fionaries, English and Indians." Dr. Mayhew, fpeaking of the corporation, gives them this encomium, "A fociety which purfues the true end of its inftitution."* And Gov. Hutchinfon,t making mention of the corporation, and its revenue, fcruples not to fay, "Perhaps no Perhaps no fund of this nature has ever been more faithfully applied to the purpofes for which it was raifed." The declaration and acts of the Parliament, and the good difpofition difcovered by the people of England in their collections for these pious uses, were a great encouragement to the miffionaries to purfue, with diligence and refolution, the benevolent defign of gofpelizing the heathen, before they received any exhibitions from the corporation. The concurring fentiments, and liberal exertions of fo many good people were one mean of animating them in the caufe. Mr. Eliot, in particular, continued to pay careful attention, both to the religious and civil interefts of the Indians. He had engaged in the work upon the best princi-, ples his heart was in it The toils and hardships with which it was attended, did not difcourage his generous and pious mind. The general approbation of good men both in England and its colonies, ferved, amongst other con * Remarks on Mr. Apthorp, p. 121, Hift. Maffachusetts, v. i. p. 166. Since the feparation of the colo fiderations, to invigorate his mind, and keep up his zeal in the fer vice. The Indians, upon renouncing their old religion, and receiving Chriftianity, appeared defirous of a more fixed refidence together, and of conforming, in a confiderable degree, to the English mode of liv ing. They combined, and settled at feveral places; but the plantation of greateft note among their villages, in early times, was that of Natick.* A confiderable body of them combined in the year 1651, and built this town: It confifted of three long ftreets, with house lots for the feveral families. They built one large house after the English manner, which ferved principally for a meeting house on Lord's days, and a school house at other times. Within the house Mr. Eliot had an apartment partitioned off for his accommodation, which was fupplied with neceffary furniture for his use, when he lodged in the place. They alfo enclosed a confiderable quan tity of ground with palifadoes for a fort, which they made of a round figure. They also erected feveral fmall houses after the English fashion.+ Soon after their fettlement at Natick, they applied themselves to the work of forming their civil government. Mr. Eliot, who had great influence among them, determined, "That feeing they were not prepofed with any form them into fuch a form, as we had of government, he would inftrua written in the word of God, that nies from Great-Britain the corporation have withheld their exhibitions from their commissioners in the affa-fo they might be a people, in all chusetts. Application has been made things, ruled by the Lord :" Acby the commiffioners, for remittances cordingly he expounded to them to fupport fome miffions, but without fuccefs. The corporation, by advice have turned their attention to the province of Canada, * Magnalia, b. III. p. 197. + Neal's hift. v. i. p. 253. the eighteenth chapter of Exodus, in which Jethro propofes a plan to Mofes The natives complied with Mr. Eliot's propofition; accordingly on the 6th of Auguft about an hundred of them met together, and chofe one ruler of 100; two rulers of 50; and ten rulers of ten; every private man chose who fhould be his ruler of 10, the rulers ftanding in order, and every man going to the man he chofe.* After this they entered into the following covenant: "We are the fons of Adam. We and our forefathers have, a long time, been loft in our fins; but now the mercy of the Lord beginneth to find us out again: Therefore, the grace of Chrift helping us, we do give ourselves and our children unto God to be his people; he fhall rule us in all our affairs. The Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver; the Lord is our king; he will fave us, and the wifdom which God has taught us in his book fhall guide us. O Jehovah, teach us wifdom; send thy fpirit into our hearts; take us to be thy people, and let us take thee to be our God."t Thefe Indians, being established upon this foundation, utterly abandoned that Polygamy, which had heretofore been common among them. They made fevere laws against fornication, drunkennefs, and other immoralities, and againft the profanation of the Lord's day. They next began to exprefs their carneft defires of the establishment of church order among them; and of the feveral ordinances and privileges of a church communion. The churches had generally, from the beginning to that time, been very ftrict in their admif. fions to church fellowship, and required very fignal demonftrations of a repenting and believing foul, before they thought men duly qualified for admiffion to fpecial gofpel ordinances; but they feemed rather to augment than abate their ufual ftrictnefs, when the examination of the Indians was to be performed. A day was appointed, which they called Natootomakteackefuk, or a day of asking questions, when the minifters and several members of the adjacent churches, affifted by the best interpreters that could be obtained, publicly examined a good number of thefe Indians, about their attainments both in knowledge and virtue. This great af fembly was held on the 13th of October 1652. And notwithftanding the great fatisfaction then received, the churches being willing to proceed furely, and therefore flowly, in raifing them up to a church ftate, the Indians were afterwards called in confiderable affemblies, convened for that purpose, to make open confeffions of their faith in God and Chrift, and of the efficacy which the divine word had upon them, for their converfion to him. Their confeffions, particularly at the general meeting in 1652, were tak, en in writing from their mouths by able interpreters were fcanned by the people of God, and found much acceptance with them.* Mr. Eliot, or fome other divine, visited the new converts, for a confiderable time at leaft, every week; who catechised their chil *Magnalia, B. III. p. 197. Neal's dren, preached upon fome article hift. v. i. p. 254. † Magnalia, B. III. p. 197. * Magnalia, B. III. p. 197. of the Chriftian faith, and an-, has rendered them weaker than fwered fuch queftions as the Indians proposed to them.* Mr. Eliot carefully preferved the aforementioned confeffionsthey were foon published to the world under the title of Tears of Repentance, or a Narrative of the further Progress of the Gofpel among the Indians in New-England. He tells the reader, that he had not knowingly, or willingly made their confeffion better, than they had made them themselves ; but he is verily perfuaded, on good grounds, that he they delivered; partly by miffing fome words of weight in fome fentences; partly by abbreviating fome paffages, and partly by reafon of the different idioms of their language and ours."+ I fhall present the reader with a copy of one of their confeffions, by which he may form a judgment of the rest. The confeffion of Ponampan on the faft day, before the great affembly. "Before I prayed to God, I committed all manner of fins: And when I heard in the catechifm, that God made me, I did not believe it, because I knew that I fprang from my father and mo * Mr. Hutchinson obferves, "That Mr Eliot applied himself with zeal equal to that of the miffionaries of the Romish church; but instead of adopt-ther, and therefore I defpifed the ing a favorite maxim of fome of that communion, that ignorance is the mother of devotion, he endeavored to enlighten the understandings of the Indians. Before the converts in New England were admitted to the ordinances, they were examined by fome of the magiftrates, as well as minifters. The confeffions of many of them, as taken from their own mouths, were fent to England, and printed, and there proved of. Whereas with the Romish priests, the repetition of a Pater Nofter, or Ave Maria, or perhaps the telling over a few beads, made them fit fubjects of baptifm." Vol. I. p. 163, 166. ap Mr. Colden gives the following account of a Romish prieft pronouncing an Indian a Chriftian upon a strange ground: The account is rather ludicrous, though not incredible. ; About the time of the conclufion of the peace of Refwick, the noted Therouet died at Montreal, The French gave him Christian burial in a pompous manner, the priest that attended him at his death, having declared that he died a true Chriftian for, faid the priest, while I explained to him the paffion of our Saviour, whom the Jews crucified, he cried out, "Oh! had I been there, I would have revenged his death, and brought away their fcalps." Hift. Five Nations, vol. I. p. 207. word; and therefore again I did act all fins, and I did love them. Then God was merciful to me, to let me hear that word, that all fhall pray from the rifing to the fet ting fun; and then I confidered, whether I fhould pray; but Í found not in my heart that all fhould pray, but then I confidered of praying, and what would become of me, if I did not pray; and what would become of me if I did pray. But I thought if I did pray, the fachems would be angry, because they did not fay, pray to God, and therefore I did not yet pray; but confidering of that word, all fhall pray, I was troubled; and I found in my heart that I would pray to God, and yet I feared that others would laugh at me, and therefore I did not yet pray. Afterwards God was yet merciful to me; and I heard that God made the world, and the first man, and I thought Neal. v. I. p. 255. Tears of Repentance, quoted by Mr. Neal, "It must be remembered, that these Indians could neither write nor read that they pronounced thefe confeffious before a large affembly of English, and were often interrupted by the writers, which is a fufficient apology for their want of method and expreffion."* it was true, and therefore I would I heard that word, if ye repent pray to God, because he hath and believe, God pardons all fins."" made all; and yet when I did Then I thought, Oh! that I pray, I thought I did not pray had this! I defired to repent and aright, because I prayed for the believe; and I begged of God, fake of man, and I thought this Oh! give me repentance and was a great fin; but then I won- faith! Freely do it for me: And dered at God's free mercy to me, I faw God was merciful to do it. for I faw that God made me, and But I did not attend the Lord gives me all mercies, and then I only fometimes: And I now conwas troubled, and faw that many fefs, that I am ashamed of my were my fins, and that I do not fins, my heart is broken, and yet believe; then I prayed, yet melteth in me-I am angry at my heart finned, for I prayed on- myself, I defired pardon in Chrift, ly with my mouth; and then I│I betruft my foul with Chrift, that repented of my fins ; and then a he may do it for me.” little I confidered, and remembered God's love to us, but I was a finner, and many were my fins, and a little I repented of them; and yet again I finned, and quickly was my heart full of fin; and then again was my heart angry with myfelf, and often I loft all this again, and fell into fin. Then I heard that word, that God fent Mofes into Egypt, and promifed, I will be with thee: That promife I confidered, but thought that in vain I did feek, and was afhamed that I did fo: And I prayed, O God, teach me truly to pray, not only before man, but before God, and pardon all my fins. A. gain, I heard that word, that Christ taught through every town and village, repent and believe, and be faved; and a little I believed this word, and I loved it, and then I faw all my fins, and pray ed for pardon. Again, I heard Again, I heard that word, he that cafleth off God, him will God caft off; and I found in my heart that I had done this, and I feared becaufe of this my fin, left God fhould caft me off, and that I should forever perish in hell, becaufe God has caft me off, I having caft off God. Then I was troubled about hell, and what fhall I do if I be damned! Then Rev. Richard Mather, of Dorchefter, who was prefent at this meeting of the ecclefiaftical council, gives a very favorable account of the appearance and conduct of the chriftianized Indians. In a letter of his published on this occafion, he makes the following remarks, viz. "+There is fo much of God's work among them, as that I cannot but count it a great evil, yea, a great injury to God, and his goodnefs for any to make light of it. To fee and hear Indians opening their mouths, and lifting up their hands and eyes in prayer to the living God, calling on him by his name Jehovah, in the me diation of Jefus Chrift, and this for a good while together; to fee and hear them exhorting one another from the word of God; *Neal's hift. p. 258. to fee and hear them confeffing the name of Chrift Jefus, and their own finfulness; fure this is more than ufual! And though they spake in a language of which many of us understood but little, yet we that were prefent that day, faw and heard them perform the duties mentioned, with fuch grave and fober countenances, with fuch comely reverence in their gesture, and their whole carriage, and with fuch plenty of tears flowing down the cheeks of fome of them, as did argue to us, that they fpake with the holy fear of God, and it much affect. ed our hearts." (To be continued.) An explanation of the eleventh chap ter of the Revelaton. [Contin. from Vol. III. p. 429.] PART III. F we proceed to confider the remaining part of the chapter, we are next informed by the angel, ver. 14. that The fecond woe is past, adding, and behold the third woe cometh quickly. Ver. 15. And the feventh angel founded, and there were voices in heaven, faying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Chrift, &c. &c. From the infertion of this declaration, in connection with the preceding fcene, have we not inadvertently imbibed the two following opinions? 1. That they are a continuation of the vifion, or proceed to difclose the fuppofed remaining contents of the little book. That the glorious reign of Chrift on earth will immediately Tucceed the flaughter and refurrection of the witneffes. But will not fedate reflection fuggeft that these are real errors? For, 1. If we com 2. pare the text now under confideration with the ninth chapter, will it not be evident, that the vifion of the witneffes ended with the preceding paffage? In the conclufion of the eighth chapter, we are informed of an angel flying through the midst of heaven, and denouncing Woe, woe, woe to the inhabiters of the earth-portending the calamitous events which would be inflicted under the three remaining trumpets which were yet to found.-Chapter ix. ver. 1, And the fifth angel founded-Ver. 12. One woe is paf-Ver. 13. And the fixth angel founded: And having detailed the calamities prognofticated by this trumpet, it is remarked, But the rest of the has time to proceed is furprised men repented not-and before he by an extraordinary vifion of a little book and witneffes prophefying in fackclock, which fo captivated his mind that he related it before he gave the fignal, that the vifion of the fixth trumpet was concluded; and having given the relation, announces, The fecond we is paft-which conclufively fuggefts, that this vifion beginning with the tenth and ending with the eleventh chapter 13. ver. was introduced by parenthefis, and that the order of the prophetic narrative was now resumed, So the regular feries of the prophecy is, chapter ninth, verfe laft, The rest of the men repented notof their thefts. Chap. 11. ver. 14. The fecond woe is paft. not this order of prophecy clearly fhew, that there is no direct connection between the preceding paffage and this paragraph; and that we are not confequently, to confider the events here described as immediately fucceeding the refurrection of the witneffes? Add to this, that they difagree with 2. Does |