The clear sun-shine of the gospel breaking forth upon the Indians in New-England. Or,…The clear sun-shine of the gospel breaking forth upon the Indians in Nevv-England. Or,…

There do sundry times fall out differences among them, and they usually bring their cases to me, and sometime such, as it's needful for me to decline; where I may, I advise them to some issue. One great case that hath come several times to me, is about such debts as they owe by gaming, for they have been great gamesters, but have moved questions about it, and are informed of the unlawfulness of it, and have thereupon wholly given over gaming for any wagers, and all games wherein is a lot, only use lawful recreations, and have a Law against unlawful gaming; but other Indians that are of another mind, come and challenge their old debts, and now they refuse to pay, because is was a sin so to game, and they now pray to God, and therefore must not pay such sinful debts. Now the case being serious, and such as I saw a snare underneath, the first counsel they had was, who ever would challenge such a debt should come to our Governor, and he would take order to rectify the matter. But the Creditors liked not that way, and therefore soon after there came another case of the same kind, and an issue was very necessary; ⟨p. 28⟩therefore I first dealt with the creditor, and showed him the sinfulness of such games, and how angry God was at them; and therefore persuaded him to be content to take half his debt, unto which he very willingly condescended; then I dealt with the debtor, and asked him if he did not promise to pay him all that debt? and he answered yea, he did so; then I showed him that God commands us to perform our promises, and though be sinned in gaming, he must repent of that, but seeing he hath promised payment, he should sin to break his promise: at which he was utterly silenced; but then I asked him, if he would willingly pay half, if I should persuade the other to accept it; yea said he very willingly, and so the matter ended: and in this way they usually end such cases since that time. Their young men, who of all the rest, live most idly and dissolutely, now begin to go to service, some to Indians, some to Fnglish; and some of them growing weary, broke out of their services, and they had no help among them for it; so that some propounded what they should do to remedy that evil; they were answered, that the English bring such servants to the Court, and our Magistrates rectify those evils;

There do sundry times fall out differences among them, and they usually bring their cases to me, and sometime such, as it's needfull for me to decline; where I may, I advise them to some issue. One great case that hath come severall times to mee, is about such debts as they owe by gaming, for they have been great gamesters, but have moved questions about it, and are informed of the unlawfulnesse of it, and have thereupon wholly given over gaming for any wagers, and all games wherein is a lot, onely use lawfull recreations, and have a Law against unlawfull gaming; but other Indians that are of another mind, come and challenge their old debts, and now they refuse to pay, because is was a sinne so to game, and they now pray to God, and therefore must not pay such sinfull debts. Now the case being serious, and such as I saw a snare underneath, the first counsaile they had was, who ever would challenge such a debt should come to our Governor, and he would take order to rectifie the matter. But the Creditors liked not that way, and therefore soon after there came another case of the same kinde, and an issue was very necessary;