late their civil affairs, and punish criminals and transgressors of the civil law; they have their stated courts and other inferior officers in a subserviency to their civil good order.

"There are among them many of a serious, sober, civilized conversation and deportment, who are making essays towards a further progressive step of obedience and conformity to the rules of the gospel, viz. an ecclesiastical combination, having a great desire to be baptized.

"They are very serviceable by their labour to the English vicinity, and have all along, since our wars with their nation, been very friendly to the English, and forward to serve them in that quarrel. Their deportment, and converse, and garb, being, more manly and laudable than any other Indians. that I have observed in the province.

"But, Sir, I would not be tedious, only craving your interest at the throne of grace for us, that we may be serviceable to the name and kingdom of our Lord Jesus. So I subscribe, Sir, yours willingly,

SAMUEL TREAT.

Mather b. ii. p. 200; b. iv. p. 137; b. vi.

p. 60.

(N) p. 219. Paraphrase on " Our Conversation is in heaven," by Mr Eliot.

"Indeed I cannot give a fuller description of him," says Dr C. Mather," than what was in a paraphrase that I have heard himself to make on that Scripture, Our conversation is in heaven :' I wrote from him as he uttered it.

"Behold,' said he,' the ancient and excellent character of a true Christian; 'tis that which Peter calls holiness in all manner of conversation. You shall not find a Christian out of the way of godly conversation. For, first, a seventh part of our time is all spent in heaven, when we are duly zealous for, and zealous on the Sabbath of God. Besides, God has written on the head of the Sabbath, Remember; which looks both forwards and backwards; and thus a good part of the week will be spent in sabbatizing. Well, but for the rest of our time? Why, we shall have that spent in heaven ere we have done. For, secondly, we have many days for both fasting and thanksgiving in our pilgrimage, and here are so many Sabbaths more. Moreover, thirdly, we have our lectures every week, and pious people will not miss them if they can help it. Furthermore, fourthly, we

have our private meetings, wherein we pray, and sing, and repeat sermons, and confer together about the things of God; and being now come thus far, we are in heaven almost every day. But a little further, fifthly, we perform family duties every day; we have our morning and evening sacrifices, wherein, having read the Scriptures to our families, we call upon the name of God, and every now and then carefully catechize those that are under our charge. Sixthly, we shall also have our daily devotions in our closets; wherein, unto supplication before the Lord, we shall add some serious meditation upon his word; a David will be at this work no less than thrice a day. Seventhly, we have likewise many scores of ejaculations in a day; and these we have, like Nehemiah, in whatever place we come into. Eighthly, we have our occasional thoughts, and our occasional talks, upon spiritual matters; and we have our occasional acts of charity, wherein we do like the inhabitants of heaven every day. Ninthly, in our callings, in our civil callings, we keep up heavenly frames, we buy and sell, and toil; yea, we eat and drink, with some eye both to the honour and command of God in all. Behold, I have not now left an inch of time to be worldly; it is all engrossed for heaven. And yet, lest here should

not be enough, Lastly, we have our spiritual warfare. We are always encountering the enemies of our souls, which continually raises our hearts unto our helper and leader in the heavens. Let no man say, It is impossible to live at this rate; for we have known some live thus; and others that have written of such a life, have but spun a web out of their own blessed experiences. NewEngland has example of this life; though, alas! 'tis to be lamented, that the distractions of the world, in too many professors, becloud the beauty of a heavenly conversation. In fine, our employment lies in heaven. In the morning, if we ask where am I to be to-day? Our souls must answer, In heaven. In the evening, if we ask, where have I been to-day? our souls may answer, In heaven. If thou art a believer, thou art no stranger to heaven while thou livest; and when thou diest, heaven will be no strange place to thee: no, thou hast been there a thousand times before.'

"In this language I have heard him express himself; and he did what he said: he was a Boniface as well as a Benedict, and he was one of those,

Qui faciendo docent, quæ facienda docent." Mather, b. iii. p. 177.

(O) p. 233. Notices of several Ministers who laboured among the Indians, and extracts from some of their Letters written in 1693.

66

The Rev. Daniel Gookin was a son of Major Gookin, the ruler of the praying Indians in Massachusetts. He seems to have been engaged, in early life, in advancing the religious interests of the converts. Mr Eliot, in one of his letters addressed to the Hon. R. Boyle, and dated 22d April, 1684, gives the following account of him: Major Gookin hath dedicated his eldest son unto this service of Christ. He is a pious and learned young man, about thirty-three years old, and hath been eight years a fellow of the College. He hath taught and trained up two classes of our scholars unto their commencement. He is a man whose abilities are above exception, though not above envy. His father, with his inclination, advised him to Sherborn, a small village near Natick, whose meeting-house is about three miles, more or less, from Natick meeting-house. Mr Gookin holdeth a lecture in Natick meeting-house, once a month; which lecture many English, especially of Sherborn, do frequent. He first preacheth in English to the English audience, and then the