Puslapio vaizdai
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vine influence, be favingly enlightned in "the knowledge of the only true God, and Jefus Chrift whom he hath fent, whom to know is life eternal.

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AND the providence of God, by fo fucceeding his Britannic Majesty's Arms as to put Canada into English hands, feems evidently to point our view to these tribes of Indians, making it our duty to endeavour to carry the gospel to them; fince that, which has all along been the "let," is snow" taken out of the way." And may I not fay, that the Spirit of grace concurs with divine providence in calling upon us to exert ourselves in all wife methods, within our respective spheres, that "God's King in Sion" may have thefe" uttermoft parts of the earth for his poffeffion ? To what else can we fo juftly attribute the serious concern,relative to the spreading the gospel among thefe Indians, which has been fo generally awakened in the minds of people, upon occafion of the marvellous victories the right hand of the moft high has given us over our French enemies, fubjecting their country to the crown of England? Never did there appear before fo ftrong and general a difpofition to encourage the fending" the word of falvation to them.

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'Tis in confequence of this good difpofition, and the charitable effects of it, that we have now twoMiffionaries in the MOHAWK-Country; one, the worthy paftor of the church at Brookfield, who is gone' for a time only: The other, a promifing young man, who went with a view to fpend his life in the service, if God fhould be pleased to give any.comfortable profpect of fuccefs. We have lately heard from them, and the news they fend us is fuch as will give joy to all who truly love the Redeemer, and difpofe them to open their lips in praises to God.

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THEY write, "that, foon after their "arrival at Onoquage, they affembled the chief men of the tribe in this place, informing them of their bufinefs, "and by whom they were fent: Thất, "with great folemnity, they returned "their hearty thanks to the honorable "commiffioners, and to them for under"taking fo difficult and arduous a work.

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But, as three of their principal men were abfent, they concluded with faying, they fpake and acted only for "themfelves and families; adding, that "when these three fhould return, they "would meet again, when they should

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"be glad to hear again of this matter, "and would return a more compleat "anfwer. Upon the whole, they all appeared very cordial as well as thankful.

MR. FORBES Writes in another letter, "The Indians appear very cordial and "well-difpofed. The laft fabbath [the "fabbath preceding the 29th of June] we had a very full and attentive affem

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bly, as devout as ever I saw, and pro"perly raifed with a well-tempered zeal. "The whole affembly was moved

many discovered a deep forrow for fin, "and were all attention to the word fpoken. Some wept and covered their "faces. In fhort, it feemed as if God

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was moving by his Spirit upon the "whole affembly. On monday we vifi"ted most of the families in town, con"verfed with the heads of them upon "the things of religion, and exhorted "the youth and children to the practising

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early piety. We found feveral under a

very ferious concern about their fouls "and the future world, and very defirous "to know what they fhould do to be fa

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ved. Others we found [it is to be re"marked here, Mr. Hawley had spent "fome time with this tribe of Indians " before

"before the war ] well established in the "chriftian, faith, and zealously engaged "in the practise of fober godliness.-Eve66 ry thing looks encouraging here on the part of the beneficent defign of our "miffion; and I can't but think, ( if we "are not greatly wanting) that great

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things may be effected in favor of the "Redeemer's kingdom.

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'He writes in another letter ftill, The Indians" defire to have a church gathe

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red, and to have the facrament of the "Lord's fupper adminiftred before I leave "them. I have difcourfed with a num"ber with this view, and find that feveral

are well-established in the effential doc"trines of christianity, and have a uni"form practical fenfe of religion upon "their minds.We have set up a school "here, at which we are inftructing the "children

The Indian-children might be instructed in their own towns at a much less expence, than if they were brought to live among us. The coft of bringing them would be very confiderable; and they must be permitted every now-and-then to make a vifit to their parents and friends, which would be a great additional charge. They must also be boarded and clothed, which would run the expence very high. Whereas, if they were taught where they now live, they might be maintained by their parents; and the only charge worth mention

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"children in the knowledge of the En"glish language. We have had about a "dozen a day for about twenty days, and "find the children are very much pleafed "with it, and give their conftant and "feasonable attendance, without any "constraint from their parents. Some "of them make surprising proficiency,

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pronounce the whole alphabet well, "and know each letter; and four have got to pronunce diftinct fyllables pro"perly. They appear to be, in general, 66 very ing would be that of fupporting school-mafters. More, it may be, would be required for the fupport of inftructors among the Indians, than among ourselves; but this greater charge would be small in comparison with the charge the other way. And the children might, in their own towns, as conveniently come to fchool, as if they were among us; for the Indian wigwams are every where nearer to one another, than the English houses in any of our villages. One school in a town would therefore very well anfwer all the ends we have in view, as none of the towns are fo large, but the children in all of them might easily meet together every day for inftruction. For thefe reafons, one of the principal things entrusted with our miffionaries is, to endeavour to prepare the way for fetting up fchools for the educa tion of Indian children in whatever it may be proper to inftruct them. And by thus providing for their inftruction, we shall avoid much needlefs expence. The education of one Indian lad among us will probably coft more than the education of twenty in their own country. And they may, if it be not our own faut, be as well educated there, as here; at least till they are fitted for that higher inftruction, which there would be no need of giving to more than one in an hundred.

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