Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	according_a	lord_n	people_n	2,899	5	4.6740	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A39229	A late and further manifestation of the progress of the gospel amongst the Indians in Nevv-England declaring their constant love and zeal to the truth : with a readiness to give accompt of their faith and hope, as of their desires in church communion to be partakers of the ordinances of Christ : being a narrative of the examinations of the Indians, about their knowledge in religion, by the elders of the churches / related by Mr. John Eliot.	Eliot, John, 1604-1690.; Walton, William, d. 1668. Examination of the Indians at Roxbury.; Society for Propagation of the Gospel in New England.	1655 (1655)	Wing E517; ESTC R9453	17,654	32

course of life unto civill Co-habitation and Government before they could according to the will of God revealed in the Scriptures be fit to be betrusted with the sacred Ordinances of Jesus Christ in Church-Communion And therefore I propounded unto them that they should look out some fit place to begin a Towne unto which they might resort and there dwell together enjoy Government and be made ready and prepared to be a People among whom the Lord might delight to dwell and Rule When they understood the mind of God in this matter they were desirous to set upon the work The reallity of which desires the living have actually expressed by their performance thereof in some poor measure and some of them dying left their earnest affections and desires with the rest to set upon that work especially Wampocas a godly man of whose death and exhortations that way I have made some mention in some former Letters We accordingly attended thereunto to search for a fit place and finally after sundry journeyes and travells to severall places the Lord did by his speciall providence and answer of prayers pitch us upon the place where we are at Natick Unto which place my purpose at first was to have brought all the Praying Indians to Co-habit together But it so fell out by the guidance of God as it now appeareth that because the Cohannet Indians desired a place which they had reserved for themselves and I finding that I could not at that time pitch there without opposition from some English I refused that place and pitched at Natick where I found no opposition at present This choyce of mine did move in the Cohannet Indians a jealousie that I had more affection unto those other Indians then unto them By which occasion together with some other Providences of God as the death of Cutshamoquin and the coming of I●sias to succeed in the Sachemship in that place their minds were quite alienated from the place of Natick though not from the work for they desire to make a Towne in that fore-mentioned place of their owne named Ponkipog and are now upon the work And indeed it now appeareth to be of the Lord because we cannot have competent accommodations at Natick for those that be there which are about fifty Lots more or lesse And furthermore by the blessing of God upon the work there are People partly prepared and partly preparing for three Townes more Insomuch as that it is most evident that had I procceded according to my first intentions to have called them all unto that one place we must have been forced very quickly to have scattered againe for want of accommodations for so great a company of Inhabitants and so have discouraged them at our first onset of drawing them from their scattered way of living unto Co-habitation seeing it would have brought them unto such wants and streights as they could not have grapled withall but rather would have been occasioned to think there were insuperable difficulties in this enterprise Whereas in lesser companies they may find a more plentifull and better course of life then they found in that former way out of which they are called as through Gods mercy and the bounty of good people in England whose love layeth the foundation-stone of the work they doe already feele and find at Natick and begin to find at Ponkipog In prosecution of this work in the year 1650 we began by the Lords assistance our first Towne at Natick where we built a Fort and one dwelling-house In the year 51 after Fasting and Prayer about that matter they gave up themselves and their Children to be governed by the Lord according to his word in all wayes of civility and chose among themselves Rulers of ten fifty and an hundred according to the holy Patterne so far as they could In which way of Government the Lord hath not a little owned them and blessed them In the year 52 I perceiving the grace of God in sundry of them and some poor measure of fitnesse as I was perswaded for the enjoyment of Church-fellowship and Ordinances of Jesus Christ I moved in that matter according as I have in the Narration thereof briefly declared In the year 53 I moved not that way for these Reasons I having sent their Confessions to be published in England I did much desire to hear what acceptance the Lord gave unto them in the hearts of his people there who daily labour at the Throne of grace and by other expressions of their loves for an holy birth of this work of the Lord to the praise of Christ and the inlargement of his Kingdome As also my desire was that by such Books as might be sent hither the knowledge of their Confessions might be spread here unto the better and fuller satisfaction of many then the transacting thereof in the presence of some could doe These Books came by the latter Ships as I remember that were bound for New-England and were but newly out when they set saile and therefore I had not that answer that year which my soule desired though something I had which gave encouragement and was a tast of what I have more fully heard from severall this year praised be the Lord Besides there fell a great damping and discouragement upon us by a jealousie too deeply apprehended though utterly groundlesse viz. That even these praying Indians were in a conspiracy with others and with the Dutch to doe mischief to the English In which matter though the ruling part of the People looked otherwise upon them yet it was no season for me to stir or move in this matter when the waters were so troubled This businesse needeth a calmer season and I shall account it a savour of God when ever he shall please to cause his face to shine upon us in it Yet this I did the last year after the Books had been come a season there being a great meeting at Beston from other Colonies as well as our owne and the Commissioners being there I thought it necessary to take that opportunity to prepare and open the way in a readinesse against this present year by making this Proposition unto them namely That they having now seen their confessions if upon further triall of them in point of knowledge they be found to have a competent measure of understanding in the fundamentall points of Religion and also if there be due testimony of their conversation that they walke in a Christian manner according to their light so that Religion is to be seen in their lives whether then it be according to God and acceptable to his people that they be called up unto Church-estate Unto which I had I blesse the Lord a generall approbation Accordingly this year 54 I moved the Elders that they would give me advice and assistance in this great businesse that they would at a fit season examine the Indians in point of their knowledge because we found by the former triall that a

day will be too little if the Lord please to call them on to Church-fellowship to examine them in points of Knowledge and hear their Confessions and guide them into the holy Covenant of the Lord Seeing all these things are to be transacted in a strange language and by Interpreters and with such a people as they be in these their first beginnings But if they would spend a day on purpose to examine them in their knowledge there would be so much the more liberty to doe it fully and throughly as such a work ought to be as also when they may be called to gather into Church-Communion it may suffice that some one of them should make a Doctrinall Confession before the Lord and his people as the rule of faith which they build upon the rest attesting their consent unto the same And themselves the Elders I mean if the Lord so far assist the Indians as to give them satisfaction might testifie that upon Examination they have found a competency of knowledge in them to inable them unto such a work and state And thus the work might be much shortned and more comfortably expedited in one day I found no unreadinesse in the Elders to further this work Some dispute there was about Officers in the Church if they should be found fit matter to proceed of which I shall anon speak God-willing They concluded to attend the work and for severall Reasons advised that the place should be at Roxbury and not at Natick and that the Indians should be called thither the time they left to me to appoint in such a season as wherein the Elders may be at best liberty from other publick occasions The time appointed was the 13 of the 4 moneth mean while I dispatched Letters unto such as had knowledge in the Tongue requesting that they would come and help in Interpretation or attest unto the truth of my Interpretations I sent also for my Brother Mayhu who accordingly came and brought an Interpreter with him Others whom I had desired came not I informed the Indians of this appointment and of the end it was appointed for which they therefore called and still doe when they have occasion to speak of it Natootomuhteáe kesuk A day of asking Questions or A day of Examination I advised them to prepare for it and to pray earnestly about it that they might be accepted among Gods people if it were the will of God It pleased God so to guide that there was a publick Fast of all the Churches betwixt this our appointment and the accomplishment thereof which day they kept as the Churches did and this businesse of theirs was a Principall matter in their Prayers It hath pleased God to lay his hand in sicknesse upon Monequassun our Natick Schoolmaster so that we greatly wanted his help and concurrence in this businesse Yea and such is his disease viz. an Vlcer in his Lungs that I fear the Lord will take him away from us to the great hindrance of our work in respect of humane means Lord increase our faith There fell out a very great discouragement a little before the time which might have been a scandall unto them and I doubt not but Satan intended it so but the Lord improved it to stir up faith and Prayer and so turned it another way Thus it was Three of the unsound sort of such as are among them that pray unto God who are hemmed in by Relations and other means to doe that which their hearts love not and whose Vices Satan improveth to scandalize and reproach the better sort withall while many and some good People are too ready to say they are all alike I say three of them had gotten severall quarts of Strong-water which sundry out of a greedy desire of a little gaine are too ready to sell unto them to the offence and grief of the better sort of Indians and of the godly English too and with these liquors did not onely make themselves drunk but got a Child of eleven years of age the Son of Toteswamp whom his Father had sent for a little Corne and Fish to that place near Watertowne where they were Unto this Child they first gave too spoonfulls of Strong-water which was more then his head could bear and another of them put a Bottle or such like Vessell to his mouth and caused him to drink till he was very drunk and then one of them domineered and said Now we will see whether your father will punish us for Drunkennesse for he is a Ruler among them seeing you are drunk with us for company and in this case lay the Child abroad all night They also fought and had been severall times Punished formerly for Drunkennesse When Toteswamp heard of this it was a great shame and breaking of heart unto him and he knew not what to doe The rest of the Rulers with him considered of the matter they found a complication of many sins together 1 The sin of Drunkennesse and that after many former Punishments for the same 2 A willfull making of the Child drunk and exposing him to danger also 3 A degree of reproaching the Rulers 4 Fighting Word was brought to me of it a little before I took Horse to goe to Natick to keep the Sabbath with them being about ten dayes before the appointed Meeting The Tidings sunk my spirit extreamly I did judge it to be the greatest frowne of God that ever I met withall in the work I could read nothing in it but displeasure I began to doubt about our intended work I knew not what to doe the blacknesse of the sins and the Persons reflected on made my very heart faile me For one of the offendors though least in the offence was he that hath been my Interpreter whom I have used in Translating a good part of the Holy Scriptures and in that respect I saw much of Satans venome and in God I saw displeasure For this and some other acts of Apostacy at this time I had thoughts of casting him off from that work yet now the Lord hath found a way to humble him But his Apostacy at this time was a great Tryall and I did lay him by for that day of our Examination I used another in his room Thus Satan aimed at me in this their miscarrying and Toteswamp is a Principall man in the work as you shall have occasion to see anon God-willing By some occasion our Ruling Elder and I being together I opened the case unto him and the Lord guided him to speak some gracious words of encouragement unto me by which the Lord did relieve my spirit and so I committed the matter and issue unto the Lord to doe what pleased him and in so doing my soul was quiet in the Lord I went on my journey being the 6 day of the week when I came at Natick the Rulers had then a Court about it Soon after I came there the Rulers came to me with a Question about this matter