Having opertunety of my good frien
dd
Aſpow, I
could not be restrain’d from troubling you with a few lines, as to our present
Circumstances in
Mohegan, Our truly good and worthy Gentl
n Guardines to
this trible is about Leaſing some of Lands, all of them is determined that none
shall be tennants here, but thoſe that are men freindly to our ministry & willing
to Support the Gospell amongst us, men that will both by example and Councill
promote religion, virtue, Sobriety, & industry amongst our natives; —
Our Sechem and 2 more of his Councill are for men that are enemies to our
worthy minister and would (in their
power) strarve all the Godly ministers in the
Land, men that Deny our Christian Sabbath; A
standing Gospell ministry
and the Christian Sabbath, seems to be the mark & Butt many of our Neighbours
shoot at, I trust the Great King of
^his^ Church, will protect & Defend and Constent
=ly provide this Land with a Learned Converted & Converting ministry
I am Sorrie to Say
our Sechem grows worſe
&
worſe,
[illegible] Drinking very
much increaſes upon him, &
therby has got himself much out of Creditt, He
is told he is a free people, & none can restrain him from Drink &c and
indeed he goes on contrary to the repeated reproofs of
Mr Jewett’ & others
and against warm & affecting Letters from 2 of his overſeers, But Despiſes
all admonition & regards neither the Laws of God or man. He is a Dead
weight against every
thing that is good amongst us
King Ben is
g about Sending over for
mr
Occum to aſsist in geting
Quakers &c on the Land, I perswade
my Self
mr
Occum is a man of better
sence
then to join in such an affair, so says
mr Jewett, so says our good
overſeers, if he interpoſes it will be very affecting to many of
mr Jewetts Godly
parishoners who has given in a Memorial against such men to our guar=
:dines,
as to further particulars, the Bearer can fully inform you —
It is the expectation of
Esqr Adam’s (and
mr Jewett who has wrote you)
and who both desired me to write alſo, and had not the Bearer been going
Directly to you should waited on you my Self, I say it is their expectation
that you should write
mr
Occum to uſe his intrest with
Ben
&c not to
contradict the overſeers, for their Heart is sett for the Good of the tribe, Theſe
men
the Sechem is for, has sett him against
mr Jewett
& I and his over‐
ſeers
alſo, I trust you will see it proper to write a Letter for
mr
Occum
& the
[illegible: [guess: >reathar]] that
mr Jewett will be at
Boston, when
mr
Occum comes to
Mohegan — as to our freind
Aſpow
tho he Differd as
^to^ church Government for=
=merly, yet
I lov’d him, as a man of solid sence, and often converſed with him
and uſed to say he had so much reason & sound Judgement, that he would see
his mistake, & I believe he no sooner seed it but he acknowledged, in opp
[gap: tear][guess:
oſi]:tion to all the clamour & reflections that has been unjuſtly cast on him, He —
with the greatest Sedateneſs Answered all the calumny & accusations, his —
people or accuſers laid against him, He with an undanted, Christian, meek,
spirit, not only bears patiently, But even liek a Hero Despiſed
&
Despiſes
their bitter and severe & unchristian reflections — turn over
Aſpow is a man the most examplary of any in the feilds
[illegible]none in it such a
head of a family for
reading Gods word before them His Knowledge in Scripture is
Conciderable and I trust he will be of great Service amongst his Brethren Acc=
=ording to
^the^ flesh, may God be pleaſed to open a Door for his uſefullneſs, He as
well as
mr Jewett
& I suffers the displeaſure of the
Sechem, But he is impoſed upon
I could be of great Service here if duely encouraged by the Children’s regular atten
dance, I am a
poor imperfected Creature, But I can truely say to the utmost of my
abilitys skill and prudence have I exerted my Self amongst them, as doth the Rev
d
mr Jewett, they are a people exalted to Heaven in point of priveledges, but most
of them tredd them under foot, They many of them Isay after the example of their
poor
Sechem think them=
^=selves^ Free to Serve their appitite
& wont be controll’d
I have only one word further to trouble you with leaving you to further
Particu
=lars to the Bearer, and that is that our Gentl
m Guardines are determined to sett
apart a Small Lott for the School:master. which
Ben
& the forementioned 2 Counſe
=lors
oppoſes, But I suppoſe they will doe it as they are all spiritted for the thing
I you think it proper to mention it to
mr
Occum (if you write) I shall be thank=
=full. It is melancholy to see the Life
King
Ben lives, God Change him
May God be pleaſed to Lengthen out your valuable & precious Life to see further of the good fruits of your indefatigable &
unweared Labours for christianizing the Saveges in the Land, I Believe you will have a high Seat in the Houſe not made with hands, a great Degree of Glory, you are now acting your part
so well that at your exit & leaving this Stage of action the Spectator’s will clap their hands,
you will have a generall, applauſe, amaſsy weight of Glory is reserved for you, I Beg an intrest in your prayers that I may be
faithfull, and my desire is to be uſefull,
PS prudence will say tho
the
Sechem
ſhould know nothing
as to this Letter
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