LETTER FROM THE COMMISSION OF THE General Assembly OF THE Church of Scotland TO THE Honourable Council and Inhabitants of the Scots Colony of Caledonia in America.  
Dated at Glasgow, July 21, 1699.  
GLASGOW, Printed by Robert Sanders, One of His Majesty's Printers. 1699.   

Much Honoured, and dearly beloved in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Grace, Mercy and Peace be multiplied unto you.  
THo' in the wise and powerful providence of GOD, who hath determined the times before appointed, 
Acts 17.26.  and the Bounds of every man's Habitation, you are now separated from us by a vast Ocean; yet you are not disjoined from our Hearts; nor shall these Waters ever quench, nor Time, nor Distance wear out our Love to you: 
Eph. 1.16.  We cease not to make mention of you in our Prayers to God for your Preservation, and for the Prosperity of your Souls; nor to offer Him our humblest Adorations, and thankful Praises, for the wonders of His Kindness, and Mercy to you (whereof we have received most refreshing Accounts,) and to us in you, whom we justly consider as a worthy part of ourselves, both as we are a Civil and a Religious Body: and pray we may have reason always so to do.  
We acknowledge the special merciful hand of our gracious good God, hitherto most signally and visibly appearing in the first proposal, in the Management, and in the Conduct of this Great, and Generous Undertaking, in which you are now so far, and happily engaged; That in a poor Nation, altogether unacquainted with the carrying on of such great Designs, so many Persons of all Ranks and Qualities should Unite together in such a Contrivance: That they got the opportunity of having a Prince, and Estates of Parliament ready to give Life by Law to the same: That they who were generally Strangers to Trade, should have been induced to venture so considerable a Stock, to the surprising of those Abroad, and themselves at Home; when they could not but lay their Account with many Difficulties, and much Opposition: That these noble Patriots should continue so firm, and willing to contribute their several Proportions of Means, and endeavours to set it so fairly on Foot, notwithstanding of several unforeseen Disappointments, and Oppositions: That these Disappointments and Oppositions, which seemed to look towards it with no promising aspect, have fallen out rather unto its furtherance: That a Land known to all the World to be a fit Seat for such an Undertaking, should have lain hitherto neglected by our more potent Neighbours: That you the first noble Adventurous have been led out of your Native Country under Divine Direction to this Land, which the Lord had espied and reserved for you, 
Ezek. 20.6. Exod. 19.4.  and to which he hath born you, as on eagle's wings, through the Dangers of the great Deep, and as it were aloft over amazing Difficulties, and hath piloted you safely in to that Void, but commodious Dwelling, whilst you mean while, like Abraham, 
Heb. 11. ●8.  (in a manner) knew not whither you went: That He hath kept you, in so long, doubtful, and hazardous a Voyage: That so few, comparatively, have died by the way, or since your Arrival; All this is the doing of the Lord, 
Psal. 118.23.  and his marvellous doing, and calls for the humblest, and heartiest Praises, and most devoted Services from you, and from us.  
We have in part heard of the Providences that have gone over you, since your Landing, and have rejoiced to hear of the good hand of our Gracious God continued upon you for Good, in your acceptableness to the Natives: 
Psal. 24.1. Deut. 32.8. Psal. 30.9.  That He whose the Earth is and the fullness thereof, even the most High, who divided to the Nations their Inheritance, and separated the Sons of Adam, hath made room for you with the free consent, and good liking of these Natives, the Natural Lords of the Land; and in the Preservations you have been under, and the Successes you have obtained, whilst envious Neighbours, who covet more than they are able to possess, 
Isa. 5.8.  Joining Land to Land, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the Earth, are seeking to molest you, and turn your Possessions into Esek and Sitnah: 
Gen. 26.20.21.  That God hath hitherto maintained your Reh●both, and, we trust, shall maintain it, and make you fruitful in the Land.  
Amidst the refreshful Relations we had of your happy Successes, it was most afflicting to us to hear of the Death of our dear Brethren Mr. James and Mr. Scot your two Ministers, whom we sent alongst with you, for the Comfort and Edification of your Souls; and we find you have been sensibly affected with the same: He is the Sovereign Lord who was pleased to mingle that bitter Water among your Wine, that, amidst the many signal Smiles of Providence bestowed on you, you met with this frowning Cloud, to allay both your, and our Joy; But who may say to the Almighty, 
Dan. 4.35.  What dost Thou? Let us adore the only wise God in this Dispensation, as calling you to an higher valuing of Gospel-Ordinances, and, by the want of them, to more enlarged desires after them, and a more diligent Improvement of them when restored; and as calling us to a more vigorous and tender concern in providing for your Soul's Food and spiritual Benefit.  
To have and improve the glorious Gospel in its Ministry and Ordinances, is the happiness of a Place and People: Where these are, Glory dwells in that Land, and without them, there is no Glory: 
Psal 85.9. 1 Sam. 4.21.22.  Let men's Dwellings upon Earth be Fertile and Barren, Wealthy or Poor, Peaceful or Perilous; this compensats the Inconveniences of the one, and is the richest Advantage of the other: How sweet is the Life, and secure is the Protection of these who dwell under the Wings of the God of Israel, 
Ruth 2.12.  and the warm Influences of his Ordinances in their Life and Power!  
The Honourable Court of Directors, by their Applications to the last General Assembly, and to us, have been careful to represent your Desires to have more Ministers sent you, and very forward in contributing what was proper for them, to accomplish the same: And we hope we may say, it hath been the good Hand of God in answering their Endeavours, and ours, that we herewith send you Four of our Brethren, Ministers of the Gospel of Christ, and our Fellow-Workers unto the Kingdom of God; Men who have a great Zeal for you, and have very cheerfully hazarded their Lives, in addicting themselves unto this Ministry, whom we beseech you to receive, and submit yourselves unto in the Lord: Tho' we might use much boldness in Christ with you, as our Spiritual Children, in Recommending them as our Brethren; yet it is under an higher and more august Character they come unto you, and under which you are to receive them, as the Servants of the Living God, as the Ambassadors of Christ, as Men ready to spend and be spent in the Service of your Faith and Joy, and in communicating this Gospel to the Gentiles in the Regions beyond you: 
1 Thess. 5.12.13.  Do you therefore Esteem them very highly in Love for their Works sake, entertain their Message, encourage their Endeavours, and strengthen their Hands: We trust they shall, through Grace, make full Proof of their Ministry among you; 
2 Cor. 10.6. Heb. 13.17. 1 Thess. 2.19.  Do you also fulfil your Obedience to them in the Lord, as Men that Watch for your Souls, and must give an Account; That you may be their Hope and Joy, their Glory and Crown of Rejoicing, in the Presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his Coming; and they may Labour amongst you, and give up their Account of you in that Day with Joy and not with Grief; for that is unprofitable for you.  
We have fully Instructed them to set up a Christian Discipline, and Order in your Church; 
1 Cor. 14 ●●.  for God is not the Author of Confusion but of Order and Peace in all the Churches of the Saints; and in this they will stand in need of some of you to be joined with themselves, as Elders and Office-Bearers in the Church, Overseers of the Manners of the People, and Assistants in the Exercise of Discipline, and Government: And we hope such of you as shall be orderly Called hereunto, will reckon it your Duty to embrace the same, and discharge that Office with Christian Meekness, Prudence, and Faithfulness: And we are confident of the Zeal and Love of all of you in every thing wherein they may need your Assistance: Nor will the Church of Scotland be wanting in what may be requisite from time to time, towards the maintaining the Gospel among you, and diffusing its Glorious Light and Influence upon the Neighbouring Gentiles; that they to whom Christ was not heretofore spoken of, 
Rom. 15.21.  may see; and they that have not heard may consider and understand.  
And now Honoured Friends and Dear Countrymen, whilst you are far from us, 
2 Cor. 11.2.  our Bowels earn towards you, and we are Jealous over you with a godly Jealousy, lest any among you forget the Obligations of their Birth, Sacramental Entrance into, and Education in a Christian Church, their Vows in the day of their Distresses or Fears, the marvellous loving Kindness of the Lord in your Preservation hitherto, and Establishment; and what Duty and Service these wonderful Providences you have met with and still are under do require; lest there should be any Achan in your Camp to trouble your Israel, and kindle the Displeasure of your God, provoking Him to turn against you to do you Evil, after he hath done you Good. And we hope you will consider what we say as proceeding from the warmest Affections of your tender loving Mother the Church of Scotland.  
Remember then in the first Place, That God is the Sovereign Lord, and absolute Proprietor of all the Earth; it's He who hath appointed a Place for you, and carried you safely to it. He it is, even the Lord of Hosts, who fights your Battles against those who would disturb your Settlement: From Him you derive your Original Right and your Security; acknowledge Him then as your Great Landlord with Sincere and Upright Souls: All you enjoy is His, all you expect is from Him; Pay therefore unto Him due Homage for all: Serve Him who is your God, and the God of your Fathers, and the God of this Nation to which you belong; and cleave to Him with upright Hearts; For the Lord is with you, 
2 Chron. 15.2.  while ye be with Him; and if ye seek Him, He will be sound of you; but if ye forsake Him, He will forsake you.  
You are not left like the blind Heathen to grope after Him, as in the Dark; 
Acts 17.27.  He hath been, and Is nigh unto you, and your Eyes have been opened (even all of you, at least, by Christian Education) to behold him, not only in his wondrous Works, which all Men behold; but in the most wonderful of all his Works, in his Glorious Gospel: By this you have been taught that God is a Spirit, 
John 4.24. Deut. 12.4, 31.  and you must Worship him in Spirit and in Truth: You shall not do so unto the Lord your God, as the Heathen do unto their Gods, who stupidly, and blockishly Worship their blockish Idols; 
2 Kings 17.26.27.  but you must remember the Manner of the God of the Land from whence you came, and serve him after his own Manner revealed in his Gospel. There you have been instructed that in all Places his Eye is upon you, and he observes your Hearts and Ways in Caledonia no less than in Scotland: 
Psal. 139.9.  The Wings of the Morning, and the uttermost Parts of the Sea hid not from him: All are his Territories and under his Dominion: 'Tis there you Learn that in every Nation and in every Place, he that feareth God, 
Acts. 10.35. 1 Tim. 2.8.  and worketh Righteousness, that lifteth up holy Hands without Wrath, or Doubting, is accepted of him; but that the Workers of Iniquity can not where escape his Notice, nor get out of the Reach of his Justice, but by Flying in to Christ, and taking Refuge in that blessed Hope which the Gospel sets before them.  
We beseech you to Ponder these Things with all due Seriousness; Let them be ever present to your Minds, with a Practical Influence, and Operation upon your Spirits, and your whole Deportment; that you Reverence, and Serve, Trust and Adore, Love and Obey that God whose you are, and whose are all your Ways: To him you own your present Settlement, and your future Hopes; See and enjoy his Bounty and Kindness in all: Labour to know and discern, upon Gospel-Evidence, that he bestoweth outward Blessings upon you from his Love in Christ: This will make your Caledonia to be a Land of Promise, and a Pledge of that better Inheritance reserved in Heaven for you, where all the Gold and Riches of the Earth, the Things most Valued by Men, heaped together, do make but a faint Metaphor for the Pavement of that most Glorious City: And after all the Acquisitions of this World, what is a Man Profited if he lose his own Soul?  
Let such as are yet Strangers to Christ, repent of all their Sins committed in Scotland, or since their Arrival in their New Dwellings, and consider with Astonishment, with Gratitude, with relenring Sorrow and Shame, how many hundreds of Leagues they have been carried fafe, through the Vast Abyss, when there was but the thickness of a Plank between them and Death, and consequently between them and Hell; How near they have bordered upon the confines of Eternity; and how dreadful it will be at last, if the Waves and Billows of Divine Wrath shall go over their Souls for ever. This is the Doom that every Sinner must undergo by himself, if it be not taken off by his Surety; and such as Fly not to the Gospel-Sanctuary, and Refuge, their Sin will surely find them out, wherever they go.  
We do most earnestly Entreat and Obtest you the Honourable and Worthy Persons in whose Hands the Government is Lodged, that you not only be shining Patterns yourselves, in all Sobriety, Holiness and Virtue; But that, with the outmost Diligence, and vigilant Care, you procure, that the Deportment and Behaviour of all under your Authority and Influence, be such as becometh the Gospel; by Commanding every one to do their Duty, by enacting strike and wholesome Laws, and Executing those Laws impartially, and speedily; That no Wickedness be Countenanced, or in the least connived at; For why should you bring Wrath upon yourselves, and the Land, and provoke the holy God to blast all your Undertake? And why should you Forfeit his Blessing and Favour promised to Righteous Rulers, and make yourselves Partakers of other men's Sins? For whatever is committed through your Forbearance, and Remissness in Government, is justly Chargeable on you: Every Man is Guilty of that Sin which he Reproves not, which he does not Testify against, which he can, but neglects to hinder in another; But most of all, such as are Rulers of others, and must give an Account of them to God, as well as of themselves. 
Leu. 19.17.  Thou shalt not hate thy Brother in thy Heart, thou shalt in any ways rebuke thy Neighbour, and not suffer Sin upon him: And in the Margin it reads, That thou bear not Sin for him: This is a Law given unto all; But the peculiar End of Magistracy is, to be a Terror unto Evil-doers, and for the Praise of them that do Well; To set their Eyes of Favour upon the Faithful of the Land; and to cut off all Wicked-doers from the City of the Lord.  
There is yet a special Obligation upon you, in the Planting and Erecting of a New Colony, to take Care that Religion and Virtue be planted and thrive in it. Own you not this return to God, who hath brought you thither, and who preserves and prospers you? Own you it not to yourselves, lest you Forfeit his merciful Kindness, and turn it to bitter Displeasure? Own you it not to the Nation you are come from; to the Gospel you have Received, and Professed, and to the People you are come among; that they receive not Scandal, and ground of Offence against Christianity, from the ungodly Lives of Professed Christians? Have you not Advantages, beyond the Government of your Native Land, or any other of a long continuance, where there are so many Corruptions, and rooted Habits of Vice, among the people to be eradicated? Your Commonwealth is in its Infancy; you have in your Hand the first Forming of it: your People yet but few, in Comparison, and their Hearts, we trust, yet tender, under the sense of Divine Goodness, as well as the Apprehension of yet impendent Dangers; and so more easily form into Obedience and Virtue. Are ye not all persuaded, that, 
Prov. 14.34.  as Righteousness exalteth a Nation, and Sin is the Reproach of any People; So it must be verified in a very special and eminent Manner upon you, That there is a Just and Righteous God, who will call every one to a Reckoning, both for their Personal and for their Stational Actions? Are you not Convinced that Sobriety, Temperance, Diligence, and all other Moral and Christian Virtues, are truly your Temporal, as well as your Eternal Interest; that your Worldly Affairs cannot thrive without these; That these are true reason of State, by their propitious Influence on Society; and true point of Honour, preventing the Baseness and Infamies of Vice, and rendering the Righteous Man more Excellent than his Neighbour, solidy Brave, Generous, and Great? Have you not before your Eyes fatal Examples of the sad Effects of Immorality, and Debauchedness in other Colonies, some of which, instead of Propagating the Gospel, are become Nurseries of Scandal to Infidels; and have drawn down many formidable Judgements on themselves? Hath not the Dissolution of Manners weakened, enervated and broken some of your Neighbours, and rendered them an easy Prey to their Enemies, and the Objects of Divine Vengeance, for their Corruptions, and their Cruelties.  
We beseech you, for the Lord's Sake, for your own Souls Sake, and for the Sake of your Country, and of your Posterity, for all that is, and aught to be Sacred, and Dear to Christians, or to Men, that you withstand, and prevent the corrupting of your Infant Colony, that you Oppose and Stop the first Appearances or Occasions of Vice amongst your People; and keep them close to the strict Rules of Christian Morality, and a Gospel adorning Conversation.  
Can any think but the Divine Majesty will resent, and Avenge the Hellish, Unnatural, and Uncreaturly Profanation of his Dreadful and Holy Name, (a Sin void of Tentation, and full of Horror) or that ever the Heathen will be induced to Adore that God, whom his own Worshippers Trample upon, and Contemn by profane Swearing? And, whereas Oaths, amongst all Nations, are, and aught to be esteemed most Sacred, and binding; What Veneration or Credit will they give to the Oaths of those, who Prostitute them, tho' it were but in trivial Occurrences of Law, (a sad abuse of Judicatories in many Countries, which we wish you to avoid) much less, when they are made the miserable Blemishes and Stains of common Discourse.  
Will not Drankenness weaken and brutify your People, and spoil all honest Commerce, and manly Conversation, and prove an inlet to all Mischief? A temperate People are Bold and Adventuring, Wise and Courageous, and attended with many temporal Blessings of an outward, prosperous and flourishing Condition: while Drunkenness besots, dispirits, befools, and wastes a Nation. Let this Vice be kerbed among you in its first beginning: And that vile and wretched Custom detested that hath unhappily obtained here, of doing all Business over a tippling Bottle.  

1 Cor. 6.19.  Let all Uncleanness be abhorred: Pollute not the Temples of the Holy Ghost, which your Bodies are, Consecrated to him in Christian Baptism; 
1 Thess. 4.4.  but let every one possess his Vessel in Sanctification and Honour; lest the Place of your Settlement be defiled, and the Land Spew you out, as Canaan did its Inhabitants. And let Interest oblige you to extraordinary Caution, and Watchfulness over the People, with respect to the Natives, in this Matter; lest their Resentment prove a Mean of your Ruin; and, if they should be provoked to avenge Indignities done them, and Injuries of this kind, your fall could not but prove Disgraceful and Unpitied.  
Let your Laws strike severely against Idleness, and want of Employment, the Parent of much Mischief and Beggary. Idle People are not only Useless, but Burdensome in a Commonwealth, Sowers of Sedition, Discontented, and seldom better exercised, than to find out base and dishonest Ways, whereby they may be maintained, in pampering of slothful Lusts. Let Industry be reputed Honourable, and Diligence in Employment a Character of Virtue, worthy of the highest Respect: Let not the foolish Notion ever get Footing with you, which hath been one great Cause of the Poverty of our Nation at Home, and our Reproach among the Rich, and Trading Nations Abroad, That it is below a Gentleman to follow Trade and Employment.  
Let not only all Falsehood in Words and Actions be severely punished, as what is inconsistent with Humane Society, and Enervats and Destroys Trade; (Faith, and uprightness in Dealing, being the Life and Soul of Commerce, 
Prov. 10.9.  and the best Foundation of Success, for he that walketh uprightly walketh surely) But likewise Discourage and Disgrace Self-seeking, and Narrowness, to the prejudice of the Public: Let not every one seek his own Things, to the Detriment of his Neighbour, but every one the Good of others, and common Benefit; for in the Interest of the Public, and Prosperity of the Commonwealth, that of each particular Person consists, and is best secured. Especially this is to be looked to, in the beginning of a Settlement, and Infancy of a Government; where Public Spiritedness and Self-denial, as they are Gospel-precepts, so, will be found best Principles of Policy; whereas Self-seeking hath ever been the Bane and Ruin of many promising Undertake.  
We cannot forget to Recommend to you Brotherly-Love and Concord, and that you Live in Peace and Unity among yourselves; a Thing no less Profitable to you, than Pleasant to the God of Peace, and suitable to the Christian Name: This is our Lord's New Commandment left by Him in Legacy to all his Followers, 
Joh. 13.34, 35.  that they Love one another: By this even the Heathen-Nations shall know that you are the Disciples of the Prince of Peace. We need not tell you what is the Common-remark on these of our Nation, that, however Hasty, Impatient, and Warm they may be in their Debates, while at Home; yet they are Noted as Exemplary to others, in an affectionate Concern in, Sympathy with, and close Adherence to one another, when Abroad. We hearty Wish this may be Verified of you, now when you are far removed from your Native Land, and placed amidst envious Neighbours, who are waiting for your Halting, and would make it their Work to Improve, to your Hurt, any Difference that might arise among you.  
Let righteous Judgement be Executed betwixt Man and Man; for the Judgement is the Lords. Let it be done Impartially, without vexatious Quibbles or dilatory Forms, and Dispensed either Gratis, or upon a public Salary; so as no Magistrate may Gain by Fynes of his own Imposing; a Practice most hurtful in your Native Land; whereby the Covetous are Tempted to Squeeze and Oppress, and those of a more honest and free Disposition, to become over Slack, left they should appear gripping for their own Interest. And in general, whatever Scripture or solid Reason hath Discovered to you to be Wrong, or of ill Consequence, in the Customs you have seen at Home or else where, and in the Errors of other Plantations, let these Things be carefully Avoided in your New Government.  
The Eyes of God, of Angels and of Men are upon you; The World gins to take Notice of you, as a most hopeful Colony, to the Envy of your Enemies, and the Joy of your own Country and Friends. Remember, as you are a People of great Expectation, and of great Advantages; So your Honour and Renown, your Temporal, as well as your Spiritual and Eternal Gain shall be Great, if you improve your Talon, and Manage the Price put in your Hands, Wisely and Well; but if otherwise, your Reckoning must be Sore and Heavy, and your End Inglorious.  
We again Repeat our most earnest Entreaties unto you, our Dear and Honoured Friends, that you be very Exact, Vigilant, and Conscientious in Modeling your New Colony to all Virtue, and Godliness; Especially in the first Beginning; which is of vast Importance in all great Undertake; And a due Care of which will render all after Proceed Easse, Pleasant, and Successful; That you bend your outmost Endeavours, both by Example and Law, to make Righteousness, Sobriety, and Godliness appear in the Eyes of others, as they are in themselves, Amiable and Honourable; And all Vice and Impiety, Detestable and Infamous; So as a vicious Person may look like a Monster, and Object of Horror amongst you: Thus, Religion and Virtue will incorporate into your very Customs and Constitutions, and your Laws and Persons will be Venerable, without the grievous Necessity of being Severe; and God will Bless you, and Delight to Devil among you; 
Isa. 62.4. Ezek. 43.  and your Land shall be called Hephzi-bah, and the Name of your Place Jehovah-shammah, the Lord is there. But if any will do Wickedly, if Men will be Foolish and Froward, your Duty to God, and Mercy to the Community, calls for Speedy and Exemplary Justice, that you may put the Evil away from among you, and that Others may Hear and Fear.  
As we Recommend unto you a Just and Christian Regard to all Gospel-Ordinances; So in Particular, a Religious Observance and Sanctification of the Lord's Day, the Neglect of which will lie heavy on Governors, the Command being peculiarly given to them, as Persons that must Answer for their Children and Servants, and for the Stranger that is within their Gates, as well as for Themselves: If the Sabbath of the Lord be Profaned, 
Leu. 26.43.  He will cause your Land to Enjoy its Sabbaths, by Desolation. But if you Sanctify the Holy Day of Rest unto the Lord, he will Procure and Maintain Rest for you in your Land.  
And as we are hopeful of your Just and Faithful Deal with all Men, whom you may have Occasion to Negotiate, and Trade with; So we Recommend, not only Equity and Justice, but, obliging Kindness towards the Natives; That your People may not only have their Conversation Honest among the Gentiles, but winning and engaging, by Beneficence; That they, Beholding and Enjoying the Benefit of your Goodworks, may Glorify God in the Day of your Visitation. If you Partake of their Temporal Things, are you not bound to Minister unto Them of your Spiritual Things? Verily, their Debtors you are; And not only is it the Interest of your Trade, and your Safety, to keep good Measures with them; but 'tis your positive Duty, for which the Lord seems in a peculiar Manner to have Designed your Plantation, as its most glorious End; To Propagat the Light of his Gospel amongst them, and that Heavenly Wisdom which is more Precious than all Riches, and whose Merchandise is better than the Gold of Ophir or Darien: 'Tis by their Consent that God Confirms your Right, therefore Cherish them, as your Brethren, of the same Blood, and Kindred in Adam; And Endeavour that you may have them also your Brethren in Christ; not only, let no Stumbling-block, or Occasion of Offence, be laid before them, but all due Encouragement given them, to Embrace the Everlasting Gospel. Let them see what Veneration, and Regard you Pay to your Ministers, as the Servants of the most High God, who must Labour amongst them; and to the Ordinances of Jesus Christ, as the Common Means of your and their Salvation.  
It will be needful you Study their Genius Well: For some of these Nations are Naturally more Sincere, and Simple; Others more Subtle, and Treacherous; But, Generally, all of them, Especially in the Beginning, Suspicious and Jealous, Credulous, and Apt to take Ill Impressions, and not Easy to Quit them; Also most Revengful, and Cruel, where they can be Masters, upon the Apprehension of the least Injury done them, to which they have got too many Irritations, by other Europeans, who have come among them. Therefore, there's need, you be, in the midst of them, Wise as Serpents, and Harmless as Doves: You are always to be very Watchful, and upon your Guard, that you may prevent Surprisals, and be able to Defend yourselves, if they should take up any Prejudice, and Irritation, Groundlessly, against you: Be very Concerned to See that none of Yours Injure, or Disoblige Them in the least, without Due and Speedy Punishment, and that more severely Inflicted, than for these Injuries done by any of you against another of yourselves. And, beside the Punishment you may find Just, and  to Inflict, be sure any Damage they Sustain be Repaid, tho' it should be done by the Public, when the Offending-Party is not able. By any Means, by continual Converse, endeavour to Civilize them, and cultivat any Principles of Natural Understanding, and Reason, they have, which will indeed require great Prudence, and Dexterity in the Management: And when they see Piety, Sincerity and Equity Flourishing among You; it will be the most Effectual, and endearing Tie to Knit them to your Interest.  
Be careful in doing Justice betwixt Masters and Servants: Let their Service be a reasonable Service, and Time allowed them for their Public and Private Worshipping of God, for they are your Brethren: And when their Time Expires; let them meet with such Encouragement, as may always Engage them to continue, and Settle among you: whereby, from time to time, you will be Strengthened, and Increased, and Others Encouraged to come unto You.  
If You shall have Servants for Life, or Slaves, of other Nations; (for the Natives of Darien, we consider as your Confederates and Allies) as we Wish you to be Tender, both of their Souls and Bodies, and to Encourage their Conversion to Christianity, by all proper Means; So we do not Urge that their absolute Liberty, and Freedom from their Service, should, as in some other Places, be made the immediate Reward of their Professing to Receive the Gospel: For this hath tempted Masters to withhold them from the Means of their Conversion, lest they should be Indammaged by the Lose of their Service; and hath occasioned the Slaves to make Counterfeit Professions, to gain their Liberty. But we Recommend a Gentle-Rule, a Mild Treatment, and that full Access and Time be Allowed for their Christian Instruction, and let such Rules be agreed on, as that these at least of them, who shall, not only Profess the Christian-Religion, but have such a Gospel-Adorning Conversation, as may Recommend them to the Consciences of the Godly, as Christians indeed, may have their full Freedom by such Means, and upon such Terms, as may be Safe and Advantageous, both to their Masters and Them. Immortal Souls are of great Value, and the Blessings of These, who are ready to Perish, are not to be Despised.  
We shall, in the next Place, particularly Address ourselves to You, that are in Military-Charge, and have Command over the Soldiery, whether by Land or Sea: It's on you, Honoured and Worthy Gentlemen, that a great Share of the Burden of the Public Safety lies; you are, in some Respect, both the Eyes, and Hands of this Infant Colony: Many of you have been lately Engaged in a Just and Glorious War, for Retriving, and Defending the Protestant-Religion, the Liberties, and Rights of your Country, under the Conduct of a Matchless Prince, And now, when through the Blessing of the Lord of Hosts, His and Your Arms have procured an Honourable Peace at Home; You, and others with you, have, with much Bravery, embarked yourselves in a Great, Generous, and Just Undertaking, in the Remote Parts of the Earth, for Advancing the Honour and Interest of your Native-Country: If in this you acquit yourselves like Men, and Christians; Your Fame will be Renowned both Abroad and at Home. We cannot Foresee what Opposition you may meet with from the Malice of Men, who Envy the Prosperity of Others, and seek to Enhance to Themselves that Part of the World whether you are Going, which may justly Oblige you anew to the Trial of your Arms: And in that Case, you are Called to Use your Valour, and Courage, but not to Lean unto it, nor Trust in the Arm of Flesh. Seek to have the Lord Going before you, 
Isa. 52.12.  and the God of Israel to be your Reerward. And Remember what is given in Charge to the Armies of Israel, when the Host goeth forth against thine Enemies, 
Deut. 23.9, 14.  then keep Thee from every wicked Thing, lest the Lord, seeing Wickedness, and Profanity in your Camp, be provoked to Turn away from you. How Reproachful would it Prove to the Profession of Christianity, if, by the lewd Practice of any among you, the Pagan-Nations should have Ground to Apprehend, that you Entertain that Hellish, and false Maxim of the Atheistical Debauchees of this Age, which even the Refined Heathen Abhor, That 'tis a Point of Gallantry, and a necessary Qualification in a Soldier, to cast off all Thoughts of God, of his own Soul, of Heaven, and Hell; As if These, who are continually Conversant in the Jaws of Death, were less Concerned, than Others, to Mind their Future State; or that Wicked, and Profligat Men, could Adventure to Encounter with Death, which to Them is a King of Terrors, with that Boldness and fixed Resolution, in Lawful and Allowable War, that is to be found with the Upright Man, who can encourage Himself with the Thoughts of This, That his Latter-end will be Peace? Do not Pagan, as well as Christian, Histories, furnish sufficient Instances of the Noblest Hero's, and bravest Commanders, who were Themselves Patterns of Virtue, and a Terror to the Vicious, and Profane? And, sure, the most Eminent of Saints, Recorded in the Holy Scriptures, have been most Courageous Warriors, and the Best of Soldiers. Let Us therefore earnestly Entreat, and Obtest You, who are Commanders and Officers, to go before your Soldiers, in all Manner of Holy Conversation. The Characters you bear, by the Stations you are placed in, the Respect you own to the Honour, Credit, and Welfare of your Native Country, and that New Part of it, the Colony you are now Going to, your own Temporal, as well as Spiritual, Interest, and the Happiness of These under your Charge, do all call aloud on you, to Use your outmost Endeavours, for Kerbing, by Exemplary Punishment, and Marks of Disgrace, in any of your Soldiers, who may be Guilty of them, the Horrid Wickedness of profane Swearing, Uncleanness, Drunkenness, Profaning the Lord's Day, Neglect of Gospel-Ordinances, Falsehood, Treachery, Oppression, and Idleness the Mother of All Wickedness, and other Enormities; the Suppressing of all Which we have already Recommended to the Honourable-Council of the Colony: nor shall we need to Enforce this on you, so far as your Stations call for it, with any other Arguments than what We have Offered to Them, Which we Entreat you Seriously to Mind. And, for the Encouragement of all under your Command to Carry, as becometh Christian-Souldiers, in the Way of Welldoing; Let their due Allowance be Punctually given Them; Preferment, and Reward, Impartially, and Readily Bestowed on the best Deserving of Them: That Wickedness being Disgraced, and Banished; Piety Encouraged and Flourishing in your Camp; you may have Confidence toward God, that the Lord will be your Protection, and will Delight to go Forth in the Midst of You.  
Tho' much of what We have Written be Addressed, Principally, to the Governors and Magistrates of the Plantation, and Others bearing Office among you; Yet it doth likeways Concern every one of You, Our Beloved Friends, and Dear Countrymen, for whom the Desire of our Souls, and Prayer to God is, that you may be Saved, that God may Countenance, and Bless your Undertake, and Crown Them with Success, that His Almighty Power may be a Wall of Fire about You; But, above all, that his Gracious Presence, in his Ordinances, may be the Glory in the midst of you; and that your Souls may Prosper until you be Transplanted into the better Mansions above, that Kingdom which is beyond the Injuries of envious Enemies, a Kingdom that cannot be Shaken, and whence you shall go forth no more.  
We have found it Necessary, from a sense of our Duty before God, and our tender Regard, both to your Souls, and your outward Welfare, to lay before your Governors the indispensible Obligations of their Station, as Christian-Magistrats, to Set up, and Maintain a Holy, Righteous-Government over you, and to Suppress, and Punish all Vice, with the Greatest, and most Impartial Severity. As this is absolutely Requisite to the very Civil Subsistance of your Colony, so we hope it will not be grievous to any of you, and that there is not one Soul so Degenerous, and Dissolute in your Society, as, but to Wish for a Connivance to any Immoral or Profane Practice: And, if there be, such a Person is a Burden and Plague to the Rest, that deserves to be cut off, lest the Body be Infected, and the heavy Judgements of God be pulled down on the Community. We are, therefore, Confident that you will Obey, not only for Fear, but, for Conscience Sake, and for your own Interest; That you will Pay all Submission and dutiful Deference to your Rulers; That you will, with Patience, and Contentment, bear the Toils and Fatigues of your first Settlement, not Murmuring, for what Uneasiness may as yet be in your Circumstances; but Waiting upon the Land, in an Humble, and diligent Application to your present Work, till He in his infinite Mercy, give you a confirmed Rest in the Land: For, tho' you do not find such Fruits attending your present Labours, as may Answer all the Expectations you had; Yet Patience, Diligence, and Industry will overcome your first Difficulties; And, through the Blessing of God, you shall find the Promise made out unto you, That the Hand of the Diligent maketh Rich.  
And we Ob●est you, by the Mercies of God, in Jesus Christ our Saviour, that in your several Stations, you Walk Worthy of the Lord, unto all Wellpleasing; That you give no Offence to the Gentiles, but be exceeding Wary and Tender of whatever may Scar them, from Christianity, or doing any thing Unbecoming the Church, and Members of Christ; That you be Blameless and Harmless, the Sons of God, without Rebuke, shining as Lights in the World; That you be Diligent and Faithful, Sober and Loving, among yourselves; and Obsequious to them that are Over you, whether in Matters Religious or Civil; And that you be every one Exemplary, Encouraging, and Edifying to one another, in Godliness, and in whatever tends to Common-good.  
Finally Brethren, whatsoever things are True, whatsoever things are Honest, whatsoever things are Just, whatsoever things are Pure, whatsoever things are Lovely, whatsoever things are of ●ood Report, if there be any Virtue, and if there be any Praise, think on these Things.  
And, Particularly, we Recommend unto you, Frequency and Fervency in Prayer, both apart, and in Christian-Societies, or Fellowships together. 'Tis God most High, who Performeth all Things for You, on Whom you must Depend, for all your Mercies, and all your Hopes: And therefore, from the uttermost Ends of the Earth, lift up your Cry unto Him, who is the Hearer of Prayer: and you shall not seek his Face in Vain.  
That we be not further Tedious to you, hoping our Dear Brethren the Ministers, we have sent to Labour among you, in the Work of the Lord, shall be Furnished by Their Great Master, so as to afford you from his Holy Word, such Instructions and Directions, from time to time, as your Case shall require, to whom we entreat you to Harken; that you may be mutually encouraging to one another in the Lord your God: We only Repeat these Memorable Words, which we Wish may be indelibly Engraven on your Hearts: The Lord is with you, 
2 Chron. 15.2.  while you are with him; and if you seek him, he will be found of you: but if you forsake him, he will forsake you; And all your forward Expectations, and blooming Hopes shall be Blasted and Whither, and your Colony laid Desolate, your Names, instead of Honour and Renown, shall be Branded with Infamy, Hissing and Scorn; and your Blessings turned unto Curses; and the Lord shall Pluck you up, 
Deut. 29.21.  and not Plant you, and shall separate you unto Evil, after he had said, he would do you Good.  
But, Beloved Brethren, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany Salvation, tho', for your Warning, we thus Writ; and that the Lord will preserve you steadfast in Holiness, and Faith; and will Plant you in that Place destinated for you, and make you a Name of Joy, and Renown among the Nations.  
Now, to Conclude, we Recommend these few Words of Exhortation, proceeding from a most Tender, and affectionate Concern, for your Good, to your most serious Consideration, and to the Blessing of God. To him we Commend all of you, and to the Word of his Grace, which is able to Build you up, and to give you an Inh ritance among them that are Sanctified, through Faith that is in Christ; To whom be Glory, For Ever and Ever. Amen.  
FINIS.