inceffant in his pious endeavors. I made but low progress among the He does not spare his body either by day, or by night. He readily travels and lodges in their fmoky wigwams; and chearfully fubmits to felf-denial, and fach hardships to which heretofore he was a stranger. His way in public then was, by preaching a lecture every fortnight, to which both men, women, and children came. He first prayed, then preached, then catechifed, then fang a pfalm, and all in their own language. After fermon, he generally spent more time than in the fermon itfelf; reafoning with them in a more familiar manner, anfwering their questions, removing their doubts, filencing their cavils, and refolving cafes put to him. Every Saturday morning he confers with Hiacoomes more private ly about his fubject matter of preaching to the natives on both parts of the following day; Mr. Mayhew directing him in the choice of his text, and in the management of it. When abroad upon his miffion, and obliged to lodge in their wigwams, he ufually fpent a confiderable portion of the night, partly in relating the ancient hiftories in the holy fcriptures, a fubject with which the natives were at first greatly furprized, and not a little entertained; and partly in difcourfing upon fuch other topics, as he judged moft conducive to promote their benefit: He particularly propofes to their confideration, fuch things, as he thinks requifite in the first place: He fairly folves their fubtle objections; and tells them that they might plainly fee, that it was purely in good will to them, from whom he could expect no reward, that he fpent fo much time, and pains, and endured fo much cold and wet, fatigue and trouble. For feveral years the gospel natives. Mr. Mayhew, as well as other miffionaries, before and fince, found many obstacles. Various things tended to obstruct the good work. The Indians, in common with other Heathens, must be suppofed to have been prejudiced in favor of, and firmly attached to the religion, in which they had been educated." All men have naturally a veneration for the religion of their ancestors; and the prejudices of education in a falfe religion are commonly infuperable without the extraordinary grace of God." "Hath a nation changed her Gods, which are yet no Gods."* They would reafon, as many in heathen countries had done before them; "Shall we forfake the Gods, whom our forefathers, from time immemorial have worshipped, Gods who have been kind to us, for a ftrange God, utterly unknown to us ?-Shall we abandon a reli gion, which our ancestors embraced?-A religion venerable for antiquity-a religion, which ap proves itfelf to our minds: Shall we forfake this for one to which we are entire ftrangers, which is brought to us by foreigners, with whofe character we are not fufficiently ac quainted; and who, for ought we can tell, may have fome finifter end in view, in propofing to us to receive it ; and may not, in the leaft degree, have our good at heart? Thus many flood ftrongly fer their own meetings, ways, and cuftoms, as being in their account much more advantageous and agreeable, than ours, in which, as they faid, there is nothing but praying, and talking, and this, in a manner too fill and fober for them. This attachment to their own • Jer. A. II fimilar turn of mind refpecting revelation, have had great dependcnce. These untutored Indians were not unacquainted with the force of it. They affaulted Hiacoomes with this weapon, but, as will appear hereafter, he with skill and dexterity parried it off. They doubtlefs thought, that as he was the first convert among them, the moft ftrenuous advocate for Chriftianity in that fmall number, who had embraced it, and very zealous in propagating it, as far as in his power; if, by ridicule, they could drive him to renounce it, others, lefs firm, and less established in this new religion, might follow his example; and the multitudes, who ftill adhered to their old religion, might be deterred from fo religion was a general obftacle, and a very powerful one, which it was extremely difficult to remove. Another great impediment was the oppofition made by the Sa-, chems. Like moft princes, in the early times of the gofpel, they would not give any countenance to that new religion, which was propofed to them; on the contrary, they used ftrenuous endeavors to prevent their fubjects from embracing it. Aimoft all of them, and of their other chief men, either openly, or privately opposed it. The Sachems feemed to fear, that if their fubjects fhould receive the gofpel, their own authority would be diminished-that Chriftianity might introduce fome great revolution in the government to their detriment that they, who were for intro-much as examining into the grounds ducing Chriftianity among them, of Chriftianity, and giving any enmight have it in contemplation to couragement to thofe who might be overturn their civil, as well as re- defirous of making any further efligious polity. The lower grades fays to propagate it among them; of the people flood in awe of their and fo this feed, which was plantprinces; and were much afraid of ed only in a few minds, might be counteracting their will: And their destroyed. example must be fuppofed to have no fmall influence; as nothing is more obvious, than that the examples of men in power, and other diftinctions, have much fway over the minds of their inferiors and dependents. It required no final degree of faith and fortitude to break thro' this obftacle.* Ridicule was alfo tried upon the new converts, particularly upon Hiacoomes. This is what fome dread, almost as much as fire and fword. This is a weapon, upon which infidels, in all ages, from the first date of Chriflianity, down to the times of lord Shaftesbury, Thomas Paine, and others of a Matthew Mayhew, triumph's of grace-Indian Converts, p. 2, 3, 77, 283. In 1644, Hiacoomes, the year after his converfion to Christianity, went to an Indian's house, where feveral of that nation were met together: Upon his entrance, they laughed and derided him, “Here comes the Englifeman." A Sagamore prefent joined with the other Indians, and fpake in the manner following; "I wonder, that you, who are a young man, and have a wife and two children, fhould love the English, and their ways, and forfake the powows"--and he added a diffuafive, drawn from the topic of family and perfonal fafety; "What would you do, if any of you were fick? Whither would you go for help? If I were in your cafe, nothing thould draw me from our gods and powows." After Mr. Mayhew and Hi laft end. HE term glory, as it relates TH coomes were allowed to addrefs On God's making his own glory hiš the natives in public, in the year 1646, and Mr. Mayhew was defired by Tawanquatuck, the first convert among the Sachems, to preach in a ftated courfe to his people, the infidel Indians derided and fcoffed at thofe, who at tended the lecture, and blafphemed the God, whom they worshipped, which very much damped the fpirits of fome in the way, which they were purfuing; and hindered others, for a time, from entering into it, or even casting an eye towards it. Such power has ridicule over the human mind! to the Moft High, is fometimes ufed, in the holy fcriptures, to denote the inherent excellency of the divine nature; at others, the respect and honor due to his holy name. In the former fenfe it appears to have been used by Mofes, when he befought the Lord to fhew him his glory: For, the answer was, "I will caufe all my goodness "to pafs before thee and the "Lord paffed by before him, "and proclaimed, The Lord, Nor were these the only imped-" the Lord God, merciful and iments to the fuccefs of the gofpel" gracious."-In the latter, by on the island: For fo inveterate God himself, when he fays, " I was the hatred of fome to Chrif-" am the Lord; that is my name, tianity, that, not only was Hia-" and my glory will I not give coomes abused by blows by an ill-" unto another." When the glory natured and malicious Sagamore; but even the life of Tawanquatuck was in great danger by a daring at tempt made to affaffinate him. This was in the year 1647. Tho' he loft not his life, for that was remarkably preferved; yet he did not escape without a wound. The caufe of this murderous attempt was, as the Indians faid, for his walking with the English: And Mr. Mayhew obferves, that it was fuppofed both by them, and the English, that the Sachem's forwardness for fetting up, and continuing the lecture mentioned above, was another thing, which incited the wretch to this cruel undertaking. A regard to perfonal fafety would undoubtedly fo operate upon many timorous minds, as to prevent them, for a feafon, from paying attention to the gospel". (To be continued.) of God is fpoken of as an end for which he may be fupposed to act, it means, either the intrinfic excellen cy of his own nature, or the manifellations of it-either that, which conftitutes the real worth and beauty of the divine character; or, a difplay of it, in its genuine fruits. The former is ufually termed the inherent glory of God; the latter, his declarative. The inherent glory of God, as the term refpects his moral charac ter, confifts in the affection or difpofition of his infinite, eternal mind; the declarative, in the vifible, external manifeftations of this affection, or difpofition. What the inherent glory of God is, confifting in the moral difpofition of his eternal mind, the holy fcriptures very clearly teach us. The apoftle John tells us, that God is Love. The fame is implied in the name, by which God proclaimed himself before Mofes. This conftitutes Indian Converts, page 3, and 81. the whole moral nature of the ever bleffed God. The divine, eter nal mind is wholly made up of goodnefs and love. The moral character of the infinite God is all made up of love. The Lord exifts to do good-For purposes of goodness it is, that he reigns. This being the excellent nature and difpofition of the divine mind, it must be that his highest delight is in doing good. God's own enjoyment and happinefs muft be, in producing and diffufing happinefs. He enjoys the good which he does; and enjoys it to an infinitely higher degree, than his creatures, who receive it. A difpofition to do good, rejoices in the good which is done. As love feeks, fo it enjoys the happinefs of others. It is, therefore, the glory of God to do good-to do excellent things. In this way God feeks his own glory-In this way, glorifies himfelf. This was his motive to create: The fame influences in his whole government of the world. and this be the fenfe, in which God makes his own glory his last end, it will follow, 1. That it is a most defirable thing that God fhould make his own glory his great and ultimate end. This implies, that the higheft felicity of the infinite Being himself is in doing good. Were not the difpofition of the divine mind fuch, that his chief and higheft delight is in doing good, what reafon have we to fuppofe, that his laws would be holy, juft and good? And what certain evidence could we have, that his government is, or will be wifely adminiftered? Were not this the divine moral character-were not this the difpofition of the Eternal Mind, what reafen could we have to rejoice, that the Lord reigns? But that a Being, whofe love and good will are abfolutely infinite, fhould make his own glory his highest and laft end, reprefents his character in the moft excellent light, and renders him an object worthy of the fapreme and highest love of his crea tures. For God to make his own glory his laft and higheft end, is no other, therefore, than to exercife an infinitely strong difpofition to There is no other or highdo good; and, to be primarily and er end, for which it can be defiraprincipally influenced by it, in the ble, that the holy God fhould a&. whole of his works and adminif- In what can it be defired, that the tration. In no other light can the great God fhould more delight, divine character appear fo excel- than in doing good-in diffufing lent, fo lovely and glorious. For happinefs? When we confider God to make his own glory his what the moral character of the dihigheft end, naturally and neceffa- vine Being really is, as reprefented rily comprifes the greatest good in the holy fcriptures, we evidentand highest felicity of his morally detract from it, by fuppofing kingdom. In his making this his him to be influenced, in his wonhigheft end, his own happiness and derful and excellent works, by any that of his creatures are united-other, or lower end, than his own they are fo united, that they can- glory. not be feparated from each other. God accomplishes his end only in the production of a good, which will fatisfy his own infinite good wii!. In this way he is glorified, and will be glorified forever. If thefe obfervations are juft, 2. God's making his own glory his laft and higheft end, is the falleft and only fecurity for the best and higheft good of the created fyftem. Here, and here only, we find evidence, that a good will take place adequate to the purposes ot the recovery of finners, purely by the inherent, infinite good will and love of the divine nature itfelf; the work of redemption never would, or could have been accom infinite love and good will-a created holiness and happinefs, in which God himself will reft fatisfiedwhich will fatisfy the infinitely ftrong defires of divine, unbounded love. We accordingly find it prom-plished: Nor could finners of manifed to Chrift, that he should fee of the travail of his foul, and be fatisfied. Could that love, that travail of foul, which brought the Lord of glory into our world, and to the cross, be fatisfied with a good with a created felicity, which might have been exceeded? If infinite power and wifdom and love fail of producing fuch meafures of created holinefs and created happincfs, as cannot be exceeded; the great and glorious God fails, for aught we can fee, of accomplishing his laft and higheft end. And, failing of this, how can he reft fatisfied in his works, and enjoy complete and infinite felicity? 3. As God makes his own glory his laft and highest end, it is moft defirable, that he fhould be an abfolute fovereign. The fovereignty of God principally intends his being influenced to acts of goodaefs purely by the inherent goodness of his own glorious nature-taking his motives wholly from within himfelf-his own wil dom alone adopting and directing the meafures for accomplishing the purposes of his love. Were it not that the glorious God is this abfolute fovereign, where would it have been poffible for him to find a motive for faving finners! Where, but in his own infinite good will, could there have been a motive for God's being manife in feth-for Chrift's dying, and himself becoming a curfe! Had not the holy God been moved to give his only begotten Son-had not the glorious Redeemer been influenced to that humiliating and painful work, which lays the only foundation for kind ever have been faved. And, whatever difpofition might have existed in any one for the falvation of finners, had not God's wifdom alone devifed the plan, and chofen and directed the measures for its accomplishment, we muft, all, infallibly have perished forever. It is infinitely beft, that the unerring wisdom of God should alone direct the mcafures for accomplishing fuch good, as his own infinite love alone can incline him to accomplifh. What can be more defirable, than that fuch a Being as the Lord is fhould be an abfolute fovereign! Confidering the moral character, and the infinite perfection of God, what more precious doctrine, than that of his abfolute fovereignty! Who, that is a friend to the greatest good, cap undertandingly be an enemy to it! 4. It is eafy to fee that, had there not been fuch fallen, finful creatures as we are, there would have been no opportunity for a dif covery of fuch infinite ftrength of divine love and good will, as eyidently appear in the recovery and falvation of finners.-Creatures would have had no advantage to fee, that the divine Being poffeffes fuch treafures of good will, as to be influenced to fuch wonders of goodness-infinitely undeferved goodncfs, by nothing but the mere infinite benevolence of his own heart! That glorious fovereignty, which implies felf-moving infinite goodnefs-a difpofition to do good, for the pleafure of doing it-doing the greateft poffible and the most undeferved good, for the fake of the delight there is in doing it, |