twice, and the week after, grew every day weaker than other, yet felt no pain, but weakness, all the time of his sickness. The physic he took wrought kindly, in man's judgment, yet he grew every day weaker than other, feeling little or no pain, yet sensible to the very last. He fell sick the twenty-second of February, and departed this life on the first of March. He had a continual inward ague, but I thank the Lord, was free of the plague, so that all his friends could come freely to him; and if either prayers, tears, or means would have saved his life, he had not gone hence. But he having faithfully finished his course, and performed his work, which the Lord had appointed him here to perform, he now rests with the Lord in eternal happiness; we wanting him, and all church governors, not having one at present, that is a governing officer among us. Now for ourselves, here left, (I mean the whole church,) we still, by the mercy of God, continue and hold close together in peace and quietness, and so I hope we shall do, though we be very weak; wishing (if such were the will of God) that you and we were again together in one, either there or here; but seeing it is the will of the Lord, thus to dispose of things, we must labour with patience to rest contented, till it please the Lord otherwise to dispose of things. * * * * * "Your assured loving friend, "Leyden, April 28th, Anno 1625. II. ROGER WHITE." The Leyden people to Bradford and Brewster. "To our most dear and entirely beloved Brethren, Mr. William Bradford, and Mr. William Brewster, grace, mercy, and true peace be multiplied from God our Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. "Most dear Christian Friends and Brethren, "As it is no small grief unto you, so is it no less unto us, that we are constrained to live thus disunited each from other, especially considering our affections each unto other, for the mutual edifying and comfort of both, in these evil days wherein we live, if it pleased the Lord to bring us again together; than which, as no outward thing could be more comfortable unto us, or is more desired of us, if the Lord see it good, so see we no hope of means of accomplishing the same, except it come from you; and therefore must with patience rest in the work and will of God, performing our duties to him and you asunder; whom we are not any way able to help, but by our continual prayers to him for you, and sympathy of affections with you, for the troubles which befall you; till it please the Lord to reunite us again. But, our dearly beloved brethren, concerning your kind and respective letter, howsoever written by one of you, yet as we continue with the consent (at least in affection) of you both, although we cannot answer your desire and expectation, by reason it hath pleased the Lord to take to himself out of this miserable world our dearly beloved pastor, yet for ourselves we are minded, as formerly, to come unto you, when, and as, the Lord affordeth means; though we see little hope thereof at present, as being unable of ourselves, and that our friends will help us, we see little hope. And now, brethren, what shall we say further unto you? Our desire and prayer to God is (if such were his good will and pleasure), we might be re-united for the edifying and mutual comfort of both, which, when he sees fit, he will accomplish. In the mean time, we commit you unto him, and to the word of his grace; whom we beseech to guide, and direct, both you and us, in all his ways, according to that his Word, and to bless all our lawful endeavours for the glory of his name, and the good of his people. Salute, we pray you, all the church and brethren with you, to whom we would have sent this letter, if we knew it could not be prejudicial unto you, as we hope it cannot; yet fearing the worst, we thought fit either to direct it to you, our two beloved brethren, leaving it to your goodly wisdom and discretion, to manifest our mind to the rest of our loving friends and brethren, as you see most convenient. And thus entreating you to remember us in your prayers, as we also do you, we for this time commend you, and all your affairs, to the direction, and protection of the Almighty, and rest, "Your assured loving friends, "And brethren in the Lord, "FRANCIS JESSOP, THOMAS NASH, 64 Leyden, Nov. 30th, A.D. 1625." THOMAS BLOSSOM, ROGER WHITE, RICHARD MAISTERSON. The following letter was written by Mr. Blossom, one of the members of the church, who had returned in the Speedwell to London, and thence proceeded to Leyden again; but who, in a few years after Mr. Robinson's death, found means of emigrating to New Plymouth, and became a deacon of the church. III. Thomas Blossom to Governor Bradford. “Kind salutations, &c. I have thought good to write to you, concerning the cause as it standeth both with you and us. We see, alas, what frustrations and disappointments it pleaseth the Lord to send in this our course, good in itself, and according to godliness taken in hand, and for good and lawful ends, who yet pleaseth not to prosper as we are, for reasons best known to himself; and which also nearly concerns us to consider of, whether we have sought the Lord in it as we see, or not. That the Lord hath singularly preserved life in the business to great admiration, giveth me good hope that he will, (if our sins hinder not,) in his appointed time, give a happy end unto it. On the contrary, when I consider how it pleaseth the Lord to cross those means that should bring us together, being now so far off, or farther than ever, in our apprehension ; as also to take that means away which would have been so comfortable unto us, in that course, both for wisdom of counsel, as also for our singular help in our course of godliness; whom the Lord (as it were) took away even as fruit falleth before it was ripe, when neither length of days, nor infirmity of body, did seem to call for his end. The Lord even then took him away, as it were in his anger: whom, if tears would have held, he had remained to this day. The loss of his ministry was very great unto me, for I ever counted myself happy in the enjoyment of it, notwithstanding all the crosses and losses otherwise I sustained. Yet indeed the manner of his taking away hath more troubled me, as fearing the Lord's anger in it, that, as I said, in the ordinary course of things, might still have remained, as also the singular service he might have yet done in the church of God. Alas! dear friends, our state and cause in religion by his death, being wholly destitute of any that may defend our cause as it should against our adversaries; that we may take up that doleful complaint in the Psalm, that there is " no prophet left among us," nor any that knoweth how long. Alas! you would fain have had him with you, and he would as fain have come to you. Many letters and much speech hath been about his coming to you, but never any solid course propounded for his going; if the course propounded the last year had appeared to have been certain, he would have gone, though with two or three families. I know no man amongst us knew his mind better than I did, about those things; he was loth to leave the church, yet I know also, that he would have accepted the worst conditions, which in the largest extent of a good conscience could be taken, to have come to you. For myself, and all such others as have formerly minded coming, it is much-what the same, if the Lord afford means, Mr. Robinson left a widow to deplore the loss of so beloved and devoted an husband, and it is believed also that two sons, John and Isaac, survived their father. They continued to reside at Leyden for a few years; and, as Hoornbeck the Leyden professor states, in consequence of contentions that arose among the surviving members of the church respecting hearing of the Word, united themselves to the Reformed Church in Holland.† Dr. Allen's paper on the descendants of Mr. Robinson is appended to this Memoir, and gives an ample and interesting account of their history and dispersion. SECTION V. MR. ROBINSON, HIS CHARACTER AND WRITINGS. No records of Mr. Robinson's private history or religious experience are extant. His character and attainments must, therefore, be judged of by his writings, and the few testimonies that were borne respecting them by his friends and his foes. Those who knew him intimately speak of his character in terms of admiration. His deep piety and * Vide Young's Chronicles, pages 478-488. + Vide Hoornbeck Summa Controversarium Religionis, page 741. Ed. 1658. |