Decennium luctuosum. An history of remarkable occurrences, in the long war, which New-England hath…

He saw the Foolish taking Root, but suddenly He Cursed their Habitation. When some of our Eastern People have been Pining away under the Fatigues of their Captivity among the Indians, who had Stripped them of all they had, Then they cried out, Now, Now the Lord▪ is punishing of us, for our Leaving of His Ordinances, and removing to a place of no Gospel for larger Accommodations in the World, and Exposing our Children to be bred up like the very Indians, into whose Hands we are fallen! That which Invites one to think, it may be For this Cause, is the Singular Distinction and Protection, which the CHURCHES of our Lord, have Enjoyed, throughout the whole progress of our Calamity. No places that have had CHURCHES gathered in them, have all this whi•s been broken up, however some of them have had much Bread of Adversity, and Water of Affliction. The Enemy that have come in upon our Land Like a Flood, carried all before them as an Irresistible Torrent, until they came to places that have CHURCHES as it were to Garrison them. There the Almighty Lord hath checked the Proud Waves, and said, Hitherto ye shall come, ⟨p. 207⟩and no further! But here let me add a very observable Thing: The Lord had some of His Elect among our Eastern People; but He ha's brought those Elect Home unto Himself, by burning them out of their Homes and Habitations. The Indians have driven 'em hither, and here they have met with the Gospel of Christ, and been effectually Called unto the Lord, and Joined unto our Churches, and Blessed the Name of God for bringing them unto these Churches. Periissent nisi Periissent! Now, Whoso is Wise, and will observe these things, cannot but wish, That the Folly of Erecting Plantations, without the worship of the Lord JESUS CHRIST, may be no more committed among us. It was wholesome Counsel, Given, and usually Taken, in the Beginning of New-England; Let Christians no where sit down without Good Ministers, but let them rather tarry where they are, as Ezra tarried by the River Ahava, till he had got some Levites to go with them. And it was even Then observed, That places which made Beginnings any long while without Ministers, were with miserable Unsettlements broken all to pieces. I suppose, our Eastern Country, will shortly again be peopled: But let the people which intend there to Settle themselves, in the Fear of God Remember this Admonition;