great Kings and rulers have meekly submitted to this soul-physick David was sharply reproved by the Prophet and he meekly submitted to it 2 Sam 12. and so it was with Eli 1 Sam 2.27 Let it not therefore be unacceptable unto you to imitate so great so good Examples If Sachems might sin and no body might admonish them because they be rulers and the Ministers and people are the subjects it were the most miserable condition in the world to be a Sachem or a ruler they run to hell without controll and no body may say unto him Why do you so It is said Isa. 30.33 Tophet is ordained of old yea for the King iâ— is prepared If God have ordained hell for Sachems then sure he hath ordained means to keep them out of it as well as for other men for God desireth not the death of a sinner but rather that â—e should repent and live If therefore you desire to escape hell and to go to heaven submit your soul to such means as God hath appointed to bring you to repentance and salvation When you put the Objection you sâ—id you are a sinful man as well as others therefore your own heart will tell you that you have need of such helps as God hath appointed to bring you to repentance else you cannot be saved Keit. I feel your words sink into my heart and stick there you speak arrows I feel that you wound me but I do not think that you hurt me nor do you mean me any hurt but good I dâ—sire to ponder and consider of these things I have more matters to object but I will forbear at this time and besides it is time for you to eat and to take rest and therefore I will proceed no further at this time Ant. We thankfully accept your patience thus long and your good acceptâ—nce of what we say God hath been present with us and we perceive that the Spirit of God is at work in your heart this putteth us in hopes of a good issue We have one request unto you beloved Sachem That while we abide in your house we may have liberty to carry our-selves like praying Indians namely that when we eat we may prâ—y and give tâ—anks to God before and after meat also before we lie down at night and when we rise up in the morning we may pray and give thanks to God and that discourses may be grave and for edification that there may be no Games or Sports or such other things which we have abandoned Keit. I do like well what you say all things shall be as you dâ—sire it will be a gâ—od opportunity for us to see what manner of Conversâ—â—ion you praying Indians use I will prâ—pose it unto so many â—f my people as be here present how they like of tâ—is last motion you make of allowing you free liberty of all such Exercises as you praying Indians practise What say you my friends to this lâ—st moâ—â—on of theirs All. We like it very well and shall willingly give attendance unâ—â— their prayers And besides it is not long to their Sabbath we desire they would stay the Sabbath and teach publickly and let us see their Sâ—bbath Conversâ—tion also It may be we shall see so much beauty and desireableness in their wayes that it may much heighten and raise our affections to embrace and submit our selves unto this way of praying to God Keit. You go too fast your answer goes beyond my proposal or their request we spake onely of private Conversation I said nothing of the Sabbath nor of their publick Teaching this is a greater matter But go to seeing you have made the motion I will not refuse it What say you my friends you hear what these people desire will you tarry the Sabbath among us and teach publickly amongst my people for if you accept the motion we shall take a course to give notice thereof to all parts of the Town Ant. We are sent by the Church in the Name of Jesus Christ to call you up unto the way which leadeth to heaven One part of this heavenly way is to Keep holy the Sabbath day by exercising our selves in the Word of Gâ—d and prayer I perceive the forwardness of your people hereunto and your own wary condescendence unto their desires which amounteth unto more then a calling unto us to attend the motion it addeth encouragement and hope of good acceptance with man and a divine blessing from heaven Philip Keitassoot Anthony William Sachem Keit. I Have so ordered my occasions that they will give way to my attendance to the matter you come about therefore this Afternoon I have set apart that we may have further Conference about them The former points we discoursed I am willing they should still lie soaking in my heart and minde I am not ready to make Replies or to draw forth any further speech about them I choose rather to draw forth some of my other Doubts and Objections unto which if your Answers be as considerable and weighty as they were to my former doubts I shall then sâ—e cause to lay them up also a soaking and pondering in my heart Know this that in the rowlings of my thoughts the disquiet turnings and tumblings of my minde do oft-times molest me with variety of passions I am sometimes in grief and anguish of minde especially when I over look my life past and remember the many sins and follies that I have stained my life and honour withall I think with my self What a fool have I been that for the love of a lust which Dogs and brute Creatures delight in that I a Man a Sachem should be so besotted as to stain my honour wound my Soul offend God and expose my self to eternal damnation and all this for a short delight that is gone with a blast and leaves nothing behinde but shame and sorrow and these are durable and indelible a sad effect of sensual pleasures Ah what a fool have I been when I should have imployed my self in higher and greater matters for the honour of God and the good of my people I have wasted my precious time and strength to satiate my pleasures which have left such a sting and torment in my soul which all my Estate and Honour cannot ease me of but they are like to torment me for ever I am never without wicked company to draw me out unto such iniquities but none of them can ease the torment of my minde and conscience though some apply themselves so to do I do finde their remedies are false and uneffectual But I have quite lost my self I did not intend to open and pour out my minde and thoughts about these matters but full vessels are ready to run over I will come to that which I did intend Ant. Beloved Sachem as the overflowings of your grief have interrupted your intended discourse so let me take so much boldness to lengthen this your interruption with a word of God that may by
forth weeds but a watchful and diligent husbandman will be often weeding over his Corn fields and so will ouâ— hearts be sending forth new weeds of sin but we must be daily diligent to watch and weed them out our hearts have a natural propensity to sin and therefore must be kept with all diligence Anâ— therefore that is the first counsel that I give you out of the experience of my own naughty heart Pen. Your words do put a fear into my heart I know that old customes of sin are very hardly left and I have been so long accustomed to sin that I am afraid of my self Wab. Fear is a good watchman Happy is the man that feareâ—â— alwayes and let this put you on to a second Counsel that I givâ— you Be much and often in prayer and that not onely among otheâ— in Family-worship and Publick-worship but also and most frequently in secret prayer for so Christ hath commanded Mat. 6â—â— and Christ himself hath set us an example who spent whole nights in prayer Pen. The night spent in prayer hath let me finde a sweet taste in it though I do already finde that it is a weariness to my flesh I thank you for this Counsel I desire I may remember and do it What further Counsel will you give me Wab. You must be much conversant in the Word of God and though you cannot yet reade the Word yet you must get the help of others and learn the word of God by heart and you must meditate upon the same night and day for so David did Psal. 1.2 And the meditation on the Word will sanctifie the heart and kill corruption and will mightily help you to subdue it Pen. I doubt it will be difficult for me to learn to reade I am dull of capacity Wab. A strong desire diligence and constancy will obtain any thing and you must pray God to teach you and to open your heart to learn Iam. 1.5 If any of you lack wisdome let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and upâ—raideth not and it shall be given him And for a further help to you my fourth Counsel is That you diligently learn the Catechize and by learning to reade that you will learn to reade and understand the whole Bible Pen. I see my self very ignorant and therefore I am very desirous to learn Catechism because I have heard and do perceive that is the foundation of all knowledge in Religioâ— being wisely gathered out of the Scripture Wab. You say right about Catechism we do therefore teach it our Children that the principles of good knowledge may be sown and rooted in them from a Childe and for that reason also do we send them to School to learn to reade the Word of God that they may be acquainted with the Word from a Childe Pen. Oh what a loss is this to me that I am to begin to learn Catechize and the Word of God now I am a man which I might have been acquainted with from a Childe had I been brought up among the praying Indians How happy are your Children that are thus brought up I suppose you are very diligent in this matter in Training up of your Children Wab. We have great cause to judge our selves for too much negligence in this point A fifth Counsel I give you is That you be constant and diligent in the exercise of the Worship of God in your Family in these points 1. You must Morning and Evening pray in your Family and teach them in Catechism and reading of the Scriptures 2. Alwayes before and after Meat you must pray and give thanks to God Pen. Oh what an holy life do the praying Indians live Lord â—each me and help me thus to do VVhat further Counsel do you â—ive me Wab. A sixth Counsel I give you is That you do carefully reâ—ember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy and to come to the publick Assembly both Forenoon and Afternoon constantly and timely and there diligently to attend the worship of God Pen Oh how my heart approveth of this Couâ—â—el Have you any further Counsel to give me Wab. One thing more Let all your Conversation be a good example to others labour on all occasions to do good to others Pen. I requâ—st this of you that as we travel this day in our journey you would teach me the Principles of Catechism Wab. I do well like of your motion it s a good subject of discourse as we are in our way Thus are they imployed till they come at their journeys end Waban Nishâ—hkou Penooâ—ot Waban MY aged Uncle I am glad that it hath pleased God once more to give me an opportunity to see you alive in this world It is not unknown unto you that I and many others have undertaken a new way of life which is known to many by the name of Praying to God The way that I formerly and you still live in is a way oâ— worshipping the Devil it is a way of darkness and sin and though it is a way pleasant and easie to the flesh yet it leadeth to destruction and eternal torments Man is made for another life after this life is ended and though our body dieth and turneth to dust yet the Soul is immortal it dieth not but at the death of the body it departeth to a place of eternal being either in glory or in misery If we pray to God with a right â—eart penitenâ—ly turn from sin to God and believe in Jesus Christ then we shall have a pardon granted us and eternal happiness with Jesus Christ But if we do not turn to God but worship and serve the Devil and walk in the wayes of sin then at death our Soul must be dragged to hell and there tormented for ever among the Devils whom we have obeyed and served in this life These things and many more we do perfectly know and believe to be true by the Word of God which is the Sun-light of the Soul even as the Sun is the great light of the outward world God hath put it into my heart to desire that your Soul might be bleâ—â—ed for ever and the Church hath sent me and I come in the Name of Jesus Christ to tell you these things and beseech you to turn from these vain and evil wayes and to believe in Jesus Christ that your sins may be pardoned and that your Soul may be saved in eternal glory Nish Your love and desire of my good I have no reason but to accept with kindness but me thinks one thing in your discourse is doubtful We see with our eyes and know certainly that the body dieth and turneth to rottenness and dust and why may not the Soul dâ— so likewise we see not what becometh of it and to make such a stir and change our course upon uncertainties I have no liking to it my Age inclineth me rather to be quiet and not meddle with such unâ—een intricacies fitter for younger heads to
minde Wab. Our bodies are the product of the seed of man and that is made out of the food we eat and our food grows out of the earth so that our bodies are made of refined earth and therefore at death turn to earth again out of which it was made and so God speaketh Dust thou art and unto dust thou shalt return But the Soul is not so it is a Spirit of a purer nature then earthly things and it is immediately created by God and therefore dieth not Besides we are assured by many infallible proofs out of the Word of God and by evidence of good Reason that the Soul is immortal which point we are taught in our Catechism And not onely so but God hath taught us that at the end of the world the body shall be raised again out of the dust and the Soul and body joyned together again and then the person shall be judged by Jesus Christ according to their deeds done in the flesh those that live and die in their sins shall be turned into hell to be tormented by and with the Devils but they that turn to God and believe in Jesus Christ shall be judged to go with Christ to heaven and be ever with him in eternal glory Therefore this consideration doth more sharpen my request and intreaties of you how shall I endure to see this body of yours which I so respect and love and that Soul of yours also to go away unto eternal torments And I pray you consider what a wound and torment iâ— will then be to remember I was exhorted and intreated to turn to God and live mercy in Christ was offered me but I refused it and therefore deservedly do you lose what you refused and deservedly you suffer that torment you did choose rather then to trouble your self with this business of praying to God and believing in Jesus Christ. Nish These are great and deep things that I understand not you young men have your blood warm and your wits fresh and ripe you can reade and understand these things I am old and cold and dry and half dead already I have not strength enough left to be whetted up to such a new edge let me alone to die in quiet why should I take upon me such a disquiet to my minde and disturbance to my self and to my people I have two Sons young and active men I am very willing that they should take up this new way perswade them to it if you will but as for me I am too old for such an undertaking Wab. You do well to permit your sons to enter into a way of wisdome and pray unto God but I would propose two requests unto you 1. To do well for your 〈◊〉 as well as for your Sons for your soul is as preceâ—oâ—s as 〈…〉 And 2. the most effeâ—tuâ—l means to peâ—swadâ— yâ—ur Sâ—â—s unto this way of wisdome is for you to sâ—t them an 〈◊〉 iâ— you â—â—ould choose this way then it is like that thâ—y would follow your exâ—mplâ— but if you refuse it your self â—here iâ— the lesâ—â—ope â—â—at they will câ—oose it for it is a way hard to the fâ—eâ—â— and requires mucâ— subduing of lusts which will rather be done in your dâ—crepiâ— Age then by them in their flourishing youth Nish I aâ— weary and need some food and it is like so do you after your travel and here is Meat set before us therefore I pray eaâ— and you are welcome Wab. I pray you let us eat like praying Indians God hath taught us that alwayes when we eat we should pray and give thanks to God Nish I pray do so it pleaseth me well though I cannot do so my self for I am ignorant of the wayes of praying to God Waban prayeth for a blessing and then they eat and after meat doth the same again Pen. Aged Sachem now that you and we are refreshed and strengthned â—y this food I will declare unto you strange News to which I intreat your attendance a little while and all the people here present I am like a man that was looking for a shell and found a Pearl of inestimable value whereby he became very rich and renowned I had a small occasion to come and visit you graâ—â— Sachem and by the way I met with this good man a messenger oâ— God by whose discourse my blinde eyes are opened my dead heart is made alive my lame legs are inabled to walk in the way to heaven where I shall enjoy an eternal Kiâ—â—dome Many miracles â—ave been wrought upon me by the power of Gods Word spoken to me by this man and that I may stir up your heart and the hearts of the people here present to give diligent heed to what he saith I will dâ—clâ—re unto you what passed between us I was aâ— you are I lived as you live I did as you do and as the rest of ouâ— Countrymen and Neighbours do I followed the sports pleasures vanities and courses that other men and you to this day walk inâ— But I was not aware how blinde and dead and vile and wicked I was in the sight of God nor was I awâ—re that I was running oâ— in a pleasant delightful way which led mâ— down to hell and eternal damnation But when I met this man he discoursed with me about these things he opened unto me by the Word of God the great Majesty of God his Holiness Justice and Goodness how God hâ—â— made thiâ— great world and all things in it both things above anâ— things below how â—e made man an eminent Creature gave him dominion over all the creatures here below gave him an holy juâ—â— and good Law in Ten Commandments under the order of a Covenant of Works and if he kept and obeyed this Law he should live in glory and happiness for ever but if he did break this Law and sin against God that great Majesty of heaven then he should be answerably and justly punâ—â—hed with eternal torments in hell fire with the Devil and his Angels for evermore and this Lâ—w was for himself and all his posterity in whose stead he stoâ—d as a publick person Now he informed me that Adaâ— the first man sinned by the temptation of evil Angels which rebelled against God and tuâ—ned Devils by their temptation Adam â—inned and turned rebel against God and served believed and obeyâ—d the Devil and therefore by the Law of God he was judged and condemned and all his posterity All this I found to be true in â—y own experience for I went on in the same rebellion breaking the holy Law of God every day both in thought word and deed obeying the Devil and his temptations serving the lusts of my flesh and filâ—hy miâ—de I walked in the broad easie pleasant way tâ—at leadeth to destruction so that I have deserved to be damned a thousand thousand times and the greatness of the Majesty of God against whom I sinned did breed terrour in my soul my just condemnation
his blessing be at least the beginning of a Cordial to your heart and a Cure to your stain and wound Sin is a shame to any Nation or person but repentance is an honour Your griefs have the right savour of repentance It is said 1 Cor. 3.18 Let a man become a fool that he â—ay be wise you chide your self for your â—olâ—y you do well â—o to do it is an act of wisdome so to do go on in this frame of heart and be constant and you shall finde rest Christ calleth troubled souls to come unto him Mat. 11.28 and he promisâ—â—h to give them rest and he is able to perform his promise In his hand I leave this matter and your tossed soul with inward griefs that in him you may finde rest Will. My Brother haâ—h presented you with a Cordial for your heartâ—gâ—ief I will present you with some Balm to heal your soul wounds It is said Ier. 8.22 Is there no Balm in Gâ—lead is there no Physician there Why â—hen is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered Behold in Gods Word we finde a Balm for woundâ—d souls and that is the death and blood of Jesus Christ believed by faith for Christ hath died for our sins and rose again from the dead for our justification he offereth a pardon for all your sins and he will heal your soul and quiet your heart from all those turmoiling troubles and griefs Believe therefore in Jesus Christ and he will pardon and save you Keit. I thank you for these comfortable words I feel them in my heart and I desire to lay them up among other things which I ponder in my heart And now I will proceed to open such other doubts which lie in my minde as impediments which hinder me and delay me from accepting of this way of praying to God I perceive in all your discourses that you have a Book which you call The Word of God and you reade it to me I perceive also that in your worshipping of God morning and night you reade in that Book I pray tell me what Book that is what is written in it and how do you know that it is the Word of God Many say that some wise English-men have dâ—vised and framed it and tell us that it is Gods Word when as it is no other then the words of wise men Hoh we shall be interrupted in our discourse for here cometh in Sâ—chem that hateth praying to God and hath been a means of delaying my entrance into this way but if he come up unto us we will go on and let him be partaker of our discourse if he like of it aâ—d be willing so to do Eâ—â—h my friend I pray come and sit down here and hearken to our discourse Here be some of the Massachuset praying Indians who are soliciting me to pray unto God and we are now discoursing about a Book which they have which they say is the Word of God and I am now enquiring of them what is contained in that Book and how it may be made appear that it is the Word of Godâ— If you think good to joyn with us in this discourse it will be acceptable unto us to have your company and to hear what you have to say about it Sachem I am willing to be present and hear your discourse but as for this new way of praying to God I like it not We and our Forefathers have through all generations lived in our Religion which I desire not to change Are we wiser then our Forefathers And I like not to suffer our people to reade that Book which they call the Word of God If it be Gods Word it is too deep for ignorant people to meddle withall and it will â—ill them with new light and notions which withdraws them from our obedience and leadeth them to make trouble and disturbance unto us in those old wayes in which we and our Forefathers have walked and my Counsel is to suppress the reading of that Book Ant. With due respect unto you Sachem I shall thus answer unto what you sâ—y If a great Sachem in a far Country should send unto you a writing wherein he giveth you wise Counsel would you not reade it would you not hear what he saith and would you not suffer your people to learn wisdome but continue in their ignorance and blindness Sure you would shew so much respect to a man a Sachem that should do so kindly to you Now so it is that the great God who made these high heavens and the great Lights that be therein who made this Earth and all this great World and all things in it who is King of kings and Lord of lords I say this Great God pittying to see the ignorance that all men are darkned withall he hath sent us his VVord which will make wise the ignorant and will you not suffer your people to learn that wisdome do you love darkness better then light Besides all Mankinde live in the wayes of sin which lead them to hell torments where they shall be punished with eternal fire but God pittying this miserable condition of man hath sent us this VVord of his which sheweth us the way to escape hell torments and leadeth us into the way that leadeth us to eternal life happiness and glory And will not you suffer your people to learn this good way when God offereth it unto us Consider how your people will curse you when they feel these torments because you would not suffer them to learn the true way to heaven and happiness And what though we are not wiser then our Forefathers yet God can teach us such wisdome as our Forefathers did not know I think that we are bound to think that our fathers were so wise that if Gods VVord â—ad been brought and offered to them they would have received it and would have learned by it to be wiser then they were and why therefore should not we be so wise as to do that which our wise fathers would have done if this light had shined unto them as it now doth unto us Let not the deepness of that wisdome in Gods VVord hinder us that are ignorant from searching into it for by reading of Gods word the ignorant may be made wise Psal. 197. it maketh wise the simple and Prov. 1. â— The Word gives wisdome to the simple and to the young man knowledge and discretion David learned to be wise by reading the word of God Wiser then his Enemies wiser then his Teachers wiser then the Ancients Psal. 119.98 99 100. and so may we It is a vain word to say They are ignorant and therefore they may not reade the Word the contrary to this is true Because they are ignorant therefore let them search and reade the word of God because that will make them wise But you give the reason that lieth in the bottom of your heart when you say By reading of the word they will learn new light