purchased the intereft of the adventurers in England, in the plantation, there was a divifion and allotment of almoft all their property, real and perfonal; twenty acres of tillage land to each, befides what they held before; the meadows and the trade only, remaining in common.

Thus it is obfervable, how men, in fpite of their principles, are naturally led into that mode of conduct, which truth and utility, ever coincident, point out. Our fathers deferve the highest commendation for prosecuting, at the hazard of life and fortune, that reformation in religion, which the Church of England left imperfect: Taking, for this purpose, the facred Scriptures, as their only guide, they travelled in the path of truth, and appealed to a moft noble and unerring ftandard; but when from their reverence to this divine authority, in matters of religion, they were inclined to esteem it the only guide, in all the affairs of life, and attempted to regulate their civil polity upon church ideas, they erred, and involved themselves in innumerable diffi culties.

The

The end of civil fociety is the fecurity of the temporal liberty and profperity of man, not all the happinefs and perfection, which he is capable of attaining, for which other means are appointed. Had not our fathers placed themselves tipon fuch a footing, with respect to property, as was repugnant to the nature of man, and not warranted by the true end of civil fociety, there would probably have been no just ground of complaint of a want of a real and reafonable public fpirit; and the neceffity of the exhortation and reproof, contained in Mr. Cushman's difcourfe, would have been fuperfeded. Their zeal, their enterprize, and their uncommon sufferings in the profecution of their arduous undertaking, render it morally certain, that they would have ever cheerfully performed their duty in this respect: Their contemporaries might cenfure them for what they did not, but their posterity must ever admire and revere them for what they did exhibit.'

After the death of Mr. Cushman, his fam ily came over to New-England. His fon, Thomas Cushman, fucceeded Mr. Brewster, as ruling elder of the Church of Plymouth, LL being

being ordained to that office in 1649. He was a man of good gifts, and frequently affifted in carrying on the public worship, preaching, and catechifing. For it was one profeffed principle of that Church, in its firft formation, "to choofe none for governing Elders, but fuch as were able to teach." He continued in this office till he died, in 1691, in the eighty-fourth year of his age.

The above-mentioned difcourfe of Mr. Robert Cushman, in 1621, may be confidered as a specimen of the "prophefyings" of the brethren. The occafion was fingular; the exhortations and reproofs are not lefs fo, but were adapted to the then state of society. Some fpecimens may not be disagreeable, and are therefore here inferted.

"Now, brethren, I pray you remember yourselves, and know that you are not in a retired monaftical course, but have given your names and promises one to another, and covenanted here to cleave together in the service of God and the King. What then must you do? May you live as retired hermits, and look after nobody? Nay, you must seek still the wealth of one another; and inquire, as David, how liveth fuch a man? how is he

clad ?

clad how is he fed? He is my brother, my affociate; we ventured our lives together here, and had a hard brunt of it; and we are in league together. Is his labour harder than mine furely I will eafe him, Hath he no bed to lie on? I have two; I'll lend him one. Hath he no apparel? I have two fuits; I'll give him one of them, Eats he coarfe fare, bread and water? and have I better? furely we will part ftakes. He is as good a man as I, and we are bound each to other; fo that his wants must be my wants, his forrows my forrows, his fickness my fickness, and his welfare my welfare; for I am as he is. Such a sweet fympathy were excellent, comfortable, yea, heavenly, and is the only maker and conferver of Churches and Commonwealths,"

"It wonderfully encourageth men in their duties, when they fee the burthen equally borne; but when fome withdraw themselves, and retire to their own particular eafe, pleafure, or profit, what heart can men have to go on in their bufinefs? When men are come together to lift fome weighty piece of timber, or veffel, if one ftand ftill and do not lift, fhall not the rest be weakened and difheart

ened?

ened? Will not a few idle drones spoil the whole ftock of laborious bees? So one idle belly, one murmurer, one complainer, one felf-lover, will weaken and difhearten a whole Colony, Great matters have been brought to pass, where men have cheerfully, as with one heart, hand and shoulder, gone about it, both in wars, buildings and plantations; but where every man feeks himself, all cometh to nothing

"The country is yet raw; the land untilled; the cities not builded; the cattle not fettled. We are compaffed about with a helplefs and idle people, the natives of the country, which cannot, in any comely or comfortable manner, help themselves; much lefs us. We also have been very chargeable to many of our loving friends, which helped us hither, and now again fupplied us: So that before we think of gathering riches, we must even in conscience think of requiting their charge, love, and labour; and curfed be that profit and gain which aimeth not at this. Befides, how many of our dear friends did here die at our firft entrance! many of them, no doubt, for want of good lodging, fhelter, and comfortable things; and many more may go

after