TO THE Godly and well affected of this Kingdome of ENGLAND ; who pray for, and rejoyce in, the thrivings of the Gospel of our Christian Reader, LORD JES VS. Inever thou hadst experie own spirit, Fever thou hadst experience of this day of power, these visitations of Christ upon thine own spirit; I suppose thee to be one who hast embarqu'd many prayers for the successe of the Gospel in these darke corners of the earth; to strengthen thy faith, inlarge thy heart, and assure thy soul that God is a God hearing prayers: An account is here given to thee of the conquests of the Lord Iesus upon these poor out-casts, who have thus long been estranged from him, spilt like water upon the ground and none to gather them. Formerly thou had, The Day-break, some dawnings of light, after a long and black night of darkenes, here thou seest the sun is up, which wee hope will rejoice like the strong man to run its race, scattering those thick clouds of darknesse, and shining brighter and brighter till it come to a perfect day. These few sheets give thee some footing for such thoughts, and some further incouragments to wait & pray for the accomplishment of such things. Here thou mayst see, the Ministry is precious, the feet of them who bring glad tidings beautifull, Ordinances desired, the Word frequented, and attended, the Spirit also going forth in power and efficacy. with it, in awakening and humbling of them, drawing forth those affections of sorrow, and expressions of tears in abundance, which no tortures or extremities were ever observed to force from them, with lamenting: we read here, their leaving of sinne, they forsake their former evill wayes, and set up fences never to returne, by making laws for the punishment of those sins wherein they have lived, and to which they have been so much addicted. They set up prayers in their families morning and evening, and are in earnest in them; And with more affection they crave Gods blessing upon a little parched corn, & Indian stalks, then many of us do upon our greatest plenty and abundance. They rest on the Lords day, and make laws for the observation of it, wherein they meet together to pray & instruct one another in the things of God, which have been commu nicated to them. They renounce their diabolicall Charmes and Charmers, and many of those who were practitioners in these sinfull Isa. 26. 16. לחש Incantatio, mussitatio. Jer. 8. 17. and soul-undoing Arts, being made naked, convinced and ashamed of their evill, forsake their way, and betake themselves to prayer, preferring the Christian Charm, before their diabolical Spells: herein God making good that promise Zeph. 2. 11. I will famish Eccles. 10. 11. al the Gods of the earth, (which he doth by withdrawing the worshippers, and throwing contempt upon the worship) And men shal worship me alone every one from his place, even all the Isles of the Heathens. Act. 14. 16. Acts 17. 30. ὑπεριδών. All these are hopefull presages that God is going out in his power and grace to conquer a people to himself; That he begins to cast an owning look on them, whom he hath so long neglected & despised. And indeed God may wel seek out for other ground to sow the seed of his Ordinances upon, seeing the ground where it hath been sown hath brought forth no better fruit to him; he may well bespeak another people to himself, seeing he finds no better entertainment among the people he hath espoused to him, and that by so many mercies, priviledges, indeerments, ingagements. We have as many sad symptomes of a declining, as these poor outcasts have glad presages of a Rising Sun among them. The Ordinances are as much contemned here, as frequented there; the Ministery as much discouraged here, as embraced there; Religion as much derided, the ways of godliness as much scorned here, as they can be wished and desired there; generally wee are sick of plenty, wee surfet of our abundance, the worst of Surfets, and with our loathed Manna and disdained food, God is preparing them a Table in the wildernes; where our satieties, wil be their sufficiencies; our complaints, their contents; our burthens, their comforts; if he cannot have an England here, he can have an England there; & baptize & adopt them into those priviledges, which wee have looked upon as our burthens. We have sad decayes upon us, we are a revolting Nation, a people guilty of great defection from God. Some fall from the worship of God to their old superstitions, and corrupt worship, saying with those in leremy, It was better with us then now. Some fall from the doctrin of grace to errors, some to damnable, others to defiling, some to destructive, others to corruptive opinions. Some fall from professed seeming holynes, to sin & profanenes; who like blazing comets did shine bright for a time, but after have set in a night of darknes. We have many sad symptomes on us, we decay under all the means of nourishment, are barren under all Gods sowings, dry under al the dews, droppings showres of heaven, like that Country whereof Historians speak, where drought causeth dirt, and showres causeth dust. And what doth God threaten herein, but to remove the Siccitas dat lutum, imbres pulverem. Candlesticks, to take away the Gospel, that pretious Gospel, the streams whereof have brought so many ships laden with blessings to our shoar, that Gospel under the shadow whereof we have sate down and been refreshed these many years? where the power is lost, God will not long continue the form, where the heat is gone, he wil not long continue the light. The temple did not preserve the lews when their hearts were the Synagogues of Satan, nor shall any outward priviledge hold us up, when the inward power is down in our spirits. God hath forsaken other Churches as eminent as ever England was: where are the churches of Asia, once famous for the gospel, for general Councels, now places for Zim and Ochim, their habitation desolate? where are those ancient people of the lews who were (segulla micol hagnâmim) his peculiar and chosen people of al nations? they are scattered abroad as a curse, and their place knows them no more. And shall I tel you? God hath no need of us, he can cal them Gnammi, his people, who were Lo gnammi, not his people, and them beloved, who were not beloved. Indeed he hath held up us, as if he had not known where to have another people, if he should forsake us ; we have been a Goshen, when others have been an Egypt, a Canaan, when others an Akeldama, the garden of God, when others have been a wildernesse, our fleece hath been wet, when others have been dry : But know, God hath no need of us, he can want no people if he please to call; If he speake, all the ends of the Psal. 22. 27, 28. world shall remember and turn unto the Lord, and all the kindreds of the Nations shall worship before him. If he set up his standard, to him shal the Gentiles flock, and the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. It is not for need but for love that God abides with England, and there is nothing out of himselfe Amat deus, non the incentive of this love: there can be no reason given habet, sed ipse why God should fence us, and suffer other places to lye est unde amat. wast, that we should bee his Garden, and other places a Aug. Wildernes, that he should feed us with the bread of Heaven, and suffer others to starve, men of the same mould, his offspring as well as we, and such (did he conquer to himselfe) were likely to doe him more service, bring him more glory then we have done. Wee see something here done in order to such a work, our Harvest is much over, we see little incomes, there we see the fields are ripe for harvest; here the ministry is contemned, there the feet of them that bring glad tydings are beautifull; we have outlived the power and efficacy of Ordinances, there God goes forth with life and power; we can outfit the most speaking and winning discoveries of Christ, there every notion, breeds motion in them; the glory of the Lord is much departed from us, there his rising is conspicuous and glorious. The blind man found it good to be in the way where Christ came: And who would be in Egypt when there is light in VOL. IV. THIRD SERIES. 5 &c. 1 Esa 9. 10. aliunde hoc stat infidelitas Goshen? Oh that England would be quickned by their risings, and weep over her own declinings! What a wonder is it that they should doe so much, and we so little, that they should be men in their infancy, and we such children in our manhood, that they so active, we so dead? That which was Hieroms complaint may be Heu! quod præ- ours, O that Infidelity should do that which those who professe themselves beleevers cannot do! We have the light of former times, but want the heat, knowledge Ignis qui in pa- abounds as the waters cover the sea, but we want the salt; we have a form of Godlinesse, but want the power: And it wil be smal comfort should God continue to us the form, and cary to others the power, to suffer us to wast our selvs with unnecessary brangles (which are the sweat of the times) and in the mean to cary the life and power of Religion quod non præstitit fides. rentibus fuit Calidus, in nobis Lucidus. unto others. Rom 11. 14. up Let these poor Indians stand up incentives to us, as the Apostle set the Gentiles a provocation to the lews: who knows but God gave life to New England, to quicken Old, and hath warmed them, that they might heat us, raised them from the dead, that they might recover us from that consumption, and those sad decayes which are come upon us? This smal Treatise is an Essay to that end, an Indian Sermon, though you will not hear us, possibly when some rise from the dead you will hear them. The main Doctrin it preacheth unto all, is to value the Gospel, prize the Ministry, loath not your Manna, surfet not of your plenty, be thankfull for mercies, fruitfull under means: Awake from your slumber, repair your decayes, redeem your time, improve the seasons of your peace; answer to cals, open to knocks, attend to whispers, obey commands; you have a name you live, take heed you bee not dead, you are Christians in shew, be so indeed : least as you have lost the power, God take away from you the form also. And you that are Ministers learn by this not to despond though you see not present fruit of your labors, though you fish all night and catch nothing, God hath a fulnesse of time to perform all his purposes. And the deepest degeneracies, & widest estrangements from God, shall be no bar or obstacle to the power and freenesse of his owne grace when that time is come. And you that are Merchants, take incouragement from hence to scatter the beames of light, to spread and propagate the Gospel into those dark corners of the earth; whither you traffick you take much from them, if you can carry this to them, you wil make them an abundant recompence. And you that are Christians indeed, rejoice to see the Curtaines of the Tabernacle inlarged, the bounds of the Sanctuary extended, Christ advanced, the Gospel propagated, and souls saved. And if ever the love of God did center in your hearts, if ever the sense of his goodness hath begot bowels of compassion in you, draw them forth towards them whom God hath singled out to be the objects of his grace and mercy; lay out your prayers, lend your assistance to carry on this day of the Lord begun among them. They are not able (as Moses said) to bear the burthen of that people alone, to make provision for the children whom God hath given them; & therefore it is requisite the spiritual cominunity should help to bear part with them. Many of the young ones are given and taken in, to be educated & brought up in Schooles, they are naked and must be clad, they want al things, and must be supplyed. The Parents also, and many others being convinced of the evill of an idle life, desire to be employed in honest labor, but they want instruments and tooles to set them on work, and cast-garments to throw upon those bodies, that their loins may blesse you, whose souls Christ hath cloathed. Some worthy persons have given much; and if God shall move the heart of others to offer willingly towards the building of Christ a Spirituall temple, it will certainly remain upon their account, when the smallest rewards from God, shall be better then the greatest layings out for God. But we are making a relation, not a collection; we leave the whole to your Christian consideration, not doubting but they who have tasted of mercy from God, will be ready to exercise compassion to others, & commend you unto him who gave himself for us, that hee might redeem us Tit 9. 14. from all iniquity, and purifie as well as purchase unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Stephen Marshall Iohn Downam Philip Nye William Carter Tho. Goodwin Tho. Case Samuel Bolton. |