6

afterwards he published. There is a letter or two of our alphabet which the Indians never had in theirs. But if their alphabet be short, I am sure the words composed of it are long enough to tire the patience of any scholar in the world. One would think they had been growing ever since Babel, unto the dimensions to which they are now extended. For instance, if my reader will count how many letters there are in this one word, Nummatchekodtantamooonganunnonash, when he has done, for his reward I'll tell him, it signifies no more in English than 6 our lusts;' and if I were to translate our loves,' it must be nothing shorter than Noowomantammooonkanunonnash. Or, to give my reader a longer word than either of these, Kummogkodonattoottummoootiteaongannunnonash, is in English, our question.' But I pray, sir, count the letters! I know not what thoughts it will produce in my reader, when I inform him, that once finding that the demons in a possessed young woman, understood the Latin, Greek, and Hebrew languages, my curiosity led me to make trial of this Indian language, and the demons did seem as if they did not understand it. This tedious language our Eliot quickly became master of.'

"Having thus prepared himself for his work, he began to preach to the neighbouring Indians. The place where he commenced his labours, was Nonantum, near Watertown mill, upon the south side of Charles river, about four or five miles from his own house. Thither he went on the 28th of October, 1646, accompanied by three others, having previously informed the natives of his desire to instruct them in the Christian faith. The following is Eliot's own account of his first interview.

"A little before we came to their wigwams, five or six of the chief men of them met us with English salutations, bidding us much welcome. Leading us into the principal wigwam, belonging to Waaubon, we found many men, women and children, gathered together from all quarters; having been exhorted thereto by Waaubon, their chief minister of justice among them. We began with prayer, which now was in English, we being not so far acquainted with the Indian language as to express our hearts therein before God or them. We hope to be able to do this ere long; the Indians desiring it, that they also may know how to pray. When prayer was ended, it was an affecting and glorious spectacle, to see a company of perishing

and forlorn outcasts diligently attending to the blessed word of salvation then delivered, and professing that they understood all that was taught them in their own tongue. For about an hour and a quarter, the sermon was continued; wherein one of our company ran through all the principal matters of religion, beginning first with a repetition of the ten commandments, and a brief explication of them; and so applying the whole unto the condition of the Indians then present, with much affection. He then preached Jesus Christ to them, and explained to them who Christ was. He spake to them of the blessed state of those who believe in Christ, and know him feelingly; and then urged them to repentance for several known sins wherein they live.

"Having thus, in a set discourse, familiarly opened the principal matters of salvation to them, we next proposed certain questions, to see what they would say to them, so that we might by a variety of means instruct them in the things of religion. But before we did this, we asked them if they understood all that which was already spoken, and whether all of them in the wigwam did understand, or only some few. They answered to this question, with a multitude of voices, that they all of them understood all that which was spoken unto them. We then desired to know of them, if they would propose any question to us for the more clear understanding of what was delivered. Whereupon several of them propounded presently several questions.

"These things were spoken by him who had preached to them, in their own language, borrowing, now and then, some small helps from the interpreter, whom we had brought with us, and who could oftentimes express our minds more distinctly than we could ourselves. But this we perceived, that a few words from the preacher were more regarded, than many from the Indian interpreter.

"After three hours time thus spent with them, we asked them if they were not weary, and they answered, No. But we resolved to leave them with an appetite. The chief of them seeing us conclude with prayer, desired to know when we would come again; so we appointed the time; and having given the children some apples, and the men some tobacco and what else we then had at hand, they

* Undoubtedly Mr. Eliot himself.

desired some more ground to build a town on together, which we did much like of, promising to speak for them to the General Court, that they might possess all the compass of that hill upon which their wigwams then stood; and so we departed with many welcomes from them.'

"On the 11th of November, they gave the Indians another meeting by appointment, and found a larger company met together than before. Mr. Eliot began with the children, and after catechising them, preached about an hour to the whole company. They then spent several hours in answering questions proposed by the Indians. The following are Mr. Eliot's own remarks on this interview.

"Thus I have, as faithfully as I could remember, given you a true account of our beginnings with the Indians within our bounds, which cannot but furnish matter of serious thought what further to do with these poor natives, the dregs of mankind, and the saddest spectacles of misery of mere men upon earth. We did think to forbear going to them this winter, but this last day's work, wherein God set his seal from heaven, of acceptance of our little, makes those of us who are able, to resolve to adventure through frost and snow, lest the fire go out of their hearts for want of a little more fuel; to which we are the more encouraged, in that the next day after being with them, one of the Indians came to his house, who preached to them, to speak with him; who in private conference wept exceedingly, and said all that night the Indians could not sleep, partly with trouble of mind, and partly with wondering at the things which they heard preached among them; another Indian coming also to him the next day after, told him how many of the wicked Indians began to oppose these beginnings.

"Some hours having been thus passed with them, Mr. Eliot asked, "what do you remember of what was taught you since the last time we were there?" After they had spoken one to another for some time, one of them returned this answer, that they did much thank God for our coming, and for what they heard; they were wonderful things unto them.'

"On the 26th of the same month, they met the Indians a third time; but the company was not so numerous as before, because the Powaws, or priests, had dissuaded some from coming to hear the English ministers, and de

terred others by threatening them with death. Those that were present, however, appeared very serious, and seemed to be touched with Mr. Eliot's sermon. Two or three days after this meeting, Wampas, a wise and grave Indian, with two of his companions, came to the English and brought his son and three other Indian children, begging that they might be educated in the Christian faith. At the next meeting, which took place on the 9th of December, all that were present offered their children to be instructed by the English; who, therefore, resolved to set up a school among them. In May, 1647, the General Court of Massachusetts, at Mr. Eliot's request, gave the Indians in that neighbourhood, some land to build a town upon, which they called Noonatomen, or Noonanetum, that is, Rejoicing.

"While these things were doing at Noonatomen, the Indians about Concord expressed their desires of being civilized and receiving the Christian faith; and begged Mr. Eliot to come and preach to them. Within a short time, too, after his first attempt, he set up another lecture at a place called Neponsett, within the bounds of Dorchester, about four miles from his house southward. Mr. Eliot continued to preach these two lectures at Nonantum and Neponsett for several years with good success."

(To be Continued.)

Public Collections in Scotland to put down Unitarianism in England.

To the Editor of the Christian Pioneer.

SIR, THAT Truth is omnipotent, almost daily experience confirms; chains have been forged to bind her, but she snapt them, Sampson-like, asunder. Dungeons have endeavoured to enclose her, but her ethereal essence mocked their strength, and the massive prison-doors gave way at the touch of the angel of the Lord. The instrument of the executioner has been whetted to stifle her voice, but it only exalted her cry to the heavens; and the blood of her votaries fell like celestial dew-drops, to nourish and invigorate her remaining germs. The flames of demons have been kindled to annihilate her, but her hallowed in

cense rose to the altar of heaven, and she sprung from ber ashes renewed in youth, in beauty, and in power. How short is it since Unitarianism had scarcely a footing in Britain! Small, indeed, were her incipient efforts, but she steadily struggled with fashion, with prejudice, with wealth, with interest, with power, with oppression, and with legal tyranny. Numbers flocked to her standard, who did afford to keep a conscience, and who dared to confess Jesus before men; chapels were built here, and meetings opened there; associations were formed, missionaries went forth, tracts were circulated, knowledge increased, and Christianity was assimilated to its original simplicity and purity.

Yes, Sir, for a long time Unitarians were contemned, and scoffed, and ridiculed by the self-styled Orthodox; but now we command respect, now we are dreaded, and now orthodox missionaries are traversing Scotland, soliciting public collections to stem the progress of Unitarianism, by rearing new chapels and supplying them with Calvinistic preachers! Early this month, the Rev. Alex. Fairley of Whitehaven, Cumberland, preached here for this purpose; and he communicated the cheering intelligence, "that in the north-west districts of England, there are 206 Unitarian Chapels; that they are attended by the most opulent and most influential portion of the community; and that their increase is truly alarming." He lamented, that amongst the many chapels which had belonged to the Presbyterians, he did not know one but his own in which the Gospel [i. e. Calvinism] was preached, and even his had formerly been occupied by an Arian preacher; "and, oh! if the venerable Matthew Henry was to rise from the dead, how would he be shocked to find his own pulpit occupied by a Unitarian!" Mr. Fairley deeply deplored, also, that thousands of Scotchmen resident in England, could not, on these accounts, hear the Gospel-preached!" Glorious news!-vain opposition! Unitarianism, like the Alpine avalanche in its infant motion, moved slowly but steadily along, increasing in magnitude, advancing in rapidity-and nothing can now resist its accelerated career. Onward it must, till it crush the hydra monster of darkness, ignorance, and superstition.

But, Sir, it is not the accession of numbers and wealth to Unitarianism, which constitutes her glory. It is her