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The Occom Circle Project is a digital edition of letters from and to Samson Occom (1727-1792), with other of his works. The documents in question are all housed in Dartmouth College's Rauner Special Collections Library. Occom was a Mohegan Indian, intertribal leader, public intellectual, and the most important Indian writer in North America in the 18th century.
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My kind, and Honored Benefactor, with love and gratitude in my heart,
and much
humility would I once more attempt to write to your worthy
Person. O! the Wounds that
I have given to that pious Soul of thine,
oft of late have I shed tears, when I
and misconduct. Oft have I thought of your
to unworthy me. — And O' that thy love, this very
time might truly
cause me to praise God, who not only ruleth in the Armies of
heaven,
but also doeth his will, and pleasure among the Inhabitants of this
lower world. Ah' what sorrow ought to flow from this once Savage
Heart of mine that I
have not only grieved you, but that I have in
times past crucified as it were, the
Lord of Glory, even the Son of God,
afresh and put him to an open shame, Great
Wonder! even marve‐
‐lous in my Eyes, or rather the admiration
of my soul that I, a hell
deserving cursed Creature has been suff
Sinning, offending, and provoking the God
of
of justice, and the God of
God of love, and the God of mercy,
through his dearly beloved and only
begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is
admired by all them that
believe, and in whom I humbly hope, I have been enabled by
the
Spirit of the living God, to put my whole trust
and for Eternity. O! that I might see more and more of
my own
‐chedne&slong;s
chedness
precious to my Soul, oh' I am nothing, should I have the
to tell you, that I am hopefully converted, I should tell a news
not certain of. For since I first thought so myself,
I have often doub
‐ted. I
I am altogether in my Sins, even under the power and Dominion of
of Sin, if
so I am wretched wretched poor miserable creature
‐withstanding the world calls me
for a true Christian among all
I have but very poor Opinion of
myself, and I walk in fear always
having these words, ever dwelling upon my mind.
Strive to enter in
at the
shall not be able. But amidst all my doubts
my consolation. All that the Fa
me, and him that cometh to
me. I will in no wise cast out. Then
are the words of Jesus, whom I love, and whom I
adore, and whom
I hope purpose to serve as I shall be enabled, by that
holy spirit
by which I humbly hope I have been
through the Sufferings and Death of this Jesus Christ,
who
was once Crucified, and slain, and buried, also, who arose from the
Grave
and scended up into Glory, and who is now intercedi
all his chosen in that upper world of Glory, I say through Jesus
Christ alone, I humbly hope for pardon, for all my Great, many,
and exceedingly
already committed, And for the sake of
this Jesus Christ alone,
who
for Grace sufficient for me. that I may hence forward
Temptations that I have to encounter throughout my whole Life,
which
may arise either from the world, flesh or from the Die
and worthy Benefactor, I
it were, Enemies Malicious and
‐tan be
shall sin be subdued, and shall vile affections and cursed Lusts be
mor‐
‐tified, ah my Soul wait patiently, and you shall see
the great salvation
of God. I
I must not be idle, but go out and fight as it were the Battles of
the
Lord, and O! that I could
I ma
Captain of our Salvation that I might wisely undermine
the Kingdom
of Satan. This is my
And
it is the full purpose of my heart, O! my Benevolent Benefactor, to
devote all the
faculties of my Soul
I have served Satan long enough, I have
been striving to build his cursed
Kingdom, devoted to ruin long enough I have done
good service to that
Prince of
‐signs I must leave him. I flee away from him and he is welcome to
all my
Wages, let him recieve the wrath of God, since no Saviour was
ever found for him. But
as for me I'll
once bleeding,
Him I will
serve if he gives me grace while I live, faithfully. here on
Earth I hope to glorify
God Honor Jesus Christ by the
the holy Ghost and hearafter enjoy Father, Son
will
‐dren — But my kind
benefactor, having already wrote more than
I expected when I
a little Longer, while I write, or make known
I speak of other things
— d
kind letter, dated y
fully disappointed, and may the Lord's will be done concerning me.
If
God sees fit to make me a
If only a
that the Lord has
that part of the World, And d
the want of Gratitude, or love, that I
have not visited you, my kind
Benefactor. but to speak the truth it is Poverty. I
alway; have been
poor, as all my Brethren are likewise, yet I have lived somehow
hitherto. And d
I would tell you in the
first place that I have kept School, here, at
r
th
this ten weeks I was
being well recommended by the dr
and
thought it too little wages. but I concluded,
saying, I would go
to
and if they give me proper Encouragement, I would
continue
keeping the School. the Indians after I saw them offered four
pounds
more which made 24 £
so keep still, well I believe I could Live very
comfortably with
£24
going to the you the Reason of my Poverty. I have been
seeking
the good of my poor Indian Brethren, for this some time, for
the good of
the Indians in particular that Live in these seven
Towns —
ck
am Master of a School yet I have traveled much in the run of
one year I have ever
hired another Master in my room whilst
I was absent I have been the foremost all
along even to this
Day. I have been to the e
m
r
1773y
dr
the pleasure to tell you that his
Honor m
with the grand design which I have in my view, and his Ho‐
‐nor m
‐ly and he has done us much good, we have as much Land
as we
shall want, given to us
and we have had invitations from Nations 600 Miles back of
r
m
it is strange to me that we meet with such
hope there is Providence in this, and O! what a pleasing
prospect, sometimes opens to my View, who knows what is
in the Womb of Providence.
but what I am after to tell you,
that in all my travels up and down the Country, I
have
be
‐verty of the Indians, I have d
have been
in this service. But I blame them not, for Indians
are truly poor, I have been at
great
‐cially last winter I was gone six
Weeks hired a Master
all the Time, and when I came down from
tarried there Eight days there was several of
the great men,
Lords,
to confirm their words at r
ms
place to have all things done
well, strong
twelve that came
down with me, and I bore all their
even to
is about 100 Miles. So have I spent my Money and this is it what
makes me now
so poor, that I have not one penny Clear. no, I am
now in debt, for provision and
little
to you very soon, or at least
and bear my
much
the first part I dont know how I shall go through all what
is
before me,
expectedly, I know not where to go for help if you my
kind Benefator was
nigh I
but I end leaning upon the Lord
P.S. I began this Letter I believe it was about ten o'Clock this
evening,
and I am in such a great hurry that I can't write over again I am
pre‐
‐paring a little
for me
I try to
turn every way to get a living, and when I have done my utter‐
‐most I hardly live. d
will of God, I purpose to
try to come and see you by the latter end of
for I never had any other
and a
let me know whether it will be proper for me to come in
or before or after I am
I have not seen d