Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	bone_n	young_a	youth_n	35	3	8.0957	4	false

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

much desire to translate some parts of the Scriptures into their language and to print some Primer in their language wherein to initiate and teach them to read which some of the men do much also desire and printing such a thing will be troublesome and chargable and I having yet but little skill in their language having little leasure to attend it by reason of my continual attendance on my Ministry in our own Church I must have some Indians and it may be other help continually about me to try and examine Translations which I look at as a sacred and holy work and to be regarded with much fear care and reverence and all this is chargable therefore I look at that as a special matter on which cost is to be bestowed if the Lord provide means for I have not means of my own for it I have a family of many children to educate and therefore I cannot give over my Ministry in our Church whereby my family is sustained to attend the Indians to whom I give and of whom I receive nothing nor have they any thing to give so that want of money is the only thing in view that doth retard a more full prosecution of this work unto which the Lord doth ripen them apace Moreover there be sundry prompt pregnant witted youths not vitiously inclined but well disposed which I desire may be wholly sequestred to learning and put to Schoole for that purpose had we means and I suppose ten pounds per Annum to be paid in England will maintaine one Indian youth at Schoole and halfe ascore such Gifts or Annuities would by the blessing of God greatly further this work so farre as concerns that particular I had thought to have set down some of their Questions wherby you might perceive how these dry bones begin to gather flesh and sinnews but partly I have them not ready for I have not leasure to set them down at present and they soone slip my memory and I did it in all my last Letters and may do it again if the Lord will hereafter And therefore thus much at present being cald off to hasten to seale up my Letters the Lord Jesus blesse you sanctifie and keep you in all your labours and travels and accept you and all your works and return you again unto us in due season here to see Gods blessing with your eyes upon those poore souls for whose sakes you have laboured and the Lord supply your absence to all yours and so commending you to the Lord and to the word of his grace which is able to sanctifie and save you I rest Boxburg this 8. of the 5. 49. Your 〈◊〉 Brother and fellow labourer for the good of the poor Indians JOHN ELIOT Worthy and much esteemed in the Lord IT is no small encouragement unto my spirit not only to go on unweariably in this enterprize which the Lord hath set my heart upon but also to expect a great blessing therein only I must intimate two Redundances one is page 8. where there is a great I redundant which maketh the sence untrue but if left out the sence is both good and true for I was not the Nominative case or efficient of that Verb or Act of intreating Mr. Mahu to teach them but it was the Indians Act and so I said and so is the sence if that great I be left out A second Redundancie is page 17. though misfigured and no matter where you put the title of Evangelist upon me which all men take and you seeme so to put it for that extraordinary office mentioned in the New Testament I do beseech you to suppresse all such things if ever you should have occasion of doing the like let us speak and do and carry all things with all humility it is the Lord who hath done what is done and it is most becoming the spirit of Jesus Christ to lift up Christ and our selves lie low I wish that that word could be obliterated if any of the books remain Now seeing it is so great a comfort to you to hear how the Lord is pleased to carry on this work I shall relate unto you some passages whereby you may see in what frame they be I had and still have a great desire to go to a great fishing place Namaske upon Merimak and because the Indians way lyeth beyond the great River which we cannot passe with our horses nor can we well go to it on this side the river unlesse we go by Nashaway which is about and bad way unbeaten the Indians not using that way I therefore hired a hardy man of Nashaway to beat out a way and to mark trees so that he may Pilot me thither in the spring and he hired Indians with him and did it and in the way passed through a great people called Sowahagen Indians some of which had heard me at Pautuket and at Nashaway and had carried home such tydings that they were generally stirred with a desire that I would come and teach them and when they saw a man come to cut out a way for me that way they were very glad and when he told them I intended to come that way the next spring they seemed to him full of joy and made him very welcome But in the Spring when I should have gone I was not well it being a very sickly time so that I saw the Lord prevented me of that journey yet when I went to Pautuket another fiishing place where from all parts about they met together thither came divers of these Sowahegen Indians and heard me teach and I had conference with them and among other things I asked whether Sowahegen Indians were desirous to pray to God they answered yea I asked how many desired it they answered wamu that is All and with such affection as did much affect those Christian men that I had with me in company The chief Sachim of this place Pautuket and of all Mermak in Papassaconnoway whom I mentioned unto you the last yeere who gave up himself and his sonnes to pray unto God this man did this yeer shew very great affection to me and to the Word of God he did exceeding earnestly importunately invite me to come and live there and teach them he used many arguments many whereof I have forgotten but this was one that my coming thither but once in a yeere did them but little good because they soone had forgotten what I taught it being so seldome and so long betwixt the times further he said That he had many men and of them many nought and would not beleeve him that praying to God was so good but if I would come and teach them he hoped they would beleeve me He farther added that I did as if one should come and throw a fine thing among them and they earnestly catch at it and like it well because it looks finely but they cannot look into it to see what is within it and what it is within

in England unto them so as that they might taste a spiritual blessing and finde some edification of their souls by those outward blessings which they received And whereas some as I am informed who came from us to England are no better friends to this work then they should and may speak slightly of it I do intreat that such may be asked but this question Did they so much regard to look after it here as to go three or four miles to some of our meetings and to observe what was said and done there if not how can they tell how things be if they say they were I desire to know what they except against If they say the Indians be all nought because such as come loytering and filtching about in our Townes are so Wish them to consider how unequal that judgment is if all the English should be judged by the worst of them and any should say they be all such this were to condemne the righteous with the wicked Had I leasure I would insert a few more of their questions that you might perceive how flesh and sinewes begin to gather upon these dry bones but I cannot at this time attend it the present work of God among them is to gather them together to bring them to Political life both in Ecclesiastical society and in Civil for which they earnestly long and enquire and some aged ones say Oh that God would let me live to see that day I allude to that in Ezekiel not because I have any light to perswade me these are that people there mentioned only they be dry and scattered bones if any be in the world and the work of God upon all such dry bones I beleeve will be in many things Symmetricall But the work of the day is to civilize them and it will be very chargeable and because in your Letters to Mr. Cotton you desired that he and I should speak with the Commissioners what was fitting to send over for this work we could not speak with the Commissioners of other Colonies nor write to have any seasonable return nor could we communicate the state of the businesse unto them but what was feasible we have done Now dear Sir it may be you will desire to know what kinde of Civil Government they shall be instructed in I acknowledge it to be a very weighty consideration and I have advised with Mr. Cotton and others about it and this I propound as my general rule through the help of the Lord they shall be wholly governed by the Scriptures in all things both in Church and State they shall have no other Law-giver the Lord shall be their Law-giver the Lord shall be their Judge the Lord shall be their King and he will save them and when it is so the Lord reigneth and unto that frame the Lord will bring all the world ere he hath done but it will be more difficult in other Nations who have been adulterate with their Antichristian or humane wisdome they will be loth to lay downe their imperfect own Star-light of excellent Lawes in their conceits for the perfect Sun-light of the Scripture which through blindnesse they cannot see England long since had happy experience of it and it is often in my heart to desire they would pitch there in this present great change they are about this is certaine that all formes and Lawes of mans invention will shake be unsetled and many will doubt of subjecting to any way man can devise and they will never rest till they come up to the Scriptures and when they produce Scripture grounds for all they do it will answer and satisfie all godly consciences and awe the rest and stop their mouths unlesse they will cavill against divine wisdome It is the very reason why the Lord in this houre of temptation will bring Nations into distresse and perplexity that so they may be forced to the Scriptures the light whereof hath sole authority to extricate them out of their deep perplexities and therefore all Governments are and will be shaken that men may be forced to pitch upon the firme and unshaken foundation the Word of God this is doubtlesse the great designe of Christ in these later dayes Oh that mens eyes were open to see it and when the world is brought into this frame then Christ reigneth and when this is Government shall be in the hands of the Saints of the most high But I forget my self this is not my present work it is my desire and prayer my work is to endeavour the setting up Christ Kingdome among the Indians Sir you tell me of one that will publish reasons to prove at least some of the ten Tribes are in America it would be glad tydings to my heart and when Mr. Dudley heard of it he said that Captaine Cromwell who lately dyed at Boston told him that he saw many Indians to the Southward Circumcised and that he was oft conversant among them and saw it with his eyes and was undoubtedly certaine of it this is Captaine Cromwels testimony and it seemeth to be one of the most probable arguments that ever I yet heard of unlesse the Lord shall please to clear it up that they are some of those dry bones which Ezekiel speaketh of Mr. Mahew who putteth his hand unto this Plough at Martins Vineyard being young and a beginner here hath extreme want of books he needeth Commentaries and Common Places for the body of Divinity that so he might be well grounded and principled if therefore the Lord bring any meanes into your hand I desire you would by the help of some godly Divine send him over such books as may be neceassry for a young Scholer I will name no books he needs all I beseech you put some weight upon it for I desire he might be furnished in that kinde and other supplies will be needful for him And for my self I have this request who also am short enough in books that I might be helped to purchase my brother Weld his books the summe of the purchase is 34. livre. I am loth they should come back to England when we have so much need of them here and without ready money there I cannot have them if therefore so much money might be disbursed for me it would be a blessing to me but it is on condition that all his books here be comprehended else I will not give so much for them One thing more I shall mention viz. if the work go on and you send us means then this may be considerable which some have advised me whether it might not be good to send me over a Carpenter or two young men-servants but if you should approve it I desire they may be godly and well conditioned of a good spirit for they must be imployed among the Indians and if they should be naught and of an ill disposition they might do a great deal of hurt but if they be honest meek and well spirited it may be

of Shem. If these people be under a Covenant and Promise as ancient as Shem and Eber it is a ground of faith to expect mercy for them Now this I have thought that it seemeth to me as clear in the Scripture that these are the children of Shem as we of Japhet and Shem was a great man in the Church and to whom Abraham paid Tythes for I beleeve he was Melchisedceck yea it seemeth to me probable that these people are Hebrews of Eber whose sonnes the Scripture sends farthest East as it seemeth to me and learned Broughton put some of them over into America and certainly this Country was peopled Eastward from the place of the Arks resting seeing the finding of them by the West is but of yesterday Now Eber was also a great man in the Church Abraham the Hebrew saith the text and how often in the Scriptures doth the Lord use that blessed word of Grace and Covenant I am the God of the Hebrewes besides there be sundry Prophesies in Scripture unto the goings down of the Sunne and let it be considered whether America be not to be accounted among the places that are the goings down of the Sunne unto those places where those Promises were promulgated And when the Lord inlarged the Promise to Jacob as the light and extent of grace hath ever been encreasing and enlarging he promised to make him a Nation and a multitude of Nations which so farre as we regard a litteral accomplishment is in part accomplisht in the Nation of the Jewes and the other part remaineth as it may seem to be accomplisht in the lost Israelites scattered in the world principally if not wholly amongst the sons of Japhet and Shem and our God who can and will gather the scattered and lost dust of our bodies at the Resurrection can and will finde out these lost and scattered Israelites and in finding up them bring in with them the Nations among whom they were scattered and so shall Jacobs Promise extend to a multitude of Nations indeed and this is a great ground of faith for the conversion of the Easterne Nations and may be of help to our faith for these Indians especially if Rabbi Ben-Israel can make it appeare that some of the Israelites were brought into America and scattered here or if the Lord shall by any meanes give us to understand the same These meditations upon Scripture grounds do minister comfort encouragement to my heart with others also as That all Languages shall see his Glory and that all Nations and Kingdoms shall become the Kingdoms of the Lord Iesus and this I desire to do to look unto Scripture grounds only Oh this precious this perfect Word of God! You intimate also how zealously worthy Mr. Owen did prosecute this work the Lord reward him and the Lord accept him in all his holy labours Likewise you intimate how acceptable this work is to the Parliament that blessed Assembly whom the Lord Christ hath delighted to make instrumental to begin to set up the longed for prayed for and desired Kingdome of the Lord Jesus for we may see in some measure the accomplishment of that Prophesie of Christ Luke 21. 25. The peaceable summer beginning to arise out of these distressed times of perplexity all those signes preceding the glorious coming of Christ are accomplishing and a thick black cloud is gathered a cloud of blood confusion Heresies and Errors and the thickest and most portentous black part of that cloud is the Toleration of the most grosse and convicted impieties under the pretence of conscience which misapplication of the Sword of Authority if it should awhile prevaile cannot be innocent and will undoubtedly prolong the storme and delay of the reigne of Christ But notwithstanding all this black cloud who seeth not the glorious coming of the Lord Jesus breaking through this cloud and coming with power and great glory He is King of Kings and reigneth over Kings for where Justice reignes Christ doth reigne and that Antichristian principle for man to be above God whether the Pope in the Church or Monarches in the Common-wealth is thrown to the ground He that is above the Law is above the Word and he that is above the Word is above Christ Christ reigneth not over such as be above his Law But behold now Christ reigneth and gloriously breaks forth in the brightnesse of his coming and will in his time scatter all this thick black cloud yea the thickest of it Now this glorious work of bringing in and setting up the glorious kingdome of Christ hath the Lord of his free grace and mercy put into the hands of this renowned Parliament and Army Lord put it into all their hearts to make this designe of Christ their main first and chiefest endeavour according to the Word Seek first the Kingdom of heaven and the righteousnesse thereof and all other things shall be added And when the Lord Jesus is about to set up his blessed Kingdome among these poore Indians also how well doth it become the spirit of such instruments in the hand of Christ to promote that work also being the same businesse in some respect which themselves are about by the good hand of the Lord Surely Sir your chief work of this nature now is to follow this Indian work which sticks in the birth for want of means You would marvel if I should tell you how they long to come into a way of civility by co-habitation and by forming government among themselves that so they being in such order might have a Church and the Ordinances of Christ among them but want of a Magazine of all sorts of tools and materials for such a work is the present impediment The Lord is wiser then man and his time is best I will not say any thing now for farther direction about what is requisite for the work which the Lord is preparing their hearts unto my former Letters have said enough that way partly to you and partly to Mr. Pelham whose Letters I hope you have seen as containing sundry things necessary for your view and I doubt not but your wisdome will readily adde what is lacking in what I have projected only let me say this that I dayly still see more evidence that that is the very way which the Lord would have us take at present Let me I beseech you trouble you a little farther with some considerations about this great Indian work which lyeth upon me as my continual care prayer desire and endeavour to carry on namely for their schooling and education of youth in learing which is a principal means for promoting of it for future times If the Lord bring us to live in a Towne and Society we must have speiial care to have Schools for the instruction of the youth in reading that they may be able to read the Scriptures at least And therefore there must be some Annual revenew for the maintaining of such Schoolmasters and Dames Besides I do very