by Joyce Reed
John Eliot was born in 1604 near London, England. We know little about his early years, but he received a degree from Cambridge University in 1622.
He became connected to the Puritans while serving as an usher in the grammar school of Rev. Thomas Hooker, where he saw the power of godliness in their lively vigor and service. John soon devoted himself to the ministry of the Gospel with the Puritans. However, the Puritan persecution by the Church of England was so great that they emigrated to America.
John, along with three brothers and three sisters, arrived in Boston on November 4, 1631. It was a very harsh time for them, but they made it. John entered the ministry there that year at the age of twenty-seven years. That same year, John married Miss Hannah Mumford. They would eventually have six children. He was called as pastor of the church in Roxbury where he would pastor until his death nearly sixty years later. John never received more than three hundred dollars a year for his service, but he considered himself rich. He was indeed rich in God’s blessings.
He longed to reach the poor Indians with Christ’s salvation message. However, he had to, first, gain their confidence and learn their most difficult language. It took him almost two years with the aid of a Pequot Indian named Cockenoe to do this, but the red men became devoted to him. The medicine men hated and persecuted him, but John was set to serve God among the Indians. He did this and still served his white congregation. In 1660, three thousand, six hundred Indians had become Christians.
John believed in the work of translating the Bible into the “heart language” of the people. He devised an alphabet for the unwritten Pequot language. With Cockenoe’s help, he translated the Bible into Pequot. In September 1661, the New Testament was printed, and two years later, the whole Bible was completed. This was the first Bible printed in America.
In John’s later years, he could no longer “go” to the Indians, so he asked church families to send their negro servants to him. Thus, he also became known as the founder of the Christian missionary work to the negroes of America.
Missionary opportunities lie at our very doors. John Eliot’s life teaches us to just go and do God’s will: reach the lost with the Gospel of Christ both near and far. Look what Christ can do through one life sold out to Him!
Winter 2025-26