340 LIVES OF THE PURITANS. and be able to encourage their friends and countrymen to follow them. They, accordingly, sent over agents to England, who, having obtained a patent from the crown,+ agreed with several respectable merchants and friends to become adventurers in the undertaking. Several of Mr. Robinson's congregation sold their estates, and made a common bank, with which they purchased a small ship of sixty tons, and hired another of one hundred and eighty. The agents sailed into Holland with their own ship, to take in as many as were willing to embark, while the other vessel was freightingnecessaries for thenew plantation. All things being in readiness for their departure, Mr. Robinson, with his congregation, observed a day of fasting and prayer, when he preached an excellent sermon from Ezra, viii. 21. I proclaimed afast there, at the riser Ahava, that we might afflict our souls before God, to seek of him a right wayfor us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance. He then concluded with the following truly generous and christian exhortation. " Brethren, " We are now quickly to depart from one " another, and whether I may ever live to see your faces " upon earth anymore, the God of heaven only knows ; "but whether the Lord has appointed that or no, I charge " you before God and his blessed angels, that you follow " me no farther than you have seen me follow the Lord " Jesus Christ. If God reveal any thing to you by any " other instrument of his, be as ready to receive it as ever " you were to receive any truth by my ministry ; for I am " verily persuaded, I amvery confident, the Lord has more " truth yet to break forth out of his holy word. For my " part, I cannot sufficiently bewail the condition of the " reformed churches, who are come to a period in religion, " andwill at present go no further than the instruments of " their reformation. The Lutherans cannot be drawn to go " beyond what Luther saw : whatever part of his will our " good God has revealed to Calvin, they will rather die " than embrace it. Arid the Calvinists, you see, stick fast "'where they were left by that great man of God, who " yet saw not all things. " This is a misery much to be lamented. For though " theywere burning and shining lights in their times, yet Though these adventurers were at great trouble and expense is obtaining his majesty's royal patent, they never made any use of Prince's Chris. Hist. vol. i. p. 6i.
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