A pagan mother’s prayer led to her child’s survival and her faith in the true God.
"Punmechanuit, an Indian of prime quality, on Martha's Vineyard, and his wife, had buried their first five children successively, every one within ten days of their birth, notwithstanding all their use of powows and of medicines to preserve them. They had a sixth child, (a son,) born about the year 1638, which was a few years before the English settled on the Vineyard. The mother was greatly perplexed with fear that she should lose this child like the former; and utterly despairing of any help from such means as had been formerly tried with so little success, as soon as she was able, with a sorrowful heart, she took up her child and went out into the field, that she might weep out her sorrows. While she was musing on the insufficiency of all human help, she felt it powerfully suggested to her mind that there is one Almighty God who is to be prayed unto, that this God had created all the things that we see—and that the God who had given being to herself, and all other people, and given her child unto her, was easily able to continue the life of her child.
Hereupon, this poor pagan woman resolved, that she would seek unto this God for that mercy, and did accordingly. The issue was, that her child lived, and her faith in Him who thus answered her prayer was wonderfully strengthened, the consideration whereof caused her to dedicate this child unto the service of that God who had preserved his life, and educated him, as far as might be, to become the servant of God.
Not long after this, the English came to settle on Martha's Vineyard; and the Indians who had been present at some of the English devotions, reported that they assembled together, and that the man who spoke among them often looked upwards. This woman, from this report, presently concluded that their assemblies were for prayers, and that their prayers were unto that very God whom she had addressed for the life of her child. She was confirmed in this when the gospel was not long after preached by Mr. Mayhew to the Indians; which gospel she readily, cheerfully, and heartily embraced. And in the confession that she made publicly at her admission into the church, she gave a relation of the preparation for the knowledge of Christ, wherewith God had in this remarkable way favored her. Her child, whose name was Japhet, became afterwards an eminent minister of Christ. He was pastor of an Indian church, on Martha's Vineyard; he also took much pains to carry the gospel unto other Indians on the main land, and his labors were attended with much success."
(?) THE GUARDED HOUSE.—When the year 1914 began, troops of Swedes, Cossacks, Germans, and Russians, were within half an hour's march of the town of Sleswick; and new and fearful reports of the behavior of the soldiers were brought from the country every day. There had been a truce, which was to come to an end at midnight of the 5th of January, which was now drawing near.
On the outskirts of the town, on the side where the enemy lay, there was a house standing alone, and in it there was an old pious woman, who was earnestly praying, in the words of an ancient hymn, that God would raise up a wall around them, so that the enemy might fear to attack them.
In the same house dwelt her daughter, a widow, and her grandson, a youth of twenty years. He heard the prayer of his grandmother, and could not restrain himself from saying, that he did not understand how she could ask for any thing so impossible, as that a wall should be built around them, which could keep the enemy away from their house. The old woman, who was now deaf, caused what her grandson said to be explained to her, but only answered that she had but prayed in general for protection for themselves and their town people. "However," she added, "do you think that if it were the will of God to build a wall around us, it would be impossible to him?"
And now came the dreaded night of the 5th of January; and about midnight the troops began to enter on all sides. The house we were speaking of lay close by the road, and was larger than the dwellings near it, which were only very small cottages. Its inhabitants looked out with anxious fear, as parties of the soldiers entered one after another, and even went to the neighboring houses to ask for what they wanted; but all rode past their dwelling. Throughout the whole day there had been a heavy fall of snow—the first that winter—and towards evening the storm became violent to a degree seldom known. At length came four parties of Cossacks, who had been hindered by the snow from entering the town by another road. This part of the outskirts was at some distance from the town itself and therefore they would not go further; so that all the houses around that where the old woman lived, were filled with these soldiers, who quartered themselves in them; in several houses there were fifty or sixty of these half-savage men. It was a terrible night for those who dwelt in this part of the town, filled to overflowing with the troops of the enemy.
But not a single soldier came into the grandmother's house; and amidst the loud noises and wild sounds all around, not even a knock at the door was heard, to the great wonder of the family within. The next morning, as it grew light, they saw the cause. The storm had drifted a mass of snow, to such a height, between the roadside and the house, that to approach it was impossible. "Do you not now see, my, son," said the old grandmother, "that it was possible for God to raise a wall around us?"
Does not this story remind us of the words—"The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him and delivereth them!" Does it not seem as if the snow had been gathered together as by angels' hands to form a defence for that house where one dwelt who thus feared God and trusted in him?
