Answ. This question sounding just like themselves, wee studied to give as familiar an answer as wee could, and therefore in this as in all other our answers, we endeavoured to speake nothing without clearing of it up by some familiar similitude e; our answer summarily was therefore this, that Jesus Christ and God by him made all things, and makes all men, not onely English but Indian men, and if hee made them both (which wee know the light of nature would readily teach as they had been also instructed by us) then hee knew all that was within man and came from man, all his desires, and all his thoughts, and all his speeches, and so all his prayer; and if hee made Indian men, then hee knowes all Indian prayers also: and therefore wee bid them looke upon that Indian Basket that was before them, there was black and white strawes, and many other things they made it of, now though others did not know what those things were who [p. 5.] made not the Basket, yet hee that made it must needs tell all the things in it, so (wee said) it was here. Another propounded this question after this answer, Whether English men were ever at any time so ignorant of God and Jesus Christ as themselves? 3 Quest. When wee perceived the root and reach of this question, wee gave them this answer, that there are two sorts of EngAnsw. lish men, some are bad and naught, and live wickedly and loosely, (describing them) and these kind of English men wee told them were in a manner as ignorant of Jesus Christ as the Indians now are; but there are a second sort of English men, who though for a time they lived wickedly also like other prophane and ignorant English, yet repenting of their sinnes, and seeking after God and Jesus Christ, they are good men now, and now know Christ, and love Christ, and pray to Christ, and are thankfull for all they have to Christ, and shall at last when they dye, goe up to heaven to Christ; and we told them all these also were once as ignorant of God and Jesus Christ as the Indians are, but by seeking to know him by reading his booke, and hearing his word, and praying to him, &c. they now know Jesus Christ, and just so shall the Indians know him if they so seeke him also, although at the present they bee extremely ignorant of him. How can there be an Image of God, because it's 4 Quest. forbidden in the second Commandment? Answ. Wee told them that Image was all one Picture, as the Picture of an Indian, Bow and Arrowes on a tree, with such little eyes and such faire hands, is not an Indian but the Picture or Image of an Indian, and that Picture man makes, and it can doe no hurt nor good. So the Image or Picture of God is not God, but wicked men make it, and this Image can doe no good nor hurt to any man as God can. Whether, if the father bee naught, and the child good, will God bee offended with that child, because in the second Commandment it's said, that hee visits the sinnes of 5 Quest. fathers upon the children? Answ. Wee told them the plainest answer wee could thinke of, viz. that if the child bee good, and the father bad, God will not bee offended with the child, if hee repents of his owne and his fathers [p. 6.] sinnes, and followes not the steps of his wicked father; but if the child bee also bad, then God will visit the sins of fathers upon them, and therefore wisht them to consider of the other part of the promise made to thousands of them that love God and the Evangenesh Jehovah, i. e. the Commandments of Jehovah. 1 How all the world is become so full of people, if they were all once drowned in the Flood? 6 Quest. Answ. Wee told them the story and causes of Noahs preservation in the Arke at large, and so their questioning ended; and therefore wee then saw our time of propounding some few questions to them, and so take occasion thereby to open matters of God more fully. Our first question was, Whether they did not desire to see God, and were not tempted to thinke that there was no God, because they cannot see him? Quest. 1. Some of them replyed thus; that indeed they did desire to see him if it could bee, but they had heard from us that hee could not be seene, and they did beleive that Answ. though their eies could not see him, yet that hee was to bee seene with their soule within: Hereupon we sought to cònfirme them the more, and asked them if they saw a great Wigwam, or a great house, would they thinke that Racoones like a Fox. or Foxes built it that had no wisedome? or would they * A beast thinke that it made it selfe? or that no wise workman somewhat made it, because they could not see him that made it? No but they would beleeve some wise workman made it though they did not see him; so should they beleeve concerning God, when they looked up to heaven, Sunne, Moone, and Stars, and saw this great house he hath made, though they do not see him with their eyes, yet they have good cause to beleeve with their soules that a wise God, a great God made it. Quest. 2. * Three Indian names of We knowing that a great block in their way to beleiving is that there should bee but one God, (by the profession of the English) and yet this God in many places; therefore we asked them whether it did not seeme strange that there should bee but one God, and yet this God in *Massachusets, at Conectacut, at Quimipeiock, in old England, in this Wigwam, in the next every where. places where the English sit downe. was present Their answer was by one most sober among them, that indeed it was strange, as every thing else they heard preached was strange [p. 7.] also, and they were wonderfull things which they never heard of before; but yet they thought it might bee true, That Hee and that God was so big every where: whereupon we further illustrated what wee said, by wishing them to every where. consider of the light of the Sun, which though it be but a creature made by God, yet the same light which is in this Wigwam was in the next also, and the same light which was here at Massachusets was at Quinipeiock also and in old England also, and every where at one and the same time the same, much more was it so concerning God. Whether they did not finde somewhat troubling them within after the commission of sin, as murther, adultery, theft, 3. Quest. lying, &c. and what they thinke would comfort them against that trouble when they die and appeare before God, (for some knowledge of the immortality of the soule almost all of them have.) They told us they were troubled, but they could not tell what to say to it, what should comfort them; hee therefore Answ. who spake to them at first concluded with a dolefull description (so farre as his ability to speake in that tongue would carry him) of the trembling and mourning condition of every soul that dies in sinne, and that shall be cast out of favour with God. Thus after three houres time thus spent with them, wee asked them if they were not weary, and they answered, No. But wee resolved to leave them with an appetite; the chiefe of them seeing us conclude with prayer, desired to know when wee would come againe, so wee appointed the time, and having given the children some apples, and the men some tobacco and what else we then had at hand, they desired some more ground to build a Town together, which wee did much like of, promising to speake for them to the generall Court, that they might possesse all the compasse of that hill, upon which their Wigwams then stood, and so wee departed with many welcomes from them. A true relation of our coming to the Indians the second time. : Pon November 11. 1646. we came the second time unto the same Wigwam of Waawbon, where we found many more Indians met together then the first time wee came to them and having seates provided for us by themselves, and being sate downe [p. 8.] a while, wee began againe with prayer in the English tongue; our beginning this time was with the younger sort of Indian children in Catechizing of them, which being the first time of instructing them, we thought meet to aske them but only three questions in their own language, that we might not clog their mindes or memories with too much at first, the questions (asked and answered in the Indian tongue) were these three, 1 Qu. Who made you and all the world? Answ. God. 2. Qu. Who doe you looke should save you and redeeme you from sinne and hell? Answ. Jesus Christ. 3. Qu. How many commandments hath God given you to keepe? Answ. Ten. These questions being propounded to the Children severally, and one by one, and the answers being short and easie, hence it came to passe that before wee went thorow all, those who were last catechized had more readily learned to answer to them, by hearing the same question so oft propounded and answered before by their fellowes; and the other Indians who were growne up to more yeares had perfectly learned them, whom wee therefore desired to teach their children againe when wee were absent, that so when wee came againe wee might see their profiting, the better to encourage them hereunto, wee therefore gave something to every childe. / This Catechisme being soone ended, hee that preached to them, began thus (speaking to them in their own language) viz. Wee are come to bring you good newes from the great God Almighty maker of Heaven and Earth, and to tell you how evill and wicked men may come to bee good, so as while they live they may bee happy, and when they die they may goe to God and live in Heaven. Having made this preface, hee began first to set forth God unto them by familiar descriptions, in his glorious power, goodnesse, and greatnesse, and then set forth before them what his will was, and what bee required of all men even of the Indians themselves, in the ten commandments, and then told them the dreadfull torment and punishment of all such as breake any one of those holy commandments, and how angry God was for any sinne and transgression, yet notwithstanding hee had sent Jesus Christ to die for their sinnes and to pacifie God by his sufferings in their stead and roome, if they did repent and beleeve the Gospell, and that hee would love the poore miserable Indians if now they sought God and beleeved [p. 9.] in Jesus Christ: threatening the sore wrath of God upon all such as stood out and neglected such great salvation which now God offered unto them, by those who sought nothing more then their salvation thus continuing to preach the space of an houre, we desired them to propound some questions; which were these following. Before I name them it may not be amisse to take notice of the mighty power of the word which visibly apeared especially in one of them, who in hearing these things about sinne and hell, and Jesus Christ, powred out many teares and shewed much affliction without affectation of being seene, desiring rather to conceale his griefe which (as was gathered from his carriage) the Lord forced from him. : 1 Quest. Answ. The first Question was suddenly propounded by an old man then present, who hearing faith and repentance preacht upon them to finde salvation by Jesus Christ, hee asked whether it was not too late for such an old man as hee, who was neare death to repent or seeke after God. This Question affected us not a little with compassion, and we held forth to him the Bible, and told him what God said in it concerning such as are hired at the eleventh houre of the day: wee told him also that if a father had a sonne that had been disobedient many yeares, yet if at last that sonne fall downe upon his knees and weepe and desire his father to love him, his father is so mercifull that hee will readily forgive him and love him; so wee said it was much more with God who is a more mercifull father to those whom hee hath made, then any father can bee to his rebellious childe whom he hath begot, if they fall downe and weepe, and pray, repent, and desire forgivenesse for Jesus Christ's sake; and wee farther added that looke as if a father did call after his childe to returne and repent promising him favour, the childe might then bee sure that his father would forgive him; so wee told them that now was the day of God risen upon them, and that now the Lord was calling of them to repentance, and that he had sent us for that end to preach repentance for the remission of sins, and that therefore they might bee sure to finde favour though they had lived many yeares in sinne, and that therefore if now they did repent it was not too late as the old man feared, but if they did not come when they were thus called, [p. 10.] God would bee greatly angry with them, especially considering that now they must sinne against knowledge, whereas before we came to them they knew not any thing of God at all. Answ. Having spent much time in clearing up the first question, the next they propounded (upon our answer) was this, viz. 2. Quest. How come the English to differ so much from the Indians in the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ, seeing they had all at first but one father? Wee confessed that it was true that at first wee had all but one father, but after that our first father fell, hee had divers children some were bad and some good, those that were bad would not take his counsell but departed from him and from God, and those God left alone in sinne and ignorance, but others did regard him and the counsell of God by him, and those knew God, and so the difference arose at first, that some together with their posterity knew God, and others did not; and so wee told them it was at this day, for like as if an old man an aged father amongst them have many children, if some of them bee rebellious against the counsell of the father, he shuts them out of doores, and lets them goe, and regards them not, unlesse they returne and re |