THE RETROSPECT OF THE YEAR. 19 



unfeigned love, bending all our hearts and forces in fur- 

 thering a work beyond our strength, with reverence and 

 fear, fastening our eyes always on Him that only is able 

 to direct and prosper all our ways. I acknowledge my- 

 self much bound to you, for your kind love and care, in 

 sending Mr, Fuller amongst us, and rejoice much that I 

 am by him satisfied, touching your judgment of the out- 

 ward form of God's worship ; it is (as far as I can yet 

 gather) no other than is warranted by the evidence of 

 truth, and the same which I have professed and maintained, 

 ever since the Lord in mercy revealed himself unto me, 

 being far different from the common report that hath been 

 spread of you touching that particular ; but God's children 

 must not look for less here below, and it is the great mercy 

 of God that he strengthens them to go through with it. I 

 shall not need at this time to be tedious unto you, for, God 

 willing, I purpose to see your face shortly : In the mean- 

 time I humbly take my leave of you, committing you to 

 the Lord's blessed protection, and rest. 



Your assured loving friend and servant, 



John Endecot. 

 ITaumTceak, May 11, A.nno 1G29." 



So you see, gentlemen, that Dr. Fuller's mission bore 

 double fruit ; he relieved the North Shore colonists of a 

 plethora of the vital fluid, but he also relieved the mind 

 of Governor Endecott of some qualms about the hetero- 

 doxy of his Plymouth neighbors. Perhaps this last was 

 as great a service as the other. Perhaps the deacon was 

 no less welcome than the doctor, for our excellent Gov- 

 ernor was no bungler in the art of physic. He could 

 administer law, medicine or theology upon occasion. He 

 had brought with him, as every navigator does on a voy- 

 age, a well-filled medicine chest, with its recipes and ban- 



