History of the War with Indian Savages, Part 1
I. In the WAR that hath been upon us, Whoſo is Wiſe, may obſerve the Conſequence of Entertaining the Goſpel of the Lord JESUS CHRIST, and Obtaining and Mentaining the Ordinances of that Glorious Goſpel. The Gadarens of old, were loath to have any thing of CHRIST in their Coaſt: And anon comes a Roman War which diſtreſs'd all the Land: But the woful Town of Gadara was the very firſt place beſieged in that War, and Sad Things were done unto it. Alas, How little of an Evangelical Church-State, was there to be ſeen among all our Eastern Settlements! It hath been for the want of this, that the Judgments of God, have more than once forbidden them to be called Settlements. The Towns were generally without Preachers of CHRIST, and much more generally without Churches of CHRIST, for to Irradiate 'em: Yea, not one of the Towns, that are utterly broken up, had any Minister in it, for a long while before their Final Darkneſs came upon them. Such a Way of Living did content many of them, that it were horrible to Tell, what Ignorance of CHRIST they were thereby ſunk into. I would never have told you, That ſome young men, twenty years old, in this Land, never ſo much as once heard the Name of CHRIST, in all their Lives, if I did not think, that the God of Heaven required us, all to mourn before Him, for ſuch an Horrible Thing in the Land. Indeed the Strange Diſaſters which attended the Firſt Eſſayes, to Settle that Good Country, made many people, Imagine the Indian Sorcerers had Enchanted the Ground ſo that no Engliſh could Thrive on ſuch an Enchanted Soyl. But had they carried the Goſpel of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt with them, doubtleſs they had confuted that vain Imagination; all the Spells of Hell would have been inſignificant; there would not have prevailed any Enchantment againſt a Gods-Spel which we have in our Goſpel. The Original Deſign of NEW-ENGLAND, was to Settle Congregations, wherein the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, ſhould be known and ſerv'd according to His Goſpel; and Inſtruct Families, that ſhould be the Nurſeries of thoſe Congregations. The Plantations of the Eaſt, had little of this Illustrious Deſign in their Eye; The Enjoyments of Gadarens did ſeem too much to Satisfy too many of them. For This cauſe, we may Believe it is, that our Lord JESUS CHRIST looking down from Heaven upon theſe Unchriſtian Undertakings, Thunder-ſtruck them with His Indignation: He ſaw the Fooliſh taking Root, but ſuddenly He Curſed their Habitation. When ſome of our Eastern People have been Pining away under the Fatigues of their Captivity among the Indians, who had Stript them of all they had, Then they cryed out, Now, Now the Lord is puniſhing of us, for our Leaving of His Ordinances, and removing to a place of no Goſpel for larger Accommodations in the World, and Expoſing our Children to be bred up like the very Indians, into whoſe Hands we are fallen! That which Invites one to think, it may be For this Cauſe, is the Singular Distinction and Protection, which the CHURCHES of our Lord, have Enjoyed, throughout the whole progreſs of our Calamity. No places that have had CHURCHES gathered in them, have all this while been broken up, however ſome of them have had much Bread of Adverſity, and Water of Affliction. The Enemy that have come in upon our Land Like a Flood, carried all before them as an Irreſiſtible Torrent, until they came to places that have CHURCHES as it were to Garriſon them. There the Almighty Lord hath check'd the Proud Waves, and ſaid, Hitherto ye ſhall come, and no further! But here let me add a very obſervable Thing: The Lord had ſome of His Elect among our Eaſtern People; but He ha's brought thoſe Elect Home unto Himſelf, by burning them out of their Homes and Habitations. The Indians have driven 'em hither, and here they have met with the Goſpel of Chriſt, and been effectually Called unto the Lord, and Joyned unto our Churches, and Bleſſed the Name of God for bringing them unto theſe Churches. Periiſſent niſi Periiſſent! Now, Whoſo is Wiſe, and will obſerve theſe things, cannot but wiſh, That the Folly of Erecting Plantations, without the worſhip of the Lord JESUS CHRIST, may be no more committed among us. It was wholeſome Counſil, Given, and uſually Taken, in the Beginning of New-England; Let Chriſtians no where ſit down without Good Miniſters, but let them rather tarry where they are, as Ezra tarryed by the River Ahava, till he had got ſome Levites to go with them. And it was even Then obſerved, That places which made Beginnings any long while without Miniſters, were with miſerable Unſettlements broken all to pieces. I ſuppoſe, our Eaſtern Country, will ſhortly again be peopled: But let the people which intend there to Settle themſelves, in the Fear of God Remember this Admonition; Don't venture to form Towns without the Goſpel in them any more. If the Lamentable Experience which you have more than once had, of a Blaſt from Heaven upon Enterprizes to Live without the Goſpel of the Son of God, will not inſpire you with more of Wiſdom for the future, I will foretel your Fate, in thoſe awful words, Pſal. 28.5. Becauſe they regard not the Works of the Lord, nor the Operation of His Hands, He ſhall deſtroy them, and not Build them up. Yea, But let all New-England at the ſame Time Learn, what the Welfare of the Ruine, of all, will Turn upon. The whole World was made for our Lord-Meſſiah, and the Curſe of God will more or leſs plague the World, according to the Reſpects, which that Second Adam, our Lord Meſſiah finds in it. But New-England, is by a more Eminent Profeſſion that Immanuels Land, Let the Intereſts of the Chriſtian Religion in Reformed Churches, be purſued and preſerved among us; Then, All will go well! Our Acknowledgment of our Lord JESUS CHRIST in CHURCHES, that ſhall be ſo ordered, as to Repreſent Him, and His Kingdom, unto the World; This will be our Glory; and this Glory will be our Defence; or, as 'tis promiſed, in Iſa. 4.5. Upon all the Glory ſhall be a Defence. But if once the Spirit of this World, Eat out the Spirit and Power of Religion, and the Order of our Churches, and mens value for a Room in the Churches, be loſt, Then, write, Ichabod, upon all our Glory; and let us expect, that our Holy Lord will Spue us out of His Mouth.