then himself and dwelt in that man and the latter end of that man was worse then his beginning When I heard this I feared my heart feared I feared that my repentance and praying and all was nought and that God hath almost quite cast me off Then I considered how I fell into these sins I remembred that the Serpent did deceive the woman she the man and thereby brought sin and thereupon God punished both the man and the woman Hearing this my heart thought Surely I am a great sinner and I was born in sin because my parents were sinners and so am I I have sinned against God and I was born in sin My Parents broke that Command Thou shalt have no other gods but Mee but they served many gods and so did I and therefore the earth bringeth forth thorns and weeds unto man when he laboreth therefore by this I remembred my troublesom life and all is because God is offended at me because of my sins And then I remembred that many of my children are dead this is Gods punishment on me because of my sins Sometime men punished me and were offended at me but now I remembred my sins against God and I saw that the punishments of God are a greater matter Again I heard that word that hee that keepeth his word shall finde mercy I thought so it is indeed but I am a sinner I considered what I should do because I was a sinner and born in sin and have lived in sin I considered assuredly there is a God and God made heaven and earth and all that is therein and all destructions and deaths are the work of God I remembred my vain praying to God and considered what to do I confessed my sins before God and begged pardon for Christ his sake I did finde I could not deliver my self but Christ only is my deliverer and my heart desired to believe and pray to him and yet knew not what to do nor how to please God and get pardon only I prayed Oh Christ deliver mee because I am a sinner and know not what to do Then I remembred that God layeth on us two deaths in this world First the soul is dead and wee are made guilty of Adams sin and have lost Gods Image and hereby my soul is a fool and hereby my soul is dead and a man dead can do nothing nor speak nor go nor stand and verily so is my soul dead and I shall fall to eternal damnation by sin Therefore now I cry to God to help mee for I am throughly a sinner After I heard that God pardoneth penitent believers and I remember the word of Ionas when he was almost cast off he repented and God made a Whale to eat him up and then he looked to God and cryed for mercy and then I saw that if I cry for mercy and believe I shall have pardon I heard that Christ healed all manner of diseases therefore I believed that Christ is the Son of God able to heal and pardon all Now I confess I know nothing almost nothing at all Again Christ saith Hee that is not with mee is against mee my heart said True it is so so must I do I must be with Christ and Hee that gathereth not scattereth I said So it is with mee I have so done I scatter and am a stranger to Christ And I did not truly love them that prayed to God but I was a stranger in heart unto them But now I desire in my heart to do as they do and our poor teaching I desire to obey it and do what God bids and what he saith you shall not do that I desire not to do But yet again I do sin and my sins troubled me by hearing the word of God and yet I would do them I heard that God will pardon all kinde of sins that men sin but the sin against the Holy Ghost shall not be pardoned in this world nor in that which is to come Then I fear'd that I was such an one and that God would not pardon me Then I earnestly entreated God to pardon and deliver me because he was the true deliverer Again I heard that word that they that are well need not the Physitian but the sick My heart said True I did even so I sought not help when I was well but now I remember my sins and now my soul is dead and now I desire that my soul may live and I desire the Physitian of my soul to heal mee and Christ will not in vain heal souls but such as convert from sin and believe in Christ their sins Christ pardoneth this my soul doth earnestly beseech of Christ and else I know not what to do Again I heard that Christ dyed for our sins when we are sinners Again Mat. 26. Christ saith This is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins my heart said Yea Lord let it be so for my soul and let me not be a stranger any more before thee I know not what to do Lord help I desire to be washed from all my filthy sins and to be baptized as a sign of it I am as a dead man in my soul and desire to live Ponampam A Little I shall speak I was young about 8 years old when my father lived I did play as other children did and my father did chide me for playing I wondered at it for he said we shall all die I wondered and sat amazed about half an hour but I soon forgot it That Winter the Pox came and almost all our kindred dyed I and my mother came to the Bay and there dwelt till we pray'd to God but I did nothing but sin as the rest of the world did Then hearing the word of God I heard that from the rising of the sun to the setting thereof my Name shall be known among the Gentiles therefore all must pray to God But my heart did not desire that but to go away to some other place But remembring the word of God that all shall pray to God Then I did not desire to go away but to pray to God But if I pray afore the Sachems pray I fear they will kill me and therefore I will not pray But yet when others prayed I prayed with them and I thought if I run away to other places they will pray too therefore I will pray here Then on a Sabbath none taught and some bid me teach what the Minister had taught us but I feared and durst not for fear of the Sachems yet they urged me and I did And I taught them what I remembred and they were angry at me and we fell out and I went away I thought that my praying would be in vain and I laid by praying and there was Paw-wauing but I doubted to do that because I had prayed and I did think they would laugh at me After I returned again and was among them which prayed but my heart
did not rightly pray though I came on the Sabbath day Then about the time that my Son who was at School was born the Minister taught on 1 Chron. 28. 9. Thou Solomon my son know the God of thy fathers c. if thou seek him hee will be found of thee if thou forsake him hee will cast thee off for ever Then I feared for I said This already I have done I have cast off God and therefore he will cast off me for every such one God will cast off I know not what to do It repented me for my sin I feared Gods wrath and damnation Then I prayed and call'd upon God yet only sometimes I repented and after I found my heart full of sin again But then I was angry at my self and knew not what to do alwayes I did fear God hath cast me off for all my many sins which I have done Hereby I was troubled and angry at my self Then I heard that word Who ever repent and believe shall be saved I l'e pardon them Then my heart cryed Oh Christ let it be so that my sins may be pardoned and that I may pray alwaies Then I begged Lord give me repentance and faith and I did pray to God much Then I did beg that I might give up my self wife and children to God as long as we live and then I prayed Then I heard that word Mat. 5. Hee that looks on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery in his heart I then remembred my sins that though I had promised to pray yet I had thus sinned and my heart was now troubled about this My heart said Cast off praying because you are filthy in lust your heart and eyes still commit adultery therefore run away from these that pray to God and go to Qunniticot or some other place and if you be in other places you may do what you will and my heart almost inclined to this sin But after that this merciful word of God I heard That Satan led Christ into the wilderness to tempt him and so I thought hee would do me Then I desired God to be merciful to me then I turned to God and cryed but knew not what to do for I feared God had cast me off and I shall perish for ever God has cast me off and I have deserved hell fire Then I heard that word Joh. 14. 6. None come to the Father but by me I did pray Oh Christ let it be so that by thee I may come to God and I pray Christ Jesus pardon all my sins this mercy I beg Then I repented my casting off praying to God then I promised I would not return again to sin and if Christ help me I and children shall serve God Then that Spring my mother and two children dyed and I was troubled and knew not what to do my heart said Lay by prayer but that I did not but I saw Christ came to give eternal life and therefore what Christ will do for me so let it be Therefore I believe only in Christ for eternal life and what Christ will do with my soul so let it be and my soul desireth that I may receive the Seals to make strong my heart Piumbuhhou ASsuredly I have nothing that I should confesse as I ought for my heart is full of foolishness and darkness stopt up is my heart and deaf are my ears I know not by what way I can get life I was born in sin into this world and therefore I am in folly and I know my heart is full of foolishness and ignorance I am a great sinner ever since I saw light in this world my foolishness appeareth in every thing I do in this life I know not what God hath given me but now I hear of the mercy of God who hath made the world and all things in it by this great work of his I know there is a God and because my heart checketh mee for sin and I fear the punishment of God And the Word of God now sheweth me that there is a God therefore my heart sayes I desire to pray to God and because God is angry with me for all my sins I know nothing by my self but that which is evil I heard that word Mat. 5. Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven Then my heart said So be it Oh Lord to me and I love thee as long as I live Then said my heart I am a poor man and desire to pray to God Again God said Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled Then when I heard that word my heart rejoyced and yet again I doubted and my heart misbelieved and feared Then that word came that Christ saith Be ye mercifull as your heavenly father is merciful And again Hee maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust When I heard it my heart rejoyced to hear of the mercy of God yet I doubted and my heart was hard again Now I confess before God because God is a great God and a mercifull God and I pray to him I heard of Gods great mercy to give us his only Son to dye for us therefore I loved God and I begged Oh God pardon all my sins and I give up my self to Jesus Christ Monotunkquanit BEfore I prayed to God I lived at Nipmuk I did not know that there was a God only I lived for nothing for no end or purpose but I alwaies did wilde actions I kept no Sabbath nor Lecture nor any work of Prayer nor did I remember my works I now know that all my words and works are naught my eyes and ears are stopped and mad works I dayly did After I went to Dorchester Indians the praying Indians and they that were my friends did say it was good to pray to God and said Tomorrow is our Lecture and the Minister cometh to teach us then my heart desired to see the Minister and hear what he said next day he came and taught the Indians I went and desired to see when I came my son Sam. came with mee the Minister call'd my son and set him afore and asked him Who made him and he was taught to answer God Then he commended my son and asked whose son he was they said Mine The Minister gave him two apples then the Minister said to me Do you pray to God you see your childe saith God made him and therefore it is your duty to pray to God Then I considered what he said I could not sleep that night I considered whether I should pray to God my heart did much doubt that night Shall I pray my heart said No yet I doubted Then Waban came to my house to Nipmuk and perswaded me to pray to God I said I know not how to pray Hee said God will teach you God is a great God and made all the world I
as other youths did at all these things because thereby did original sin grow in me and hard it was to root it out and hard to believe After this I heard still and more I understood I heard Gen. 16. that the people were full of sin lust and all other sin and therefore the Lord destroyed them and I knew that I had the same sins and therefore I was afraid but I feared only this bodily life and not for my Soul After this my heart did a little desire to pray to God because God found Noah righteous and did save him therefore I desired to pray but again I laid it by and I said it is vain to pray for if I pray and should commit sin I shall be punished or imprisoned but if I pray not I may commit what sin I will and have no punishment for it About a year after I heard the Minister teach another word that the Death of Christ is precious and our death is nothing worth therefore God promiseth pardon of all sins for Christ his sake he bid us remember this against next time When he came again he asked me and I did remember it and do to this day but I confess I did not believe only I did remember it and answered when I was asked And then again I desired to pray to God and would not go away but it was because I loved our place and dwelling I prayed but I believed not I considered not Eternal Life but only this worldly life And thus I went on till they chose Rulers at Natik they chose me and I refused because I believed not After that my Wife and Child died and I was sick to death but lived again and being well I thought I could not pray I was a Child and therefore could not I put off praying to God my Relations died and why should I pray but then I considered why does God thus punish me yea the Minister spake to me about it and said it may be it was because I refused to do Gods work as Moses when he first refused God was patient but when he persisted in his refusal God was angry and then my heart saw my sin and then my heart almost believed I desired to do right and to keep the Sabbath for I further heard in the 4th Commandment Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy and Psa. 101. I will walk wisely in a perfect way Also in Isay 58. If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath and do not thy own works nor find thy own pleasure nor speak thy own words therefore my Soul desired to keep the Sabbath then the Souldiers came upon us on the Sabbath day while we were at meeting and took away our Guns and caused us to bring them as far as Roxbury that night my heart was broken off my heart said God is not the Sabbath is not it is not the Lords Day for were it so the Souldiers would not have then come then my heart cast off praying then we came before the Magistrates and Cutshamoquin asked Why they came on the Sabbath-day It was answered that it was lawful but I did not understand it That day I being very thirsty did drink too much and was brought before the Magistrates and was ashamed I came to Roxbury to the Minister and there I was ashamed also because I had greatly sinned then I cried to God for Free-mercy because precious is the Death of Christ oh pardon this my sin Yet again I had temptations to drinking and then I considered what a great sinner I was even like a beast before God Then I heard that word Mat. 5. He that breaketh the beast of Gods Commands and teacheth others so to do shall be the least in the Kingdome of Heaven My heart said Lord such an one have I been for I have been an active sinner yet I cried again for mercy O Lord freely pardon my great sins Again I confess I am very weak even like a very child and I so walk and know not what to do if I die I fear I shall die in my sin yet I cried again O God pardon me for Christ his sake Again further I confess that when I was troubled about our wants poverty and nakedness I considered that text Foxes have holes and Birds have nests but the Son of man hath not whereon to lay his head And again Mat. 6. The Birds plough not and the flowers spin not and yet God doth both feed and cloath them and therefore be not over-much troubled about these things yet I desire to follow labour with my hands because Gen 1. God gave Adam dominion over the creatures and commanded him to Till the ground And Gen. 2. He set him in the Garden and commanded him to dress it and keep it Also Gen. 3. he said Thou shalt eat thy bread in the sweat of thy face all thy dayes till thou returnest to thy dust When I remember these things my heart doth bow to labour also I heard that riches were the root of all evil and Dives with his fine apparel and dainty fare was in hell and poor Lazarus was in heaven When my heart is troubled about our Land â—nd about riches I quiet my heart with these meditations Also I further heard when my heart was troubled about Salvation and doubted I heard that there is no means of Salvation but Christ not any thing in the world can carry us to heaven only Christ which I did believe by Gen. 28. where Iacob dreamed a dream and he saw a Ladder which stood on earth and the top reached up to heaven and that Ladder is Christ who is Man and so toucheth the earth and God and so is in heaven and by believing in him we ascend to heaven as by a ladder This helped me almost to believe and I cried Oh Christ be thou my Ladder to heaven Again Ioh. 14. Christ saith None cometh to the Father but by me therefore I believe nothing can carry me to God but only Christ if I penitently believe in him Again I confess I do still find my self very weak to resist sin for if I read and teach on the Sabbath I teach indeed but I do not as I ought and therefore that Word of Christ doth rebuke me Mat. 23. Hear and do what they say but do not as they do When I do among others reprove sinners that Word of Christ reproveth me Thou hypocrite first cast the beam out of thine own eye and then thou mayest see clearly so cast the moat out of thy brothers eye Again when I pray I find hypocrisie in my heart to do it to be seen of men and that Word of Christ reproveth me Mat. 6. They pray to be sâ—en of men verily they have their reward and then I cryed mightily to God O Lord help me pardon me what shall I do Again I heard Mat. 9. The Son of Man hath power to pardon sin on earth and therefore me O Lord then
saith The Tree that brings not forth good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire My heart said sure so is my heart and I have deserved to be cast into the fire I have brought forth such fruits as may justly cut me down Again I heard the word of Christ He that heareth the Word and doeth it shall be blessed Then my heart said I have deserved not to be pardoned but I beg for mercy Again the word saith This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased My heart said sure God is merciful to send his own Son and Christ is merciful that he came and died for us Again I heard that the Tempter came to Christ and said If thou be the Son of God make these stones bread But Christ said man liveth not by bread only but by every word which cometh out of the mouth of God Then I believed that Christ was the Son of God and that my Soul liveth not by bread but by the Word of God Again Mat. 8. the Leper came to Christ and said Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me whole and Iesus touched him and he was healed Then my heart said surely Christ is the Son of God and he only can heal my sins Again I heard in Mat. 6. If ye forgive one another God forgiveth you Then my heart said I desire to do this else God will be angry with me Again I heard Mat. 9. all diseased came to Christ the blind halt c and he healed them therefore I believed that he was the Son of God and I begged of Christ to pardon my sins and save me because sure he is Christ the Son of God Again the word saies Not every one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdome but he that doth the will of my Father Then my heart said I do fear because I do very weakly obey the Word of God and therefore Christ saith Depart ye workers of iniquity My heart said such an one am I but now I cry to and trust to Christ to pardon all my sins Again I heard Mat. 11. that Christ said Capernaum was lifted up to heaven by the Gospel but should be cast down to hell for refusing it I thought I did now pray iâ— I now fall off I shall perish And again Christ saith It shall be easier for Tyre and Sidon in that day Then my heart said I have deserved the worst of Gods wrath for I believed not the great works of God and therefore I desire pardon of all my sins and to forsake all my sins and to pray to Christ as long as I live Again I heard Mat. 5. That Heaven and Earth shall pass away but not one jot or tittle of the Word of God but all shall be fulfilled Therefore my heart did desire that I may both hear and do the Word of God which will never perish Again I heard Mat. 16 Christ saith Who say ye that I am Peter said Thou art Christ the Son of the living God Christ said Blessed art thou Peter flesh and blood hath not revealed this to thee but my Father and on this Rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it Therefore my heart believed that God helped me to receive Christ and I desire to take that promise to Peter and my heart joyed more and more in Christ and in the Word of God Again I heard Mat. 26. Iesus took bread and blessed it and brake it and gave it and said Take eat this is my body which is broken for you and likewise the Cup c. saying This is my blood in the New Testament which was shed for remission of sins c. My heart said sure Christ is full of love and hath given us great mercy and I desire to partake of it Again the wicked did kill Christ but he rose again and ascended to heaven then my heart believed Christ Again I heard Iohn 14. No man cometh to the Father but by me My heart said so be it Lord I desire to come to God by Christ and I said Why did the wicked kill Christ My heart said I believe that Christ died for my sin and therefore I desire to believe in Christ Then my heart did joy in Christ and to heartle Word of God but yet to this day I have doubts in my heart my heart is weak to this day And now I know that in six daies God made the world and before that God I desire to confess my sins and forsake them and no more to do them Sometimes my heart is in an ill frame and loveth sin and my heart hateth good therefore I desire the free Mercy of Christ to hold and keep my Soul When he had finished and I had read before the assembly this confession of his we called upon the witnesses to co-attest Who did in the same order as before express themseves to the like purpose Only when we called for Tho Stanton his sonnes they were not present nor did they any more appeare in the Congregation to attest the Indians confessions all the day Ponampiam He was next called forth and thus spake I Confess my sinnes before the Lord and his people this day While my Father lived and I was young I was at play and my Father rebuked me and said we shall all die shortly In private we asked him what ground or reason moved his Father so to speak he answered it was when the English were new come over and he thinketh that his Father had heard that Mr Wilson had spoken of the flood of Noah how God drowned all the world for the sinnes of the people Then I was troubled and thought sure what God saith shall be and not what man saith but I quickly forgot this and thought not of any good That same Winter the pox came all my kindred died only my Mother and I lived we came to Cohannit by Dorchester where I lived till I was a man and married All those daies I sinned and prayed to all gods and did as others did there I lived till the Minister came to teach us When I heard that they prayed my heart desired it not Sometime I prayed among them and sometime I neglected it I feared to pray because of the Sachems therefore I put it off for the fear of man Afterward I considered in my heart to pray to God not because I loved the word but for other reasons I heard that Word Mal. 1. From the rising of the Sun to the going down thereof my name shall be great among the Gentiles and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name and a pure offering for my name shall be great among the heathen saith the Lord of hosts Then I was troubled in my thoughts about running away yet then I thought if I should go to another place they must pray also and therefore I cannot flie from praying to God therefore I tarried and when others prayed I prayed
Say not I will pray hereafter but now Today if yee will hear his voice harden not your hearts but pray to God and that made my heart to yield to do it Then I understood Gen. 2. that God formed man out of the dust of the earth and breathed into him a living soul by this I did believe that God made me And I heard that God caused Adam to sleep and took out a rib and made it a woman and by this I believed that surely this is the work of God Again I heard that wee are born in sin under the guilt of Adams sin and by that I believed that I was a sinner Again I heard Gen. 6. that all the thoughts and imaginations of the heart of man are only evil continually and that God did threaten to destroy man whom hee had made and all beasts and living creatures which hee had made and by this I saw that surely sin is a very great evil Again I heard that Noah found grace and hee onely was upright before God and that God drowned all the world except Noah and his sons and their wives eight persons this did make mee remember my sinnes and confesse them and I saw that God is angry with sin It rained forty dayes and so drowned all the world then I said Surely this is Gods work and hee doth as he threatned to do to sinners and the same may God do to me who am a sinner and my heart is full of sin and evil thoughts c. And then I prayed Oh God be not angry with mee but be mercifull to mee and shew mee what I should do Then I considered why did God bid Noah make an Ark and saved Noah and his Sons and their Wives and by it my heart saw that this is Gods work who does what hee speaketh and hath mercy on whom hee will And my heart thought does God pardon mee and love mee It may be God will have mercy on mee I heard that promise Mat. 3. Repent and believe for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand then my heart said Oh that God would help mee and pardon my sins And God made mee wonder at Gods mercy to mee I heard of Sodom and their great sin and destruction and that did make me to remember my great sins and the great work of God that hee had almost kill'd mee Oh I thought this is Gods work to shew mee my sinnes and as God saved Lot by the Angels and sent him out of the place but burnt Sodom and all the people this I saw to be Gods work now I desired to fear God and pray unto him all the dayes of my life Again I heard Mat. 3. The axe is laid to the root of the tree every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewen down and cast into the fire then I feared my own case because my fruits were sin and I deserved to be cut down then I desired to believe in Christ I did believe that Christ is the Son of God by that word Matth. 4. Satan tempted Christ If thou be the Son of God c. but Christ conquered Satan and therefore assuredly hee is the Son of God Then I considered that place Mat. 11. Many came to Christ the halt and blinde and lame and deaf and sick and hee healed all and if they did but touch Christ they were healed and therefore my heart believed assuredly hee is the Son of God and therefore now I will pray and Oh let Christ save mee And Christ hath promised Whatever yee ask in my name it shall be done therefore now I prayed Oh Christ Jesus pardon mee but my heart is weak and doubting and I cannot believe And I heard that word that every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire then I said I deserve that Again that word Not every one that sayeth Lord Lord but hee that heareth the Word and doeth it Assuredly it is so and I desire not only to hear the Word but to do it then my heart was ashamed of my sinnes and grieved I heard that word Matth. 6. Blessed art thou Simon bar-Ionah flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee but my heavenly Father then my heart said Yea Lord no man has taught mee Christ onely God hath taught my heart to know Christ Again I heard that word Mat. 1. Hee will save his people from their sins then my heart said Be it so to mee Oh Lord Again I heard that Christ rose again the third day with an Earth-quake and the Watchmen were afraid and fled then my heart said Surely this is Christ the Son of God and whosoever believeth in Christ his soul shall go to heaven For again I heard of the Ascension of Christ and more then five hundred saw him ascend and therefore I believe this is Christ the Son of God Again I heard that in John 14. No man cometh unto the Father but by mee my heart answered Yea assuredly Oh Lord Christ is the way to believe in and come to God Again I heard that Mat. 25. Christ saith to the wicked Depart yee cursed I said God might justly say so to mee and send mee to eternal death But I earnestly cryed to God Oh God set mee into the right way and give mee Christ that I may ever walk with Christ for I am poor and weak and Christ promiseth that what wee ask hee will grant and I say Let God do with mee what hee will but I beg mercy in Christ onely I desire to pray to God as long as I live Iohn Speen THis I confess that I assuredly am a great sinner before the Lord but now I beseech God to help mee Oh Christ lead mee in the right way that I may speak that which is right This I confesse that before wee prayed to God I was wholly a sinner and not only before but since praying to God I have been a great sinner and now I desire to make a short confession for we desired that they would be shorter the time requiring so At first when I prayed my prayer was vain and only I prayed with my mouth and on the Sabbath only I came to the House of Prayer I prayed morning and evening and when I eat but I considered not what I prayed for I was sometime angry and passionate about wordly matters and I was troubled when I saw my brother was chosen to be a Ruler who was younger then I because now I saw that I was a sinner and though I repented yet presently again I fell into sin therefore I thought surely God hath cast me off because I thus sin and still my heart was full of sin all my thoughts were full of sin all my talk and doings were sinfull But now of late about 2 yeares ago I heard this word Mat. 12. When the unclean spirit was cast out hee went up and down unquiet then hee returned and took 7 devils with him worse
English Towns on the Sabbath day and I played for I did not regard that sin I thought it vain to keep one day yet I feared that the English should see me play least they should be angry but not because I offended God Afterwards I heard that my Brothers prayed and therefore I disliked them and I thought I will forsake my Brothers because they do a vain work and I did run away into the Country but they soon found me and asked me to pray and they pitied me and loved me and therefore I returned not because I loved God but because I loved my brothers My brother said Go dwell with the English and learn their manners I yeilded because I loved my brother I dwelt here at Roxbury and came to this meeting house but in vain I prayed not one word and my heart did misbelieve I heard the Minister preach that there is one God and he made the World and all things in it but my heart thought it was a vain word I thought my Father made me and not God Again I returned from this Town but yet I did not pray I heard the Commandements Thou shalt not murder Thou shalt not commit adultery Thou shalt not steal Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour Thou shalt not covet c. and other sins and punishments I heard of and I feared to sin because of man and because of punishment but not for fear of God therefore vain were all my wayes When I came back to Noonantam I did the same sins again especially I loved lust yea after my praying and being among them I loved it more then before When the Minister came and taught I went to the meeting but in vain I learned nothing but I still loved all our sins and lusts Afterward hearing the Catechism Who made you God Who redeemed you Jesus Christ c. my heart misbelieved and said I will not believe I will go away into the Country Again I heard that God made all the world and then a little I believed and thought I will pray to God but weak it was Again I heard Mat. 7. Ask and ye shall have seek and ye shall find knock and it shall be opened to you Then I prayed a little and then I thought there was a God who made the whole world I thought man could not make the world but only God and therefore I did pray unto him Afterward my Brothers were sick and others also I remembred that word Ask and ye shall have then I prayed to try if that word was true but they dyed then I thought that was a vain word and that God heareth not our prayers and that God is not therefore I thought I will cast off praying and run away I did not believe in God my heart said I shall die whether I pray or not pray all is one Then I heard that praying was the way to Everlasting Life but yet I regarded not praying I thought of running away and yet I thought whether I go or stay I shall die and therefore I was troubled but I did not pray Afterward I was at work and my head was broken in the Saw-pit and then I knew God was angry with me because I prayed not and then I did much know my sins I thought surely God is angry I remembred that I had heard that Word preached Watch for ye know not the hour that the Son of Man cometh this I remembred when my head was broken I heard that God made all the world and Adam and set Adam in Paradise and bid him eat of all the Trees saving of the Tree in the midst of the Garden if he eat thereof he should die but Adam did eat thereof and died then my heart believed surely God is and he made the world and man and me I heard Gen. 1. God said Let us make man in our own Image and let him have dominion over all the creatures Then my heart believed sure God is good to man and man is a sinner against God and therefore God is angry with me for my sins I heard that God formed man of the dust of the earth and breathed into him the breath of Life and then my heart said surely God made the world and man and me and all things and my heart believed And now I know God is angry with me now I will pray to God as long as I live and no more return to sin but I will do Gods Word all my daies Again I heard that God made Adam sleep and took out of him a rib made it a woman and brought her to man then I thought sure God made us and the world and these great works shew that there is a God Again I heard that God called her the Mother of all living and by that means we have life and then I believed that God made us and therefore I will pray to God as long as I live and no more cast it off Again I heard Gen. 6. that God saw the sin of man that it was great and that all the thoughts and imaginations of his heart are only evil continually and therefore God was angry and repented that he had made man and therefore drowned the world and every living creature he caused it to rain fourty dayes on the earth then my heart said sure there is a God and he will perform all his threatnings he is God and therefore he will do it Again I heard that God found Noah righteous and he found favour in his sight he believed in God and did obey his Word and God saved him Then my heart desired to believe that God is and to pray unto him Again I heard Gen. 19. that the Angels of God came to Lot in Sodom and delivered just Lot but did burn up with the wicked Sodomites with fire from heaven who had cast off praying to God and did commit great sins against God therefore I saw that I had deserved to be burnt because I had done their sins And when God sent his Angels and did deliver just Lot and then the rest were burnt then I saw in my heart sure God is merciful to them that love him and therefore my heart said I will no more return to sin but I will follow God but yet sometimes I doubted but I believed the mercy of God according to that I heard Mat. 1. she called his Name Jesus for he saveth his people from their sins Then my heart thought surely it is true that Christ is the Son of God and was made man and is merciful but yet I still did doubt whether Christ was the Son of God Again I heard Mat. 3. Repent for the Kingdome of Heaven is at hand And again The voice of one crying in the Wilderness prepare ye the way of the Lord and make his paths straight My heart said I desire to repent and to make ready my heart for God that I may have mercy and pardon in Christ Jesus Again the word
with them only I still feared man after I heard the same word again to perswade us to pray to God and I did so but not for Gods sake only it was before man I remembred the Sabbath and I heard Mr Mathews also preach of it and therefore I thought I would keep the Sabbath but still I feared man Upon a Sabbath they wished me to teach what I remembred that the Minister had taught I did so and we had talk about what I said and we fell out Thereupon I went away and left praying to God I went into the Countrey but I remembred my wife and children and quickly returned but not for Gods sake Again the Minister preached on 1 Chron. 28. 9. And thou Solomon my son know the God of thy Fathers and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind for the Lord searcheth all hearts and understandeth all the imagination of the thoughts if thou seek him he will be found of thee but if thou forsake him he will cast thee off for ever This greatly troubled me because I had left praying to God and I had deserved eternall wrath Then I desired to pray I begged mercy but I knew not what to do for my sins were many my heart was full of originall sin and my heart was often full of anger but then I was angry at my self for I found my heart quickly carried after sin Afterward through the free mercy of God I heard that word He that penitently believeth in Christ shall be pardoned and saved then my heart did beg earnestly for pardon and mercy I heard Ioh. 15. Whatever ye ask the Father in my name he will give it you therefore my heart did now greatly beg for mercy in Christ and pardon Afterward I heard Mat. 5. 28. Who ever looketh upon a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery in his heart Then my heart was troubled because many were my sins in my eies and heart and actions too My heart did love the having of two wives and other lusts of that kind Then Satan said to me You are a great sinner and God will not pardon you therefore cast off praying and run away it is a vain thing for you to pray Here you want land but in the Countrey there is land enough and riches abundance therefore pray no more My heart did almost like it but I heard that word Mat 4. Satan tempted Christ and shewed him the Kingdoms of the world and the glory thereof and promised to give them to him if he would worship him Then my heart said that even thus Satan tempteth me to cast off praying to God and therefore my heart desired to believe that word of Christ Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve Then I prayed again but still I was full of sin and very weak I was and I loved sin Again I heard Ioh. 14. I am the Way the Truth and the Life no man cometh unto the Father but by me Then I fully saw that Christ only is our Redeemer and Saviour and I desire to believe in Christ and my heart said that nothing that I can do can save me only Christ therefore I beg for Christ and a part in him Then said my heart I give my heart and my self to Christ and my wife and children let him do with us what he will Then my mother and two children died and my heart said What Christ will do so be it I have given them to him and I begged pardon and mercy if God will please to pardon me a poor sinner blessed be his name When I had read this Confession in the Assembly we called upon the witnesses as before we did whose answer was like as before it was John Speen Hee was next called forth and thus spake I Confess my sins this day before the Lord and not only before God but before all these people Before I prayed verily I was a great sinner yea in my mothers womb I was a sinner my sins are such as not only God knows but people also know them Before our praying I did thorowly sin and did commit all sins and now I confess these my sins before God After I prayed I did alos live in sin At first when I prayed I did not worship God nor believe in Christ but I did therefore pray because my brothers and friends and Waban and the rest did pray for their sakes I prayed And again I therefore prayed because many English knew me that I might please them and because I saw the English took much ground and I thought if I prayed the English would not take away my ground for these causes I prayed When I prayed it was but with my mouth yet I thought I do well enough in that I pray thus and I thought that for it God will pardon all my sins and I thought that my praying was good enough But yet again I sinned and did the like sins as before only I did outwardly pray but I mourned not for my sins I thought if we pray and leave Pauwauing who shall make us well when we are sick But again I thought man could not make us well because he must die himself and therefore Pauwauing is a vain thing and they die though they Pauwau But still my heart did not believe praying to God then I heard that word Repent and believe and if we repent and believe God will pardon all our sins Then sometimes I repented yet again quickly I committed sin and sometimes I thought I am throughly a sinner I heard that God made the world and all things in it and lastly man and that God formed him of the dust of the earth and breathed into him the breath of life and he became a living soul and that God made a Covenant with Adam that he should eat of all the Trees of the Garden save one in the midst of the Garden and if he eat of that Tree he should die Then I understood that Adam sinned fell and thereby I uneerstood that I became a sinner born in sin my heart full of sin and God will not pardon sinners and yet again I sinned and therefore I feared that God will not pardon me because more and more I sinned and thus I sinned after praying as well as before praying When they chose Rulers and chose my brother and not me my heart was in an evil frame and then I thought sure I am a great sinner and yet still I was more and more a sinner After my brothers loved me still and then I repented of my sins but not for Gods sake but for my brothers sake then I desired to pray as long as I live My brother died which troubled me the people said Be you in your brothers place then my heart thought I will no more do as I had done but sure I was weak my praying was but words I was a great sinner After this a while since I heard that
word Mat. 12. The unclean spirit being cast out of a man he walketh about seeking rest and findeth none then hee returneth and bringeth 7 other spirits with him worse then himself and the end of that man is worse then his beginning When I heard this my heart feared I thought now I repent of my many sins for verily I am a great sinner I have offended I am 7 times worse then before I prayed then I repented Again I heard that Word He that penitently believeth shall be saved and then my heart did desire to repent and believe then I thought that men will not forgive me and therefore it is not good to abide in this place but I remembred that I had learned to read the Word and if I should forsake my friends I should lose the Word of God Then I heard that Word Repent for the Kingdome of Heaven is at hand my heart said ô let it be so and then my heart rested but yet quickly it was unquiet again Then I did strongly desire to repent of my sinnes I heard that Word that God Sowed good seed but evill seed was sowen by the Enemy and such were in my heart and as in my field there were many roots and weeds which spoyled the corne and I plucked them up and cast them out my heart said verily just so is my heart the Word is but a little in my heart and there be many ill roots in me and therefore God may justly cast me out from among his people because of my many sinnes Then my heart said I desire to pray to God as long as I live and now I forsake my sins who have been a great sinner Now I beg of Christ O give me thy spirit that I may confess my sins before God and not only before men again I remember that I cannot pardon or help my self but only Christ must help me Again I heard that Word All manner of sin shall be forgiven to a man but the sin against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven in this world nor in the world to come Then my heart feared because many and great were my sins since I prayed to God and I cried to God for mercy and pardon and then I thought I will pray to God as long as I live But verily I am a sinner for I am guilty not only of Adams sin but of my own sins also and they are many I remember that in Catechisme I learn that God made a Covenant of works with Adam Do the Commands and thou shalt live and thy seed also but if thou sin thou shalt die and thy seed also therefore by that I know I am a sinner and have deserved to die Then I crie to God O God have mercy upon me and pardon me Again I heard of the mercy of God but I am forgetfull and cannot remember Gods mercies to me God made a Covenant with Abraham and said I will be thy God and the God of thy seed after thee then my heart said O let it be so to me O Lord And now Abraham is in heaven who believed and kept Gods Covenant So I if I believe and keep Gods Covenant God will have mercy on me I remembred the Covenant of Circumcision to him and all his family and such a Covenant I desire for me and mine Again I heard Mat. 3. In those daies Iohn baptized in Iordan saying Repent for the Kingdome of God is at hand When I heard this my heart said the same is now with us not Abrahams signe but baptisme and therefore I desire to repent and Confess before God and before the Church and I desire not only to confess but to have repentance and faith that I may have grace mercy and pardon and such repentance as workes obedience Again the same Word saith vers. 6. They were baptized confessing their sins So I desire to do I do confess before God and desire to cast off and forsake my sins and to go to Christ The promise of pardon is to them that penitently believe and rest on Christ In the same Baptism of Iohn he said I baptize you with water but he that cometh after me is mightier then I he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and fire Now this Baptism I desire and not to receive the signe in vain I desire to purge out evill thoughts and therefore I confess these sins before God that they may be purged and I desire the spirit of God may dwell in me for ever to turn me to Christ I cannot of my self do any of these things but only Christ Jesus can by his spirit in me Again I heard another word As the Eagles are about a carkass so believers come to Christ then my heart said So be it Oh Lord when I receive the Covenant of God I am like the Eagles when I come to Christ I desire not to come in vain but if I feed not I shall die my soul will die Then I greatly begged that I might feed my soul on Christ and Oh Christ send thy spirit into my heart that I may not only know but do the Word of God Again Christ near his death took bread and blest it and broke it and gave it to his disciples and said Take yee eat yee this is my Body which was broken for you And so also he did the Cup and said Drink yee of it this is the Cup of my blood in the New Testament which is shed for the remission of sins Now this believers in Christ must do not only to eat Bread and to take the Sign but soul food therefore Christ sending his spirit and helping me I desire to receive the Sign not in vain but to help my faith When I had read this Confession in the Assembly we called upon the witnesses as before wee did whose answer was to the like purpose as before Wutasakompauin He was next called forth who thus spake HElp me Oh Jesus Christ to confess before the Lord Oh I am full of sin because Adams sin made mine and so was a sinner in my mothers womb When I was a youth I found many sins and after I was grown up I did the same alwaies all the daies of my life I lived in sin After the English came I went to their houses they would teach me about God but I hated it and went out I did not love such teaching Afterward the Minister taught and at first Waban perswaded me to pray and taught us I did not at first like it yet afterward I did Four years the Minister came to Noonantam I came but I only came I lost all he taught After I considered one word the Minister said That God sent him to teach us then I thought surely there is a God therefore I must believe and pray a little I believed but when I heard I did only outwardly hear After my wife and children died and then I almost cast off praying I had another wife and she died also
and then my heart said Surely God is angry with me who doth thus afflict me Then I heard that word Mat. 22. God made a Feast and invited his Guests and they would not come and therefore God was angry with them So did I for I came not to the Word of God when he called me I cared not for the Feast of Christ Again after many of my friends were destroyed I thought it was because they prayed not to God therefore I feared that God is angry with me also because of his punishments I fear I believe not Christ and my heart feareth because of my sins daily I break Gods Commands Another Word I heard Mat. 5. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be satisfied this is the Word of Christ and I desire to hunger for Christ and begged O Christ help me Again I remembred that Word Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God my heart saith O Christ help me to be so that cleane may be my heart Again I heard that Word Blessed are the peace-makers for they shall be called the Children of God then my heart thought O that I had peace with God in Christ that I might have that blessing and therefore I now confess my sins before God and I beg mercy from God in Jesus Christ When I had read this short confession for the day spent and brevity was called for we called upon the witnesses who spake as formerly Monotunkquanit He was next called who thus spake I Have heard the word and prayed to God several yeares And I confess that before I prayed I was full of sin and yet I do not know my sins I thought they were all good waies and therefore I did them I knew not the Sabbath nor Lecture daies nor any good only I knew wild Actions daily I desired falshood vile actions singing Indian songs these things I desired to do but all good things I was ignorant of and very much I sinned daily Then I heard of praying to God I came to Cohannit at Dorchester from Nipmuk where I lived but my heart laughed at praying and said its a vain action only those actions that I was bred up in I liked and esteemed but these new things I derided The Sachims disliked it and therefore so did I The rich men disliked it and therefore so did I I believed not that God is I went to Cohannit not for praying but to gather clams When I came thither they exhorted me to pray and said The Minister cometh to morrow to teach it is lecture day I desired to see him he came they met together I went and carried my son Samuel I saw the Minister he called my son asked him Who made you they bid him say God but I had not so taught him He asked whose son he was they said mine he said do you pray to God I said no for I am a poore man and naked they that pray are cloathed Therefore I will not pray can poore men pray Therefore I would not pray I went home Then Waban and Totherswamp came to my house and taught me to pray They intreated me now pray to God My heart liked it not They said God is a great God and made all the World I said who is witness of that They said the Minister will answer you Again they taught me the Commandments of God but I did not believe Totherswamp promised to come again he did so and said now pray to God because God is good I thought it a teadious thing to pray to God Then he strongly intreated me I said I will try but not for praying but in vain Then my kindred said praying is a vain thing why will you pray therefore returne again then I went and prayed When I first came Waban taught that Word The night is farre spent the day is as hand therefore let us cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the Armour of light My heart asked what are dark workes They answered sianes and what is day they answered praying to God and the wisdome of the Word is light And this is now almost come unto us Then my heart smile I will pray to God Again I heard the Minister who said these words Thou shalt have no other Gods but me thou shalt not make to thy selfe any graven Image nor the likeness of any thing in Heaven above in the earth below in the waters under the earth thou shalt not bow down to them nor worship them Then my heart said that I did worship many false gods therefore if I pray it may be God will kill me but they said no he is a good God then I prayed and then my kindred hindred me Therefore my heart said If my kindred pray then I will pray Then I was taught more and I did heare the Word that God made Adam of the dust and made him sleep and took out a rib and made a woman and thus God made man My heart said It may be God made English men but not us poore naked men as we are of a strange language and therefore I doubted to pray Then I heard of Nimrod his building of Babel and that God was angry made strange to each other their language and brake their work Then my heart said Surely so it is as I did believe Again I heard that God found one man just Noah and saved him in his Ark and did drown the world then my heart said I desire that God may find many just persons with us therefore I pray to God then I more prayed Again I heard that God made a Covenant with Abraham and his seed to be their God My heart said so let it be I desire to be in this Covenant of God and to pray so long as I live I thought if I do well God will pardon all my sinnes the Minister said no If you do all good as perfectly yet God will not pardon God will pardon only for Iesus Christ his sake Then I believed Iesus Christ was both God and man and made peace betwixt God and man Christ did for us all the Commandments of God and died for us he payed death for us and therefore for his sake God will pardon us if we believe in Christ I heard that which Mat. 7. Ask and ye shall have seek and ye shall find knock and it shall be opened c. Then my heart said I will pray as long as I live and knock at heaven dore Again I heard that word Enter in at the streight gate c. My heart said Sure it is so narrow and hard is the way to Heaven broad and easy is the way to hell I desire to walk in the narrow way to heaven Again Christ died for us and thereby saveth us and saith Come to me all that are weary and I will give you rest Then my heart said Great is my weariness for many are my sinnes and I desire rest in Christ
I heard that Christ only is our redeemer and Saviour my heart did much joy in it and I desired to pray and heare the Word as long as I live Another Word of Christ I heard Whoever forsaketh father or mother or brother or lands for my sake c. My heart said ô Lord let it be so I have for Christ his sake left all and come to pray And I desire now to confess before the Church of Roxbury and do submit to your government and Gods Ordinances among you He was going on but shortness of time made me take him off When I had read this confession and the witnesses had spoke as before some of the Elders present did move that seeing there be two more to speak and the time streight and seeing Mr Peirson had in private taken in writing their confessions which they perceived by his testimony to be for substance the same which they expressed in publick What if the Assembly should heare Mr Peirson read those two remaining confessions according as he had taken them The motion was acceptable to the Assembly and he did read them which are as followeth Piumbuhhou First THis I say in the presence of God and in your presence Verily I knew not how or what to confess or God before I prayed I knew not who gave me life and being but I thought my life was of my self I confess I was born in sin my Parents were sinners and I thought I had life from none but my Parents therefore my sins were very great from the first time that I saw light untill this day I do nothing else but sin hard is my heart proud is my heart and hypocriticall I do hypocriticall acts to this day I act foolishly and deceitfully therefore so many are my sinnes that I am not able to express them only this I say that I am naught Then I heard that Waban prayed and they said to me pray to God but I hated it for I had a wife and many children and therefore I cared not for praying I thought if they were any of them sick the Pauwaus could make them well therefore I believed not Waban when he exhorted me to pray to God Then my wife and children died then my afflicted poore heart came in and the Minister came to me and said pray to God because God afflicteth and tryeth you my heart said when the Minister spake to me let it be as you say that God may shew me that mercy then my heart said I will pray to God from henceforth as long as I live Then I heard the Minister Preach of the great works of God in making Heaven and Earth and therefore fear the great punishments of God and because my heart so feared and condemned me therefore I did believe that God is who had punished me and took away my children Again I heard from Mat. 5. Christ saith Blessed are the poore in spirit for theirs is the Kingdome of God and blessed are the mercifull for they shall find mercy my heart said I am a poore man and therefore I will pray to God so long as I live and I desire to find mercy with God Again now my heart saith I am weak and doubting and full of misbelief Again I heard that Word of Christ which saith Come unto me all yee that are weary and heavy laden and yee shall find rest my heart said be it so O Lord and now I will pray to God as long as I live my heart said surely I am greatly laden with many and great sins and therefore I will go to Christ and pray unto him as long as I live Again Christ saith Take up my hurden and learne of me for I am humble and meeke then my heart said surely I am a great sinner and therefore I desire to learne of Christ and to follow him Again Christ faith Yee shall find rest to your soul and therefore my soul desired to pray as long as I live that I may find rest to my soul in Christ Again my heart did gladly hear the Word of Christ and the great redemption of Christ Again I learned in a Catechism that Christ sendeth his Spirit into my heart to break it to make it repent to convert me to cause me to believe my heart said therefore I desire to pray to God and to believe for pardon and adoption and peace with God Then hearing of the mercy of Christ my heart said I am like a dead man and therefore I desire to be with Christ as long as I live my heart did not know how to Convert and turn to God therefore my heart did gladly pray to God for it my heart did desire to pray because I heard Christ is our redeemer and doth deliver our soules I cannot deliver my selfe therefore I desire that Christ may be my deliverer therefore I betrust my soul with Christ as long as I live and because Christ is my mercifull God therefore let him do with my soul what he will When Mr Peirson had read this Confession he was desired to go on and read the last which was Wabans Confession and is as followeth Waban First I Confess that before I prayed it was hard to love another fashion then my old course my Parents were sinners and in my Mothers belly I was in sin after I was born the same way of sin I followed When I was a child I grew up in sin and I did not know that they were sins but now of late I know them in my youth also in the same sins I lived and did not know them to be so but by the remebrance of my waies I do remember my sins and hereby I am made to understand that my Parents taught me to love sin And after they were dead others taught me to sin I liked to be taught to commit sin those that taught me said to me Choose to be a Pauwau they said If you be a Pauwau you may make others to live and if you he a Pauwau God will blesse you and make you rich and a man like God Then I desired so to do also I alwaies desired other sins for my heart did desire to grow up in those sins alwaies lust I desired alwaies my heart labored and desired to know how to adde to and to multiply my sins Thus it came to pass that I knew abundance of sins before I knew my waies were sin When the English came hither they said when I came to the Englist houses that I loved the Devil then I was very angry and my words were You know the Devil I do not know the Devil and presently I would go out of the house Sometime they spake meekly to me and would say God is in heaven and he is a good God yet I regarded not these words but strongly I loved my sins it was hard for me to believe what the English said after many yeares I sometime believed a word but I left not my sin When I began
to understand more I began to doubt but I desired not Conversion from sin Afterward when the English taught me I would sit still because they would give me good victuals then I sometimes thought certainly God is in heaven then my thoughts said It may be I have sinned Again I thought if I prayed God could not understand mee then I found it hard to believe and love God because I was almost an old man because I thought if any could read the book he would love God I asked Mr Iackson Whether God knew our language Hee answered Yea God knoweth all languages in the world and therefore now pray unto God then I first thought I will pray unto God a little I thought of praying sometimes I would a little pray when I eat about that time you came to teach us then I remembred the Word Glad tidings was sent us from Heaven then my heart said Now I will pray because the Minister is come to my house now I heard the Word of God Then you called the Children to Catechism and one question is Who redeemed you then you taught that Christ died for our sinnes Then my heart thought that Christ is a very great life-giving God Then I feared not Pauwaus nor loved them and the Minister taught that we must take heed of all these sins Then my heart said I will leave off my sins and again my heart said I will pray to God as long as I live Further you taught that Christ died for sin was buryed rose again ascended then my heart hoped and desired Oh that it might be so that I might have eternall life by Christ because Christ is a great life-giving God But then I found that I did not understand right words and therefore I walked not in the right way when the Word of God said Six daies shalt thou labour then I was strong yet I did not labour and I was soon weary of praying to God and therefore I saw I found not the right way unto righteousness therefore now I verily see that I am a sinner and did not believe my heart feared because of my great sins and my heart feareth that I do not yet much know the Word of God Sometime my heart saith I believe I am a believer but my heart wandereth away and the deceits of my heart I sometime know and my poverty I know but my heart careth not for that I reject riches but my heart saith strongly I will pray to God so long as I live I do not throughly know the vanity of my mind I have heard the Word but believed it not I remember that Word of Christ the Pharisees said Why doth you Master eat with Publicans and sinners Christ said Those that are not sick need not the Physitian but they that are sick My heart said sure I do not need the Physitian but my desire is now that I may need him and spirituall life by him Again I heard that Word of Christ A leper came to Christ and worshiped him saying Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me cleane and Christ touched him and he was perfectly healed Then my heart said that outward healing which he had my soul desireth that I may have it in my soul for Christ healeth the outward diseases of the body but especially the inward filth of the soul this I desire may be healed Again I heard that Word go learn what that meaneth I desire mercy and not sacrifice I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance Then my heart said my own righteousness cannot obtain mercy for me then my heart said Oh I fear that Christ the truest righteousness is not in my heart I am almost ready to die and now I desire to know Christ WHen Mr Peirson had done reading these two last Confessions Mr Wilson spake to this purpose though they have all spoken well of Jesus Christ in their Confessions and especially the last viz Monotunkaniâ— yet he desired further to heare how they were instructed in the knowledge of Christ This question touching Christ I called Piumbathou to answer and his answer was to satisfaction and then many other Catecheticall questions were propounded which would be too long to rehearse as touching Grace Ordinances Sacraments Baptisme and the Lords Supper about Repentance and Faith all which they readily answered so as that there was no reply Nishâ—hkoâ— answered the question what Faith is Mr Allin asked him whether he had that Faith in his heart which he now spake off to which after a pause he answered to this purpose that he feared himself about it and if he spake he must say no! but he hoped in the Lords mercy that he would work it in him and help him to believe Then Mr Danforth said I ask you Nishohkou this question and answer me in English whether the same lusts which you have so much confessed do not follow you still and what you do to resist them I said that a question to the like purpose was asked him when he made Confession in private to which he answered in broken English if the Assembly pleased I would read that but he was desired to answer now and his answer was to this purpose that the Word of God is all one like a sword and he did with that resist his temptations He was asked further if he did diligently watch against his sins he answered he did not well know what a diligent watch is but he hoped that Jesus Christ would keep him Then Mr Danforth called Anthony and asked him whether he believed that it was the duty of men to labour six daies in the week After a pause he answered he believed it was Gods command but he confessed he did not obey it so much as he ought to do and saith Mr Danforth that I would have asked you next whether you obey it for you ought to do so and follow labour and cloath your selfe and family better and you ought to give towards the maintenance of Gods Ordinances After this I remember no more questions Then I declared to the Congregation that they having heard their Confessions if they thought meet they might hear what testimonies we have to produce touching their Conversation but it went not forward and so we ceased the work and Reverend Mr Wilson concluded with prayer After the publick meeting the messengers of the Churches met together and considered what answer to give to our Church and the vote among them all was that as touching their Confessions which was the work of the day they were satisfactory and they appeared in that respect to be fit matter for Church estate The End THese are to testify to all men whom it may concern That two of five Indian youths viz. Cales and Ioel that are instructed and educated in the Grammer School at Cambridge were publiquely examined at the Commencement in Cambridge mon. 6. 9. 59. concerning their progress in the learning of the Latine Tongue out of Buchanans Translation of Davids Psalmes and they gave good satisfaction unto our selves and also to the Honorable Magistrates and Reverend Elders that were present and others that were judicious as we have had opportunity to inquire off and we conceive that the other three Indian Youths that are trained up in the same School have made some competent proficiency for the short time that they have been with us In witness whereof we have subscribed our hands Camb. Sept. 6. 1659. Charles Chauncy Praesident of Haward Colledge in Cambridge Elijah Corlet Londinensis olim jam Ludimagister Cantabrigiensis Note here that God hath so blessed this youth that hee is one of our School-masters and an hopefull young man