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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96422	Strength out of weakness. Or A glorious manifestation of the further progresse of the gospel amongst the Indians in New-England. Held forth in sundry letters from divers ministers and others to the corporation established by Parliament for promoting the gospel among the heathen in New-England; and to particular members thereof since the last treatise to that effect, / formerly set forth by Mr Henry Whitfield late pastor of Gilford in New-England. ; Published by the aforesaid corporation.	Gouge, William, 1578-1653.; Whitfield, Henry, 1597-1660?; Eliot, John, 1604-1690.; Wilson, John, 1588-1667.; Leverich, William, d. 1677.; Bessey, Anthony, 1609?-1657?; Mayhew, Thomas, 1621-1657.; Endecott, John, 1588?-1665.; French, William, 1603?-1681.; Allen, Thomas, 1608-1673.; Society for Propagation of the Gospel in New England.	1652 (1652)	Wing W2002; ESTC R223436	37,294	59

said he would save me from all the sinne that is in my heart and from that misery I should exceedingly love God and sayth he I should love a man that should doe mee any good much more the Lord if he should doe this for mee Q. Doe you thinke that God will doe you any good for any good that is in you A. Though I beleeve that God loves man that leaves his sinne yet I beleeve it is for Christs sake Q. Doe you see that at any time God doth answer your prayers A. Yea sayth he I take every thing as an Answer of prayer Q. But what speciall answer have you taken notice of A. Once my wife being three dayes and three nights in labour I was resolved never to leave praying till she had deliverance and at last God did it and gave her a sonne and I called his name Returning because all the while I went on in Indianisme I was going from God but now the Lord hath brought mee to him backe againe By this time Captaine Gooking came to us and he asked him this Questions Q. What he would thinke if he should finde more affliction and trouble in Gods wayes then he did in the way of Indianisme A. His answer was when the Lord did first turne mee to himselfe and his wayes he stripped mee as bare as my skinne and if the Lord should strip mee as bare as my skinne againe and so big Saggamore should come to mee and say I will give you so big Wampom so big Beaver and leave this way and turne to us againe I would say take your riches to your selfe I would never forsake God and his wayes againe This is a Relation taken by my selfe William French The last Letter we offer to the Readers view is a Letter directed to one of our selves from Mr Thomas Allen who came lately from New England and is now setled in the Ministery at Norwitch in Norfolke wherein he beareth witnes to the reallitie and truth of this worke of the Lord in New England begun upon the Indians against all such that raise up false reports against the same or such as labour to weaken the same by lessening the number of such as are wrought upon by the power of the Gospel preached to them Honored Sir IT seemes that some of late have been so impudently bold which I cannot sufficiently wonder at as to report and publiquely affirme that there was no such thing as the preaching and dispersing of the Gospel amongst the Natives in New England verily Sir I doe beleeve that the Devill himselfe who is the Father of Lyes would not yea durst not have uttered such a notorious untruth as that was Now although I confesse I have not been present at the places where the Indians are wont to meete to heare such as doe preach unto them by reason of my bodily weaknes and indisposition to travell so farre into the Wildernesse yet thus much I can testifie if my Testimony may be of any use being lately come over from New-England that there are divers persons in severall places who doe take paines and labour in that Worke there viz. not onely Mr Eliot of Roxbury who hath preached among them for many yeares up downe in the Jurisdiction of the Massachusets and Mr Mahew who for a good while hath taken paines amongst the Indians at an Island called Martins Vineyard but of late also Mr Leveridge in the Jurisdiction of Plymouth and Mr Blynman who lives now in a new Plantation in the Pequotts Countrey As for the successe of the preaching of the Gospel unto the Natives I have heard Mr Eliot affirme that he is so well perswaded of the Worke of grace in some of them as that he could comfortably joyne in Church-fellowship with them Mr Mahew also who came to see mee a little before my coming from thence told me that after Mr Whitfeilds coming thence for he had been upon that Island as he came to the Bay and was present also with Mr Mahew amongst the Indians there were neer upon one hundred I think he said Ninety and odd persons of them more who came in to heare him preach unto them and some Pawaws also and one of some Eminency amongst them who did acknowledge his Evill in such doings and made a Declaration of the manner how he came at the first to be a Pawaw the which also Mr Mahew did relate unto mee Sir that there is such a work in hand in New-England as the preaching of the Gospel unto the Natives there all the Magistrates and Ministers and people in that place who know any thing will be readie to attest and therefore such as dare affirme the contrary may as well say that the Sunne doth not shine at Noone day when the skie is cleere and doe indeed deserve a Publique Witnesse to be borne against them for such a Publique and so notorious an untruth The good Lord humble them deeply for it if it be his good will and pardon it to them through his grace in Christ Thus Sir not having further at this present to be troublesome unto you desiring an Interest in your earnest prayers for mee beseeching the Lord to let his presence and blessing be with you and upon your great and weighty businesses I take leave resting Your humble Servant in the Lord Thomas Allen Norwich 8d 11m 1651. The Corporation to the Reader THus having presented thee Christian Reader with a view of those things that God hath brought to our hands which we of the Corporation conceive our selves bound in duty to publish to the world looking upon it as one meanes to advance the work in the hearts of Gods people and to stirre them up thereby to contribute more freely towards the carrying on the same The reason wherefore we have published so many testimonialls and shall insert more is because too many that come from thence labour to blast the worke by reporting here that there is no such worke a foote in the Countrey or if it be it is but for the loaves if any be truely converted 't is not above five or seaven at most These things as they are very grievous to us to heare so we take God to witnes that as we are in sincerity exercised in a great deale of care and travell to carry on the worke so we publish to the world no more then what we have received and beleeve to be really true And if these testimonies related in the foregoing discourse be not sufficient to satisfie any still doubting spirit there are some eminent Gentlemen come from thence who are ready to resolve them in the truth hereof as Mr Edward Hopkins late Governour of Conectacutt Mr Francis Willowby and others a late Magistrate of the Massachusets Besides if any shall repaire to Coopers Hall we shall be willing to shew them the originall Copies we have received which we have transcribed for the Presse the time for any to repaire thither is Saturday every weeke between the houres of ten and twelve in the Morning where our Corporation sit and where we shall gladly take paines to satisfie the doubts of any and thinke nothing too much wherein we may be serviceable to the Lord Jesus in a worke having so much tendency to his glory in the propagation of his Kingdome Signed in the name and by the appointment of the said Corporation by William Steele Esquire President FINIS Arma diaboli Gentes erant fide autem Gerrium vulneratus caput quo● habebat amist Amb. in Psal 118. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Cor. 16. 9. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Tim. 2. 25. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Nazian. Brightman in Cant. 8. 8. Mede in Apoc cap. 7. p. 56.

hath pleased God to stirre up the hearts of many of them this winter to learne to reade and write wherein they doe very much profit with a very little helpe especially some of them for they are very ingenuous And whereas I had thoughts that vvee must have an Englishman to be their Schoole-Master I now hope that the Lord will raise up some of themselves and enable them unto that worke with my care to teach them well in the reason of the sounds of Letters and spelling I trust in the Lord that vvee shall have sundry of them able to reade and write who shall vvrite every man for himselfe so much of the Bible as the Lord shall please to enable me to translate Besides those workes which concerne Religion and Learning wee are also a doing according to the measure of our day of small things in the civill part of this worke wee have set out some part of the Towne in severall Streets measuring out and dividing of Lots which I set them to doe and teach them how to doe it many have planted Apple-Trees and they have begun diverse Orchards it s now planting-time and they be full of businesse yet wee are doing some publicke workes the last weeke I appointed our Lecture to be at a Water which is common passage and where the Fish wee call Alewives come there wee built a bridge and made a wyre to catch Fish and being many of them some wee appointed to one worke and some to another through the blessing of God wee brought both these workes to perfection wee also have begun a Pallizadoe Fort in the midst whereof wee intend a meeting-house and Schoole-house but wee are in great want of Tooles and many necessaries and when wee cannot goe wee must be content to creepe this present weeke I am going to Pawtueket the great Fishing place upon Merimek where I heare sundry doe expect my coming with a purpose to submit themselves unto the Lords hand Sir I doe earnestly beg your prayers both for mee and for this worke of the Lord which he hath set mee about John Eliott Roxbury the 28th of the 2d 1651. The former Letter of Mr Elliots came to hand about six Moneths before the latter and that 's the reason you have another of his followeth next after his former whereby the Reader may see and observe the constant goodnes of God in carrying on his owne worke notwithstanding all the opposition of Men Every day bringing forth as it were additionall improvements to the praise of God who delighteth so much in this his day of small things Worshipfull and much honoured in the LORD IT is through the grace of Christ who hath called you into the fellowship of his Kingdome that you are willing to take such care and paines for the advancement and furtherance of his Kingdome and the Lord fill your hearts with the Consolations of his holy Spirit whose spirit hee hath set to seeke his glory in promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ and because the fruite of our Labours coming in with a blessing is a great meanes to quicken the heart to be constant in that worke which the Lord delighteth to prosper and blesse It is my duty to let you understand how it pleaseth the Lord to prosper and proceed in this worke of his among the Indians for the promoting vvhereof you travaile with care and paines that so you may goe on with the more Comfort and the better know how to direct your prayers unto the Lord in that behalfe I will not trouble you with rehearsall of such things as I have already this yeare written about unto our honoured Friend Mr Winslowe so farre as I can call to minde vvhat I wrote hoping in the Lord that the Ships are safely arrived and my Letters come unto his hands I know not whether I have yet mentioned our Schoole vvhich through the Lords mercy vvee have begun though vvee cannot yet be constant in it vvee have two men in some measure able to teach the youth vvith my guidance and inspection And thus vvee order the Schoole The Master daily prayeth among his Schollers and instructeth them in Catechisme for which purpose I have compiled a short Catechisme and vvrote it in the Masters booke vvhich he can reade and teach them and also all the Copies he setteth his Schollers vvhen he teacheth them to write are the Questions and Answers of the Catechisme that so the Children may be the more prompt and ready therein wee aspire to no higher learning yet but to spell reade and vvrite that so they may be able to vvrite for themselves such Scriptures as I have already or hereafter may by the blessing of God translate for them for I have no hope to see the Bible translated much lesse printed in my dayes Therefore my chiefe care is to Communicate as much of the Scriptures as I can by vvriting and further my scope so to traine up both men and youths that when they be in some measure instructed themselves they may be sent forth to other parts of the Countrey to traine up and instruct others even as they themselves have been trained up and instructed This consideration doth make mee very carefull to put on the Schoole and attend it with what diligence I can although I cannot as yet doe in it what I desire There be severall providences of God appearing to worke which make mee thinke that the most effectuall and generall way of spreading the Gospel will be by themselves when so instructed as I have above-mentioned as for my preaching though such whose hearts God hath bowed to attend can picke up some knowledge by my broken expressions yet I see that it is not so taking and effectuall to strangers as their owne expressions be who naturally speake unto them in their owne tongue To the end therefore that they may be the better able to teach others I doe traine them up and exercise them therein vvhen I am among them on the Lords dayes appointing two each Sabboth to exercise and when they have done then I proceed and assuredly I finde a good measure of abilitie in them not onely in prayer wherein they exceed my expectation but in memory to rehearse such Scriptures as I have read unto them and expounded to expound them also as they have heard mee doe and apply them And now also the Schoole-Master taking the care of catechizing the Children I leaving that to him doe catechize the men examining and trying their knowledge which yet I am wary in doing least I should dampe and discourage the weake These things I attend with the more intention because it seemeth to mee God will imploy these first instructed to instruct others of which I have had sundry experiences some I shall instance it pleased Mr Winthrop son unto our late Honoured Governour now at rest to advise mee to send two discreete men to the greatest and most potent Sachem among the Naragansets to answer such Questions

in Christ one of them tells publiquely it did him more good to heare of Christ then to heare of all earthly good things I would faine hope for seeds of Faith in such Fifthly Two of them I deale withall particularly for personall evills by name for the sinne of Fornication which they were carried away into which my Indian acquainting my selfe with after our exercise I spake unto shewing them the evills of this sinne and aggravating of it by the knowledge they now had of God c. and exhorting them to Repentance and to seeke mercy in Christ whereupon one of them fell into bitter weeping presently the other though his heart was shut up at present yet not long after and with longer continuance sayd I have observed in others a sence of temptations spirituall bondage which they expressed naturally thus one saith that he and the Devill were all one Souldiers and this in sadnesse of spirit and speech another laying his hands upon his knees and hammes complaines he was as a man tyed in Cords and prayes to God to be unloosed and in generall they are observed divers of them to pray with much affection mourning in so much that they are in this respect a wonderment to their Companions who enquired what is the matter why they doe so c. A fourth encouragement to mee is this I finde the Devill bestirring himselfe and betaking of himselfe to his wonted practice of stirring up oppositions against this worke by his Instruments as fearing the ruine of his Kingdome their Countrymen manifesting their hatred threatning they shall not plant hunt c. as before yea the Controversie or enmitie rather arises between Parents and Children c. Lastly and not long before I was last with you in the Bay upon a second day in the morning before they went away there came to me to the number of twentie of them voluntarily professing one by one their desire to feare God promising that they would leave their sins some intermixing acknowledgements of their sins and ignorance and one that English and Indians knew shee had been very wicked hereunto calling Jehovah to witnes and this to doe all their dayes as long as they live some bringing their Children and causing them to make the like profession whereupon I was the more stirred towards them in my spirit though I acknowledge I was loath to make an absolute engagement to promise them I would endevour to be as helpfull to them as I could in teaching them which when I had done they gave mee thankes publiquely and since this they living some seaven miles from us have built a Wigwam of purpose neere our Towne to receive them when they come on the Lords dayes and truely Sir they are so attentive in hearing that it grieves me I cannot speake to them as I desire they seeming to be hungry and I wanting bread for them And thus Sir you have a naked Narration of our proceedings with the events fallen out by Gods providence within not many moneths It is I believe a day of small things and so lookt at by our English many of them who surely would have perished in their darknesse if all others should have contemned them as they these I pray God they perish not in the light however I am resolved to bable to them as I may considering that out of the mouthes of babes God ordaines praise and found strength to still the enemie c. the beginnings of Gods great works are often in great obscuritie where he appoints the end to be glorious Also I remember one sowes and another reaps which where ever they be such as are faithfull shall rejoyce together I doubt not Sir of your fervent prayers which I doe further beg of you and others that know how to pitty lost ones for my selfe and poore Indians that the Lord will prosper our endeavours this way and water them with his abundant blessings in Jesus Christ that the day-spring from on high may visit such poore soules as are in darknesse and the shadow of death and bring them to life in Jesus Christ William Leverich Sandwich this 22th of the 7th 1651. The next Letter is a testimoniall from a private hand of what Mr Leverich mentions in his to Mr Wilson where we may see some fruits of his labours testified by a neighbour of his at Sandwich which is fiftie miles from that place where Mr Eliot hath taught other Indians for divers years but we doe not a little rejoyce to heare that Mr Leverich is engaged in this worke because he is a grave learned knowing and a prudent Christian one indeed from whom by Gods blessing we may expect much good COncerning the Indians I have seene and heard more this Sommer then ever I did before I have seene some Indians crave a blessing before meate and returne thankes after meate pray morning and evening some of them doe frequent our meetings they come constantly eight or tenne miles every Saturday and the Monday they returne home againe while our Exercise doth last they doe attend diligently but understand but little but when that is done Mr Leverich and they doe put questions one to another and Mr Leverich hath an Indian that speakes good English and he is Interpreter There is a man that lives neere us that comes from an Island that is called Martins Vineyard where is a Minister that speakes good Indian he doth preach to them every weeke he hath told me that that Minister told him that there are some of them Indians that are able to give a better reason of their Faith then some of the Members of their Church some of them will preach and they have private meetings and keepe very good orders Anthoney Bessey Sandwich 22th September 1651. The next Letter we present thee withall good Reader is one from Mr Mayhew whom God hath honoured with abundant successe in making his labours the instrumentall meanes to turne many of the Heathen from their evill wayes to the Lord our God This he not onely wrote to Mr John Whitfield who is a Minister in Winchester but also to a Member of our Corporation being the same Narrative word for word for ought we discerne wherein appeareth a mighty progresse in godlines since our last Treatise published by Mr Henry Whitfield upon his comming hither from New England God not onely daily adding to their number such as in Charity we conceive appertain to his Election but stirred them up being neere two hundred persons to enter into a more close way of the Gospel declaring themselves to be the worshippers of the everliving God With many other things ministring much consolation to every Christian heart to see these very Powwawes fall off from the worship of Devills and embrace the glad tydings of Salvation Reverend and dearly beloved in Christ Jesus SIR WHat you have done in the Indian busines and concerning my selfe in particular doe give good testimony of your holy desires to further the worke