442 LIVES OF THE PURITANS. are many places where men may expect-and obtain greater worldly advantage; yet, I do believe, there is not a place on the face of the earth where a person' of a judicious head and a gracious heart may receive greater spiritual good to himself, and do more temporal and spiritual good to others." Therefore, after taking leave of his numerous friends,' he travelled to Bristol in disguise, to escape the hungry pursuivants, who sought to apprehend him ; and sailed from thence May 23, 1635, and arrived at Boston the 17th of August following. Thus he was delivered from the persecution with which hewas exercised while in his native country. - When the ship in which he sailed arrived on the coast of New England, they were involved in a most tremendous hurricane, and in the utmost danger of being lost. Mr. Mather, in his journal of the 15th of August, after giving a circumstantial and very affecting account of the danger, observes : " In this extremity and appearance of death, we cried into the Lord, and he was pleased to have mercy upon us., By his overruling-providence, he guided the ship, and assuaged the violence of the sea and the wind. The Lord on that day granted us as wonderful a deliver- ance, I think, as ever any people enjoyed' ; and the seamen confessed they never knew the like. I hope we shall not forget it to our dying day. During the whole of the storm any frar was the less when I considered the clearness of any call fromGod: In some measure, the Lord gave us hearts to be content and willing that he should do with us and ours as he pleased, and as might be most for his glory : and here we rested. But when the news was brought that the danger was. over, oh ! how our hearts did melt within us. We burst into tears of joy and love to our gracious God, and in admiration of his marvellous' de- liverance.. The year after his arrival, Mr. Mather was chosen pastor of the church newly formed at Dorchester, where he con- tinued all the rest of his days. He was a man of most exemplary piety and diligence. His excellent spirit and character may he seen from the following instrument, which, about this time, he drew up or renewed for his own private use :t " Promises made to God, byme, Richard Mather. 1. " Touching my ministry.-That I will be more painful Clark's Lives, p. 130.-Mather's.IlisG b. iii. p. 126. + Ibid. p. I21°
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