ally included: And by the faid letters patents, the Hon. Robert Boyle, Efq. that ornament to true philofophy, and to Chriftianity, was appointed the firft governor of the faid fociety.* This gentleman prefented three hundred pounds to the corporation, for the pious end of the inftitution. on his decease in 1692, Robert Thompfon, Efq. was elected as his fucceffor; and after his decease, Sir Wm. Afhurst, Knight, and alderman of the city of London, was chofen to fucceed. In 1726, William Thompson, Efq. was governor. I have not feen a catalogue of his fucceffors. The fund of this corporation was not large. Mr. Hutchinfon, when he wrote his history, which was published in 1764, eftimates the annual proceeds at fix, or feven hundred pounds fterling. Doctor Douglas, who wrote his Summary Hiftorical, &c. twelve or fifteen years before, obferves, "The whole revenue of the cor The corporation being thus established by law, refolved to attempt the recovery of their lands. Col. Beddingfield, being favored by the attorney general, and fome other great men, put the fociety to no fmall charge and trouble, by prolonging the fuit; but at laft, it was determined in the court of chancery, in favor of the corporation, the chancellor declar-poration is £500 to £600 ftering it as his opinion, that Bed-ling per annum." Mr. Neal, in dingfield had not fo much as the fhadow of a title to the land, having fold it for a valuable confideration; and that, if there was a forfeiture in the case, it was into the hands of the king, who had fignified his royal pleasure, that it fhould be restored to the corporation, and applied to thofe good purposes, for which it was origin-pended with fidelity, and good ally defigned. The powers of this fociety were limited to New England, and the adjacent borders. Here they formerly maintained many miffionaries, part English, and part Indian, to preach the gofpel to the tribes. They erected schools in proper places; and furnished the children with catechifms, primers, pfalters, books of devotion in the Indian language; and with pens, ink and paper; and fometimes with clothes. his hiftory, which was published in 1720, informs, that he was affured, from the best hands, that the whole revenue of the corporation had never then exceeded be tween five and fix hundred pounds per annum. From good authority it may be afferted, that the revenue was ex judgment by the corporation, and Mr. Boylet was for a long time governor of the corporation: Up-churchman; and most of the members were diffenters, or favorers of the cause. * Neal's history of New England, p. Hutchinson, vol. 1. p. 363. 280. † Mr. Boyle was a very moderate VOL. IV. No. 1. Magnalia, B. III. p. 191. § Summ. Hift. and Polit. v. ii. p. 122. B fionaries, English and Indians." fiderations, to invigorate his mind, Dr. Mayhew, fpeaking of the and keep up his zeal in the fercorporation, gives them this enco- vice. mium, "A fociety which purfues the true end of its inftitution."* And Gov. Hutchinfon, 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."t The declaration and acts of the Parliament, and the good difpofition discovered by the people of England in their collections for thefe pious ufes, 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 principles his heart was in it The toils and hardfhips 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. p. 166. Since the feparation of the colonies from Great-Britain the corporation have withheld their exhibitions 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 living. They combined, and fettled at feveral places; but the plantation of greatest 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 houfe on Lord's days, and a fchool 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 enclofed a confiderable quantity of ground with palifadoes for a fort, which they made of a round figure. They alfo erected feveral fmall houfes 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 prepoffeffed with any form of government, he would inftruct them into fuch a form, as we had written in the word of God, that things, ruled by the Lord:" Accordingly he expounded to them from their commiffioners in the Maffa-fo they might be a people, in all chufetts. Application has been made by the commiffioners, for remittances 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 should be his ruler of 10, the rulers ftanding in order, and every man going to the man he chofe.* 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 admiffiori 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 afking queftions, when the minifters and feveral members of the adjacent churches, affifted by the beft interpreters that could be obtained, publicly examined a good number of thefe Indians, about their attainments both in knowledge and virtue. This great affembly 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 confiderusable 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 taken in writing from their mouths by able interpreters-were fcanned by the people of God, and found much acceptance with them.* 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; fend thy fpirit into our hearts; take us to be thy people, and let take thee to be our God."+ These 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 against the profanation of the Lord's day. They next began to exprefs their earnest defires of the establishment of church order among them ; and of the feveral ordinances and privileges of a church communion. Mr. Eliot, or some other divine, vifited the new converts, for a confiderable time at least, every week; who catechifed 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 anfwered fuch queftions as the Indians propofed to them.* Mr. Eliot carefully preferved the aforementioned confeffionsthey were foon publifhed to the world under the title of Tears of Repentance, or a Narrative of the further Progrefs of the Gospel 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 themfelves; but he is verily perfuaded, on good grounds, that he Mr. Hutchinfon obferves, "That Mr Eliot applied himself with zeal equal to that of the miffionaries of the Romish churc; but instead of adopting a favorite maxim of fome of that communion, that ignorance is the mother of devotion, he endeavored to ch lighten 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 confeflions of many of them, as taken ap from their own mouths, were fent to England, and printed, and there proved of Whereas with the Romish priefts, 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. Mr. Colden gives the following account of a Romish priest 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 Chriftian 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. 297. has rendered them weaker than 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 mother, and therefore I defpifed the 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 fetting 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 beand what would become of me if come of me, if I did not pray; 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 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. pray, Afterwards God was yet merciful to me; and I heard that God made the world, and the firft man, and I thought + Neal. v. I. p. 255. Tears of Repentance, quoted by Mr. Neal, ; it was true, and therefore I would pray to God, because he hath made all; and yet when I did pray, I thought I did not pray aright, because I prayed for the fake of man, and I thought this was a great fin; but then I wondered at God's free mercy to me, for I faw that God made me, and gives me all mercies, and then I was troubled, and faw that many were my fins, and that I do not yet believe; then I prayed, yet my heart finned, for I prayed only with my mouth; and then I repented of my fins and then a little I confidered, and remember. ed 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 quick. ly 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 Chrift 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 that word, he that cafteth off God, him will God caft off; and I found in my heart that I had done this, and I feared because of this my fin, left God fhould caft me off, and that I fhould forever perish in hell, because 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' I heard that word, if ye repent and believe, God pardons all fins. Then I thought, Oh! that I had this! I defired to repent and believe; and I begged of God, Oh! give me repentance and faith! Freely do it for me: And I faw God was merciful to do it. But I did not attend the Lord only fometimes: And I now confefs, that I am afhamed of my fins, my heart is broken, and melteth in me-I am angry at myself, I defired pardon in Christ, I betruft my foul with Christ, that he do it for me.' may "It must be remembered, that thefe Indians could neither write nor read that they pronounced thefe confeffions 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."* Rev. Richard Mather, of Dorchefter, who was prefent at this meeting of the ecclefiaftical coun cil, 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 mediation 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. Magnalia, B. III. p. 198. |