A84357:108
Tears of repentance
Tears of repentance: or, A further narrative of the progress of the Gospel amongst the Indians in New-England: setting forth, not only their present state and condition, but sundry confessions of sin by diverse of the said Indians, wrought upon by the saving power of the Gospel; together with the manifestation of their faith and hope in Jesus Christ, and the work of grace upon their hearts. Related by Mr. Eliot and Mr. Mayhew, two faithful labourers in that work of the Lord. Published by the corporation for propagating the Gospel there, for the satisfaction and comfort of such as wish well thereunto.Tears of repentance: or, A further narrative of the progress of the Gospel amongst the Indians in New-England: setting forth, not only their present state and condition, but sundry confessions of sin by diverse of the said Indians, wrought upon by the saving power of the Gospel; together with the manifestation of their faith and hope in Jesus Christ, and the work of grace upon their hearts. Related by Mr. Eliot and Mr. Mayhew, two faithful laborers in that work of the Lord. Published by the corporation for propagating the Gospel there, for the satisfaction and comfort of such as wish well thereunto.
London: printed by Peter Cole, 1653
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
John Speene, This Confession being short in some main points, he afterward made Confession as followeth.
When I first prayed I prayed not for my soul, but for the sake of men, I loved men, and for their sakes I prayed to God. Before I prayed many were my sins, and my heart was heaped full, and ran over in all manner of lusts and sins. After I heard of praying to God, I let it fall and regarded it not; after I came to hear the word, I sometimes feared, but soon lost it again. Then my heart ran away after our former courses, and then what ever I heard I lost, because my heart was run away; and many were my sins, and therefore I could not get pardon, because my heart run away, and many were my sins, and I did indeed go into the Country. But afterwards, I hearing the Catechism, I desired to learn it, and then I believed that when Believers die, their souls go to God, and are ever happy; when Sinners die, their souls go to Hell and are ever tormented; and that when Christ judges the world, our bodies rise again, and then we shall receive the judgment of Christ; the good shall stand at his right hand, the bad at his left: this I believed was true, and then I saw all my great follies and evils: and now my heart desired to lay by hunting, and to work every day; and this is Gods Command, and therefore a good way; God said, Thou shalt work six days, and if thou work, thou shalt eat; therefore I believe it, and my heart promiseth that I will this do as long as I live. Now I see I did great folly, for now I hear that God saith Work; and now I fear because God hath afflicted me, in taking away my brother a Ruler: now I am troubled, I fear I sinned in not believing our Ruler, because now God hath taken him away; he taught me good words, but I believed them not, and now I repent because Christ calleth me to it: great is the punishment of God in taking away our Ruler; and now I pray, and say to Christ, Oh Jesus Christ ⟨p. 30⟩Christ I have sinned: I believe that if I repent and be humbled, and pray not only outwardly but inwardly, and believe in Christ, then God will pardon all my sin; but I cannot get pardon of sin, I cannot deserve pardon, but only Christ hath merited pardon for us: I cannot deliver my self from all my sins, but Christ redeemeth, and delivereth from all sin: I deserve not one mercy of God, but Christ hath merited all mercies for us.