History of the War with Indian Savages, Part 7
VII. In the WAR that hath been upon us, Whoſo is wiſe, may Obſerve thoſe Diſpenſations of Heaven towards us, that have carryed more than Ordinary Humiliations in them. It was ſaid concerning Miriam, (the Type of the Now Leprous and out-caſt Church of Iſrael; The Lord haſten that Seventh Day, wherein it ſhall be Reſtored!) Numb. 12.14. If her Father had Spit in her Face, ſhould ſhe not be Aſhamed? Ah New England, Thy Father hath been Spitting in thy Face, with moſt Humbling Diſpenſations; God hath been bringing of thee down to Sit in the Duſt. When the War commenced, New-England might ſay, My God will Humble me!
For, Firſt; Shall our Heavenly Father put a Rod into the Hands of baſe Indians, and bid Them to Scourge His Children! Oh! the Humiliation of ſuch Rebellious Children! Oh! the Provocation, that certainly ſuch Sons and ſuch Daughters have given Him! It was a very Humbling thing, that the Lord Threatned unto His Provoking Sons & Daughters, in Deut. 32.21. I will move them to Jealouſy, with thoſe which are not a People; I will provoke them to Anger with a Fooliſh Nation. Should a Child of yours be Refractory, and you, Sir, ſhould bid a Negro or an Indian Slave in your Houſe, Go, Take that Child, and Scourge him till you fetch Blood of him! Surely, this would be to Humble him unto the Uttermoſt. Thus doth thy God Humble thee, O New-England, by putting thee over, into the Vile Hands of thoſe which are not a People, but a Fooliſh Nation.
Again; Who are they, by whoſe means we are now crying out, We are Brought very Low? When the moſt High God, was determined Effectually to Humble, His People, he ſaid, in Jer. 37.10. Though ye had Smitten the whole Army of the Caldeans, that fight againſt you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet ſhould they Riſe up every man in his Tent; and burn this City with Fire. Truly, we had Smitten the whole Army, of the Indians that Fought againſt us Three and Twenty years ago, from one end of the Land unto the other; only there were left a few Wounded men among them in the Eaſt; and now, they have Riſen up every man, and have ſet the whole Country on Fire. Certainly, A more Humbling matter cannot be Related!
Moreover; Is it not a very Humbling Thing, That when about an Hundred Indians durſt Begin a War, upon all theſe Populous Colonies, an Army of a Thouſand Engliſh raiſed, muſt not kill one of them all; but inſtead thereof, more of our Souldiers periſh by Sickneſs and Hardſhip than we had Enemies then in the world? Our God ha's Humbled us!
Is it not a very Humbling Thing, That when the Number of our Enemies afterwards Increaſed, yet an Handful of them ſhould, for ſo many Summers together continue our Unconquered Spoilers, and put us to ſuch Vaſt Charges, that if we could have Bought them, for an Hundred Pound an Head, we ſhould have made a Saving Bargain of it? Our God ha's Humbled us!
Is it not a very Humbling Thing, That we ſhould have had ſeveral fair Opportunities, to have brought this War unto a Final Period, but we ſhould ſtill by ſome fatal Overſight let Slip thoſe Opportunities? Our God ha's Humbled us.
Is it not a very Humling Thing, That whatever Expeditions we have undertaken, for the moſt part we have come off Looſers, and indeed but plunged our ſelves into deeper Straits, by our Undertakings? Our God ha's Humbled us!
Is it not a very Humbling Thing, That more than One or Two of our Forts have been Surrendred, and one of them that was almoſt Impregnable, given away with a moſt Shameful Surrender, by one that hath ſince Received Something of what he Deſerved? Thus, Our God ha's Humbled us.
Is it not a very Humbling Thing, That we ſhould have Evil purſuing of us at ſuch a rate, that in other Lands afar off, and on the Exchange in London, Strangers have made this Reflection, Doubtleſs, New-England is a Countrey in Ill Terms with Heaven? But ſo, Our God has Humbled us.
What ſhall I ſay? Is it not a very Humbling Thing, That when Peace is Reſtored unto the whole Engliſh Nation, and when Peace is Enjoy'd by all America, poor New-England ſhould be the Only Land ſtill Embroil'd in War? But thus, Our God, Thou haſt Humbled us, and ſhown us great and ſore Troubles, and brought us down into the Depths of the Earth.
O my dear People; How can I Obſerve theſe Things, and not like Joſhua now fall to the Earth on my Face before the Lord, and ſay, What ſhall I ſay? But if you will wiſely obſerve theſe Things, you will now get up, and Sanctify your ſelves, and put away the accurſed thing from among you, O New-Engliſh Iſrael!
Certainly, The High and Lofty One, who dwells in the High and Holy place, Expects that we ſhould be a very Humbled People. I beſeech you, Sirs, Obſerving theſe Things, let us in all the Methods of Repentance Humble our ſelves under the Mighty Hand of God. After ſuch Humbling Things, as have befallen us, God forbid, that it ſhould be ſaid of us, as in Jer. 44.10. They are not Humbled, even unto this Day!