else.

The following is a part of his charge to the Puritans, on parting with them. It shows the spirit of the leader; and we need not wonder to find such a spirit as we do in his followers: --

“I charge you before God and his blessed angles, that you follow me no farther than you have seen me follow the Lord Jesus Christ. I cannot sufficiently bewail the condition of the Reformed Churches, which are come to a period in their religion, and
will go, at present, no farther than the instruments of their reformation. Luther and Calvin were great and shining lights in their times; yet they penetrated not into the whole counsel of God. I beseech you to remember it—‘tis an article of your Church covenant—that you be ready to receive whatever truth shall be made known to you from the written word of God.”

No wonder the people of such a minister, in a case of necessity like the present, could hold meetings by themselves. Be-sides, as we are told, some of the company were what we call liberally-educated men. Two or three of them in particular were capable of leading the religious exercise of any people. Mr. William Brewster, Mr. Robert Cushman, and he whom they after-wards selected to be their first governor—Mr. John Carver.

Of the capabilities of these gentlemen—to say nothing of some of the rest—we have abundant living evidence. I have in my possession a copy of a sermon by Mr. Cushman, some months after their arrival, which, but for the quaintness of its style,
would do honor to any modern pulpit. Mr. C. himself does not indeed call it a sermon, but a discourse. But no matter about the name—it was a most excellent production, and deserves to be printed in the form of a cheap tract, and scattered through the length and breadth of our whole American community.

I suppose, from what I can learn by con-sulting the old historians of New-England, and by looking at the nature of the case, that these little meetings of theirs were more like the exercises of a modern Bible-class, than anything else with which we are acquainted. And if so, they must have been useful. The Sabbath, even amid their suspense, and seclusion, and suffering, must have been a blessed day to them—a day in which they could grow in grace, and in the knowledge of their Savior; and though on ship-board, in a haven which was not very commodious, be thus prepar-ing for the haven of eternal rest.

CHAPTER V.

A SABBATH IN PLYMOUTH HARBOR.

ON account of unfavorable weather the company did not set out on their second expedition on Monday the 14^th, as they had determined to do the previous Saturday. They were delayed about two days. But on Wednesday, December 16, twelve of the signers of the agreement to become settlers, and six other persons from the company, set out in the boat on a new voyage of discovery.

And yet, even now, the weather was such as to require in them the greatest degree of hardihood, and the highest power of endurance. For though the storm itself was over, and theY felt that they must go, yet the spray of the rough sea froze on their clothing, and made them, as they expressed it, like coats of iron. Nor was the terrible cold the only evil they had to endure. Four persons out of their whole number—eighteen—were on the sick list.
A fine place to be sick, you may say, in an open sail-boat, in Cape Cod harbor, in the middle of December. And yet, there they were—three of them severely sick, and the fourth more or less so.

This day they sailed sixteen or twenty miles, which brought them to Billingsgate Point, nearly opposite the present town of Eastham. As they approached the shore, in order to land, they saw ten or twelve Indians busily employed about something, they could not tell what. They afterwards found it was a large fish, called a grampus.

Having arrived on shore, they made a barricade, procured firewood, and all, except a suitable number for sentinels, lay down to sleep. They saw a smoke, that night, about four or five miles off, made by the savages.

In the morning, after an exploring tour about the coast, in which they found nothing to encourage them—the soil being poor and the country uninviting—they proceeded along the coast in the boat. They did not go far that day, however, being very busily employed in endeavoring
to trace our and find the villages or huts of the natives. They scarcely passed beyond the bounds of the town of Eastham, during the whole day.

Night approaching, and being weary and faint with hunger, they collected firewood, refreshed themselves, set their watch, and lay down. And notwithstanding the hardness and coldness of their bed, few men ever slept more soundly.

About midnight they were alarmed by a terrible cry, upon which the sentinels cried out to them to arm themselves. They dis-charged two muskets, and the noise ceased. They concluded at length, that the cry must have been that of wolves; and so again composed themselves and slept.

They rose at five o’clock next morning, which at that season of the year, December 18, when the days are at the shortest, is about an hour before daylight. Some of them not being quite sure their guns would go off should it be found necessary to use them, discharged them, not thinking, at that time, of disturbing the Indians.

Next they had prayer. For I had for-
gotten, till now, to say, that the pilgrims were men of prayer. No dangers or hard-ships made them neglect their morning and evening devotions, any more than their meetings on the Sabbath.

After prayer, they began to prepare for breakfast. While this was going on, the daylight began to dawn, upon which they carried their armor and other things to the sea-side, that they might be easily put on board the boat when all was ready, and came back to breakfast.

Of a sudden they heard a most terrific cry, which they knew, at once, to be the same with that which they had heard at midnight. Soon one of the company came running in, and said it was Indians, and that they were approaching them. Of this they soon had certain evidence, in a shower of arrows that came about their ears.

They ran at once to their arms, and seized them, and then ran back to the barricade. A few, however, remained near the boat to defend that. In this posture of defense they awaited the nearer approach of the savages.

As they came on several of them fired. Others, however, as it afterward appeared, could not get off their pieces, and called for firebrands. One of them took a large log from the fire, and carried it upon his shoulder—which, it was obvious, fright-ened the savages, and made them fall back a little.

Animated, however, by a stout-looking Indian who seemed to be their chief, they rallied again. Their arrows now came upon the Puritans as thick as hail. The fire was returned. At length the chief appeared to be wounded, upon which they set up a most hideous cry, and then fled.

The Puritans followed them about a quarter of a mile; then halted. Deeming it prudent not to proceed too far into the wood, they shouted twice, as loud as they could, fired a couple of guns, and returned to their boat.

Not a man of them it seems was injured. They proceeded to thank God, in a formal manner, for their deliverance. Then entering the boat, and without staying at all to finish their breakfast, they proceeded westward on their journey.

The pilot had told them of a good land-ing place, forty or fifty miles farther on; and this they hoped to reach that day, especially as they had a fair wind. They were not then so well acquainted with our variable climate as they afterwards became.

After they had sailed an hour or two, it began to snow and rain, and to be tempest-uous. By the middle of the afternoon, the sea became exceeding rough, the rudder broke, and they were obliged to steer with oars.

The storm continued to increase, and as night was at hand, and it was quite doubt-ful whether they could reach the desired harbor before dark, they hoisted all the sail they could; upon which the mast broke into three pieces, and the boat itself was, for a time, in the most imminent danger.

The tide, however, was in their favor. Had they been carried to sea by it, while in this predicament, they might have been all lost. But, instead of being carried in a wrong direction, the wind and tide conspired to carry them along towards the land.

Once, indeed, the pilot gave our; said he did not know the coast, and, with the mate, was for immediately running the boat on shore amid the breakers. But as they were doing do, a sailor cried out to the rowers; “About with her, or we are lost!” upon which they changed their course, and were soon in smooth water, near the shore.

Here they were yet in doubt. The question which perplexed them was,—whether to remain in the boat all night, or land. Some of the most healthy and vigor-ous at length concluded to sleep on board; while others, who were more feeble, went ashore, and with great difficulty kindled a fire, and being wet and cold dried themselves.