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A39226
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A further account of the progress of the Gospel amongst the Indians in New England: being a relation of the confessions made by several Indians (in the presence of the elders and members of several churches) in order to their admission into church-fellowship. Sent over to the corporation for propagating the Gospel of Jesus Christ amongst the Indians in New England at London, by Mr John Elliot one of the laborers in the word amonsgt them.
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Eliot, John, 1604-1690.
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1660
(1660)
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Wing E511; ESTC R214794
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48,601
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89
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A further Account of the progress OF THE GOSPEL Amongst the Indians In New England BEING A Relation of the Confessions made by several Indians in the presence of the Elders and Members of several Churches in order to their admission into Church-fellowship Sent over to the Corporation for Propagating the Gospel of Iesus Christ amongst the Indians in New England at London by Mr Iohn Elliot one of the Laborers in the Word amongst them LONDON Printed by Iohn Macock 1660. TO ALL That love the Lord Iesus Christ in sincerity and have a zeal for the propagation of Gospel-light to those who sit in darkness Grace and peace be multiplyed Brethren IT was the holy ambition and strife of the Apostle Paul that chosen Vessel to bear the Name of Christ before the Gentiles to preach the Gospel where Christ was not named lest hee should seem to build upon another mans foundation Rom. 15. 20. To hand on a good work begun by another is very commendable and shall not loose its reward but to break the ice and begin a good work is very honourable and shall surely have a great reward I am much perswaded it hath been the gracious strife I am sure it hath been the lot of many of our faithfull Brethren in New England to preach the Gospel where Christ was not named before and the Lord hath given a signal Testimony that they have not laboured in vain Wee reade of the First-fruits of Achaia unto Christ Rom. 16. 5. and again 1 Cor. 16. 15. Wee have also heard both of the First-fruits and Second-fruits of India in New England unto Christ and these are a fair assurance of a plentifull harvest there in due time A blessed Foundation is laid yea the Building begins to appear above ground in the visible profession or professed subjection of many poor Souls unto the Gospel of Christ May wee not therefore hopefully expect that the Top-stone shall be set up with a shout of Grace Grace to it Hee that attentively readeth the Report which is made in the following Collection of the Examinations and Confessions of several Native Indians who have been wrought upon by the preaching of the Word in the Wilderness will see much cause to admire the free grace and goodness of God to them as also his mighty power and the revealing of his arme in them What strong and clear convictions of sin both of the sinfulness of their natures and of the sins of their lives have they been under who lay before dead in trespasses and sins wholly alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that was in them What strugglings and strivings with corruption and temptation do they speak of before they could come off from sin and from that vain conversation received by tradition from their Fore-fathers What wrestlings had they with unbelief before they could close with Christ in the promise What full resignations of themselves have they made to the commands of Christ after closing with him by faith in the promise Yea what hungrings and thirstings do some of them express for more intimate communion with Christ in attendance upon all his Ordinances in a Church-state or holy Fellowship with his People Surely what these late Aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel have found and declared as their spiritual experiences about the dealings of God with their hearts in bringing them off from sin and home to himself may shame many among us who have been born and bred up in the aire and sound of the Gospel all their dayes I may not unfitly make use of those Prophesies of Moses and Esaias concerning the Iewes and Gentiles and so applyed by the Apostle Paul Rom. 10. 19 20 21. in this present case between us in England and the Indians The Lord hath begun to provoke us to Jealousie by them that were no people and by a foolish Nation hee hath angred us hee is found of them that sought him not hee is made manifest to them that asked not after him but all the day long hath hee stretched out his hands unto us a disobedient and gainsaying people Conversions are grown somewhat rare that 's sad in England and such accounts of Conversion much more rare And as we finde but few able to give any passable account of their conversion to God so wee finde not a few offended at the requiring and taking of it before admission into compleat Church-communion Wee have many who profess the Religion they were born in but wee have comparatively only a few who profess Religion upon the evidences of their New-Birth And that 's one great reason why the Church and the world the pretious and the vile are in so lamentable a mixture in most places at this day It were a very desireable mercy that the practise and example of our native Brethren yea of the native Indians in New England might kindle in us the fire of a blessed emulation in this matter and that the Ministers of the Gospel would every where exspect and diligently enquire after some hopefull proofs of the work of Grace from all those who in their own right partake of those higher Priviledges the Seals of the Covenant of Grace Doubtless then Churches would appear more like Churches in the beauties of Holiness and the fruits of the presence of Christ would be more gloriously visible in them The great thing which wee upon whom the ends of the world are come should earnestly pray endeavour and wait for is that the new Jerusalem may be seen coming down from heaven like a Bride adorned for her Husband and to be any way rightly instrumentall for the bringing in of this glory is a piece of the best Glory which wee are capable of on this side our heavenly Glory 'T was therefore a very gracious as well as a noble Design to create and establish a Corporation in this our England to receive improve mannage and issue a free contribution and the profits arising from it for the constant support encouragement and promotion of this work of Christ in That Other England Nor can wee but with much thankfulness to God take notice of the liberal charity of many who have already contributed to it as also of the faithfulness diligence prudence and Godly zeal of those worthy Persons who are entrusted with the disposal of those Contributions And because as the whole Work is great so there are some great parts of it now in hand as the Printing of Davids Psalms and the New Testament besides an intendment of printing the whole Bible in the Indian Language which must needs be a work of great charge as well as of excellent use for these reasons I say it would be a most acceptable Charity either to procure or advance additional Contributions How can any honour the Lord better with their perishing substance then by forwarding a Design which may be a means to keep thousands of Souls from perishing Yea what an honour will it be to this whole Nation that
with them only I still feared man after I heard the same word again to perswade us to pray to God and I did so but not for Gods sake only it was before man I remembred the Sabbath and I heard Mr Mathews also preach of it and therefore I thought I would keep the Sabbath but still I feared man Upon a Sabbath they wished me to teach what I remembred that the Minister had taught I did so and we had talk about what I said and we fell out Thereupon I went away and left praying to God I went into the Countrey but I remembred my wife and children and quickly returned but not for Gods sake Again the Minister preached on 1 Chron. 28. 9. And thou Solomon my son know the God of thy Fathers and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind for the Lord searcheth all hearts and understandeth all the imagination of the thoughts if thou seek him he will be found of thee but if thou forsake him he will cast thee off for ever This greatly troubled me because I had left praying to God and I had deserved eternall wrath Then I desired to pray I begged mercy but I knew not what to do for my sins were many my heart was full of originall sin and my heart was often full of anger but then I was angry at my self for I found my heart quickly carried after sin Afterward through the free mercy of God I heard that word He that penitently believeth in Christ shall be pardoned and saved then my heart did beg earnestly for pardon and mercy I heard Ioh. 15. Whatever ye ask the Father in my name he will give it you therefore my heart did now greatly beg for mercy in Christ and pardon Afterward I heard Mat. 5. 28. Who ever looketh upon a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery in his heart Then my heart was troubled because many were my sins in my eies and heart and actions too My heart did love the having of two wives and other lusts of that kind Then Satan said to me You are a great sinner and God will not pardon you therefore cast off praying and run away it is a vain thing for you to pray Here you want land but in the Countrey there is land enough and riches abundance therefore pray no more My heart did almost like it but I heard that word Mat 4. Satan tempted Christ and shewed him the Kingdoms of the world and the glory thereof and promised to give them to him if he would worship him Then my heart said that even thus Satan tempteth me to cast off praying to God and therefore my heart desired to believe that word of Christ Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve Then I prayed again but still I was full of sin and very weak I was and I loved sin Again I heard Ioh. 14. I am the Way the Truth and the Life no man cometh unto the Father but by me Then I fully saw that Christ only is our Redeemer and Saviour and I desire to believe in Christ and my heart said that nothing that I can do can save me only Christ therefore I beg for Christ and a part in him Then said my heart I give my heart and my self to Christ and my wife and children let him do with us what he will Then my mother and two children died and my heart said What Christ will do so be it I have given them to him and I begged pardon and mercy if God will please to pardon me a poor sinner blessed be his name When I had read this Confession in the Assembly we called upon the witnesses as before we did whose answer was like as before it was John Speen Hee was next called forth and thus spake I Confess my sins this day before the Lord and not only before God but before all these people Before I prayed verily I was a great sinner yea in my mothers womb I was a sinner my sins are such as not only God knows but people also know them Before our praying I did thorowly sin and did commit all sins and now I confess these my sins before God After I prayed I did alos live in sin At first when I prayed I did not worship God nor believe in Christ but I did therefore pray because my brothers and friends and Waban and the rest did pray for their sakes I prayed And again I therefore prayed because many English knew me that I might please them and because I saw the English took much ground and I thought if I prayed the English would not take away my ground for these causes I prayed When I prayed it was but with my mouth yet I thought I do well enough in that I pray thus and I thought that for it God will pardon all my sins and I thought that my praying was good enough But yet again I sinned and did the like sins as before only I did outwardly pray but I mourned not for my sins I thought if we pray and leave Pauwauing who shall make us well when we are sick But again I thought man could not make us well because he must die himself and therefore Pauwauing is a vain thing and they die though they Pauwau But still my heart did not believe praying to God then I heard that word Repent and believe and if we repent and believe God will pardon all our sins Then sometimes I repented yet again quickly I committed sin and sometimes I thought I am throughly a sinner I heard that God made the world and all things in it and lastly man and that God formed him of the dust of the earth and breathed into him the breath of life and he became a living soul and that God made a Covenant with Adam that he should eat of all the Trees of the Garden save one in the midst of the Garden and if he eat of that Tree he should die Then I understood that Adam sinned fell and thereby I uneerstood that I became a sinner born in sin my heart full of sin and God will not pardon sinners and yet again I sinned and therefore I feared that God will not pardon me because more and more I sinned and thus I sinned after praying as well as before praying When they chose Rulers and chose my brother and not me my heart was in an evil frame and then I thought sure I am a great sinner and yet still I was more and more a sinner After my brothers loved me still and then I repented of my sins but not for Gods sake but for my brothers sake then I desired to pray as long as I live My brother died which troubled me the people said Be you in your brothers place then my heart thought I will no more do as I had done but sure I was weak my praying was but words I was a great sinner After this a while since I heard that