The Life and Death of John Eliot, Part 3

The Life and Death of John Eliot · Part 3

p. 77PART III. Or, Eliot as an Evangelist.

THE Titles of a Christian and of a Minister have rendred our Eliot considerable; but there is one memorable Title more, by which he has been signalized unto us. An honourable Person did once in Print put the Name of an Evangelist upon him; whereupon in a Letter of his to that Person, afterwards printed, his Expressions were, There is a Redundency where you put the Title of Evangelist upon me; I beseech you to suppress all such things; let us do, and speak, and carry all things with Humility; it is the Lord who hath done what is done; and it is most becoming the Spirit of Jesus Christ, to lift up him, and lay our selves low; I wish that word could be obliterated. My Reader sees what a Caution Mr. Eliot long since entred against our giving him the Title of an Evangelist; but his Death has now made it safe, as his Life had long made it just, for us to acknowledge him with such a Title. I know not whether that of an Evangelist, or one separated for the Employment of Preaching the Gospel in p. 78such places where no Churches have hitherto been gathered, be not an Office that should be continued in our days; but this I know, that our Eliot very notably did the Service and Business of such an Officer.

The Natives of the Countrey now possessed by the New-Englanders, had been forlorn and wretched Heathen ever since their first herding here; and tho we know not when or how those Indians first became Inhabitants of this mighty Continent, yet we may guess, that probably the Devil decoy'd those miserable Salvages hither, in hopes that the Gospel of the Lord Jesus would never come here to destroy or disturb his Absolute Empire over them. But our Eliot was in such ill terms with the Devil, as to alarm him with sounding the Silver Trumpets of Heaven in his Territories, and make some noble and zealous attempts towards outing him of his ancient Possessions here. Just before the first arrival of the English in these Parts, a prodigious Mortality had swept away vast Numbers of the poor Indians; and those Pagans who being told by a Shipwreck'd French-man, which dy'd in their hands, That God would shortly extirpate them, and introduce a more civil and worthy People into their place; blasphemously reply'd, That God could not kill them; were quickly p. 79kill'd with such a raging and wasting Pestilence, as left the very Earth covered with their Carkasses. Nevertheless, there were, I think, twenty several Nations (if I may call them so) of Indians upon that spot of Ground, which fell under the Influence of our Three Ʋnited Colonies; and our Eliot was willing to rescue as many of them as he could, from that old usurping Landlord of America, who is by the wrath of God, the Prince of this world.

I cannot find that any, besides the Holy Spirit of God, first moved him to the blessed Work of Evangelizing these perishing Indians; 'twas that Holy Spirit which laid before his mind the Idea of that which is now … the Seal of the Massachuset-Colony; A poor Indian, having a Label going from his Mouth, with a, COME OVER AND HELP US. It was the Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ, which enkindled in him a Pity for the dark, dying, damning Souls of these Natives, whom the God of this world had blinded, through all the by-past Ages. He was none of those that make the salvation of the Heathen an Article of their Creed; but (setting aside the unrevealed and extraordinary steps which the Holy One of Israel may take out of his usual Paths) he thought men to be lost, if our Gospel be p. 80hidden from them; and he was of the same Opinion with one of the Ancients, who said, Some have endeavoured to prove Plato a Christian, till they prove themselves little better than Heathen. It is indeed a Principle in the Turkish Alcoran, That let a man's Religion be what it will, he shall be saved, if he conscientiously live up to the Rules of it: But our Eliot was no Mahometan, he could most heartily subscribe to that passage in the Articles of the Church of England, They are to be held accursed, who presume to say, that every man shall be saved by the Law or Sect which he professeth, so that he be diligent to frame his Life according to that Law and Light of Nature; for Holy Scripture do…h set out unto us, only the Name of …sus Christ, whereby men must be saved. And it astonished him to see many dissembling Subscribers of those Articles, while they have grown up to such a Frenzy, as to deny peremptorily all Church-state, and all Salvation to all that are not under Diocesan Bishops; yet at the same time to grant that the Heathen might be saved without the Knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. No, It very powerfully moved his holy Bowels, to hear the Thunderclaps of that Imprecation over the Heads of our naked Indians, Pour out thy Fury upon the Heathen that know p. 81thee not; and thought he, What shall I do to rescue these Heathen from that all-devouring Fury?

But when this Charitable pity had once begun to flame, there was a concurrence of many things to cast Oyl into it. All the good men in the Country were glad of his engagement in such an undertaking; the Ministers especially encouraged him, and those in the Neighbourhood kindly supply'd his place, and perform'd his work, in part, for him at Roxbury, while he was abroad labouring among them that were without. Hereunto he was further awakened by those Expressions in the Royal Charter, in the assurance and protection whereof this Wilderness was first peopled, namely, To win and incite the Natives of that Country to the knowledge and obedience of the only true God and Saviour of Mankind, and the Christian Faith, in our Royal Intention; and the Adventurers free profession is the principal end of the Plantation. And the remarkable Zeal of the Romish Missionaries compassing Sea and Land that they might make Proselytes, made his devout Soul think of it with a further disdain, that we should come any whit behind in our care to Evangelize the Indians, whom we dwelt among. Lastly, When he had well begun this Evangelical Business, p. 82the good God, in an answer to his Prayers, mercifully stirred up a liberal Contribution among the godly people in England for the promoting of it; by means whereof, a considerable Estate and Income was at length entrusted in the hands of an honourable Corporation, by whom 'tis to this day very carefully employed in the Chr…stian Service, which it was designed for. And then, in short, inasmuch as our Lord Jesus had bestowed on us, our Eliot was gratefully and generously desirous to obtain for him, The Heathen for an Inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for a possession.

The Exemplary Charity of this excellent person in this important Affair, will not be seen in its due lustre, unless we make some Reflections upon several Circumstances which he beheld these forlorn Indians in. Know then, that these doleful Creatures are the veriest Ruines of Mankind, which are to be found any where upon the face of the Earth. No such Estates are to be expected among them, as have been the Baits which the pretended Converters in other Countries have snapped at. One might see among them, what an hard Master the Devil is to the most devoted of his Vassals! These abject Creatures live in a Country full of Mines; we have already p. 83made entrance upon our Iron; and in the very surface of the ground among us there li s Copper enough to supply all this World; besides other Mines hereafter to be exposed; but our shiftless Indians were never Owners of so much as a Knife, till we came among them; their name for an English-man, was a Knife-man; Stone was instead of Metal for their Tools; and for their Coins, they have only little Beads with Holes in them to string them upon a Bracelet, whereof some are white; and of these there go six for a penny; some are black or blew; and of these, go three for a penny; this Wampam, as they call it, is made of the Shell-fish, which lies upon th Sea-coast continually.

They live in a Country, where we now have all the conveniences of humane life: bur as for them, their Housing is nothing but a few Matts ty'd about Poles fastened in the Earth, where a good Fire is their Bed-clothes in the coldest Seasons; their Cloathing is but a skin of a Beast, covering their Hind-parts, their Fore-parts having but a little Apron where nature calls for secrecy; their Diet has not a greater dainty than their Nokehick, that is, a spoonful of their parch'd meal, with a spoonful of water, which will strengthen tnem to travel a day together; p. 84except we should mention the Flesh of Deers, Bears, Moose, Rackoons, and the like; which they have when they can catch them; as also a little Fish, which if they would preserve, 'twas by drying, not by salting; for they had not a grain of Salt in the World, I think, till we bestow'd it on them. Their Physick is, excepting a few odd Specificks, which some of them encounter certain cases with, nothing hardly, but an Hot-house, or a Powaw, Their Hot-house is a little Cave, about eight foot over; where, after they have terribly heated it, a crew of them go sit and sweat, and smoke for an hour together, and then immediately run into some very cold adjacent brook, without the least mischief to them; 'tis this way they recover themselves from some Diseases, particularly from the French; but in most of their dangerous Distempers, 'tis a Powaw that must be sent for; that is, a Priest, who has more Familiarity with Satan than his Neighbours; this Conjurer comes and roars, and howls, and uses Magical Ceremonies over the Sick man, and will be well paid for it when he has done; if this don't effect the cure, the Man's Time is come, and there's an end.

They live in a Country full of the best Ship-Timber under Heaven: but never saw p. 85a Ship till some came from Europe hither; and then they were scar'd out of their wits, to see the Monster come sailing in, and spitting fire with a mighty noise out of her floating side; they cross the water in Canoo's, made sometimes of Trees which they burn and hew till they have hallow'd them; and sometimes of Barks, which they stitch into a light sort of a Vessel, to be easily carried over land; if they are over-set, it is but a little padling like a Dog, and they are soon where they were.

Their way of living is infinitely barbarous: the men are most abominably sloathful; making their poor Squaws, or Wives, to plant, and dress, and barn, and beat their Corn, and build their Wigwams for them; which, perhaps, may be the reason of their extraordinary ease in Childbirth. In the mean time, their chief employment, when they'l condescend unto any, is that of Hunting, wherein they'l go out some scores, if not hundreds of them in a company, driving all before them.

They continue in a place till they have burnt up all the Wood thereabouts, and then they pluck up Stakes, to follow the Wood which they cannot fetch home unto themselves; hence when they enquire about the English, Why come they hither? they have p. 86themselves very learnedly determined the case, 'Twas because we wanted Firing. No Arts are understood among them, unless just so far as to maintain their Bruitish Conversation, which is little more than is to be found among the very Bevers upon our Streams.

Their division of Time is by Sleeps, and Moons, and Winters; and by lodging abroad they have somewhat observed the motions of the Stars; among which it has been surprising unto me to find, that they have always call'd Charles's Wain by the name of Paukunnawaw, or The Bear, which is the name whereby Europeans also have distinguished it. Moreover, they have little, if any Traditions among them worthy of our notice; and Reading and Writing is altogether unknown to them, though there is a Rock or two in the Countrey that has unaccountable Characters engrav'd upon it. All the Religion they have, amounts unto thus much: They believe that there are many Gods, who made and own the several Nations of the World; of which a certain Great God in the South-west Regions of Heaven, bears the greatest Figure. They believe, that every remarkable Creature has a peculiar God within it, or about it: There is with them, a Sun-God, a Moon-God, p. 87and the like; and they cannot conceive but that the Fire must be a kind of a God, inasmuch as a Spark of it will soon produce very strange effects. They believe that when any good or ill happens to them, there is the favour or the anger of a God expressed in it; and hence, as in a time of Calamity, they keep a Dance, or a day of extravagant ridiculous Devotions to their God; so in a time of Prosperity they likewise have a Feast, wherein they also make presents one unto another. Finally, They believe, that their chief God Kautantowit, made a Man and Woman of a Stone; which upon dislike, he broke to pieces, and made another Man and Womon of a Tree, which were the Fountains of all Mankind; and, that we all have in us immortal Souls, which, if we were godly, shall go to a splendid entertainment with Kautantowit; but otherwise, must wander about in a restless horror for ever. But if you say to them any thing of a Resurrection, they will reply upon you, I shall never believe it. And when they have any weighty undertaking before them, 'tis an usual thing for them to have their Assemblies, wherein after the usage p. 88of some Diabolical Rites, a Devil appears unto them, to inform them, and advise them about their circumstances; and sometimes there are odd Events of their making these Applications to the Devil. For instance, 'tis particularly affirmed, That the Indians in their Wars with us, finding a sore inconvenience by our Dogs, which would make a sad yelling if in the night they scented the approaches of them, they sacrificed a Dog to the Devil; after which no English Dog would bark at an Indian for divers months ensuing. This was the miserable people which our Eliot propounded unto himself the saving of! And he had a double work incumbent on him; he was to make Men of them, ere he could hope to see them Saints; they must be civilized ere they could be Christianized; he could not, as Gregory once of our Nation, see any thing Angelical to bespeak his Labours for their eternal Welfare; all among them was Diabolical. To think on raising a Number of these hideous Creatures unto the Elevations of our holy Religion, must argue more than common or little Sentiments in the Undertaker; but the Faith of an Eliot could encounter it!

p. 89I confess there was one, I cannot call it so much guess as wish, wherein he was willing a little to indulge himself; and that was, That our Indians are the posterity of the d…spersed and rejected Israelites, concerning whom our God has promised that they shall yet be saved by the Deliverer, coming to turn away ungodliness from them. He saw the Indians using many Parables in their Discourses; much given to the anointing of their Heads; much delighted in Dancing, especially after Victories; computing their Times by Nights and Months; giving Dowries for Wives, and causing their Women to dwell by themselves at certain seasons, for secret causes; and accustoming themselves to grievous Mournings and Yellowings for the Dead; all which were usual things among the Israelites. They have too a great unkindness for our Swine; but I suppose that is because our Hogs devour the Clams, which are a Dainty with them. He also saw some Learned Men looking for the lost Israelites among the Indians in America, and counting that they had thorow good reasons for doing so. And a few small Arguments, or indeed but Conjectures, meeting with a favourable disposition in the hearer, will carry some conviction with them; especially, p. 90if a Report of a Menasseh ben Israel be to back them. He saw likewise the Judgments threatned unto the Israelites of Old, Strangely fulfilled upon our Indians; particularly that, Ye shall eat the flesh of your Sons, which is done with exquisite Cruelties upon the Prisoners that they take from one another in their Battels. Moreover, 'tis a Prophecy in Deut. 28.68. The Lord shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: And there shall ye be sold unto your Enemies, and no man shall buy you. This did our Eliot imagine accomplished, when the Captives taken by us in our late Wars upon them, were sent to be sold in the Coasts, lying not very remote from Egypt on the Mediterranian Sea; and scarce any Chapmen would offer to take them off, being upon such as these accounts not unwilling, if it were possible, to have the Indians found Israelites, they were, you may be sure, not a whit the less beloved for their (supposed) Fathers sake; and the Fatigues of his Travels went on the more cheerfully, or at least, the more hopefully, because of such possibilities.

The first step which he judged necessary now to be taken by him, was to learn p. 91the Indian Language, for he saw them so stupid and sensless, that they would never do so much as enquire after the Religion of the Strangers now come into their Country, much less would they so far imitate us as to leave off their beastly way of living, that they might be partakers of any Spiritual advantage by us, unless we could first address them in a Language of their own. Behold, new difficulties to be surmounted by our indefatigable Eliot! he hires a Native to teach him this Exotick Language, and with a laborious Care and Skill reduces it into a Grammar, which afterwards he published. There is a Letter or two of our Alphabet which the Indians never had in theirs; tho' there were enough of the Dog in their Temper, there can scarce be found an R in their Language, save that the Indians to the Northward, who have a peculiar Dialect, pronounce an R where an N is pronounced by our Indians; but if their Alphabet be short, I am sure the words composed of it are long enough to tire the Patience of any Scholar in the World, they are Sesquipedalia Verba, which their Linguo is composed of; one would think they have been growing ever since Babel, unto the dimensions to which they are now p. 92extended. For instance, if my Reader will count how many Letters there are in this one word, Nummatchekodtantamooonganunnonash, when he has done, for his reward I'll tell him, it signifies no more in English than, our Lusts; and if I were to translate, our Loves, it must be nothing shorter than Noowomantammooonkanunonnash. Nor do we find in all this Language the least Affinity to, or Derivation from any Europaean Speech that we are acquainted with. I know not what thoughts it will produce in my Reader, when I inform him, that once finding that the Daemons in a possessed young Woman, whereof I have given the World some account, understood the Latin and Greek, and Hebrew Languages, my Curiosity led me to make trial of this Indian Language, and the Daemons did seem as if they did not understand it: This tedious Language our Eliot quickly became a Master of; he employed a pregnant and witty Indian, who also spoke English well, for his assistance in it; and compiling some discourses by his help, he would single out a Word, a Noun, a Verb, and pursue it through all its variations: Having finished his Grammar, at the close he writes, Prayers and Pains, through Faith in Christ p. 93Jesus, will do any thing! And being by his Prayers and Pains thus furnished, he set himself in the Year 1646 to preaeh the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ among these desolate outcasts.

¶ It remains that I lay before the World, the remarkable Conduct and Success of this Famous Man in his great Affair; and I shall endeavour to do it, by Englishing and Reprinting a Letter, sent a while since by my Father, unto his Learned and Renown'd Correspondent, the Venerable Dr. Luesden at Utrecht; which Letter has already been published, if I mistake not, in four or five divers Languages. I find it particularly published by the most excellent Jurieu, at the end of a Pastoral Letter; and this Reflection then worthily made upon it, Cette Lettre doit opporter une tres grande Consolation, a toutes les bonnes ames, qui sont alterees de Justice, & qui sont enflammees du zele de la glorie de Dieu. I therefore perswade my self, that the Republication of it will not be ungrateful unto many good Souls in our Nation, who have a due thirst and zeal for such things as are mention'd in it; and when that is done, I shall presume to make some Annotations for the Illustration of sundry memorable things therein pointed at.

p. 94A LETTER concerning the Success of the Gospel amongst the Indians in New-England.

Written by Mr. Increase Mather, Minister of the Word of God at Boston, and Rector of the Colledge at Cambridge in New-England, to Doctor John Leusden, Hebrew Professor in the University of Utrecht.

Translated out of Latin into English.

Worthy and much honoured Sir,

YOur Letters were very grateful to to me, (a) by which I understand that you and others in your famous University of Utrecht desire to be informed concerning the converted Indians in America: Take therefore a true Account of them in a few words.

It is above forty Years since that truly godly Man, Mr. John Elliot, Pastor of the Church at Roxborough, (about a mile from Boston in New-England) being warmed with a holy Zeal of Converting the Americans, set himself to learn the Indian Tongue, that he might more easily and successfully (b) open to them the Mysteries of the Gospel; upon account of p. 95which he has been (and not undeservedly) called, The Apostle of the American Indians. This Reverend Person, not without very great labour, translated the whole Bible into the Indian Tongue; (c) he translated also several English Treatises of Practical Divinity and Catechisms into their Language. Above 26 Years ago he gathered a Church of Converted Indians in a Town called (d) Natick; these Indians confess'd their sins with Tears, and professed their Faith in Christ, and afterwards they and their Children were Baptized, and they were solemnly joyned together in a Church Covenant; the said Mr. Eliot was the first that administred the Lord's Supper to them. The Pastor of that Church now is an Indian, his name is Daniel. Besides this Church at Natick, among our Inhabitants in the Massachusets. Colony, there are four Indian Assemblies, (e) where the Name of the True God and Jesus Christ is solemnly called upon; these Assemblies have some American Preachers. Mr. Eliot formerly used to Preach to them once every fortnight, but now he is weakned with Labours and old Age, being in the Eighty fourth Year of his Age, and Preacheth not to the Indians oftner than once in two Months.

p. 96There is another Church, consisting only of Converted Indians, about fifty Miles from hence, in an Indian Town called Mashippaug: The first Pastor of that Church was an English Man, who being skilful in the American Language, Preached the Gospel to them in their own Tongue. (f) This English Pastor is dead, and instead of him that Church has an Indian Preacher.

There are, besides that, five Assemblies of Indians professing the Name of Christ, not far distant from Mashippaug, which have Indian Preachers; (g) John Cotton, Pastor of the Church at Plymouth (Son of my venerable Father-in-law John Cotton, formerly the famous Teacher of the Church at Boston) hath made very great progress in learning the Indian Tongue, and is very skilful in it; he Preaches in their own Language to the last five mentioned Congregations every Week. Moreover of the Inhabitants of Saconet in Plymouth Colony, there is a great Congregation of those who for distinction sake are called Praying Indians, because they Pray to God in Christ.

Not far from a Promontory called Cape-Cod, there are six Assemblies of Heathens who are to be reckoned as Catechumens, p. 97amongst whom there are six Indian Preachers, Samuel Treat, Pastor of a Church at Eastham, Preacheth to those Congregations in their own Language. There are likewise amongst the Islanders of Nantucket a Church, with a Pastor who was lately a Heathen, and several Meetings of Catechumens, who are instructed by the Converted Indians. There is also another Island about seven Leagues long (called Martha's Vineyard) where are two American Churches planted, which are more famous than the rest, over one of which there presides an ancient Indian as Pastor, called Hiacooms: John Hiacooms, Son of the said Indian Pastor, also Preacheth the Gospel to his Country-men. In another Church in that place, John Tockinosh a Converted Indian teaches. In these Churches ruling Elders of the Indians are joyned to the Pastors: The Pastors were chosen by the People, and when they had fasted and prayed, Mr. Eliot and Mr. Cotton laid their Hands on them, so that they were solemnly Ordained. All the Congregations (h) of the Converted Indians (both the Catechumens and those in Church Order) every Lord's Day meet together; the Pastor or Preacher always begins with Prayer, and without a Form, because from p. 98the Heart; when the Ruler of the Assembly has ended Prayer, the whole Congregation of Indians Praise God with singing, some of them are excellent Singers: After the Psalm, he that Preaches reads a place of Scripture (one or more Verses as he will) and expounds it, gathers Doctrines from it, proves them by Scriptures and Reasons, and infers uses from them after the manner of the English, of whom they have been taught; then another Prayer to God in the Name of Christ concludes the whole Service. Thus do they meet together twice every Lord's-day. They observe no Holy-days but the Lord's Day, except upon some extraordinary occasion; and then they solemnly set apart whole Days, either in giving Thanks, or Fasting and Praying with great fervor of Mind.

Before the English came into these Coasts, these barbarous Nations were altogether ignorant of the true God; hence it is that in their Prayers and Sermons they use English words and terms; he that calls upon the most holy Name of God, says Jehovah, or God, or Lord; and also they have learned and borrowed many other Theological Phrases from us.

p. 99In short, there are six Churches of Baptized Indians in New-England, and eighteen Assemblies of Catechumens, professing the Name of Christ: Of the Indians there are four and twenty who are Preachers of the Word of God; and besides these, there are four English Ministers who preach the Gospel in the Indian Tongue. (i) I am now my self weary with writing, and I fear lest if I should add more, I should also be tedious to you; yet one thing I must add (which I had almost forgot) that there are many of the Indians Children who have learned by Heart the Catechism, either of that famous Divine William Perkins, or that put forth by the Assembly of Divines at Westminster, and in their own Mother Tongue can answer to all the Questions in it.

But I must end: I salute the famous Professors in your University, to whom I desire you to communicate this Letter, as written to them also.

Farwel, worthy Sir; the Lord preserve your Health for the benefit of your Country, his Church, and of Learning.

Yours ever, Increase Mather. Boston in New-Engl. July 12. 1687.

p. 100(a) The Success of the Gospel in the EAST-INDIES.

AFter the writing of this Letter, there came one to my Hands from the famous Dr. Leusden, together with a new and fair Edition of his Hebrew Psalter, Dedicated unto the Name of my absent Parent. He therein informs me, That our Example had awakned the Dutch to make some noble Attempts for the furtherance of the Gospel in the East-Indies; besides what memorable things were done by the Excellent Robert Junius, in formosa, fifty years ago. He also informs me, That in and near the Island of Ceylon, the Dutch Pastors have Baptized about three hundred thousand of Eastern Indians; for altho' the Ministers are utterly ignorant of their Language, yet here are School-Masters who teach them, The Lord's Prayer, the Creed, the Ten Commandments, a Morning Prayer, an Evening Prayer, a Blessing before Meat, and another after; and the Minister in his Visits being assured by the Master, who of them has learn'd all of them seven things, he thereupon counts they have such a perfect number of Attainments, that he presently Baptizes p. 101them. The pious Reader will doubtless bless God for this; but he will easily see that one of our Converted Indians has cost more pains than many of those; more thorough work has been made with them.

(b) Mr. Eliot's way of opening the Mysteries of the Gospel to our Indians.

'TWas in the Year 1646, that Mr. Eliot accompany'd by three more, gave a visit unto an Assembly of Indians, of whom he desired a Meeting at such a time and place, that he might lay before them the things of their Eternal Peace. After a serious Prayer, he gave them a Sermon, which continued about a quarter above an hour, and contained the principal Articles of the Christian Religion, applying all to the condition of the Indians present. Having done, he asked them, whether they understood? and with a general reply they answered, They understood all. He then began what was his usual method afterwards in treating with them; that is, he caused them to propound such Questions as they pleas'd, unto himself; and he gave wise and good Answers to them all. Their Questions would often, tho not always, refer to what he had newly Preached; and p. 102he this way not only made a Proof of their profiting by his Ministry, but also gave an Edge of what he delivered unto them. Some of their Questions would be a little Philosophical, and required a good measure of Learning in the Minister concerned with them; but for this our Eliot wanted not. He would also put proper Questions unto them, and at one of his first Exercises with them, he made the young ones capable of regarding these three Questions.

Q. 1. Who made you and all the world?

Q. 2. Who do you look should save you from Sin and Hell?

Q. 3. How many Commandments has the Lord given you to keep?

It was his Wisdom that he began with them upon such Principles, as they themselves had already had some notion of; such as that of an Heaven for good, and Hell for bad People, when they Dy'd. It broke his gracious Heart within him to see, what Floods of Tears fell from the Eyes of several among these Degenerate Salvages, at the first Addresses which he made unto them; yea, from the very worst of them all. He was very inquisitive to learn who were the Powaws, that is, the Sorcerers and Seducers, that maintained p. 103the Worship of the Devil in any of their Societies; and having in one of his first Journies to them, found out one of those Wretches, he made the Indian come unto him, and said, Whether do you suppose God, or Chepian (i. e. the Devil) to be the Author of all good? The Conjurer answered, God. Upon this, he added with a stern Countenance, Why do you pray to Chepian then? and the poor Man was not able to stand or speak before him; but at last made promises of Reformation.

The Text which he first Preached upon, was that in Ezek. 37.9, 10. That by Prophesying to the Wind, the wind came, and the Dry Bones lived; and it was an observation made by one, who then justly confessed, there was not much weight in it; that the word which the Indians use for wind, is wauban, and an Indian of that Name was one of the first that here zealously promoted the Conversion of his Neighbours. But having thus entred upon the Teaching of these poor Creatures, it's incredible how much time, toyl, and hardship, he underwent in the Prosecution of this Undertaking; how many weary days and nights rolled over him; how many tiresome Journies he endured; and how many terrible dangers he p. 104had experience of. If you briefly would know what he felt, and what carried him through all, take it in his own words, in a Letter to the Honourable Mr. Winslow, says he, I have not been dry night nor day, from the third day of the week unto the sixth, but so Travelled, and at night pull of my Boots, wring my Stockings, and on with them again, and so continue. But God steps in and helps. I have considered the word of God in 2 Tim. 2.3. Endure hardships as a good Souldier of Christ.

(c) His Translating the Bible, and other Books of Piety into the Indian Tongue.

ONe of his Remarkable Cares for these illiterate Indians, was to bring them into the use of Schools and Bo…ks. He quickly procured the benefit of Schools for them; wherein they profited so much, that not only very many of them came to Read and Write, but also several arrived unto a Liberal Education in our Colledge, and one or two of them took their degree with the rest of our Graduates. And for Books, 'twas his chief desire that the sacred Scriptures might not in an unknown p. 105Tongue be locked or hidden from them; very hateful and hellish did the policy of Popery appear to him on this account: Our Eliot was very unlike to that Franciscan, who writing into Europe, gloried much how many thousands of Indians he had converted; but added, That he desired his Friend would send him the Book called the Bible; for he had heard of there being such a Book in Europe, which might be of some use to him, No, our Eliot found he could not live without a Bible himself; he would have parted with all his Estate sooner than have lost a Leaf of it; and he knew it would be of more than some use unto the Indians too; he therefore with a vast labour translated the Holy Bible into the Indian Language. Behold, ye Americans, the greatest honour that ever you were partakers of! This Bible was printed here at our Cambridge; and it is the only Bible that ever was printed in all America, from the very foundation of the World. The whole Translation he writ with but one Pen; which Pen, had it not been lost, would have certainly deserved a richer Case than was bestow'd upon that Pen which Halland writ his Translation of Plutarch with. The Bible being justly made the p. 106Leader of all the rest, a little Indian Library quickly followed; for besides Primers, and Grammars, and some other such Composures, we quickly had The Practice of Piety in the Indian Tongue; and the Reverend Richard Baxter's Call to the Unconverted; he also translated some of Mr. Shepherd's Composures; and such Catechisms likewise as there was occasion for. It cannot but be hoped that some Fish were to be made alive, since the Waters of the Sanctuary thus came unto them.

(d) His gathering of a Church at Natick.

THE Indians that had felt the Impressions of his Ministry, were quickly distinguished by the name of Praying-Indians; and these Praying-Indians as quickly were for a more decent, and English way of living, and they desired a more fixed Cohabitation. At several Places did they now combine and settle: But the Place of greatest name among their Towns. is that of Natick.

Here 'twas, that in the year 1651 those that had heretofore lived like the wild Beasts in the Wilderness, now compacted themselves into a Town; and they first apply'd themselves to the forming of their Civil Government. Our General p. 107Court, notwithstanding their exact study to keep these Indians very sensible of their being subject unto the English Empire, yet had allowed them their smaller Courts, wherein they might govern their own smaller Cases and Concers after their own particular modes, and might have their Town Orders, if I may call them so, peculiar to themselves. With respect hereunto, Mr. Eliot on a Solemn Fast made a publick Vow, That seeing these Indians were not prepossessed with any Forms of Government, he would instruct them into such a Form as we had written in the Word of God, that so they might be a People in all things ruled by the Lord. Accordingly, he expounded unto them the Eighteenth Chapter of Exodus; and then they chose Rulers of Hundreds, of Fifties, of Tens; and therewithall entred into this Covenant.

We are the Sons of Adam; We and our Forefathers have a long time been lost in our sins; but now the Mercy of the Lord beginneth to find us out again; therefore the Grace of Christ helping us, we do give our selves and our Children unto God, to be his People. He shall rule us in all our Affairs; The Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King; he will p. 108save us; and the wisdom which God has taught us in his Book shall guide us. Oh Jehovah! Teach us wisdom; send thy Spirit into our hearts; take us to be thy People, and let us take thee to be our God.

Such an opinion about the perfection of the Scripture had he, that he thus expressed himself upon this occasion; God will bring Nations into distress and perplexity, that so they may be forced unto the Scriptures; all Governments w…ll be shaken, that men may be forced at length to pitch upon that firm foundation, The Word of God.

The little Towns of these Indians being pitched upon this Foundation, they utterly obandoned that Polygamy which had heretofore been common among them; They made severe Laws against Fornication, Drunkenness, and Sabbath-breaking, and other Immoralities; which they began to lament after the establishment of a Church-order among them, and after the several Ordinances and Privileges of a Church Communion. The Churches of New-England have usually been very strict in their admissions to Church-Fellowship, and required very signal demonstrations of a Repenting and a Believing Soul, before they thought men fit Subjects p. 109to be entrusted with the Rights of the Kingdom of Heaven. But they seem'd rather to augment than abate their usual Strictness when the Examination of the Indians was to be performed. A day was therefore set apart, which they called Natootomeuhtenicusuk, or, a Day of asking Questions, when the Ministers of the adjacent Churches, assisted with all the best Interpreters that could be had, publickly examined a good number of these Indians, about their Attainments both in Knowledge and in Vertue. And notwithstanding the great satisfaction then received, our Churches being willing to proceed surely, and therefore slowly, in raising them up to a Church state, which might be comprehended in our Consociations, the Indians were afterwards called in Considerable Assemblies convened for that purpose, to make open Confession of their Faith in God and Christ, and of the Efficacy which his word had upon them for their Conversion to him; which Confessions being taken in writing from their mouths by able Interpreters, were scanned by the People of God, and found much acceptance with them.

p. 110I need pass no further censure upon them, than what is given by my Grandfather, the well-known Richard Mather, in an Epistle of his, published on this occasion; says he, There is so much of God's Work among them, as that I cannot but count it a great Evil, yea, a great Injury to God and his Goodness, for any to make light of it. To see and hear Indians open their Mouths, and lifting up their Hands and Eyes in Prayer to the Living God, calling on him by his Name Jehovah, in the Mediation of Jesus Christ, and this for a good while together; to see and hear them exhorting one another from the Word of God; to see and hear them confessing the Name of Christ Jesus, and their own Sinfulness; sure this is more than usual! And tho they spoke in a Language, of which many of us understood but little, yet we that were present that day, we saw and heard them perform the Duties mentioned with such grave and sober Countenances, with such comely reverence in their gesture, and their whole carriage, and with such plenty of Tears trickling down the Cheeks of some of them, as did argue to us that they spake with the holy Fear of God, and it much affected our hearts.

p. 111At length was a Church-state settled among them: They entred as our Churches do, into an holy Covenant, wherein they gave themselves, first unto the Lord, and then unto one another, to attend the Rules and Helps, and expect the Blessings of the Everlasting Gospel; and Mr. Eliot, having a Mission from the Church of Roxbury unto the work of the Lord Christ among the Indians, conceived himself sufficiently authorized unto the performing of all Church-work about them; grounding it on Acts 13.1, 2, 3, 4. and he accordingly administred, first the Baptism, and then the Supper of the Lord unto them.

(e) The Hindrances and Obstructions that the Devil gave unto him.

WE find four Assemblies of Praying Indians besides that of Natick, in our Neighbourhood. But why no more? Truly, not because our Eliot was wanting in his Offers and Labours for their good; but because many of the obdurate Infidels would not receive the Gospel of Salvation. In one of his Letters, I find him giving this ill report, with such a good reason for it; Lyn-Indians are all naught p. 112save one, who sometimes comes to hear the word; and the reason why they are bad, is, principally because their Sachim is naught, and careth not to pray unto God. Indeed the Sachims, or the Princes of the Indians, generally did all they could that their Subjects might not entertain the Gospel; the Devils having the Sachims on their side, thereby kept their Possession of the People too. Their Pauwaws of Clergy-Men, did much to maintain the Interest of the Devils in this Wilderness, those Children of the Devil, and Enemies of all Righteousness, did not cease to pervert the Right ways of the Lord; but their Sachims or Magistrates did more towards it; for they would presently raise a Storm of Persecution upon any of their Vassals that should Pray unto the Eternal God. The ground of this conduct in them, was, an old Fear, that Religion would abridge them of the Tyranny which they had been us'd unto; they always, like the Devil, held their people in a most absolute servitude, and Rul'd by no Law, but by their Will, which left their poor Slaves nothing that they could call their own. They now suspected that Religion would put a Bridle upon such usurpations, and oblige them to a more Equal and Humane way of p. 113Government; they therefore, some of them, had the Impudence to address the English, that no motions about the Christian Religion might ever be made unto them; and Mr. Eliot sometimes in the Wilderness, without the Company or Assistance of any other Englishman, has been treated in a very Threatning and Barbarous manner by some of these Tyrants; but God inspir'd him with so much Resolution as to tell them, I am about the work of the Great God, and my God is with me, so that I fear neither you, nor all the Sachims in the Country; I'll go on, and do you Touch me if you dare! Upon which the stoutest of them have shrunk and fell before him. And one of them, he at length Conquered by Preaching unto him a Sermon upon the Temptations of our Lord; particularly, the Temptations fetch'd from the Kingdoms and Glories of the World.

The little Kingdoms and Glories of the Great Men among the Indians, was a Powerful Obstacle to the success of Mr. Eliot's Ministry; and it is observable, that several of those Nations which thus refused the Gospel, quickly afterwards were so Devil-driven as to begin an unjust and bloody War upon the English, which issued p. 114in their speedy and utter Extirpation from the Face of Gods Earth. It was particularly Remark'd, in Philip, the Ringleader of the most calamitous War that ever they made upon us; our Eliot made a Tender of the Everlasting Salvation to that King, but that Philip entertained it with contempt and anger, and after the Indians mode of joyning signs with words, he took a Button upon the Coat of the Reverend Man, adding, That he cared for his Gospel, just as much as he cared for that Button. The World has heard what a Terrible Ruine soon came upon that woful Creature, and upon all his people. It was not long before the hand which now Writes, upon a certain occasion took off the Jaw from the Blasphemous exposed Skull of that Leviathan; and the Renowned Samuel Lee is now Pastor to an English Congregation, sounding and showing the Praises of Heaven, upon that very spot of ground, where Philip and his Indians were lately Worshipping of the Devil.

Sometimes the more immediate Hand of God, by cutting off the principal Opposers of the Gospel among the Indians, made way for Mr. Eliot's Ministry. As I remember, he relates, that an Association p. 115of prophane Indians near our Weymouth, set themselves to deter and seduce the Neighbour Indians from the Right ways of the Lord. But God quickly sent the Small-Pox among them, which like a great Plague soon swept them away, and thereby engaged the rest unto himself. I need only to add, That one Attempt made by the Devil, to prejudice the Pagans against the Gospel, had something in it extraordinary. While Mr. Eliot was Preaching of Christ unto the other Indians, a Daemon appeared unto a Prince of the Eastern-Indians, in a shape that had some Resemblance of Mr. Eliot, or of an English Minister, pretending to be, The English-man's God. The Spectre commanded him, To forbear the drinking of Rum, and to observe the Sabbath-day, and to deal justly with his Neighbours; all which things had been inculcated in Mr. Eliot's Ministry; promising therewithal unto him, That if he did so, at his Death his Soul should ascend unto a happy Place; otherwise descend unto Miseries; but the Apparition all the while, never said one word about Christ, which was the main subject of Mr. Eliot's Ministry. The Sachim received such an Impression from the Apparition, that he dealt justly with all Men, except in the p. 116bloody Tragedies and Cruelties he afterwards committed on the English in our Wars; he kept the Sabbath-day like a Fast, frequently attending in our Congregations; he would not meddle with any Rum, tho usually his Country-men had rather dye than undergo such a piece of Self-denial; that Liquor has meerly Enchanted them. At last, and not long since, this Daemon appear'd again unto this Pagan, requiring him to kill himself, and assuring him that he should revive in a day or two, never to dye any more. He thereupon divers times attempted it, but his Friends very carefully prevented it; however at length he found a fair Opportunity, for this fowl Business, and hanged himself; you may be sure, without his expected Resurrection. But it is easie to see what a stumbling-block was here laid before the miserable Indians.

(f) The Indian-Churches at Mashippaug, and elsewhere.

THE same Spirit which acted Mr. Eliot, quickly inspired others elsewhere, to prosecute the work of rescuing the poor Indians out of their worse than Egyptian-Darkness, in which Evil Angels p. 117had been so long preying upon them. One of these was the godly and gracious Richard Bourn, who soon saw a great effect of his holy Labours. In the Year 1666. Mr. Eliot accompanied by the Honourable Governour, and several Magistrates and Ministers of Plymouth-Colony procured a vast Assembly at Mashippaug; and there a good number of Indians made Confessions touching the Knowledge and Belief, and Regeneration of their Souls, with such Understanding and Affection, as was extreamly grateful to the Pious Auditory. Yet such was the strictness of the good People in this Affair, that before they would countenance the advancement of these Indians unto Church-Fellowship, they ordered their Confessions to be written and sent unto all the Churches in the Colony for their Approbation; but so approved they were, that afterwards the Messengers of all the Churches giving their presence and consent, they became a Church, and chose Mr. Bourn to be their Pastor; who was then by Mr. Eliot and Mr. Cotton Ordain'd unto that Office over them. From hence Mr. Eliot and Mr. Cotton went over to an Island called Martha's Vineyard, where God had so succeeded the honest Labours of p. 118some, and particularly of the Mayhew's, as that a Church was gathered.

This Church, after Fasting and Prayer, chose one Hiacooms to be their Pastor, John Tockinosh, an able and discreet Christian to be their Teacher; Joshua Mummeecheegs and John Nanaso to be ruling Elders; and these were then Ordain'd by Mr. Eliot and Mr. Cotton thereunto. Distance of Habitation caused this one Church by mutual Agreemant afterwards to become two; the Pastor and one ruling Elder taking one part, and the Teacher and one ruling Elder another; and at Nantucket, another adjacent Island, was another Church of Indians quickly gathered, who chose an Indian, John Gibs, to be their Minister. These Churches are so exact in their Admission, and so solemn in their Discipline, and so serious in their Communion, that some of the Christian English in the Neighbourhood, which would have been loth to have mixed with them in a Civil Relation, yet have gladly done it a Sacred One.

'Tis needless for me to repeat what my Father has written about the other Indian Congregations; only there having been made mention of one Hiacooms, I am willing to annex a Passage or two concerning p. 119that memorable Indian. That Indian was a very great Instrument of bringing his Pagan and wretched Neighbours, to a saving acquaintance with our Lord Jesus Christ; and God gave him the honour, not only of so doing much for some, but also of suffering much from others, of those unhappy Salvages. Once particularly, this Hiacooms received a cruel blow from an Indian Prince, which, if some English had not been there, might have killed him, for his Praying unto God. And afterwards he gave this account of his Trial in it; said he, I have two hands; I had one hand for Injuries, and the other for God; while I did receive wrong with the one, the other laid the greater hold on God.

Moreover, the Powaws did use to hector and abuse the Praying Indians at such a rate, as terrified others from joyning with them; but once when those Witches were bragging that they could kill all the Praying Indians if they would; Hiacooms repli'd, Let all the Powaws in the Island come together, I'll venture my self in the midst of them; let them use all their VVitchcrafts, with the help of God I'll tread upon them all. By this courage he silenced the Powaws; but at the same time also he heartned the People, at such a rate as was truly wonderful; p. 120nor could any of them ever harm this Eminent Confessor afterwards; nor indeed any Proselite which had been by his means brought home to God; yea, 'twas observed after this, that they rather kill'd than cur'd all such of the Heathen as would yet make use of their Enchantments for help against their Sickness.

(g) Of Mr. Eliot's Fellow-Labourers in the Indian-work.

SO little was the Soul of our Eliot infected with any Envy, as that he longed for nothing more than Fellow-Labourers, that might move and shine in the same Orb with himself; he made his cries both to God and Man, for more Labourers to be thrust forth into the Indian Harvest; and indeed it was an Harvest of so few secular Advantages and Encouragements, that it must be nothing less than a Divine Thrust, which could make any to labour in it. He saw the answer of his Prayers, in the Generous and Vigorous Attempts made by several other most worthy Preachers of the Gospel, to Gospelize our perishing Indians. At the writing of my Father's Letter there were four; but the Number of them p. 121increases apace among us. At Martha's Vineyard, the old Mr. Mayhew, and several of his Sons, and Grand-sons, have done very worthily for the Souls of the Indians; there were fifteen years ago, by Computation, about fifteen hundred Seals of their Ministry upon that one Island. In Connecticut, the holy and acute Mr. Fitch, has made noble Essays, towards the Conversion of the Indians; but, I think, the Prince he has to deal withal, being an obstinate Infidel, gives unhappy Remora's to the Successes of his Ministry. And godly Mr. Pierson has in that Colony deserved well, if I mistake not, upon the same account. In Massachusets we see at this day, the pious Mr. Daniel Gookin, the gracious Mr. Peter Thatcher, the well-accomplished and industrious Mr. Grindal Rawson, all of them hard at work, to turn these poor Creatures from Darkness unto Light, and from Satan unto God. In Plymouth we have the most active Mr. Samuel Treat, laying out himself to save this Generation; and there is one Mr. Tupper, who uses his laudable Endeavours for the Instruction of them.

'Tis my Relation to him, that causes me to defer unto the last place, the mention, of Mr. John Cotton, who addresses p. 122the Indians in their own Language with an admirable Dexterity, and has done more than a little Service for them. He hired an Indian, after the rate of twelve Pence per Day for fifty Days, to teach him the Indian Tongue; but his knavish Tutor having received his whole pay too soon, ran away before twenty Days were out; however, in this time he had profited so far, that he could Preach unto the Natives; and he has ever since been doing much for God among them. Having told my Reader, that the Second Edition of the Indian Bible was wholly of his Correction and Amendment; because it is not proper for me to say much of him, I shall only add this remarkable Story: Mr. Cotton, accompany'd by the Governor and Major General, and sundry Persons of Quality, made a Journey to a Nation of Indians in the Neighbourhood, with a free offer of the Words whereby they might be Saved. The Prince took time to consider of it, and according to the true English of taking time in such cases, at length he told them, He did not accept the Tender which they made him. They then took their leaves of him, not without first giving him this plain and short Admonition, If God have any Mercy for your p. 123miserable People, he will quickly find away to take you out of the way. 'Twas presently after this, that this Prince going forth to a Battel against another Nation of Indians, was killed in the Fight; and the young Prince being in his Minority, the Government fell into the hands of Protectors, which favoured the Interest of the Gospel. Mr. Cotton being advised of it, speedily and prosperously renewed the Tidings of an Eternal Saviour to the Salvages, who have ever since attended upon his Ministry; and the young Sachim, after he came to Age, expressed his Approbation of the Christian Religion; especially, when a while since he lay a Dying of a tedious Distemper, and would keep reading of Mr. Baxter's Call to the Unconverted, with floods of Tears in his Eyes, while he had any strength to do it.

Such as these are the Persons whom our Eliot left engag'd in the Indian work, when, he departed from his Employment, unto his Recompence. And these Gentlemen are so indefatigable in their Labours among the Indians, as that the most equal Judges must acknowledge them worthy of much greater Salaries than they are generously contented with. But one may see then who inspired that clamorous p. 124(tho contemptible and blasted) Persecutor of this Country, who very zealously Addressed the late A. B. of Canterbury, that these Ministers might be deprived of their little Stipends, and that the said Stipends might go to maintain that way of Worship among us, which the Plantation was erected on purpose for the peaceable avoiding of.

(h) The sacred and solemn Exercises perform'd in the Indian Congregations.

MY Father's account of the Exercises performed in the Indian Congregations, will tell us what a blessed Fruit our Eliot saw of his Labours, before he went unto those Rewards which God had reserv'd in the Heavens for him. Some of the Indians quickly built for themselves good and large Meeting-houses, after the English Mode, in which also after the English Mode they attended the things of the Kingdom of Heaven. And some of the English were helpful to them upon this account; among whom I ought particularly to mention that Learned, Pious and Charitable Gentleman, the Worshipful Samuel Sewal Esq; who at his own Charge built a Meeting-house for one of the Indian p. 125Congregations, and gave those Indians cause to pray for him under that Character, He loveth our Nation, for he hath built us a Synagogue.

It only remains that I give a touch or two upon the Worship which is attended in the Synagogue of the Indians. And first, the very Name of Praying Indians will assure us, that Prayer is one of their Devotions; be sure they could not be our Eliot's Disciples if it were not so. But how do they pray? we are told it is without a Form, because from the Heart; which is, as I remember, Tertullian's Expression concerning the Prayers in the Assemblies of the Primitive Christians; namely, sine monitore quia de pectore. It is evident, that the Primitive Christians had no stated Liturgies among them; that no Forms of Prayers were in their times imposed upon the Ministers of the Gospel; that even about the platform of Prayer given us by our Lord, it was the Opinion of Augustin himself, notwithstanding the advances made in his Age towards what we count Superstitious, that our Lord therein taught not what words we should use in Prayer, but what things we should pray for. And whatever scoffs the profanity of our days has abused that Phrase and thing withal, Gregory p. 126Nazianzen in his days counted it the Honour of his Father's publick Prayers, that he had them from, and made them by the Holy Spirit. Our Indians accordingly find, that if they study the words of God, and their own Sins, and Wants, and Woes, they shall soon come to that attainment, Behold they pray! They can pray with much pertinence and enlargement; and would much wonder at it, if they should hear of an English Clergy that should read their Prayers out of a Book, when they should pour out their Souls before the God of Heaven.

Their Preaching has much of Eliot, and therefore you may be sure much of Scripture; but perhaps more of the Christian than of the Scholar in it. I know not how to describe it better, than by reciting the Heads of a Sermon, uttered by an Indian, on a Day of Humiliation kept by them, at a time when great Rains had given much damage to their Fruits and Fields; 'Twas on this wise: A little I shall say, according to that little I know.

Gen. 8.20, 21. And Noah built an Altar to Jehovah; he took of every clean Beast, and of every p. 127clean Fowl, and offered burnt-offerings on the Altar. And the Lord smelled a sweet Savour, and the Lord said in his Heart, I will not again Curse the Ground.

In that Noah sacrificed, he shew'd himself thankful; in that Noah worshiped, he shewed himself godly. In that he offered clean Beasts, he shewed that God is an holy God. And all that come to God must be pure and clean. Know, that we must by Repentance purge our selves; which is the Work we are to do this Day.

Noah sacrificed, and so worshipped. This was the manner of old time. But what Sacrifices have we now to offer? I shall answer by that in Psal. 4.5. Offer to God the Sacrifice of Righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord These are the true Spiritual Sacrifices which God requireth at our hands; the Sacrifices of Righteousness; that is, we must look to our Hearts and Ways, that they be Righteous; and then we shall be acceptable to God when we worship him. But if we be unrighteous, unholy, ungodly, we shall not be accepted, our Sacrifices will be stark naught. Again, we are to put our trust in the Lord. Who else is there for us to trust in? We must p. 128believe in the Word of God, if we doubt of God, or doubt of his Word, our Sacrifices are little worth; but if we trust stedfastly in God, our Sacrifices will be good.

Once more, what Sacrifices must we offer? My answer is, we must offer such as Abraham offered. And what a Sacrifice was that? We are told in Gen. 22.12. Now I know that thou fearest me, seeing thou hast not withheld thy Son, thy only Son from me. It seems he had but one dearly beloved Son, and he offered that Son to God; and so God said, I know thou fearest me! Behold, a Sacrifice indeed and in truth! such an one must we offer. Only, God requires not us to Sacrifice our Sons, but our Sins; our dearest Sins. God calls us this day to part with all our Sins, tho' never so beloved; and we must not withhold any of them from him. If we will not part with all, the Sacrifice is not right. Let us part with such Sins as we love best, and it will be a good Sacrifice.

God smelt a sweet savour in Noah's Sacrifice; and so will God receive our Sacrifices, when we worship him aright. But how did God manifest his acceptance of Noah's Offering? 'Twas by promising to drown the World no more, p. 129but give us fruitful Seasons. God has chastised us of late, as if he would utterly drown us; and he has drowned, and spoiled, and ruined a great deal of our Hay, and threatens to kill our Cattel. 'Tis for this that we Fast and Pray this Day. Let us then offer a clean and pure Sacrifice, as Noah did; so God will smell a savour of Rest, and he will withhold the Rain, and bless us with such Fruitful Seasons as we are desiring of him.

Thus Preached an Indian called Nishokkon, above thirty years ago; and since that, I suppose, they have grown a little further into the New-English way of Preaching: You may have in their Sermons a Kukkeoromwohteaonk, that is, a Doctrine, Nahtootomwehteaonk, or, an Answer, a Witcheayeuonk, or, a Reason with an Ouwoteank, or, an Use for the close of all.

As for Holy-days, you may take it for granted, our Eliot would not perswade his Indians to any stated ones. Even the Christmas-Festival it self, he knew to be a stranger unto the Apostolical times; that the exquisite Vossius himself acknowledges, 'twas not celebrated in the First or Second Century: And that there is a p. 130Truth in the words of the great Chemuitius, Anniversarium Diem Natalis Christi, celebratum fuisse, apud vetussimos nunquam leginur. It was his Opinion, that if the Day of our Lord's Nativity were to be observed, it should not be in December: that many Churches for divers Ages kept it not in December, but in January; that Chrysostom himself, about four hundred Years after our Saviour, excuses the Novelty of the December-season for it, and confesses it had not been kept above ten years at Constantinople: No, that it should be rather in September, in which Month the Jews kept the Feast that was a Type of our Lord's Incarnation; and Solomon also brought the Ark into the Temple, for our Lord was thirty years old when he entred upon his publick Ministry; and he continued in it three years and an half; now his Death was in March, and it is easie then to calculate when his Birth ought to be. He knew that indeed God had hid this Day, as he did the Body of Moses, to prevent Idolatry; but that Antichrist had chose this Day to accommodate the Pagans in their licencious and their debauched Saturnalia; and that a Tertullian would not stick to say, Shall we Christians, who have nothing to do with the p. 131Festivals of the Jews, which were of Divine Institution, embrace the Saturnalia of the Heathen? How do the Gentiles shame us, who are more true to their Religion than we are to ours? None of them will observe the Lord's Day, for fear lest they should be Christians; and shall not we then by observing their Festivals, fear lest we be made Ethnicks? In fine, it was his Opinion, That for us to have stated Holy-days, which are not appointed by the Lord Jesus Christ, is a deep Reflection upon the Wisdom of that Gracious Lord; and he brought up his Indians in the Principles which the old Waldenses had about such non-instituted Holy-days.

Nevertheless, he taught them to set apart their Days both for Fasting and Prayer, and for Feasting and Praise, when there should be extraordinary Occasions for them; and they perform the Duties of these Days with a very laborious Piety. One Party of the Indians long since, of their own accord, kept a Day of Supplication together, wherein one of them discoursed upon Psal. 66.7. He rules by his power for ever, his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. And when one asked them afterwards, what was their reason of their keeping such a p. 132Day? they reply'd, It was to obtain five Mercies of God.

First, That God would slay the rebellion of their Hearts. Next, That they might love God and one another. Thirdly, That they might withstand the Temptations of Wicked Men, so that they might not be drawn back from God. Fourthly, That they might be Obedient unto the Counsels and Commands of their Rulers. Fifthly, That they might have their Sins done away by the Redemption of Jesus Christ. And lastly, That they might walk in the good ways of the Lord. I must here embrace my opportunity to tell the World, That our cautious Eliot was far from the Opinion of those who have thought it not only warrantable, but also commendable to Adopt some Heathenish Usages into the Worship of God, for the more easie and speedy gaining of the Heathen to that Worship. The policy of treating the Pagan Rites as the Jews were to do Captives, before they married them, to shave their Hair, and pare their Nails, our Eliot counted as ridiculous as pernicious. He knew that the Idolatries and Abominations of Popery, were founded in this way of Proselyting the barbarous Nations, p. 133which made their Descent upon the Roman Empire; and he look'd upon the like methods which the Protestants have used, that they might ingratiate themselves with the Papists, and that our Separation from them should become less dangerous and sensible, to be the most sensible and dangerous wound of the Reformation. Wherefore, as no less a Man than D. Henry Moor says about our Compliances with the Papists, which are a sort of Pagans, Their Conversion and Salvation being not to be compassed by needless Symbolizing with them in any thing, I conceive our best policy is studiously to imitate them in nothing, but for all indifferent things, to think rather the worse of them for their using of them. As no Person of Honour would willingly go in the known Garb of infamous Persons. Whatsoever we court them in, they do but turn it to our scorn and contempt, and are the more hardned in their own wickedness. To act upon this Principle, is the design and glory of New-England! And our Eliot was of this Perswasion, when he brought his Indians to a pure, plain, Scripture Worship. He would not gratifie them with a Samaritan sort of blended, mixed Worship; and he imagined, as well he might, that the Apostle Paul's first Epistle to the Corinthians had p. 134enough in it, for ever to deter us all from such unhapyy Temporizing.

(i) A Comparison between what the New-Englanders have done for the Conversion of the Indians, and what has been done elsewhere by the Roman Catholicks.

IT is to be confessed, That the Roman Catholicks have a Clergy so very numerous, and so little encumbred, and are Masters of such prodigious Ecclesiastical Revenues, as renders it very easie for them to exceed the Protestants in their endeavours to Christianize the Pagan Salvages. Nor would I reproach, but rather applaud their industry in this matter, wishing that we were all touched with an Emulation of it. Nevertheless, while I commend their Industry, they do by their Clamours against the Reformed Churches upon this account, oblige me to tax divers very scandalous things in the Missions which they make pro propaganda fide throughout the World; and therewithal to compare what has been done by that little handful of Reformed Churches in this Country, which has in divers regards out-done the furthest Efforts of Popery.

p. 135The attainments, which with God's help we have carried up our Indians unto, are the chief honour and glory of our Labours with them. The Reader will smile perhaps, when I tell him, that by an odd accident there are lately fallen into my hands, the Manuscripts of a Jesuit, whom the French employed as a Missionary among the Western Indians; in which Papers there are both a Catechism containing the Principles which those Heathens are to be instructed in; and Cases of Conscience, referring to their Conversations. The Catechism, which is in the Iroquoise Language (a Language remarkable for this, that there is not so much as a Labial in it) with a Translation annexed, has one Chapter about Heaven, and another about Hell, wherein are such Thick skul'd passages as these.

'Q. How is the Soil made in Heaven?

A. 'Tis a very fair Soyl; they want neither for Meats nor Clothes; 'tis but wishing, and we have them.

'Q. Are they employ'd in Heaven?

A. No, they do nothing; the Fields yield Corn, Beans, Pumpkins, and the like without any Tillage.

'Q. What sort of Trees are there?

'A. Always green, full and flourishing.

p. 136Q. Have they in Heaven the same Sun, the same Wind, the same Thunder that we have here?

A. No, the Sun ever shines; 'tis always fair weather.

'Q. But how their Fruits?

A. In this one quality they exceed ours; that they are never wasted; you have no sooner pluckt one, but you see another presently hanging in its room. And after this rate goes on the Catechism concerning Heaven. Concerning Hell it thus discourses:

'Q. VVhat sort of a Soil is that of Hell?

A. A very wretched Soil; 'tis a fiery Pit, in the Center of the Earth.

'Q. Have they any light in Hell?

A. No, 'tis always dark; there's always Smoke there; their Eyes are always in pain with it; they can see nothing but the Devils.

'Q. VVhat shap'd things are the Devils?

A. Very ill shap'd things; they go about with Vizards on; and they terrifie Men.

'Q. VVhat do they eat in Hell?

A. They are always hungry; but the damned feed upon hot Ashes and Serpents there.

'Q. VVhat water have they to drink?

p. 137A. Horrid Water; nothing but melted Lead.

'Q. Don't they die in Hell?

A. No, yet they eat one another every day; but anon God restores and renews the Man that was eaten, as a cropt Plant, in a little time repullulates.

It seems they have not thought this Divinity too gross for the Barbarians. But I shall make no reflections on it; only add one or two Cases of Conscience from their Directory.

'Tis one of their weighty Cases, Whether a Christian be bound to pay his Whore her Hire, or no? To this Father Bruias answers, Tho' he be bound in Justice to do it, yet in asmuch as the Barbarians [and you must suppose their Whores to be such!] use to keep no Faith in such matters, the Christians may chuse whether they will keep any too. But Father Pierron with a most profound Learning answers, He is not bound unto it all; inasmuch as no Man thinks himself bound to pay a Witch that has enchanted him; and this business is pretty much akin to that. Another of their difficult Cases, is, Whether an Indian stealing an Hatchet from a Dutchman, be bound to make Restitution? And it is very conscientiously determined. That p. 138if the Dutchman be one that has used any Trade with other Indians, the Thief is not bound unto any Restitution; for 'tis certain, he gains more by such a Trade than the value of many Hatchets in a Year.

I'll tire my Reader with no more of this wretched stuff. But let him understand, that the Proselyted Indians of New-England have been instructed at a more noble rate; we have helped them to the sincere Milk of the Word: We have given them the whole Bible in their own Language, we have laid before them such a Creed as the Primitive Believers had, with such Explications as we embark our own Souls upon the Assurance of. And God has blessed our Education of these poor Creatures in such a measure, that they can Pray and Preach to better Education (give me leave to say it) than multitudes of the Romish-Clergymen. We could have Baptized many Troops of Indians, if we would have used no other measures with them, than the Roman Catholicks did upon theirs at Maryland, where they Baptized a great Crew of Indians, in some new Shirts, bestow'd upon them to encourage them thereunto; but the Indians in a week or two, not knowing how to p. 139wash their shirts, when they were grown foul, came and made a motion, that the Roman Catholicks would give more shirts to them, or else they would Renounce their Baptism. No, 'tis a Thorough paced Christianity, without which we have not imagined our Indians Christianized.

Nor have we been acted with a Roman-Catholick Avarice and Falsity and Cruelty in prosecuting of our Conversions; 'tis the Spirit of an ELIOT, that has all along directed us. 'Tis a Specimen of the Popish Avarice, that their Missionaries are very rarely employed but where Bever, and Silver, and vast Riches are to be thereby gained; their Ministry is but a sort of Engine, to enrich Europeans with the Treasures of the Indies; thus one escaped from Captivity among the Spaniards, told me, that the Spanish Friars had carried their Gospel into the spacious Country of California; but finding the Indians there to be extremely poor, they quickly gave other the work, because forsooth such a poor Nation was not worth Converting. Whereas the New-Englanders could expect nothing from their Indians. We are to feed them and cloath them rather than receive any thing from them, when we bring them home to God. Again, the Popish Falsity p. 140disposes them to so much Legerdemain in their Applications, as is very disagreeable to the Spirit and Progress of the Gospel. My worthy Friend, Mynheer Daille, who has been sedulous and successful in his Ministry among the Maqua's, assures me, that a French Predicator, having been attempting to bring over those Indians unto the Interest (not of our Saviour, so much as) of Canada, at last, for a cure of their Infidelity, told them, he would give them a sign of God's Displeasure at them for it; The Sun should such a day be put out. This terrify'd them at a sad rate, and with great admiration and expectation, they told the Dutch of what was to come to pass; the Dutch reply'd, This was no more than every Child among them could foretel; they all knew there would then be an Eclipse of the Sun, but (said they) speak to Monsieur, that he would get the Sun extinguish'd a day before, or a day after what he spoke of, and if he can do that, believe him. When the Indians thus understood what a Trick the Frenchmen would have put upon them, they became irreconcileably prejudiced against all his offers; nor have the French been since able to gain much upon that considerable People. The New-Englanders have used no such Stratagems and Knaveries; p. 141'tis the pure light of truth, which is all that has been used for the effecting of the rude People, whom 'twas easie to have cheated into our Profession. Much less have we used that Popish Cruelty, which the Natives of America have by some other People been treated with. Even a Bishop of their own, hath published very Tragical Histories of the Spanish Cruelties upon the Indians of this Western World. Such were those Cruelties, that the Indians at length declared, They had rather go to Hell with their Ancestors, than to the same Heaven which the Spaniards pretended unto. 'Tis indeed impossible to reckon up, the various and exquisite Barbarities with which these execrable Spaniards murthered in less than fifty Years, no less than fifty Millions of the Indians; it seems this was their way of bringing them into the Sheepfold of our Merciful Jesus; but on the other side, the good People of New England have carried it with so much tenderness towards the Tawny Creatures among whom we live, that they would not own so much as one foot of Land in the Country, without a fair Purchase and Consent from the Natives that laid claim unto it; albeit we had a Royal Charter from the King of Great Britain, to protect p. 142us in our Settlement upon this Continent. I suppose, 'twas in revenge upon us for this Conscientiousness, that the late oppressors of New-England, acknowledged no Man to have any Title at all, unto one Foot of Land in all our Colony. But we did, and we do think, notwithstanding the Banters of such Ill Men, that the Indians had not by their Paganism so forfeited all Right unto any of their Possessions, that the first pretended Christians that could, might violently and yet honestly seize upon them. Instead of this, the People of New England, knowing that some of the English were sufficiently covetous and encroaching, and that the Indians in streights are easily prevailed upon, to sell their Lands, made a Law, That none should Purchase, or so much as Receive any Land of the Indians, without the allowance of the General Court. Yea, and some Lands which were peculiarly convenient for the Indians, our People, who were more careful of them than they were of themselves, made a Law, That they should never be bought out of their Hands. I suppose after this, it would surprise Mankind, if they should hear such wonderful Creatures as our late Secretary, affirming, This barbarous People were never p. 143civilly treated by the late Government, who made it their business to encroach upon their Lands, and by degrees to drive them out of all. But, how many other Laws we made in favour of the Indians, 'tis not easie to reckon up. 'Twas one of our Laws, That for the further Encouragement of the hopeful Work among them, for the Civilizing & Christianizing of them, any Indian that should be brought unto Civility, and come to live orderly in any English Plantation, should have such Alotments among the English, as the English had themselves. And, that if a competent number of them, should so come on to Civility, as to be capable of a Township, the General Court should grant them Lands for a Plantation, as they do unto the English; Altho we had already bought up their Claims unto our Lands. We likewise had our Laws. That if any of our Cattle did any damage to their Corn, we should make them ample Satisfaction; and that we should give them all manner of Assistance in Fencing of their Fields. And because the Indians are excessively given unto the Vice of Drunkenness, which was a Vice unknown to them, until the English brought Strong-drink in their way, we have had a severe p. 144Law against all selling or giving any Intoxicating Liquors to them. It were well if this Law were more severely Executed.

By this time I hope I have stopp'd the Calumnious Exclamations of the Roman Catholicks against the Churches of the Reformation, for neglecting to Evangelize the Natives of the Indies. But let me take this occasion to address the Christian Indians of my own Country, into some of whose hands 'tis likely this little Book may come.

¶ Behold ye Indians, what love, what care, what cost, has been used by the English here, for the Salvation of your Precious and Immortal Souls. It is not because we have expected any Temporal Advantage from you, that we have been thus concerned for your good: No, 'tis God that has caused us to desire his Glory in your Salvation; and our hearts have bled with pity over you, when we have seen how horribly the Devil Oppressed you in this, and destroyed you in another World. It is much that has been done for you, we have put you into a way to be happy both on Earth while you live, and in Heaven when ye Dye. What can you think will become of you, if you slight all these Glorious p. 145offers! me thinks you should say to your selves, Vitoh woh kiisinne peh quoh humunan mishanantamog ne mohsag wadchanituonk! You all believe that your Teacher Eliot was a Good and a Brave Man, and you would count it your Blessedness to be for ever with him. Nevertheless, I am to tell you, that if you don't become Real, and Thorough, and Holy Christians, you shall never have a comfortable sight of him any more. You know how he has fed you, and cloath'd you, as well as Taught you; you know how his Bowels yerned over you, even as tho' you had been his Children, when he saw any Afflictions come upon you; but if he find you among the wicked, in the day of Judgment, which he so often warn'd you of, he will then be a Dreadful Witness against you; and when the Lord Jesus passes that se…tence on you, Depart ye Cursed into Everlasting Fire with the Devil and his Angels, even your own Eliot will then say, Amen, unto it all. Now to deal plainly with you, there are two Vices, which many of you are too prone unto, and which are utterly inconsistent with a True Christianity. One of those Vices is that of Idleness; if you had a Disposition to p. 146follow an honest Calling, what should hinder you from growing as Considerable in your Estates, as many of your English Neighbours? Whereas, you are now poor, mean, ragged, starved, contemptible and miserable; and instead of being able, as your English Neighbours do, to support the Ordinances of God, you are beholden to them, not only for maintaining of those Blessed Ordinances among you, but for many other kindnesses. And have you indeed forgot the Commandment of God which has been so often laid before you, Six days shalt thou Labour! For shame apply your selves to such Labour as may bring you into more Handsome Circumstances. But the other of those Vices, is that of Drunkenness. There are godly English Neighbours, of whom you should learn to pray; but there are some of you that learn to Drink, of other profane, debauched English Neighbours. Poor Creatures, 'tis by this Iniquity that Satan still keeps possession of many Souls among you, as much as if you were still in all your woful Heathenism; and how often have you been told, Drunkards shall not inherit the Kingdom of God? I beseech you to be sensible of the mischiefs to which this p. 147thing exposes you, and never dream of escaping the Vengeance of Eternal Fire, if you indulge your selves in this Accursed Thing. I have done, when I have wish'd that the Gospel of the Lord Jesus may always Run and be Glorified among you.