USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Plymouth > Brief history of the First Church in Plymouth, from 1606 to 1901 > Part 4
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Gain and Loss
but the action of the church had to be sustained by the vote of the Parish. Not unnaturally, the one came to stand for everything that was conservative in the life of the Society, and the other for every- thing that was progressive ; this, enforcing rules and disciplines, that, chafing under what is regarded as undue restraints. Friction was inevitable. The tendency of the church was to become rigid and narrow, and as its records show, to bear hard on neglect of worship and the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, frowning upon the most innocent forms of self-indulgence and pleasure, as upon the wiles of Satan. The tendency of the Parish, on the other hand, was to slacken ecclesiastical discipline, to assert personal liberty, and while sound enough as to essentials, and the need of pure and upright liv- ing, was liberal in its construction of non-essentials. Elder Brewster held the two in gracious equilib- rium; but after his death, there does not seem to have been anyone with equal authority and tact, to suppress inevitable jealousies and dissensions. The old régime had its defects, but it was not without its compensating advantages. It was, spiritually, dogmatic and imperious, but it set the stamp of sacredness upon the church and its life, and em- phasized the distinction between the standards of living within its jurisdiction, and those commonly accepted in the outside world, and in secular con- cerns. It was determined to lead the world, and not to be led by it, to dictate the type of character in the church, and not permit what was intended to
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be a Christian Commonwealth to shrink into the smaller proportions of a mere secular corporation, moulded by public opinion, whether religious or not, and subject like any other secular concern to the laws of the State, a condition into which so many congregational churches have fallen, and are still falling.
About the year 1643, the migratory movements of families in and around Plymouth led to another loss in the church. The tendency to go farther afield in search of a better livelihood, threatened the extinction of the Pilgrim society, and when a number of members living in or near Nauset (Eastham) sought separation, it was feared that the parent body would not hold together. A pro- posal was made, but not carried, that the church should be transplanted to Nauset. It was finally de- cided to establish a new society in that region. Re-
luctantly and painfully, the
The Eastham Church old parish parted with her 1643-4. children, fearing dissolution by disintegration, but taking to herself the consolation that in her poverty many were being made rich. Her venerable leaders, who had piloted her through many a storm, were either old and decrepit, or had one by one laid the bur- den down, and gone to their reward; and their children driven by hard necessity to seek a living elsewhere, were leaving the mother-church, weak and deserted,- the Niobe of civil and religious liberty in New England -a pathetic and oft re- peated story in ecclesiastical history.
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On the 16th of April 1644 William Brewster died. He more than any man William Brewster was entitled to be called the died 1644. Founder of the Pilgrim Church. It originated in his house at Scrooby, he sacrificed everything for it: and for years after the settlement in Plymouth, he was practically both minister and elder, officiating twice each Lord's Day. He had left home and family, suffered imprisonment and persecution, wandered in fear and much trembling, turned the hands once used to delicate service to hard manual labor, thrown in his lot with the poor and despised of this world, shared their perils by sea, and their toils and sufferings on land, never faltering in his pur- pose, and never wavering in his love and loyalty to the little flock, of which he was the patient and tender shepherd. How poor and mean are the sacrifices any of us are called upon to make for the cause of right and liberty, in our day, compared with the thirty-six years of heroic service, which this man gave, for the things we so often treat with cold indifference ! Firm as a rock, he clung to his noble purpose, and when his followers were in great- est peril and perplexity, worn and almost hopeless, through care and suffering, he kept a stout heart, and bade them be of good cheer. Although of frugal habits himself, not drinking anything but water, until within a short time of his death, and then medicinally, he was charitable to others, and unsparing in his service of the sick and destitute.
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Bradford writes of him " For his personal abilities, he was qualified above many : he was wise and dis- crete, and well-spoken, having a grave and deliber- ate utterance, of a very cheerful spirite, very sociable and pleasante among his friends, of an humble and modest mind, of a peaceable disposition, under- vallewing himself and his own abilities, and sometime over-vallewing others, inoffensive and innocent in his life and conversation, which gained him ye love of those without, as well as those within ; yet he would tell them plainely of their faults and evills, both publickly and privately, but in such manner as usually was well-taken from him. He was tender-hearted and compassionate, of such as were in miserie, but espetially of such as had been of good estate and ranke, and were fallen into want and poverty, either for goodness and religion's sake, or for ye injury and oppres- sion of others; he would say of all men these de- served to be pitied most. And none did more offend and displease him, than such as would hautily and proudly carry and lift up themselves, being rise from nothing, and having little els in them, to commend them, but a few fine cloaths, or a little riches more than others."
Until his death, his hand was never lifted from Pilgrim history. He shaped the counsels of his colleagues, helped to mould their policy, safeguarded their liberties, and kept in check tendencies towards religious bigotry and oppression. He tolerated differences, but put down wrangling and dissen-
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sion, promoting in every way within his power, the strength and cleanness of private and public life.
In 1648 the first church was built. It was situ- ated behind Bradford's lot, and facing Leyden St., The First Meeting and like every first church, however modest, was raised House 1648. with becoming pride and joy. Seven years before, an ordi- nance had passed the General Court "that no in- junction should be put on any church, or church member, as to doctrine, worship, or discipline, whether for substance or circumstance, besides the command of the Bible." This might mean much or little, for justification of oppression was easily found in the Scriptures, but on the lips of those who had suffered greatly, and so often, for conscience sake, it meant a good deal. It meant that although men met for worship under one roof, it was not to be expected that they should think or feel alike; but whether or not, they were to enjoy such freedom, as was not to be found in any other church of their time.
The next decade brought great changes in the personnel of the Pilgrims. In October 1646, Winslow, against the advice of his compatriots, accepted a second mission to England. His last trip on a similar errand had proved disastrous to him : but, now, England was on the eve of a revo- lution, and the men who tormented him ten years before, were no longer in power. Laud had been sent to the scaffold on the charge of having
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attempted to disturb the foundations of Church and State, and Cromwell was commencing the famous struggle, which was to end in the death of Charles the First, and the establishment of a Pro- tectorate. Marston Moor and Naseby had already been fought and won, and the victor was quelling the revolt of the army. In the midst of this strife
Winslow reached England. He found his old ene- mies either dead or powerless, and their places were filled by men favourable to the Colonies. His com- mission was soon executed ; but the dramatic scenes and incidents around him proved too fascinating. While anxious to return to his family, he neverthe- less prolonged his stay, and eventually was induced to take service under Cromwell. He was engaged in diplomatic action on several important commis- sions, and was finally sent with others, in charge of a fleet for the capture of the Spanish West Indies. The expedition failed, but redeemed its fame some- what, by the successful conquest of Jamaica. Winslow caught a fever in this expedition, from which he never recovered. He died and was buried at sea on May 8th 1655. He was Gover- nor in 1633, 1636, and 1644, Edward Winslow and always proved himself a died 1655. man of exceptional ability and character, giving the best years of his life to the service of the Colony. He came with the Pilgrims in 1620, was one of the party sent to prospect along the coast, subscribed his name to the compact, and in 1623 while on a
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mission to England published an account of the settlement and struggles of the Plymouth Colony under the title of " Good News for New England, or a relation of things remarkable in that Planta- tion." He further published a tract in 1646 en- titled "Hypocrisie Unmasked ; by a true relation of the proceedings of the Governor of Massachu- setts against Samuel Groton, a notorious Disturber of the Peace," which is chiefly remarkable for an appendix giving an account of preparations in Ley- den for removal to America, and the substance of John Robinson's address to the Pilgrims on their departure from Holland.
In the year 1656, the Colony lost its military commander, Myles Standish, who was born in Lancashire, about 1584, proba-
died 1656.
Myles Standish bly from the Duxbury branch of the Standish family. He was a unique and romantic figure in the
history of the Colony. His military career com- menced before 1603, when he obtained a lieuten- ant's commission in the British army, and fought in the wars against the Netherlands and Spain. He joined the Pilgrims at Leyden, when the project of emigration to America was pending, not so much from religious sympathy, however, as from a taste for military adventure. He embarked with the Pilgrims on the Mayflower, and on their arrival at Cape Cod, took command of the exploring par- ties. Afterwards, in February 1621, he was elected military captain of the Colony. With a very small
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force, he protected the settlers against Indian incur- sions, until all danger from that quarter was at an end. When the settlers were made peaceably secure in their rights and possessions, and further exploits, adventures, and hair-breadth escapes were no longer possible, Standish retired to his estate at Duxbury, on the north side of Plymouth Bay, frequently acting as Governor's assistant, and from 1644 to 1649 serving as Treasurer to the Colony. He was twice married, and had four sons and a daughter. In religious matters he was non-committal. He never belonged to the Pilgrim church, and though descended from a Catholic family, there is no evi- dence that he was a Catholic himself. He did noble service for the Colony, and practically settled the question, whether the Anglo-Saxon or the native Indian, was to predominate in New England. He died on the 3rd of October 1656, and was borne to his grave amid the grateful sorrow of his com- rades. Art and poetry have invested his memory with undying honour. A monument stands on what was his estate at Duxbury, and Longfellow and Lowell have wreathed his fame in romantic verse.
Next summer, May 9th, 1657, Bradford sank to his rest, more from sheer debility than from any chronic disease. His work was William Bradford done. Born in 1590, and early died 1657.
committing himself religiously to reform, he bore the burden and heat of the day, from the inception of the Pilgrim movement to its absorption in the Union
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of the New England Colonies. He sprang from sturdy Yorkshire stock, living in Austerfield, and though not possessed of a University training, like some of his friends, he acquired more culture than most men of his station, and was well read, in history, philosophy, and religion. His mind took an early bias in the direction of theological and biblical studies, and when quite young, he began to attend the ministry of the Rev. Richard Clyfton, vicar of Babworth. In spite of the jeers and taunts of his family and friends, he joined the Separatist movement at Scrooby, and never regretted the step he took. His fresh enthusiasm induced him to throw in his lot with the Pilgrims. He accompanied them in all their wanderings, bravely sharing their trials, sufferings, and privations. On the death of Carver, he became the second Governor of Plymouth Colony. A patent was granted to him in 1629, by the Council of New England, vesting the Colony in trust to him, his heirs, associates, and assigns, con- firming their title to a tract of land, and conferring the power to frame a constitution and laws; but eleven years later, he transferred this patent to the General Court, only reserving to himself, the allot- ment conceded to him, in the original division of land. His reputation as chief magistrate was marked by honesty and fair dealing, alike in his relations with the Indians tribes, and his treatment of recalci- trant colonists. His word was respected, and caused him to be trusted. His will was resolute in every emergency, and yet everybody knew that his
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clemency, and even charitable consideration, might be counted upon, whenever it could be safely exer- cised. The church was always dear to him. He enjoyed its faith and respected its institutions, and up to the hour of his death, confessed his delight in its teachings and its simple services. Governor Bradford was twice married, at Leyden in 1613 to Dorothy May, who was accidentally drowned in Cape Cod harbour, on the 17th of December 1620; and again, on the 14th of August 1623, to Alice Car- penter, widow of Edward Southworth. By his first wife, he had one son, and by his second, two sons and a daughter. He was the author of many pamphlets, some in prose, others in verse. The only work published in his lifetime was "A Diary of Occurences during the first year of the Colony," written jointly with Edward Winslow, and published in England in 1622. He left many manuscripts, letters and chronicles, verses, and dialogues, which are the principal authorities for the early history of the Colony. The book, by which he will be best remembered is the manuscript "History of Ply- mouth Plantation," which at one time was deposited in the "New England Library," but was afterwards lost, and was supposed to have been carried away by some one during the war with England. It was not until 1855, that certain passages in " Wilber- force's History of the Protestant Episcopal Church in America," printed in 1846, professing to quote from " a Manuscript History of Plymouth in the Fulham library," revealed the whereabouts of the
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precious document. These quotations were identi- fied as being similar to extracts from Bradford's History made by earlier annalists. The story of the recovery of that manuscript cannot be better told than in the words of the Hon. George F. Hoar, the venerable Senator of Massachusetts, who during a visit to England, was instrumental in having the book returned. After procuring an introduction to the Lord Bishop of London, he was invited to Ful- ham Palace, which for a thousand years has been an Episcopal residence. The bishop received him with great courtesy, holding in his hand the invaluable manuscript. Whereupon the following conversation occurred.
" My lord, I am going to say something, which you may think rather audacious. I think this book ought to go back to Massachusetts. Nobody knows how it got over here. Some people think it was carried off by Governor Hutchinson, the Tory Governor; other people think it was carried off by British soldiers, when Boston was evacuated, but in either case, the property would not have changed. Or, if you treat it as booty, in which last case, I suppose by the law of nations, ordinary property does change, no civilized nation in modern times, applies that principle to the property of libraries, and institutions of learning.
" Well," said the bishop, "I did not know that you cared anything about it."
" Why," said I, "if there were in existence in England, a history of King Alfred's reign for thirty
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years, written by his own hand, it would not be more precious in the eyes of Englishmen, than this manuscript is to us."
" Well," said he, " I think myself, it ought to go back, and if it had depended on me, it would have gone back before this. But, the Americans who have been here- many of them have been com- mercial people - did not seem to care much about it, except as a curiosity. I suppose I ought not to give it up, on my own authority. It belongs to me in my official capacity, and not as private or personal property. I think I ought to consult the Arch- bishop of Canterbury, and indeed " he added, " I think I ought to speak to the Queen about it. We should not do such a thing behind Her Majesty's back." *
In due form, and through the cordial offices of Ambassador T. F. Bayard the book was returned to the safe custody of the State of Massachusetts.
* Senator Hoar's speech at the presentation of the book to Governor Wolcott, May 24th, 1897.
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CHAPTER VII. Stagnation and Revival.
T HE year 1665 was remarkable for two things - a falling off of interest in religion, so that ministers could not obtain support, and the churches were in financial straits, and the influx of Quakers. The former was probably caused by a too stringent ecclesiasticism. The Puritan ideal, which had been kept under wholesome re- straint in Plymouth Colony, was spreading through the state, and contracting the sympathies of both clergy and laity. Religion with all its irksome re- strictions was becoming too much of a burden. It lacked sweetness and light. Rigid and sour-visaged piety became oppressive, and created in the minds of many, a disposition to turn from hard conven- tionalism to the sincere, joyous, though often irrev- erent zeal of unclassified prophets and prophetesses. Unordained zealots were preferred to learned minis- ters, and noisy worship in the open air to the deco- rous service in the Church. The Rev. John Reyner had resigned his pulpit in 1654, to the regret of his parish, and for thirteen years, the old church was without a settled pastor, and dependent upon Elder Cushman, and temporary supplies. The town seems to have been given up to ecclesiastical confu- sion, in which whoever was disposed might prophesy. The attempt of the English Parliament to regulate the church on rigid Presbyterian principles had pro-
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duced a set of Evangelistic revivalists, under the leadership of George Fox, whose followers, num- bered by thousands, were drawn from the lower George Fox middle class, and from the outer edge of all the sects. They de- and the Quakers. spised the deadness and formal- ism of the established faith, and were disturbed by its apparent inability to touch the springs of moral character. Affecting a rugged plain- ness of attire, and an equally rugged directness of speech, they succeeded in making themselves obnox- ious. They were filled with a boisterous enthusiasm, sometimes grotesque and even gross. In a way, which nobody quite understood, these visionaries and fanatics threw the corporate life of the Puritan and other churches into complete disorder. The old meeting-houses were deserted, and crowds flocked to listen, in the open air, to these seven- teenth century wearers of camel's hair and the leath- ern girdle. George Fox, the Founder of the Eng- lish Society of Friends, had his followers in America, and though efforts were made to keep them out of the Colony, they persisted, defying the law and the magistrates, and apparently caring nothing for fines and imprisonment. One Humphrey Norton, claim- ing to be a prophet, came to Plymouth in 1657, and opened his tirade of abuse, which created a commo- tion. He was arrested, and the Court ordered him to leave the Colony, the under-marshal taking him to Assonet, near Rhode Island. He soon returned, however, bringing with him, John Rouse, a fiery
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zealot, like himself. These two, proclaimed and declaimed, and disturbed the orderly serenity of the old town. They were apprehended and committed to prison. In the course of the trial and afterwards, they addressed the Governor and Court, in language which displayed the character of their minds, and unsettled the dignity of the grave assembly. The movement soon died out, and left no permanent traces of its existence.
The objection to an ordained ministry with a salary, which had led to the resignation of pastor Reyner, and had been one of the causes of the long interregnum in the ministerial succession, seems to have been overcome in 1669, when the Rev. John Cotton, son of the famous minister of the First Church in Boston, was invited to take charge of the vacant pulpit. He was a man of John Cotton scholarly tastes and habits, somewhat 1669. decided in his convictions, diligent and faithful in his pastoral duties. He had become greatly interested in the Indians and their religious education, and understood their language and spiritual needs, revising the last edi- tion of their Bible, and teaching them to pray in their own tongue. M' Cotton's care for the spir- itual interests of his parish was constant. Meet- ings were organized for religious instruction, the children of the Parish were regularly catechised, and great efforts were made to restore the old and influential life of the church, which had suffered dur- ing the vacancy in the pastorate. The meeting-house
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was falling to pieces through neglect and decay, and it was decided to build a new one, larger and handsomer than the last. The new structure was erected at the head of The Second Meeting- Town Square, and all that House 1683. we know about it, is, that it had "an unceiled Gothic roof, diamond glass, with a small cupola and bell." It served the purposes of the time, and became the active centre of ethical and spiritual power.
The disposition to break away from the mother church, for one reason or another, continued. In 1694, M' Isaac Cushman had been invited to minister to the religious necessities of a small society which had been formed at Plympton, then part of the town of Plymouth. M' Cotton contended that he ought not to enter the ministry irregularly, and without first being ordained to the office of ruling elder, by the church. This led to one of those feuds, which beginning on a small scale, and within a limited area, soon assumes, disturbing pro- portions. Families took sides, and bitter recrimina- tions followed ; and in the end, the minister served as a scape-goat, and though innocent himself, and fortified by ecclesiastical usage, was sacrificed to what was called the good of the church, which has ever been, and still is, a hackneyed apology for congregational meanness. This controversy con- tinued for about three years, increasing in virulence, until M' Cotton tendered his resignation in the in- terests of harmony, probably sharing the moral
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indignation of Plautus against those who had in- jured his reputation - without, perhaps, daring to utter it.
Homines qui gestant, quique ascultant crimina Si meo arbitratu liceat, omnes pendeant,
Gestores linguis, auditores auribus.
That (rumour notwithstanding) he was not guilty of anything worse than speaking his mind with too much freedom and veracity, is obvious from the fact, that he had a large and influential following in the church, took another pulpit at Charleston, South Carolina, and when he died in 1699, was buried with respect and honour, by his old parish- ioners, who erected a monument over his grave.
In the year 1698, another branch of the First Church was established at Plympton. This was the
fourth church which had gone away The Plympton from the old parish, to suit the Church 1698. convenience of people living at a distance from the centre of the town, and like all previous departures, it weakened the resources and diminished the strength of the parent society. Still, the church bravely held up its head, and went on its way, in the dauntless spirit of its Founders.
The next step was to appoint a successor to M' Cotton, and the Rev. Ephraim Little was ordained pastor, after a short probation. He was not a man of scholarly and studious habits, like so many of his predecessors, but was possessed of consider- able natural gifts, and of executive ability beyond
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