History of the War with Indian Savages, Preface
PREFACE.
WHen the Iſraelites were Engaged in a WAR, they made choice of a Priest among them, to Serve ſome of their greateſt Occaſions in it, and after a Sacred Unction beſtow'd upon him, we are told by Maimonides, he was call'd Maſhuach Milchamah, that is to ſay, Unctus Belli; which was as much as to ſay, The Prieſt of the War.
To bring unto a People profitable Advices & Reflections upon a WAR, wherein they are Engaged, and ſound the Silver Trumpet, of the Goſpel, with agreeable Notes unto them in it, is to do in ſome ſort, the Office of the Maſhuach Milchamah; and this Office the Enſuing Diſcourſe preſumes to do, with Endeavours that the Voice of Heaven by the Trumpet of our late War, may he heard giving a certain Sound, in theſe Echo's of it.
The Hiſtory of a long War, hath, with all poſſible care of Truth, been given you. The Author Earneſtly prayes, that if the leaſt material Miſtake have happened in the Hiſtory, He may be Adviſed, & It may be corrected. The Noiſe that may be made, by a few Sordid People, here & there, in a Room Tophetized with Smoke, and Rhum, and Spittle, and Malice, and Lyes, crying out concerning the moſt Conſcientious Eſſayes, to preſerve Memorable Truths, They are a parcel of Lies! He values not. But he now tenders to the Acceptance of the more Civilized Readers, an Improvement of Memorable Truths, which it was His Duty to make, & it will be Theirs to mind.
THE REMARKEABLES of a long WAR, Collected and Improved. Boston-Lecture, 27d. 7m. 1698.
IF a Book of ſome Conſequence, be laid open before one that cannot Read, he may Look, and Gaze upon it; but unto what purpoſe, as long as he cannot underſtand it? This very Compariſon, is by the Great Auſtin well applyed unto, The Judgments of God. And I will therefore ſo far Improve the Compariſon, as to obſerve, That the Judgments of God, under which we have been Languiſhing for Ten years together, are a ſort of a Book put into our Hands; a Book indeed all written in Blood; a Book yet full of Divine Leſſons for us. But can every man Read this Terrible Books? No, Methinks, I ſee the Book managed like the Book brought unto the Bleſſed Prophet of old, in Iſa. 29.12. The Book is delivered unto him that is not Learned, Saying, Read this, I pray thee; and he ſaith, I am not Learned. It will certainly be a work, well becoming a Miniſter of the Goſpel, and every Serious Chriſtian will be glad of ſeeing the Work done; To take this Book, and help you, as well as we can to Spell the Divine Leſſons contained in it
Chriſtians, Let us now do a work, for which the Great God hath given us, that Warrant, and that Command, in
PSAL. CVII. 43.
Who is Wiſe, and will obſerve theſe Things?
THe various and marvellous Diſpenſations of the Divine Providence, towards the Children of men, are in this Elegant Pſalm admirably ſet before us. Among thoſe Diſpenſations, there is a particular mark ſet upon this, That the God of Heaven Turns a Fruitful Land into Barrenneſs, for the Wickedneſs of them which dwell therein; & tho…gh men have Sown Fields there and have multiplied greatly, yet they are again Diminiſhed, & brought Low through Oppreſſion, Affliction, and Sorrow. Of ſuch Diſpenſations, is this paſſage to be underſtood, as a Quaeſtion, Who is wiſe, and will obſerve theſe things? But if you will rather take it as a Sentence, it ſtill comes to the ſame ſenſe, Whoſe is wiſe, will oſerve theſe Things. And the French Verſion very Expreſſively intimates the Deſign, as well as the Event of this Obſervation; That ſo they may conſider the Favours of the Lord. No Leſs than Ten years have Rolled away, ſince we have been plunged into the Diſtreſſes of a WAR, with a Barbarous Enemy. In this WAR, we have ſeen the Fruitful Land of almoſt one whole Province, and another whole County turned into Barrenneſs; doubtleſs, not without provocations of Wickedneſs in them, who dwelt therein; Men had Sown Fields there along the Shore in Settlements for an Hundred miles together, and had Multiplied Greatly into a Cluſter of Towns (beſides Leſſer Villages,) that might Challenge the Name of a, Decapolis; but in this WAR, we have ſeen them Diminiſhed again and brought Low, through Oppreſſion, Affliction, and Sorrow. I am to Lead you this day thro' a Spacious Country, which has been on many Accounts, the moſt Charming part of New-England; and I muſt herewithal ſay, Come, Behold the works of the Lord, what Deſolations He has made in that Land. Syrs, 'Tis time for us, to Obſerve theſe Things; and this, not with a meer Athenian, but with a more profitable Obſervation. I muſt not be Diſcouraged from this Holy Service, by the vain Scoffs of thoſe that Blaſpheme all Attempts to Conſider the Wondrous Works of God, as if it were nothing but a Telling of News in the Pulpit. The Biggeſt part of the Holy Bible, which is but a Relation of ſuch Wondrous Works, would be Scoffed by ſuch profane men, if they might not thereby become Obnoxius. No: If Whoſo is wiſe, will obſerve theſe things; Then let no man call it Folly to make the Obſervation. A Long WAR, is the Text, which I am now to inſiſt upon: And, if we would approve our ſelves Wiſe, after all the Stripes, that have in this WAR been given us, theſe things will occur to our Obſervation in it.