The Online Library of Liberty

A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.

• Robinson’s Farewell Address to the Pilgrims Upon Their Departure From Holland, 1620. The Account By Edward Winslow In His “hypocrisie Unmasked,” Printed In 1646.
• Robinson’s Disputes With the Arminians At Leyden. Bradford’s Account.
• Seven Articles Which the Church of Leyden Sent to the Council of England to Be Considered Of, In Respect of Their Judgments: Occasioned About Their Going to Virginia. [ Date Before Nov., 1617; Spelling Modernized. ]
• Letter to Sir Edwin Sandys.
• Letter to Sir John Wolstenholme.
• Robinson’s Sermon Upon the Conclusion of the Agreement to Remove to New England. Bradford’s Account.
• Robinson’s Sermon to the Pilgrims On Their Departure From Leyden, * and the Farewell At Delfthaven. Bradford’s Account.
• Farewell Letter to the Pilgrims.
• Letter to John Carver.
• To the Church of God, At Plymouth, In New England. — [ Spelling Modernized. ]
• Letter to Governor Bradford.
• Letter to Elder Brewster.
• Bradford’s Account of Robinson’s Death, With Letter From Roger White.
• Bradford’s Tributes to Robinson.

Bradford’s Tributes to Robinson.

Yea such was y^e mutuall love, & reciprocall respecte that this worthy man had to his flocke, and his flocke to him, that it might be said of them as it once was of y^t famouse Emperour Marcus Aurelious, and y^e people of Rome, that it was hard to judge wheather he delighted more in haveing shuch a people, or they in haveing such a pastor. His love was greate towards them, and his care was all ways bente for their best good, both for soule and body; for besids his singuler abilities in devine things (wherin he excelled), he was also very able to give directions in civill affaires, and to foresee dangers & inconveniences; by w^ch means he was very helpfull to their outward estats, & so was every way as a commone father unto them. And none did more offend him then those that were close and cleaving to them selves, and retired from y^e commōe good; as also such as would be stiffe & riged in matters of outward order, and invey against y^e evills of others, and yet be remisse in them selves, and not so carefull to express a vertuous conversation. They in like maner had ever a reverente regard unto him, & had him in precious estimation, as his worth & wisdom did deserve; and though they esteemed him highly whilst he lived & laboured amongst them, yet much more after his death, when they came to feele y^e wante of his help, and saw (by woefull experience) what a treasure they had lost, to y^e greefe of their harts, and wounding of their sowls; yea such a loss as they saw could not be repaired; for it was as hard for them to find such another leader and feeder in all respects, as for y^e Taborits to find another Ziska.* And though they did not call themselves orphans, as the other did, after his death, yet they had cause as much to lamente, in another regard, their present condition, and after usage.— From Bradford’s Journal.

Mr. John Robinson was pastor of that famous church of Leyden, in Holland; a man not easily to be paralleled for all things, whose singular virtues we shall not take upon us here to describe. Neither need we, for they so well are known both by friends and enemies. As he was a man learned and of solid judgment and of a quick and sharp wit, so was he also of a tender conscience and very sincere in all his ways, a hater of hypocrisy and dissimulation, and would be very plain with his best friends. He was very courteous, affable, and sociable in his conversation, and towards his own people especially. He was an acute and expert disputant, very quick and ready, and had much bickering with the Arminians, who stood more in fear of him than any of the university. He was never satisfied in himself until he had searched any cause or argument he had to deal in thoroughly and to the bottom. And we have heard him sometimes say to his familiars that many times, both in writing and disputation, he knew he had sufficiently answered others, but many times not himself; and was ever desirous of any light, and the more able, learned, and holy the persons were, the more he desired to confer and reason with them. He was very profitable in his ministry and comfortable to his people. He was much beloved of them, and as loving was he unto them, and entirely sought their good for soul and body. In a word, he was much esteemed and reverenced of all that knew him, and his abilities (were acknowledged) both of friends and strangers.— From Bradford’s First Dialogue; spelling modernized.

The words of John Robinson here brought together are chiefly the letters, messages, and reports of addresses preserved by Bradford and Winslow, the words not embodied in the three-volume edition of Robinson’s works. Those volumes, published in 1851, were edited with a memoir by Robert Ashton, secretary of the Congregational Board, London. They contain Robinson’s more important theological and controversial works,—“Defence of the Doctrine propounded by the Synod of Dort,” “A Justification of Separation from the Church of England,” “The People’s Plea for the Exercise of Prophecy,” etc., and also the essays written during the last part of Robinson’s life, and published in the year of his death, 1625, republished in 1628 and 1642. These essays, far too little read, are sixty-two in number, upon a great variety of subjects.—Man’s Knowledge of God, Authority and Reason, Heresy and Schism, Wisdom and Folly, Books and Writings, Riches and Poverty, Marriage, Youth and Old Age, etc.

John Robinson, the pastor of the Pilgrim Fathers, who, more than any other, influenced and formed the founders of Plymouth, has until this latest time been very inadequately treated by our historical scholars, although having due recognition in the general histories of the Pilgrim Fathers. Dr. Henry Martyn Dexter devoted a careful chapter to his services in his invaluable work on “Congregationalism as seen in its Literature”; and Edward Arber reprinted various important words of his, especially showing his kind feeling toward the Church of England, in his “Story of the Pilgrim Fathers.” Just as this leaflet is prepared, however (1903), there is published the scholarly and thorough volume, “John Robinson, the Pilgrim Pastor,” by Rev. Ozora S. Davis, which fully meets the need which has so long been felt. To this work the student is referred for completest information concerning one who was not merely the great early representative of the Congregational polity of the fathers of New England, but a cardinal force in our early political life.

published by THE DIRECTORS OF THE OLD SOUTH WORK, Old South Meeting-house, Boston, Mass.

[* ]John Ziska, the Hussite, the blind general and leader of the Bohemian insurgents, who was never defeated.