from it, he obtained the mercy which he had fo earneftly requefted. He fupported religion in its various branches in his family; and frequently gave serious exhortations to all that were about him. He was diftinguifhed for hofpitality, as well as other parts of the minifterial character. He well understood, and fteadily adhered to the truths of our holy religion, in which he had been inftructed; and would not be driven about by every wind of doctrine. He was generally, and juftly efteemed as well by the English, as Indians, a perfon of a good conversation: Nor did he difcover any fuch infirmity in his life, or deportment, as was inconfiftent with fuch an esteem; and which, through prayer, and the fupply of the fpirit of Jefus Chrift, he did not obtain a compleat victory over, being only privately admonifhed of a fault, which fome began to be offended at. Being a man of polished manners, and engaging addrefs, confidering his education, he was every where courteously received and entertained, not only by his own nation, but by the English thofe of fpecial diftinction not excepted. Speaking our language confiderably well, ftrangers who came to the place were much gratified by converfing with him. communicated to Mr. Mayhew foon after Japhet's death. "Ile faid, that about a year before he was taken fick, he went out of his houfe, and walked alone in the woods, and there it was by God revealed* to him, that he had but a little time to live in this world; and that being thereupon much concerned in his mind, he did immediately fet himfelf on doing all that he could to prepare for his approaching end, as taking it for a truth, that his end was very near; and looking day and night for it; but he faid, he ftill mifliked himfelf, or reckoned that he came fhort." "Thus it was with him till April 2d, 1712, which being a day of thanksgiving, he went and preached thereon; but as, with his wife he returned home in the evening, before they had reached their houfe, he felt a pain in his fide, and was never able after this, to go to God's houfe of prayer ; his ficknefs gradually increafing upon him from that time forward." Having been fick about ten days, he fent for the brethren of the church, and faid to them, as follows, viz. "That it did often diftrefs him in his heart and caufe him to weep, when he faw the miferabie eftate of all the people by reafon of their fins; but efpecially how unapt the generality of the church were to the duties incumbent on them, and how often they did fall by reafon of one kind of infirmity or another, to which they were fubject, though Perfons have fometimes had premonitions of their own deathJaphet experienced fomething of this nature, as he declared in his laft fickness; at the fame time he As the Indians had not an accumentioned the influence this had rate knowledge of the Engi lanupon his life.-The account was taken from him by a near rela-guage, Japhet doubtlefs ufed the word revealed, merely to denote a rong imtion, committed to writing, and preffion made on his mind. [Editors. he had very often inftructed them | vifited by Mr. Mayhew, was fuch in their duty." as became a Chriftian-very pious and favoury. He then expreffed an humble fenfe of the fin of his "I have, faid he, often wifhed, for your fakes, that you might ftill enjoy me; but now I am wil-nature and life; and yet his hopes ling to die: However, as to this, of eternal falvation thro' the infilet the will of God be done. But nite mercy of God, and merits of do you go on to pray to God, his fon Jefus Christ. He then aland worship him both fteadfaftly, fo expreffed a readinefs and wiland fervently." lingness to refign himself, and all that he had into the hands of God his faithful Creator, and merciful Redeemer. He added, that God had, in the latter part of his life, given him a more effectual fenfe of the evil of fin, than formerly he had experienced; and that he had alfo enabled him, with more vigilance and induftry, to endeav or the mortification of the corrup tions of his heart. "To his own family, and fuch others as attended on him, he afterwards, not long before his death, faid, be not feeble in your minds; I am hitherto ftedfaftly refolved, that I will love the Lord my God. I fhall, faid he, quickly go my laft journey, as others have done before me: Now I fhall quickly fet out: Thus it has been wont to be, when a thing has here no further ufe to be made of it. But oh! what sweet melody is there now in heaven!" He then faid to his fon-inlaw, "My fon be thou of good courage, and fail not to lay hold of the heavenly falvation, for the fake of the things of this world. But as for me, I need to have my mind further ftrengthened and encouraged, for I think I fhall now quickly leave you." Juft before his death, he defired thofe, that were prefent to praife God by finging the 13th Pfalm; and then, by prayer, to commit both him and themselves to God; and very foon after these religious acts were performed, he expired: He departed July 29, 1712. Rev. Experience Mayhew frequently vifited him in his laft ficknefs; and gives this teftimonial, that on the whole of his acquaintance with him, he could not but think, that he was a very ferious and godly man, and a perfon of great moderation and prudence. His difcourfe in his laft fickness, when Among other evidences of his real piety, the grief of his heart for the fins of his countrymen, efpecially of those, who had been under his own paftoral care and charge, together with his folicitous concern for their reformation, may be reckoned as one: For befides his exertions for this end during the courfe of his miniftry till his laft fickness, he a few days before his death with his feeble, dying hand, wrote an affectionate addrefs to the people of his own charge, which he defired might be communicated to them. Mr. Mayhew rendered the manuscript into English-The translation here follows: "Is it not a moft defirable thing for perfons in this life certainly to know, that they fhall go to heaven, when they leave this world?" "Therefore now, take heed, and confider well what you do; and do not caft away fuch hopes as these for nothing, nor for a little of the pleasure of this world; for it is certain, that your carnal and worldly actions cannot give you reft. Moreover by these you bring all forts of mifery on yourfelves; yea, and not only fo, but you do thereby trouble others alfo, fo long as you remain unconverted." "Thus you trouble fuch as are magiftrates to rule and govern you, and by their penal laws to punish you." "Next you trouble fuch as are paftors, or minifters, while you hate to hear, believe and practise their doctrine. While your fin, and mifery is great, their trouble and forrow is fo too here in this world." "You do alfo trouble the common people by your fins, by bringing on them various fickneffes, and peftilential difeafes, and all other divine chastisements." to their minifters, and make pen itential confeffions of their tranfgreffions to them; and entreat them to pray to God for them; then would God forgive their iniquities, and teach them to do that which is right all the days of their lives." "Then also would God teach them to know Jefus Chrift, and believe on him; and then they fhould receive remiffion of all their fins, and fhould be caufed to walk according to the word of God to the end of their lives. Whofo heareth this, oh, let it put him on confideration. Thefe are my laft words to you. Now fare you all well. Amen." ANECDOTES. SARAH HANNIT, widow of Japhet Hannit, the hiftory of whom has been related in the preceding pages, was esteemed a ve "You do alfo hereby hinder and difturb the holy peace of God's praying people among the churches, and make thofe afha-ry pious perfon-was particularly med, that are religious; and you, who are ftill ungodly, laugh at it." "Alas! O Lord, how very heavy is my grief on the account hereof? Seeing we now have the gofpel preached to us, and have the light of God's word fhining on us; and he, in peace, giveth his fabbaths to us." "God is conftantly calling us to repentance, and has often repeated his chastisements on us by grievous ficknesses: But this notwithstanding, how full of wickedness has he feen all our towns? For both men and women, young men and maids do all delight in fin and do things therein greatly grievous." People fhould all of them now forfake their fins, and turn to God; and they should come attentive to the religious education of her children. Being at tacked by a disorder, which she fuppofed would, (as it actually did) put a period to her life, the called together her daughters, and expreffed to them all a very deep fenfe of the many fins, and failures of her life; and told them, that what she now most especially blamed herself for was, "Her not having taken fo much care for their eternal good as the ought to have done: For tho', faid the, I have fometimes inftructed, and exhorted you, yet I fhould have done this more earnestly, and preffingly than I have; and fhould even have commanded you to love, and ferve the Lord your God: But having fallen far fhort of my duty herein in times paft, I muft now be the more earnest with you, being now about to leave the world and you."* Accordingly fhe did now, in the most affecting and preffing language of a dying mother, urge and command thefe her children to love the Lord their God with all their hearts and fouls, mind and ftrength; and did entreat them to avoid, and abstain from thofe fins, to which fhe thought them moft inclined, and from all other fins whatsoever. appeared to die in the faith of the gofpel. A ferious perfon, (who died at the age of 16,) hearing fome young people, when they first awoke in the morning, entering into a difcourfe, which was improper, and vain, very seriously reproved them, telling them, "That the God of their lives, and of all their mercies ought to have the firft of their thoughts when they awoke in a morning; and declared to them, how unfit a thing it was, for perfous to begin the day with fuch vain and unprofitable difcourfes." She then declared, that as to herself, fhe had hopes through the mercy of God in Jefus Chrift the only Saviour of finful man, fhe fhould, notwithstanding all her fin and guilt, obtain everlafting life, and happinefs in the world to come. She clofed with a ferious exhortation to all about her to have continual recourfe to the blood of Jefus Chrift for party of many fins; yet I have hopes don and cleanfing. She evidently A little before her death, when hopes of recovery were given up, fhe fpake to this purport to her afflicted mother; "Be not, my mother, overmuch grieved at my death; for tho' I have been gail in the mercy of God, thro' Jefus Chrift, my only Saviour, that I fhall, when I die leave all my pain * If one, who gave fatisfactory evi- and affliction behind me, and endence of an babitual concern for the fpir-ter into everlasting rest and happiitual good of her children, was yet nefs: And if you do, by a thomuch affected, in the closing fcene of life, with a ferfe of her onifions; rough repentance, turn to God, what cutting reflections muft thofe parand truly feek and ferve him, you ents, in a Chriftian land, be fuppofed may yet again fee me with great to have at this awful period, who have joy and comfort. never given their children any ferious inftructions in religion-have never placed before them any weighty diffuafives from fin, and perfuafives to holinefs have never urged them to flee from the wrath to come, to lay hold on eternal life, and fecure that good part, which will not be taken away from them? Especially, what keen remorse muft thofe have at this folemn hour, fuppofing they have the ufe of their reafon, and their minds have not be come callous, whofe confciences accufe them not only of constant criminal neglects, but, of having fet before their children an example of impiety and debauchery, and thus led them on to purfue the path that leads to final perdition? May fuch unnatural, and abandoned parents repent before it be too kitu. ! Anecdote of Foaf Panu and his mother. When this Joafh was a little boy, a certain perfon put a little rum into his mouth, that he might have an early taste of that liquor, which Indians in general fo much admire: But it feems, that this fort of drink was too fiery for the tender palate of the lad; he therefore fuddenly cleared his mouth of it, with fome indication of diflike. His mother being prefent, and obferving his actions upon the occation, fpake to this purport ; "Is this too hot for you, and fo to very offenfive, as by your acting it feems to be? How much more would the flames of hell be fo? And yet for drinking this fort of drink, there are many, who go that place of torment: Take heed therefore that you abftain from it—be sure to avoid the exceffive use of it."-This seasonable word of caution and advice, which his mother thus gave him, made fuch an impreffion on his tender heart as was never effaced; nor did he, as far as the gentleman that wrote his life could underftand, ever taste any more of that fort of drink; neither did he make ufe of any other fort of drink, which was streng or fpirituous.* Converfation between two Chriftian Indians. Yonohhumuh, a very ferious man, being near his death, received a vifit from Peter Ohquonhut, a Chriftian Indian, afterwards a minifter worthy of credit. Peter on this occafion put fome queftions to him, which, with the answers here follow :: "Peter. Do you believe that there is a God? Tonobbumub. Yes, I believe, that there is indeed a great God, whofe name is Jehovah; and that * If parents in general, in this land, were more faithful monitors, and more careful to keep their fons out of the infectious company of intemperate and enfaaring perfons, much moral evil might be prevented, and many a youth be preferved from ruin: But where parental inftructions, admonitions and reftraints are wanting, the bias of corrupt nature, accompanied by external temptations, will incline many a youth speedily to enter forbidden paths, and not unfrequently, in a fhort time, to run to an excefs of riot, from which nothing but the grace of God, in an uncontrion meafure, will ever reclaim him. VOL. III. No. 7. he created the world and all things in it. P. Do you know that you have finned against the God that made you? r. Yes, indeed I do fo; I know I have committed many and great fins against him. P. Are you fenfible, that for your fins, you deserve to be tormented? r. Yes, I know that my fins have deferved that I should be caft into hell. P. Have you then any hopes of being faved? And if so, by whom and how? r. I have been informed, that God fent his Son into the world, to redeem and fave finful men ; and that fuch as come to him by true faith and repentance are faved from wrath by him; and on this I ground my hope for falvation. P. Do you then repent of your fins, and by faith come to Chrift, fince you hope for falvation in this way? r. Yes, I do; I come and come again to Chrift; and I mourn for my fins, and entreat him to pardon them, and cleanse me from them." Being now much affected-fhedding tears, and unable to proceed, the converfation was fufpended for a fhort time: The fick man, when the agitation of his mind was in fome measure calmed, res fumed it, and asked a question in his turn; and having received an anfwer, clofed the discourse with this grateful and weighty remark. "Oh! the wonderful love of God, that having but one Son, he was willing to give him to fuffer and die for us miferable finners, that fo we might live through him!" K k |