For the CONNECTICUT EVAN- cial and private duties of the GELICAL MAGAZINE. Christian life: His religion sat easy upon him—he was, in ge Attempts to Christianize the In-neral, far from an affected austedians in New-England, &c. (Continued fron p. 210.) CHAPTER II. NUMBER Xiii. rity. As a Minister, he was faithful, diligent, prudent, rationally zealous, bold, and intrepid in the cause of the Redeemer; he gave himself to his work, and finished the services assigned him with uncommon vigor and fide As a Christian, he was emi Rev. John Eliot's Life and Cha-lity. .and from Dr. Cotton Mather-His Death, and some circumstances preceding and attending it.. of religion of great importance to promote vital piety. He not only made it his daily practice to perform secret prayer; but MR. Eliot's character in ear- he would, not uncommonly, set ly life was briefly drawn apart whole days for prayer, in a former number. He sup- with fasting in secret places beported, to the last, the reputation fore the God of heaven; espehe then gained-lived and died cially, when there was any rein the high esteem of good markable difficulty before him, men, as a Christian, a minister, he took this way to encounter and an evangelist to the Indians. and overcome it; being of Dr. His character as a Missionary Preston's mind, "That when to the natives has been placed we would have any great things before the eye of the reader in to be accomplished, the best po some preceding numbers: whatlicy is to work by an engine, remains is to delineate his cha- which the world sees nothing racter as a Christian and as a Mi-of." He could say, as a pious mister connected with a particu-man did upon his death-bed: lar church and society. This" I thank God, I have loved fas will be abridged from Dr. Cotton ting and prayer with all my Mather, who resided near him, heart." He kept his heart in a and had a particular acquaint- frame for prayer with a wonder ance with him, and viewed him, ful constancy; and was contias we shall see, as an eminent nually, as opportunities presentChristian; and as a pious, zeal-ed, exciting all about him to this ous, indefatigable, and very use- When he heard any considerable news, his usual and speedy Mr. Eliot, as a Christian, ap-reflection upon it would be peared devout, heavenly-minded," Brethren, let us turn all this submissive to the will of God into prayer." When he came under trying dispensations of to an house, that he was inti his Providence; was modest and mately acquainted with, he humble; and was distinguished would often say, "Come, let us by a careful attention to the so- not have a visit without a prayer: ful minister. ? A Is dougie dat je vas very frequent in the perirmance a the aury of quEMENI THE 2 practice which devout persans fnd specially used as a power-) ful actose against the necta of tangtamirans ;* and a happy Then we serve in ourselves the least appraches towards anger. fur. envy, and discoment, we are not tour of our application God for his grace is sorte treized time of time: No, we should forthwith des sue in zamierzace, and pray for the summers of das Hay Spirit For by mimed azly recollecting ourselves and dearing his assiance upon the first sccination of any rice, which we may do siendly in public, as wen as in private, in a crowd, as well as in our closet, we stop the progress of evil by introducing another train of thinking - Warreas by delaying our addresses till the stated periods of prayer return, we let the poison work in is without applying the proper antidote in time. No doubt morning and evening prayers are indispensible du ties; and some part of our time ought every day to be dedicated to God, as an acknowledgment, that the whole of our time is his gift. But we ought to take care, that our formal petitions do not supersede our babitual, and constant endeavors. If upon the first motions towards anger, impatience, uncharitableness, &c. we, without de. lar, upon the spot, prayed to God, and invoked his aid, this would be upon every incident, an expedient to expel bad thoughts before they had gotten full possession of the heart, by bringing others more worthy into their room. We must feel, if we are lie Mr. Elct was a very dign student y de hy s from his reach; and they were to him as his necessary food. He made the bible bis compan jec. and his counselor. would not, upon any terms, have passed one day, without using a portion of the sacred writings as an antidote against the infection of temptations : And in dis new, he would prescribe it to others from his own happy experience. By a frequent perusal of the sacred volume, he be came an eminent textuary, which was of singular benefit to him, not only in his Christian course, but in his pastoral labors.f attentive, the disorders of the mind, as well as the distempers of the body. We must know, when any glance of ill nature, lust, or disconten: comes across our minds: And to turn our thoughts to God upon that emergent occasion, by a mental prayer, is instantly to withdraw the mind from evil, to retract the bad design, before it has made any advance in our hearts, and to endeavor after the opposite virtue." Seed's Sermons, vol. i. p. 250, &c. "Dr. Samuel Annesley, a dissenting minister in London, in the 1′′ century, took up a custom, is e 1 studies and labors, as he was, at home, engaged in, he could possibly repair to so many lectures abroad: and herein he aimed, not only to promote his own edification, but to countenance and encourage the lectures to which he resorted. Moreover, he, as much as almost any man, exhibited that evidence of uprightness, which the psalmist lays down, "Lord, I have loved the habitation of thine house." For besides his weekly attendance there, to which he was obliged by his office; he had a lecture once a fortnight in his own congregation; and he made his weekly visits to the lectures in the neighboring towns; how often was he seen at Boston, Charlestown, Cambridge, and Dorchester, paying attention to the word of God, and counting a day in the courts of the Lord better than a thou-py as to go home with him, were sand? It is hardly conceivable, how, in the midst of so many childhood, which he always observed, viz. reading twenty chapters in the bible every day.-By his very frequently reading the scriptures from his childhood, he became a great textuary; and by texts readily, and pertinently produced, he often surprised eminent ministers, as his solution of cases of conscience (which his sermons much consisted of) did instruct and edify them." Dr. Daniel Williams' works, vol. i. p. 368, 373. "The famous Beza, at eighty years of age, when his memory was so impaired, that he could not retain what he read an hour before, or even the names of those about him, was yet able to repeat St. Paul's epistles in Greek, which he learned in his youth." Such examples as far as other necessary studies and pursuits will permit, are worthy of the imitation of all young persons; especially of young ministers, that, like Apollos, they may become mighty in the scriptures." Thus he took heed that he might hear; and he took as much care how he heard. He sat himself as in the presence of the eternal God; he expressed a diligent attention by a watchful and wakeful posture, and by turning to the texts quoted by the preacher. And they who were so hap sure of having another sermon by the way, till their very hearts burned within them. He indeed always carried much of religion with him from the house of God. Among the many instances, in which the piety of Mr. Eliot was remarkable, his exact remembrance of the Christian Sab bath to keep it holy must not be omitted. It has been truly and justly observed, that our whole reli, gion fares according to our Sab baths that when Christians do not devoutly regard and keep the Lord's day, their graces visibly decline, and that often times by swift degrees; and that a strictness in our Sabbaths inspires a vigor into all our other duties. Mr. Eliot knew this, and discov ered a fervent zeal in support of this sacred institution. The sun did not set at the evening before the Sabbath, till he began his preparation for it; and when the Lord's day came, he appeared, in a pecular manner, to be in the spirit. Every day was a sort of Sabbath to him; but the SabLondon ministers sermons on read- bath day was a type, a taste of ing the scriptures, p. 181.heaven with him. He labored "The best help to memory, when we grow old, is to read the scriptures much when we are young; and to get them well fixed in our mind; the traces are made deeper in the vigor of our nature, and the images of things most likely to remain with us.” that he might, on this high day, have no words or thoughts but such as were correspondent to it. He then allowed in himself no actions but those of an elevated, and refined soul. And if he beheld in any person whatsoever any profanation of this day, he would not fail to give faithful reproofs.* And hence also, to the general engagements of a covenant with God, which it was his desire to bring the Indians into, he added a particular article, in which they bind themselves, "To remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy, as long as we live." ble gravity mixed with it, and a singular skill in raising some pious observation out of whatever matter of discourse lay before him: Nor would ordinarily dismiss any theme without some weighty and divine sentence, which might be naturally, and pertinently introduced. Doubtless he imposed it as a law upon himself, that he would leave something of God, of heaven, and of religion with all who should come near him. In all places he appeared with that dignity, which induced the company to revere him, and to pay particular attention to his con versation. His conversation was such as He had a particular turn for became the gospel of Christ- making religious reflections upas became a Christian minister: on various occurrences in comIt was good to the use of edify-mon life, as well as upon special ing, and well calculated, at Providences. that day particularly, to minister grace to the hearers. He took delight in speaking of God in serious and pleasing discourses. He had a special art of spiritualizing earthly objects, and of raising high thoughts from mean things. Once going with some weariness, and feebleness up the hill on which his meeting was affable and innocently house now stands, he said to the facetious at times, rather than person that led him, This is very rigid, and morose in conversa-like the way to heaven; it is up tion † But he had a remarka-hill: The Lord, by his grace fetch He was indeed sufficiently pleasant and witty in company † Rev. Mr. Prince of Boston, in his Memoirs of Mr. Walter, ordained colleague with Mr. Eliot, gives a specimen of his pleasant, facetious turn, which was so natural to him, that it was difficult to suppress it, even at a very advanced age. "Mr. Elliot, then in his 84th year, presided at Mr. Walter's Qrdination, and gave the charge: And though a distinction was wont to be made between the characters of Pastor and Teacher, when two Ministers were together in the same Church, one of them being ordained under the for cerning him, that they were never with him, but they got, or might have got some good by him. From such a frame of spirit it was, that once on a visit, finding a merchant in his counting room, where he saw books of business only on his table, but all his books of devotion on his shelf, he gave this advice to him, Sir, here's earth on the table, and heaven on the shelf; pray don't sit so mnch at the table as altogether to forget the shelf; let not earth, by any means, thrust heaven out your mind. Many thousands "were his occasional reflections in the course of his life.* Mr. Eliot, on various occasions, exhibited agreeable evi dence that he had made good proficience in the grace of humility. He sought not the praise of men, but that which cometh from God. When most diligent and most successful, and much applauded by good men, and the public in general, for his faithful and incessant labors as a minister, and particularly as a missionary, he desired not to be thought of more highly than was fit-had a deep sense of his natural and moral imperfections ; and entertained a pious fear, lest he himself, or his friends should dorogate from the grace of God. An honorable person did, once in print, put the name of an Evangelist upon him: Upon which, in a letter of his to that person, afterwards printed, his expressions were, "There is a redundancy, while you put the title of an Evangelist upon me: I beseech you suppress all such things: Let us do, and speak, and carry all things with hu mility: It is the Lord who has done, what is done; and it is most becoming the Spirit of Jesus Christ, to lift him up and lay ourselves low. I wish that word could be obliterated." Such things as have been just mentioned, may be treated by some with contempt, as puritanical. But the age in which Mr. Eliot lived is to be considered, and the approved usages of many of the religious at that day. Making reflections of this kind, has not been infrequent with serious and pious persons in various ages. The learned and devout Robert Boyle wrote a book of this kind, with the title of "Occasional Reflections," which was very entertaining and instructive, and discovered the religious turn of this great and excellent man. It would be happy if such a devout spirit were more generally prevalent in the present age. At the same time, it must be granted, that great regard is to be had to the different ways of pursuing the same general end, which are customary among serious people in different ages. The end is to be kept in view; and such measures to be pursued as are adapted to promote the end The inno-pressed in a manner, which you cent taste of those we converse with is to be consulted. However, even at this day, they who have a natural rurn for such occasional reflections, may, with some persons, do more good, than by long, labored discour was in another form. *When I read this, it reminded me of a gentle reproof, given by Dr. Secker, then (if I mistake not) Bish op of London, to a gentleman of eminence, who had praised him and his writings, as he judged, in too complimental a strain: "I return you many thanks, says the Bishop, for your favorable opinion both of my sermon, and its author, though ex would have forborne, if you had known me better. Plain men should be treated in a plain way; and no body should have things said to him," which he does not deserve, and ought not to hear, if he did. Let us all endeavor to do what good we can |