as other youths did at all these things because thereby did original sin grow in me and hard it was to root it out and hard to believe After this I heard still and more I understood I heard Gen. 16. that the people were full of sin lust and all other sin and therefore the Lord destroyed them and I knew that I had the same sins and therefore I was afraid but I feared only this bodily life and not for my Soul After this my heart did a little desire to pray to God because God found Noah righteous and did save him therefore I desired to pray but again I laid it by and I said it is vain to pray for if I pray and should commit sin I shall be punished or imprisoned but if I pray not I may commit what sin I will and have no punishment for it About a year after I heard the Minister teach another word that the Death of Christ is precious and our death is nothing worth therefore God promiseth pardon of all sins for Christ his sake he bid us remember this against next time When he came again he asked me and I did remember it and do to this day but I confess I did not believe only I did remember it and answered when I was asked And then again I desired to pray to God and would not go away but it was because I loved our place and dwelling I prayed but I believed not I considered not Eternal Life but only this worldly life And thus I went on till they chose Rulers at Natik they chose me and I refused because I believed not After that my Wife and Child died and I was sick to death but lived again and being well I thought I could not pray I was a Child and therefore could not I put off praying to God my Relations died and why should I pray but then I considered why does God thus punish me yea the Minister spake to me about it and said it may be it was because I refused to do Gods work as Moses when he first refused God was patient but when he persisted in his refusal God was angry and then my heart saw my sin and then my heart almost believed I desired to do right and to keep the Sabbath for I further heard in the 4th Commandment Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy and Psa. 101. I will walk wisely in a perfect way Also in Isay 58. If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath and do not thy own works nor find thy own pleasure nor speak thy own words therefore my Soul desired to keep the Sabbath then the Souldiers came upon us on the Sabbath day while we were at meeting and took away our Guns and caused us to bring them as far as Roxbury that night my heart was broken off my heart said God is not the Sabbath is not it is not the Lords Day for were it so the Souldiers would not have then come then my heart cast off praying then we came before the Magistrates and Cutshamoquin asked Why they came on the Sabbath-day It was answered that it was lawful but I did not understand it That day I being very thirsty did drink too much and was brought before the Magistrates and was ashamed I came to Roxbury to the Minister and there I was ashamed also because I had greatly sinned then I cried to God for Free-mercy because precious is the Death of Christ oh pardon this my sin Yet again I had temptations to drinking and then I considered what a great sinner I was even like a beast before God Then I heard that word Mat. 5. He that breaketh the beast of Gods Commands and teacheth others so to do shall be the least in the Kingdome of Heaven My heart said Lord such an one have I been for I have been an active sinner yet I cried again for mercy O Lord freely pardon my great sins Again I confess I am very weak even like a very child and I so walk and know not what to do if I die I fear I shall die in my sin yet I cried again O God pardon me for Christ his sake Again further I confess that when I was troubled about our wants poverty and nakedness I considered that text Foxes have holes and Birds have nests but the Son of man hath not whereon to lay his head And again Mat. 6. The Birds plough not and the flowers spin not and yet God doth both feed and cloath them and therefore be not over-much troubled about these things yet I desire to follow labour with my hands because Gen 1. God gave Adam dominion over the creatures and commanded him to Till the ground And Gen. 2. He set him in the Garden and commanded him to dress it and keep it Also Gen. 3. he said Thou shalt eat thy bread in the sweat of thy face all thy dayes till thou returnest to thy dust When I remember these things my heart doth bow to labour also I heard that riches were the root of all evil and Dives with his fine apparel and dainty fare was in hell and poor Lazarus was in heaven When my heart is troubled about our Land â—nd about riches I quiet my heart with these meditations Also I further heard when my heart was troubled about Salvation and doubted I heard that there is no means of Salvation but Christ not any thing in the world can carry us to heaven only Christ which I did believe by Gen. 28. where Iacob dreamed a dream and he saw a Ladder which stood on earth and the top reached up to heaven and that Ladder is Christ who is Man and so toucheth the earth and God and so is in heaven and by believing in him we ascend to heaven as by a ladder This helped me almost to believe and I cried Oh Christ be thou my Ladder to heaven Again Ioh. 14. Christ saith None cometh to the Father but by me therefore I believe nothing can carry me to God but only Christ if I penitently believe in him Again I confess I do still find my self very weak to resist sin for if I read and teach on the Sabbath I teach indeed but I do not as I ought and therefore that Word of Christ doth rebuke me Mat. 23. Hear and do what they say but do not as they do When I do among others reprove sinners that Word of Christ reproveth me Thou hypocrite first cast the beam out of thine own eye and then thou mayest see clearly so cast the moat out of thy brothers eye Again when I pray I find hypocrisie in my heart to do it to be seen of men and that Word of Christ reproveth me Mat. 6. They pray to be sâ—en of men verily they have their reward and then I cryed mightily to God O Lord help me pardon me what shall I do Again I heard Mat. 9. The Son of Man hath power to pardon sin on earth and therefore me O Lord then
the Holy Bible should be printed in our dayes and at our cost in a Language and for a Nation which never had it to this day That this blessed and beautifull Vndertaking for the gathering in of those poor Souls who yet wander in that Howling wilderness to the Flock and fold of Christ the Great Shepherd of the Sheep may not want their compassionate and chearfull assistance who are already through grace gathered into his holy flocks and folds is the hearty desire and prayer of The 6th of the first Moneth 1659. Sirs Your affectionate friend to serve you in the Lord JOSEPH CARYL A brief Relation received from Mr John Elliott of the late Proceedings with the Indians in New England in order to their admission into Church-fellowship In the year of our Lord 1659. The fifth day of the fifth Moneth THis is the third time that the Praying Indians some of them have been called forth into publick to make open confession of the Name of Christ to come under the publick tryal of Gods people whether they be indeed Christians as fit matter for a Gospel Church Truth loveth and seeketh the light I was stirred up hereunto and quickened by Letters from England The Lord put it into the hearts of such as are honourable reverend and of eminent service to Christ in England to move mee before I moved When I moved this last time I perceived that it was the general inclination of the Spirit of the Saints both Magistrates Elders and others that at lest some of the principal of them should for a season be seasoned in Church-fellowship in communion with our English Churches before they should be Churches among themselves And when it was Objected What should the rest of the people do if the principal and most able should not keep their Sabbaths among them It was Answered That their usual Sabbath conversation should be at home among their own people only sometime to be among the English viz. for participation of the Seals the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lords Supper and for any special Exercise of Discipline When it was Questioned what English Church they should joyn unto All with one mouth said that Roxbury Church was called of God to be first in that service of Christ to receive the praying Indians In the accomplishment whereof I yielded my self up to follow counsel in the Lord The Elders offered themselves on some Lecture day to meet if need were at Roxbury Lecture then to speak with the Church to perswade to an unanimous accord in receiving the Indians for a season which accordingly they did and the Lord was so effectually present in that meeting that all Objections so far as I know were silenced Soon after our Church passed a Vote for the receiving of the Indians The Elders of Roxbury called eight of them to a private preparatory Confession in order to our publick proceeding Wee gave notice of the time and place of this meeting and many were present to hear them both men and women which Confessions I shall here set down for reasons which seem to mee to have much weight and they are as followeth An Abbreviate of the Confessions of some of the Indians which they made before the Elders of Roxbury sundry Christian people being present both men and women the 15th day of the second Moneth 1659. preparatory in order to their admission into the Church Nishoâ—kou OH God of Grace and Salvation help mee by thy spirit to confesse truth and grace in the presence of God 1 I confesse that I have now learned out of Gen. 5. 1. that God made man in the Image of God and Adam lived 130 years and begot a Son in his own Image ver. 3. which then was not the Image of God but by reason of the fall was the Image of Satan and that Image of Satan hee did communicate to us so that wee are all born in sin and so I lived After wee pray'd to God about three years my heart was not yet right but I desired to run wilde as also sundry others did Then I understood that the Lord did make heaven earth sea and all creatures and also man and therefore I understood that God made mee Yet I being young I was still vain and ran about and I liked to do acts of youth and vanity and lust as others did And I went to Pawwauing among others and these things I loved throughly and they grew in my heart and had nourishment there and especially lust if I cut my hair it was with respect to lust to please women if I had long hair it was with respect to lust and all I did was with respect to lust and women when there was meetings drinkings sports they respected lust and these things I perfectly loved When the Minister came to teach us hee taught and I came to meeting but I came to look upon women I understood not what hee taught sometimes I came and understood nothing at all only I look't on women About two years after I began to understand what the Minister preached I understood that Scripture Iam. 1. Hee that doubteth is like a wave of the sea driven of the windes and tossed and if any man lack wisedom let him ask it of God This I understood yet I only understood it but it was very hard to believe Afterward I heard out of Gen. 6. that God spoke concerning man I will destroy man whom I have made because God saw that the way of man was corrupt before him and this troubled mee And again in the same Chapter it is said That God saw that the iniquity of man was great upon the earth and that every imagination of the thought of his heart is only evil continually this troubled mee for I saw the roots of sin in my heart yet it was hard to believe Again in that 6. of Gen. God rebuked that sin in man which was my sin and then my heart was troubled Sometime my heart said it is better to run wilde as I did before then to pray to God for if now I sin or commit lust I shall be punished or put in prison but if I run wilde I have liberty to sin without danger but I was ashamed of such thoughts and repented but yet I doubted After half a year I heard the Minister preach this That Christ his death is of infinite value but our death is little worth God is satisfied with the death of Christ and promiseth to pardon our sins for Christ his sake if wee believe in Christ wee deserve to die but Christ standeth in our stead and dyeth for us and so saveth us from death Next time the Minister came hee asked what I remembred of this I now spoke of and I did remember it and do remember it to this day and I desire to pray to God as long as I live I believe Christ dyed for sinners but I doubted concerning my self Then I heard this promise If you repent and believe
answered Who knoweth that and who can witness that He said The Minister is sent of God and sheweth us Gods Word and hee by that teacheth us Then I promised Waban that when hee came again I would pray to God Then Toteswamp came and exhorted me to pray to God and told me of Christ and pardon of sin and then almost my heart prayed to God Then I said English men understand not me and does God understand me They said God made all◠and understands all then I said I will pray to God Then I heard first that God made heaven and earth and all things and in six dayes finished them and also made man in his own Image wise and holy like God Then I heard that Satan came and tempted Eve and cozened her and she tempted the man And God had said Eat not of the tree in the midst of the Garden if yee eat thereof yee shall dye yet she did eat and gave unto man and he did eat and thereby he sinned and all his posterity became sinful and deserved damnation Then my heart said What shall I do and I prayed for my children for now I hear of eternal damnation and sure I am a great sinner Again I heard the Minister preach That Christ was born like a man and was both God and man and dyed for us and sheweth us the way of eternal life Then I cryed Oh Lord give me Christ because Christ hath dyed for us and hath made his righteousness ours and our sins are Christs as Adam made his sin ours Now my heart was broken and I saw that I was a great sinner When I heard of the great works of Christ I said Oh what shall I do that I may get Christ I said in my heart Oh let the holy Spirit help me for I am ashamed of my sins melted is my heart and I desire pardon of all my sins now I desire to forsake all my sins and now I desire dayly to quench lusts and wash off filth and cast out all my sins by the blood of Jesus Christ and this I do by believing in Jesus Christ Gen. 6. there was only one Noah righteous and God saved him then my heart said Oh mercifull God who savest them that trust in thee save mee Again God made his Covenant with Abraham and with all the seed of Abraham now I desire to have this Covenant and to receive this Commandement of Christ Abraham was strong in faith and followed Christ and my heart doth desire to follow Christ because he hath dyed for us Wutásakómpauin OH Christ help mee I confess my sins before God and before men We are all born in sin because Adam sinned and made his sin ours Our Parents knew not God nor the way of life we Indians are all sinners and did all sins afore we heard of God we did pray to every thing that is in the world and knew not the way of life When English men came first we did pray to the Devil and many were our sins and God doth know all our sins all which we have committed before the English came After the English came I went to Sudbury to Mr Browns house and he said to me Pray to God but I did not like it nor to hear of praying to God but afterwards I heard Waban prayed to God and I was not glad of it yet after Waban prayed he told us of it and that the Minister came to Noonantam I heard him and he taught that the souls of good men die and go to heaven the souls of the wicked when they die they go to hell but I only heard it Then we resolved we would pray to God and carry our children to Roxbury that they might learn to pray but we feared that we should not learn to pray After the Minister taught that word that every man himself must pray and believe to be saved and though your sons be at Roxbury and learn to pray yet if you pray not you must be damned Again I heard many words of God this was one Therefore watch for ye know not the day or hour when the Lord will come When I heard that I knew not what to do nor do I know when is the day of death But I am full of sin and when I die Christ will not receive me because I am so full of sin After that my wise dyed and then weak was my heart almost I left praying to God but yet I did not so But after I heard that word of God Who ever heareth the word and doeth it is like a wise builder who built on a rock and when the storms and floods came and beat upon the house it stood because it was built upon a rock But hee that heareth the word and doth it not is like a foolish builder who built upon the sand and the storms and floods came and beat upon that house and it fell because it was built on the sand By this I saw that I was a foolish builder because the death of my wife did almost make me leave praying to God After I had another wife and shee dyed also Then I heard that word That it is Gods love by afflictions to call us to repentance and therefore my heart said Oh Lord I will pray Oh Lord help me Again I heard another word that at the end of the world all must appear before the Iudgment Seat of Christ and therefore now confess all your sins and repent because Christ hath writ down all your actions both good and bad and all shall be opened and therefore repent of your sins that they may be pardoned Then I said I am a great sinner and ever I commit sin I confesse I have deserved hell and I cannot deliver my self but I beg of God Oh Lord give me Christ and I give my soul to Christ that all my sins may be pardond and I now confess my sins before man but at the end of the world I must be judged by Jesus Christ Now I desire the spirit of God would help me to confess all my sins to God that they may be pardoned in Jesus Christ THese Confessions I wrote in English from their mouthes with the best of my endeavours both for diligence and also faithfulness and so soon as they had done I read them unto the Elders and Brethren and Sisters there present and that the substance hereof was delivered by them and faithfully translated and delivered by me to the lest of my understanding I do here before the Lord testifie JOHN ELIOT I Did understand most things that some of those Indians spake and though others spake not so well to my understanding yet many things I understood of what they all spake and thus much I may testifie that according to what I understood the substance of their Confessions is here truly set down JOHN ELIOT jun. Waban being sick when the rest made their Confession after the Lord had restored him came to Roxbury and
speak it I confesse that in my mothers belly I was defiled in sin my father and mother prayed to many gods and I heard them when they did so and I did so too because my parents did so and in my childhood afore I could act sin I did delight in it as dancing and Pawwaug and when they did so they prayed to many gods as Beasts Birds Earth Sea Trees c. After I was born I did all such things I loved lust when I was a youth though I did act these lusts but a little But when I had a little begun my heart did very much desire more to do such sins I saw the English keep Sabbath I cared not but played and catch't birds or any thing yet when I saw Englishmen I ran away on the Sabbath day because they should not see mee As yet I knew not of great sins as Murder Adultery then some Indians said we must pray to God When I was in English houses I saw them pray and I thought it a vain work They said there was but one God I thought nay there be many Gods When Indians said Wee will pray my heart said No I will not so long as I live Yet I heard more and more of praying to God and that my brothers prayed to God but my heart said Praying to God is vain After I heard Waban did pray and my brothers Wompoâ—as and Toteswoâ—mp yet my heart said No I am well enough I have not so sinned as other men I am no Murderer Adulterer c. Then I ran away yet I was not much troubled because my brothers prayed A little after I came and my brother said to mee I pray you pray to God I answered him not but my heart said No yet I was troubled because I heard my brothers I thought if any should kill my brothers I would kill him if any Warrs were I would go with my brothers only I thought of my love to my brothers and then that if my brother make Warr I would go with him to kill men Now he prayes shall not I go with my brothâ—â—â—◠〈◊〉 my brothers love me and they both pray to God 〈◊〉 should not I They prayed morning and 〈…〉 they eat and on Sabbath dayes then I thought I would do so but it was not for love of God or fear of God but because I loved my brothers Again when I came to Noonantam I heard the Minister preach and I desired to hear what he 〈…〉 taught but I understood not 〈…〉 because I understood stood 〈…〉 to hear I heard some youths 〈…〉 Roxbury My brother said to me Go you because you may learn Smithery For that reason I did go but desired not to learn to pray all these things were vain When we came to Roxbury I said I desired to learn Smithery But my Master said I may not teach him my Trade lest Indians learn to make Locks and Guns Then I would not dwell with him and thought to cast off praying and thought I would forsake my brothers My brother perswaded mee to dwell one year there but I would not yet at last I did dwell there one year and went to meeting but in vain for I understood not one word After that year I returned to Noonantam and then I heard that God made all the world but yet I did not pray to God one jot but still sinned and especially the sin of Lust I made light of any sin I heard and understood the Commands of God Thou shalt not murder commit adultery steal bear false witness covet and that made me afraid to commit sin afore man lest I should be punished or put to death but I feared not God After I heard the Minister ask Who made you A. God and Who redeemed you A. Christ and Who must sanctifie you The holy Ghost and that God made Heaven Earth Sea c. then I a little considered of God who made all this world and then I was afraid I saw that no man could make these things and that therefore we must pray to God Then my heart said Assuredly it is so God made all things and made mee and I must pray to him After this my brothers were sick and I prayed God Oh that they may live and then I heard that now God tryeth mee whether I will pray or no I confesse I have done many sins especially lust though I had not been a Murderer or the like But then my brothers and kindred dyed then my heart said Sure it 's a vain thing to pray to God for I prayed yet my friends dyeâ— therefore I will run wilde and did cast off praying I did not pray morning and night and at meat only on the Sabbath day I came to meeting but I cared not for hearing nor did I believe any thing I heard but I still lived in sin and my heart said I will run away for here we are hindred from sin in other places I may freely sin Then my brothers which lived were troubled for mee Then I said I will abide with my brothers because I love them but not because I would pray Then that Winter God broke my head I knew but little I was almost dead Then my heart said Now I know God is angry with mee for my sins and hath therefore smote mee then I prayed hard when I was almost dead I remembred my sins much and considered them much I remembred that God made all the world and therefore assuredly there is a God I heard that God made Adam and made him in his own image Gen. 1. and assuredly none but God could make all the world heaven earth sea c. then I did believe that God did make the world Again I confesse I saw that I had offended against God and sinn'd against him and that I had the root of sin in me and that I had deserved all miseries and death and hell I heard that God made a Covenant with Adam and forbad him to eat of the Tree in the midst of the Garden and yet he did eat and therefore God was angry with man and I was born in sin and therefore God was angry with me and because I have sometime forsaken God and run wilde therefore I now know my sin and my offence against God I desire no more to cast off God and prayer for now I know my sins and that I have deserved misery therefore now I desired to pray to God as long as I live I desired pardon of my sins and I thought it may be God will pardon mee and my heart prayed to God Oh God if thou give mee life again I will assuredly believe and obey and now I know my sins by the sin of Adam but when I had thus done quickly my heart would be vain again After my wound when I came to my self and awaked I saw my sin and promised God to pray unto him when I saw the mercy of God was so great unto mee I heard that word
then himself and dwelt in that man and the latter end of that man was worse then his beginning When I heard this I feared my heart feared I feared that my repentance and praying and all was nought and that God hath almost quite cast me off Then I considered how I fell into these sins I remembred that the Serpent did deceive the woman she the man and thereby brought sin and thereupon God punished both the man and the woman Hearing this my heart thought Surely I am a great sinner and I was born in sin because my parents were sinners and so am I I have sinned against God and I was born in sin My Parents broke that Command Thou shalt have no other gods but Mee but they served many gods and so did I and therefore the earth bringeth forth thorns and weeds unto man when he laboreth therefore by this I remembred my troublesom life and all is because God is offended at me because of my sins And then I remembred that many of my children are dead this is Gods punishment on me because of my sins Sometime men punished me and were offended at me but now I remembred my sins against God and I saw that the punishments of God are a greater matter Again I heard that word that hee that keepeth his word shall finde mercy I thought so it is indeed but I am a sinner I considered what I should do because I was a sinner and born in sin and have lived in sin I considered assuredly there is a God and God made heaven and earth and all that is therein and all destructions and deaths are the work of God I remembred my vain praying to God and considered what to do I confessed my sins before God and begged pardon for Christ his sake I did finde I could not deliver my self but Christ only is my deliverer and my heart desired to believe and pray to him and yet knew not what to do nor how to please God and get pardon only I prayed Oh Christ deliver mee because I am a sinner and know not what to do Then I remembred that God layeth on us two deaths in this world First the soul is dead and wee are made guilty of Adams sin and have lost Gods Image and hereby my soul is a fool and hereby my soul is dead and a man dead can do nothing nor speak nor go nor stand and verily so is my soul dead and I shall fall to eternal damnation by sin Therefore now I cry to God to help mee for I am throughly a sinner After I heard that God pardoneth penitent believers and I remember the word of Ionas when he was almost cast off he repented and God made a Whale to eat him up and then he looked to God and cryed for mercy and then I saw that if I cry for mercy and believe I shall have pardon I heard that Christ healed all manner of diseases therefore I believed that Christ is the Son of God able to heal and pardon all Now I confess I know nothing almost nothing at all Again Christ saith Hee that is not with mee is against mee my heart said True it is so so must I do I must be with Christ and Hee that gathereth not scattereth I said So it is with mee I have so done I scatter and am a stranger to Christ And I did not truly love them that prayed to God but I was a stranger in heart unto them But now I desire in my heart to do as they do and our poor teaching I desire to obey it and do what God bids and what he saith you shall not do that I desire not to do But yet again I do sin and my sins troubled me by hearing the word of God and yet I would do them I heard that God will pardon all kinde of sins that men sin but the sin against the Holy Ghost shall not be pardoned in this world nor in that which is to come Then I fear'd that I was such an one and that God would not pardon me Then I earnestly entreated God to pardon and deliver me because he was the true deliverer Again I heard that word that they that are well need not the Physitian but the sick My heart said True I did even so I sought not help when I was well but now I remember my sins and now my soul is dead and now I desire that my soul may live and I desire the Physitian of my soul to heal mee and Christ will not in vain heal souls but such as convert from sin and believe in Christ their sins Christ pardoneth this my soul doth earnestly beseech of Christ and else I know not what to do Again I heard that Christ dyed for our sins when we are sinners Again Mat. 26. Christ saith This is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins my heart said Yea Lord let it be so for my soul and let me not be a stranger any more before thee I know not what to do Lord help I desire to be washed from all my filthy sins and to be baptized as a sign of it I am as a dead man in my soul and desire to live Ponampam A Little I shall speak I was young about 8 years old when my father lived I did play as other children did and my father did chide me for playing I wondered at it for he said we shall all die I wondered and sat amazed about half an hour but I soon forgot it That Winter the Pox came and almost all our kindred dyed I and my mother came to the Bay and there dwelt till we pray'd to God but I did nothing but sin as the rest of the world did Then hearing the word of God I heard that from the rising of the sun to the setting thereof my Name shall be known among the Gentiles therefore all must pray to God But my heart did not desire that but to go away to some other place But remembring the word of God that all shall pray to God Then I did not desire to go away but to pray to God But if I pray afore the Sachems pray I fear they will kill me and therefore I will not pray But yet when others prayed I prayed with them and I thought if I run away to other places they will pray too therefore I will pray here Then on a Sabbath none taught and some bid me teach what the Minister had taught us but I feared and durst not for fear of the Sachems yet they urged me and I did And I taught them what I remembred and they were angry at me and we fell out and I went away I thought that my praying would be in vain and I laid by praying and there was Paw-wauing but I doubted to do that because I had prayed and I did think they would laugh at me After I returned again and was among them which prayed but my heart