History of the War with Indian Savages, Part 4 – Part 5
IV. In the WAR that hath been upon us, Whoſo is wiſe, may obſerve the Loud Calls of Heaven to All Ranks of men, in the ſharp Strokes of Heaven on All Ranks of men. As it was ſaid, in Mic. 6.9. The Lords voice crieth unto the City, and the man of Wiſdom ſhall ſee thy Name; Hear ye the Rod: So I ſay, There has been a voice of God unto all the Countrey in that Indian Rod, which hath been uſed upon us: and Men of Wiſdom, in all Ranks of men, will Obſerve, and See, and Hear, the meaning of this Rod; inaſmuch as all Ranks of men have ſmarted under it; yea, it has fetch'd Blood from all Ranks of men among us. We will a little particularize 'em. And firſt of all, You that are our Honoured Shepherds; Will you Obſerve how many of our Shepherds have been worried unto Death, by the Scythian Wolves of our Wilderneſs? Two of our MAGISTRATES, have been Treacherouſly and Barbarouſly Killed by the Indian Murderers: They whom God Entruſted with the Sword of Juſtice have had their Lives taken away by the Sword of the Wicked. I perſwade my ſelf, that the reſt will be ſo wiſe as to Obſerve theſe things, and Obſerve how to anſwer the juſt Expectation of God, in their Adminiſtrations. After this, Oh! Why ſhould not our Civil Rulers, with more zeal than ever ſet themſelves to ponder, How may I moſt Glorify God, and Chriſt,, and Serve his dear people with my Opportunities!
Two of our MINISTERS, have been Struck down into the Earth by the Indian Dragons. They that have uſed nothing but the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, for the Saving of all about them, have had the Deſtroyers coming upon them, and have been Waited for of the Sword. I aſſure my ſelf, that the reſt will be ſo wiſe, as to Obſerve theſe things, and Obſerve how to fulfil our Miniſtry, with a very Excited Watchfulneſs. May all our Settled Paſtors, upon ſuch a thing befalling our Brethren, Reſolve with themſelves; Am unworthy I ſpared? I will do more for my Lord, and more for my Flock, and more for all the Churches, than ever I did.
We will paſs on, There have been ſome Rich men, that were finely Scituated, and had all things Richly to Enjoy: But this War has reduced them to ſuch Neceſſity, that within Leſs than One year, they have come to Beg their Bread: All their Treaſures have been Treaſures of Snow; One Summer has melted all away to Nothing. I Remember, the Jewiſh Talmuds tell us, of a Gentlewoman, who had a Thouſand Thouſand pieces of Gold. given with her, at her Marriage, by her Father Nicodemus, for her Portion; and yet ſhe was reduced unto ſuch penury, that ſhe pick'd Barley-Corns out of the Cattles Dung for her Food. Have not we ſeen almoſt ſuch Viciſſitudes? Rich men, If you are Wiſe, (which the Rich are not alwayes!) You will Obſerve theſe things, and upon the Obſervation ſay, Well, What man in his Right Wits, will now ſet his Heart upon ſuch Tranſitory, as all Sublunary Vanities! Oh! my Soul, Do thou make ſure of a Better and a Laſting Subſtance in Heaven; for Earthly Riches, take themſelves Wing, and flee away towards Heaven.
Again, There have been abundance of Poor men, who have been by this War plunged ſtill into deeper Poverty: They have gone without a Bit of Bread, for many dayes together The Straits, the Wants, the Cares of Widows, and Orphans, or of thoſe that have had many mouths to Feed, eſpecially in our Expoſ…d Frontiers; None can Expreſs them, None can Conceive them, but They, (Nor They!) who did Endure them all. Poor men, If you are wiſe, (which the Poor may be!) You will Obſerve theſe things, and upon the Obſervation, ſays: Well, I had need make ſure that my Soul may not be Starved by wanting the Bread of Life, and that my Soul may not be Naked without the Garments of Righteouſneſs; How dolefully am I circumſtanced, if I go down from one Hell unto another at the Laſt!
Once more; How many Women have been made a prey to thoſe Bruitiſh men, that are Skilful to Deſtroy? How many a Fearful Thing has been ſuffered by the Fearful Sex, from thoſe men, that one would Fear, as Devils rather than men? Let the Daughters of our Zion think with themſelves, what it would be, for fierce Indians to break into their Houſes, and brain their Husbands and their Chi…dren before their Eyes, and Lead them away a Long Journey into the Woods; and if they began to fail and faint in the Journey, then for a Tawny Salvage to come with Hell fire in his Eyes, and cut 'em down with his Hatchet; or, if they could miraculouſly hold out, then for ſome Filthy and ugly Squaw's to become their inſolent Miſtreſſes, and inſolently to abuſe 'em at their pleaſure a thouſand inexpreſſible ways; and, if they had any of their Sucking Infants with them, then to ſee thoſe Tender Infants handled at ſuch a rate, that they ſhould beg of the Tygres, to diſpatch 'em out of hand. Such things as theſe, I tell you, have often happened in this Lamentable War. And now, O ye Handmaids of the Lord; will you not be ſo wiſe, as to Obſerve theſe things? But upon the Obſervation, ſay, Well, I will Bleſs God, for my Enjoyments; my Afflictions, be they never ſo many, are not ſuch as my Neighbours have ſeen: My Enjoyments are more than my Afflictions. But, Oh! Let me Love and Serve the Good God, that has diſtinguiſhed me with His Mercies.
It is to be added; We have had our Old men whoſe Gray Hairs have not come down to the Grave in peace. Young Indians have with grievous Flouts and Wounds, Butchered many of our Old Engliſh men. The Gray Hairs of our Old men, have been Dyed Red with their own Blood; and their Carcaſes have been thrown unto the Swine, to mangle them. Old men, If you are Wiſe men, you will Obſerve theſe things; but Obſerving of them, ſay, Oh! Let my Hoary Head be found in the way of Righteouſneſs!
But our Young men are they whom the Fury of War, hath been chiefly poured out upon Alas, Alas, for our Young men! They are the perſons, with whom, it ſeems to have been the very Errand of this War, to manage the terrible Controverſy of God. New-England ſets a peculiar Accent of Grief upon this, among all her Lamentations; The Lord has trodden under foot my mighty men in the midſt of me, He hath called an Aſſembly againſt me, to cruſh my young men. Come then, My Young men; Be ſo Wiſe, as to Obſerve theſe things; and upon the Obſervation, ſay, Lord, Let not me, and the reſt of my Generation, continue among the Generation of thy Wrath. Yea, to have done; Children alſo have not been Excuſed from a ſnare in the Blows of this hideous War. Little Boyes and Girls, even theſe Little Chickens, have been Siezed by the Indian Vultures. Our Little Birds have been Spirited away by the Indian Devourers, and brought up, in a vile Slavery, till ſome of them have quite forgot their Engliſh Tongue, and their Chriſtian Name, and their whole Relation. Yea, Thoſe Babylonians, have Daſh'd out the Brains of our Little Ones againſt the Stones. And our Little Ones have been hideouſly whipped unto Death, by thoſe Mercileſs Tygres, whoſe Tender Mercies are Cruelty. Children, God make you ſo wiſe, as to Obſerve theſe things; and upon the Obſervation, Oh! See that you become Serious, Pious, Orderly Children; Obedient unto your Parents, Conſcientious to keep the Lords Day, and afraid of committing any Wickedneſs.
Upon the whole; when a Dead man was thrown into the Grave of Eliſha, a Touch from the Bones of the Prophet in the Grave Rais'd him from the Dead. I am deſiring, that Religion may be Revived out of the Death which has too much Enfeebled it among us. Behold, Syrs, I have now caſt you into the Graves of our Dead Friends; It may be, by wiſely obſerving of them, and the things that have be…allen them, we may be ſomewhat Raiſed out of our Deadly Security. Let our Obſervation of theſe things, give ſome Life to the practice of Religion among us.
V. In the WAR that hath been upon us, Whoſo is Wiſe, may Obſerve, thoſe Tragical Things undergone by many in Captivity, that are full of Admonition unto us, that have never felt the Tragaedies of ſuch a Captivity. Several Hundreds of our Neighbours, firſt and laſt, have been carried into Captivity, by the moſt Beaſtly and Bloody things that ever wore the Shape of men, in the World. New-England makes that moan, in Lam. 1.18. Hear, I pray you, all people, and behold my Sorrow; my Virgins and my Young men are gone into Captivity. But Oh! the prodigious, and ſtupendous Things, that they have undergone in this Captivity! What weary Dayes and Nights have rolled over the miſerable Captives, while they have not had a Bit of Meat allow'd 'em, Except what a Dog would hardly meddle with! While they have ſometimes been pinched with the Bitter Froſt without Rags to cover their Nakedneſs, and ſometimes been Parched with the Burning Heat, without any Cordial or Shelter to Refreſh them: While they have ſeen their neareſt Relations torn in pieces alive before their Eyes, and yet thoſe Eyes afraid of dropping a Tear at the mournful Sight: Yea, while they have every Hour, look'd when they ſhould be themſelves Roaſted alive to make a Feaſt, and a Sport for the horrid Cannibals! Need I tell you, That thoſe Devils Incarnate, have Tyed their Captives unto Trees, and firſt cutting off their Ears, have made them to Eat their own Ears, and then have broyled their whole Bodies, with ſlow Fires, dancing the mean while about them, and cutting out Collops of their Fleſh, till with lingring Tortures they have Martyred them to Death! Such Things have been done, by the Inhumane Salvages upon our Captives, that is a ſort of Inhumanity barely to mention them. Now, ſhall we be Wiſe, to Obſerve theſe things? The Obſervation muſt be made, with that Admonition, in Luk. 13.4, 5. Think ye, that theſe were Sinners above all men? I tell you, Nay; but Except ye Repent, ye ſhall all likewiſe periſh. Wherefore, let us penitently Confeſs, That we have All deſerved thoſe Miſerable Things, wherewith Some have been ſo marked out, by the Soveraignty of Heaven. In the Things that have been done to our Captives, the Great Lord of Hoſts, hath dealt with us as Generals uſe to do, upon the Sedition and Mutiny of Military Legions: He makes a ſort of Decimation among the Offenders, and by what He does to ſome, He declares what He might juſtly do to all the reſt. We muſt all aſcribe it unto the meer Soveraign mercy of God, that we are not every one of us, broken in the place of Dragons, as theſe deſolate Captives were. That which the Scripture calls, The place of Dragons, I Remember one of the Jewiſh Rabbi's Expounds, A Wilderneſs. Truly our Wilderneſs hath been, The place of Dragons. But, while we Obſerve theſe things, we ſhall not be Wiſe, if we do not Learn, Oh! what an Evil and a bitter thing is our Sin! And what horrendous miſeries muſt we Expect among the Devils, if we dy with our Sin impardoned!