Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	hear_v	pray_v	prayer_n	3,315	5	6.6995	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96415	The light appearing more and more towards the perfect day. Or, a farther discovery of the present state of the Indians in New-England, concerning the progresse of the Gospel amongst them. Manifested by letters from such as preacht to them there. / Published by Henry Whitfeld, late pastor to the Chuch [sic] of Christ at Gilford in New-England, who came late thence.	Whitfield, Henry, 1597-1660?; Mayhew, Thomas, fl. 1651.; Eliot, John, 1604-1690.	1651 (1651)	Wing W1999; Thomason E624_3; ESTC R206427	44,315	54

and masse of them there is one above doth know that my heart melteth towards it desiring the Lord to give me grace to sorrow in secret for millions of them who were never yet acquainted with what many of these poore Indianns have felt and found of the things of Christ and that multitudes of such who hold forth a profession of Christian Religion yet fall short of them in regard of their belief and practise Here I helped my self by comparing the one with the other and that in divers particulars 1. These Indians are found to speak of such whose hearts the Lord hath opened by his Word and Spirit to prize Ordinances and such as bring the Light to them even that poor Indian whose best clothing is a simple skin about him of whom you read in the first Letter yet they honour him for his works sake and for those gifts piety and modesty they see in him Here Ministers of Christ are despised though many of them are eminent for parts wisdome and known integrity 2. These Indians are plain-hearted seek for Christ to enjoy him for himself they receive the Truth in the love of it and obey it without shifting or gain-saying Here men have their own ends to tend to in matter of Religion take up the forme and let the power lie as not serving their turn have evasions to get from under the authority of the truth and the Majesty of the Rules of Christ here is rending and tearing of wits whilst we wrangle one another out of the truth till love and peace be lost 3. These Indians are industrious and pursue the things of their salvation rest they cannot have it they must what ever it cost them bearing up strongly against all opposition We have weak and bed-rid dispositions sunk down into a sottish and sensuall way in many the kingdome of Hell suffers violence and none can withstand them but thither they will 4. These mourn and weep bitterly and are pained under the sight and sense of their sins when convinced of them that some of them have been known to have wet with their teares the places weere they have stood We here for the most part the Lord knowes live with dry eyes and hard hearts and sleight spirits 5. They are careful and constant in duties of worship both in private and family prayer hearing the Word observation of the Sabbath meet often together and will pray together as occasion serves converse lovingly together are teachable patient and contented O that there were such hearts in us O that their example did not shame multitudes of us who are fearfully guilty of omitting what the very light of Nature cals for from us For this my heart is sad fearing that if the Lord do not mightily step in the next generation will be betrayed to Ignorance of the Truth as it is in Jesus to Delusions and Profanenesse and be rendred odious to all our neighbour Nations and that these Indians will rise up in judgment against us and our children at the last day Brethren the Lord hath no need of us but if it please him can carry his Gospel to the other side of the world and make it there to shine forth in its glory brightnesse power and purity and leave us in Indian darknesse And concerning these Indians who have tasted how gracious the Lord is though it cannot be expected but that the Devil should be like himself by the counter-working of this blessed work both by himself and his instruments so as to cause many of them to totter back slide and fall away from what they have professed yet I have ground to conceive and hope that there is such a candle lighted amongst the Indians in those parts which shall not be put out till Christ comes to judgment for the accomplishment of which he shall not cease to pray who is Your loving friend in all Christian duties HENRY WHITFELD FINIS Some call it Marthaes Vineyard By this name they call their Kings and Governors * An Indian house or Wigwam is made with smal poles like an arbour covered with mats and their fire is in the midst over which they leave a place for the smoak to go out at Though I have written this passage to Mr. Winslow in my Letter to him which is printed yet it is not so full a story as here and therfore I have added it This man when I was in the Iland I often saw and spake with seeing also the skar upon his eye-brow and nose Although I was present at this meeting from the beginning to the end yet it was done without my privity or putting them on upon it but it came meerly from themselves This was Towanqueticks eldest sonne Gen. 10. Vide Ainsw. 〈◊〉 loc. Ezek. 11. 16.

that they were desirous to strengthen themselves in the way of God to have good hearts and one heart and to walk together in love in the wayes of God So after they had eaten together the victuals of their own providing and we had sung part of a Psalme in their own language and I had prayed with them they returned with the manifestation of much joy and thankfulnesse and this I can say they are generally constant in the way of God and I have great hopes of some of them blessed be his name year 1649 After this it pleased the Lord to stirre up the hearts of the Indians to appoint another meeting and many Indians being met they fell to a great discourse about the Pawwawes power to kill men and there were many stories told of the great hurt they had done by their witchcraft many wayes here you must know that though the Indians many of them were brought by the knowledge they had of God to renounce the Pawwawes help in time of sicknesse or otherwise yet they found it hard to get from under the yoake of cruelty that they and their forefathers had so long groaned under for I know some that then groaned under it acknowledged they did see that in God which would free them from it if they had but confidence to trust in him Then the question was asked Who is there that doth not fear the Pawwawes answer was made by some who favoured them there is not any man which is not afraid of the Pawwawes then looking upon Hiacoomes who was one that protested most against them told him that the Pawwawes could kill him he answered they could not they asked him againe why he told them because he did beleeve in God and trust in him and that therfore all the Pawwaws could not do him any hurt Then they all wondered exceedingly when he spake thus so openly Then divers of them said one by one though before I was afraid of the Pawwawes yet now because I hear Hiacoomes his words I do not fear them but beleeve in God too Then the meeting at this time was carried on and Hiacoomes is desired by the Indians to reckon up their sins unto them he presently found 45. or 50. and as many good duties his work was very well liked and in the conclusion twenty two Indians were found to resolve against those evils and to walk with God and attend the word of God year 1650 But I may not here forget an Indian called Hummanequem who exceeded all the rest to the wonderment of the Indians he with much sorrow hatred and courage related about twenty of his own sins and professed to follow the one God against all opposition He told them he was brought into this condition by Hiacoomes his counsel from the Word of God which at first he said he liked not afterwayes laid it by him as a thing to be considered not knowing well what to do at last looking over things again he came to this resolution which you have now heard I confesse this action makes me think he spake more then from a natural principle considering that the man hath been since an earnest seeker of more light both publike and private as also for refusing the help of a Pawwaw which lives within a bow shoot of his doore when his wife was three dayes in travel and waited patiently upon God till they obtained a merciful deliverance by prayer And whilst we were making progresse in the work of the Lord on a Lecture day an Indian stood up and said he had been a sinner and committed many evill things but now was sorry for them and did repent desired to forsake his sins and to walk in Gods way Then he went to the Sagamore Towanquetick and took him by the hand saying I do love you and do greatly desire to go along with you for Gods sake the like also he said to some others and then came to me in like manner saying I pray love me and I do love you and am desirous to go with you for Gods sake so he was received with many thanks and since I know him to be diligent and laborious I confesse I marvelled to see them act with such a spirit but I considered it was sutable to their own meeting in 48. Now the Indian accompanied his friend that suddenly lost his two sons he I say remaining still in his obstinacy is also found out and feeles the wrath of God being stricken with a dead Palsie all one side of him but his eye and eare The dead Palsie is a strange and unwonted disease amongst the Indians I have beene sometimes with him when I spake to him he fetched many sighs he is at this day a living and a dead monument of the Lords displeasure having hurt himself most and done them most good he hated Another thing is a remarkable combate between two Indians and a Pawwaw who on the Lords day after meeting came in very angry saying I know the meeting Indians are lyars you say you care not for the Pawwawes then calling two or three of them by name and railing at them told them that they were deceived for the Pawwawes could kill all the meeting Indians if they did set about it with that one of the young men replyed with much courage saying it is true I do not fear the Pawwawes neither do I desire any favour at their hands pray kill me if you can And Hiacoomes told him also that he would be in the midst of all the Pawwawes of the Iland that they could procure and they should do their utmost they could against him and when they did their worst by their witchcrafts to kill him he would without feare set himself against them by remembring Jehovah he told him also that he did put all the Pawwawes under his heel pointing unto it which answers did presently silence the Pawwawes devillish spirit and had he nothing to say but that none but Hi●●oomes was able so to do I have observed the wise disposing hand of God in another Providence of his there have not as I know any man woman or child died of the meeting Indians since the meeting began untill now of late the Lord took away Hiacoomes his child which was about five dayes old he was best able to make a good use of it and to carry himself well in it and so was his wife also and truly they gave an excellent example in this also as they have in other things here were no black faces for it as the manner of the Indians is nor goods buried with it nor hellish howlings over the dead but a patient resigning of it to him that gave it There were some English at the burial and many Indians to whom I spake something of the Resurrection and as we were going away one of the Indians told me he was much refreshed in being freed from their old customes as also to hear of the Resurrection of good men