been employed, at the desire of the colony, to teach the Book I. Indians in Hartford, Windsor, Farmington, and that vicinity; and one John Minor was employed as an interpreter, 1630. and was taken into Mr. Stone's family, that he might be further instructed and prepared for that service. Catechisms were prepared by Mr. Elliot and others, in the Indian language, and spread among the Indians. The Rev. Mr. Pierson, it seems, learned the Indian language and preached to the Connecticut Indians. A considerable sum was allowed him by the commissioners of the united colonies; and a sum was also granted by them, for the instruction of the Indians in the county of New-Haven.* The ministers of the several towns, where Indians lived, instructed them, as they had opportunity; but all attempts for christianizing the Indians, in Connecticut, were attended with little success. They were engaged, a great part of their time, in such implacable wars among themselves, were so totally ignorant of letters and the English language, and the English ministers, in general, were so entirely ignorant of their dialect, that it was extremely difficult to teach them. Not one Indian church was ever gathered, by the English ministers, in Connecticut. Several Indians, however, in one town and another, became christians, and were baptized and admitted to full communion in the English churches. Some few were admitted into the church at Farmington,† and some into the church at Derby. One of the sachems of the Indians at Naugatuck falls, was a member of the church at Derby, and it has been said that he was a sober well conducted man. Some few of the Moheagans have professed christianity, and been, many years since, admitted to full communion in the north church in New-London.

The gospel, however, hath had by far the most happy effect upon the Quinibaug, or Plainfield Indians, of any in Connecticut. They ever lived peaceably with the English, and about the year 1745, in the time of the great awakening and reformation in New-England, they became greatly affected with the truths of the gospel, professed christianity, and gave the strongest evidence of a real conversion to God. They were filled with the knowledge of salvation, and expressed it to admiration. They were entirely reformed as to their manner of living. They became temperate, and abstained from drinking to excess, which it

*Records of the united colonies.

+ There was an Indian school formerly kept in this town, at the expense of the society for propagating christian knowledge among the Indians. The number of Indian scholars was sometimes fifteen or six teen.

BOOK I. had before been found utterly impossible to effect by any other means. They held religious meetings, and numbers 1680. of them formed into church state and had the sacraments administered to them.

Act of as

relative to

2680.

Upon the assembly's granting liberty to the minor party in Windsor to call and settle an orthodox minister, they immediately called one Mr. Woodbridge to preach among them. Mr. Chauncey and Mr. Woodbridge continued to preach, one to one party, and the other to the other, from 1667 to 1680. Several councils had been called to advise and unite the parties, but it seems none had judged it expedient to ordain either of the gentlemen; but after a separation of about ten years, a council advised, that both ministers should leave the town, and that the churches and parties should unite, and call and settle one minister over the whole. As the parties did not submit to this advice, it 'seems, that another council was called three years afterwards, May, 1680, which gave the same advice, but the parties did not comply. The general assembly therefore interposed and passed the following act.

"This court, having considered the petition of some of sembly Windsor people and the sorrowful condition of the good Windsor, people there, and finding, that notwithstanding all means Oct. 14th, of healing afforded them, they do remain in a bleeding state and condition, do find it necessary for this court to exert their authority towards issuing or putting a stop to the present troubles there; and this court do hereby declare, that they find all the good people of Windsor obliged to stand to, and rest satisfied with the advice and issue of the council they chose to hear and issue their matters; which advice being given and now presented to the court, dated January, 1677, this court doth confirm the same, and order that there be a seasonable uniting of the second society in Windsor with the first, according to order of council, by an orderly preparation for their admission; and if there be objection against the life or knowledge of any, then it be according to the council's advice heard and issued by Mr. Hooker and the other moderator's successor; and that both the former ministers be released: And that the committee appointed to seek out for a minister, with the advice of the church and town collectively, by their major vote, do vigorously pursue the procuring of an able, orthodox minister, qualified according to the advice of the gov ernor and council, and ministers, May last; and all the good people of Windsor are hereby required to be aiding

Manuscripts from Plainfield. These Indians were numerous at the time when the town was settled, amounting to 4 or 500.

and assisting therein, and not in the least to oppose Book I. and hinder the same, as they will answer the contrary at their peril."*

1682.

In consequence of this act, Mr. Samuel Mather was invited to preach to the people, and about two years after, was ordained to the pastoral office over the whole town. The two parties were generally united in him, and to complete the union of the town and churches, the assembly enacted, "That the people at Windsor should quietly settle Act of asMr. Mather and communicate to his support: That such as, sembly reon examination, should satisfy Mr. Mather of their experi- Windsor, mental knowledge, should upon proper testimony of their May, 1682. good conversation, be admitted on their return from the second church."t

Both churches, and the whole town, were united under Mr. Mather, and their ecclesiastical affairs were, under his ministry, conducted with harmony and brotherly affection.

Notwithstanding the result of the synod, in 1662, and the various attempts which had been made to introduce the practice of what has been generally termed owning the covenant, it does not appear to have obtained in the churches of this colony until the year 1696. It appears first to have been introduced by Mr. Woodbridge, at Hartford. The covenant proposed, bearing date, February, 1696, is for substance as follows,

specting

Feb. 1696.

"We do solemnly, in the presence of God and this con- Covenant gregation, avouch God, in Jesus Christ, to be our God, owned, one God in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and that we are by nature children of wrath, and that our hope of mercy with God, is only through the righteousness of Jesus Christ, apprehended by faith; and we do freely give up ourselves to the Lord, to walk in communion with him, in the ordinances appointed in his holy word, and to yield obedience to all his commandments, and submit to his government. And whereas, to the great dishonor of God, scandal of religion, and hazard of the damnation of many souls, drunkenness and uncleanness are prevailing amongst us, we do solemnly engage before God, this day, through his grace, faithfully and conscientiously to strive against these evils and the temptations leading thereunto."

Sixty nine persons, male and female, subscribed this in February; on the 8th of March, one fortnight after, eighty three more subscribed. In about a month, the number of subscribers amounted to one hundred and ninety two; *Records of the colony. + Records of the colony.

BOOK I. which appears to have been nearly the whole body of young people in that congregation.

1696.

Design of founding a college in

The like practice was, about the same time, or not many years after, introduced into the other church, and the practice of owning the covenant by people, and offering their children to baptism, was gradually introduced into other churches.

The practice of the ministers and churches at Hartford, in some respects, was different from that in other churches. The ministers, Mr. Woodbridge and Mr. Buckingham, with their deacons, went round among the young people and warned them, once every year, to come and publicly subscribe, or own the covenant. When such persons as had owned or subscribed it came into family state, they presented their children to baptism, though they made no other profession of religion, and neglected the sacrament of the Lord's supper and other duties peculiar to members in full communion. In other churches, the covenant was owned by persons, sometimes before marriage, but more generally not until they became parents, and wished to have baptism administered to their children.

The practice of making a relation of christian experiences, and of admitting none to full communion, but such as appeared to be christians indeed, yet prevailed; and the number of church members, in full communion, was generally small. In those churches where the owning of the covenant was not practised, great numbers of children were unbaptized.

While the inhabitants and churches, in Connecticut, were constantly increasing, and the calls for a learned minConnecti- istry, to supply the churches, became more and more urcut, 1698. gent, a number of the ministers conceived the purpose of Reasons founding a college in Connecticut. By this means, they for it. might educate young men, from among themselves, for the

sacred ministry, and for various departments in civil life, and diffuse literature and piety more generally among the people. The clergy, and people in general, by long experience, found the great inconvenience of educating their sons at so great a distance as Cambridge, and in carrying so much money out of the colony, which otherwise might be a considerable emolument to this commonwealth. A well founded college might not only serve the interests of the churches in this government, but in the neighbouring colonies, where there were no colleges erected; might not only prevent a large sum of money annually from being carried abroad, but bring something considerable into it, from the extensive country around them. Colleges had

1698.

been anciently considered as the schools of the church; Book I. and not only the prophets had been encouragers and heads of them; but the apostles and their immediate successors had taken great care to establish schools, wherever the gosgel had been preached, for the propagation of the truth, and to transmit the religion of the Redeemer to all succeeding ages. The ministers therefore conceived it to be entirely in character, and as happily corresponding with the great design of the first settlement of New-England and Connecticut, for them to be the planners and founders of a college.

The design was first concerted, in 1698, by the Rev. Messieurs Pierpont of New-Haven, Andrew of Milford, and Russell of Branford. These were the most forward and active, in carrying the affair into immediate execution. The design was mentioned to principal gentlemen and ministers in private conversation, at occasional meetings of the clergy, and in councils. In this way the affair was so far ripened, that ten of the principal ministers in the colony were nominated and agreed upon to stand as trustees, to found, erect, and govern a college. The gentlemen thus agreed upon were the Reverend Messieurs James Noyes of Ston- Gentlemen ington, Israel Chauncey of Stratford, Thomas Bucking- nominated ham of Saybrook, Abraham Pierson of Killingworth, Sam- for trusuel Mather of Windsor, Samuel Andrew of Milford, Timo- tees. thy Woodbridge of Hartford, James Pierpont of New-Haven, Noadiah Russell of Middletown, and Joseph Webb of Fairfield.

1699.

1700.

In 1700, these gentlemen convened at New-Haven, and College formed themselves into a body or society, to consist of founded, eleven ministers including a rector, and determined to found a college in the colony of Connecticut. They had another meeting, the same year, at Branford, and then founded the university of Yale college. The transaction was in this manner. Each gentleman gave a number of books, and laying them upon a table, pronounced words to this effect, "I give these books for the founding of a college in this colony." About forty volumes in folio were thus given. The trustees took possession of them, and appointed Mr. Russell of Branford, to be keeper of their library.

Various other donations, both of books and money, were soon after made, by which a good foundation was laid for a public seminary. But doubts arising whether the trustees were vested with a legal capacity for the holding of lands, and whether private donations and contributions would be sufficient to effect the great design which they