poor lost immortal soul, that never can be recovered again! No God, no Christ, no Spirit to comfort thee, no Minister to preach unto thee, no friend to wipe away thy continual Tears, no Sun to shine upon thee, not a bit of bread, not one drop of water to cool thy tongue. This is the misery of every naturall man. ON THE DEATH OF HIS SECOND WIFE [From the "Autobiography"] But the Lord hath not been wont to let me live long without some affliction or other; and yet ever mixed with some mercy. And therefore, April the 2d, 1646, as he gave me another son, John, so he took away my most dear, precious, meek, and loving wife, in child-bed, after three weeks' lying-in; having left behind her two hopeful branches, my dear children, Samuel and John. This affliction was very heavy to me; for in it the Lord seemed to withdraw his tender care for me and mine, which he graciously manifested by my dear wife; also refused to hear prayer, when I did think he would have hearkened and let me see his beauty in the land of the living, in restoring of her to health again; also, in taking her away in the prime of her life, when she might have lived to have glorified the Lord long; also, in threatening me to proceed in rooting out my family, and that he would not stop, having begun here, as in Eli, for not being zealous enough against the sins of his sons. And I saw that if I had profited by former afflictions of this nature, I should not have had this scourge. But I am the Lord's, and He may do with me what he will. He did teach me to prize a little grace, gained by a cross, as a sufficient recompense for all outward losses. But this loss was very great. She was a woman of incomparable meekness of spirit, toward myself especially, and very loving; of great prudence to take care for and order my family affairs, being neither too lavish nor sordid in anything, so that I knew not what was under her hands. She had an excellency to reprove for sin, and discern the evils of men. She loved God's people dearly, and [was] studious to profit by their fellowship, and therefore loved their company. She loved God's word exceedingly, and hence was glad she could read my notes, which she had to muse on every week. She had a spirit of prayer, beyond ordinary of her time and experience. She was fit to die long before she did die, even after the death of her first-born, which was a great affliction to her. But her work not being done then, she lived almost nine years with me, and was the comfort of my life to me; and the last sacrament before her lying-in, seemed to be full of Christ, and thereby fitted for heaven. She did oft say she should not outlive this child; and when her fever first began, by taking some cold, she told me so, that we should love exceedingly together, because we should not live long together. Her fever took away her sleep; want of sleep wrought much distemper in her head, and filled it with fantasies and distractions, but without raging. The night before she died, she had about six hours' unquiet sleep. But that so cooled and settled her head, that when she knew none else, so as to speak to them, yet she knew Jesus Christ, and could speak to him; and therefore, as soon as she awakened out of sleep, she brake out into a most heavenly, heartbreaking prayer, after Christ, her dear Redeemer, for the spirit of life, and so continued praying until the last hour of her death, “Lord, though I [am] unworthy, Lord, one word, one word," &c.; and so gave up the ghost. Thus God hath visited and scourged me for my sins, and sought to wean me from this world. But I have ever found it a difficult thing to profit even but a little by the sorest and sharpest afflictions. EDWARD JOHNSON [Captain Edward Johnson's one book, "The Wonder-Working Providence," stands as an example of literary composition by a vigorous and devout, but uncultured, Puritan layman. The author was born in Kent in 1599, came to America with Governor Winthrop in 1630, aided in founding Woburn, Mass., in 1642, and from that time till his death in 1672 was prominent in the affairs of the town and the colony. His book, first published anonymously in London in 1654, was sedately designated on the title-page as A History of New England from the English planting in the Yeere 1628 untill the Yeere 1652," but it has come to be all but universally known by the running title of "The Wonder-Working Providence of Sions Saviour in New England." A later edition was prefixed by a title-page erroneously ascribing the book to Sir Ferdinando Gorges. Captain Johnson wrote with the object of showing the immediate hand of God in the planting and development of New England. He mentions the results of each annual election for governor and deputy-governor, records in detail the founding of each new church, and narrates other events of interest. His work is, however, more valuable as a literary curiosity than as history. His freedom from the pedantry that characterized his more learned contemporaries, the freshness and originality of his diction and figures of speech, his formless sentences, perhaps made more rude by an unintelligent printer, all give the book a delightful individuality. Even the spelling is more than usually original. It is a pleasure to meet the Mohicans as "Mawhiggins," or to find the good governor of Massachusetts designated as "John Indicat." Not the least amusing part of the book are the attempts at verse, which the author introduces for the especial commemoration of men and events. But while the reader finds much in "The Wonder-Working Providence" that is ridiculous, he should notice that the author always reveals himself as a man worthy of respect, and to some extent of admiration. The selections follow the reprint of "The Wonder-Working Providence” in the Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society, Second Series.] OF THE FIRST PREPARATION OF THE MARCHANT ADVENTURERS, IN THE MATTACHUSETS [Chap. IX, Book I, of "The Wonder-Working Providence of Sions Saviour in New England"] Now it will be time to returne againe to England, to speake further of the people that wee left in way of preparation; who in the yeare 1628, sent forth some store of servants to provide against the wants of a Desart Wildernesse, amongst whom came over a mixt multitude, insomuch that very little appeared of the following worke, onely the much honoured Mr. John Indicat, came over with them to governe, a fit instrument to begin this Wildernesseworke, of courage bold undanted, yet sociable, and of a cheerfull spirit, loving and austere, applying himselfe to either as occasion served. And now let no man be offended at the Authors rude Verse, penned of purpose to keepe in memory the Names of such Worthies as Christ made strong for himselfe, in this unwonted worke of his. John Endicat twice Gover[n]our of the English, inhabiting the Mattachusets Bay in N. England Strong valiant John wilt thou march on, and take up station first, Christs Vineyard heere, whose grace should cheer, his well-beloved's tast. Thou rotting worme, to dust must turn, and worse but for new birth. The place picked out by this People to settle themselves in, was in the bosome of the out-stretched arme of Cape Anne, now called Gloster, but at the place of their abode they began to build a Town, which is called Salem, after some little space of time having made tryall of the Sordid spirits of the Neighbouring Indians, the most bold among them began to gather to divers places, which they began to take up for their owne, those that were sent over servants, having itching desires after novelties, found a reddier way to make an end of their Masters provision, then they could find meanes to get more; They that came over their own men had but little left to feed on, and most began to repent when their strong Beere and full cups ran as small as water in a large Land, but little Corne, and the poore Indian so far from relieving them, that they were forced to lengthen out their owne food with Acorns, and that which added to their present distracted thoughts, the Ditch betweene England and their now place of abode was so wide, that they could not leap over with a lope-staffe, yet some delighting their Eye with the rarity of things present, and feeding their fancies with new discoveries at the Springs approach, they made shift to rub out the Winters cold by the Fire-side, having fuell enough growing at their very doores, turning down many a drop of the Bottell, and burning Tobacco with all the ease they could, discoursing betweene one while and another, of the great progresse they would make after the Summers-Sun had changed the Earths white furr'd Gowne into a greene Mantell. Now the vernall of thirty [twenty] nine being come, they addrest themselves to coste it as far as they durst for feare of losing themselves, or falling into the hands of unknown Indians, being kept in awe by a report of a cruell people, not far of called the Tarratines. All this while little like-lihood there was building the Temple for Gods worship, there being only two that began to hew stones in the Mountaines, the one named Mr. Bright, and the other Mr. Blaxton, and one of them began to build, but when they saw all sorts of stones would not fit in the building, as they supposed, the one betooke him to the Seas againe, and the other to till the Land, retaining no simbole of his former profession, but a Canonicall Coate. OF THE VOLUNTARY BANISHMENT, CHOSEN BY THIS PEOPLE OF CHRIST, AND THEIR LAST FAREWELL TAKEN OF THEIR COUNTRY AND FRIENDS [Chap. XII, Book I, of "The Wonder-Working Providence"] And now behold the severall Regiments of these Souldiers of Christ, as they are shipped for his service in the Western World, part thereof being come to the Towne and Port of Southampton in England, where they were to be shipped, that the[y] might prosecute this designe to the full, one Ship called the Eagle, they wholly purchase, and many more they hire, filling them with the seede of man and beast to sow this yet untilled Wildernesse withall, making sale of such Land as they possesse, to the great ad |