Indian dialogues for their instruction in that great service of Christ, in calling home…

Sachem. I am willing to be present and hear your discourse, but as for this new way of praying to God, I like it not. We and our Forefathers have through all generations lived in our Religion, which I desire not to change; Are we wiser then our Forefathers? And I like not to suffer our people to read that Book which they call the Word of God. If it be Gods Word, it is too deep for ignorant people to meddle withal; and it will •ill them with new light and notions, which withdraws them from our obedience, and leadeth them to make trouble and disturbance unto us, in those old ways in which we and our Forefathers have walked: and my Counsel is to suppress the reading of that Book.

Sachem. I am willing to be present and hear your discourse, but as for this new way of praying to God, I like it not. We and our Forefathers have through all generations lived in our Religion, which I desire not to change; Are we wiser then our Forefathers? And I like not to suffer our people to reade that Book which they call the Word of God. If it be Gods Word, it is too deep for ignorant people to meddle withall; and it will •ill them with new light and notions, which withdraws them from our obedience, and leadeth them to make trouble and disturbance unto us, in those old wayes in which we and our Forefathers have walked: and my Counsel is to suppress the reading of that Book.

Ant. With due respect unto you, Sachem, I shall thus answer unto what you s•y. If a great Sachem in a far Country should send unto you a writing, wherein he giveth you wise Counsel, would you not read it? would you not hear what he saith? and would you not suffer your people to learn wisdom, but continue in their ignorance and blindness? Sure you would show so much respect to a man, a Sachem, that should do so kindly to you. Now so it is, that the great God who made these high heavens, and the great Lights that be therein; who made this Earth, and all this great World, and all things in it; who is King of kings, and Lord of lords: I say this Great God, pitying to see the ignorance that all men are darkened withal, he hath sent us his Word, which will make wise the ignorant, and will you not suffer your people to learn that wisdom? do you love darkness better then light? Besides, all Mankind live in the ways of sin, which lead them to hell torments, where they shall be punished with eternal fire: but God pitying this miserable condition of man, hath sent us this Word of his, which showeth us the way to escape hell torments, and leadeth us into the way that leadeth us to eternal life, happiness and glory. And will not you suffer your people to learn this good way, when God offereth it unto us? Consider how your people will curse you, when they feel these torments, because you would not suffer them to learn the true way to heaven and happiness. And what though we are not wiser then our Forefathers, yet God can teach us such wisdom as our Forefathers did not know. I think, that we are bound to think that our fathers were so wise, that if Gods Word ad been brought and offered to them, they would have received it, and would have learned by it to be wiser then they were, and why therefore should not we be so wise, as to do that which our wise fathers would have done, if this light had shined unto them, as it now doth unto us. Let not the deepness of that wisdom in Gods Word, hinder us that are ignorant from searching into it, for by reading of Gods word the ignorant may be made wise, Psal. 197. it maketh wise the simple: and