citous that what they did agree upon might be faithfully preserved without alteration. Thomas Flint. Simon Willard. [p. 6.] These things thus wrought in a short time about Concord side, I looke upon as fruits of the ministery of the Word; for although their high esteem bred lately in them, especially the chief and best of the English, together with that mean esteem many of them have of themselves, and therefore will call themselves sometimes poore Creatures, when they see and heare of their great distance from others of the English; I say, although these things may be some causes of making these orders and walking in these courses, yet the chiefe cause seemes to bee the power of the Word, which hath been the chiefe cause of these Orders, and therefore it is that untill now of late they never so much as thought of any of these things. I am not able to acquaint you very much from my owne eye and eare witnesse of things, for you know the neare relation between me and the fire side usually all winter time, onely I shall impart two or three things more of what I have heard and seen, and the rest I shall relate to you as I have received from faithfull witnesses, who testifie nothing to me by their writings, but what is seene in the open Sun, and done in the view of all the world, and generally known to be true of people abiding in these parts wee live in. As soone as ever the fiercenesse of the winter was past, March. 3. 1647. I went out to Noonanetum to the Indian Lecture, where Mr. Wilson, Mr. Allen, of Dedham, Mr. Dunster, beside many other Christians were present; on which day perceiving divers of the Indian women well affected, and considering that their soules might stand in need of answer to their scruples as well as the mens; & yet because we knew how unfit it was for women so much as to aske questions publiquely immediatly by themselves; wee did therefore desire them to propound any questions they would bee resolved about by first acquainting either their Husbands, or the Interpreter privately therewith: whereupon we heard two questions thus orderly propounded; which because they are the first that ever were propounded by Indian women in such an ordinance that ever wee heard of, and because they may bee otherwise usefull, I shall therefore set them downe. The first question was propounded by the wife of one Wampooas a well affected Indian, viz. "Whether (said she) do I pray "when [p. 7.] my husband prayes if I speak nothing as he doth, "yet if I like what he saith, and my heart goes with it? (for the Indians will many times pray with their wives, and with their children also sometime in the fields) shee therefore fearing lest prayer should onely be an externall action of the lips, enquired if it might not be also an inward action of the heart, if she liked of what he said. 6 VOL. IV. THIRD SERIES. 66 The second question was propounded by the Wife of one Totherswampe, her meaning in her question (as wee all perceived) was this, viz. "Whether a husband should do well to pray with his wife, and yet continue in his passions, & be angry with his wife? But the modesty and wisdome of the woman directed her to doe three things in one, for thus shee spake to us, viz. "Before my husband did pray "hee was much angry and froward, but since hee hath begun to "pray hee was not angry so much, but little angry: wherein first shee gave an honorable testimony of her husband and commended him for the abatement of his passion; secondly, shee gave implicitly a secret reproofe for what was past, and for somewhat at present that was amisse; and thirdly, it was intended by her as a question whether her husband should pray to God, and yet continue in some unruly passions; but she wisely avoyded that, lest it might reflect too much upon him, although wee desired her to expresse if that was not her meaning. At this time (beside these questions) there were sundry others propounded of very good use, in all which we saw the Lord Jesus leading them to make narrow inquiries into the things of God, that so they might see the reality of them. I have heard few Christians when they begin to looke toward God, make more searching questions that they might see things really, and not onely have a notion of them: I forbeare to mention any of them, because I forget the chiefe of them; onely this wee tooke notice of at this dayes meeting, that there was an aged Indian who proposed his complaint in propounding his question concerning an unruly disobedient son, and "what one should do with him in case of obstinacy and disobedience, "and that will not heare Gods Word, though his Father command "him, nor will not forsake his drunkennesse, though his father for"bid him? Unto which there were many answers to set forth the sinne of disobedience [p. 8.] to parents; which were the more quickned and sharpned because wee knew that this rebellious sonne whom the old man meant, was by Gods providence present at this Lecture: Mr. Wilson was much inlarged, and spake so terribly, yet so graciously as might have affected a heart not quite shut up, which this young desperado hearing (who well understood the English tongue) instead of humbling himself before the Lords Word, which touched his conscience and condition so neare, hee was filled with a spirit of Satan, and as soone as ever Mr. Wilsons speech was ended hee brake out into a loud contemptuous expression; So, saith he: which we passed by without speaking againe, leaving the Word with him, which we knew would one day take its effect one way or other upon him. The latter end of this yeare Mr. Wilson, Mr. Eliot, and my selfe were sent for by those in Yarmouth to meet with some other Elders of Plimouth pattent, to heare and heale (if it were the will of Christ) the difference and sad breaches which have been too long a time among them, wherein the Lord was very mercifull to us and them in binding them up beyond our thoughts in a very short time, in giving not only that bruised Church but the whole Towne also a hopefull beginning of setled peace and future quietnesse; but Mr. Eliot as hee takes all other advantages of time, so hee tooke this, of speaking with, and preaching to the poore Indians in these remote places about Cape Cod: in which journey I shall acquaint you with what all of us observed. Wee first found these Indians (not very farre from ours) to understand (but with much difficulty) the usuall language of those in our parts, partly in regard of the different dialect which generally varies in 40. or 60. miles, and partly and especially in regard of their not being accustomed unto sacred language about the holy things of God, wherein Mr. Eliot excells any other of the English, that in the Indian language about common matters excell him: I say therefore although they did with much difficulty understand him, yet they did understand bim, although by many circumlocutions and variations of speech and the helpe of one or two Interpreters which were then present. Secondly, wee observed much opposition against him, and hearing of him at the day appointed, especially by one of the chiefest [p. 9.] Sachims in those parts, a man of a fierce, strong and furious spirit whom the English therefore called by the name Jehu: who although before the day appointed for preaching, promised very faire that he would come and bring his men with him; yet that very morning when they were to bee present, he sends out almost all his men to Sea, pretending fishing, and therefore although at last he came late himselfe to the Sermon, yet his men were absent, and when he came himself, would not seem to understand any thing, although hee did understand as some of the Indians themselves then told us, when Mr. Eliot by himself and by them inquired of him if he understood what was spoken: yet he continued hearing what was said with dogged looke and a discontented countenance. Thirdly, notwithstanding this opposition wee found another Sachim then present willing to learne, and divers of his men attentive and knowing what was said: and in the time which is usually set apart for propounding questions, an aged Indian told us openly, "That "these very things which Mr. Eliot had taught them as the Com"mandements of God, and concerning God, and the making of the "world by one God, that they had heard some old men who were "now dead, to say the same things, since whose death there hath "been no remembrance or knowledge of them among the Indians "untill now they heare of them againe. Which when I heard solemnly spoken, I could not tell how those old Indians should attaine to such knowledge, unlesse perhaps by means of the French 4444 Preacher cast upon those coasts many yeers since, by whose ministry they might possibly reape and retaine some knowledge of those things; this also I hear by a godly and able Christian who hath much converse with them; that many of them have this apprehension now stirring among them, viz. "That their forefathers did "know God, but that after this, they fell into a great sleep, and when they did awaken they quite forgot him, (for under such metaphoricall language they usually expresse what eminent things they meane :) so that it may seem to be the day of the Lords gracious visitation of these poore Natives, which is just as it is with all other people, when they are most low, the wheele then turnes, and the Lord remembers to have mercy. [p. 10.] 66 66 66 66 Fourthly, a fourth and last observation wee took, was the story of an Indian in those parts, telling us of his dreame many yeers since, which he told us of openly before many witnesses when we sate at meat: the dreame is this, hee said "That about two yeers before "the English came over into those parts there was a great mortality among the Indians, and one night he could not sleep above half "the night, after which hee fell into a dream, in which he did think "he saw a great many men come to those parts in cloths, just as the English now are apparelled, and among them there arose up a man all in black, with a thing in his hand which hee now sees was "all one English mans book; this black man he said stood upon a "higher place then all the rest, and on the one side of him were the English, on the other a great number of Indians: this man told "all the Indians that God was moosquantum or angry with them, "and that he would kill them for their sinnes, whereupon he said. "himself stood up, and desired to know of the black man what God "would do with him and his Squaw and Papooses, but the black man would not answer him a first time, nor yet a second time, "untill he desired the third time, and then he smil'd upon him, and "told him that he and his Papooses should be safe, and that God "would give unto them Mitcheu, (i. e.) victualls and other good "things, and so hee awakened. What similitude this dream hath with the truth accomplished, you may easily see. I attribute little to dreams, yet God may speak to such by them rather then to those who have a more sure Word to direct and warn them, yet this dream made us think surely this Indian will regard the black man now come among them rather then any others of them: but whether Satan, or fear, and guilt, or world prevailed, we cannot say, but this is certaine, that he withdrew from the Sermon, and although hee came at the latter end of it, as hoping it had been done, yet we could not perswade him then to stay and hear, but away he flung, and we saw him no more till next day. From this third of March untill the latter end of this Summer I could not be present at the Indian Lectures, but when I came this も last time, I marvailed to see so many Indian men, women and children in English apparell, they being at Noonanetum generally clad, especially upon Lecture dayes, which they have got [p. 11.] pártly by gift from the English, and partly by their own labours, by which some of them have very handsomely apparelled themselves, & you would scarce know them from English people. There is one thing more which I would acquaint you with, which hapned this Summer, viz. June 9. the first day of the Synods meeting at Cambridge, where the forenoon was spent in hearing a Sermon preached by one of the Elders as a preparative to the worke of the Synod, the afternoon was spent in hearing an Indian Lecture where there was a great confluence of Indians [from] all parts to heare Mr. Eliot, which we conceived not unseasonable at such a time, partly that the reports of Gods worke begun among them, might be seen and beleeved of the chief who were then sent and met from all the Churches of Christ in the Countrey, who could hardly beleeve the reports they had received concerning these new stirs among the Indians, and partly hereby to raise up a greater spirit of prayer for the carrying on of the work begun upon the Indians, among all the Churches and servants of the Lord Jesus: The Sermon was spent in shewing them their miserable condition without Christ, out of Ephes. 2. 1. that they were dead in trespasses and sinnes, and in pointing unto them the Lord Jesus, who onely could quicken them. When the Sermon was done, there was a convenient space of time spent in hearing those questions which the Indians publikely propounded, and in giving answers to them; one question was, What Countrey man Christ was, and where he was borne? Another was, How farre off that place was from us here? Another was, And another, How they might lay hold on him, and where, being now absent from them? with some other to this purpose; which received full answers from severall hands. But that which I note is this, that their gracious attention to the Word, the affections and mournings of some of them under it, their sober propounding of divers spirituall questions, their aptnesse to understand and beleeve what was replyed to them, the readinesse of divers poore naked children to answer openly the chief questions in Catechism which were formerly taught them, and such like appearances of a great change upon them, did marvellously affect all the wise and godly Ministers, Magistrates, & people, and did [p. 12.] raise their hearts up to great thankfulnesse to God; very many deeply and abundantly mourning for joy to see such a blessed day, and the Lord Jesus so much known and spoken of among such as never heard of him before: So that if any in England doubt of the truth of what was formerly writ, or if any malignant eye shall question and vilifie this work, they will now speak too late, for what was here done at Cambridge was not |