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NOTWITHSTANDING the warn ings of philosophers, and the daily examples of losses and misfortunes, which life forces › upon us, such is the absorption of our thoughts in the business of the present day, such the resignation of our reason to empty hopes of future felicity, or such our unwillingness to foresee what we dread, that every calamity comes suddenly upon us, and not only presses as a burden, but crushes as a blow.

There are evils, which happen out of the common course of nature, against, which it is no reproach not to be provided. A flash of lightning intercepts the traveller in his way; the concussion of an earthquake heaps the ruins of cities upon their inhabitants; but other miseries time brings, though silently, yet visibly, forward, by its own, lapse, which yet approaches unseen, because we turn our eyes away; and they seize us unresisted, because we would not arm ourselves against them, by setting them before us.

That it is vain to shrink from what cannot be avoided, and to hide that from ourselves, which

must some time be found, is a truth, which we all know, but which all neglect, and perhaps none more than the speculative reasoner, whose thoughts are always from home, whose eye wanders over life, whose fancy dances after motions of happiness kindled by itself, and who examines every thing rather than his own state.

Nothing is more evident than that the decays of age must terminate in death. Yet there is пo man (says Tully) who does not believe that he may yet live another year; and there is none who does not, upon the same principle, hope another year for his parent, or his friend; but the fallacy will be in time detected; the last year, the last day, will come; it has come, and is past— The life, which made my own life pleasant, is at an end, and the gates of death are shut upon my prospects!

The loss of a friend on whom the heart was fixed, to whom every wish and endeavour tended, is a state of desolation in which the mind looks abroad, impatient of itself, and finds nothing but emptiness and hor

ror.

The blameless life, the artless tenderness, the native simplicity, the modest resignation, the patient sickness, and the quiet death, are remembered only to add value to the loss; to aggravate regret for what cannot be amended; to deepen sorrow for what cannot be recalled.

These are the calamities by which Providence gradually disengages us from the love of life. Other evils fortitude may repel, or hope mitigate; but irreparable privation leaves nothing to

a good man, he will feel indignant when he reads, that certain Dutch traders from Hudson's river, who had supplied the Indians with rum at a very advanced price, and who took advantage of their folly, when in a state of intoxication, to make a good bargain with them, fearing that their profit would be diminished and their "craft be in danger," made every attempt to produce in their minds an aversion to the Christian religion and a suspicion of the design, for which a missionary was sent amongst them. But such conduct, how much soever it may excite abhorrence, is neither surprising nor uncommon. When men prefer the acquisition of wealth to a good conscience, we must suppose that they will overlook every consideration of humanity and benevolence; and how many do we now observe, who oppose the progress of the gospel, if not exactly in the manner adopted by the Dutch traders, yet by refusing to obey it, by their pernicious examples, and by casting contempt upon the righteous? Mr. Sergeant, however, was so happy as to convince the Indians of the design of the traders, and thus counteracted the insinua tions of those, whose gain was their godliness.

In December, agreeably to his promise when he left New Haven, he returned to the college to remain until commencement with the class, which had been committed to his care. He took with him two Indian boys, the sons of the Captain and Lieutenant, and left in his school at Housatonic Mr. Timothy Woodbridge of Springfield, who was very serviceable in promoting

the objects of the mission. The number of scholars had now increased to twenty-five, and the opinion which Mr. Sergeant had formed of the capacity of his tawney pupils, will be seen in the following extract from a letter addressed to Adam Winthrop, Esq. Secretary of the board of Commissioners. "If I do not judge amiss, the Indian children excel the generality of ours in pregnancy of parts and good humour. I am sure that I could not have found an English school any where, that would have pleased me so much." He proceeds to say, 66 Capt. Kunkapot is an excellent man, and I do believe has the true spirit of Christianity in him. He knows, a great deal, and by the character all his acquaintance give of him, his conduct is unexceptionable."

While at New Haven, he was not unmindful of his Housatonic friends, but sent them several letters; in one of which he tells them, "you are always in my heart, and I cease not every day to pray to God for you. We are all sinners, and deserve to be punished; but Christ took upon himself the punishment due to us. They cannot be your friends, that try to discourage you. They only endeavour to keep you in ignorance, that they may be under better advantage to cheat you, Knowledge is certainly good. It is to the mind what light is to the eye. You would think them your greatest enemies, that should endeavour to put out your eyes; especially if you were travelling a difficult road. This world is like a thick, and entangled wilderness; and why should not you, as well as other people, enjoy the benefit of

the light? Truth is more precious, than the light of the sun. Don't suffer your enemies to impose upon you."

In January, 1735, deputies from the several clans, which constituted the tribe of River Indians, met in council at Housatonic, to see whether they would approve the conduct of their Housatonic brethren in consent ing to be taught the Christian religion. On the result of their deliberation every thing relative to the mission depended. The Rev. Mr. Williams and Mr. Hopkins of Springfield were therefore present. They found nearly two hundred Indians assem bled, and among them Corlair, the chief sachem of the whole nation. Mr. Williams preached to "one of the gravest and most attentive auditories," that he ever addressed; and after repeated conferences the proceedings at Housatonic received the approbation of the council. They desired Mr. Woodbridge to continue in the school, and expressed a wish that Mr. Sergeant would return.

After business was finished, a "frolic" followed of course. "Their dancing, (says Mr. S.) is a most laborious exercise. They dance round a hot fire, till they are almost ready to faint, and are wet with sweat; and then run out, and stripping themselves naked, expose their bodies to the cold air, and roll in the snow till they are cold, and then return to their dancing again. They repeat this four or five times in a night, concluding with excessive drinking. When they are drunk, they often fall asleep in the open air, perhaps buried in snow."

In May, Mr. S. made a short

visit to the Indians, and in July left New Haven intending to pass the remainder of his life at Hou, satonic. As he found some of the Indians desirous of baptism, it was necessary that he should be ordained in order to administer that rite. Accordingly he was in August solemnly set apart to the service of the gos pel. The ordination was performed at Deerfield, under circumstances calculated to add respectability to the mission. It took place by the direction of Gov. Belcher, at a time when he was in that town, with a large committee of the Council and House of Representatives, holding a treaty with several of the Indian tribes. The Rev. Mr. Appleton of Cambridge preached the sermon, in the preface to which he observes that " many of the Indians were grave spectators of the solemnity, and the Housatonic Indians sat by themselves and attended throughout the whole service with great seriousness; and were much pleased to see one, whom they had such a love for, so solemnly separated to the service of their souls."

Very soon after Mr. S. had returned to the scene of his la bours, he baptized the captain and lieutenant with their families, first unfolding to them the nature of the rite and "discoursing upon all the more important points of belief and practice in the Christian religion." "The lieu tenant," he says in his journal, "is a clear-headed, smart man, of a deep reach and pleasant humour, and is one of the best speakers we hear; is free in conversation, and talks excellently well. He has entirely left off drinking te excess, and declaims against it ;

shews great compassion towards the rest of the Indians, and seems heartily to lament their miserable condition; wishes they were come to the knowledge of the gospel; is himself thoroughly convinced of the truth; and his knowledge does not puff him up."

Mr. Sergeant's auditory on the Sabbath gradually increased; he was heard very attentively by strangers, who happened to be present, and such favourable impression was made upon their minds, that some of them sent their children to the school, and a few families were induced to reside permanently with their brethren at Housatonic.

In a

few months after his ordination, he had baptized about forty persons, adults and children, and there was the same number of scholars in the school. He was cheered with much greater success, than he could anticipate in so short a time. He beheld the wolf dwelling peaceably with the lamb, and the lion eating straw Eike the ox. The interest, which good men. at a distance took in his labours, will be seen in the following extracts from letters addressed to him.

Dr. Colman of Boston says, in a letter dated Nov. 18, 1735, "It is not easy to tell you, how much we have rejoiced here in your ordination to the good and great work, into which you have entered. May the consolations of God refresh and enlarge your soul from time to time, in all your self-denials for the sake of his name, and of the dear souls, for whom you are labouring. I gave some account to the excellent Dr. Watts, of London, of the strange disposition of the Housa

tonic tribe to receive the gospel, and of the good Spirit on you to leave the college and go among them. He answers me, that he is always looking out to this quarter of the world for such appearances. May Jesus, says he, the head of the church and of nations, attend your young missionary with extraordinary assistance, and success. Methinks I love him, upon your report, for his courage and zeal. Let your heart, dear Sir, be encouraged, and your hands strengthened by the love and prayers of men of God at such a distance from you. They hear of you, and rejoice and bless, of whom you neither hear nor think."

Governor Belcher writes in a manner, which impresses one with the belief of his own undissembled piety and regard to the truth; "Set before you the example of the great apostle of the Gentiles for your imitation, that you may approve yourself achosen vessel unto Christ, to bear his name to those, that are perishing for lack of vision. And may you, Sir, be honoured of God by being made an instrument of taking the scales from their eyes. May you be wise to win their souls, and be able to say to them, In Christ Jesus have I begotten you through the gospel. For these things will I bow my knees, and lift up my heart to Him, with whom is the residue of the Spirit."

Rev. Mr. Appleton, of Cambridge, expresses himself thus ; "Give my hearty respects to Mr. Woodbridge. I heartily commend you both to the grace of God, earnestly praying, that the great Lord of the harvest, who has sent you forth, would

continue to strengthen your hands and encourage your heart by in. creasing the fruit of your labours; and that these poor, neglected, perishing people may be your joy for the present, and your crown in the day of Christ's ap. pearing."

Some parts of Mr. Sergeant's answer to the Rev. Dr. Colman may not be unacceptable to the reader. "Next to the blessing of God on my endeavours, the prayers and good wishes of men of God yield me the greatest sat isfaction. In their favour I seem to enjoy the pleasure of society in the deepest solitude. I wish I were worthy of the love of so excellent a man as Dr. Watts, whom all love and admire. And if I may be thought in any measure to deserve the good opinion of my fellow men, it is not a little owing to the Doctor's ingenious writings, which have the force to charm the mind to the love of virtue and piety, and to infuse his own spirit into his readers.

"Those who have been baptized, have behaved very well, though they have several times been tempted to exceed the rules of temperance by the offers of strong drink, which used to be their beloved destruction. They seemed to be surprised with the change they find in themselves, expressing the difference between their former state and the present, by infancy and manhood, dreaming and being awake, darkness and light, and the like metaphors. I pray God, the day star that seems to be arisen in their hearts, may shine more and more to the perfect day."

(To be continued.)

For the Panoplist.

SKETCH OF REV. WILLIAM BATES, D. D.

Introductory Remarks.

Messrs. Editors,

If the character of that body of men, of which the first settlers of New England were a part, were more generally known at the present day, the cause of truth might be better secured against the injurious impression of epithets, which had their origin in prejudice and party spirit. During the reign of the Stewarts, the high church party, headed by archbishop Laud, Sheldon, and other tyrannical prelates, branded all Protestants, whose consciences resisted their unscriptural impositions, with the ironical epithet of Puritans, and Precisians. Sometimes indeed, from their attachment to civil liberty, they were charged with sedition and rebellion. But their common appellation was Puritans; an epithet, intended to denote no difference in the doctrinal articles of their faith (for in these both parties agreed) but that the Nonconformists or Dissenters were a set of weak, narrow, ignorant and superstitious fanatics, who through pride and obstinacy opposed the government and ceremonies of the establishment, and the ubscriptions required by law. The same epithet is still retained and applied by some, as á term of opprobrious distinction; but not so much to designate Dissenters from

the ceremonies of the church, as adherents to its doctrines. This application of the term may be well calculated to stigmatize the commonly receiv

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