you shall have pardon and be saved and therefore sometime I believe and sometimes I doubt again Afterward I had temptation to drinking and to vain courses nigh half a year yet when Sabbath came my heart would turn to God when the Soldiers came upon us on the Sabbath while wee were at meeting and made us bring our guns hither then my heart said Sure God hath not said Keep the Sabbath day holy and then my heart cast off God yet it was only in my heart When wee came to the Magistrates and Cutshamoquin asked Why they came on the Sabbath day my heart was troubled and I did believe when wee went from the Magistrates I was thirsty and I drank a great deal and I was drunk and was carried before the Magistrates and then I was ashamed Then I came to the Ministers house and I was greatly ashamed and my heart said Sure I have now cast off praying to God but I repented and cryed to God Oh God pardon all my sins and this my sin for my sins are great I had other temptations to drinking and I found my heart weak and doubting but my heart was troubled and I was ready to stumble like a little weak childe After this I heard that word of God Mat. 12. Do yee not remember what David did on the Sabbath day and was blamelesse Then I thought the Souldiers did not sin but then I saw that I was a great sinner and that I had broken the Sabbath Again I heard that word Mat. 3. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewen down and cast into the fire and this troubled mee because I had evil fruits Again Mat. 6. Christ saith Be ye not like hypocrites which seem to pray before men I thought this was my case I did only pray before men but I doubted of Christ and his Grace Again Mat. 5. Who ever breaks the least of Gods Commandements and teach men so to do shall be least in the Kingdom of heaven Then I was troubled because I had been an active sinner in lust and other sins and I was worse then a beast in my sins Then I cryed to God Oh Christ pardon all my great sins Oh Christ have mercy on mee Oh God remember mee to pardon all my sins Thus I cryed and desired pardon but I was weak in believing But then about two years after I was greatly troubled about my weakness I desired to do well but I was weak Then I cryed to God Oh God help mee by thy spirit in mee and send thy spirit into my heart Sometimes I read and taught on the Sabbath day but weakly Then I heard Mat. 23. Christ bid the people do what the Scribes and Pharisees said but not do as they do I said Lord that is my case I teach better then I do and therefore I desired repentance for my sin and to forsake my sin Then Mat. 7. Christ saith Thou hypocrite first cast the beam out of thy own eye and then thou mayst see clearly to cast the mote out of thy brothers eye My heart said Truly it is so I teach others but I do not well my self I reprove sin and yet I do it Then was my heart weary and I desired again to do well and amend but I found my self very weak Sometime my heart hated praying to God and meeting on the Sabbath dayes and therefore I see I deserve hell torments and then I cryed Oh Christ pardon all these my sins Then afterward my heart desired strongly to pray unto God but I saw I deserved misery and punishment and I was weak Then I desired my heart might be made strong by Church-covenant Baptism and the Lords Supper which might be as a Fort to keep me from enemies as a Fort keepeth us from our outward enemies Yet my heart was sometime backward and said No matter do it not but still do what thy heart would have thee And I saw Satan did thus follow mee with these temptations to misbelief and doubting But now I see Satan tempteth mee because hee desireth I should be ever tormented with him Then I learned that in Iohn 6. I am the true bread and hee that eateth mee shall live for ever and hee that drinketh my blood shall have life but hee that doth not eat my flesh and drink my blood shall not have life Then my heart saith Truth Lord that is my case Again I learnt Iohn 3. Hee that believeth shall not perish but have eternal life And my heart said Yea Lord let it be so Again Mat. 16. Christ saith Thou art Peter a Rock and on this Rock I will build my Church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it Therefore my heart said I desire this because Christ dwells in the Church and is in the midst of them where two or three are met together in my name Oh! I do therefore desire Church Ordinances that I might be with Christ and that I might have the Seals Mat. 3. Christ sayes Let it be for it is necessary that I should fulfill all righteousness My heart said Oh that I might also so do O Lord now my heart desireth and thirsteth Oh God have mercy on mee and pity my weakness that I may have pardon in Christ and strength from Christ in all his Ordinances and that I might leave all my sins and Oh God pardon all my sins for thy mercies sake I know not what to do I am so weak Oh God help and have mercy on mee And the same I desire of you before whom I am in this house help mee for Mat. 16. whom yee binde on earth are bound in heaven and whom yee loose on earth are loosed in heaven and my desire is that Christ would pardon all my sins and that I may be helped Elder Heath propounded this Question which hee answered in broken English Question Whether doth Satan still tempt you with former lusts and temptations and what do you when you are tempted Answer to the first part Yes alwaies to this day To the second part When Devil comes I sometime too much believe him but sometime I remember to do Gods Word because Gods Word is all one a sword and breaks the Devils temptations Deacon Park propounded this Question What is it in sin why hee hateth it now more then before Answ. his answer in broken English I did love sin but now not all one so because I hear Gods Word and that shewes mee that which I loved is evil and will bring mee to hell therefore I love it not now Deacon Park urged Doth hee hate sin because it is against God Answ. That chiefly Anthony FIrst I make confession in the presence of God and of all these Elders and this I confesse that I am not able to speak before the Lord yet I do it according as God requireth I should Assuredly I am a sinner but now I hope Christ hath taught mee his Word Oh let him my Lord help mee to
A further Account of the progress OF THE GOSPEL Amongst the Indians In New England BEING A Relation of the Confessions made by several Indians in the presence of the Elders and Members of several Churches in order to their admission into Church-fellowship Sent over to the Corporation for Propagating the Gospel of Iesus Christ amongst the Indians in New England at London by Mr Iohn Elliot one of the Laborers in the Word amongst them LONDON Printed by Iohn Macock 1660. TO ALL That love the Lord Iesus Christ in sincerity and have a zeal for the propagation of Gospel-light to those who sit in darkness Grace and peace be multiplyed Brethren IT was the holy ambition and strife of the Apostle Paul that chosen Vessel to bear the Name of Christ before the Gentiles to preach the Gospel where Christ was not named lest hee should seem to build upon another mans foundation Rom. 15. 20. To hand on a good work begun by another is very commendable and shall not loose its reward but to break the ice and begin a good work is very honourable and shall surely have a great reward I am much perswaded it hath been the gracious strife I am sure it hath been the lot of many of our faithfull Brethren in New England to preach the Gospel where Christ was not named before and the Lord hath given a signal Testimony that they have not laboured in vain Wee reade of the First-fruits of Achaia unto Christ Rom. 16. 5. and again 1 Cor. 16. 15. Wee have also heard both of the First-fruits and Second-fruits of India in New England unto Christ and these are a fair assurance of a plentifull harvest there in due time A blessed Foundation is laid yea the Building begins to appear above ground in the visible profession or professed subjection of many poor Souls unto the Gospel of Christ May wee not therefore hopefully expect that the Top-stone shall be set up with a shout of Grace Grace to it Hee that attentively readeth the Report which is made in the following Collection of the Examinations and Confessions of several Native Indians who have been wrought upon by the preaching of the Word in the Wilderness will see much cause to admire the free grace and goodness of God to them as also his mighty power and the revealing of his arme in them What strong and clear convictions of sin both of the sinfulness of their natures and of the sins of their lives have they been under who lay before dead in trespasses and sins wholly alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that was in them What strugglings and strivings with corruption and temptation do they speak of before they could come off from sin and from that vain conversation received by tradition from their Fore-fathers What wrestlings had they with unbelief before they could close with Christ in the promise What full resignations of themselves have they made to the commands of Christ after closing with him by faith in the promise Yea what hungrings and thirstings do some of them express for more intimate communion with Christ in attendance upon all his Ordinances in a Church-state or holy Fellowship with his People Surely what these late Aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel have found and declared as their spiritual experiences about the dealings of God with their hearts in bringing them off from sin and home to himself may shame many among us who have been born and bred up in the aire and sound of the Gospel all their dayes I may not unfitly make use of those Prophesies of Moses and Esaias concerning the Iewes and Gentiles and so applyed by the Apostle Paul Rom. 10. 19 20 21. in this present case between us in England and the Indians The Lord hath begun to provoke us to Jealousie by them that were no people and by a foolish Nation hee hath angred us hee is found of them that sought him not hee is made manifest to them that asked not after him but all the day long hath hee stretched out his hands unto us a disobedient and gainsaying people Conversions are grown somewhat rare that 's sad in England and such accounts of Conversion much more rare And as we finde but few able to give any passable account of their conversion to God so wee finde not a few offended at the requiring and taking of it before admission into compleat Church-communion Wee have many who profess the Religion they were born in but wee have comparatively only a few who profess Religion upon the evidences of their New-Birth And that 's one great reason why the Church and the world the pretious and the vile are in so lamentable a mixture in most places at this day It were a very desireable mercy that the practise and example of our native Brethren yea of the native Indians in New England might kindle in us the fire of a blessed emulation in this matter and that the Ministers of the Gospel would every where exspect and diligently enquire after some hopefull proofs of the work of Grace from all those who in their own right partake of those higher Priviledges the Seals of the Covenant of Grace Doubtless then Churches would appear more like Churches in the beauties of Holiness and the fruits of the presence of Christ would be more gloriously visible in them The great thing which wee upon whom the ends of the world are come should earnestly pray endeavour and wait for is that the new Jerusalem may be seen coming down from heaven like a Bride adorned for her Husband and to be any way rightly instrumentall for the bringing in of this glory is a piece of the best Glory which wee are capable of on this side our heavenly Glory 'T was therefore a very gracious as well as a noble Design to create and establish a Corporation in this our England to receive improve mannage and issue a free contribution and the profits arising from it for the constant support encouragement and promotion of this work of Christ in That Other England Nor can wee but with much thankfulness to God take notice of the liberal charity of many who have already contributed to it as also of the faithfulness diligence prudence and Godly zeal of those worthy Persons who are entrusted with the disposal of those Contributions And because as the whole Work is great so there are some great parts of it now in hand as the Printing of Davids Psalms and the New Testament besides an intendment of printing the whole Bible in the Indian Language which must needs be a work of great charge as well as of excellent use for these reasons I say it would be a most acceptable Charity either to procure or advance additional Contributions How can any honour the Lord better with their perishing substance then by forwarding a Design which may be a means to keep thousands of Souls from perishing Yea what an honour will it be to this whole Nation that
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
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
I heard that Christ only is our redeemer and Saviour my heart did much joy in it and I desired to pray and heare the Word as long as I live Another Word of Christ I heard Whoever forsaketh father or mother or brother or lands for my sake c. My heart said ô Lord let it be so I have for Christ his sake left all and come to pray And I desire now to confess before the Church of Roxbury and do submit to your government and Gods Ordinances among you He was going on but shortness of time made me take him off When I had read this confession and the witnesses had spoke as before some of the Elders present did move that seeing there be two more to speak and the time streight and seeing Mr Peirson had in private taken in writing their confessions which they perceived by his testimony to be for substance the same which they expressed in publick What if the Assembly should heare Mr Peirson read those two remaining confessions according as he had taken them The motion was acceptable to the Assembly and he did read them which are as followeth Piumbuhhou First THis I say in the presence of God and in your presence Verily I knew not how or what to confess or God before I prayed I knew not who gave me life and being but I thought my life was of my self I confess I was born in sin my Parents were sinners and I thought I had life from none but my Parents therefore my sins were very great from the first time that I saw light untill this day I do nothing else but sin hard is my heart proud is my heart and hypocriticall I do hypocriticall acts to this day I act foolishly and deceitfully therefore so many are my sinnes that I am not able to express them only this I say that I am naught Then I heard that Waban prayed and they said to me pray to God but I hated it for I had a wife and many children and therefore I cared not for praying I thought if they were any of them sick the Pauwaus could make them well therefore I believed not Waban when he exhorted me to pray to God Then my wife and children died then my afflicted poore heart came in and the Minister came to me and said pray to God because God afflicteth and tryeth you my heart said when the Minister spake to me let it be as you say that God may shew me that mercy then my heart said I will pray to God from henceforth as long as I live Then I heard the Minister Preach of the great works of God in making Heaven and Earth and therefore fear the great punishments of God and because my heart so feared and condemned me therefore I did believe that God is who had punished me and took away my children Again I heard from Mat. 5. Christ saith Blessed are the poore in spirit for theirs is the Kingdome of God and blessed are the mercifull for they shall find mercy my heart said I am a poore man and therefore I will pray to God so long as I live and I desire to find mercy with God Again now my heart saith I am weak and doubting and full of misbelief Again I heard that Word of Christ which saith Come unto me all yee that are weary and heavy laden and yee shall find rest my heart said be it so O Lord and now I will pray to God as long as I live my heart said surely I am greatly laden with many and great sins and therefore I will go to Christ and pray unto him as long as I live Again Christ saith Take up my hurden and learne of me for I am humble and meeke then my heart said surely I am a great sinner and therefore I desire to learne of Christ and to follow him Again Christ faith Yee shall find rest to your soul and therefore my soul desired to pray as long as I live that I may find rest to my soul in Christ Again my heart did gladly hear the Word of Christ and the great redemption of Christ Again I learned in a Catechism that Christ sendeth his Spirit into my heart to break it to make it repent to convert me to cause me to believe my heart said therefore I desire to pray to God and to believe for pardon and adoption and peace with God Then hearing of the mercy of Christ my heart said I am like a dead man and therefore I desire to be with Christ as long as I live my heart did not know how to Convert and turn to God therefore my heart did gladly pray to God for it my heart did desire to pray because I heard Christ is our redeemer and doth deliver our soules I cannot deliver my selfe therefore I desire that Christ may be my deliverer therefore I betrust my soul with Christ as long as I live and because Christ is my mercifull God therefore let him do with my soul what he will When Mr Peirson had read this Confession he was desired to go on and read the last which was Wabans Confession and is as followeth Waban First I Confess that before I prayed it was hard to love another fashion then my old course my Parents were sinners and in my Mothers belly I was in sin after I was born the same way of sin I followed When I was a child I grew up in sin and I did not know that they were sins but now of late I know them in my youth also in the same sins I lived and did not know them to be so but by the remebrance of my waies I do remember my sins and hereby I am made to understand that my Parents taught me to love sin And after they were dead others taught me to sin I liked to be taught to commit sin those that taught me said to me Choose to be a Pauwau they said If you be a Pauwau you may make others to live and if you he a Pauwau God will blesse you and make you rich and a man like God Then I desired so to do also I alwaies desired other sins for my heart did desire to grow up in those sins alwaies lust I desired alwaies my heart labored and desired to know how to adde to and to multiply my sins Thus it came to pass that I knew abundance of sins before I knew my waies were sin When the English came hither they said when I came to the Englist houses that I loved the Devil then I was very angry and my words were You know the Devil I do not know the Devil and presently I would go out of the house Sometime they spake meekly to me and would say God is in heaven and he is a good God yet I regarded not these words but strongly I loved my sins it was hard for me to believe what the English said after many yeares I sometime believed a word but I left not my sin When I began