2.
THOMAS MAYHEW,
Esq., the father of the former. This gentleman was both
patentee and governor of Martha's Vineyard and the neighbouring islands. After
his son's death, seeing no probability of a regular minister to labour among
the Indians, his zeal for the glory of God, and charity for the souls of this
perishing people, raised him above all those forms and distinctions that lay
in the way, which he accounted nothing in competition with their eternal
salvation. He therefore resolves to do his utmost, both to preserve and carry
on this public work. He goes once every week to some of their plantations. At
so advanced an age he sets himself with unwearied diligence to perfect himself
in their language; and though a governor, yet he is not ashamed to become a
preacher among them. He sometimes travelled on foot in this work near twenty
miles through the woods. In a few years, with the assistance of those
religious Indians who taught on the Lord's-day, he persuaded the natives on
the west end of the island to receive the gospel. About the year 1664 he was
greatly relieved and assisted by the Rev. Mr John Cotton. The Indians were so
edified and pleased with Mr Mayhew's labours, that they desired him, though
now about fourscore years of age, to accept the pastoral charge over them; but
he thought this would not so well consist with the prime place he held in the
civil government, wherein they also very greatly wanted him; and therefore
advised them to chuse such Indian pastors as he thought would do good service
among them; which they accordingly did, making choice of Hiacoomes and
Tackanash for their pastors. The day appointed being come, which was August
22, 1670, an Indian church was completely formed to the satisfaction of the
English church, and other religious people on the island, who by advantage of
many years' acquaintance, had sufficient experience of their qualifications.
Nor did this abate his ministerial care or pains. He still proceeds in the
laborious work, even to the ninety-third year of his age, and the twenty-third
of his ministry, which was in 1680, when he died, to the great lamentation of
both the English and Indians. A little before his death he told a grandson of
his, yet living, "That the time of his departure was near at hand; but he
earnestly desired that God would give him one opportunity more in public to
exhort the English of the town where he lived; whom he had for some time been
also obliged to teach, through the want of a regular minister." God
granting his desire, he taught them the following Sabbath, and then took his
affectionate farewell of them; and falling ill that evening, he assured his
friends, "that his sickness would now be unto death, and he was well
contented therewith, being full of days, and satisfied with life,"
&c. He gave many counsels and exhortations to all about him; his reason
and memory not being at all impaired, as could be perceived. And he continued
full of faith, and comfort, and holy joy to the last. Though the loss of his
only son in his old age was a great and lasting sorrow, yet by God's
lengthening out his life to so uncommon a term, he had the reviving
consolation to see a very valuable son of that son associated with him in the
Indian service to their great acceptance, a few years before he died; and
which doubtless made his departure more easy and joyful to him. We therefore
now come to.
3.
The Rev. Mr JOHN
MAYHEW,
the youngest son of Mr Thomas Mayhew junior. Mr Thomas Mayhew junior left
three sons, viz., Matthew, Thomas, and John. This John, born in 1652, applied
himself to the work of the ministry, wherein he was for some small time
contemporary with his aforesaid grandfather; and succeeding him, continued
therein to his death. When he was but twenty-one years of age, he was first
called to the ministry among the English in a new and small settlement, at a
place named Tisbury, near the midst of the island, where he preached with
great acceptance. But he also naturally cared for the good of the Indians; and
understanding their language well while he was a very young man, he used
frequently to give them good instructions, and even the chief Indians on the
island used often to resort to him for counsel. And being arrived at the age
above mentioned, they would not be contented until he became a public preacher
to them likewise; so ardent and urgent were their desires, that he could not
deny them, even though his grandfather was then a laborious and acceptable
preacher among them. And having both the English and Indians under his care,
his diligence was now to be doubled, especially after his grandfather's death;
and this much the more, by reason of certain erroneous opinions in danger of
taking root in the island. Mr Mayhew was rightly for repelling them with
spiritual weapons; and being a person of very superior abilities, and
acquaintance with the scriptures, he used to desire such as began to imbibe
those principles, to produce the reasons; and those who wanted to be resolved
in their difficulties, to give them an advantage to resolve them in public,
that others might also receive light and satisfaction; whereby they came to be
more clearly instructed, and more fully convinced and satisfied, than in the
ordinary way of preaching, which yet always preceeded the other. In short, he
had such an excellent talent for the defence of the truth against gainsayers,
that those who would have spread their errors found that they could make no
progress in their designs on the island: and the churches and people, and in
them their posterity, were happily saved from the spreading of those erroneous
opinions, and the disturbance and troubles they would have produced among
them.
As for the Indians; his custom was to tarry some
time with them after the public exercise was over, allowing them to put
questions to him for their own instruction, and also trying their knowledge,
by putting questions to them. And he was so very well skilled in their
language, as to be able to discourse freely with them upon any kind of
subject, and to preach and pray in their tongue with the greatest readiness.
The whole of what was allowed him for his incessant labours, both among the
English, and Indians, put together, would scarce amount to ten pounds a year,
except the two last years of his life, when the commissioners being sensible
of the eminent service he did, raised his salary to thirty pounds. But he went
on cheerfully, in hopes of a rich and joyful harvest in heaven. And having
finished what God in his all-wise and perfect providence saw meet to employ
him in, he died on
the 3rd of February, 1688-9. about two in the morning, in the 37th year
of his age, and the 16th of his ministry; leaving the Indians in a very
orderly way of assembling on the Lord's day, for public worship in four or
five several places, and of hearing their several well instructed teachers,
who usually began with prayer, and then after singing part of a Psalm, from
some portion of Scripture spake to the auditors: as also an Indian church, of
one hundred communicants, walking thus according to the rule of the
Scriptures. And thus expired this third successive Indian preacher of this
worthy family; after he had set another bright example of disinterested zeal
for the glory of God, a lively faith of the invisible and eternal world, and a
generous and great concern for the salvation of all about him. He left eight
children; the eldest of whom was but sixteen years of age, and soon after
succeeded him in the Indian service. And this is now
4. The Rev. Mr EXPERIENCE MAYHEW,
the eldest son of Mr John Mayhew. He was born January 27, 1673, and began to
preach to the Indians in the Vineyard, March 1694, about five years after his
father's decease; and has continued in the same laborious employment, having
the oversight of five or six Indian assemblies; to whose service he has been
wholly devoted, and to one or other of which he has constantly preached for
above these thirty-two years. The Indian language has been from his infancy
natural to him, and he has been all along accounted one of the greatest
masters of it that has been known among us. The honourable commissioners
therefore employed him to make a new version of the whole book of Psalms, and
the gospel of John; which he did in collateral columns of English and Indian,
with a great deal of accuracy, in 1709. He has several children living, and is
now endeavouring to bring up one of them for the college in order to the
Indian service. But this worthy man, the compiler of the [following] Indian
examples, being now alive, and flourishing among us, I may not venture to
trespass so much on his modesty, as to enter into any further description of
his character.
HIACOOMES,
the first Christian Indian, and Minister in the island of Martha's Vineyard.
Reference
“HISTORICAL
COLLECTIONS OF ACCOUNTS OF REVIVAL,”
compiled
by the Rev. John Gillies, D.D., 1754. Published by
The Banner of Truth Trust, 1981.
pp 223-224.
