A half-century of conflict. France and England in North America. Part ...

1745.] GEORGE WHITEFIELD. 77the ministers, besides other undesirable results, wasimagined by many to make for righteousness. Sothought the Rev. Thomas Prince, who mournedover the subsiding delirium of his flock as a sign ofbacksliding. "The heavenly shower was over," hesadly exclaims ;" from fighting the devil they mustturn to fighting the French." Pepperrell, alwaysinclined to the clergy, and now in great perplexityand doubt, asked his guest Whitefield whether or nothe had better accept the command.Whitefield gavehim cold comfort, told him that the enterprise wasnot very promising, and that if he undertook it, hemust do so "with a single eye," prepared for obloquyif he failed,and envy if he succeeded.^regiment, begged Whitefield to furnish a mottofor the flag. The preacher, who, zealot as he was,seemed unwilling to mix himself with so madcap abusiness, hesitated at first, but at length consented,and suggested the words. Nil desperandum Christoduce, which, being adopted, gave the enterprise theair of a crusade. It had, in fact, something of thecharacter of one. The cause was imagined to bethe cause of Heaven, crowned with celestialHenry Sherburn, commissary of the New Hampshirebenediction.It had the fervent support of the ministers,not only by prayers and sermons, but, in one case,by counsels wholly temporal. A certain pastor,much esteemed for benevolence, proposed to Pepperrell,who had at last accepted the command, a plan,^ Parsons, Life of Pepperrell, 51.