prise of settling a new country, whose purpose was less devoted, may well be supposed. Indeed it were hardly possible, in the nature of things, that this should not be so. The bravery, the virtue and the patriotism of the leading spirits in any great movement for a country's good, are rarely found in the same measure in all the subordinates. And that the mere love of adventure, or the hope of retrieving their broken fortunes in this new land of promise, induced many to join the early expeditions to this country, can not be doubted. But the point we have in view, is to bring to light that nobler purpose which animated many of the leaders of this undertaking, and to shew that the conversion of the natives, and the establishing of the Church of Christ, was with them the first and controlling motive.

Neither do we mean to say, that after years did not witness a sad falling away in the execution of this noble design. When a faithless king had wrested from the Virginia Company the Charter under which they had begun a Mission in behalf of the Church, and turned an enterprise which had been conducted in a spirit of the loftiest devotion and selfsacrifice, into an instrument for the accomplishment of his own sinister purposes, then indeed the glory of this enterprise was sullied. When the interested courtiers of the king, and the corrupt and ambitious politicians that surrounded his throne obtained a voice in those councils which had been influenced by the devoted sons of the Church, then came, not only "a black and melancholy chasm in the place of order and arrangement," but a sad decline in the whole spirit and purpose of the work.

As we proceed, we desire to call special attention to this point. It was in A.D., 1624, that, in the arbitrary and tyrannical exercise of the prerogative of the Crown, the charter of the Company that had undertaken the settlement of Virginia was abrogated, and its spiritual interests greatly damaged.

Before speaking of those efforts which resulted in the permanent settlement of this country, we desire to trace briefly this same religious and missionary element in the early voyages of discovery, by the English, while they had as yet ob

tained no permanent lodgment in the Western continent. The work of Colonization was slow, and met with many disappointments and failures: but it was prosecuted with a spirit of hopefulness and determination, that no discouragements could repress. A melancholy interest attaches to one of the earliest voyages undertaken in this religious spirit. And it is a matter of no little satisfaction that we have on record the name of the Clergyman of the Reformed Church of England, who thus early undertook to be a Missionary to distant lands. This was "Master Richard Stafford," who, in 1553, in the reign of Edward VI., accompanied an expedition under Sir Hugh Willoughby, undertaken by a company of "merchant adventurers for the discovery of Regions, Dominions, Islands and places unknown."

The regulations laid down for the godly deportment of the men composing this company, and the provision made for the "devout reading of the Word of God, and for daily public prayer, morning and evening," shew the spirit of piety that actuated the leaders of this undertaking. Its fate however was a sad one. Two of the vessels, including the one in which the minister sailed, were frozen up in a haven of Russian Lapland, and there was not a single survivor of either crew to tell the story of their sufferings or of their death. In these, however, they were provided with the word of God, and the Ordinances and Ministrations of his Church, by the godly foresight of those who had commissioned them to their fatal errand. This expedition had hardly sailed, when the English nation were called to mourn the early death of the pious young King, under whose auspices, and by whose commands it had gone forth.

The bitter reign of Mary could be expected to produce little, either in the way of commercial enterprise, or of propagating the reformed Faith; but, in the account of a voyage undertaken by Pet and Jackman in the early part of Elizabeth's reign, for the discovery of Cathay, we have incidental notice of the provision made for divine worship, in the direction to "observe good order in their daily service, and to pray unto God," as the only means of their prosperity. There is abun

dant incidental evidence of this devout spirit, in these experiments at colonization, to which we can but briefly refer.

Sir Humfrey Gilbert, the half-brother of Ralegh, obtained his patent from Elizabeth in 1578, "for the inhabiting and planting of our people in America." He is described, as being a "learned knight and gallant sea adventurer," and there is touching evidence in the sequel of his history, that he lived "in such a state, as never to be afraid to die." One of the Articles of this first Charter ever granted for the establishment of an English Colony, enacts that the laws and ordinances "be not against the true Christian faith or religion now professed in the Church of England."

The historian of this expedition, who alone returned again to England, says that "a glorious opportunity was thus given to sow the seed of eternal life in those lands of heathenism;" and he makes the distinct acknowledgment, that this "must be the chief intent of such as shall make an attempt that way; or else whatsoever is builded upon other foundation shall never obtain happy success or continuance." Notwithstanding, however, the pious intent with which this voyage was undertaken, its history was brief and disastrous. Gilbert did not sail from England till the eleventh of June, 1583, and he landed his company at Newfoundland on Sunday, the 4th of August. Here mutiny, sickness and robbery, so soon thinned their numbers, that the survivors were glad to turn their two remaining vessels toward the shores of England, before they had passed a month in their new home. Their gallant Commander was lost at sea on this homeward voyage. He had embarked with some of his company in a small vessel of only ten tons, for the purpose of exploring the coasts of Newfoundland, and now refused to go on board the larger ship, saying "he would not forsake his little company with whom he had already shared so many storms and perils." Both vessels were overtaken by a violent storm in the parallel of the Azores, and Gilbert is described, at the moment of greatest danger, "as sitting abaft with a booke in his hand and crying out to those in the other ship, as often as they approached within hearing, 'we are as neare to heaven by sea as by land."" That same night this little vessel

with her crew and gallant Christian Commander, "was devoured and swallowed up of the sea.""

But there is on record the history of two voyages that more directly concern the purpose in hand, undertaken by the celebrated navigator, Martin Frobisher, in 1577 and 1578, the first one, a year before Gilbert received his charter. Hakluyt's account of these voyages furnishes us with several interesting particulars. It does not appear that any clergyman accompanied the first voyagers, but they did not set out upon their perilous undertaking, without applying devoutly to the source of all true strength and courage. Frobisher's own Journal contains

the following interesting entry:

"On Whit-Sunday, being the 26th of May, Anno. 1577, early in the morning we weighed anker at Blackwall, and fell that tyde down to Grauesend, where we remained vntil! Monday at night. On Monday morning, the 27th of May, aboord the Ayde, we received all the Communion by the Minister of Grauesend, and prepared us as good Christians towards God, and resolute men, for all fortunes, and towards night we departed to Tilberry Hope."

The next voyage of Frobisher, in the year 1578, is one of much more interest, as he took with him Master Richard Wolfall, the first Clergyman of the Church of England, who celebrated the Ordinances of Christ's institution in America. Before sailing from England, certain regulations for the guidance of the adventurers were drawn up, of which the following is an extract:

"Articles and orders to be observed for the Fleete, set down by Capt. Frobisher, Generall, and delivered to every man in writing:

"1. Imprimis, to banish swearing, dice and card playing, and filthy communication, and to serve God twice a day with the ordinary service of usuall in the Churches of England, and to cleare the glasset according to the old order of England."‡

This regulation is a gratifying evidence of the sober and religious spirit, in which these brave adventurers entered upon their perilous voyage.

The first notice we have of the services of this Clergyman, is in the following entry in Frobisher's Journal, describing the Hakluyt, Vol. III, p. 75.

* Anderson, Vol. I, p. 55.

+ Hour glass.

feelings of the party on rejoining some of their comrades, whom they had supposed to be lost:

"Here euery man greatly rejoyced of their happie meeting, and welcommed one another after the sea manner with their great ordinance, and when each party had ripped vp their sundrie fortunes and perils past, they highly praysed God, and altogither vpon their knees, gaue him due humble and heartie thanks; and Maister Wolfall, a learned man, appointed by her Majesties Councell to be their Minister and Preacher, made vnto them a godly sermon, exhorting them especially to be thankful to God for their strange and miraculous deliuerance in those so dangerous places, and putting them in mind of the vncertainties of man's life, willed them to make themselues always readie as resolute men to enjoy and accept thankefully whatsoeuer aduenture His diuine Prouidence should appoint."

The following quaint account of this devoted Minister, shows us what kind of men were found in those days to enter upon these perilous adventures. The Journal goes on to say of him:

"This Maister Wolfall, being well seated and settled at home in his owne countrey, with a good and large liuing, having a good honest woman to wife, and very towardly children, being of good reputation among the best, refused not to take in hand this painefull voyage, for the onely care he had to saue soules and to reforme these Infidels, if it were possible, to Christianitie; and also, partly for the great desire that he had, that this notable voyage so well begunne, might be brought to perfection; and therefore he was contented to stay the whole yeare, if occasion had serued, being in euery necessary action as forward as the resolutest man of all. Wherefore, in this behalfe, he may rightly be called a true Pastor and Minister of God's Word, which for the profite of his flock spared not to venture his owne life." Toward the end of Frobisher's Journal, we find the following interesting entry:

"On the 30th of August Master Wolfall, on Winter's Fornace, preached a godly sermon, which being ended, he celebrated also a Communion upon the land, at the partaking whereof was the Captaine of the Anne Francis, and many other gentlemen and souldiers, Mariners and Miners with him. This celebration of the diuine mystery

* Hakluyt, Vol. III, p. 84.