Whilft the bleffed Saviour was calling home his people and building up his church in this remaka

of Chriftianity. In fact, Sir, this revival operates, as our Saviour promifed the Holy Spirit fhould when fent into the world. It con-ble way, oppofition could not be fivinces of fin, of righteoufnefs, and of judgment; a ftrong confirmation to my mind, both that the promife is divine, and that this is a remarkable fulfilment of it.

lent. At this I have hinted above. But it is proper I should obferve here, that the clamorous oppofition which affailed the work at its first appearance has been in a great ob-meafure borne down before it. A large proportion of those who have fallen, were at firft oppofers; and their example has taught others to be cautious, if it has not taught them to be wife.

I have written on this fubject to a greater length than I first intended. But if this account fhould

It would be of Intle avail to ject to all this, that perhaps the profeffions of many of the people were counterfeited. Such an objection would rather establish what it meant to deftrov. For where there is no reality there can be no counterfeit; and befides, when the general tenor of a work is fuch, as to difpofe the more infincere pro-give you any fatisfaction, and be of feffors to counterfeit what is right, any benefit to the common caufe, I the work itself must be genuine. fhall be fully gratified. But as an eye-witnefs in the cafe, I may be permitted to declare, that the profefiions of thofe under religious convictions, were generally marked with fuch a degree of engagednefs and feeling, as wilful f hypocrify could hardly affume. The language of the heart when deeply impreffed is eafily diftinguished from the language of affectation.

Upon the whole, Sir, I think the revival in Kentucky among the moft extraordinary that have ever vifited the church of Chrift. And all things confidered it was pecul. iarly adapted to the circumftances of the country into which it came. Infidelity was triumphant, and religion at the point of expiring. Something of an extraordinary nature appeared neceffary to arreft the attention of a giddy people, who were ready to conclude that Chriftianity was a fable and futurity a dream. This revival has done it. It has confounded infidelity, awed vice into filence, and brought numbers beyond calculation under ferious impreffions.

Yours with the highest efteem.

GEO. A. BAXTER : Rev. Archibald Alexander:

Extract of a letter from a gentleman in Philadelphia to his friend in Hartford.

"I was laft Sunday evening to hear Mr. fpeak at the old

College-it is fitted up fo as to accommodate at least 1500 perfons and it was fo crowded the greater part of the audience were obliged to ftand the whole time — His fubject was, the great condefcenfion of the Almighty in reafoning with his creatures to per fuade them to come to the truth, whereby their happinefs would be increafed here and hereafter.Great attention and folemnity appeared in the people the whole time, and a more than common concern has taken place here on the fubject of religion, and many enquiring what they fhall do to be faved."

Given By two friends of Misfions, 1 doll. & 16 dolls. 90 cents.

Concerning the propagation of the lamities which the Indians were gofpel among the Indians in New-under, they generally then attribuEngland, Sc. particularly among thofe on Martha's-Vineyard.

made by the powows, was the greateft obftacle of all. The common people knew not how they fhould come off from them. They were extremely afraid of offending them. They not only dreaded their fuppofed power, of wound ing and killing whom they thought fit, by their enchantments; but they were afraid of difpleafing them on another account, as they made great dependence upon them in times of ficknefs, as men, who had a preternatural power in the cure of difeafes This, it feems, was the strongest cord that bound them to their heathenifh rites. The powows, by one mean another, kept them in the most flavish fear and fubjection to them; fo that, for a confiderable time, few durft defert them.

and

The powows and thofe who adhered to them, about the year 1646, feeing two meetings of the praying Indians*, fet in oppo

up

and there told many ftories of the great hurt, which the powows had, in the way of their enchantments, dope to many. Such a power in them, being generally, if not univerfally believed by the Indians, feemed, above any thing elfe, to difcourage them, for a time, from receiving the true religion, now publifhed among them; tho' thofe few, who had already embraced it, were not fo terrified as to relinquifh their profeffion."

During this meeting, this quef tion was asked by one, who was on the fide of the powows, "Who is there, who does not fear the powows?" To which another of them answered, "There is no man, that is not afraid of them." Probably they fpake the real fentiments of their hearts, at leaft, refpecting the main body of the Indians.

It may be difficult, at this day, fully to determine the character of thefe powows. The people of

fition to that way, which them-New-England in ancient times, Telves, and their fathers had long walked in, were very much difturbed and enraged: And now they thought to terrify Hiacoomes, and the rest of the praying Indians, by threatening to deftroy them by forcery. One powow in particular told them, "That the powows could kill all the Meeting [i. e. Chriftianized] Indians, if they fet about it."+

To the end they might terrify the new converts, and drive them, if poffible, to renounce their profeffion, feveral Indians went to a meeting of the praying Indians,

*Praying Indians was a term commonly used in early times, and applied

to those natives, who had embraced

Chriftianity, and prayed to God in the name of Jefus Chrift, the Mediator, to diftinguish them from their heathen countrymen.

† Indian Converts, P. 7,

e; that

particularly the writers in the fev-
enteenth century, generally suppo-
fed them to be wizzards, in the
common fenfe, in which that word
is ufed. That they had special
communications with evil fpirits,
and produced fome preternatural
effects by their affistance;
they had, not only actual conver-
fations, but explicit confederacies
with devils. Receiving the testi
mony of the natives, our ancestors.
were of opinion, that many per-
fons among them were, by the
zeal of their parents, dedicated to
their infernal gods; but that the
dæmons accepted only fome here,
and there, to make dangerous
powows, or wizzards of them.
They were of opinion, that the
powows often employ their
mons to fmite their neighbors
blindnefs, lamenefs, wounds,
other mischiefs; and fometime

da

vit

and

kill them, and fometimes to cure their maladies.

The powows themselves made great pretences to fuch a power; and the Indians perhaps univerfally believed, that they were invested with it: And thofe of the natives, who became Christians, had no fcruple, that the powows had a preternatural power, communicated by fome fpirit, inferior indeed to Jehovah, and fubject to His control, but when permitted by Him, could, and did, by the inftrumentality of these men, produce effects beyond human. The Indians told our ancestors ftrange Stories about the feats of the powows; and doubtlefs, in many inftances at least, related what they fuppofed to be ftrictly true.*

The powows were ever ready to proclaim their own extraordinary power, and their people ftood ready to believe them. Governor Hutchinfon mentions one PaffaConaway, a great Sagamore upon Merrimack River, who was the moft celebrated powow in the country: He made the Indians believe ftrange things; that he could make water burn, rocks move, and trees dance; and metamorphofe himfelf into a flaming man; that in winter he could raise a green leaf out of the afhes of a dry one, and produce a living fnake from the fkin of a dead one. Indeed, they, who affumed the leaft, made pretenfions of performing works beyond the power of mere mortals. The poor, ignorant Indians were doubtless, in many inftances at least, deluded themselves: Vile frauds were practifed upon them; and fometimes, without doubt,

* Some accounts are fo romantic, that we may fay concerning them, what the Roman poet fays in another cafe, "Credat Judæus Apella."

Hift. Maff. v. 1. p. 474.

those that were cruel in the extreme. They told the early fettlers what they themselves believed; and it may be, the former were not fo careful, and strict in their examination of reported facts, as they might have been. Allowance is alfo to be made for the credulity of that age, in respect to fome particulars; which was indeed, by no means, peculiar to New-England. In that period, many men of great learning, and found judgment in most things, feemed too apt to give credit to the marvellous, without that evidence, which their good sense would have required in moft other cafes: And fome good Chriftian Indians, who communicated an account of the extraordinary power of the powows, and their astonishing actions, might be mistaken, being impofed upon by the art, and dexterity of thefe cunning men; for the generality of the natives had fuch a fixed awe upon their minds of the great power of thefe men, and fuch a veneration for their character, as thofe, who had immediate communication with their deities, and direct influence from them, that they would not be likely to examine with ftrictness their suppofed extraordinary feats.

Mr. Neale, after quoting from fome of the ancient writers, feveral accounts of the uncommon, and, as they fuppofed, preternatural actions of the powows, which were attributed to the affiftance given them by evil fpirits, concludes with this remark: "I fhall leave the reader to pafs what judgment he pleafes, upon thefe relations; but, in my opinion, they are fo far from proving the doctrine they are brought to fupport, that they carTy in them the greatelt air of juggle, and impofture in the world."

As to the true and full charac

it was. They were apprehenfive, that if Chriftianity prevailed, their power and influence would be loft; and thofe ftreams of property, which flowed in upon them from their abused countrymen, would ceafe to run.

Such were the difficulties which Mr. Mayhew had to encounter in his miffionary attempts. Such were the obstacles, which lay in his way. Such were the difcouragements, which rofe in the minds of the poor natives. But none of thefe obftructions prevented Mr. Mayhew, and his faithful friend Hiacoomes, whom he had joined to himself, as an affociate in the

ter of the powows, we fhall leave it, in fome refpects, problematical. If any, upon the evidence they may obtain, are led to think, that they were in confederacy with the infernal powers, in fuch a manner, and in fuch an high fenfe, as the ancient writers thought, they have a right to enjoy their opinion: If others may fuppofe, upon careful examination of the proofs, that they were not confederated with evil fpirits, and aided by them, any more, than other very wicked men may be faid to be, whofe imaginations may be frequently and ftrongly impreffed by thefe in vifible evil powers, they have equal right to theirs. Every one will deter-work, from a vigorous pursuit of mine for himself, as he has grounds, the important business upon which Thus much is undoubtedly true, they had fet out. They viewed that they were, at leaft, cunning the caufe, as highly interesting; jugglers; who by fome dextrous and their zeal, affiduity, and permanagements, and ftrange feats, feverance were in proportion to the aftonished the ignorant multitude, magnitude of the object. and gained an afcendent over them. The body of the people, if they did not love, yet feared them; received their dictates with the most implicit faith; and obeyed their commands with the most fervile fubmiffion.

The powows were encouraged to persist in their trade, by means of the pelf they drew from their votaries. They made great pretenfions to the art of curing diforders by their charms, and the affiftance they received from their deities ; at the fame time muft be well paid for their attendance: If they failed of recovering the fick, they had a falvo ready at hand, "The gods were inexorable, the perfon's time was come." These men, as obferved before, were, at first, the most violent pofers of the gofpel; and for the fame reafon, that Demetrius, the filver-fmith, was, That by this craft they had their wealth, fuch as

op

In the year 1646, fome of the impediments to the good work began to be removed. Mr. Mayhew had the happiness, fometime before his death, to fee a great alteration in this refpect. God, who had qualified him for the work he had undertaken, infpired him with love to the perifhing natives, and zeal to promote their eternal falvation, was pleafed to interpofe, by his providence, and gradually removed obftructions; fo that before the death of this pious miffionary, many hundreds of the natives profeffed the Chriftian faith;

a very
confiderable number of
whom were ornaments to their pro-
feffion, as will appear in the fequel.

We fhall now take notice of fome things, which tended to remove obllructions, and promote the gofpel on the Vineyard.

In the year 1646,* the Indians

* Indian Converts, p. 5 and 77.