Onoida
November. 10.th AD. 1767.
Revd and Hond Doct.r
Suffer me as an Indian and a good for nothing one, to Subscribe
myself your dutifull Pupil, or one that will Endeavour ^to be dutifull,^ for time to come;
Revd Sir, by the mere goodneſs of God we arrived Safe up here the Eleventh day from your house; & Experienced much of the good= =neſs of God, in many Inſtances; Praised be his ^Name^ that he has all things at his
Command, & distempers at his beck, they go and come at his pleasure. Blesſsed be the Lord God that has carried us ſafe when the Arrows of Death were flying thick about us, he worked a wounderfull
deliverence for our Bodies, and may it please him in Infinite Mercy and condeſention to work much more wounderfull
deliverence to my precious Soul. and may the Lord Enable me to give due thanks for his
kind preſervation, and may his goodneſs lead me to a hearty Repentance. & may he please to fill my heart brim full of Gratitude to him and my kind Benefactors, I feel a dispoſition and a heart to Spend all for God and to Enlarge the dear Redeemers
Kingdom in the world, as far as lies in my power. I think I have no
Reaſon to take it hard to Endure heardſhips. Since our Bleſsed Lord
Jeſus has been before me he has led the way; He was acquainted with all these heardſhips before me; he was no Stranger to Hunger, Thirst, cold, nor yet Temptations,
as he was man. yea may I not think it hard if he call for my Life in his cauſe, to let it go freely; for it is no more than he did, and may I go through
all theſe Trials with Eaſe for his Sake: Seeing he has led the way Set a patorn for all thoſe that will follow him, he has been pleaſed to tell us beforehand of theſe things he was reviled, here he Sought a glorious Example of humiliation
that when he was reviled he reviled not again, he was perſicuted for my Sins thereby to learn me that I must in like manner go through perſicu= =tions, and that I must not think it hard to be perſicuted called to nought for his Names Sake, for he was perſecuted for my Sins Sake. He Spilled his Seacred Blood for me he groaned out his Life for my Wickedneſs, he had no Self-Glory in his Sufferings; all he had in view was the
Salvation of Man — that Guilty man maight be Reconciled to its maker: now through his death & Sufferings the Aposſtate Man may converſe with its Creator. through a — Mediator. He has dearly purchased a
Heaven of happineſs for every one that will believe in him. only believing heaven is mine
Eternal happineſs is mine, Christ is mine, nay all the happineſs in in this Life & the Life to come is all mine only for Recieving.
Revd
Doct.r I would Enform you that that by the goodneſs of God I Enjoy my health as uſual.
as Sir, I would feign hope that by the Same goodneſs you Enjoy yours, I would Enform you likewise that I have entered the School which your Son Opened for me when he was up here. I Entered
on the Seecond
tuſeday of November. had only 5 Sc[illegible]holars
they are all abſent yet and perhaps will not return long before New Year. But they promiſe me three more this week, who are gone only to fetch Some flesh from the
Hunters. they behave very kind to me Since I came here, all that they have is free to
me as one Born and brought up in the houſe. I have plenty of Victuals Such as they can afford, & they are good Enough, better then I deſerve, Nothing wanting but a thankfull heart, they have plenty of Corn, fish, Squaſhes at preſent. I have nothing that is Strange to Enform you in this Letter, you Said Something to me about chuſing a Lad out of my School and Send him down to you, I think at preſent there is no choice I am not able to discern their Genious, here is two very likely boys look as if they would make men (in time) are
about 12 o 13 years of Age I cant tell which of them is best, (they are booth
^branches^ of the royal family In their Nation and town) perhaps in the Sprindg I Shall be more
able to distinguiſh them, when I have Seen what Proficiency they make. no more at preſent only hond Sir, I deſire Still to be under thy Direction, pleaſe Sir, to Remember me in thy prayers, Pray that God would fill my heart with
Gratitude booth to him and my Kind Bene =factors. — that he would keep me from pride & Ingratitude; which has ruined many a youth. pray that he would grant me
Prudence; and that I may put my whole Truſt in him booth Soul & body. for time & Eternity, that he may Enable me to live above the World, as, not having my treaſure on Earth, but in the heavens, where neither moth nor ruſt corrupteth; nor theives
brake
though and Steal. Pray that he would grant me wisdom from on high, Such as
none but a God can give; that he would grant me wisdom So to be have
myſelf as not to diſhonour or bring disgrace to Religion. that he would make one a bleſsing to the Children which he has commited to my charge.
This is the true and Sincere, hearty deſire, of me, thy Dutifull
tho Unworthy Pupil.
Joſeph
Johnſon.
Blank page.
From Joseph Johnson
Onoida
Nov.r
10.th 1767
To — The Rev.d
Mr
Eleazer Wheelock. Doct.r Divinity Min^i^ster of the Goſpel of Christ at Lebanon.
N. England. —
Connecticut. —
Pr favour of }
William }