Selected quad for the lemma: hand_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
hand_n	write_v	year_n	youth_n	43	3	7.7950	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30858	The Banners of grace and love displayed in the farther conversion of the Indians in New-England held forth in sundry letters from divers ministers to the corporation established by Parliament, for promoting the Gospel amongst the heathen in New-England : and farther attested by Edm. Callamy, Simon Ashe, VVill Spurstow, Lazarus Seaman, George Griffith, [brace] [brace] Phil Nye, VVilliam Bridge, Henry VVhitfield, Joseph Carryll, Ralph Venning.		1657 (1657)	Wing B674; ESTC R38715	37,188	57

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 a 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 Pawtucket 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 〈◊〉 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 as they might propound and to stirre them up to call on God I did accordingly and sent him a Present by

of Grace on which he dilated shewing what excellent pearles these are exhorting all to account so of them and on this point he did much insist secondly he asked what is the Feild where these pearles are to be found he answered the Church of Christ which they did desire to constitute in this place and to that end come thither to dwell Thirdly he asked what is it to sell all that a man hath to buy this Feild He answered to part with all their sinnes and to part with all their old Customes and to part with their friends and lands or any thing which hindereth them from coming to that place where they may gather a Church and enjoy all these pearles and here he insisted much to stirre them up that nothing should hinder them from Gathering together into this place where they might enjoy such a mercy Then he proceeded to the second parable and his first Question was Who is the Marchant man that seeketh goodly pearles he answered it is all you Indians which pray to God and repent of sinne and come to heare the word of God you come to seeke for excellent pearles and here also he insisted his second Question was What is this pearle of great price now in answer to this Question he did not pitch it on Christ alone and shew the worth and price of Christ but he did pitch it on faith in Jesus Christ and repentance for sinne and stood upon the excellency and necessitie thereof And this was the greatest defect I observed in his Exercise which seeing I undertake to relate that which none but my selfe understood I dare not but truely relate because the Lord heard all and I must give an account of this relation before him His next question was What is meant by all the Riches he had he answered his sinnes his evill Customes his evill manners in which he formerly tooke much pleasure And here he dilated also Lastly he asked how did he sell them all and buy the pearle he answered by casting away forsaking all his sinnes mourning and repenting of them praying to God and believing in Jesus Christ And here he fervently dilated and so ended and this according to the best of my memory and observation is the substance of what he delivered Whereby you may observe the manner of my teaching them for they imitate mee as for our method of preaching to the English by way of Doctrine reason and use neither have I liberty of speech for that way of teaching being very unskilfull in their Language nor have they sufficient abilitie of understanding to profit by it so well as by this way whereof you have herein a little Taste Jo Eliot The next Letter good Reader for we place them according to their severall dates is one that came from Mr John Wilson that reverend holy man who is Pastor of the Church of Christ at Boston in New England who accompanying the Governour together with Mr Eliot and sundry others to their new Towne built by the Converted Indians where they purpose by Gods permission to cohabite together that so they may enjoy all those Ordinances the Lord Jesus hath left unto his Church Now what Mr Wilson there saw heard and observed that he hath written over to us and we have published for thy information and consolation Honoured and ever deare Sir TOuching the worke of God among the Indians for ought I heare or see from them that are most conversant therein as Mr Eliot Mr Mahew and Mr Leverich with whom I have made diligent enquiry It doth prosperously succeed to their great encouragement and ours in the Lord. There was here some few weekes since the prime Indian at Marthas Vineyard with Mr Mahewe Humanequinn a grave and solemne Man with whom I had serious discourse Mr Mahewe being present as Interpreter between us who is a great proficient both in knowledge and utterance and love and practice of the things of Christ and of Religion much honoured and reverenced and attended by the rest of the Indians there who are solemnely Covenanted together I know not how many but between thirtie or fortie at the least and receive none into their Fraternitie or Combination but those which give good proofe of their upright desires to their Conscience in their professions and Conversations who when Mr Mahewe cannot be with them as at many set times he is doth in the weeke time instruct himselfe from Mr Mahews mouth and prepare for their instruction on the Lords day which they conscionably observe and have their constant solemne meetings together This man where he was had communion on the Lords day with Mr Eliots Indians neere Dorchester Mill unto whom he preached or declared what he had learned himselfe from the Scripture some two houres together with solemne prayer before and after and then ended with a Psalme such as at home is wont to be sung among his usuall hearers The Lords day after he was in our Assembly the Boate then being ready to carry him home by the next opportunitie and truely my reverence to him was such as there being no roome I prayed our brethren to receive that good Indian into one of their pewes which they did forenoone and afternoone and at meale I perceived by him that he had understanding of what he heard Mr Leverich being lately here and at my house who also preached at our new Church I conferred with him about the beginnings and progresse of the Lords worke among his neighbouring Indians at Sandwich and did heare from him what did my heart good And therefore when he tooke his leave of me I requested him that he would doe me the favour at his returne home to send me a briefe story of that good hand of God which was there upon them ab origine which I thanke him he did soone after and I thought not amisse to inclose it as it came to me being written with his own hand not doubting but it would adde unto your rejoycing in the Lord. About a fortnight since there was a Lecture to be of Mr Eliot at Naticke the new Indian Towne where he useth frequently to preach to them besides what he doth neere home on either side and many times doth keepe the Lords day with them whereof having some notice and that the Governour Mr Endicot intended then to be there my Cosin Rawson and I with some other did prepare to ride thither the Governour and his Sergeants lying at Dedham which is within seaven or eight miles of the Towne and we at Mr Jacksons neere Watertowne Mill in like distance in the next morning after we had been some houres there where we found Mr Eliot and by that time we bad viewed all things the Governour came with about twentie horsemen from Dedham and made a like view after which the 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