come a fruitful field-to confider the yell of beasts and savage men fucceeded by the heavenly and harmonious praises of God and the Lamb-to view churches formed, minifters fettled and all conducted with religious order, peace and love, muft present an animating and grateful profpect to the diftant beholder. It certainly warms the hearts of those of us who have been eye-witneffes of thefe things. "The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad."

Notwthstanding it be a truth that God worketh all things according to the counsel of his own will, yet he works by fuch ways and means as beft to answer his purpose and moft fully to bring into view his character. We have no reason to believe that these pleafing circumstances would have taken place as they have, if it had not been for those important miffionary efforts which have been made in our country. Many who have contributed for the fupport of miffions may now view numbers of their friends, brethren and children uniting with them in the fame religious obfervance of prayer, public worship and ordinances of the gospel. This they could not have done had they withheld their contributions or reftrained their prayers on miffionary fubjects. These circumftances were viewed fo important and the account of them fo acceptable to the pious readers of the Magazine, that the Ecclefiaftical Council at Homer on the 2d. instant voted unanimously," That, to gladden "the hearts of our Chriftian "brethren with a view of our re"ligious profperity in this part "of the country, the Rev. Da"vid Higgins make out and for"ward to the Editors of the

"Connecticut Evangelical Mag"azine, a fuccinct account of the "installation at Aurelius and "Pompey and of the ordination "in this place, to be published "by them if they fee caufe." In compliance with the foregoing vote, I'make to you the statement of thefe animating events concerning the growing ftate of religion amongst us. And I would further add, that there are already formed in the above mentioned tract of country, three prefbyterian and fourteen congregational churches, all of which I believe to be in a ftate of flourishing harmony.

But notwithstanding our prefent profperity, there is ftill room and great calls for miffionary affiftance on this ground. Many churches and focieties are yet incompetent to fupport gofpel preachers; and two or three minifters who are fixed to particular places can do but little, in their occafional vifits abroad, over fuch an extenfive territory. The fuccefs which has attended past exertions, and the uniform fervor of gratitude expreffed by the good people in these fettlements, we hope may have a claim on the future exertions, benevolence and prayers of our pious friends in the old fettlements, and especially on those who have a principal agency in the direction of the miffions.

That miffionary exertions and prayers may yet abound more and more, and that fuccefs may attend all fuch exertions, is the prayer of your friend and fervant in Christ, DAVID HIGGINS. Aurelius, State of N. York,

Feb. 14, 1803.

Extract of a letter to one of the Editos, from his correfpondent in Rutland (Weft Society) Vermont, dated February 17, 1803.

fwering these, and fome other plied foon, not only with his queftions, and in the evening re-grammar, but with catechifms,

turned home; the Indians telling them, that "they did much thank God for their coming, and for what they had heard; they were wonderful things to them."* Upon the 26th of the fame month, they met the Indians a third time; but the company was not fo numerous as before, because the Powows had diffuaded them from coming to hear the English minifters, and threatened others with death; but thofe, that were present appeared to be very serious, and feemed to be touched with Mr. Eliot's fermon. Two or three days after this meeting, Wampas, a wife, and fage Indian, with two of his companions, came to the English, and defired to be admitted into fome of their families: He brought his fon, and two or three other Indian children with him, begging they might be educated in the Chriftian faith, which the English granted. At the next meeting all that were prefent, offered their children to be catechifed and inftructed by the English.

Mr. Eliot's care for the fpiritual good of the Indians appeared in the clearest point of light by the pains he took, as fpeedily as his other labors would permit, to tranflate the bible, and other books upon religious, and moral fubjects into their language. I do not learn, from any writings in my hands, at what time he began to tranflate the facred fcriptures, or any other books upon divine fubjects: But as fchools were inftituted at an early period, after the commencement of his miffion ; it feems probable that they were fup

*Neale's hift. of N. England, vol.

L. P. 2441

and other fmall treatifes in their own tongue. Tranflating the bible was a work of great labor; but great as it was, he was willing to endure it for the fpiritual benefit of his Indians-detefting the doctrine of the Romish church, that "ignorance is the mother of devotion"; and fully fenfible, how neceffary it was, that the natives fhould have the holy writings in their hands, that they might make better progrefs in acquiring Chriftian knowledge, and fo be under better advantages of becoming rooted and grounded in the faith.

Mr. Neale obferves, that Mr. Eliot tranflated into the Indian language, primers, catechifms, the practice of piety, Mr. Baxter's call to the unconverted, feveral of Mr. Shepherd's compofures, and at length* the bible itself, which

*There appears to be a difference between Dr. Mather, and Mr. Neale,

The

with refpect to the time of translating
and publishing the above books.
latter feems to reprefent, that a num-
ber of small books were tranflated, and
published, before the bible was
pleated and printed.

com

Dr. Mather's

words are, "The bible being juftly made the leader of all the reft, a little Indian library quickly followed: For be fides primers and grammers, &c. we quickly had the Practice of Piety in the Indian tongue" &c.

It seems rather improbable, that when schools were set up, as they were miffion began, he fhould neglect for at an early period after Mr. Eliot's eighteen years, or more, to publish for the ufe of schools, as well as private families, any fmall books of divinity in the Indian language, as he was fo good a master of it, and fo heartily engaged to promote their inftruction and edification. It is rather to be fuppofed, that Dr. Mather, through inadvertence, made a mistaken reprefentation-an error, from which it may be presumed, few, or none, who write much, art,

that is, as fome interpret it, Rejoicing. This was a noted faying of Mr. Eliot, and frequently quoted, "The Indians must be civil

was printed the first time, at Cambridge, near Boston, in the year 1664 and, a little after Mr. Eliot's death, a fecond time, with the corrections of Mr. John Cot-ized as well as, if not in order to ton, minister of Plymouth.

Mr. Eliot was very fenfible of the importance of schools, to promote the great end he had in view. He quickly procured this benefit for the natives. Many of them made laudable proficiency in reading and writing; and fome of them applied themselves to the ftudy of the learned languages were admitted into Harvard College; and one of them was graduated. By the advantage of fchools, and the affiftance they obtained from the miffionaries, fundry of them were, after a feafon, qualified to be profitable inftructors of their countrymen.

He

He

their being, chriftianized." endeavors therefore to draw them from their favage, barbarous, and wandering way of life, to civility and regular government. brought together as many as were willing to be civilized, who agreed on feveral laws, which prohibited with what they judged fuitable penalties, an idle, fauntering lifeindecency of appearance in refpect wives, and unchastity; and reto habit-cruelty of men to their quired the contrary good qualities

and habits.

The general court being willing to encourage the Indians further, made the following order concerning them, dated May 26th, 1647.

"Upon information that the Indians dwelling among us are, by the miniftry of the word, brought to fome civility, and aredefirous to have a court of ordi

Mr. Eliot deemed it neceffary, as foon as might be, to take the Indians off from their wild way of living, and bring them into a fort of civil fociety. The general court therefore, by his application, gave thofe who were early in-nary judicature fet up among ftructed by him, fome land to build a town upon, which they thankfully accepted, and called it by the name of Noonatomen, or as Mr. Hutchinson writes it, Noonanetum, or as others, Nonantum,*

at all times, wholly exempt. Mr. Neale appears to have been under good advantages to make a just statement of facts in respect to Indian affairs, as he was a gentleman of good ability, and had before him, when he wrote, fundry compofures upon Indian affairs; not only thofe of Mr. Eliot, but thofe of Meffrs. Shepherd, Whitfield, May hew, and others, who were original writers.

The language of the Indians, from Pifcataqua to Connecticut, was fo nearly the fame, that they could tolerably

them; it is therefore ordered by authority of this court, that one or more of their magiftrates, fhall once, every quarter, keep a court at fuch place, where the Indians ordinarily affemble to hear the word of God, to hear and determine all caufes, civil and criminal,

well converfe together:† But being divided into diftinct clans, or tribes, and not having the ufe of letters, nor much commerce with each other, they formed, as might be expected, different dialects, in different tribes: E. G. Nuppaw, Duppaw, Ruppaw, fignifies the Sun-Attik, Ahtooque, a Deer-Wine nit, Wirrit, good-Pum, Pumme, oil or fat, in feveral dialects.

↑ Hutchinson's bift. Maff. v.. 1. p. 479. Mat. Mayhere's narrative, in Mog nal. B. vi. p. 50.