George Whitefield: A Biography, with special reference to his labors in AmericaBelcher, Joseph
Religion
George Whitefield: A Biography, with special reference to his labors in America
Belcher, Joseph
Whitefield, George, 1714-1770
Among the remarkable men of his day was Samson Occam. He was
descended, on his mother's side, from Uncas, chief of the Mohegans.
He was born in 1723, of parents who led a wandering life, depending
on hunting and fishing for subsistence. None cultivated their
lands, all dwelt in wigwams, and Samson was one of the very first
of the tribe who learned to read. About the year 1740, at the age
of seventeen, he was converted by the labors of Whitefield, Gilbert
Tennent, and their companions. In a year or two he had learned to
read his Bible with ease, and to his great advantage. He was a
pupil at the school originally founded by Dr. Wheelock, at Lebanon,
Conn., for the benefit exclusively of Indians, four years, and
was then a teacher for eleven years. In 1759, he was ordained by
the Suffolk Presbytery, and became an eminently zealous preacher
to the scattered Mohegans. In 1766, in company with the Rev. Mr.
Whitaker of Norwich, he went to England to advocate the cause of
Dr. Wheelock's Indian school, which school was afterwards merged in
Dartmouth college, of which Mr. Wheelock was also founder and first
president. Occum preached in the churches of Whitefield and Lady
Huntingdon, as well as in some others of different denominations. We
remember half a century ago hearing an old lady at Kidderminster,
the town of Richard Baxter, describe a scene which occurred in
Fawcett's church in that town. Occum had preached, and a handsome
collection had been taken for his object; with tears of gratitude
and joy the good man thanked them, and in tones which neither the
weeping nor the mimetic talent of the old lady would allow her fully
to imitate, assured them that the blessing of many ready to perish
would come upon them. The place was a Bochim, and nothing could
prevent the people from having the plates again carried round, that
they might add to the liberal contributions they had already made.
Occum preached in Great Britain from three to four hundred sermons;
and as no North American Indian had ever preached in England before,
public curiosity was great, and his pecuniary success considerable.
He brought to this country, with his companion, as the produce of
their labors, more than forty-five thousand dollars. In 1772 he
published an interesting sermon which he preached to an Indian at
his execution. An excellent portrait of him was published in England.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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