year of rich mercies to them, their | foundation thereof. They are haughty and boaft of fuccefs. Like the Affyrian king, they fay, We are come up to the height of the : families and all their connections. Efpecially that it may be a year of fpiritual bleffings to them. We thank them for the encour-mountains, to the fides of Lebanon, agement and fupport which they and we will cut down the choice cehave given to this magazine. We dars thereof, and the choice fir trees folicit the continuance of their fa- thereof and we will enter into the vors and their prayers for us, and height of his border, and into the that the work in which we are en- foreft of his Carmel. Chriflians, gaged may be more and more fuc- therefore, fhould walk circumcefsful. fpectly, not as fools, but as wife, redeeming the time because the days are evil. Like the Jewish king and the holy prophet, they fhould unite their prayers to God for help. They should pray in the clofet, in private, and in the As we are now entering upon a New Year, not knowing what may befal us, it becomes us with a holy fubmiffion, to commit all our concerns to God; fupplicating his mercy, and trufting in him, through Chrift, to affifthoufe of God; watch unto prayus in all duties and to prepare us er; pray with all fupplication for all events and prayer with all perfeverance therein. They should take unto themselves the whole armour of God, be strong and quit themfelves like men. They should be holy and without blame before God, abounding in all the fruits of righteoufnefs, which are by Jefus Chrift unto his praife and glory. The minifters of the Lord We have indeed called you to rejoice in the Lord; but we with you to rejoice with trembling. It becomes us to difcern the figns of the times, that we may do the duties of our day, and be prepa. red for the trials and events which may be approaching us. The afpects of providence are uncommon, denoting danger, and cal-fhould be laborers in his harvest; ling for Chriftian patience, circumfpection, fortitude, fidelity and perfeverance. a Though God hath done great things for us whereof we are glad; though great numbers, in few years paft, have been added to the Lord; though atheists and infidels have fubmitted themselves to the fceptre of Jefas, their number perhaps, is not diminified. The wicked walk on every fide, and iniquity abounds. Infidels and haters of God are numerous, open and bold. They are muftering all their legions from earth and hell to fight againit God and his people. They adopt the language of the antient enemies of Zion, Rafe it, rofe it, even to the paftors after his own heart, feeding the people with knowledge and understanding. They should be men of prayer, crying day and night, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach. Then would the mighty Saviour walk in the midst of the golden candlesticks, and hold the ftars in his right hand. Then the Lord God would dwell among us, be our defence, our evcrafting light and glory. Then would the enemy be afhamed, and the faints triumph over him in the language of the prophet, The virgin, the daughter of Zion hath defpifed thee, and laughed thee to fcorn, the daughter of Jerufalem hath fhaken her head at thee. Then not having defiled our garments, we shall walk with Jefus in white raiment. When time and days fhall be no more, we shall inherit eternal life. The bleffed Saviour will profefs our names before his Father and before his Angels; and we shall enjoy him, one another, and all our redeemed brethren, and love, and fing and worship in his prefence for ever. AMEN. FOR THE CONNECTICUT EVANGELICAL MAGAZINE, Attempts to propagate the gospel a mong the Indians in New-England, &c. [Continued from p. 167.] NUMBER VI. An account of Japhet Hannit, fucceffor to John Tackanafb, as teacher of the first Indian church on Martha's Vineyard. APHET HANNIT was born Jin, or about the year 1638. His parents having buried five children fucceflively, and each within ten days of its birth, notwithstanding their employing powows, and making ufe of medicines to preferve their lives, had a fixth, a fon, born to them, who is the fubject of this part of the fection. forrowful heart, and went out into the field, that the might there give full vent to her grief; but while fhe was there, reflecting on the infufficiency of human help, fhe found it powerfully fuggefted to her mind, that there is one Al mighty God, who is to be prayed to that this God has created all things, that we fee-and that the God, who had given being to herfelf, and all other people, and had given her child to her, was able to preferve and continue his life. On this fhe refolved, that she would feek to God for that mercy, and did accordingly: The iffue was, that her child lived; and her faith (fuch as it was) in him, who had thus anfwered her prayer, was wonderfully ftrengthened; and the confideration of the divine goodness herein manifefted to her, caufed her to dedicate this fon to the service of that God, who had thus preferved his life: She early informed him of this her religious. act; and did, as far as fhe could, educate him accordingly. Rev. Experience Mayhew remarks, This may be faid of her, which can fearce be faid concerning any other of the Indians on the island, who lived a confiderable part of their time, before the word of God was ever preached to them, viz. That by a due improvement of the light of nature, affified by the fpirit of God, The following account concerning the mother of this child is given in Dr. Mather's Magnalia, and in Mayhew's Indian Converts.the attained to fo right a conception of The account is extraordinary. the only true and living God, and The reader will make fuch reflec- her own relation to and dependence tions upon it, as he fhall think upon him, as that he did worship proper-The mother of this child and call on him; and as it seems, obbeing greatly diftreffed with fear, tained a gracious anfwer to her left the fhould lofe it, as fhe had prayers. He further obferves, all the former; and utterly def- That fuch a difcovery of the true pairing of any help from fuch God to her, before he was favored means, as had been formefly tried with the light of the gospel, did very without any fuccefs, as foon as wonderfully prepare her for a ready he was able, took him up with a reception of it, when the providence Indian Converts, p. 136, • B. vi. p. 63. † p. 44. VOL. III. No. 7. I i But to return to Japhet Hannit. His parents being early converts to Chriftianity, gave him a religious education: His pious mother particularly, remembering the vows fhe had made in trouble, was attentive to promote his best intereft: Indeed the early inform of God brought it to her, as within In the cona few years it did. feffion fhe made publicly at her admiffion into the church, fhe gave a relation of the preparation for the knowledge of Chrift, with which God, in his wonderful way, had favored her. In Dr. Mather's Magnaliated him, that fhe had dedicated we have this obfervation," How him to the fervice of that great far a fovereign and gracious God God, who had heard her prayer, may, in an extraordinary manner, and preferved his life; and as far difcover of himfelf unto fome as fhe was able educated him acamong the poor pagans, who have cordingly; but performed this not enjoyed the preaching of the important, parental duty more gofpel, who can particularly de- vigorously and to better purpose after she had been instructed in Chrif. tianity and had cordially received the faith. termine ?*"* + B. vi. p. 62. The compiler would not willingly be thought to be fond of dealing in the marvellous-He would not chufe to incur the imputation of credulity or enthufiafm. The account above being attefted before many people, by the fubject, who was viewed as a perfon of competent understanding, and after her converfion to Chriftianity, appeared to be, thro' life, a perfon of eminent piety, who, for thefe reafons, muft be fupposed to speak the real sentiments of her heart, and not to have been deceived herself; he fees nothing in the reafon of things, or in divine revelation, to render it incredible. He can fubfcribe heartily to the words of Mr. Seed, in his fermon upon a particular providence, [Vol. 2 p. 161. edition 4th.] "When any good fuggeftion, without any antecedent train of ideas, arifes in our minds, we know not how, or from what quarter, we ought to look upon it as a Beam of Light breaking in upon our minds from the Great Father of Lights; and let us improve, cultivate and ripen it, till it breaks forth into correfpondent actions." And he does not know, why God may not, in fovereign mercy, fuggeft truths, (already revealed to Chriftians) immediately by himself, or the miniftry of angels, to fome among the heathen, who have never had the advantage of a written revelation; but have, in fome good measure, improved the light they enjoyed, whereby they may be led to a better courfe of action, than they had When a school was opened for the benefit of the Indian children and youth in 1651, his father fent him to it and he learned to read both in the English and Indian languages, and to write a legible hand and was there also inftructed in the principles of the Chriftian religion. When the first Christian church purfued before; and be prepared for the more ready reception of the gospel, if it fhould be offered, as was the cafe with this woman. He does not fee, that this fuppofition militates against the doctrine of the neceffity of a written revelation to teach the true know!edge of God to the nations of the world, as fuch inftances as that related above, appear very rare. God may have wife reafons in his moral government of the world, for fuch a procedure, in making fuch a difcrimination among the heathen, in fome fpecial inftances. We may not be able fully to difcover the reafons; yet hereby the general good of his intelligent kingdom may be greatly premoted. Dr. C. Mather has expreffed fuch thoughts as thefe, refpecting this matter; "The Holy One of Ifrael may take unrevealed and extraordinary fieps out of his ufual paths." was gathered on the Ifland in the year 1670, Japhet was, as he told a friend, in a moft diftreffed condition, on account of his not being of the number of thofe, who confederated to walk together as a church of Chrift according to the order of the gofpel: On the one hand, he greatly lamented his not being of that happy number, as he efteemed them; and on the other, at the fame time feared to offer himself, left he fhould be unqualified for the privileges to which others were admitted. However, it was not long before his fcruples were removed, and he made a public profeffion of Christianity, attended all its ordinances, and behaved himself as became a Chriftian. For a confiderable time he was employed in civil and military offices among his countrymen: In both departments he conducted himself to the fatisfaction both of the English and Indians. And in the time of the general war between the English and Indians, which began in 1675, commonly called Philip's war, he was very ferviceable, both to thofe of his own nation, and to the English on the Ifland; being fully determined, if poffible, to preferve peace between the English and Indian inhabitants of the Island: And being an Indian captain, he was employed by the English to obferve and report how things went among the Indians. To his fidelity in the difcharge of this truft, it was prefumed, that the prefervation of the peace of the Ifland was very much owing, when the people on the main were involved in a moft diftreffing and bloody war, which for a time, threatened the deftruction of the New-England colonies. Japhet's fidelity to the English, in this affair, gained him an high esteem and kind treatment among them. He was generally viewed by them, not only as a difcreet, but pious man: And being well accounted of among the Indians, they called him to the work of the miniftry among them. His mili tary office he now laid down; but retained that of a magiftrate for fome years after he began to preach, being judged more fit for that truft than any other perfon there. Being called to the work of the miniftry, he was very faithful and diligent in it; and was efteemed the best qualified of any Indian on the Ifland not yet in the paftoral office. He was therefore, by John Tackanash, nominated in his laft fickness as a fuitable perfon to fucceed him in the office, from which he expected a speedy release by death, which event took place, January 1684. At his funeral, Japhet, who much lamented his death, made a ferious fpeech, fome of the heads of which were taken in writing by Rev. John Mayhew, viz. "We ought to be very thankful to God for fending the gofpel to us, who were in utter blindness and ignorance, both we and our fathers. Our fathers' fathers, and their fathers and we, were at that time utterly without any means, whereby we might attain the knowledge of the only true God. That people alfo, who knew the ways of God, were fome thoufands of miles diftant from us; fome of whom, by reafon of dif ference among themselves about their way, removed into this land; but it was God, who fent them, that they might bring the gospel to us. Therefore I fay, we have great reafon to be thankfulto God; and we have reafon to be thank : ful to them alfo for that they brought the gofpel to us; but moft fpecially we ought to thank God for this for though they taught us, it was God, who fent them, and made choice of them for this work of inftructing us in the ways of the Lord." "Before we knew God, when any man died, we faid the man is dead, neither thought we any thing further, but faid he is dead, and mourned for him, and buried him: But now it is far otherwife; for now this good man being dead, we have hope towards God concerning him, believing that God hath received him into everlafting reft." He was faithful and diligent in preaching the word, reproving fin, and inftructing all of every age; and frequently taught the chil dren of the congregation the first principles of religion. He maintained a good difcipline in the church, making those neceffary diftinctions in the adminiftration of it, which the facred rule requires. In difficult cafes which occurred, he was careful to confult the most judicious perfons, and pay due deference to their opinions. And when there was danger of difcord among his brethren, he would not fide with any party, but make obliging and engaging fpeeches to "Now therefore we ought to them all, tending to compofe the improve the benefit which we have difference; and fo happy an abilby the gofpel. And firft, fuch ity had he in this kind and useof us as had like not to have re-ful office, that he feldom failed ceived this kindness, I mean, of fuccefs. fuch of us as were grown up, He frequently vifited the fam when the gofpel came to us, foilies under his care, efpecially that it only found us in being; fuch are ftrongly obliged to improve the fame, fince they fearcely received it, or were in danger not to have enjoyed it." "Secondly: There are others of us, that have been born under the gofpel; and we that were fo ought duly to improve the fame, in as much as we have received fo wonderful a benefit." "And now, though this man that went before us in the way of God, according to the gofpel, be deceased, and helps us no more; yet his docrine remains ftill for us to improve; nor ought we to forget him, but fhould remember him by his wife and children whom he has left among us." Japhet, in the fpring after the deceafe of John Tackanafh, was called to fucced him in the paftoral office, and continued in it about twenty-eight years, viz. till 1712. when they were in affliction, and ufually entertained them with ferious and profitable difcourfes; and obferved to a friend, that vifits of that kind had proved very advantageous to fome of the people. He often performed the work of an evangelift, in preaching the gofpel among the Indians in places on the main land; and God gave him very obfervable fuccefs. His fermons, though not very accurate, were very ferious, and fraught with very useful fentiments. In prayer he was fervent, frequently praying with much copioufnefs and affection, efpecially on communion days. God gave gracious anfwers to his prayers, efpecially in helping him againft a temptation, with which he had a conflict for fome time; and having, with importunity, fought to heaven for deliverance |