died for us to satisfie divine Justice for the sin of man with this Sacrifice God hath said he is â—atisfied for the sin of man Thus Jesus Christ hath honoured Gods Law by sâ—tisfying of divine Justice and now Jesus Christ hath power to pardon whom he will Pen. These are strange and deep things which you say in this way I do see that a person is found that is able to pay a ransome to God and satisfie his Justice But still I am in the dark about my self how shall I be interâ—sted in this Redemption wrought by Jesus Christ If you have obtained it I have some hope that so may I. I pray tell me how I may be mâ—de partaker of this great Redemption from the condemnation of sin pronounced against me by the Law of God Wab. According to my poor ability as well as I can I will tell you and I will tell you â—ow I have obtained it and in the same way you also may obtain it Pen. O how this hope by your experience beginneth to raise my heart I pray go on and declare it to me Wab. God hath made a new Covenant of grace which he hath opened in the Gospel and Jesus Christ hath published it to all the world and the sum of it is this That whosoever shall penitently turn from sin towards God and believe in Jesus Christ he shall have a pardon of all his sins and be partaker of eternal life through the grace and mercy of God in Jesus Christ. Iohn 3.16 God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son that whosoever â—elieveth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Pen. This puts me into another great difficulty can I penitently turn from sin and believe in Jesus Christ Alas I know not how to go about such a work much less do I know how to accomplish the same therefore I still am under great straights and know not what to do Wab. You say true it is a work past your ability to do But Jesus Christ hath undertâ—ken two great works in the salvation of sinners The first is to pacifie Gods Justice and satisfie the Law and to reconcile God toward us and that he hath done and finished effectually when he was here on earth 2. Christ hath undertaken to conquer the world of all Gods Elect for it is onely the Elect of God whom Christ hath undertaken for and the Father and the Son have sent forth God the holy Ghost to effect this work for none but God himself is able to convert â— Soul and create faith in the heart of man We cannot do it of our selves neither you nor I can do it but by the assistance of the Spirit of God by the Word of God Pen. Still the difficulty lyeth before me I am at a loss and know not what to do I fully believe I am not able to do it my self Wab. I will help you as well as I can and the Lord help you by his Word and Spirit Your heart is now in some measure already turned away from sin that part of the work is wrought in your heart which I will demonstrate to you thus I ask you will you hereafter live and walk in the wayes of sin as you have formerly done Pen. Oh no no I hope God will keep me and help me I will never live again as I have fâ—â—merly done I will binde my self from it I abhor to do so I will forsake them for ever Lord help me so to do Wab. Well therefore you are now converted from your sins and who wrought this great Change in you it was not your self did it nor was it I that did it I onely opened unto you the word of God but the Spirit of God by the conviction of the Law and by the word of God hath wrought this work in you Pen. I cannot gainsay you I yield to what you say and wonder at it Wab. In the sâ—me manner the Spirit of God by the word is able to creâ—te Faith in you to believe in Jesus Christ. This work the Lord useth to work in us by the Promises of the Gospel Now I will propound unto you at present but one Promise Mat. 11.28 29. Come unto me all ye that laâ—our and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall finde rest unto your souls Now I ask you Are you weary and heavy laden with your sins Pen. Oh yes God knows I am so I never fâ—lt the like distress in my Soul since I was born sin is the bitterest thing in the world to my Soul Wab. Then hearken to this call of Christ for he calls you in particular to come to him and this coming is believing are you willing to come to Christ and ask a pardon of him and beg his mercy Pen. Yea with all my heart Lord help me Wab. Then see the next words what he promises I will give you rest Pen. Oh Lord let it be so according to thy Word and Promise thy will be done Wab. Well wait here and see if God doth not quiet your Soul and give you rest Mean while I will further ask you in the next words Are you willing to take upon you Christ his yoke and this yoke consisteth of two parts 1. The yoke of Commandments to do whatever he commandeth And 2. his yoke of Sufferings in this world for his Name sake for now that you are converted the carnal world will hate you mock you injure you speak all evil against you and it may be if they can they will kill you as they did Christ but are you willing â—o suâ—â—er all for Jesus Christ his sake who hath died for you And further are you willing to learn meekness of Jesus Christ For they are the next words and I do assure you that you will have great need of patience when you have done all the duties he commands to suffer patiently what God himself shall inflict upon you by sicknesses crosses and temptations or what wicked men shall inflict upon you Pen. These things which you speak are against the flesh and fâ—aâ—e that I used to be in and I do finde that they are not so fully killed but that they have a little stirring in them when you propound these cases to me But the experience I have now found of the love of God and of Jesus Christ to my Soul doth lay such an engagement upon my heart that I will by his grace and assistance be for him onely serve him onely do all that ever he shall command me suffer whatever he shall impose upon me I will no more be for my self but for him who hath done all this for me Oh what shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits to my poor Soul Wab. We are surprized by the night we must rest under these Trees this night I do account this day well
spent though we have made but little progress toward the place of our intendment but I have been about the work I came abroad upon though not the persons I intended Thus God doth over-rule the wayes of men he foreseeth and ordereth that which we had no thoughts upon and therefore in that we have spent this day in such Conference and Discourse wherein we have seen so much of the presence of Christ with us let us now spend this night in prayers and praises unto the Lord who hath found us before we sought for him You were going about another business you little thought of finding Jesus Christ by the way and finding mercy to your Soul a pardon of your sins and to become a praying Indian Pen. Your discourse doth heighten my admiration I acknowledge God hath thought of me when I thought not of him he had a care of my Soul when I had no care of my self God hath plucked me out of darkness and brought me into a most wonderful light that I should be forced to see the wonderful things of Gods Law of my eternal condemnation by it my helpless and hopeless condition that I was in And then that the Lord should open unto me a possibility of escape that a ransome and remedy might be found by the infinite wisdome and mercy of God and that Jesus Christ had not onely accomplished that great work but offered the fruit and benefit of it to me and called me to rest in him and to betrust my Soul with him for pardon of all my sins and for eternal life in Jesus Christ. These things are matter of my admiration and shall be to all eternity My life remaining shall be spent in admiring and in obeying and suffering as you have now taught me I shall account nothing â—oo dear for Christ who hath not accounted his own most precious life too dear for me Whereas I am now instructed that he being God and Man in one person his life was of more value then all the lives of all mankinde and that he did not forbear to offer that precious life for me I must I will by his grace assisting admire at this mercy for ever and therefore the motion that you made of spending this night in prayer and praises unto his holy Name it is a most acceptable motion to my heart My experience suggesteth unto me matter abundantly to pray and praise his Name but my ignorance is such as that I caâ—not tell how to utter my minde in words of knowledge suitable unto so great mercies as I have now experienced Wab. Your discourse doth lead me out to inform you in a great point of the grace and kingdome of Jesus Christ and that is the gift and grace of Prayer which the Spirit of Jesus Christ teacheth every new born Soul to perform for so the Scripture saith Rom. 8.15 He hath given the Spirit of his Son whereby we cry and crying is an earnest manner of praying and the matter of our cry is to sâ—y Abba Father that is to call God our Father and to ask him a Childes portion in the Name of Jesus Christ as he hath promised that whatever we ask in the Name of Jesus Christ it shall be surely granted either the same thing or a better for we are foolish children and know not what is best for our selves but our Father doth and therefore when we make our prayers and request to God we must leave the matter to his love wisdome to give us what and when and how he will And because we are ignorant what to pray for therefore the Spirit of God who dwelleth in our heart he is called the Spirit of Grace and of Supplication and Rom. 8.26 27. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities for we know not what we should pray for as we ought but the Spirit it self maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the minde of the Spirit because he maketh intercession for the Saints according to the will of God Where we see that our weakness is supplied by the assistance of the Spirit and he helpeth us to pray for such things as please God and in such a manner as pleaseth God And this is the condition of every true converted believer that he can pray and desires to pray and is ever lifting up his heart to Gâ—d in prayer and therefore I like it well that my motion of spending this night in prayer is so acceptable to you a good sign it is that the Spirit of Jesus Christ hath taken possession of your Soul Pen. This little sight and experience I have hath so filled my heart with a sense of my own vileness that I see matter of endless confession and I see so much nothingness in my self that I see endless matter of petition and supplication and I see my self so infinitely obliged to God for the riches of his free-grace to me a rebellious worm that I see infinite matter of praise thanksgiving and admiration My heart also longeth after others that thâ—â— may be as I am I pray tell me what is my duty in that respeâ—â— to pray for others my Relations my Friends my Neighbouâ—â— and for all Wab. Christ hath taught us When thou art converted then strengâ—â—â—en thy brother Luke 22.32 therefore you must pray for all tâ—â— Church of God you must especially pray for them that are weaâ— and tempted and afflicted and you must pray for them that aâ—â— not yet converted and for all Gods people and for all Gods cauâ—â— in all the world and for the fulfilling of all Gods Promises Theâ—â— is a world of matter to pray for and for Kings and Rulers in â— special manner Pen. I feel my heart to answer your words like an eccho mâ— heart answers All these things I desire to pray for But alas â— am ignorant of fit words in prayer and therefore I do request oâ— you first do you pray and set me a pattern Waban prayethâ— Pen. Many whole nights have I spent waking sometime in hunâ—â—ing sometime worse in dancing and other sinful revels but â— never spent a night so well in my life before it is the first nighâ— of my new life I have begun to live well oh how full of feaâ— and care and desire my heart is that I may go on according to thiâ— good beginning I hope the sweet savour of this good beginning to live well shall abide with me and I desire your help and counsel how I may so perform it Wab. Our state in this world is not perfect corruption is killed but in part there be old roots remaining which upon occasioâ— offered will still be stirring acting appearing as a tree that is cut down the old roots will be growing which must be kept dowâ— with a speedy cutting off A field that is well weeded will quickly produce new weeds again out of that natural propensity of the earth to bring
by the Law of God was evident to me as the light Gods pure and â—nchangeable Justice which sentenced me by the Law unto hell I saw I could not possibly answer seeing I am a poor finite worm and what have I to satisfie infinite offended Justice and therefore my soul mourned and lamented and sunk into despair for Gods Justice is unchangeable and his Law must be satisfied which I am never able to do and therefore I must be eternally damnâ—d under that just sentence I dâ—rst not pray God to pardon my transgression by any absolute soveraign act of mercy for then he should have offended his own Justice which is unchangeable and abolished his own Law whose perfection is such that it must be fulfilled and satisfied and to satisfie Gods just Law was not in the power of any finite creature Man or Angel and therefore I despaired no ransome could be found in all the world for me a poor sinner Oh tâ—e bitterness that my soul felt in the horrour of my damned estate No tongue can utter what my soul felt I had a taste of hell torments in my soul my meditation of Gods Omniscience whereby he knew all my sins not onely open but secret ones brought innumerable sins to my remembrance one of which was enough to damn me but I had mountains of guilt heaped upon my distressed soul the impossibility for me to satisfie divine Justice and the impossibility of pardon without satisfaction because God cannot be unjust and his Law is unchangeable Such meditations cast me into the horrible pit of darkness and desperation The redemption of the soul is precious it ceaseth for ever Psal. 498. Then God opened the mouth of this dear Servant of his who told me that the infinite mercy and wisdome of God had found out a ransome a way to satisfie Justice and fulfil the Law and to save poor condemned sinners and that he himself had found mercy in that way This bred some hope in my soul and stayed me from sinking quite down when I heard of a possibility but still I was in distressing doubt and fear that it was but some delusion because I could not see a possibility for Man or Angel or any Creature to satisfie and give a ransome to infinite Justice Then he declared to me that it is true that no Creature could give a ransome to satisfie Justice but God himself was able to satisfie the infinite Justice of God To that I yielded that God himself might satisfie his Justice but still I was in the dark I could not see this could possibly be Then he opened me that adored Doctrine of God his being One and Three how God was one in Essence three in Persons God the Father God the Son and God the holy Ghost how the Father doth by an eternal inâ—ellectual act conceive the Image of Himself as being the only adequate Object he understands himself and this is called the Begeâ—ting of the Son by an intellectual conception of his own Image and these two Subsistencies do by an eternal act of Volition love each other and this Love is the third Person in Trinity proceeding from both the Father and the Son Now the eternal Majesty of God agreed within himself that God the Son the second Person in Trinity should assume humane Nature to himself and become a man subject to the Law This glorious Person is the greatest subject that ever the Law had and this glorious Person is able perfectly to fulfil the Law and perfectly to pay a raâ—some satisfactory to infinite Justice who hath done it This depth of divine Wisdome my soul admired and shall do to eternity But still I was at a loss how I should be interested in the ransome that this glorious Person hath paid Then did this Messenger of God declare unto me that this glorious Person Jesus Christ had undertaken both parts of this work First to atone and reconcile God to man by paying the ransome required and by perfect fulfilling the Law Secondly to subdue the soul and will of man to turn and submit to be reconciled to God But this work of converting â— soul to God is such that as no man can convert himself so no other Creature is able to do it onely God himself can do it and for that end both the Father and Son have sent forth the holy Ghost the eternal Spirit to work upon the hearts of men and to create the work of Faith in them by the Word and then to take possession of and dwell in believing souls to mortifie their lusts to sanctifie their hearts and lives and to lead them in the way of grace unto glory And he further declared to me that this blessed Spirit of Gâ—d by the Word of God had already begun this great work in my soul for a new light is set up in my soul a work beyond the reach of man and that light hath convinced me of sin and of my my damned estate by sin it had made a separaâ—ion and divorce betwixt sin and my soul it had cut me off the old stock and lâ—id my soul down at the foot of Christ capable with all humble thankfulness to accept salvation not by any merit of mine but by free-grace of Christ unto a vile and unworthy sinner This I could not deny but I did finde such conviction and such a submission to Christ and this he declared to be the first step and beginning of the work of sound Conversion I crave your patience for a few words more Then he proceeded to shew me that the work was finished by the Promise which also the Spirit of God doth bring home unto the soul and makes up the match betwixt Christ and the soul. And to that purpose he brought Mat 11.28 29. by which Text he shewed me as in a glass 1. The distress my soul was in 2. The call of Christ to such distressed soul. 3. The promise of Rest to such as come to him 4. The obligation to learn meekness both to do and suffer the will of Christ. And here my soul resteth Ah friends we poor Indians are great sinners but Câ—rist is great salvation for the greatest sinners What â—inite creature can out-sin infinite satisfaction Nish I see you are strongly changed and transported but my feeble Age needeth rest and so may you also by this time Wab. Aged Uncle to morrow is the Sabbath-day if you like of it order all your people to come together in the morning and by the Lords assistance I will further teach you by the Word of God Nish I like it well Send out to all parts of the Town that all meet to morrow morning The Sabbath Many being met Waban THe Lord hath appointed that in our publick Worship first of all supplications prayers intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men For Kings and for all that are in authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable liâ—e in all godliness and honesty For