The Redeemed Captive Returning to Zion, Part 9 – Title page 2
[AT QUEBECK.]
In the beginning of March, 1706, Mr. Shelden came again to Canada, with letters form his excellency our Governor, at which time I was a few days at Quebeck. And when I was there, one night about ten o'clock, there was an earthquake, that made a report like a cannon, and made the houſes to tremble: It was heard and felt many leagues, all along the iſland of St. Lawrence, and other places. When Mr. Shelden came the ſecond time, the adverſaries did what they could to retard the time of our return, to gain time to ſeduce our young ones to Popery. Such were ſent away who were ungainable, and moſt of the younger ſort ſtill kept. Some ſtill flattered with promiſes of reward, and eſſays were made to get others married among them. One was debauched, and then in twenty four hours of time, publiſhed, taken into their communion and married; but the poor ſoul has had time ſince to lament her ſin and folly, with a bitter cry; and aſks your prayers, that God of his ſovereign grace would yet bring her out of the horrible pit, ſhe has thrown herſelf into. Her name was Rachel Storer, of Wells.
In April, one Zebediah Williams, of Deerfield, died: He was a very hopeful and pious young man, who carried himſelf ſo in his captivity, as to edify ſeveral of the Engliſh; and recover one fallen to Popery, taken the laſt war; tho' ſome were enraged againſt him on theſe accounts; yet even the French where he ſojourned, and with whom he converſed, would ſay he was a good man: One that was very prayerful to God, and ſtudious and painful in reading the holy ſcriptures: A man of a good underſtanding, a deſirable converſation. In the beginning of his laſt ſickneſs he made me a viſit, (before he went to the hoſpital at Quebeck,) as he had ſeveral times before, to my great ſatisfaction, and our mutual conſolation and comfort in our captivity: He lived not above two miles from me over the river, at the iſland of St. Lawrence about ſix weeks or two months. After his death the French told me Zebediah was gone to hell, and damned: For, ſaid they, he has appeared ſince his death, to one Joſeph Egerly, an Engliſhman who was taken the laſt war, in flaming fire, telling him, He was damned for refuſing to embrace the Romiſh religion, when ſuch pains were uſed to bring him to the true faith; and for being inſtrumental to draw him away from the Romiſh Communion, forſaking the Maſs; and was therefore now come to advertiſe him of his danger! I told them I judged it to be a popiſh lie; ſaying, I bleſs God our religion needs no lies to uphold, maintain and eſtabliſh it, as theirs did. But they affirmed it to be true, telling me how God approved of their religion, and witneſſed miraculouſly againſt ours. But I ſtill told them, I was perſuaded his ſoul was in heaven, and that their reports were only deviſed fables to ſeduce ſouls. For ſeveral weeks they affirmed it, telling me, That all who came over the river from the iſland affirmed it to be a truth, I begged of God to blaſt this helliſh deſign of theirs; ſo that in the iſſue it might be to render their religion more abominable, and that they might not gain one ſoul by ſuch a ſtratagem. After ſome weeks had paſſed in ſuch aſſertions, there came one into my landlord's houſe, affirming it to be a truth reported of Zebediah; ſaying, Joſeph Egerly had been over the river and told one of our neighbors this ſtory, After a few hours I ſaw that neighbor, and aſked him, whether he had ſeen Egerly lately? he ſaid, Yes; What news told he you? None, ſaid he. Then I told him what was affirmed as a truth; he anſwered, Egerly ſaid nothing like this to him, and he was perſuaded that he would have told him, if there had been any truth in it. About a week after came one John Boult from the iſland of St. Lawrence, a lad taken from Newfoundland, a very ſerious, ſober lad, of about ſeventeen years of age: He had often before come over with Zebediah to viſit me. At his coming in he much lamented the loſs of Zebediah; and told me, That for ſeveral weeks they had told him the ſame ſtory, affirming it to be a truth, and that Egerly was ſo awakened by it, as to go again to maſs every day; urging him, ſince GOD in ſuch a miraculous way offered ſuch conviction of the truth of their religion, and the falſehood and danger of ours, to come over to their religion, or elſe his damnation would be dreadfully aggravated. He ſaid, He could have no reſt for them day and night; but (ſaid he) I told them their religion was contrary to the WORD of GOD, and therefore I would not embrace it; and that I did not believe what they ſaid. And ſays he to me, One day I was ſitting in the houſe, and Egerly came in, and I ſpake to him before the whole family, (in the French tongue, for he could not ſpeak much Engliſh) and aſked him of this ſtory: He anſwered, It is a great falſehood, ſaying, he never appeared to me, nor have I ever reported any ſuch thing to any body; and that he had never been at the maſs ſince Zebediah's death. At the hearing of which, they were ſilenced and put to ſhame. We bleſſed GOD together, for diſcovering their wickedneſs, and diſappointing them in what they aimed at; and prayed to GOD to deliver us and all the captives from deluſions, and recover them who had fallen, and ſo parted. After which I took my pen and wrote a letter to one Samuel Hill, an Engliſh captive, taken from Wells, who lived at Quebeck, and his brother Ebenezer Hill, to make a diſcovery of this lying plot, to warn them of their danger, and aſſure them of the falſhood of this report; but the letter fell into the hands of the Prieſts, and was never delivered. This Egerly came home with us, ſo that they gained nothing but ſhame by their ſtratagem: God often diſappoints the crafty devices of wicked men.
In the latter end of ſummer, they told me, they had news from New-England, by one who had been a captive at Boſton, who ſaid that the miniſters at Boſton had told the French captives, that the proteſtant religion was the only true religion; and that as a confirmation of it, they would raiſe a dead perſon to life before their eyes, for their conviction; and that having perſuaded one to feign himſelf dead, they came and prayed over him, and then commanded him in the name of Chriſt (whoſe religion they kept pure) to ariſe; they called and commanded, but he never aroſe; ſo that inſtead of raiſing the dead, they killed the living, which the bereaved relations diſcovered. I told them, It was an old lie and calumny againſt Luther and Calvin, new vamped, and that they only change the perſons and place; but they affirmed it to be a truth; I told them, I wondered they were ſo fond of a faith propagated, and then maintained by lying words.
We were always out of hopes of being returned before winter, the ſeaſon proving ſo cold the latter end of September, and were praying to GOD to prepare our hearts with an holy ſubmiſſion to his holy will, to glorify his holy name in a way of paſſive obedience, in the winter. For my own part, I was informed by ſeveral who came from the city, that the Lord Intendant ſaid, if More returned, and brought word that Battis was in priſon, he would put me in priſon, and lay me in irons. They would not permit me to go into the city, ſaying, I always did harm when I came to the city, and if at any time I was at the city, they would perſuade the governor to ſend me back again.
In the beginning of laſt June, the Superior of the Prieſts came to the pariſh where I was, and told me, He ſaw I wanted my friend, captain de Beauville, and that I was ragged: But ſays he, Your obſtinacy againſt our religion, diſcourages us from providing better clothes; I told him, It was better going in a ragged coat, than with a ragged conſcience.
In the beginning of laſt June, went out an army of five hundred Macquas and Indians, with an intention to have fallen on ſome Engliſh towns down Connecticut river, but lighting on a Scatacook Indian, who afterwards ran away in the night, they were diſcouraged; ſaying, He would alarm the whole country. About fifty, as ſome ſay, or eighty, as others, returned: Thus GOD reſtrained their wrath.
When they were promiſing themſelves another winter, to draw away the Engliſh to Popery, news came that an Engliſh brigantine was coming; and that the honourable Capt. Samuel Appleton, Eſq. was coming ambaſſador, to fetch off the captives, and Capt. John Bonner with him▪ I cannot tell you how the clergy and others, laboured to ſtop many of the priſoners: To ſome liberty, to ſome money, and yearly penſions were offered, if they would ſtay. Some they urged to tarry at leaſt till the ſpring of the year; telling them, it was ſo late in the year, they would be loſt by ſhipwreck, if they went now; ſome younger ones they told, if they went home they would be damned and burnt in hell forever, to affright them; day and night they were urging them to ſtay. And I was threatened to be ſent aboard, without a permiſſion to come aſhore again, if I ſhould again diſcourſe with any of the Engliſh, who were turned to their religion: At Montreal eſpecially, all crafty endeavours were uſed to ſtay the Engliſh. They told my child, if he would ſtay, he ſhould have an honourable penſion from the king every year, and that his maſter, who was and old man, and the richeſt in Canada, would give him a great deal; telling him if he returned, he would be poor, for (ſaid they) your father is poor, has loſt all his eſtate, it was all burnt; but he would not be prevailed with to ſtay. And others were alſo in like manner urged to ſtay; but God graciouſly brake the ſnare, and brought them out. They endeavoured in the Fall of the year, to prevail with my ſon to go to France, when they ſaw he would not come to their communion any more. One woman belonging to the eaſtern parts, who had by their perſuaſions, married an Engliſh captive taken the laſt war, came away with her huſband, which made them ſay, they were ſorry they ever perſuaded her to turn to their religion, and then to marry; for inſtead of advancing their cauſe by it, they had weakened it; for now they had not only loſt her, but another they thought they had made ſure of. Another woman belonging to the eaſtward, who had been flattered to their religion, to whom a Bible was denied till ſhe promiſed to embrace their religion, and then had the promiſe of it for a little time; opening her Bible whilſt in the church and preſent at maſs, ſhe read the fourth chapter of Deuteronomy, and received ſuch conviction whilſt reading, that before her firſt communion ſhe fell off from them, and could never be prevailed with any more to be of their religion.
We have reaſon to bleſs GOD, who has wrought deliverance for ſo many; and yet pray to GOD for a door of eſcape, to be opened for the great number yet behind, not much ſhort of an hundred; many of which are children, and of theſe not a few among the ſavages, and having forgot the Engliſh tongue, will be loſt, and turn ſavages alſo in a little time, unleſs ſomething extraordinary prevent.
The veſſel that came for us, in its voyage to Canada, ſtruck on a bar of ſands, and there lay in very great hazard for four tides; and yet they ſaw reaſon to bleſs GOD for ſtriking there; for had they got over that bar, they would at midnight in a ſtorm of ſnow, have run upon a terrible ledge of rocks.
We came away from Quebeck, October 25; and by contrary winds, and a great ſtorm, we were retarded, and then driven back nigh the city, and had a great deliverance from ſhipwreck, the veſſel ſtriking twice on a rock in that ſtorm. But through GOD's goodneſs, we all arrived in ſafety at Boſton, November 21; the number of captives, fifty ſeven, two of which were my children. I have yet a daughter of ten years of age, and many neighbours, whoſe caſe beſpeaks your compaſſion, and prayers to GOD, to gather them, being out caſts ready to periſh.
At our arrival at Boſton, we found the kindneſſes of the Lord in a wonderful manner, in GOD'S opening the hearts of many, to bleſs GOD with us and for us; wonderfully to give for our ſupplies in our needy ſtate. We are under obligation to praiſe GOD, for diſpoſing of the hearts of ſo many to ſo great charity; and under great bonds to pray for a bleſſing on the heads, hearts and families of them, who ſo liberally and plentifully gave for our relief. It is certain, that the charity of the whole country of Canada, though moved with the doctrine of merit, does not come up to the charity of Boſton alone, where notions of merits are rejected; but acts of charity performed out of a right chriſtian ſpirit, from a ſpirit of thankfulneſs to GOD, out of obedience to GOD'S command, and unfeigned love and charity to them that are of the ſame family and houſehold of faith. The Lord grant, that all who deviſe ſuch liberal things, may find the accompliſhment of the promiſes made by GOD, in their own perſons and theirs after them, from generation to generation.
I SHALL annex a ſhort account, of the troubles beginning to ariſe in Canada. On May 16, arrived a canoe at Quebeck, that brought letters from Miſſiſſippi, written the May preceding; giving an account that the plague was there, and that one hundred and fifty French in a very little time had died of it; and that the ſavages, called the Lezilouways were very turbulent, and had with their arrows wounded a Jeſuit in five places, and killed a Frenchman that waited on him. In July, news came, that the nations up the river were engaged in a war, one againſt the other; and that the French living ſo among them, and trading with them, were in great danger; that the Mitchel Macquinas had made war with the Mizianmies, and had killed a Mendicant Friar, and three other Frenchmen, and eleven ſavages, at a place called the Straits, where they are ſettling a garriſon and place for traffic; the Michel Macquinas had taken ſixteen Frenchmen priſoners, and burnt their trading houſes. Theſe tidings made the French very full of perplexing troubles; but the Jeſuits are endeavouring to pacify them; but the troubles when we came away, were rather increaſing than leſſening; for the laſt letters from the French priſoners at Michel Macquina, report, That the ſavages had ſent out two companies, one of an hundred and fifty, the other of an hundred and ſixty, againſt the ſavages at the Straits; and they feared, they would engage as well againſt the French as the Indians.
THE END.
A SERMON, PREACHED AT BOSTON LECTURE, Dec. 5, 1706; BY JOHN WILLIAMS, Paſtor of the CHURCH of CHRIST in Deerfield, ſoon after his return from captivity.
PSAL. cvii. 13, 14, 15, 32,
He ſaved them out of their diſtreſſes. He brought them out of darkneſs, and the ſhadow of death; and brake their bands in ſunder. O that man would praiſe the Lord for his goodneſs; and for his wonderful works to the children of men.—Let them exalt him alſo in the congregation of the people, and praiſe him in the aſſembly of the elders.
PSAL. xxxiv. 3,
O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.