Tears of repentance

It may be some have thought, and I hear some have spoken little less, That this whole business of the Indians, of which there have been so many speeches in Old England and New, is but a devise and design to get money, and that there is indeed no such matter as any Work of Gods grace amongst that People. But if there were any truth in this saying or Surmise, I marvel why the Magistrates and Elders then present at Natick, did upon the reasons rendered, advise the deferring of the inchurching of the Indians that day, and why they did not rather hasten forward the Work without any more ado, or longer delay. For the report of a Church of Indians would in all likelihood have more prevailed for the end alleged, than all that hath been reported hitherto But our attending in this business to the Honour of Jesus Christ, and the good of this poor peoples souls, and so to that which Rule and right Reason required, rather than to what might seem conducible for worldly advantage, may be a sufficient witness of our sincerity, contrary to the conceit and surmise afore mentioned, and a sufficient confutation of it. And yet though they be not combined into Church-Estate, there is so much of Gods Work amongst them, as that I cannot but count it a great evil, yea, a great injury to God and his goodness for any to make light or nothing of it. To see and to hear Indians opening their mouths, and lifting up their hands and their eyes in solemn Prayer to the Living God, calling on him by his Name JEHOVAH, in the Mediation of Jesus ⟨image 17⟩Christ, and this for a good while together; to see and hear them exhorting one another from the Word of God; to see them and hear them confessing the Name of Christ Jesus, and their own sinfulness, sure this is more than usual. And though they spake in a language, of which many of us understood but little, yet we that were present that day, we saw them, and we heard them perform the duties mentioned, with such grave and sober countenances, with such comely reverence in gesture, and their whole carriage, and with such plenty of tears trickling down the cheeks of some of them, as did argue to us that they spake with much good affection, and holy fear of God, and it much affected our hearts.

It may be some have thought, and I hear some have spoken little less, That this whol business of the Indians, of which there have been so many speeches in Old England and New, is but a devise and design to get money, and that there is indeed no such matter as any Work of Gods grace amongst that People. But if there were any truth in this saying or Surmise, I marvel why the Magistrates and Elders then present at Natick, did upon the reasons rendred, advise the deferring of the inchurching of the Indians that day, and why they did not rather hasten forward the Work without any more ado, or longer delay. For the report of a Church of Indians would in all likelihood have more prevailed for the end alledged, than all that hath been reported hitherto But our attending in this business to the Honor of Jesus Christ, and the good of this poor peoples souls, and so to that which Rule and right Reason required, rather than to what might seem conducible for wordly advantage, may be a sufficient witness of our sincerity, contrary to the conceit and surmise afore mentioned, and a sufficient confutation of it. And yet though they be not combined into Church-Estate, there is so much of Gods Work amongst them, as that I cannot but count it a great evil, yea, a great injury to God and his goodness for any to make light or nothing of it. To see and to hear Indians opening their mouths, and lifting up their hands and their eyes in solemn Prayer to the Living God, calling on him by his Name JEHOVAH, in the Mediation of Jesus