J. WILSON. 433 and fear of God in thy heart; and seeing thou bast hitherto maintained a good conscience, and walked according to thy light, do so still. Go by the rule of God's holy word, and the Lord bless thee.". Previous to his departure from his native country, he married the pious daughter of Lady Mansfield. In the year 1630, Mr. Wilson, together with a number of his friends, embarked for New England, where they arrived in the month of July. As the great object of these chris- tian pilgrims, in leaving their native country and settling in this wilderness, was " to enjoy the ordinances of the gospel, and worship the Lord Jesus Christ according to his own institutions;" so they were no sooner arrived than Mr. Wilson, Governor Winthrop, and some others, entered into a formal and solemn covenant with each other, to walk together in the fellowship of the gospel. This covenant was as follows In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, " and in obedience to his holy will and divine ordinance, " wewhose names arehere underwritten, being, by his most " wiseand good providence, brought together to this part of " America, in 'the Bay of Massachusets, and desirous to " unite ourselves in one congregation or church, under the "Lord Jesus Christ our head, in such sort as becometh all " those whom he hath redeemed and sanctified to himself, " do hereby solemnly and religiously (as in his most holy " presence) promise and bind ourselves to walk in all our " ways according to the rule of the gospel, and in all " sincere conformity to his holy ordinances, and in mutual " love and respect to each other, so near as Godshall give " us grace. "JOHNWINTHROP, ISAAC JOHNSON, THOMAS DUDLEY, JOHN WILSON, 8zE."t A foundation was thus laid of the church at Charlestown, in the Massachusets colony. This was in J uly, im- mediately on their arrival ; and in the month of August the court of government ordered, that a dwelling-house should be built for Mr. Wilson at the public expense, and the governor and Sir Richard Saltonstall were appointed to put the same into effect. By the same authority it was also ordered, that Mr. Wilson's salary, till the arrival ofhis wife, should be twenty pounds a year. However, before the following winter, he, with the greater part of the church, removed from Charlestown and settled at Trirnountain, ,t Mather's Hist. of New Eng. p. 42-44. + Backus's Hist. of Baptists,vol. i. p. 46. VOL. fir. 2 F 1111.1.MIP.
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