Monday, June 16. I preached again; and God helped me amazingly, so that this was a refreshing season to my soul and others. For ever blessed be God for help, when my body was so weak, and there was so large an assembly.
June 19. I visited my people with two of the reverend correspondents: I spent some time in conversation with them upon spiritual things; and took care of their worldly concerns.
This day makes up a complete year from the first time of my preaching to these Indians in New-Jersey.——What amazing things has God wrought in this time for these poor people! What a surprising change appears in their tempers and behaviour! How are savage Pagans transformed into affectionate, and humble Christians! And their drunken and pagan howlings, turned into fervent prayers and praises to God! They “who were sometimes darkness, are now become light in the Lord.” May they walk as children of the light, and of the day. And now to him that is of power to establish them according to the gospel.——To God only wise, be glory, through Jesus Christ, for ever and ever! Amen.
Before I conclude, I would make a few general remarks upon what to me appears worthy of notice.
And, first, I cannot but take notice that I have ever since my first coming among the Indians, been favoured with that assistance, which (to me) is uncommon, in preaching Christ crucified, and making him the center and mark to which all my discourses were directed.
*It was the principal scope of all my discourses for several months, (after having taught the people something of the being and perfections of God, his creation of man in a state of rectitude and happiness, and the obligations mankind were thence under to love and honour him,) to lead them into an acquaintance with their deplorable state by nature: their inability to deliver themselves from it: the utter insufficiency of any external reformation, or of any religious performances, to bring them into the favour of God. And thence to shew them their absolute need of Christ to save them from the misery of their fallen state.—To open his all-sufficiency and willingness to save the chief of sinners.—The freeness and riches of his grace, proposed “without money, and without price.”—And thereupon to press them without delay to betake themselves to him, under a sense of their misery and undone estate, for relief and everlasting salvation.——And to shew them the abundant encouragement the gospel proposes to, perishing, helpless sinners, so to do.
*And I have often remarked, that whatever subject I have been upon, after having explained the truths contained therein, I have been naturally and easily led to Christ as the substance of every one. If I treated on the being and glorious perfections of God, I was thence naturally led to discourse of Christ as the only “way to the Father.”—If I attempted to open the misery of our fallen state, it was natural from thence to shew the necessity of Christ to undertake for us, to atone for our sins, and to redeem us from the power of them.—If I taught the commands of God, and shewed our violation of them, this brought me in the most easy way, to speak of the Lord Jesus Christ, as one who had “magnified the law” we had broken, and who was “become the end of it for righteousness, to every one that believes.” And never did I find so much freedom and assistance in making all the various lines of my discourses meet together, and center in Christ, as I have frequently done among these Indians.
*I have frequently been enabled to represent the divine glory, the infinite preciousness and transcendent loveliness of the great Redeemer; the suitableness of his person and purchase to supply the wants, and answer the utmost desires of immortal souls.—To open the infinite riches of his grace, and the wonderful encouragement proposed in the gospel to unworthy, helpless sinners.—To call, invite, and beseech them to come and give up themselves to him, and be reconciled to God through him.—To expostulate with them respecting their neglect of one so infinitely lovely, and freely offered.—And this in such a manner, with such freedom, pertinency, pathos, and application to the conscience, as I never could have made myself master of by the most assiduous application. And I have often at such seasons been surprisingly helped in adapting my discourses to the capacities of my people, and bringing them down into such easy, vulgar, and familiar methods of expression, as has rendered them intelligible even to Pagans.
Secondly, It is worthy of remark, that numbers of these people are brought to a strict compliance with the rules of morality and sobriety, and to a conscientious performance of the external duties of Christianity; without their having them frequently inculcated upon them.
God was pleased to give the grand gospel truths such a powerful influence upon their minds, that their lives [♦]were quickly reformed, without repeated harangues upon external duties. There was indeed no room for any discourses but those that respected the essentials of religion, and the experimental knowledge of divine things, while there were so many inquiring daily, not how they should regulate their external conduct; but how they should escape from the wrath to come—obtain an effectual change of heart, and get an interest in Christ.—So that my great work still was to lead them into a further view of their total depravity: to shew that there was no goodness in them: no good dispositions or desires; no love to God, or delight in his commands; but, on the contrary, hatred, enmity, and all manner of wickedness.—And at the same time to open to them the glorious remedy provided in Christ for helpless perishing sinners, and offered freely to those who have no goodness of their own, no “works of righteousness,” to recommend them to God.