word Mat. 12. The unclean spirit being cast out of a man he walketh about seeking rest and findeth none then hee returneth and bringeth 7 other spirits with him worse then himself and the end of that man is worse then his beginning When I heard this my heart feared I thought now I repent of my many sins for verily I am a great sinner I have offended I am 7 times worse then before I prayed then I repented Again I heard that Word He that penitently believeth shall be saved and then my heart did desire to repent and believe then I thought that men will not forgive me and therefore it is not good to abide in this place but I remembred that I had learned to read the Word and if I should forsake my friends I should lose the Word of God Then I heard that Word Repent for the Kingdome of Heaven is at hand my heart said ô let it be so and then my heart rested but yet quickly it was unquiet again Then I did strongly desire to repent of my sinnes I heard that Word that God Sowed good seed but evill seed was sowen by the Enemy and such were in my heart and as in my field there were many roots and weeds which spoyled the corne and I plucked them up and cast them out my heart said verily just so is my heart the Word is but a little in my heart and there be many ill roots in me and therefore God may justly cast me out from among his people because of my many sinnes Then my heart said I desire to pray to God as long as I live and now I forsake my sins who have been a great sinner Now I beg of Christ O give me thy spirit that I may confess my sins before God and not only before men again I remember that I cannot pardon or help my self but only Christ must help me Again I heard that Word All manner of sin shall be forgiven to a man but the sin against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven in this world nor in the world to come Then my heart feared because many and great were my sins since I prayed to God and I cried to God for mercy and pardon and then I thought I will pray to God as long as I live But verily I am a sinner for I am guilty not only of Adams sin but of my own sins also and they are many I remember that in Catechisme I learn that God made a Covenant of works with Adam Do the Commands and thou shalt live and thy seed also but if thou sin thou shalt die and thy seed also therefore by that I know I am a sinner and have deserved to die Then I crie to God O God have mercy upon me and pardon me Again I heard of the mercy of God but I am forgetfull and cannot remember Gods mercies to me God made a Covenant with Abraham and said I will be thy God and the God of thy seed after thee then my heart said O let it be so to me O Lord And now Abraham is in heaven who believed and kept Gods Covenant So I if I believe and keep Gods Covenant God will have mercy on me I remembred the Covenant of Circumcision to him and all his family and such a Covenant I desire for me and mine Again I heard Mat. 3. In those daies Iohn baptized in Iordan saying Repent for the Kingdome of God is at hand When I heard this my heart said the same is now with us not Abrahams signe but baptisme and therefore I desire to repent and Confess before God and before the Church and I desire not only to confess but to have repentance and faith that I may have grace mercy and pardon and such repentance as workes obedience Again the same Word saith vers. 6. They were baptized confessing their sins So I desire to do I do confess before God and desire to cast off and forsake my sins and to go to Christ The promise of pardon is to them that penitently believe and rest on Christ In the same Baptism of Iohn he said I baptize you with water but he that cometh after me is mightier then I he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and fire Now this Baptism I desire and not to receive the signe in vain I desire to purge out evill thoughts and therefore I confess these sins before God that they may be purged and I desire the spirit of God may dwell in me for ever to turn me to Christ I cannot of my self do any of these things but only Christ Jesus can by his spirit in me Again I heard another word As the Eagles are about a carkass so believers come to Christ then my heart said So be it Oh Lord when I receive the Covenant of God I am like the Eagles when I come to Christ I desire not to come in vain but if I feed not I shall die my soul will die Then I greatly begged that I might feed my soul on Christ and Oh Christ send thy spirit into my heart that I may not only know but do the Word of God Again Christ near his death took bread and blest it and broke it and gave it to his disciples and said Take yee eat yee this is my Body which was broken for you And so also he did the Cup and said Drink yee of it this is the Cup of my blood in the New Testament which is shed for the remission of sins Now this believers in Christ must do not only to eat Bread and to take the Sign but soul food therefore Christ sending his spirit and helping me I desire to receive the Sign not in vain but to help my faith When I had read this Confession in the Assembly we called upon the witnesses as before wee did whose answer was to the like purpose as before Wutasakompauin He was next called forth who thus spake HElp me Oh Jesus Christ to confess before the Lord Oh I am full of sin because Adams sin made mine and so was a sinner in my mothers womb When I was a youth I found many sins and after I was grown up I did the same alwaies all the daies of my life I lived in sin After the English came I went to their houses they would teach me about God but I hated it and went out I did not love such teaching Afterward the Minister taught and at first Waban perswaded me to pray and taught us I did not at first like it yet afterward I did Four years the Minister came to Noonantam I came but I only came I lost all he taught After I considered one word the Minister said That God sent him to teach us then I thought surely there is a God therefore I must believe and pray a little I believed but when I heard I did only outwardly hear After my wife and children died and then I almost cast off praying I had another wife and she died also
Say not I will pray hereafter but now Today if yee will hear his voice harden not your hearts but pray to God and that made my heart to yield to do it Then I understood Gen. 2. that God formed man out of the dust of the earth and breathed into him a living soul by this I did believe that God made me And I heard that God caused Adam to sleep and took out a rib and made it a woman and by this I believed that surely this is the work of God Again I heard that wee are born in sin under the guilt of Adams sin and by that I believed that I was a sinner Again I heard Gen. 6. that all the thoughts and imaginations of the heart of man are only evil continually and that God did threaten to destroy man whom hee had made and all beasts and living creatures which hee had made and by this I saw that surely sin is a very great evil Again I heard that Noah found grace and hee onely was upright before God and that God drowned all the world except Noah and his sons and their wives eight persons this did make mee remember my sinnes and confesse them and I saw that God is angry with sin It rained forty dayes and so drowned all the world then I said Surely this is Gods work and hee doth as he threatned to do to sinners and the same may God do to me who am a sinner and my heart is full of sin and evil thoughts c. And then I prayed Oh God be not angry with mee but be mercifull to mee and shew mee what I should do Then I considered why did God bid Noah make an Ark and saved Noah and his Sons and their Wives and by it my heart saw that this is Gods work who does what hee speaketh and hath mercy on whom hee will And my heart thought does God pardon mee and love mee It may be God will have mercy on mee I heard that promise Mat. 3. Repent and believe for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand then my heart said Oh that God would help mee and pardon my sins And God made mee wonder at Gods mercy to mee I heard of Sodom and their great sin and destruction and that did make me to remember my great sins and the great work of God that hee had almost kill'd mee Oh I thought this is Gods work to shew mee my sinnes and as God saved Lot by the Angels and sent him out of the place but burnt Sodom and all the people this I saw to be Gods work now I desired to fear God and pray unto him all the dayes of my life Again I heard Mat. 3. The axe is laid to the root of the tree every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewen down and cast into the fire then I feared my own case because my fruits were sin and I deserved to be cut down then I desired to believe in Christ I did believe that Christ is the Son of God by that word Matth. 4. Satan tempted Christ If thou be the Son of God c. but Christ conquered Satan and therefore assuredly hee is the Son of God Then I considered that place Mat. 11. Many came to Christ the halt and blinde and lame and deaf and sick and hee healed all and if they did but touch Christ they were healed and therefore my heart believed assuredly hee is the Son of God and therefore now I will pray and Oh let Christ save mee And Christ hath promised Whatever yee ask in my name it shall be done therefore now I prayed Oh Christ Jesus pardon mee but my heart is weak and doubting and I cannot believe And I heard that word that every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire then I said I deserve that Again that word Not every one that sayeth Lord Lord but hee that heareth the Word and doeth it Assuredly it is so and I desire not only to hear the Word but to do it then my heart was ashamed of my sinnes and grieved I heard that word Matth. 6. Blessed art thou Simon bar-Ionah flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee but my heavenly Father then my heart said Yea Lord no man has taught mee Christ onely God hath taught my heart to know Christ Again I heard that word Mat. 1. Hee will save his people from their sins then my heart said Be it so to mee Oh Lord Again I heard that Christ rose again the third day with an Earth-quake and the Watchmen were afraid and fled then my heart said Surely this is Christ the Son of God and whosoever believeth in Christ his soul shall go to heaven For again I heard of the Ascension of Christ and more then five hundred saw him ascend and therefore I believe this is Christ the Son of God Again I heard that in John 14. No man cometh unto the Father but by mee my heart answered Yea assuredly Oh Lord Christ is the way to believe in and come to God Again I heard that Mat. 25. Christ saith to the wicked Depart yee cursed I said God might justly say so to mee and send mee to eternal death But I earnestly cryed to God Oh God set mee into the right way and give mee Christ that I may ever walk with Christ for I am poor and weak and Christ promiseth that what wee ask hee will grant and I say Let God do with mee what hee will but I beg mercy in Christ onely I desire to pray to God as long as I live Iohn Speen THis I confess that I assuredly am a great sinner before the Lord but now I beseech God to help mee Oh Christ lead mee in the right way that I may speak that which is right This I confesse that before wee prayed to God I was wholly a sinner and not only before but since praying to God I have been a great sinner and now I desire to make a short confession for we desired that they would be shorter the time requiring so At first when I prayed my prayer was vain and only I prayed with my mouth and on the Sabbath only I came to the House of Prayer I prayed morning and evening and when I eat but I considered not what I prayed for I was sometime angry and passionate about wordly matters and I was troubled when I saw my brother was chosen to be a Ruler who was younger then I because now I saw that I was a sinner and though I repented yet presently again I fell into sin therefore I thought surely God hath cast me off because I thus sin and still my heart was full of sin all my thoughts were full of sin all my talk and doings were sinfull But now of late about 2 yeares ago I heard this word Mat. 12. When the unclean spirit was cast out hee went up and down unquiet then hee returned and took 7 devils with him worse
before the Elders made his Confession as followeth UNto this day I do understand but little of the English Language the Word of God came not first unto my heart by the English Language I did not know what state I was in at my first birth and my sin by birth I knew not When I was young I knew not what I was as now I do know for now I know that I am a sinful man Since I prayed to God I know more of my self but afore I cared not for such things nor what they said If I heard any thing I took no heed to it if any asked me whether I knew God I did not regard it yea I hated the knowledg of God nor did I regard any word of God but other kinde of praying which we used I did love to pray to the Devil this I loved But afterward I began to think it may be they say true that speak of God it may be it is true that God is in heaven and should any teach me in my language I might know God but if I should pray it may be it is in vain to pray in my language could I speak English I might learn to pray And I see the English love us and therefore it is like that is true which they say of God and I desire to live for ever where they do When I first heard the Word it said God is good a little I believed it but I did more doubt Mr Iackson asked me if I did pray to God I asked him whether God understood our language if I prayed to him Hee said yea all things God doth know and all languages Then my heart said It may be I may attain to pray But my heart was hard and therefore I could not pray afterwards it may be I may Sometime I thought if we did not pray the English might kill us but if I prayed I thought I did not pray right When I saw and considered that all men in the world dyed I knew not how I might come to live for ever how my soul might live and therefore I desired I might pray to God aright because they that so pray are all one as if they dyed not but live for ever I wish't I could pray aright but could not tell how to do it I did in my heart love wandering about and our wilde courses alwaies and when I did pray it was but out-side praying for in my heart I understood not right praying to God I understood not how to pray and I regarded not my weariness of that which was good many things hindred my heart I was ashamed because my heart was full of evil Sometimes I thought of my sins but it was but a little and I was soon weary of any good I did not think God was not mercifull but I saw my heart was naught and very little did I know the evils of my heart No humility was in my heart and to this day my heart is evil and hard is my heart When you taught us the Word of God my heart did not believe but went contrary to the Word of God I saw my mourning for sin was not good I do confess my heart did not submit to God only I hoped I might might learn the Word of God which you taught us My heart did afore love praying to the Devil but I do not finde that I so love praying to God therefore I did pray Lord break my heart that I may pray to God aright My heart was weary of praying quickly and therefore my heart said Surely my heart is nought and I am like a dead man and therefore I prayed Lord help me now to pray aright to God Now I knew that God knoweth all the thoughts of my heart and my many sins and contrary doings and how little I know of God Surely I am a great sinner and this I do throughly know that great are my sins and that my heart is contrary to praying to God and my heart desired wilde courses and I see that my heart loveth not praying to God Yet now my heart began to desire to pray and to love those things which are according to right praying but I knew not what to do Then I asked what I should do then I heard this answer I should desire Christ to break my heart by his spirit none else in the world could do it no man could work faith in me but the Word which I heard doth it I could not my self repent of sin or be ashamed but this I know that the Word of God saith Those that believe in Christ shall not perish but have eternal life Then my heart said Oh Lord let it be so to me and let not my heart say contrary Again I heard If any be foolish let him ask wisedom of God who giveth freely Then my heart said I am foolish Oh Lord teach me Then I feared that my heart in vain seeketh and then I desired humility and that I might not pray in vain and that I might not pray only outwardly But my heart had contrary and misbelieving thoughts dayly and my heart did not dayly desire after God and but a little could I remember of God Sometime my heart desired not to be like to such as prayed aright unto God therefore I desired the Image of God upon me and that I might be like to them wch prayed to God aright alwaies I thought that what God said in his Word was right I heard this word The Foxes have holes and the Birds have nests but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head Then my heart said Truth Lord the riches of this world are of no value and therefore I desire not this worlds goods but only heavenly blessings and grace I desire the way to the Heavenly Kingdom And always my heart saith touching my poverty and misery I give myself and my soul to God and to Christ because that is right Again I learn in the Catechize Q. What hath Christ done for us A. He dyed for us hee was buried he rose again for us and by his resurrection hee raiseth our souls unto grace and also at the last day And my heart said Oh let it be so in me Again it is said What else hath Christ done for us A. He ascended to heaven to raise our hearts first to heaven and then to carry us to heaven also to be with him for ever My heart saith Oh God I am not able to save my self I cannot save my own soul this is only thy work Oh God and my heart believeth it and with God is mercy and goodness but in this world is nothing but weariness and I know my weakness therefore I am ashamed and Oh let God put grace into my heart and my heart saith Oh let me not say in vain that I believe Oh Lord help that I may truly believe not by my works but by thy Word Oh God Again it is said in Catechism Why is
saith The Tree that brings not forth good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire My heart said sure so is my heart and I have deserved to be cast into the fire I have brought forth such fruits as may justly cut me down Again I heard the word of Christ He that heareth the Word and doeth it shall be blessed Then my heart said I have deserved not to be pardoned but I beg for mercy Again the word saith This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased My heart said sure God is merciful to send his own Son and Christ is merciful that he came and died for us Again I heard that the Tempter came to Christ and said If thou be the Son of God make these stones bread But Christ said man liveth not by bread only but by every word which cometh out of the mouth of God Then I believed that Christ was the Son of God and that my Soul liveth not by bread but by the Word of God Again Mat. 8. the Leper came to Christ and said Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me whole and Iesus touched him and he was healed Then my heart said surely Christ is the Son of God and he only can heal my sins Again I heard in Mat. 6. If ye forgive one another God forgiveth you Then my heart said I desire to do this else God will be angry with me Again I heard Mat. 9. all diseased came to Christ the blind halt c and he healed them therefore I believed that he was the Son of God and I begged of Christ to pardon my sins and save me because sure he is Christ the Son of God Again the word saies Not every one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdome but he that doth the will of my Father Then my heart said I do fear because I do very weakly obey the Word of God and therefore Christ saith Depart ye workers of iniquity My heart said such an one am I but now I cry to and trust to Christ to pardon all my sins Again I heard Mat. 11. that Christ said Capernaum was lifted up to heaven by the Gospel but should be cast down to hell for refusing it I thought I did now pray iâ— I now fall off I shall perish And again Christ saith It shall be easier for Tyre and Sidon in that day Then my heart said I have deserved the worst of Gods wrath for I believed not the great works of God and therefore I desire pardon of all my sins and to forsake all my sins and to pray to Christ as long as I live Again I heard Mat. 5. That Heaven and Earth shall pass away but not one jot or tittle of the Word of God but all shall be fulfilled Therefore my heart did desire that I may both hear and do the Word of God which will never perish Again I heard Mat. 16 Christ saith Who say ye that I am Peter said Thou art Christ the Son of the living God Christ said Blessed art thou Peter flesh and blood hath not revealed this to thee but my Father and on this Rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it Therefore my heart believed that God helped me to receive Christ and I desire to take that promise to Peter and my heart joyed more and more in Christ and in the Word of God Again I heard Mat. 26. Iesus took bread and blessed it and brake it and gave it and said Take eat this is my body which is broken for you and likewise the Cup c. saying This is my blood in the New Testament which was shed for remission of sins c. My heart said sure Christ is full of love and hath given us great mercy and I desire to partake of it Again the wicked did kill Christ but he rose again and ascended to heaven then my heart believed Christ Again I heard Iohn 14. No man cometh to the Father but by me My heart said so be it Lord I desire to come to God by Christ and I said Why did the wicked kill Christ My heart said I believe that Christ died for my sin and therefore I desire to believe in Christ Then my heart did joy in Christ and to heartle Word of God but yet to this day I have doubts in my heart my heart is weak to this day And now I know that in six daies God made the world and before that God I desire to confess my sins and forsake them and no more to do them Sometimes my heart is in an ill frame and loveth sin and my heart hateth good therefore I desire the free Mercy of Christ to hold and keep my Soul When he had finished and I had read before the assembly this confession of his we called upon the witnesses to co-attest Who did in the same order as before express themseves to the like purpose Only when we called for Tho Stanton his sonnes they were not present nor did they any more appeare in the Congregation to attest the Indians confessions all the day Ponampiam He was next called forth and thus spake I Confess my sinnes before the Lord and his people this day While my Father lived and I was young I was at play and my Father rebuked me and said we shall all die shortly In private we asked him what ground or reason moved his Father so to speak he answered it was when the English were new come over and he thinketh that his Father had heard that Mr Wilson had spoken of the flood of Noah how God drowned all the world for the sinnes of the people Then I was troubled and thought sure what God saith shall be and not what man saith but I quickly forgot this and thought not of any good That same Winter the pox came all my kindred died only my Mother and I lived we came to Cohannit by Dorchester where I lived till I was a man and married All those daies I sinned and prayed to all gods and did as others did there I lived till the Minister came to teach us When I heard that they prayed my heart desired it not Sometime I prayed among them and sometime I neglected it I feared to pray because of the Sachems therefore I put it off for the fear of man Afterward I considered in my heart to pray to God not because I loved the word but for other reasons I heard that Word Mal. 1. From the rising of the Sun to the going down thereof my name shall be great among the Gentiles and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name and a pure offering for my name shall be great among the heathen saith the Lord of hosts Then I was troubled in my thoughts about running away yet then I thought if I should go to another place they must pray also and therefore I cannot flie from praying to God therefore I tarried and when others prayed I prayed
and then my heart said Surely God is angry with me who doth thus afflict me Then I heard that word Mat. 22. God made a Feast and invited his Guests and they would not come and therefore God was angry with them So did I for I came not to the Word of God when he called me I cared not for the Feast of Christ Again after many of my friends were destroyed I thought it was because they prayed not to God therefore I feared that God is angry with me also because of his punishments I fear I believe not Christ and my heart feareth because of my sins daily I break Gods Commands Another Word I heard Mat. 5. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be satisfied this is the Word of Christ and I desire to hunger for Christ and begged O Christ help me Again I remembred that Word Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God my heart saith O Christ help me to be so that cleane may be my heart Again I heard that Word Blessed are the peace-makers for they shall be called the Children of God then my heart thought O that I had peace with God in Christ that I might have that blessing and therefore I now confess my sins before God and I beg mercy from God in Jesus Christ When I had read this short confession for the day spent and brevity was called for we called upon the witnesses who spake as formerly Monotunkquanit He was next called who thus spake I Have heard the word and prayed to God several yeares And I confess that before I prayed I was full of sin and yet I do not know my sins I thought they were all good waies and therefore I did them I knew not the Sabbath nor Lecture daies nor any good only I knew wild Actions daily I desired falshood vile actions singing Indian songs these things I desired to do but all good things I was ignorant of and very much I sinned daily Then I heard of praying to God I came to Cohannit at Dorchester from Nipmuk where I lived but my heart laughed at praying and said its a vain action only those actions that I was bred up in I liked and esteemed but these new things I derided The Sachims disliked it and therefore so did I The rich men disliked it and therefore so did I I believed not that God is I went to Cohannit not for praying but to gather clams When I came thither they exhorted me to pray and said The Minister cometh to morrow to teach it is lecture day I desired to see him he came they met together I went and carried my son Samuel I saw the Minister he called my son asked him Who made you they bid him say God but I had not so taught him He asked whose son he was they said mine he said do you pray to God I said no for I am a poore man and naked they that pray are cloathed Therefore I will not pray can poore men pray Therefore I would not pray I went home Then Waban and Totherswamp came to my house and taught me to pray They intreated me now pray to God My heart liked it not They said God is a great God and made all the World I said who is witness of that They said the Minister will answer you Again they taught me the Commandments of God but I did not believe Totherswamp promised to come again he did so and said now pray to God because God is good I thought it a teadious thing to pray to God Then he strongly intreated me I said I will try but not for praying but in vain Then my kindred said praying is a vain thing why will you pray therefore returne again then I went and prayed When I first came Waban taught that Word The night is farre spent the day is as hand therefore let us cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the Armour of light My heart asked what are dark workes They answered sianes and what is day they answered praying to God and the wisdome of the Word is light And this is now almost come unto us Then my heart smile I will pray to God Again I heard the Minister who said these words Thou shalt have no other Gods but me thou shalt not make to thy selfe any graven Image nor the likeness of any thing in Heaven above in the earth below in the waters under the earth thou shalt not bow down to them nor worship them Then my heart said that I did worship many false gods therefore if I pray it may be God will kill me but they said no he is a good God then I prayed and then my kindred hindred me Therefore my heart said If my kindred pray then I will pray Then I was taught more and I did heare the Word that God made Adam of the dust and made him sleep and took out a rib and made a woman and thus God made man My heart said It may be God made English men but not us poore naked men as we are of a strange language and therefore I doubted to pray Then I heard of Nimrod his building of Babel and that God was angry made strange to each other their language and brake their work Then my heart said Surely so it is as I did believe Again I heard that God found one man just Noah and saved him in his Ark and did drown the world then my heart said I desire that God may find many just persons with us therefore I pray to God then I more prayed Again I heard that God made a Covenant with Abraham and his seed to be their God My heart said so let it be I desire to be in this Covenant of God and to pray so long as I live I thought if I do well God will pardon all my sinnes the Minister said no If you do all good as perfectly yet God will not pardon God will pardon only for Iesus Christ his sake Then I believed Iesus Christ was both God and man and made peace betwixt God and man Christ did for us all the Commandments of God and died for us he payed death for us and therefore for his sake God will pardon us if we believe in Christ I heard that which Mat. 7. Ask and ye shall have seek and ye shall find knock and it shall be opened c. Then my heart said I will pray as long as I live and knock at heaven dore Again I heard that word Enter in at the streight gate c. My heart said Sure it is so narrow and hard is the way to Heaven broad and easy is the way to hell I desire to walk in the narrow way to heaven Again Christ died for us and thereby saveth us and saith Come to me all that are weary and I will give you rest Then my heart said Great is my weariness for many are my sinnes and I desire rest in Christ
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