rosperity, shall delete out of
our thankfull memories the humble acknowledgement of your so motherly
care: in drawing out your breasts, yea, your souls to satisfie the
hungrie: although we have been beaten with the sword, bitten with famine,
our own wickednes correcting us, our back-slidings reproving us, yet we
have not so farre forgotten the Lords ancient love, but that our hearts
were brought to a little reviving in the midst of our bondage, by the
Ministery of these, who at your direction made a short visit amongst us.
We know you did not conceive it expedient at that time, to loose any for
full settling here, till the waters of the bloudy inundation were somewhat
abated, and prohability might be of some comfortable abode, which we
through the Lords revenging hand, pursuing our enemies, and the vigilancie
of your victorious Army, is in a great measure attained unto. Whatsoever
might have detained some of these whom ye directed to us, whose stay made
our expectation prove abortive, we shall ascribe it to our own abuse of
such treasure, and want of spirituall hunger, occasioned justly through
the want of food; And yet that same dis-appointment, together with your
faithfull promise of inlarging your indebted bountie, which is put upon
record in all our hearts, hath made us conceive the seed of a lively
expectation, that you will now no more put your bountie, and the means of
our life, into the hazard of such frustrations, but will once for all,
bestow an ample and enduring blessing. And of this we are so much the more
confident, because our former suit was not denyed but delayed: only we
fear, if a new delay be procured, till all things be fully settled, that
the observing of winde and clouds, shall hinder both sowing and reaping.
And in the mean time, the Prelates and their Faction may step in and
invest themselves of their old tyrannie over our consciences, who if they
once shall see us possessed of our own Inheritance, those _Canaanites_
dare not offer to thrust us out. By all appearance, if the Jesuites had
any hope to finde welcome amongst us, they had provided us fully ere now
with their poysoned plants, Our hearts abhorre the checking or suspecting
of your proceedings, yet it is lawfull to learn sometime from our enemie:
But in this you have begun before, not only to do, but also to be forward
a year ago, and thereby have ingaged your selves to perfect your own
beginnings, and bring us out of our orphan condition.