him in anything but wherein he follows Christ; much less ought any Christian or church in the world to do it. The French may err, we may err, other churches may err, and doubtless do in many circumstances. That honor therefore belongs only to the infallible word of God, and pure Testament of Christ, to be propounded and followed as the only rule and pattern for direction herein to all churches and Christians. And it is too great arrogancy for any man or church to think that he or they have so sounded the Word of God unto the bottom, as precisely to set down the church's discipline without error in substance or circumstance, that no other without blame may digress or differ in anything from the same. And it is not difficult to show that the Reformed churches differ in many circumtances among themselves."*

Cotton Mather remarks that Governor Bradford was well skilled in History, Antiquity, Philosophy, and Theology; and indeed his works bear witness to this, especially that admirable Dialogue on Church Policy and freedom, which was copied by Secretary Morton into the Records of the Church at Plymouth, and at length printed by Dr. Young in his valuable Chronicles of the Pilgrims. In that, as in the interesting Memoir of Elder Brewster, and other pieces, the author shows command of a natural, excellent, Saxon style, a fine, free, unprejudiced habit of thought, a benevolent heart, good sense, and deep Christian feeling. His habits of study must have been something remarkable, amidst all his cares and public responsibilities. We owe an inestimable benefit to his piety, his fine mind, and his public spirit, with his love of truth, for preserving and recording so much of the early history of the Pilgrims and the Colony, that otherwise must have been almost wholly lost. The greater part even of his own original writings are gone from existence, though most providentially not till they had been gleaned from, abridged, or copied, in a

* Mather's Magnalia, vol. i. 104.

great degree, in the writings of others, who had access to his manuscripts. He was a man of indefatigable industry, and of great method and accuracy. The loss of his Let

ter Book, from which some extracts will be given in another chapter, and which must have been a copy of the man himself, as well as of the business of the Colony and the correspondence of others, must ever be greatly deplored.

Sixty years after the arrival of the May Flower in New England, with the members of the infant colony, there were still left living twelve persons, who came over in that memorable bark. Twelve grains of that precious seed corn, not yet put into the ground for the resurrection by the Lord of the harvest! The number is remarkable, when it is considered that in the very first perilous year of the enterprise, no less than half died out of the one hundred first Pilgrims. At the close of these sixty years, in 1680, Nathaniel Morton, Secretary of the Colony Court, and then 68 years of age, set himself to the work of recording "the first beginning and after progress of the Church of Christ, at Plymouth, in New England." Eleven years before, in 1669, he had published a history of the Colony entitled New England's Memorial, taken from a manuscript history by Governor Bradford, which the Governor began to write as early as the year 1630. Gov. Bradford died in 1657, and his work, in 270 folio pages, having never been published, though preserved up to the time of the Revolutionary War, was then lost. Secretary Morton had this work before him, in preparing the history which he published in 1680, and Dr. Young thinks, from the comparison of different extracts, as well as from the note by Morton, stating the matter before him to have been originally penned by Bradford, that in the main it is Bradford's veritable unpublished history.

This whole work of Governor Bradford, Mr. Prince had before him in preparing and publishing his Chronological

History of New England, up to the year 1730. He describes it as "Gov. Bradford's History of Plymouth People and Colony from 1602 to the end of 1646, in 270 pages (folio): With some account at the end, of the increase of those who came over with him, from 1620 to 1650, and all in his own handwriting."

The second work in manuscript, which Mr. Prince mentions as before him, is The Ancient Church of Plymouth Records, begun by Mr. Secretary Morton.

The third is a copy of the Grand Charter of New England, granted by King James the First, on Nov. 3d, 1620,

in 86 pages.

The first book of Mr. Prince's Chronological History ends with the Lord's Day, Dec. 31, 1620, the first Sabbath kept by any of the Pilgrims in the place of their building. Here Mr. Prince says, “Governor Bradford ends his first book, containing ten chapters, in fifty-three pages, folio."

Of Mr. Morton's history from the beginning of the Plymouth people to the end of 1646, Mr. Prince observes that it was "chiefly Gov. Bradford's manuscript abbreviated."

Having been thus used by various writers, for their printed works, we may suppose that though the original work is lost, we have the main important part of it, and much in Gov. Bradford's own language.

Both Governor Bradford and Governor Winthrop, and likewise Governor Winslow, were accustomed to take part in the religious exercises of their social meetings, and also on the Lord's Day. This appears by such interesting notices as the following, taken from Gov. Winthrop's own Journal, of date October 25, 1632. "The Governor, with Mr. Wilson, pastor of Boston, and others went on foot to Plymouth from Massagascus. The Governor of Plymouth, Mr. William Bradford, a very discreet, grave man, with Mr. Brewster the Elder, and some others, came forth and met them without the town, and conducted them to the Governor's house, where they were kindly entertained, and

feasted every day at several houses. On the Lord's, Day there was a sacrament which they did partake in; and in the afternoon Mr. Roger Williams, according to their custom, propounded a question, to which the pastor, Mr. Smith, spoke briefly, then Mr. Williams prophesied, and afterwards the Governor of Plymouth spoke to the question; after him the elder, then some two or three more of the congregation. Then the elder desired the Governor of Massachusetts and Mr. Wilson to speak to it, which they did. When this was ended, the deacon, Mr. Fuller, put the congregation in mind of their duty of contribution, upon which the Governor and all the rest went down to the deacon's seat, and put into the bag, and then returned."*

The deacon's seat was a throne of service, and well known. All the members of the congregation went thither to deposit their alms. It was a custom retained in some churches for many years.

We find likewise the following interesting record in Gov. Winthrop's Journal, under date of August 3d, 1634. "The Governor went on foot to Agawam, and because the people there wanted a minister, spent the Sabbath with them, and exercised by way of prophecy, and returned home on the tenth."

How beautiful the record of this truly primitive New Testament simplicity! We wonder not that Governor Bradford looked back in his old age with a sweetness in the memory as of the recollections of childhood, to those times of the freshness and power of Christ's covenant with the churches in the wilderness. Religion must have flourished indeed, when public men like Bradford, Winthrop, and Winslow, were thus active and faithful in its teachings and duties. Yet it was for just this faithfulness, for daring to "exercise by way of prophecy, when the

* Collections Mass. Hist. Soc. Vol. x. p. 2. Winthrop's Journal, original edition, page 44.

people wanted a minister," that Winslow himself was afterwards thrown into prison by Archbishop Laud!

Governor Bradford managed the affairs of the colony for nearly thirty-seven years together, with admirable temper and wisdom. Until the year 1624 Gov. Bradford and Mr. Allerton were elected governor and assistant annually; the people then added four more assistants, and gave the governor a double voice; they added two more assistants in 1633, and afterwards kept to the number of seven. In the space of seventy years they had only six persons as governors. Bradford, Winslow, and Prince occupied the governorship in succession till Prince's death in 1673. Bradford was elected annually from 1621 till his death in 1657, except three years in which Winslow was chosen, and two (according to Mather) in which Prince was chosen. Winslow. was chosen in 1633, 1636, and 1644.* They had no house of representatives till 1639.

In the year 1632, it was enacted by law, that any person chosen to the office of Governor and refusing it, was to be fined twenty pounds; a counsellor or magistrate chosen and refusing the office, was to be fined ten pounds.†

In the year 1633 we find a record in Governor Winthrop's Journal as follows: "Mr. Edward Winslow chosen Governor of Plymouth, Mr. Bradford having been Governor about ten years, and now by importunity got off." He pleaded so hard to be let off for that year, that they yielded without fining him.

What a picture is here presented of the unworldly simplicity, contentment, disinterestedness, and freedom from ambition, of our Pilgrim Fathers! They shared each other's burdens too completely to seek or desire superiority in any other way. They sought not for office, had no parties, wished for no power, but that of doing good. It was

*Hutchinson's Hist. Mass Vol. ii. pp. 414, 415.

† Baylies' Historical Memoirs of Plymouth, p. 207.