At a meeting of the General Affociation of Connecticut, at Stratford, on the third Tuesday of June A. D. 1803,

It was VOTED, That the Trustees of the Miffionary Society be requested to procure a publication of the report of our delegates to the General Affembly of the Prefbyterian Church, in the Evangelical Magazine.

Also, VOTED, That the Trustees of this Society be requested to prepare, or procure, publish and distribute a fummary of the Chriftian doctrines, for the benefit of the people in the new settlements.

On balloting for Trustees of the Miffionary Society, for the ensuing year, the following gentlemen were duly elected.

His Honor John Treadwell, Efq. | Rev. Meffrs. B. Trumbull, D. D.

The above are a true extracts from the minutes of the General Af fociation.

CYPRIAN STRONG, Register.

NOTE. The fated meeting of the Trustees, by the Conftitution of the Miffionary Society, is annually on the first Wednesday in September, in Hartford.

Donation to the Miffionary Society of Connecticut.

July 6. A friend of Miffions,

10 dols.

FOR THE CONNECTICUT EVAN- | for several years after, in the state

Thomas Southworth, one of the

one to another in an holy covenant; promising to walk togeth-magiftrates, Mr. John Eliot, fen.

er in all the ordinances, and infti-
tutions of the gofpel; and Mr.
Eliot first baptized, and then ad-
miniftered the Lord's fupper to
them. Thus was the first In-
dian church formed about the
year
of our Lord 1660, or 1661.‡
The fame fpirit, which actua-
ted Mr. Eliot, excited others elfe-
where to profecute the fame ex-
cellent work: One of these was
the pious Richard Bourne, who
foon faw a great effect of his la-

bors.

In the year 1666, about the middle of July, the Hon. Thomas Prince, Efq. Gov. of the jurifdiction of New-Plymouth, Mr.

which perfons, in' too many of the eftablished churches in England in their day, were admitted to special ordinances, might lead them to an oppofite extreme: For in too many inftances, very fcandalous perfons were admitted to the Lord's Supper, as members of the national church, with little, or no reftriction. However, they must be commended in general, for ufing caution in their admiffions: And if they exceeded due limits in their caution, it difcovered a defire in them to avoid making the fpecial inftitutions of Christianity common to the qualified, and unqualified, as had been done in too many churches in Christendom.

† Magnalia, B. III. p. 198. Neal Vol. I. p. 258.

Mr. John Eliot, jun. Mr. Samuel Arnold, Mr. John Holmes, Mr. William Brimfmead, and Mr. Thomas Cufhman, went to Sandwich to have an interview with Mr. Bourne, who lived there, and had been inftructing the In. dians in that vicinity, in the Chriftian faith; and to make enquiry into the progrefs they had made in knowledge, and virtue. Moft, or all of thefe gentlemen, except the two Mr. Eliots, were inhabitants of Plymouth colony-fome in the civil, and others in the Ecclefiaftical department. At their motion a large affembly was convened at Mafhippaug [Mashpee]: At this meeting a good number of the Indians, whom Mr. Bourne had been inftructing, were examined: They gave fuch an account of their knowledge, and belief, and of the impreffion the gospel had made upon their hearts; and gave their relations with such affection, as was extremely grateful to the pious auditory. The magiftrates and minifters, convened upon the occafion, received much fatisfaction in what they observed and heard: Yet fuch was the ftrictnefs of those who conducted the business of the meeting, that before they would countenance the advancement of thefe Indians to church fellowship, they concluded, that their confeffions fhould be written, and a copy fent to each church in the colony for their inspection, and approbation, if they faw fit; fo that if no ob

I have not yet learned the precife time of forming the church at Natick. Gov. Hutchinfon places it in 1651; but this feems to be a mistake in chronology: For Dr. Increase Mather, who flourished in the 17th century, and began his career of public fervice but a few years after the middle of it, places this tranfaction several years later: Injections fhould be offered, they his letter to Profeffor Leufden of Utrecht, dated July 12, 1687, he thus writes, "Above 26 years ago, he [Mr. Eliot] gathered a church of converted Indians in a town, called Natick." According to Dr. Mather, this church was formed about the year 1660, or 1661.

might, at a suitable time, be permitted, and encouraged to enter into church fellowship. The confeffions, and relations were very agreeable to the churches, to which they were communicated.

Afterwards, the meffengers of all, if not perfonal danger, muft be

the churches being prefent, and expected; fo that a fpecial, digiving their confent, thefe Indians vine influence upon the mind was were formed into a church, and neceffary to incite a man to enchofe Mr. Bourne to be their paf-gage in it, and pursue it with reftor, who was then by Mr. Eliot,olution, and perfevering fidelity. and Mr. John Cotton of Plim-He had the pleasure to find, that outh ordained to that office over them. The ordination was performed in the year 1670. Mr. Bourne continued in office for fundry years.*

He was an early fettler in Plimouth colony, and a moft zealous, and indefatigable promoter of the gofpel among the Indians.+

Befides Mr. Bourne, Mr. Eliot had the fatisfaction of having fun dry fellow-laborers in his miffionary work: Moft of thofe, who officiated fatedly, furvived him, and faithfully purfued the fervice after he had finished his courfe, and refted from his labors.

Soon after entering upon his miffion he found, as might be expected, the need of more laborers in this extenfive, and arduous work. The minifters indeed in his neighborhood gave him occafional affiftance; but their advantages for inftructing the Indians in Chriftianity were, in one refped at leaft, much inferior to his own, as they could inftru&t them only by the help of an interpreter ; while he, being mafter of their language, did preach to them in their own tongue. It was his earneft prayer, that God would fend forth ftill more laborers into this harveft: And he was the more importunate, as he was fenfible, that but few fecular advantages and encouragements attended the fervice, and much toil and felf denial,

a gracious anfwer was returned to his petitions: He faw generous, and vigorous attempts made by feveral other most worthy preachers of the gospel in feveral places (fome of them remote from him). to Chriftianize the perishing Indians.

After fome years, his eldest fon Rev. John Eliot of Cambridge Village, [now Newtown] and Rev. John Cotton, of Plimouth, learned the language of the natives, and were able to preach to them in their own tongue, and did fo for a confiderable time -Mr. John Eliot, jun. I prefume till his decease in 1668-and Mr. John Cotton till 1690, if not fome years after.*

A brief account of the other minifters, except two, will be given in the words of Dr. C. Mather. The epithets he affixes to their names fhow in what eftimation he held them.

"In Connecticut the holy and acute Mr. Fitch has made noble effays towards the converfion of the Indians: But, I think, the Prince he has to deal with, being an obftinate infidel, gives unhappy hindrances to the fucceffes of his miniftry.-Godly Mr, Pierfon has, in that colony, deferved well, if I miftake not, upon the fame account."

"In Maffachusetts we fee, at this day, the pious Mr. Daniel Gookin, the gracious Mr. Peter Thacher; the well-accomplished, and induftrious Mr. Grindal Raw

fon, all of them hard at work to turn these poor creatures from darkness to light, and from fatan unto God."

"In the colony of Plimouth we have the most active Mr. Samuel Treat laying out himself to fave this generation. And there is one Mr. Tupper, who uses his laudable endeavors for the inftruction of them."

ted to his firft degree, A. D. 1656. He is reprefented by writers in that century, as a man of an amiable character; in high efteem with the learned, the virtuous and the pious. He was happily accomplished with gifts of nature, learning and grace. His external appearance was very pleafing: but the qualities of his mind commanded particular refpect.-He was a perfon of a quick apprehenfion, folid judgment, and diftinguished prudence-well acquaint

"Such as thefe are the perfons, whom Mr. Eliot left engaged in the work of gofpelizing the Indians, when he departed from hised with the learned languages, the employment to his recompence, And these gentlemen are fo indefatigable in their labors among the Indians, as that the most equal judges must acknowledge them worthy of much greater Stipends, than they are generously content ed with."+

Mr. Morton, in his memorial, makes mention of two others, who were teachers of the Indians in early times, viz. Mr. Brown and Mr. James But I do not learn where they refided; nor what tribes of Indians they inftructed.

It is not neceffary to mention, in this place, the worthy family of Mayhew, on Martha's Vineyard, as a particular account has been given, in the former part of this work, of their unwearied, and fuccefsful labors.

arts, and fciences, for one of his time, age, and advantages; and applied himself, with great diligence, to his ftudies, that he might make further progress in useful literature. But those things which finished his character were his piety, faith, love, humility, felf-denial, and zeal; thefe eminently fhone upon all occafions. He was a lively, zealous, and ingenious preacher; and his acceptance with the public, as a preacher, was in proportion to his accompliments. After preaching for fome time, he was called to the pastoral office and ordained at Cambridge village; fince that time incorporated as a distinct town by the name of Newtown. He was filled with a laudable and pious zeal to promote the gospel among the Indians; and by the affiftance of his father, and his own diligent application, he gained fuch a knowledge of their lan

The compiler is not able to give biographical sketches of more than two, who have been now mentioned, as Mr. Eliot's fellow-guage, that he preached to them laborers viz. Mr. John Eliot, jun. and Mr. John Cotton.

in it for feveral years, and I fuppofe, till his deceafe. He travelMr. John Eliot, jun. was el- led many miles in a day, once a deft fon of Rev. John Eliot of fortnight, to difpenfe the gofpel Roxbury: He was born Aug. to them. He was high in their 31ft, 1636.-Was educated at efteem and affection. They often Harvard College, and was admit-faid, his preaching to them was precious and defirable. They, as well as his numerous English ac,

Magnalia B. III. p. 200, 201.