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Samuel Treat’s Labors - 1693

Cape Cod Indian. Samuel Treat worked among Cape Cod Indians.

Introduction

Samuel Treat’s tombstone describes him as a pious and faithful pastor, who discharged his ministry faithfully for forty-five years. His self-imposed tasks included “a laborious travel for ye souls of ye Indian nations” among the Nauset tribes east of Yarmouth, Massachusetts.

He preached monthly in the Nauset villages, learned their language, translated and printed a Confession of Faith for them, and often attended their festivals. Because he treated the Nauset with respect, they honored him.

On this day, 23 August, 1693 Samuel Treat wrote a letter to Increase Mather in which he described the attitude of the Nauset Indians toward the gospel

Quote

“There are Five hundred and five Adult Persons of Indians within the Limits of our Township, unto whom these many years past, I have from time to time imparted the Gospel of our Lord Jesus in their own Language (and I truly hope not without Success) and yet I continue in the same Service, earnestly imploring, and not without Hopes, expecting and waiting for a more plentiful down-pouring of the Spirit from on high among them: And I verily do not know of, nor can I learn that there is so much as one of these Five Hundred Indians that does obstinately absent from, but do jointly frequent and attend on the Preaching of the Word, and countenance the same, not only frequenting and attending Seasons of Worship of a Divine Sanction, but also all other Occasional Opportunities, when the Gospel is dispens’d to them; and when our Congregations solemnize public Days of Prayer with Fasting, or of Praises (I usually giving them Advertisement thereof) they readily comply therewith, in their respective Assemblies.

“They have Four distinct Assemblies in four Villages belonging to our Township, in which Four Assemblies they have Four Teachers of their own Choice, of the more Sober, Well-affected and Understanding Persons among them, who do duly preach to them, when I am not with them: These Indian Teachers repair to my House once a Week, to be further instructed…in the Concernments proper for their Service and Station.”

Source

Sibley, John Langdon, Biographical Sketches of Graduates of Harvard University. Cambridge: John Wilson and Son, 1881.

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