The Welcome, of Boston, about 300 tons, riding before Charlestown, having in her eighty horses and 120 tons of ballast, in calm weather, fell a rolling, and continued so about twelve hours, so as though they brought a great weight to the one side, yet she would heel to the other, and so deep as they feared her foundering. It was then the time of the county court at Boston, and the magistrates hearing of it, and withal that one Jones (the husband of the witch lately executed) had desired to have passage in her to Barbados, and could not have it without such payment &c. they sent the officer presently with a warrant to apprehend him, one of them saying that the ship would stand still as soon as he was in prison. And as the officer went, and was passing over the ferry, one said to him, you can tame men sometimes, can't you tame this ship. The officer answered, I have that here that (it may be) will tame her, and make her be quiet; and with that showed his warrant. And at the same instant, she began to stop and presently staid, and after he was put in prison, moved no more.

There appeared over the harbour at New Haven, in the evening, the form of the keel of a ship with three masts, to which were suddenly added all the tackling and sails, and presently after, upon the top of the poop, a man standing with one hand akimbo under his left side, and in his right hand a sword stretched out towards the sea. Then from the side of the ship which was from the town arose a great smoke, which covered all the ship, and in that smoke she vanished away; but some saw her keel sink into the water. This was seen by many, men and women, and it continued about a quarter of an hour.

....

THE SNAKE IN THE SYNOD

[A.D. 1648.] The synod met at Cambridge by adjournment. Mr. Allen of Dedham preached out of Acts 15, a very godly, learned, and particular handling of near all the doctrines and applications concerning that subject, with a clear discovery and refutation of such errours, objections and scruples as had been raised about it by some young heads in the country.

It fell out, about the midst of his sermon, there came a snake into the seat, where many of the elders sate behind the preacher. It came in at the door where people stood thick upon the stairs. Divers of the elders shifted from it, but Mr. Thomson, one of the elders of

Braintree, (a man of much faith,) trode upon the head of it, and so held it with his foot and staff with a small pair of grains, until it was killed. This being so remarkable, and nothing falling out but by divine providence, it is out of doubt, the Lord discovered somewhat of his mind in it. The serpent is the devil; the synod, the representative of the churches of Christ in New England. The devil had formerly and lately attempted their disturbance and dissolution; but their faith in the seed of the woman overcame him and crushed his head.

THE SPECIAL HAND OF GOD

[A.D. 1648.] About eight persons were drowned this winter, all by adventuring upon the ice, except three, whereof two (one of them being far in drink) would needs pass from Boston to Winisemett in a small boat and a tempestuous night. This man (using to come home to Winisemett drunken) his wife would tell him, he would one day be drowned &c. but he made light of it. Another went aboard a ship to make merry the last day at night, (being the beginning of the Lord's day,) and returning about midnight with three of the ship's company, the boat was overset by means of the ice, they guiding her by a rope, which went from the ship to the shore. The seamen waded out, but the Boston man was drowned, being a man of good conversation and hopeful of some work of grace begun in him, but drawn away by the seamen's invitation. God will be sanctified in them that come near him. Two others were the children of one of the church of Boston. While the parents were at the lecture, the boy (being about seven years of age,) having a small staff in his hand, ran down upon the ice towards a boat he saw, and the ice breaking, he fell in, but his staff kept him up, till his sister, about fourteen years old, ran down to save her brother (though there were four men at hand, and called to her not to go, being themselves hasting to save him) and so drowned herself and him also, being past recovery ere the men could come at them, and could easily reach ground with their feet. The parents had no more sons, and confessed they had been too indulgent towards him, and had set their hearts over much upon him.

This puts me in mind of another child very strangely drowned a little before winter. The parents were also members of the church of Boston. The father had undertaken to maintain the mill-dam,

and being at work upon it, (with some help he had hired,) in the afternoon of the last day of the week, night came upon them before they had finished what they intended, and his conscience began to put him in mind of the Lord's day, and he was troubled, yet went on and wrought an hour within night. The next day, after evening exercise, and after they had supped, the mother put two children to bed in the room where themselves did lie, and they went out to visit a neighbour. When they returned, they continued about an hour in the room, and missed not the child, but then the mother going to the bed, and not finding her youngest child, (a daughter about five years of age,) after much search she found it drowned in a well in her cellar; which was very observable, as by a special hand of God, that the child should go out of that room into another in the dark, and then fall down at a trap door, or go down the stairs, and so into the well in the farther end of the cellar, the top of the well and the water being even with the ground. But the father, freely in the open congregation, did acknowledge it the righteous hand of God for his profaning his holy day against the checks of his own conscience.

THOMAS SHEPARD

FROM

THE SINCERE CONVERT

Doct. 2. That those that are saved, are saved with much difficulty: or it is a wonderfull hard thing to be saved.

The gate is strait, and therefore a man must sweat and strive to enter; both the entrance is difficult, and the progresse of salvation too. Jesus Christ is not got with a wet finger. It is not wishing and desiring to be saved, will bring men to heaven; hells mouth is full of good wishes. It is not shedding a tear at a Sermon, or blubbering now and then in a corner, and saying over thy prayers, and crying God mercy for thy sins, will save thee. It is not Lord have mercy upon us, will doe thee good. It is not coming constantly to Church; these are easie matters. But it is a tough work, a wonderfull hard matter to be saved, 1 Pet. 4.18. Hence the way to heaven is compared to a Race, where a man must put forth all his strength, and stretch every limb, and all to get forward. Hence a Christians life is compared to wrestling, Eph. 6. 12. All the policy and power of hell buckle together

against a Christian, therefore he must look to himself, or else he falls. Hence it is compared to fighting, 2 Tim. 4. 7. a man must fight against the Devill, the World, Himself; who shoot poysoned bullets in the soul, where a man must kill or be killed. God hath not lined the way to Christ with velvet, nor strewed it with rushes. He will never feed a slothfull humour in man, who will be saved if Christ and Heaven would drop into their mouthes, and if any would bear their charges thither: If Christ might be bought for a few cold wishes, and lazie desires, he would be of small reckoning amongst men, who would say, lightly come lightly gce. Indeed Christs yoke is easie in it self, and when a man is got into Christ, nothing is so sweet; but for a carnall dull heart, it is hard to draw in it; for,

There are 4 strait gates wch every one must pass through before he can enter into heaven.

but

I. There is the strait gate of Humiliation; God saveth none, first he humbleth them; now it is hard to pass through the gates and flames of hell; for a heart as stiffe [as] a stake, to bow; as hard as a stone, to bleed for the least prick, not to mourne for one sin, but all sins; and not for a fit, but all a mans life time; Oh it is hard for a man to suffer himself to be loaden with sinne, and prest to death for sin, so as never to love sinne more, but to spit in the face of that which he once loved as dearly as his life. It is easie to drop a tear or two, and be Sermon-sick; but to have a heart rent for sinne, and from sinne, this is true humiliation, and this is hard.

It's an easie matter to It is easie for a man that

2. The strait gate of Faith, Eph. 1.19. presume, but hard to beleeve in Christ. was never humbled, to beleeve and say, 'Tis but beleeving: but it is an hard matter for a man humbled, when he sees all his sins in order before him, the Devill and Conscience roaring upon him, and crying out against him, and God frowning upon him, now to call God Father, is an hard work. Judas had rather be hang'd than believe. It is hard to see a Christ as a rock to stand upon, when we are overwhelmed with sorrow of heart for sinne. It is hard to prize Christ above ten thousand worlds of pearl: 'tis hard to desire Christ, and nothing but Christ; hard to follow Christ all the day long, and never to be quiet till he is got in thine armes, and then with Simeon to say, Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace.

3. The strait gate of Repentance. It is an easie matter for a man to confesse himselfe to be a sinner, and to cry God forgivenesse untill

and

next time: but to have a bitter sorrow and so to turn from all sin, to return to God, and all the waies of God, which is true repentance indeed; this is hard.

4. The strait gate of opposition of Devils, the World, and a mans own Self, who knock a man down when he begins to look towards Christ and heaven.

Hence learn, that every easie way to heaven is a false way, although ministers should preach it out of their Pulpits, and Angels should publish it out of heaven.

Now there are nine easie wayes to heaven, (as men think) all which lead to hell.

1. The common broad way, wherein a whole parish may all goe a breadth in it; tell these people they shal be damned; their answer is, then woe to many more besides me.

2. The way of Civill education, whereby many wilde natures are by little and little tamed, and like wolves are chained up easily while they are young.

3. Balams way of good wishes, whereby many people will confesse their ignorance, forgetfulnesse, and that they cannot make such shewes as others doe, but they thank God their hearts are as good, and God for his part accepts (say they) the will for the deed. And, My son give me thine heart; the heart is all in all, and so long they hope to doe well enough. Poor deluded creatures thus think to break through armies of sinnes, Devils, temptations, and to break open the very gates of Heaven with a few good wishes; they think to come to their journeys end without legs, because their hearts are good to God.

nesse.

4. The way of Formality, whereby men rest in the performance of most or of all externall duties without inward life, Mark. 1. 14. Every man must have some Religion, some fig-leaves to hide their nakedNow this Religion must be either true Religion, or the false one; if the true, he must either take up the power of it, but that he will not, because it is burdensome; or the forme of it, and this being easie men embrace it as their God, and will rather lose their lives than their Religion thus taken up. This form of Religion is the easiest Religion in the world; partly, because it easeth men of trouble of conscience, quieting that: Thou hast sinned, saith conscience, and God is offended, take a book and pray, keep thy conscience better, and bring thy Bible with thee. Now conscience is silent, being charmed down with the form of Religion, as the Devill is driven