TEXT SOURCE:  [Eliot, John.]  The Day-Breaking, if not The Sun-Rising of the Gospell With the Indians in New-England.  London: Rich. Cotes, 1647.  Reprinted in Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society, Ser. 3, Vol. 4.  Cambridge: Charles Folsom, 1834.  pp. 1-23, 14-16.

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Thus I have as faithfully as I could remember given you a true account of our beginnings with the Indians within our owne bounds; which cannot but bee matter of more serious thoughts what further to doe with these poore Natives the dregs of mankinde and the saddest spectacles of misery of meere men upon earth:  we did thinke to forebeare going to them this winter, but this last dayes worke wherein God set his seale from heaven of acceptance of our little, makes those of us who are able, to resolve to adventure thorow frost and snow, lest the fire goe out of their hearts for want of a little more fewell:  to which we are the more incouraged, in that the next day after our being with them, one of the Indians came to his house who preacht to them to speake with him, who in private conference wept exceedingly, and said that all that night the Indians could not sleepe, partly with trouble of minde, and partly with wondring at the things they heard preacht amongst them; another Indian comming also to him the next day after, told him how many of the wicked sort of Indians began to oppose these beginnings.

Whence these Indians came here to inhabit is not ceraine, his reasons are most probable who thinke they are Tartars passing out of Asia into America by the straits of the Anian, who being spilt by some revenging hand of God upon this continent like water upon the ground are spread as farre as these Atlanticke shores, there being but few of them in these parts in comparison of those which are more contiguous to the Anian straits, if we may credit some Historians herein:  what ever these conjectures and uncertainties bee, certaine it is, that they are inheritors of a grievous and fearefull curse living so long without Ephod or Teraphim, and in nearest alliance to the wilde beasts that perish; and as God delights to convey blessings of mercy to the posterity of some, in respect of his promise to their fathers, so are curses entailed and come by naturall descent unto others, for some great sinnes of their Ancestors, as no doubt it is in respect of these.  Yet nothwithstanding the deepest degeneracies are no stop to the overflowing grace and bloud of Christ, when the time of love shall come, no not to these poore outcasts, the utmost ends of the earth being appointed to bee in time, the Sonne of Gods possession.

Wee are oft upbraided by some of our Countrymen that so little good is done by our professing planters upon the hearts of Natives; such men have surely more spleene than judgement, and know not the vast distance of Natives from common civility, almost humanity it selfe, and ‘tis as if they should reproach us for not making the windes to blow when wee list our selves, it must certainely be a spirit of life from God (not in mans power) which must put flesh and sinewes unto these dry bones:  if wee would force them to baptisme (as the Spaniards do about Cusco, Peru, and Mexico, having learnt them a short answer or two to some Popish questions) or if wee would hire them to it by giving them coates and shirts, to allure them to it (as some others have done) wee could have gathered many hundreds, yea thousands it may bee by this time, into the name of Churches; but wee have not learnt as yet that art of coyning Christians, or putting Christs name and Image upon copper mettle.  Although I thinke we have much cause to bee humbled that wee have not endeavoured more than wee have done their conversion and peace with God, who enjoy the mercy and peace of God in their land....

....I confesse I thinke no great good will bee done till they bee more civilized, but why may not God begin with some few, to awaken others by degree?  nor doe I expect any great good will bee wrought by the English (leaving secrets to God) (although the English surely begin and lay the first stones of Christs Kingdome and Temple amongst them) becuase God is wont ordinarily to convert Nations and peoples by some of their owne country men who are nearest to them, and can best speake, and most of all pity their brethren and countrimen, but yet if the least beginnings be made by the conversion of two or three, its worth all our time and travailes, and cause of much thankfulnesse for such seeds, although no great harvests should immediately appeare....

Shepard, Thomas.  The Clear Sun-shine of the Gospel Breaking Forth upon the Indians in New-England.  London: R. Cotes, 1648.  Reprinted in Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society, Ser. 3, Vol. 4.  Cambridge: Charles Folsom, 1834.  pp. 25-67, 44-45, 57-58, 66-67.

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From this third of March untill that latter end of this Summer I could not be present at the Indian lectures, but when I came this last time, I marailed to see so many Indian men, women and children in English apparell, they being at Noonanetum generally clad, especially upon Lecture dayes, which they have got partly by gift from the English, and partly by their own labours, by which some of them have very handsomely apparelled themselves, & you would scrace know them from English people.  There is one thing more which I would acquaint you with, which hapned this Summer, viz. June 9. the first day of the Synods meeting at Cambridge, where the forenoon was spent in hearinga Sermon preached by one of the Elders as a preparative to the worke of the Synod, the afternoon was spent in hearing an Indian Lecture where there was a great confluence of Indians [from] all parts to heare Mr. Eliot, which we conveived not unseasonble at such a time, partly that the reports of Gods worke begun among them, might be seen and beleeved of the chief who were then sent and met from all the Churches of Christ in the Countrey, who could hardly beleeve the reports they had received concerning these new stirs among the Indians, and partly hereby to raise up a greater spirit of prayer for the carrying on of the work begun upon the Indians, among all the Churches and servants of the Lord Jesus....

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This very day that I wrote these things unto you, I have been with the Indians to teach them, as I was wont to doe, and one of their questions among many other was to know what to say to such Indians as oppose their praying to God, and beleeving in Jesus Christ, and for their own information also, What get you, say they, by praying to God, and beleeving in Jesus Christ?  you goe naked still, and you are as poore as wee, and our Corne is as good as yours, and wee take more pleasure than you; did we see that you got any thing by it, wee would pray to God and beleeve in Jesus Christ also as you doe?  Unto which question I then answered them.  First, God giveth unto us two sorts of good things, one sort are little ones, which I shewed by my little finger; the other sort are great ones, which I shewed by my thumbe, (for you know they use and delight in demonstrations):  the little mercies are riches, as cloths, food, sack, house, cattle, and pleasures, these are little things which serve but for our bodies a little while in this life; the great mercies are wisdome, the knowledge of God, Christ, eternall life, repentance, faith, these are mercies for the soule, and for eternall life:  now though God do not yet give you the little mercies, he giveth you that which is a great deale better, which the wicked Indians cannot see.  And this I proved to them by this example; when Foxun the Mohegan Counsellor, who is counted the wisest Indian in the Country, was in the Bay [Boston], I did on purpose bring him unto you; and when he was here, you saw he was a foole in comparison of you, for you could speak of God and Christ, and heaven and repentance and faith, but he sate and had not one word to say, unlesse you talked of such poor things as hunting, wars, &c.  Secondly, you have some more cloths then they, and the reason why you have no more is because you have but a little wisdome, if you were more wise to know god, and obey his Commands, you would work more than you do, for so God commandeth, Six dayes thou shalt work, &c. and thus the English do:  and if you would bee so wise as to worke as they do, you should have cloths, houses, cattle, riches as they have, God would give you them.

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Thus you have a true, but somewhat rent and ragged relation of these things; it may be most sutable to the story of naked and ragged men:  my desire is that no mans Spectacles may deceive him, so as to look upon these things either as bigger or lesser, better or worser than they are; which all men generally are apt to doe at things at so great distance, but that they may judge of them as indeed they are, by what truth they see here exprest in the things themselves.  I know that some thinke that all this worke among them is done and acted thus by the Indians to please the English, and for applause for them; and it is not unlikely but so ‘tis in many, who doe but blaze for a time; but certainly ‘tis not so in all, but that the power of the Word hath taken place in some, and that inwardly and effectually, but how far savingly time will declare, and the reader may jduge of, by the story it self of these things.  Some say that if it be so, yet they are but a few that are thus wrought upon; Be it so, yet so it hath ever been, many called, few chose:  and yet withall I beleeve the calling in of a few Indians to Christ is the gathering home of many hundreds in one, considering what a vast distance there hath been between God and them so long, even dayes without number; considering also how precious the first fruits of America will be to Jesus Christ, and what seeds they may be of great harvests in after times; and yet if there was no great matter seen in these of grown yeers, their children notwithstanding are of great hopes both from English and Indians themselves, who are therefore trained up to Schoole, where many are very apt to learne, and who are also able readily to answer to the questions propounded, containing the principles and grounds of all Christian Religion in their own tongue.  I confesse it passeth my skill to tell how the Gospel should be generally received by these American Natives, considering the variety of Languages in small distances of places; onely hee that made their eares and tongues can raise up some or other to teach them how to heare, and what to spake; and if the Gospel must ride circuit, Christ can and will conquer by weake and despicable meanes, though the conquest perhaps may be somewhat long.  The beginnings and foundations of the Spaniard in the Southerne parts of this vast continent, being laid in the blood of nineteene Millions of poor innocent Natives (as Acosta the Jesuite a bird of their own nest relates the story) shall certainly therefore bee utterly rooted up some revenging hand; and when he is once dispossest of his Golden Mansions and Silver Mines, it may be then the oppressed remant in those coasts also may come in.  In the meane while if it bee the good pleasure of Christ to look upon any of the worst and meanest of these outcasts in these Coasts of New-England, let us not despise this day of small things....