It was very affecting to see the poor Indians, who the other day were yelling in their idolatrous feasts, now crying to God with such importunity, for an interest in his dear Son!
I found two or three who I hope had taken comfort upon good grounds since the evening before; and these, with others that had obtained comfort, were together, and seemed to rejoice much that God was carrying on his work with such power upon others.
August 10. I began to discourse privately with those who had obtained comfort: endeavouring to instruct, direct, caution, and comfort them. But others being eager of hearing every word that related to spiritual concerns, soon came together one after another: and when I had discoursed to the young converts more than half an hour, they seemed much melted with divine things, and earnestly desirous to be with Christ.
When I had spent some time with these, I turned to the other Indians, and spoke to them from Luke xix. 10. I had not discoursed long before their concern rose to a great degree, and the house was filled with cries and groans. And when I insisted on the compassion and care of the Lord Jesus Christ for those that were lost, and could find no way of escape, this melted them down the more, and aggravated their distress, that they could not come to so kind a Saviour.
Sundry persons, who before had been but slightly awakened, were now deeply wounded. And one man in particular, who was never before awakened, was now made to feel, that “the word of the Lord was quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword.” He seemed to be pierced to the heart, and said, “all the wickedness of his past life was brought fresh to his remembrance, and he saw all the vile actions he had done formerly, as if done but yesterday.”
I found one that had newly received comfort, after pressing distress. I could not but admire the divine goodness. There seems to be some good done by every discourse, some newly awakened every day, and some comforted.
Lord’s-day, August 11. I discoursed upon part of St. Peter’s sermon, Acts ii. and at the close of my discourse to the Indians, made an address to the white people, and divine truths seemed to be attended with power both to the English and Indians. Several of the white Heathen were awakened, and could no longer be idle spectators, but found they had souls to save as well as the Indians, and a great concern spread through the whole assembly, so that this also appeared to be a day of God’s power.
The number of the Indians, old and young, was now upwards of seventy, and one or two were newly awakened this day, who never appeared to be moved before.
Those that had obtained comfort, and had given evidences, of a saving change, appeared humble and devout, and behaved in an agreeable and Christian manner. I was refreshed to see the tenderness of conscience manifest in some of them. *Perceiving one of them very sorrowful in the morning, I enquired into the cause of her sorrow, and found she had been angry with her child the evening before, and was in fear lest her anger had been inordinate, which so grieved her, that she waked and began to sob before daylight, and continued weeping for several hours together.
August 14. I spent the day with the Indians. There was one of them who had some time since put away his wife, (as is common among them) and taken another woman, and being now brought under some serious impressions, was earnestly desirous to know what God would have him do. When the law of God respecting marriage had been opened to them, and the cause of his leaving his wife enquired into; and when it appeared she had given him no just occasion by unchastity to desert her, and that she was willing to forgive his past misconduct, he was then told, that it was his indispensable duty to renounce the woman he had last taken, and receive the other who was his proper wife; with which he chearfully complied, and thereupon publicly renounced the woman he had last taken, and publicly promised to live with his wife during life.——And here appeared a clear demonstration of the power of God’s word upon their hearts. A few weeks before the whole world could not have persuaded him to a compliance with Christian rules in this affair.