We take the earliest Opportunity, by Direction
of your
Board of correspondents in the
Colony of Connecti cut, to inform you, that, upon Receipt of your commission,
the Gentlemen named therein, met in
Lebanon
July 4th,
and formed themselves by choosing the proper Officers named,
to enable them to act in Capacity of your correspondents,
and to give you an Account of their Doings, and present
prospects. And in the first place to return you our warm
est
and
sincerest Thanks for the Honour you have done
them, in commissioning them to be correspondents of your
Honourable Society. We join our earnest Prayers
with you, and shall by God's Grace unite our fervent
Labours to promote the excellent purpose your pious
Hearts are set upon; the Advancement of the Kingdom
of our blessed Redeemer, and
spreading the Savour of
his Knowledge among them who sit in darkness, and
the Region and Shadow of Death, the most glorious
Object of your and our Attention. As the doing this
will serve
also the interest of
our King, also there is
one circumstance peculiarly obligatory on us, that the
success of it will be greatly beneficial to the Peace and
happiness of our own Country. We humbly take Leave
to inform your
Honourable Board, that the best
prospect
which at present lies in our View, is in
the School, which
has been for some Time under the Care of the Rev.
Mr. Wheelock; a Narrative of the rise
and
progress of
which to
November 1762 has been sent to the most
Honourable
Marquess of Lothian
, and other Members of
your Society; but lest they have failed to reach
you, we herewith transmit one; and expect you will
To the
Honourable Society in Scotland for propagating Christian Knowledge
july 1764
will be served with the Continuation of it to
November 1763, either
from
the press, or manuscript from
Boston, it having been some Months
ago transmitted to
Mr. John Smith, Merchant there. And our present
prospects
and
purposes you will see as follows. Though we have no assu
rance of Peace with the Indians, yet entertain strong Hopes that the
present Troubles will be brought to a speedy
issue. And are persua
ded, that when that Event happens, it concerns us, to be as speedy
as possible in exerting our utmost Endeavours to spread the gospel as far
as may be into the Bowels of the Pagan Country; if possible, before it is
thronged with unrighteous Dealers, whose unbounded Avarice threatens
the greatest
mischief to the cause. We have voted to take the Rev.
Mr. Occom into our Service, if he may be freed from a pre engagement
to the
London commissioners, which we expect may be without Difficult
[gap: worn_edge][guess: y]]
We have also referred to
our Committee, the sending of
Samuel Ashpo,
a judicious and pious Indian, when Providence shall open a Door.
We have also the pleasure to inform you, that there are eight or ten
Indian Youth in
this School, of good Moral Character, well accomplished
for school masters, except their Want of Age and Fortitude. We purpose
to send forth two or three of these, next spring, to remote Tribes, in the Capa
city of School masters, and expect by the blessing of God, that in the course of a Year,
they will be so far acquainted with the customs
and Languages of these Nations,
that it may be probably expedient to ordain and improve them as ministers among
them. We expect the Rev.
Mr.
Charles Jeffry Smith will return as soon as it will
be safe for him, on a mission to the
Six Nations. And the union of all these,
in the same Plan, we apprehend will afford a more agreeable prospect than has
ever yet appeared of this kind. But these Things we have determined upon
without a shilling in stock, relying only on him, whose the Earth is, and the fullness
thereof, to support the same; who has hitherto appeared to own the design, and
increase it from small Beginnings; nor has suffered
those, who have trusted in
him, to be ashamed of their Confidence. And considering, the great Evidence
of the Piety and
generosity of your
Honourable Society, we doubt not
that, when
the Importance of this Affair shall be maturely considered by you, you will,
agreeable to the other expressions of your pious Zeal, do all that your wisdom
and Power enables you to do, to render us capable to execute these great and good
designs And as the expected openings will probably induce missionaries and
School masters to visit remoter Tribes than any of our missionaries have hither
to reached; and these
missionaries
mostly Indians, we conceive will give them
more convincing Proofs of the Sincerity
of our Intentions; and incline
them to send their promising Youth when invited, to receive an Education
with us: so we hope the
Honourable Society will think this School, which subsists
on no other Fund but the Care and Bounty of Divine Providence, to be an Object
worthy of their kind Notice
and Encouragement