Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	pray_v	prayer_n	read_v	2,590	5	6.8286	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96422	Strength out of weakness. Or A glorious manifestation of the further progresse of the gospel amongst the Indians in New-England. Held forth in sundry letters from divers ministers and others to the corporation established by Parliament for promoting the gospel among the heathen in New-England; and to particular members thereof since the last treatise to that effect, / formerly set forth by Mr Henry Whitfield late pastor of Gilford in New-England. ; Published by the aforesaid corporation.	Gouge, William, 1578-1653.; Whitfield, Henry, 1597-1660?; Eliot, John, 1604-1690.; Wilson, John, 1588-1667.; Leverich, William, d. 1677.; Bessey, Anthony, 1609?-1657?; Mayhew, Thomas, 1621-1657.; Endecott, John, 1588?-1665.; French, William, 1603?-1681.; Allen, Thomas, 1608-1673.; Society for Propagation of the Gospel in New England.	1652 (1652)	Wing W2002; ESTC R223436	37,294	59

Lecture or Sermon began in the Fort which the Indians have made of whole trees very hansome and firme which is neere a faire house which the Indians have built after the English manner high and large no English-mans hand in it save that one day or two they had an English Carpenter with them to direct about the time of rearing with chimneys in it In which Mr Eliot those which accompany him use to lye and the Indian Schoole-Master was there teaching the Children who doth reade and spell very well himselfe and teacheth them to doe the like besides writing and as there is a large Roome below so there is a like chamber above in a Corner whereof Mr Eliot hath a little Roome inclosed and a bed bed-sted therein and in the same Chamber the Indians doe as in a Wardrope hang up their skinnes and things of price as counting them there to be very safe as well when the dores be open as when they be locked they have laid out three long faire streets there two on this side the River and one on that and have severall house-lots apportioned severally to every one which doe or be to inhabite there and in many of them there are fruit-trees already planted and they are building English houses for themselves meane while living in Wigwams whereof there is good store neere the hill side at present there being a goodly plaine from the Towne towards Dedham over the River that is Charles River they have made a firme high foote-bridge archwise to walks to and fro having heaped on the bottome tymbers huge stones the more to fortifie it and it was a great encouragement to them that the last yeare when a like bridge made by the English in the new Dedham Village called Medefield some foure or five miles from them was throwne downe by the force of the flouds or Ice yet theirs did stand firme and upright But to returne to the Fort and to the busines of the day that is Round and Capacious and they have prepared there a large Canopie of Matts upon poles for Mr Eliot and the chiefe of his Company to sit under and other sorts for themselves and other hearers The Saneps or men by themselves and the Squaes or women by themselves besides the English then present which were about thirtie there were I thinke not fewer then a hundred men women and young ones among the Indians there be some greater proficients in knowledge and of better utterance by farre then their fellowes Grave and serious men whom Mr Eliot hath trained up or the Lord rather by his instructions and directions to instruct and exhort the rest of the Indians in their Lords day and other meetings when he cannot come to them himselfe There be some five of these one of them was prepared before we came and appointed to begin this Exercise the further relation of the manner of this Indians behaviour in preaching together with the substance of that Sermon being before set downe by Mr Eliot may be never omitted other particulars in order to the exact description of the Indian Fort and buildings in Mr Eliots Letter is defective are here supplyed This man being of middle age and clad all in English apparell as most if not all others of them are sitting in the midst on a stoole under the shelter did begin with prayer very solemnely standing up for some halfe quarter of an houre then sitting downe spake unto them of the two Parables concerning the Feild wherein the treasure hid and the wise Marchant selling all for the pearle wee understood him not save Mr Eliot excepting now and then a word or two he discoursed to them some three quarters of an houre at the leaft with great devotion gravitie decency readines and affection and gestures very becomming and sundry mentions he made of Jesus Christ specially in the beginning and towards the ending as if he were the scope of all and the rest of the Indians diverse old men and women and the younger did joyne and attend with much Reverence as if much affected therewith then he ended with prayer as he beganne Then Mr Eliot prayed and preached in the Indian Language for some houre more about coming to Christ and bearing his yoake This Text was translated by him from the Scripture into English speaking with much authoritie and after his latter prayer the Indian Schoole-Master read out of his Booke one of the Psalmes in meeter line by line translated by Mr Eliot into Indian all the men and women c. singing the same together in one of our ordinary English tunes melodiously I should have said that after Mr Eliots Sermon there were two or three grave Indians that propounded to Mr Eliot each of them a Question very pertinent to the matter he handled about the yoake of Christ and coming to Christ which he answered interpreting unto us both their Questions and the summe of his owne Answers After this the Lord did stirre up my heart to make an Exhortation to the Indians which Mr Eliot expounded to them and also the Governours Speech which God did stirre him up too unto the same purpose declaring our joy to see such beginnings and warning them of the great danger if they should decline from what they had already come unto either in their knowledge affection or Christian practice incouraging them against what might dampe or deterre Then all of us taking us to our horses left Mr Eliot and them together the Governour and his Company to lye at Dedham and the rest of us when wee had rid two or three miles with them did returne into our owne way towards our former lodging having been every one of us much refreshed in our spirits in what we saw were informed of viz. of God amongst them Not long before this travelling with Mr Eliots brother I conferred in the way seriously with him about these Indians for he useth to accompany his brother and is a right godly and diligent man desiring to know what solidity he found by experience in them Who did acquaint mee that there was difference between them as between the English some being lesse serious then others and lesse spirituall but that there was a considerable Company of solide ones that were constant and forward in good duties as well on the weeke dayes as on the Lords And that he had purposely sometimes in the darke walked the Round as it were alone and found them in their severall Families as devout in prayer c. as if there had been any present to observe and that carried it very modestly utterly refusing to receive any reliefe from Mr Eliots Table choosing rather to live on the provisions at home which came in by their owne labour and when once Mr Eliots owne provisions failed hee being detained among them sundry dayes beyond his intent they soone tooke notice and of their owne accord did bring unto him varietie of the best which they had themselves and

hath pleased God to stirre up the hearts of many of them this winter to learne to reade and write wherein they doe very much profit with a very little helpe especially some of them for they are very ingenuous And whereas I had thoughts that vvee must have an Englishman to be their Schoole-Master I now hope that the Lord will raise up some of themselves and enable them unto that worke with my care to teach them well in the reason of the sounds of Letters and spelling I trust in the Lord that vvee shall have sundry of them able to reade and write who shall vvrite every man for himselfe so much of the Bible as the Lord shall please to enable me to translate Besides those workes which concerne Religion and Learning wee are also a doing according to the measure of our day of small things in the civill part of this worke wee have set out some part of the Towne in severall Streets measuring out and dividing of Lots which I set them to doe and teach them how to doe it many have planted Apple-Trees and they have begun diverse Orchards it s now planting-time and they be full of businesse yet wee are doing some publicke workes the last weeke I appointed our Lecture to be at a Water which is common passage and where the Fish wee call Alewives come there wee built a bridge and made a wyre to catch Fish and being many of them some wee appointed to one worke and some to another through the blessing of God wee brought both these workes to perfection wee also have begun a Pallizadoe Fort in the midst whereof wee intend a meeting-house and Schoole-house but wee are in great want of Tooles and many necessaries and when wee cannot goe wee must be content to creepe this present weeke I am going to Pawtueket the great Fishing place upon Merimek where I heare sundry doe expect my coming with a purpose to submit themselves unto the Lords hand Sir I doe earnestly beg your prayers both for mee and for this worke of the Lord which he hath set mee about John Eliott Roxbury the 28th of the 2d 1651. The former Letter of Mr Elliots came to hand about six Moneths before the latter and that 's the reason you have another of his followeth next after his former whereby the Reader may see and observe the constant goodnes of God in carrying on his owne worke notwithstanding all the opposition of Men Every day bringing forth as it were additionall improvements to the praise of God who delighteth so much in this his day of small things Worshipfull and much honoured in the LORD IT is through the grace of Christ who hath called you into the fellowship of his Kingdome that you are willing to take such care and paines for the advancement and furtherance of his Kingdome and the Lord fill your hearts with the Consolations of his holy Spirit whose spirit hee hath set to seeke his glory in promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ and because the fruite of our Labours coming in with a blessing is a great meanes to quicken the heart to be constant in that worke which the Lord delighteth to prosper and blesse It is my duty to let you understand how it pleaseth the Lord to prosper and proceed in this worke of his among the Indians for the promoting vvhereof you travaile with care and paines that so you may goe on with the more Comfort and the better know how to direct your prayers unto the Lord in that behalfe I will not trouble you with rehearsall of such things as I have already this yeare written about unto our honoured Friend Mr Winslowe so farre as I can call to minde vvhat I wrote hoping in the Lord that the Ships are safely arrived and my Letters come unto his hands I know not whether I have yet mentioned our Schoole vvhich through the Lords mercy vvee have begun though vvee cannot yet be constant in it vvee have two men in some measure able to teach the youth vvith my guidance and inspection And thus vvee order the Schoole The Master daily prayeth among his Schollers and instructeth them in Catechisme for which purpose I have compiled a short Catechisme and vvrote it in the Masters booke vvhich he can reade and teach them and also all the Copies he setteth his Schollers vvhen he teacheth them to write are the Questions and Answers of the Catechisme that so the Children may be the more prompt and ready therein wee aspire to no higher learning yet but to spell reade and vvrite that so they may be able to vvrite for themselves such Scriptures as I have already or hereafter may by the blessing of God translate for them for I have no hope to see the Bible translated much lesse printed in my dayes Therefore my chiefe care is to Communicate as much of the Scriptures as I can by vvriting and further my scope so to traine up both men and youths that when they be in some measure instructed themselves they may be sent forth to other parts of the Countrey to traine up and instruct others even as they themselves have been trained up and instructed This consideration doth make mee very carefull to put on the Schoole and attend it with what diligence I can although I cannot as yet doe in it what I desire There be severall providences of God appearing to worke which make mee thinke that the most effectuall and generall way of spreading the Gospel will be by themselves when so instructed as I have above-mentioned as for my preaching though such whose hearts God hath bowed to attend can picke up some knowledge by my broken expressions yet I see that it is not so taking and effectuall to strangers as their owne expressions be who naturally speake unto them in their owne tongue To the end therefore that they may be the better able to teach others I doe traine them up and exercise them therein vvhen I am among them on the Lords dayes appointing two each Sabboth to exercise and when they have done then I proceed and assuredly I finde a good measure of abilitie in them not onely in prayer wherein they exceed my expectation but in memory to rehearse such Scriptures as I have read unto them and expounded to expound them also as they have heard mee doe and apply them And now also the Schoole-Master taking the care of catechizing the Children I leaving that to him doe catechize the men examining and trying their knowledge which yet I am wary in doing least I should dampe and discourage the weake These things I attend with the more intention because it seemeth to mee God will imploy these first instructed to instruct others of which I have had sundry experiences some I shall instance it pleased Mr Winthrop son unto our late Honoured Governour now at rest to advise mee to send two discreete men to the greatest and most potent Sachem among the Naragansets to answer such Questions