^^ptr-y^lTftlQ 
 
 i*^ 
 
AN ESSAY 
 
 ON THE 
 
 PROPAGATION OF THE GOSPEL; 
 
 IN WHICH THERE ARE 
 
 NUMEROUS FACTS AND ARGUMENTS 
 
 Adduced to prove that many of the 
 
 INDIANS IN AMERICA 
 
 Are descended from the 
 
 TEN TRIBES. 
 
 '* But when he fawthe multitudes he was moved with com- 
 pafiion on them, becaufe they fainted, and were fcattered abroad, 
 as Sheep having no Shepherd. Then faith he unto his difciples, 
 the harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few : Pray 
 ye, therefore, the Lord of the Harveft, that he will fend forth 
 labourers into his harveft." MATTHEW, ix. 36, 37, 38. 
 
 " Go ye into all the world, and preach the gofpel to every 
 creature." MARK, xvi. 15. 
 
 THE SECOND EDITION. 
 
 By CHARLES CRAWFORD Esq. 
 
 PRINTED, AND SOLD BY JAMES HUMPHREYS, 
 
 1801. 
 
AN ESSAY 
 
 IT teems to be at this time required of 
 the difciples of Chrift, that there 
 ihould not be a nation from the north 
 to the fouth pole, without having the 
 gofpel preached to them. " How beau 
 tiful (faith the fcripture) are the feet of 
 them that preach the gofpel of peace, 
 and bring glad tidings of good things!" 
 The principal places, however, where 
 the gofpel might at this time be propa 
 gated with great profpecl of fuccefs, are 
 in America, among the Indians, and in 
 Africa, among the Negroes, and others. 
 
 There is a ftrong argument in favor 
 of the Indians being converted tochrifli- 
 anity, their being defcended from the 
 Jews. St. Paul fays that " all Ifrael 
 fhall be faved." As this is a fubject of 
 great importance, it may be neceftary to 
 give it considerable attention, 
 
 The 
 
The aborigines of America were pro 
 bably the descendants of Noah, that is, 
 America was firft peopled by the fons 
 of Noah, before thedivifion of the globe. 
 The fons of Noah are faid to have wan 
 dered over the earth. We read in the 
 25th verfe of the loth chapter of Ge- 
 neiis, of Peleg, that " in his days was 
 the earth divided." The Hebrew word 
 Peleg fignifies a diviiion. It is a ftrong 
 argument in favor of the divifion of the 
 globe being a fact of great notoriety, 
 that a man of eminence obtained his 
 name from the circumftance. From 
 the Timasus of Plato it appears, that the 
 Greeks had fome idea of this event.* 
 If we look at a map of the world, we 
 fhall think it highly probable, that the 
 Weft India lilands have been feparated 
 
 by 
 
 * Plato in his Timxus fays, it was reported there 
 was formerly an ifland in the Atlantic, beyond the 
 Pillars of Hercules, greater than Africa and Afia. 
 Me fays that in a vaft earthquake the earth opened, 
 and fwallowed up its warlike inhabitants, and the 
 ifland itfelf was funk in an enormous whirlpool. 
 
 See Plato's Works, printed at Lyons, in 1590* 
 Folio. Page 525, 
 
 ' And where th' Atlantic rolls wide continents 
 have bloom'd." 
 
 Seattle's MinftreK 
 
by a great convulfion of nature, from the 
 continent of America. Carver in his 
 travels fays, that at Beering's Straits 
 (which arenowfometimes called Cook's 
 Straits) the continents of Afiaand Ame 
 rica, on both fides, appear as if they had 
 formerly been united. 
 
 Afterwards it is probable that America 
 was further peopled by the Ten Tribes, 
 who were taken captive by Shalmanefer, 
 King of Aflyria. We read, in 2 Kings, 
 17; 6; that " in the ninth year of 
 Hofea, the King of Aflyria took Sama 
 ria, and carried Ifrael away into Aflyria; 
 and placed them in Halah and in Habor, 
 by the river of Gozan, and the cities 
 of the Medes." It is faid " There was 
 none left but the tribe of Judah only." 
 I conceive, however, that in this, as 
 well as feveral other paflages of Scrip 
 ture, the tribe of Benjamin, which was 
 once nearly extirpated^ is comprehend 
 ed under that of Judah. From thefe 
 two laft tribes the Jews in Europe have 
 principally defcended : Or, to fpeak with 
 more accuracy, from thefe two and the 
 tribe of Levi. We generally fpcak of 
 the twelve tribes of Ifrael, though in 
 A 2 reality 
 
reality there were thirteen. The land 
 of Ifrael was divided into twelve parts 
 for the twelve tribes, and the tribe 
 of Levi had no part nor inheritance with 
 their brethren. By the Mofaic law they 
 were to receive, inftcad, certain parts 
 of things that were facrificed, and the 
 first fruit of Corn, Wine, Oil, &c. 
 
 It is faid in Eitlras-f- (which though it 
 may contain fome idle vifions, has ibme 
 truths) that, " the Ten Tribes whicfc 
 Were carried away prifoners out of their 
 own land, took counfel among them- 
 felves that they would leave the multi 
 tude of the heathen, and go into a fur 
 ther country/' It is faid they went into 
 a country called Arfareth, or Ararath, 
 which in Hebrew fignifies " the curfe 
 of trembling/' Sir William Jones, in 
 his account of the Afghans, in the Afi- 
 atic Refearches, which account is alfo 
 printed in his own works, obferves, 
 they are faid by the beft Perfian Hi- 
 ftorians to be defcended from the Jews." 
 He fays they have a diftricl: called Ha- 
 zareh or Hazaret, which might eafily 
 
 have 
 
 f 2 Efdras, Chap, xiii. 
 
have been changed into the word ufed 
 by Efdras. 
 
 It is probable that a part of the Ten 
 Tribes remained in the country, where 
 they were carried near Habor (which 
 is now called Tabor) and that the Tar 
 tars are their defendants. It is men 
 tioned in Aaron Hill's Travels that the 
 Tartars had a town called Jericho, and 
 that the name of their capital Samar- 
 yan (or Samarcand) is very little differ 
 ent from Samaria. It is faid they had a 
 Mount Sion, and a river Jordan; with 
 many pillars, buildings and reliques of 
 antiquity which were evidently Jewifh 
 monuments. The Tartars* boaft of 
 their defcent from the Jews. Some 
 Moravian Miffionaries who have been 
 
 at 
 
 * '* Tamerlain, or rather Tam-her-lane the 
 great, who led the Turkifh Bajazet about his city in 
 an iron cage, would often take occafion to be vaunt 
 ing of his pedigree, affirming he was lineally defcend- 
 ed from the tribe of Dan, in an uninterrupted Ge 
 nealogy." 
 
 See " the prefent flare of ^Ethiopia, Egypt, Palef- 
 tine and the whole Ottoman Empire." By Aaron 
 Hill Eiq. Folio, page 33 1. London printed, 1709. 
 
8 
 
 at Mount Caucafus in Tartary, and in 
 North America, fay there are people at 
 Caucafus^ who fpeak a language fimi- 
 lar to that of fome American Indians. ~ 
 The Tartars are divided into tribes, 
 and pra&ife circumcifion. 
 
 A part of the Ten Tribes may have 
 continued in Arfareth, as well as Tar 
 tary, and a part may have paft over 
 from the continent of Alia to that of 
 America, at Beering's or Cook's Straits. 
 It is faid in Ledyard's account of 
 Captain Cook's voyage, that thefe 
 Straits are but fourteen leagues over; 
 about twice the breadth of the Straits 
 of Dover. It is mentioned in Cook's 
 laft voyage that there are fome Iflands, 
 named Diomede, about the middle of 
 thefe Straits, which are alternately vifit- 
 ed by the inhabitants of both continents. 
 Many have gone from one continent to 
 the other in open boats. 
 
 An interefting work was publifhed 
 in London in 1775, entitled, " Hifto- 
 ry of the American Indians, particular 
 ly thofe nations adjoining the Miflif- 
 fippi, Eaft and Weft Florida, Georgia, 
 
 South 
 
South and North Carolina, and Virgi 
 nia, by James Adair, Efq. a trader 
 with the Indians, and refident in their 
 country for forty years." 
 
 Mr. Adair endeavours to prove by 23 
 arguments that fome of the Indians are 
 the defcendants of the Jews. " i . Their 
 divifion into tribes; 2. Their wor- 
 fhipof Jehovah; 3. Their notions of 
 theocracy; 4. Their belief in the mi- 
 niftration of angels ; 5. Their lan 
 guage and dialedts; 6. Their manner 
 of counting time; 7. Their Prophets 
 and high Priefts; 8. Their feftivals, 
 fafts, and religious rites; 9. Their dai 
 ly facrifice; 10. Their ablutions and 
 anointings ; 1 1 . Their laws of unclean - 
 nefs; 12. Their abftinence from un 
 clean things ; 13. Their marriages, di 
 vorces and punifhments; 15. Their 
 cities of refuge ; 16. Their purificati 
 ons, and ceremonies preparatory to war; 
 17. Their ornaments ; 1 8 . Their man 
 ner of curing the fick; 19. Their 
 burial of the dead ; 20. Their mourn 
 ing for their dead ; 21. Their raifing 
 feed to a deceafed brother; 22. Their 
 
 choice 
 
IO 
 
 choice of names; 23. Their own tra 
 ditions. 1 ' 
 
 It has been fuppofed there are many 
 vifionary notions in Mr. Adair's work. 
 If we were to grant there are fome,. we 
 might contend and prove there are many 
 things obferved by him, and corrobo 
 rated by others v which indifputably ma- 
 nifeft the defcent of the Indians from 
 the Jews. The defcent in my opinion 
 would be clearly proved, if they could 
 only efkblifh two points, and they can 
 eftablifh many more,, the feparation of 
 their women at a certain time by the 
 Indians, and their dance in which they 
 fmg Hallelujah Yo-he-wah. We know 
 the former cuftom to prevail univerfal- 
 ly, and the latter frequently among the 
 Indians particularifed by Mr. Adair. 
 Muft not the first cuftom have fprung 
 from a higher fource than the indelicate 
 mind of a Savage, and could they have 
 found Hebrew words in the Defart ? 
 
 Mr. Adair fuppofes the practice of 
 circumcifion muft have declined among 
 the Indians, from the lofs of their {harp 
 knives as they pafled through the De- 
 fart 
 
II 
 
 iart. In a curious and learned pam 
 phlet, however, published in London 
 in 1650, entitled, " Jewes in Ameri 
 ca, or probabilities that the Americans 
 are Jewes, propofed by Thomas Tho- 
 rowgood, B. D. one of the AfTembly 
 of Divines" the author obferves " Gro- 
 tius fays confidently, we have fo many 
 witneffes that the Americans be cir- 
 cumcifed, as it becomes not a modeft 
 man to deny it; and among the rarities 
 brought from thofe quarters Pancillorus 
 fpeaks of ftoney knives very fharpe 
 and cutting, and his illuftrator, H. 
 Salmuth, fhews that the Jewes of old did 
 ufe fuch in their circumciiings, knives 
 of ftone:* which facrarnent omitted 
 forty years in their travels, is revived by 
 God's command to Jofhua, 5 2 ; 
 Make thee fharpe knives, cultros pe- 
 trinos. Arias Montanus reads cultros 
 lapideos in the Vulgar Latine, but the 
 Septuagint doth not only mention 
 thofe rockey knives, but adds, taken 
 from a iharpe rocke, as if the allufion al- 
 
 fo 
 
 * " Then Zipporah took a (harp ftonc, and cut off 
 the forefldn of her fon. J> Exodus, iv j 25. 
 
12 
 
 fo were to Chrift the Rocke that doth 
 circumcife our hearts. Lerius affirms 
 he faw fome of thofe cutting ftones or 
 knives at Brazil/' pages, 9 and 10. 
 
 William Penn fays of the natives of 
 Pennfylvania, " For their original I am 
 ready to believe them of the Jewifh 
 race, I mean of the ftock of the Ten 
 Tribes, and that for the following rea- 
 fons : Firft they were to go to a land 
 not planted or known, which to be 
 fure Afia and Africa were, if not Europe j 
 and He that intended that extraordina 
 ry judgment upon them might make 
 the paffage not uneafy to them, as it is 
 not impoffible in itfelf from the eaftern- 
 moft parts of Afia to the wefternmoft of 
 America. In the next place I find them 
 of like countenance, and their children 
 of fo lively refemblance, that a man 
 would think himfelf in Duke's Place or 
 Berry Street, in London, when he feeth 
 them. But this is not all, they agree 
 in Rites \ they reckon by Moons, they 
 offer their firft-fruits, they have a kind 
 of feaft of Tabernacles, they are faid to 
 lay their Altar upon twelve ftones - y 
 their mourning a year, cuftoms of wo- 
 
men, with many things that do not 
 now occur." See a general defcription 
 of Pennfylvania by William Penn. 
 
 It is curious and pleafing in reading 
 the travels of thofe who have been 
 among the Indians, to find how the 
 customs of the Indians comport fre 
 quently with the laws of Mofes. Thefe 
 cuftoms are fometimes faithfully defcri- 
 bed by men who have no fuppofition 
 that any of the American Indians are 
 the defcendants of the Ten Tribes. 
 
 David Brainerd in his Journal fays, 
 " vifited the Indians at Juneauta Ifland 
 (Pennfylvania) and found them almoft 
 univerfally bury in making preparations 
 for a great facrifice and dance. 
 
 " In the evening they met together, 
 near a hundred of them, and danced 
 round a large fire, having prepared ten 
 fat deer for the facrifice, the fat of whofe 
 inwards they burnt in the fire while 
 they were dancing. 
 
 " They continued their f acred dance 
 
 all night or near the matter, ^fter 
 
 B which 
 
which they ate the flefh of the facri- 
 ce." 
 
 In Leviticus it is faid " The fat that 
 covereth the inwards, and all the fat 
 that is upon the inwards. The Prieft 
 fhall burn them upon the altar: it is 
 the food of the offering made by fire, 
 for a fweet favour. All fat is the Lord's. 
 It fhall be a perpetual ftatute for your 
 generations, throughout all your dwel 
 lings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood." 
 See Leviticus, latter part of the third 
 chapter. Ifaiah alfo fpeaks to the Jew- 
 iih nation " of the fat of thy facrifices." 
 
 43 > 2 4" 
 
 Mr. Samuel Hearne printed a work 
 in London, in 1795, entitled " A Jour 
 ney from Prince of Wales's Fort in 
 Hudfon's Bay, to the Northern Ocean." 
 He fays the northern Indians have a 
 
 dance in which they ling Hee-Hee 
 
 Hoe-Hoe; which mult originally have 
 been the fame with that of the fouthern 
 Indians in which they fing Hallelujah 
 Yo-he-wah. He fays the northern In 
 dians fo rigidly exact the feparation of 
 their women at a certain time, that if 
 
 at 
 
at that time a woman only comes acrofs 
 them when they are hunting they think 
 it a bad omen. He lays that after 
 child-birth a northern Indian woman 
 is reckoned unclean for a month or 
 five weeks ; during which time me al 
 ways remains in a finall tent placed at a 
 little diftance from the others, with only 
 a female acquaintance or two." Page 93. 
 By the Molaic law a woman who 
 bore a child, was to be unclean, and fe- 
 parated many days. Leviticus, chap. 
 
 Mr. Hearnefays "among the various 
 fuperftitious cuftoms of thole people (the 
 northern Indians) it is worthy remark 
 ing, and ought to have been mentioned 
 in its proper place, that after my com 
 panions had killed the Efquimaux at 
 the Copper River, they confidered 
 themfelves in a ftate of uncleannefs, 
 which induced them to pradtife fome 
 very curious and unufual ceremonies. 
 In the firft place all who were concern 
 ed in the murder were prohibited from 
 cooking any kind of victuals, either for 
 themfelves or others." Page 205. 
 
 We 
 
i6 
 
 We read in the Prophet Haggai " If 
 one that is unclean by a dead body 
 touch any of (bread or pottage, or 
 wine, or oil, or any pieat) fhall it be 
 unclean ? And the Priefts anfwered and 
 faid, it fhall be unclean/' Haggai ii ; 
 12, 13. 
 
 Mr. ITearnefays " They refrained alfo 
 from eating many parts of the deer, and 
 other animals, particularly the head, en 
 trails and blood ; and during their un- 
 cleannefs, their victuals are never fodden 
 in water, but dried in the fun, eaten quite 
 ?aw, or broiled when a fire fit for the 
 purpofe could be procured." Page 206* 
 <r - It is faid in the firft of Samuel " Al* 
 fo before they burnt the fat, the Prieft's 
 fervant came, and faid to the man that 
 facrificed, give flefh to roaft for the 
 Prieft; for he will net have fodden 
 flefh of thee, but raw/' 2 ; 15. 
 
 Charlevoix fays of the Huron s and 
 Iroquois Indians, " the hufband when 
 the wife happens to die firft, is obliged 
 to marry her fifter, or in default of her, 
 fuch perfon as the family of the decea- 
 fed fhall chufe for him.- The wife on 
 
 her 
 
'7 
 
 her part is under the fame obligation 
 with refpedt to the hufband's relations, 
 provided he dies without leaving any 
 children by her, and that me is ftili ca 
 pable of bearing any. The reafons they 
 alledge for this are the fame as exprefled 
 in the 25th chapter of Deuteronomy/' 
 Vol. 2. Pages 48 and 49. 
 
 Charlevoix in his letters relative to 
 North America, fays " The notion of 
 an univerfal deluge is very general 
 among the Americans," meaning the 
 Indians: Vol. 2, page 144. He fays the 
 Indians have an avenger of blood, like 
 the ancient jews ; which is alfo afierted 
 by Mr. Adairand many others. An offi 
 cer of rank in the American army told 
 me the following ftory. He faid he 
 was once at Pittfburg, where he faw a 
 party of Indians. Upon the arrival of 
 another party of Indians in the town, one 
 in the first party trembled, and shewed 
 great figns of uneafinefs. It was foon 
 known that this agitation was occafion- 
 ed by the appearance of an Indian in 
 the fecond party, whofe relation he had 
 murdered. He furrendered himfelf 
 without refiftance to the demands of 
 B 2 juftice 
 
i8 
 
 juftice. He was led to a ftable and 
 placed upon the ground between two 
 Indians. His head was in this fituation 
 declined, when the Indian whofe kinf- 
 man he had murdered, that avenger of 
 blood, came into the ftable with a con- 
 fiderable body of Indians, and putting 
 his tomahawk into the head of the 
 murderer with a yell, afterwards fcalp- 
 ed it. 
 
 I think that fcalping may have been 
 pradifed by the Jews, from an expref- 
 lion in the 68th Pfalm. " God fhall 
 wound the head of his enemies, and the 
 hairy fcalp of fuch an one as goeth on 
 ftill in his trefpafles." ver. 21. * By 
 this I iuppofe to be meant, that the Al 
 mighty would do it by the Jews the 
 inftruments of his vengeance. 
 
 The fine expreffion of which the In 
 dians 
 
 * I am aware of another citjlam that was ufed by the 
 Jews upon the body of an enemy, (i Samuel, 18; 27) 
 But t think that icalping might alfo have been prafti- 
 fed fometimes. A perfon of information, whofe ap 
 pointments led him to be frequently in the country of 
 the Indians, told me, that the other cujiom is fometimes 
 praftifed by the Indians, and that he has known them, 
 in imitation of the Jews, to carry the amputated part 
 in triumph. 
 
dians are fond that " the Great Spirit 
 loves a brave man'' may have come from 
 the Jews, whofe Prophets reprefent the 
 Almighty as being delighted with the 
 exertion of valor in his caufc. We know 
 it to be intimated in fcripture, that the 
 courage of David in treading down the 
 idolatrous and wicked nations around 
 him, was a great caufe of his being rai- 
 fed to the throne of Ifrael, and called 
 " the man after God's own heart." 
 
 The author of an Eflay, entitled, 
 " Some Conjectures refpeding the firfl 
 peopling of America," in Carey's Mufe- 
 um for December 1791, vol. 2, page 
 262, fays " Dr. Jonathan Edwards, 
 fome time ago, communicated to the 
 Society of Arts in Connecticut, fome 
 ingenious obfervations on the language 
 of Muhhekaneew Indians ; fhewing the 
 extent of that language in North Ameri 
 ca, tracing the connection thereof with 
 the Hebrew. Indeed it is no fmall proof 
 of their Jewifh defcent, that the Mohe- 
 gan language fo nearly coincides with the 
 Hebrew in the pronouns and perfons, 
 the prefixes and fuffixes, in which it dif 
 fers 
 
fers from all the ancient and modern 
 languages in Europe. 
 
 Some cuftoms feem alfo well authen 
 ticated among fome Indians that appear 
 to be remains of the Jewifh religion, as 
 roafting a fawn, and eating it with blan 
 kets girded around them, and carefully 
 not breaking a bone of it through religi 
 ous devotion - r which feems clearly to 
 be the Hebrew Paflbver, though they 
 cannot explain it, but fay " their forefa 
 thers did ib, and all good Indians ought 
 to do fo." Some of them alfo report 
 that their forefathers had books to read. 
 Another cuftom, in which they refem- 
 ble the Jews is, " that they have women 
 mourners for the dead, &c." 
 
 Some have fuppofed too many diffi 
 culties a-bout the converiion of the In 
 dians. The Moravians have frequently 
 had great fuccefs in this matter. It is 
 mentioned in Morfe's Geography of the 
 Moravians, " They began a miffion 
 among the Mahikan, Wampano, De 
 laware, Shawanoc, Nantikok, and o- 
 ther Indians, about fifty years ago, and 
 were fo fuccefsful as to add more than 
 
 one 
 
21 
 
 one thoufand fouls to the Chriftian 
 Church by Baptifm. Six hundred of 
 thofe have died in the Chriftian faith ; 
 about 300 live with the miffionaries 
 near Lake Erie, and the reft are either 
 dead or apoftates in the wildernefs." 
 Vol. i. Page 483. Edition of 1793- 
 
 A letter dated April 2 5th 1799, fays, 
 " two hundred miles North-weft of 
 Hartford (Connecticut) on the borders 
 of the Indian nations, I am informed 
 the Lord is pouring out his fpirit plen 
 tifully. The aborigines flock to hear 
 the gofpel, and fall under the Word 
 like Dagon before the Ark. Very large 
 numbers have been added to the church 
 es in the vicinity the laft year." 
 
 In the ftate of Maflachufetts, the 
 Prefbyterians have converted many of 
 the Stockbridge Indians, one of whom, 
 called the Rev. Mr. Occum, I heard 
 preach to a large congregation in one 
 of the Preibyterian meeting-houfes in 
 Philadelphia. 
 
 Mr. Bartram in his account of the 
 Southern Indians makes it appear very 
 
 probable, 
 
22 
 
 probable, that fome of them might be 
 eafily converted. He fays, " On the 
 Sabbath day before I fat off* I could not 
 help obferving the folemnity of the 
 town, the filence and retirednefc of the 
 red inhabitants : but a very few of them 
 were to be feen ; the doors of their 
 dwellings were fhut, and if a child 
 chanced to ftray out, it was quickly 
 drawn in again. I afked the meaning 
 of this, and was immediately anfwered, 
 that it being the white people's belo 
 ved day, they kept it religioufly iacred 
 to the Great Spirit."See Bartram's Tra 
 vels through North and South Carolina,, 
 Georgia, Eaft and Weft Florida. Page 
 457. He fays of the Creek Indians, 
 " They are juft, honeft, liberal, and 
 holpitable to ftrangers ; coniiderate, lo 
 ving and affectionate to their wives and 
 relations; induftrious, frugal, tempe 
 rate and perfeveringj charitable and 
 forbearing. 1 ' Page 490. 
 
 I once had an opportunity of feeing 
 the King of the Chodtaws, who told 
 me, that his people were defirous of 
 imitating the white people in the build 
 ing of their houfes and in every thing. 
 
 He 
 
He appeared a fenfible old man of no 
 bad difpofition. I frequently converfed 
 with him, and fuppofed I had gained in 
 fome meafure his efteem. The firft origin 
 of this I conceive to have happened from 
 this circumftance. When I was once 
 fitting at breakfaft this Indian came into 
 the room. Some of the company were 
 inclined to laugh which I thought dif- 
 pleafed him. I gravely brought him a 
 chair, and procured the breakfaft which 
 he wifhed to be fet beiide him. Before 
 he touched the breakfaft, he rofe up, 
 and with uplifted hands and eyes, while 
 he fpread himfelf over the table, faid a 
 fhort grace. He did this, which I fup 
 pofed to be giving thanks to the Great 
 Spirit, in a becoming, folemn, and af 
 fecting manner. Some were near laugh 
 ing at this, to which no prudent per foil 
 could have felt the leaft inclination. 
 From this time our acquaintance in- 
 creafed, and we always (hook hands 
 when we met with a cordiality which is 
 feldom found in the world. I think the 
 not laughing at the Indians, is one of 
 the beft methods to engage their efteem. 
 Thofe who are better acquainted with 
 them than I, are of this opinion. And 
 
 it 
 
it is certain that many of them diflike 
 to laugh at, or in any manner to ridicule 
 the white people. This turn for ridi 
 cule prevails frequently in the worft 
 perfons, and in thofe who are moft 
 worthy of ridicule themfelves. The 
 wife and good ihould be cautious of 
 ufing ridicule. It fometimes imbitters 
 the mind more than the worft inju 
 ries, 
 
 I remember a circumftancc which 
 gave me a favourable opinion of this 
 Indian. To divert him, we had procu 
 red a fhew-box (fuch as is frequently 
 carried about in England to divert per 
 fons for a penny) with the pictures of 
 Richmond-Hill, the Thuilleries, Porto 
 Bello, &c. feen through a magnifying 
 glafs. I had {hewn him feveral of the 
 pictures, about twenty I think, when 
 coming from behind the box, and ma 
 king a very civil bow, he faid that juftice 
 muji be done, and began deliberately to 
 count the pictures, the fight of which he 
 faid mu ft be returned, piffure for pic 
 ture. The throne of the Cho6laws had 
 not taken away a common feeling to 
 wards others from his mind. He was 
 
 generally 
 
generally fuppofed able to bring ten 
 thoufand fighting men into the field; 
 but General Wafhington, whofe infor 
 mation was probably accurate in thefe 
 matters, faid, that he could only bring 
 about five thoufand. It would be worth 
 while to thofe, who wifh to propagate 
 the gofpel among the fouthern Indians, 
 to be particularly attentive to this 
 Chief, if he be yet living, or if he be 
 dead, to the tribe or nation of the Choc- 
 taws ; for I remember particularly well 
 his telling me, that his people were ve 
 ry defirous of imitating the white peo 
 ple. Hefpoke a broken language, con- 
 lifting of bad Englifli and bad French, 
 to me and the people in Philadelphia -, 
 a language, however, which I could 
 fometimes very well underftand. 
 
 The Jews fcattered through the 
 world are generally of opinion, that 
 fome of the Indians are the defcendants 
 of the Ten Tribes. 
 
 It might have a happy effect upon 
 
 the Indians, if a miflionary who un- 
 
 derftood their language, or through the 
 
 medium of an interpreter, were to ex- 
 
 C cite 
 
cite their curiofity and admiration by 
 telling them, that they were defcended 
 from the greateft people on earth, from 
 the favourite nation of the Almighty, 
 He might tell them of the wonderful 
 deliverance of their forefathers from the 
 tyranny of Pharoah', when the Great 
 Spirit himfelf defcended upon Mount 
 Sinai, and gave the ten commandments, 
 which were " written with the finger 
 of God." The miffionary might tell 
 them of their forefathers, in the words 
 of the Apoftle, that " By faith they 
 palled through the Red Sea as by dry 
 land; which the Egyptians allaying to 
 do were drowned. By faith the walls of 
 Jericho fell down after they were com- 
 palied about feven days. By faith the har 
 lot Rahab perilhed not with them that 
 believed not, when ihe had received the 
 fpies with peace. And what mail I 
 more fay ? For the time would fail me 
 to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of 
 Sampfon, and of Jepthci, of David alfo 
 and Samuel, and of the Prophets: 
 who through faith fubdued kingdoms, 
 wrought rightecufnefs, obtained pro- 
 mifes, flopped the mouths of lions, 
 quenched the violence of fire, efca- 
 
 ped 
 
ped the edge of the fword, out of 
 weaknefs were made ftrong, waxed va 
 lient in fight, turned to flight the ar 
 mies of the aliens." Hebrews, xi ; 
 29-34. 
 
 The miffionary might then mention 
 the prophecies relative to the Great 
 Saviour of the world; the promifed 
 Meffiah of the Jews, with the exact ful 
 filment of thofe prophecies ; and then 
 expatiate upon thejuft and benevolent 
 precepts of the gofpel. 
 
 It would be a moit happy circum- 
 ftance for themfelves and for others, if 
 the Indians could be ever perfuaded to 
 relinquish their horrid cuftom of tor 
 ture. It is this which has inflamed 
 fome to wifli for their utter extirpation. 
 It would be a great point gained by 
 thofe who have an opportunity of con 
 verting with the Indians, if they could 
 only reform them from this cuftom, in 
 dependently of the converfion to Chrif- 
 tianity. Torture cannot be juftified 
 upon the old Jewifli principle of juft 
 revenge, for that only required an eye 
 for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, 
 
 whereas 
 
whereas torture exceeds the demands 
 of j uft ice. 
 
 It is probable when the time arrives; 
 foretold by the prophets, that the Jews 
 will be gathered from their difperfiori 
 among all nations, many of the Indians 
 will pafs over at Beering's or Cook's" 
 Straits, into Afia. It is faid of the 
 Almighty by the prophet, " For lo I 
 will command, and I will fift the houfii 
 ef Ifrael like as corn is fifted in a fieve, 
 .yet fhall not the leaft grain fall upon 
 the earth." Ames, ixj 9. And liaiah 
 fays " I will bring thy feed from the 
 Efcft, and gather thee from the Weft. I 
 \vill fay to the North give up ; and to 
 the South keep not back; bring my 
 fons from far, and my daughters from 
 the ends of the earth," xliii; 5 and 6. 
 
 Thefe prophecies fhould induce the 
 -whole people of America to treat the 
 Indians with as much lenity and for 
 bearance as poflible. We reafon from 
 " the fare word of prophecy," accor 
 ding to the expreffion of the Apoftle, 
 when we fay, that all the defcendants 
 of the houfe of Ifrael, among which 
 
 are 
 
29 
 
 are many Indians, will be reftored to 
 the land of their forefathers. This will 
 probably happen about the conclufion 
 of the prefent century, fomewhere near 
 the year 1900. Many of the Indians 
 will then relinquish their land to the 
 white people. Upon the reftoration of 
 the Jews it is faid, that the land of their 
 forefathers will be too fmall to contain 
 them and that they will wifh its borders 
 to be enlarged. " For thy wafte and 
 thy defolate places, and the land of thy 
 deftrudtion, /hall even now be too 
 narrow by reafon of thy inhabitants." 
 Ifaiah, xlix; 19. 
 
 We may conclude with certainty 
 from the prophets that the reftoration of 
 the Jews will be literal as well as fpi- 
 ritual. Mofes fays, that when the Jews 
 " return unto the Lord" he will bring 
 them " into the land which their fa 
 thers poiieiled, and they (hall pofiefs 
 it." Deuteronomy, chap. 3Oth. The 
 land of their forefathers can never be 
 taken in a fpiritual fenfe, but muft lite 
 rally mean the land of Ifrael, 
 
 C2 Mr. 
 
3 
 
 Mr. Jofeph Mede fuppofed from the 
 obftinacy of the Jews, in refifting for 
 fo great a length of time every argument 
 which mankind could urge in favour of 
 Chriftianity, that fupernatural means 
 would be neceffary to prevail with the 
 great body of them -, that they would be 
 converted like Paul by viiions from 
 Heaven. Some may be converted in 
 this way, but others may be converted 
 by reading the New Teftament, or 
 other treatifes in favor of the gofpel. 
 We know that fome have been convert 
 ed by reading the New Teftament (fee 
 for this among various inftances, an ac 
 count of a pamphlet in favour of Chrif 
 tianity by a converted Jew, in the Gen 
 tleman's Magazine for the year 1750) 
 and therefore it is fair to conclude, that 
 others will be converted by the fame 
 means. ---We fhould not be difccura- 
 ged from any mild and prudent at 
 tempts to prevail upon the Jews to em 
 brace Chriftianity. But I think that 
 little can be gained in perfonal difputes 
 with them, efpecially before many per- 
 fons, where they may think them- 
 felves infulted by what is faidby the ad 
 vocates of Chriftianity, and upon the 
 
 whole 
 
3* 
 
 whole may be rather irritated than in* 
 ftructed. The leaving them unmo- 
 lefted, or giving them the lame po 
 litical privileges with Chriftians, may 
 have a great influence over their 
 minds. Toleration difarms them of 
 that indignation which they formerly 
 profefled againft Chriftians, and may 
 difpofe them to the acknowledgment 
 of the gofpel, which is the true law 
 of God. 
 
 Upon the converfion of the Jews to 
 Chriftianity, which will probably hap-, 
 pen before a very great length of time, 
 the Gentiles will be generally converted. 
 St. Paul fays of the Jews, " Now if the 
 fall of them be the riches of the world, 
 and the diminiihing of them be the 
 riches of the Gentiles, how much more 
 their fulnefs." Romans; xi; 12. 
 
 In Africa the flave trade fhould be 
 abolifhcd to forward the propagation of 
 thegofpel. The moft effectual method 
 of abolishing the flave-trade, feems to be 
 by making fettlements fimilaj- to that of 
 Sierra Leone, upon the coaft of Africa. 
 By fuch fettlements the Britifh nation 
 
 will 
 
will obtain the glory of aboliihing the 
 Have-trade, not only for herfelf, but for 
 all the world, a circumftance that would 
 bring down innumerable bleffings upon 
 Great Britain. I would very particular 
 ly recommend the Reader to a valuable 
 work entitled " Subftanceof the Report 
 delivered by the Court of Directors to 
 the Sierra Leone Company to the Ge 
 neral Court of Proprietors on Thurfday, 
 March 27 th 1794" and the fubfequent 
 publications from this quarter. It ap 
 pears by this report, that the directors 
 have entered upon what is obvious to be 
 the moft effectual mean for promoting 
 the civilization and converfion of Africa 
 to the Chriftian faith, the attempt to 
 gain over the principal Kings or Chiefs 
 to thefe great deiigns. Some of the fons 
 of the African Chiefs have been educa 
 ted in the Company's fchools ; and 
 Naimbanna, the fon of the King of Si 
 erra Leone, was fent to England to be 
 educated at the Company's expence. 
 His untimely death was much to be la 
 mented, as he prcmifed from his talents 
 and virtues to be an honor to his coun 
 try. He had a well directed zeal to 
 abolifli the ilave-trade, and to fpread 
 
 the 
 
33 
 
 the gofpel, wherever he could, in A- 
 frica. 
 
 The fon of a fucceeding king of Sier 
 ra Leone, with the fon of a neighbour 
 ing chief, were foon afterwards fent to 
 be educated in England. 
 
 It has been fuppofed that the pro-* 
 grefs of the colony of Sierra Leone was 
 flopped by the attack of the French in 
 1794. The injury committed was not 
 permanent, and the colony is now in 
 a very flourishing condition. A Newf- 
 paper is printed every fortnight at the 
 capital, which paper bears the motto of 
 Vox in Eremis, " a Voice in the De- 
 fart." They have a Governor and Coun 
 cil, a Fort, a Mayor and Aldermen, 
 with places for religious worfhip, a$ 
 well as fchools for education. VefTels 
 from many parts of the world continu 
 ally trade at Sierra Leone for dye- 
 woods, gold-duft, ivory, and other ar 
 ticles. It has a fituation particularly 
 advantageous for trade, not only by fea, 
 but by land. It appears by the intereft- 
 ing work entitled " Proceedings of the 
 Aflbciation for promoting the difcovery 
 
 of 
 
34 
 
 of- the interior parts of Africa," that 
 there are more than one hundred milli 
 ons of people in the lately difcovered 
 parts of Africa, with whom in time it 
 might be convenient to trade from Sier 
 ra Leone. It is faid in page 205 of the 
 above mentioned work " But if on the 
 fyftem of the Moors, the effedt of which 
 has been tried too long for its wifdom 
 to be difputed, aflbciations of Englifli- 
 men fhould form caravans, and take 
 their departure from the higheft naviga 
 ble reaches of the Gambia, or from the 
 fettlement which is lately eitabiifhed at 
 Sierra Leone, there is reafon to believe 
 that countries new to the fabrics of 
 England, and inhabited by more than a 
 hundred millions of people, would be 
 gradually opened to her trade.'" It is laid 
 that in the fingle empire of Cafhna (or 
 Kaffina according to Major Renriel the 
 celebrated Geographer) there are a thou- 
 fand flourishing towns and villages, and 
 that the Empire of Bornou is ftill more 
 populous. The Sultan of Bornou is 
 laid td be a much more powerful mo 
 narch than the Emperor of Morocco. 
 The colony of Sierra Leone has already 
 carried on a trade with -the country of 
 
 the 
 
35 
 
 the Pholeys or Foulahs, which lies 
 contiguous to the fettlement. What 
 benefits would enfue, what joy would 
 it caufe in Heaven and Earth, if the 
 commerce for (laves was relinquifhed, 
 and an honourable commerce adopted 
 for the other productions of Africa ! 
 
 It might be a judicious fcheme to 
 have a bookfeliers* fhop at Sierra Leone, 
 well fopplied with Arabic Bibles, to 
 fell at a low rate to the Pholeys ; and 
 in time they might be difperfed over a 
 vaft part of Africa. Moore, in his 
 travels into the inland parts of Africa, 
 lays of the River Gambia " In every 
 kingdom and country on each fide of 
 the river, there are fome people of a 
 tawney colour called Pholeys, much 
 like the Arabs, which language they 
 moft of them fpeak, being to them as 
 the Latin is in Europe ; for it is taught 
 in fchools, and their law the Alcoran, 
 is in that language. They are more 
 generally learned in the Arabic, than 
 the people of Europe are in Latin, for 
 they can moft of them fpeak it, though 
 they have a vulgar tongue befides, cal 
 led Pholey. J> Page 21. 
 
 la 
 
In the Gentleman's Magazine for 
 May 1799, page 369, we find " Pro- 
 pofals for printing a new edition of the 
 Holy Scriptures in Arabic, by J. D. 
 Carlyfle, B. D. Chancellor of the Dio- 
 cefe of Carlifle, and Profeffor of Arabic 
 in the Univerfity of Cambridge." 
 
 The Profeffor of Arabic very fenfibly 
 fays, " It having been fuggefted that 
 an Arabic edition of the Scriptures 
 might tend very coniiderably at the pre- 
 fent moment, towards the advancement 
 of Chriftianity, both in Afia and Af 
 rica, the author of the prefent propo- 
 fals has endeavoured to throw together 
 fuch information as he has been able to 
 collecl: upon the fubject, in order to af- 
 certain how far the undertaking be like 
 ly to be productive of real utility." 
 
 Wherever Mahomedanifni has gain 
 ed a footing, the Arabic language, we 
 know is in forne meafure underftood ; 
 but it is only from the recent difco- 
 veries of the Sierra Leone Company, 
 and ftill more from thofe of Meffrs. 
 Park and Brown, that we are become 
 
 acquainted 
 
37 
 
 acquainted with the degree to which this 
 language prevails in the interior parts of 
 Africa. 
 
 The former of thefe gentlemen pene 
 trated from the weft eaft wards to about 
 one degree weft longitude, but he had 
 intercourfe with many traders, who 
 came from a diftance of fix weeks jour 
 ney, ftill further from the eaft. The 
 latter of thefe gentlemen, proceeding in 
 a contrary direction, having entered 
 Africa on the fide of Egypt, advanced to 
 about the twenty-feventh degree of eaft 
 longitude, but law feveral perfons who 
 carne from a diftance of fifty or fixty 
 days journey from the weft. They both 
 travelled nearly upon the fame parallel 
 of latitude; that is to fay within the 
 twelfth and fifteenth degree north. A 
 very fmall intermediate diftrict therefore 
 only remains (meaning in North Africa 
 I JiippofeJ concerning which we have 
 not fatisfactory information, either from 
 the perlbnal knowledge of thefe gentle 
 men of themfelves, or from credible 
 accounts received by them on the fpot 
 from other travellers. Through all 
 this vaft diftricT: it ieems clear that the 
 D Arabic 
 
Arabic tongue is well known. On the 
 fcaftern fide of the continent, Mr. Brown 
 'does not conceive, that the knowledge 
 >f this language extends farther to the 
 fouth, than about twelve degrees north 
 latitude ^ from thence to the Medi 
 terranean it is almoft univerfally fpoken* 
 Written, and underftood. He farther in 
 forms us, and there can be no doubt 
 but that he is perfectly qualified to form 
 a competent judgment upon the fubjed:, 
 (from the length of his refidence at Cai 
 ro, and from his accurate acquaintance 
 with the Arabic) that in the negro king 
 doms which he vifited, the Arabic lan 
 guage in ufe was the genuine language of 
 the Koran a much purer dialed: than 
 is fpoken upon the Mediterranean coaft, 
 or even at Cairo itfelf. 
 
 Mr. Park thinks, that In the weflern 
 part of the continent, the knowledge of 
 the Arabic reaches to the eleventh or 
 even tenth degree of north latitude. 
 He agrees with feveral of the travellers 
 from Sierra Leone, in rep refen ting the 
 negro inhabitants as having arrived at a 
 confiderable degree of civilization. They 
 can almoft all read and write the Arabic 
 
 language 
 
39 
 
 language, in which they are regularly in- 
 ftruded, the poorer fort by public maf- 
 ters at village-fchools, the richer by 
 private tutors at their parents' houfes. 
 The native, under whofe hofpitable roof 
 he relided for feveral months, entertain 
 ed a mafler to teach Arabic to his own 
 children, and permitted iixteen others, 
 the children of his poorer neighbours, 
 to learn at the iame time. 
 
 According to Mr. Park the negroes 
 are proud of their literature, and feldorn 
 travel without a book flung by their 
 fide. Amongft their books he has per 
 ceived the Pentateuch, the Beck of 
 Pfalms, and the Prophet Ifaiah. All 
 thefe they prize very highly j and fuch 
 is the general eagernefs to obtain them, 
 that he believed no articles would be 
 more faleable in Africa^ than copies of 
 the Scriptures in Arabic. He has feen 
 a copy of the Pentateuch alone, fold at 
 the price of one prime flave, i. e. about 
 twenty guineas. 
 
 Their manufcripts however were not 
 elegantly written, and they greatly pre 
 ferred the printed characters, which he 
 
 fliewed 
 
4 o 
 
 /hewed them in Richardfon's grammar, 
 to any writing of their own. This 
 grammar many of them were extreme 
 ly folicitous to purchafe j and he was 
 oiJered for it above three pounds fterling; 
 he was at laft obliged to leave the book 
 behind him as too valuable a treafure to 
 be taken out of the country. 
 
 Such is the prefent Situation of the 
 moft populous part of Africa. The in 
 habitants have acquired fome know 
 ledge of Scripture they feem defirous 
 of acquiring more, and furely it is a con- 
 lideration well worthy attention, that 
 the religious knowledge already impart 
 ed has not been by Chriftian but Maho- 
 medan exertions. The light however 
 which they have kindled we may che- 
 rifhand increafe ; the Koran we fee has 
 led on to 'the reception of the hiftorical 
 parts of Scripture, with which indeed* 
 it is in various places intimately connec 
 ted. The hiftorical books have intro 
 duced fome of the moft efiential of the 
 prophetic. Why then ihould we de- 
 fpair, that thefe, united in the fame vo 
 lume with the Gofpel, referring to the 
 fame objedts as it does, interwoven with 
 
 every 
 
4 1 . 
 
 every part of its texture, may not be the 
 means of inducing the Africans to con- 
 fider the foundation of Chriftianity, and 
 to embrace its dodrines ? 
 
 From the above account of the ftatc 
 of Arabian literature in Africa it is evi 
 dent, that many of the negroes, carried 
 from that country (efpecially from the 
 interior part of it) to our Weft-India 
 Iflands, mud be capable of underftand- 
 ing the Scriptures in Arabic. Mr. Park 
 fays that the veffel in which he returned 
 contained one hundred and twenty feven 
 flaves, moft of them from the neigh 
 bourhood of the coaft, but foine from 
 the interior of the country, and that 
 out of this number there were feven teen 
 or eighteen who could read and write 
 Arabic, but the matters of the ihips he 
 added, threw the books belonging to the 
 flaves into the fea for fear a perufal of 
 them " fhould make them fick at 
 heart." If we fuppofe the fame propor 
 tion of negroes purchafed by every 
 Slave-merchant, to be thus educated 
 (and in general a much larger portion 
 of the flaves is fuppofed to be brought 
 from the interior, where the region of 
 D 2 knowledge 
 
42 
 
 knowledge increafes) one * feventh part 
 of the flaves in the Weft Indies are able 
 to read the Arabic Bible were it put in 
 to their hands j and if we may judge of 
 them from their conduct when in a ftate 
 of freedom, they w r ould willingly receive 
 it were it offered them for their accep 
 tance." 
 
 The Directors of the Mifiionary Soci 
 ety of London, a Society who deierve 
 high applaufe for their noble zeal to 
 propagate the Gofpel, fay, " We have 
 alfo one young man now learning the 
 Arabic language, with an exprefs view 
 to the interior of Africa, and who, we 
 hope, by means of a tranflation of the 
 Bible into Arabic, to the printing of 
 which we have fubfcribed, may be the 
 inftrument of introducing the Word of 
 God into that long neglected conn- 
 try." 
 
 See Evangelical Magazine for Janu 
 ary 1800. 
 
 It might be of vaft advantage to efta- 
 
 blifh 
 
 * Some of the negro ilaves can read the Arabic 
 Bible, but probably not fo many as a feventh part. 
 
43 
 
 blim in the courfe of time a large Uni- 
 verfity in the growing fettlement of Si 
 erra Leone. It would be of great uie 
 to teach Arabic in this Univerfity, with 
 the various fciences. The ufeful arts 
 might be taught in the fettlement, and 
 thus religion with commerce and the 
 arts and fciences, be gradually intro 
 duced over a vaft part of Africa. It is 
 faid, that in the Company's fchools at 
 Sierra Leone there were three hundred 
 African children, among whom were 
 the fons of forne of the [neighbour 
 ing Chiefs. 
 
 It requires great prudence and ma 
 nagement in the propagation of the 
 Gofpel about Sierra Leone, to avoid the 
 oppofition of the Moors . A miffionary, 
 or even a Chriftian traveller, fhould 
 be cautious of trufting himfelf in their 
 hands. The Moors were the inftru- 
 ments of the death of Major Houghton 
 the traveller, and probably killed Mr. 
 Grigg the miffionary. Mr. Mungo 
 Park in his travels, fays of a place called 
 Deena, in the kingdom of Ludamar, 
 aiot very far from the Senegal river, 
 " The Moors are here in greater pro 
 portion 
 
44 
 
 portion to the negroes than at Jarra. 
 They affembled round the hut of a ne- 
 groe were I lodged, and treated me 
 with the greateft infolence, they hiffed, 
 fhouted, and abufed me, they even 
 fpat in my face with a view to irritate 
 me, and afford them a pretext for feiz- 
 ing my baggage. But rinding fuch in- 
 fults had not the defired effecl, they 
 had recourfe to the final and decilive 
 argument that I was a Chriftian, and 
 of courfe, that my property was lawful 
 plunder to the followers of Mahomet. 
 They accordingly opened my bundles, 
 and robbed me of every thing they fan 
 cied." 
 
 In another place Mr. Park fays, 
 " with the returning day commenced 
 the fame round of infult and irritation ; 
 the boys affembled to beat the hog 
 (which through derifion was tied to 
 the pofls of his hut) and the men and 
 women to plague the Ghriftian. It is 
 Impoffible for me to defcribe the beha 
 viour of a people who ftudy mifchief as 
 a fcience, and exult in the miferies and 
 misfortunes of their fellow creatures. 
 It is fufficient to obferve that the rude- 
 
 nefs 
 
4$ 
 
 nefs, ferocity and fanaticifm, which 
 diftinguifh the Moors from the reft of 
 mankind, found here a proper fubjedl 
 whereon to exercife their propenfities. 
 I was a Jl ranger 9 I was unprotected, 
 and I was a CbrijUan^ each of thefe cii> 
 cumftances is Sufficient to drive every 
 fpark of humanity from the heart of a 
 Moor ; but when all of them, as in my 
 cafe, were combined in the fame per- 
 fon, and a fufpicion prevailed withal, 
 that I had conie as &jpy into the coun 
 try, the reader will eaiily imagine that, 
 in fuch a fituation, I had every thing to 
 fear. Anxious however to conciliate 
 favour, and if poffible, to r^ord the 
 Moors no pretence for ill treating me, 
 I readily complied with every command 
 and patiently bore every infult j but ne 
 ver did any period of my life pafs away 
 fo heavily; from funrife to funfet was I 
 obliged to fuffer, with an unruffled 
 countenance, the infults of the rudeft 
 favages on earth." 
 
 A great opportunity immediately of 
 fers itfelf to propagate the Gofpel among 
 the negroes in Africa who are Pagans ; 
 and afterwards thofe may be brought 
 
 over 
 
4 6 
 
 over to acknowledge its truth who are 
 Mahometans, or under tile controul of 
 tjie Moors. 
 
 Mr. Park fays that in various parts 
 of Africa where he travelled, there are 
 what they call Singing-men, a fort of 
 itinerant Minftrels or Poets. Thefc 
 men have a great influence among the 
 people, and their converiion would be a 
 confiderable help to the caufe of propa 
 gating the GofpeL " Give me your 
 Bards (fays a judicious obferver of hu^- 
 man nature) and I will rule your coun 
 try." Mr., Park gives a ftriking in- 
 ftance of the confequence of thefe Sing*, 
 ing-men, in the cafe of an African King, 
 who thought it prudent to make a re 
 treat from the enemy. He fays " When 
 Daify departed from Joko his fons re- 
 fufed to follow him, alledging, that the 
 Singing-men would publifh their dif- 
 grace, as foon as it mould be known, 
 that Daify and his family had fled from 
 Joko without firing a gun." If a pru 
 dent minifter of the Gofpel, who knew 
 in imitation of St. Paul to " become 
 all things to all men" who was well 
 inftrufted in the Arabic language, were 
 
 to 
 
47 
 
 to explain to thefe Singing-men, that 
 many of the ancient Jewifh Prophets 
 were Poets (as Dr. Lowth has proved 
 in his ledures on Hebrew poetry) like 
 themfelves, he might excite in their 
 minds an ardent defire to be acquainted 
 with all the writings of the Prophets, 
 where the fublimeft Poetry is to be 
 found, and in the end, he might bring 
 over thefe African Bards to the acknow 
 ledgment of Chriftianity. 
 
 Some have fuppofed that African 
 miffionaries would be moft likely to 
 convert the Negroes. It would be as 
 well, perhaps, to try African and white 
 miflionaries. It is faid in the Evangeli 
 cal Magazine for July 1799, which is 
 a work that defer ves greatly to be en 
 couraged for the numerous valuable 
 things which it contains ; it is a plea- 
 fing as well as an inftrudive publication. 
 " As iron iharpcneth iron fo doth a man 
 his friend. This was never more ftrong- 
 ly exemplified than in the happy effects 
 produced by the London Miffionary So 
 ciety. Among a variety of attempts to 
 promote the knowledge of the Gofpel 
 of Chrift, a more noble effort, perhaps, 
 
 has 
 
has not yet been made, than that of 
 which we have lately received infor 
 mation. A zealous individual, a direc 
 tor of that Society in Scotland, has, at 
 his own expence, brought from Africa, 
 twenty black boys, from eight to four 
 teen years of age, and four girls. They 
 are the children of the Head-men, 
 from the vicinity of Sierra Leone, and 
 were entrufted to the care of Governor 
 Macauley on his return to England. 
 They are now under inoculation, and 
 recovering, at the fmall-pox hofpital, 
 and are immediately going down to 
 their refpectable patron at Edinburgh, 
 where they are to be inftrucfted in 
 Chriftian knowledge, and taught our 
 moft ufeful arts, that, after fome years, 
 they may return to their native country, 
 not only improved themfelves, but ca 
 pable of communicating inftru&ion to 
 their countrymen. Reader, reft not in 
 barren imitation of fuch exalted philan- 
 throphy, but awake to fome fimilar 
 exertions !" Evangelical Magazine, vol. 
 7, page 307. 
 
 A fine opportunity prefents itfelf to 
 propagate the Gofpel in and about the 
 
 Cape 
 
49 
 
 Cape of Good Hope. A miffionary 
 fociety eftabliihed in South Africa may 
 by degrees enlighten the whole country. 
 It is faid in Scripture, that " a little 
 leaven leaveneth the whole lump." A 
 fociety at the Cape of Good Hope, well 
 fupported and judicioufly directed, may 
 be to South Africa, like a ftone thrown 
 into a lake, whoie circles fpread to the 
 extremity of the lake. At firft the 
 country of the Hottentots may be 
 brought over to acknowledge the name 
 of Chrift, with Caffraria, and the Bof- 
 chemen - y then Monomotapa, and other 
 countries, with lower Guinea, and low 
 er Ethiopia. 
 
 Dr. Sparman, in the firft volume of 
 his voyage to the Cape of Good Hope, 
 fays that a Moravian minifter, George 
 Smidt, once made fome progrefs in the 
 conversion of the Hottentots. Dr. 
 Sparman thought from what he knew 
 of the Hottentots, that if proper pains 
 were taken with them, they would em 
 brace Chriftianity " with greet avidity." 
 Dr. Sparman was right in his fuppofiti- 
 ons. It appears from the late periodi 
 cal accounts of the Moravian mifiions 
 E publifhed 
 
5 
 
 published in London, that the Mora 
 vian miffionaries have procured the e- 
 reffion x>f a chapel at Bavian's Kloof, 
 or Cleft, near the Cape, which will 
 contain one thoufand five hundred Hot 
 tentots. Mr. Barrow, late Secretary 
 to the Earl of Macartney, who was the 
 Governor of the fettlement of the Cape 
 of Good Hope, in his " travels in South 
 Africa/' which were published in Lon 
 don in rSoT, fays that the Moravians 
 at Bavian's Kluof ** had fucceeded in 
 bringing together into one fociety, more 
 than four hundred Hottentots, and their 
 numbers are daily increafing." He fays 
 the Hottentots 4e are ambitious to ap 
 pear clean and neat at church/' that 
 " about half were dreffed in coarfe print- 
 ed cottons, and the other half in their 
 ancient iheep-fkin dreffes, and it ap 
 peared, on enquiry, that the former had 
 been the firrl who had been brought 
 within the pale of the church, a proof 
 that their circumstances at leafl had fuf- 
 fered nothing from their change of life." 
 Mr. Barrow fays " the deportment of 
 the Hottentot congregation, during di 
 vine fervice, was truly devout. The 
 difcourfe delivered by one of the fathers 
 
 was 
 
was fhqrt, but replete with good fenfe, 
 pathetic, and well-fuited to the occafi- 
 on; tears flowed abundantly from the 
 eyes of thofe to whom it was particularly 
 addrefled. The females fung in- a ftyle 
 that was plaintive and affecting ; and 
 their voices were in general fweet and 
 harmonious." 
 
 Dr. Vanderkemp, a Dutch phyfician 
 of talents and information, of a mild, 
 but perlevering temper, and with an in 
 vincible zeal to propagate the Gofpel, 
 iuppofed that he might be of great ule 
 to the caufe by going himfelf in perfou 
 to, the Cape. lie prevailed on the mil- 
 fionary fociety of London to encourage 
 a million to the fouth of Africa, and he 
 with two other miffionaries arrived at 
 the Cape in the year 1799. The prof- 
 peels which have opened feem to anfwer 
 the greatnefs of Dr. Vanderkemp's ex 
 pectations. In a letter dated Cape of 
 Good Hope, May 18, 1799, he fays, 
 " iince our arrival at the Cape we are 
 blefled from on high with fo many 
 marks of divine favour and approbation 
 on our attempts and proceedings, that 
 not only we are convinced, but alfo the 
 
 inhabitants 
 
52 
 
 inhabitants of this country univerfally 
 confess, that the work, in which we are 
 engaged, is of God! Every one ftrives 
 to co-operate with us, and affift us in 
 the execution of the plan, which God 
 himfelf feems to have formed, and com 
 municated to us through your inftru- 
 mentality. General Dundas, and the 
 Fifcal Ryneveld, continue to favour us 
 with their approbation and protection. 
 Your letter written in the name of the 
 directors to the people of God in this 
 place, was publickly read from the pul 
 pit at the eftablifhed church, and lent 
 to all the parifhes of this country, and 
 in confequence of it, a fociety is formed 
 in this town, which has affumed the 
 name of THE SOUTH AFRICAN SOCI 
 ETY FOR PROMOTING THE SPREAD 
 
 OF CHRIST'S KINGDOM RESIDING 
 AT THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. The 
 plan of this fociety (which will be fent 
 to you by their fecretary) I have tranf- 
 lated into Englifh for the information of 
 General Dundas, who was pleafed to 
 accept it with all marks of fatisfadtion. 
 This fociety promifes, even in its infant 
 ftate, under the bleffing of the Lord, 
 great things. Many families, being on 
 
 the 
 
S3 
 
 the fhore of Table Bay, in the Maho 
 metan manner, have applied to it for 
 information in the Chriftian religion. 
 Among the fubfcribers to its funds, a 
 Lady has fubfcribed 1 5,000 Dutch guil 
 ders." See Evangelical Magazine, Oc 
 tober, 1799. 
 
 Dr. Vanderkemp in his Journal fays, 
 " Our hearts rejoiced, ; as we had ne 
 ver before iuch an abundant fubjecl of 
 thanking and praifing our Mailer, who 
 had opened fuch a powerful door of 
 entrance to the heathen.." 
 
 It is fcarcely neceflary to mention to 
 thofe who have known or read any 
 thing about the Cape, that the Bofche- 
 men were formerly held by the inhabi 
 tants about the Cape, in the moft igno 
 minious view, even worfe than Hotten 
 tots, that they were treated with all the 
 wanton infolence of tyranny, and hunt 
 ed fometimes like wild beafts. It muit 
 give pleafare to every, lover of human 
 nature to understand, that they will now 
 be treated with the refpect that is due to 
 every creature that has the form of a 
 man. They, as well as the Hottentots 
 E 2 and 
 
54 
 
 and the Negroes, fhould be confidered 
 by real Chriftians as their brethren, for 
 it is exprefsly faid by the Apoftle, that 
 God " hath made of one blood all na 
 tions of men, to dwell on all the face of 
 the earth." 
 
 The Bofchemen, upon the arrival of 
 the miffionaries at the Cape (as appears 
 by their Journal, which is printed in 
 the Evangelical Magazine) applied to 
 them, to be inftrudied in the principles 
 of the Chriftian religion. 
 
 It appears by an interefting letter 
 figned I.E. Kicherer, in the Evangeli 
 cal Magazine for Odober 1800, that 
 he and another miffionary are likely to 
 make coniiderable progreis among the 
 Bofchemen. Mr. Kicherer fays, "at the 
 time the Bofchemen wifhed to be in- 
 flrucfted in the knowledge of Chriftiani- 
 ty we were influenced to come from far 
 countries to inftruct them. How clear 
 ly is the hand of God to be obferved in 
 this ! Wonderful God how adorable art 
 thou in all thy ways !" He fays '* The 
 government of this place promotes in 
 every refpecl, this great affair, and en 
 deavours, 
 
55 
 
 deavours, efpecially by writing, to en 
 force upon the hearts of the Chriftians 
 the concern which every one has there 
 in ; there goes alfo a requeft-boat 
 amongft them for a yearly fubfcription 
 of veflels, corn money, or what each 
 can fpare, on behalf of thefe Bofche- 
 men." 
 
 Dr. Vanderkemp in his writings 
 from the Cape, thinks that a Miffion 
 prudently managed, would, meet with 
 confiderable fuccefs in the important 
 ifland of Madagafcar. He himfelf is 
 gone to fettle in CafFraria, at a con 
 fiderable diftance from the Cape. He 
 has built a houfe there, planted a gar 
 den, and is inftru&ing the inhabitants 
 with indefatigable zeal. 
 
 Dr. Vanderkemp very fenfibly ob- 
 ferves, that there fhould be a large 
 repofitory of miffionaries at the Cape. 
 Some few have lately gone thither ; 
 but it is to be hoped, that multitudes 
 of labourers will before long enter into 
 this truly great and glorious harveft.-f' 
 
 Africa 
 
 t This was written when it was thought the Britifh 
 woald keep poffeflion of the Cape, and it is Hill to be 
 
Africa appears to yield various op 
 portunities of propagating the Gofpel, 
 and of rendering advantage to mankind. 
 It is a country which deferves our 
 increaiing attention. The interefling 
 and extenfive country of Abyffinia lies 
 contiguous to thofe newly difcovered 
 kingdoms of Bornou and Kaffina, which 
 arefuppofed to be fo extremely populous. 
 Abyffinia is nine hundred miles long, 
 and eight hundred broad. The travels 
 of the ingenious and learned Mr. Bruce 
 in Abyffinia feem in fome points to have 
 been unjuftly decried. Two of the 
 moft remarkable men in the world for 
 talents and learning, the late Sir Wil 
 liam Jones, and the late Dr. Robertfon 
 the hiftorian, were great admirers of 
 Mr. Bruce. It appears certain that 
 Mr. Bruce was in Abyffinia. He drew, 
 a bill of Exchange from there upon 
 Mr. Drummond the great Banker near 
 Charing Crofs, London, which was 
 for a confiderable time in the hands of 
 Mr. Drummond. Sir William Jones 
 knew a perfon who had feen Mr. Bruce 
 
 in 
 
 hoped that thefe pleafing expe&ations of the progrefs 
 of the Gofpel will not be altogether tiifappointed when 
 ij (hall be fui?endered. 
 
57 
 
 in Abyffinia. Mr. Brown who has 
 lately publifhed his Travels into Africa 
 and Syria, faw fome perfons in Egypt, 
 who teftified in favour of Mr. Bruce's 
 being in Abyffinia. He brought over 
 leveral books from Abyffinia, fome of 
 which he depofited in the Britifh Mu- 
 feum. Mr. Bruce fays, that the Abyf- 
 finians have a very imperfect knowledge 
 of Chriftianity. Their religion is a 
 ftrange mixture of Judaifm, Paganifm, 
 and Chriftianity. It is fuppofed in 
 Abyffinia that the king is defcended 
 from Solomon by the Queen of Sheba 
 (or Saba) the Queen of the South who 
 vifited Terufale.m. The Motto to the 
 Arms of the King is " The Lion of 
 the race of Solomon and tribe of Judah 
 hath overcome." Mr. Bruce fays 
 there are many Jews in Abyffinia,. and 
 that they are black as the original natives. 
 The people of Abyffinia were, for a 
 time fo exafperated at the Popifh mif- 
 fionaries, who they fuppofed were aim 
 ing to introduce a foreign power into 
 the kingdom fuperior to the King's, 
 that they ftoned to death every Roman 
 Catholic Prieft who entered the coun 
 try. One of their kings offered a bag 
 
 of 
 
5 8 
 
 of gold duft for the head of every Priefl 
 that could be found. In time it might 
 be no difficult matter, for a prudent 
 Minifter of the Gofpel, to convince 
 the Abyfsinians that he entertained no 
 defign of introducing Popery. It is 
 probable alfo that the cuftom of fuffer- 
 ing no ftranger to return from Abyf- 
 linia (which was with difficulty fetafide 
 in favour of Mr. Bruce) may not be for 
 ever enforced, as every jealouiy of the 
 Papifts, whom they call Franks, will 
 in time be extinguished. The Travels 
 of Mr. Bruce contain a great fund of 
 true and curious information, though 
 they contain fome extravagant and mif- 
 chievous things. His defence of the 
 Slave trade defer ved the fevereft rep re - 
 henfion. 
 
 Mr. Bruce with a view to debafe the 
 negroes, has in vain iniinuated againft 
 the dodrine that colour in the human 
 ipecies is the effect of climate. Indeed 
 the facts which he himfelf has produ 
 ced, tend to corroborate the doctrine. 
 He fays of the Galla, a nation of fhep- 
 herds who probably lived under or be 
 yond the line, and were always emigra 
 ting 
 
59 
 
 ting northwards. " As under the 
 line to the fouth of Abyfsinia, the land 
 is exceedingly high, and the fun feldom 
 makes its appearance on account of the 
 continual rains, the Galla are confe- 
 quently of a brown complexion, with 
 long black hair. Some indeed, who 
 live in the valleys of the low country, 
 are perfectly black." See Bruce's Tra 
 vels, vol. 3, page 217, quarto. In 
 another place he fays, " The Nareans 
 of the high country are the lighteft in 
 colour of any people in Abyfsinia ; but 
 thofe that live by the borders of the 
 tnarflies are .perfect blacks, and have the 
 features and wool of negroes : whereas 
 all thofe in the high country of Narea, 
 and frill more in the ftupendous moun 
 tains of Caffa, are not fo dark as Neapo 
 litans and Sicilians. Indeed it has been 
 faid, that fnow has been feen to lie on 
 the mountains of Caffa." Vol. 2, 
 
 P a g e 3 '3- 
 
 The Slave trade is not only againft 
 reafon, humanity, and the true inte- 
 refts of Mr. Bruce's country, but 
 inimical to the principles and the pro- 
 grefs of the Goipel, which is the great- 
 eft 
 
eft blefsing that was ever conferred by 
 the Almighty upon mankind. 
 
 Afia is an important part of the world, 
 which in future may be greatly en 
 lightened, but at prefent is almoft all 
 involved in fpiritual darknefs. It 
 ieems difficult how immediately to pro 
 pagate the Gofpel there in any confider- 
 able manner. The difperfion of the 
 Bible in Arabic, might be the happy 
 inftrument of introducing knowledge 
 into a great part of this benighted 
 quarter of the globe. 
 
 The Rev. Mr. Millar, Minifter of 
 Paifley in Scotland, in the 8th vol. of 
 his works (published feveral years ago) 
 on the propagation of the Gofpel, fays 
 " By an extract of feveral letters print 
 ed at London, we have a Propofal from 
 England for printing the New Tefta- 
 ment and Pialter in the Arabic Lan 
 guage, for the benefit of poor ChrifU- 
 ans in Paleftine, Syria, Mefopotamia, 
 Arabia, and other eaftern countries. 
 
 There are feveral confiderations, of 
 fered in thefe letters, to ihevv the ad 
 vantage 
 
6i 
 
 vantage and neceffity of fo pious an un 
 dertaking, which deferve room here : 
 Particularly Mr. Solomon Negri, a na 
 tive of Damafcus, in Syria, in his let 
 ter to a Member of the Society at 
 London for promoting Chriftian know 
 ledge, dated March 28, 1720, advan 
 ces thefe reafon-s for it: " Firft, the 
 want of printing-preffes in the eaftern 
 countries makes books very fcarce and 
 dear, much beyond what the poor 
 Chriftians can afford to purchafe them 
 at, having much ado to pay the tributes 
 and impofitions laid on them by the 
 government they live under, and to fup- 
 ply the common receffaries of life; 
 fo that there are but very few in con 
 dition to buy books for inftrudlion and 
 fpirktml nouriflinient. Secondly, the 
 few printed copies, either of the whole 
 New Teftament, or any part of it, are 
 very hard to be got in thefe parts of the 
 world, and thefe alfo at a very dear rate. 
 The two editions of Rome have had 
 little fuccefs, by reafon of the cuts and 
 figures therein, which the eaftern na 
 tions have an averfion to ; and by rea- 
 fon of the badnefs of the imprefsion, and 
 raeannefs of the language,, being even 
 -F indecent 
 
indecent in fome places. Thirdly, the 
 excellency of the Arabic language is 
 undoubted in what light foever you 
 pleafe to confider it; this is the lan 
 guage the Koran is wrote in ; it extends 
 to all thole countries where the Maho 
 metan religion is. profefled, and even 
 beyond thofe countries, among many of 
 the heathen ; it is the common language 
 of the greateft part of Africa, and of a 
 considerable part of Afia; and in the 
 Turkiih dominions where it is not 
 generally fpoke, it is neverthelefs taught 
 in fchoois, and flu-died by men of let 
 ters, as Latin is in Europe, where alfo 
 it is read in feveral univerfities. But 
 fays he, " I will only mention thofe 
 countries where the greateft number of 
 Chriftians are fettled ; namely, Palef- 
 tine, Syria, Mefopotamia, Arabia, and 
 Egypt. In all thefe countries there 
 are great numbers and communities of 
 Chriftians, to whom fuch an edition 
 will be ufcful, as the Arabians of the 
 Greek Church, commonly called Me- 
 lehites, who being fuperior in numbers 
 to all the reft, ought to be principally 
 regarded; the Syrians or Eutychians, 
 the Neftorians, Maronites, Armenians, 
 
 Copts, 
 
63 
 
 Copts, and even a fmall remnant of the 
 ancienteft Nazarenes. All thefe, though 
 they celebrate their liturgy in the lan 
 guage ufed by the refpedive churches, 
 yet they generally understand, fpeak, 
 and write Arabic/' He adds, " the belt 
 method would be to referve part of the 
 edition at London, and fend from time 
 to time a number of copies bound, with 
 a fuitable recommendation to the Eng- 
 lifh Conful at Aleppo, which of all 
 cities is the beft for difperfing them. 
 And the faid Conful with the afsiftance 
 of his Chaplain, who will readily 
 charge him felf with a commifsion fo 
 agreeable to his character, and fo hono 
 rable and glorious to the Britifli nation, 
 will give them to thofe for whom they 
 are defigned." 
 
 Mr. Millar fays, " Mr. Ayerft, 
 Chaplain to Sir Robert Sutton, late 
 Ambaffador at the Porte, adds, " The 
 Turks will not hinder fuch a New Tef- 
 tament from being difperfed." 
 
 It appeared afterwards, that two 
 thoufand copies of the New Teflament, 
 and four thoufand of the Pfalter, were 
 
 difperfed 
 
6 4 
 
 difperfed among thefe pooF Chriftiansv 
 without any moleftation from the 
 Turks. And it is probable that the 
 Turks at this prefent time, would be as 
 indifferent in regard to a difperfion of 
 the New Tcftament or the Bible in 
 Arabic^ 
 
 The difperfion of the Bible in Arabic 
 in Africa and Alia, might be an objed: 
 worthy the encouragement of the gene 
 rous fpirit of the Britiih government.. 
 A grant of a coniiderable fum of money 
 for this purpofe might be productive o 
 the moft beneficial confequcnces. 
 
 The profefl.br of Arabic iahis propo- 
 fals for printing a new edition of the Holy 
 Scriptures in Arabic, which were pub- 
 lifhed in the Gentleman's Magazine, 
 fays, " The fame arguments that tend 
 to evince the utility of diftributing an 
 Arabic verfion of the Scriptures among ft 
 the Mahomedans of Africa, may be 
 applied to difperfing it amongft perfons 
 of that perfuafion in India, nay fome 
 will apply with ftill greater force and 
 promife frill more beneficial effects ; 
 fuch as the fuperior degrees of cultiva- 
 
 tioii 
 
65 
 
 tion at which the inhabitants of India 
 are arrived, and the very important ad 
 vantages wepoffefs (by being matters of 
 the country) towards fecuring an eafy 
 circulation of books to every part of the 
 continent. 
 
 Nor is this all : From the late remark 
 able difcoveries of Sir William Jones, 
 Mr. V/ilford, and others, no doubts 
 can be entertained, but that the Purans, 
 however loaded with fable, contain at 
 the bottom, the fame accounts of the 
 early hiflory of the world, as the books 
 of Mofes. This is a fad, which when 
 once rendered evident to the Hindoos, 
 can hardly fail to prove highly in tereft- 
 ing to them. There is a circumftance 
 too attending the Arabic tranflation of 
 the Scriptures, that will peculiarly re 
 commend it to the learned in India, 
 viz. the purity of its language. The 
 barbarous ftyle, in which fome eaftern 
 verfions of the New Teftament are 
 written, has been known to operate 
 very materially againft the reception ; 
 but the Arabic verfion of the Polygott 
 is free from this objection. It was 
 cornpofed probably by fbme of the moil 
 F 2. learned 
 
66 
 
 learned men of Syria and Egypt, cer 
 tainly at a time when Arabic literature 
 was at its zenith ; and it was ufed at 
 Alexandria and Cairo, both by Jews 
 and Chriftians by men perfectly ac 
 quainted with all the niceties of the 
 language, as a faithful and elegant re- 
 prelentation of their refpeclive books of 
 faith. It has obtained the fame character 
 amongft the moft learned Oriental! (Is in 
 Europe. "*-f- 
 
 There are many millions of Hindoos 
 under the dominion of the Britifh in the 
 Eaft Indies, but it appears a difficult 
 matter to convert them to Chriftianity. 
 The late Lord Clive, in a memoir 
 written feveral years ago, faid, that " the 
 inhabitants in India who might be call 
 ed Britifh fubjecls, amounted to twen 
 ty millions." Since this memoir was 
 written, there has been a great acccflion 
 of territory and population in the eaft, 
 and the Britifh inhabitants there are now 
 computed to be thirty millions or more. 
 
 A very 
 
 f The New Tefiament has lately been tranflated 
 into the Rengallee language, bat the Bible in Arabic 
 might ftill be ufefol in India. Some fpecimens^ of 
 the to tranflation.have been fcnt ic;o various countries. 
 
6 7 
 
 A very great proportion of thefe are Hin 
 doos. Mr. Orme, fays, that in Hin- 
 doftan, which name he gives to the 
 peninfula within the Ganges and the 
 main land, or the Mogul's empire, 
 there are one hundred millions of Hin 
 doos, and ten millions of Mahometans. 
 It is faid of the Hindoos in Guthrie's 
 Geographical Grammar (almoft in the 
 words of the celebrated hiftorian, Mr. 
 Orme) " Their manners are gentle; 
 their happinefs coniifts in the folaces of 
 a domefticlife; and they are taught by 
 their religion that matrimony is an in- 
 difpenfable duty of every man, who 
 does not feparate himfelf from the 
 world from a principle of devotion. 
 Their religion alib permits them to 
 have feveral wives; but they feldom 
 have more than one; and it has been 
 obferved, that their wives are diftin- 
 guilhable by a decency of demeanour, 
 a folicitude in their families, and a fide 
 lity to their vows, which might do 
 honour to human nature in the moft 
 civilized countries/' The Hindoos, 
 however, are ftill guilty of the groffeft 
 idolatry, and ftill praflife the barbarous 
 cufiom of burning the living wife upon 
 
 the 
 
68 
 
 the fame pile with her dead hufband. 
 There is a curious account of a circum- 
 ftance of this nature in " Travels in In 
 dia during the years 1780, 1781, 1782, 
 and 1783. By William Hodges, R. A." 
 London, printed, quarto, 1793. The 
 account is fo interefting, that I hope 
 my reader will not be difpleafed at 
 its length. Mr. Hodges fays, " While 
 I was purfuing my profeiiional labours 
 in Benares, I received information of a 
 ceremony v/hich was to take place on the 
 banks of the river, and which greatly 
 excited my curiofity. I had often and 
 repeatedly heard of that moft horrid 
 cuftom amongft, perhaps, the moft 
 mild and gen tie of the human race, the 
 Hindoos ; the facrifice of the wife on 
 the death of the hufband, and that by 
 means from which nature fhrinks with 
 the utmoft abhorrence, by burning. 
 Many inilances of this practice have 
 been given by travellers ; thofe whom I 
 have met with, only mention it as taking 
 place among the higheft clafles of fo- 
 ciety, whofe vanity united with fuper- 
 ftitious prejudices, might have dictated 
 the circumftance ; and I confefs I could 
 not entertain any other ideas when I 
 
 obferved 
 
6 9 
 
 obferved the theatrical parade that feem- 
 ed to attend it." Mr. Holwell, in his 
 curious work, entitled, Hiftorical e^ 
 vents relative to India, thus accounts 
 for this more than inhuman practice. 
 " At the demife of the mortal part of 
 the Hindoo great Lawgiver and Pro 
 phet, Bramah, his wives, inconfolable 
 for his lofs, refolved not to furvive him, 
 and offered themfelves voluntary victims 
 on his funeral pile. The wives of the 
 chief Rajahs, the firft officers of the 
 ftate, being unwilling to have it thought 
 that they were deficient in fidelity and 
 aifedlion, followed the heroic example 
 fet them by the wives of Bramah. The 
 Bramins, a tribe then newly eftablifhed 
 by their great legiflator, pronounced 
 and declared, that the fpirits of thofe 
 heroines immediately ceafed from their 
 tranfmigrations, and had entered the 
 firft boboons of purification ; it followed; 
 that their wives claimed a right of 
 making the fame facrifice of their mor 
 tal forms to God, and the manes of 
 their deceafed hufbands. The wives 
 of every Hindoo caught the enthufiaftic 
 (now pious) flame. Thus the heroic 
 acts of a few women brought about a 
 
 general 
 
7 
 
 general cuftom. The Bramins had gi 
 ven it the flamp of religion, and inftitu- 
 ted the forms and ceremonials that were 
 to accompany the facrifice, fubject to 
 reftridions, which leave it a voluntary 
 acl: of glory, piety and fortitude." The 
 author proceeds to ftate exprefsly,. 
 that he has been prefent at many of thefe 
 facrifices, and particularly and minutely 
 records one that happened on the 4th 
 of February, 1742-3, near to Cofsim- 
 buzar, of a young widow between feven- 
 teen and eighteen years, leaving at fo 
 early an age three children, two boys 
 nd a girl ; the eldeft, he mentions as 
 not then being four years of age. This 
 infatuated heroine, was ftrongly urged 
 to live, for the future care of her in 
 fants ; but notwithstanding this, though 
 the agonies of death were painted to her 
 in the ftrongeft and rnoft lively terms, 
 fhe, with a calm and refolved counte 
 nance, put her finger into the fire, and 
 held it there a confiderabk time ; me 
 then with one hand put fire in the palm 
 of the other, fprinkled incenfe on it, 
 and fumigated the Bramins. She was 
 then given to underftand by fome of 
 her friends, that fhe would not be per 
 mitted 
 
7* 
 
 mitted to burn herfelf, and this intima 
 tion appeared to give her deep affliction 
 for a few moments ; after which fhe 
 reiblutely replied, that death was in her 
 own power, and that if fhe was not al 
 lowed to burn according to the princi 
 ples of her caft, fhe would ftarve her 
 felf. Her friends finding her thus pe 
 remptory, were obliged at laft to con- 
 lent to the dreadful facrifice of this 
 lady who was of high rank. 
 
 The perfon whom I faw was of the 
 Bhyfe (merchant) tribe or caft ; a clafs 
 of people we fhould naturally fuppofe, 
 exempt from the high and impetuous 
 pride of rank, and in whom the natural 
 defire to preferve life, fhould in general 
 predominate, undiverted from its proper 
 courfe by a profpecl: of pofthumous 
 fame. I may add, that thefe motives 
 are greatly ftrengthened, by the exemp 
 tion of this clafs from that infamy, with 
 which the refufal is inevitably branded 
 in their fuperiors. Upon my repairing 
 to the fpot, on the banks of the river, 
 where the ceremony was to take place, 
 I found the body of the man on a bier, 
 and covered with linen, already brought 
 
 down, 
 
down, and laid at the edge of the river. 
 At this time, about ten in the morning, 
 only a few people were affembled, who 
 appeared deftitute of feeling at the ca- 
 taftrophe that was to take place ; I may 
 even fay, that they difplayed the moft 
 perfect apathy and indifference. After 
 waiting a confiderable time, the wife ap 
 peared attended by the Bramins, and 
 mufic, with fome few relations. The 
 proceffion was flow and folemn; the 
 victim moved with a fteady and firm 
 ftep; and apparently with a perfect 
 compofure of countenance, approached 
 clofe to the body of her huiband, where 
 for fome time, they halted. She then 
 addreffed thofe who were near her with 
 compofure, and without the leaft trepi 
 dation of voice or change of counte 
 nance. She held in her left hand a co 
 coa-nut, in which was a red colour 
 mixed up, and dipping in it the fore 
 finger of her right hand, {he marked 
 thofe near her to whom (he wifhed fo 
 fhew the laft act of attention. As at 
 this time I flood clofe to her, {he ob- 
 ferved me attentively, and with the co 
 lour marked me on the forehead. She 
 might be about twenty-four or five years 
 
 of 
 
73 
 
 of age, a time cf life when the bloom 
 of beauty has generally fled the cheek in 
 India ; but flill me preferved a fufficient 
 fhare to prove that me mufl have been 
 handfome : her figure was fmall but ele 
 gantly turned; and the form of her 
 hands and arms was particularly beauti 
 ful. Her drefs was a loofe robe of white 
 flowing drapery, that extended from her 
 head to the feet. The place of facrifice 
 was higher up on the bank of the river, 
 a hundred yards and more from the fpot 
 where we now flood. The pile was 
 compofed of dried branches, leaves and 
 rufhes, with a door on one fide, and 
 arched and covered on the top \ by the 
 fide of the door flood a man with a 
 lighted brand. From the time the 
 woman appeared to the taking up the 
 body to convey it into the pile, might 
 occupy a fpace of half an hour, v/hich 
 was employed in prayer with the Bra- 
 mins, in attention to thofe who flood 
 near her, and converfation with her re 
 lations. When the body was taken up 
 fhe followed clofe to it, attended by the 
 chief Bramin : and when it was depo- 
 fited in the pile, fhe bowed to all around 
 her, and entered without fpeakin^. 
 G The 
 
74 
 
 The moment fhe entered, the door was 
 clofed; the fire was put to the cornbuf- 
 tibles, which inftantly flamed, and 
 immenfe quantities of dried wood and 
 other matters were thrown upon it. 
 This laft part of the ceremony was ac 
 companied with the (bouts of the mul 
 titude, who now became numerous, 
 and the whole feemed a mafs of confufed 
 rejoicing. For my part I felt myfelf 
 actuated by very different fentiments : 
 the event that I had been witnefs to, 
 was fuch, that the minuteft circum- 
 (lances attending it could not be erafed 
 "from my memory; and when the 
 melancholy \vhich had overwhelmed 
 me had fomewhat abated, I made a 
 drawing of the fubjed:, and from a 
 picture fince painted the annexed plate 
 was engraved. 
 
 In other parts of India, as the Car- 
 natic, this dreadful cuftom is accom 
 panied in the execution of it with dill 
 greater horror. It is aflerted that they 
 dig a pit, in which is depofited a large 
 quantity of combuftible matter which is 
 fet on fire, and the body being let down, 
 the viftim throws herfelf into the flam 
 ing 
 
75 
 
 ing mafs. In other places, a pile is 
 raifed extremely high, and the body with 
 the wife is placed upon it, and the 
 whole is fet on fire. Whatever are the 
 means, reafon and nature revolt at the 
 idea, that, were it not a well known 
 and well authenticated circumftance, it 
 would hardly obtain credit. In truth, I 
 cannot but confefs, that fome degree of 
 incredulity was mingled with curioiity 
 on this occafionj and the defire of 
 afcertaining fo extraordinary a fact, was 
 my greateft inducement to bs a fpedta- 
 tor." Page 7984. 
 
 There i an affecting inflance of ths 
 burning of an Hindoo woman, in 
 Colonel Campbell's "Journey overland 
 to India." He calls it " an hellifh 
 facrifice." If the reader will look into 
 an interefting work, entitled " The 
 Afiatic Annual Regifter," he will find 
 indifputable evidence that the cuftom 
 of burning is (till continued. The 
 burning of the widow in India, is a 
 horrible abomination. It is like the 
 impious cuftom of the Jews in ancient 
 times, who " caufed their fons and 
 their daughters to pafs through the fire 
 urtio Molech." Among 
 
7 6 
 
 Among the various other circumftan- 
 ces which need reformation among the 
 Hindoos, or Gentoos, we may mention 
 the manner in which their fourth tribe, 
 that of Sudder (or Soodra) is treated. 
 They are held in fo debafed a view that 
 their touch of a fuperior is thought a 
 pollution worthy of death. I am no 
 Democrat, no contender for the wild 
 and mifchievous dodbrine, that all men 
 are equal; for Reafon and Chriftianity 
 teach us that a king is above a fubjecly 
 a governor above a citizen, and a mafter 
 above a fervant. But a iervant fliould 
 not be treated like a beaft. The fupe 
 rior tribes or cafts among the Hindoos', 
 will not touch the victuals which have 
 been prepared by thofe of an inferior 
 caft. It is a frequent and pernicious 
 faying among them, that it is better to 
 fit than to walk, to fleep than to wake,, 
 and death is the beft of alL 
 
 The learned profeflbr of Arabic in 
 the univerfity of Oxford, fays of the 
 religion of the Hindoos, in his con 
 cluding fermcn which treats of their 
 converfion; "What indeed {hall we 
 think of a religion, which fuppofes the 
 
 expiatipn. 
 
77 
 
 expiation of fins to confift in penance?, 
 than which fancy cannot fuggeft any 
 thing more rigorous and abfurd; in fit 
 ting or {landing whole years in one un 
 varied pofture ; in carrying the heavieft 
 loads, or dragging the moft weighty 
 chains 5 in expofmg the naked body, 
 and in hanging with the head downward 
 before the fiercer!: and moft intolerable 
 fire.";*; 
 
 There is great reafon to doubt that 
 Mr. Orme, and many other writers, 
 have been too partial to the character of 
 the Hindoos. Dr. Robertfon, in the 
 appendix to his " Hiftorical Difquifitiorx 
 concerning Ancient India," in his ac 
 count of the religion of the Hindoos, 
 fays " The pagodas of the eaft were pol 
 luted with human facrifices, as well as 
 
 the 
 G 2 
 
 I See the concluding Sermon in Whites's Ser 
 mon's. London, printed, 1785. See a difTertation 
 upon the Hindoos prefixed to " The Hiftory of Hin- 
 doftan. By Alexander Dow, Efq." See alfo " In- 
 ftitutes of Hindu law." By the late Sir William 
 Jones, tf the reader will attend to theie works, he 
 muft allow that a rational fpirit of Chriftianity would 
 be far preferable to the religious fyftem of the Hin 
 doos. 
 
7$ 
 
 the temples of the weft." Page 
 Quarto. He alludes, in page 320, to 
 fome very indecent ceremonies among 
 the Hindoos. 
 
 Dr. Brown, who was formerly of 
 Magdalen College, Cambridge, and 
 lately became Chaplain to the garrifon at 
 Fort William, Calcutta,, fays "My im 
 perfect knowledge of a great variety of 
 leading facts, will very much cramp my 
 correfpondence; but of one particular 
 branch, the religious condition of the 
 natives, I have confiderable information. 
 The Mahometans make only about a 
 ninth part of the inhabitants of Bengal, 
 who are chiefly Hindoos. The Bramin 
 fuperftition, which it has been the 
 lafliion to reprefent as mild and inoffen- 
 iive, is, as I have the moft convincing 
 evidence, extremely cruel, oppreffive 
 and fanguinary. 
 
 As a fource of depopulation, it is 
 worthy the attention of the Legislature ; 
 .the burning of the women, which has 
 been fuppofed a very partial thing, is an 
 extremely common practice. My learn 
 ed friend, Mr. William Chambers, has 
 
 computed 
 
79 
 
 computed that about 50,000 widows 
 are in thefe provinces burnt annually 
 with their hufbands. Many of them 
 are young and child-bearing ; and might 
 by fecond marriages have been, upon 
 an average, mothers of two children 
 each. The three or four principal 
 wives generally burn; and often the 
 inferiors compelled by difgrace, and the 
 exceilive hardships they are inftantly 
 expofed to, follow their example. In 
 fome few inftances this appears to be a 
 voluntary acl, but the majority are ter 
 rified into it." 
 
 Dr. Brown fays, " The Bramins can, 
 as may ferve their intereft, devote any 
 fick branch, of a family to death; and 
 incredible numbers are made away with 
 by this bloody fuperftition. A gentle 
 man told me, as he pafled above a place 
 called Culna, a little above Calcutta, 
 that he faw a fet of Bramins, pufhing a 
 youth about eighteen years of age into 
 the water; and as they were performing 
 their buiinefs of fuffocation with mud, 
 he called on them to defift. They 
 anlwered calmly, " It is our cuflom 
 it is our cuftom he cannot live ou-r 
 
 god 
 
god fays he muft die." Then the ope 
 ration went on till the unhappy youth 
 expired. This is a fadt, and thoufands 
 here of equal barbarity might be col- 
 ledled. Such, dear Sir, is the Hindoo 
 religion in fome of its fruits. It is full 
 of malignity and all manner of abomi 
 nations. The temples are filled with 
 dancing girls, whofe hiftory you 
 know from books. 1 cannot fpeak of 
 their deteftable rites. The old filthy 
 fyftem of Paganifm in Greece and Rome, 
 is, in fpirit, the fame as that now in be 
 ing among the Hindoos, and perhaps 
 is not lefs polluted, though it be fome- 
 what more retired. I am aihamed to 
 fay, that my eyes have feen what I 
 now ; but unlefs I had feen it, my 
 teftimony would have been fcarcely cre 
 dible, and I never could have fpoken 
 -with fuch abhorrence as I now feel. 1 ' 
 
 A report has lately prevailed, which, 
 if it fhould prove true, would be a fur 
 ther inducement to attempt the conver- 
 fion of the Hindoos, that in Hindoftan 
 there has lately arifen " a religion, 
 which, its followers, in contradiction 
 to the former uniform practice of the 
 
 believers 
 
8i 
 
 believers in the Shatter, endeavour to 
 make univerfal, and with a zeal which 
 reiembles the Mahometan, conflantly 
 enforce by the fword/'-f- 
 
 The dodtrine of loling caft among 
 the Hindoos, is the rock which oppo- 
 fes the propagation of the Gofpel in 
 India. Some who are of a perfecuting 
 fpirit might wim to fplit this rock with 
 iron, or to blow it up with gunpowder. 
 The gentle fpirit of Chrift, however, 
 may in time fever this rock, without 
 the aid of warlike weapons, and caufe 
 water and honey to flow from it. St. 
 Paul fays, " For the weapons of our 
 warfare are not carnal, but mighty 
 through God, to the pulling down of 
 ftrong holds." 2 Corinthians, 10,4, 
 
 To lofe caft, which is a kind of ex 
 communication, is more dreadful to a 
 Hindoo than death or torture. Every 
 relation and connexion in life is faid to 
 be diffolved by this lofs; no relation, 
 
 friend^ 
 
 ^ t See page ?th of " Proceedings of the- A flbcia- 
 tion for promoting the Difcovery of the Interior 
 parts of Africa." 
 
Sa 
 
 friend, or acquaintance, will eat, drink, 
 or frnoke with the perfon who fuffers 
 the lofs. He is held to be a curfe, 
 and ihunned like the peftilence. Every 
 Hindoo who is converted to chriftianity 
 lofes his caft,-f* 
 
 The Mahometans purfued a plan for 
 the propagation of their religion in Hin- 
 doftan, which might fuccefsfully be 
 adopted by the Miniflers of the Goi- 
 pel. They patronized the outcaft Hin 
 doos, and gradually brought them over 
 to the Mahometan faith* In this man 
 ner a great body of flouriihing Hindoos, 
 who had loft their call, might be 
 eftabliihed in fockty to keep one 
 another in countenance, and in time the 
 lofmg caft might be no longer a bugbear. 
 
 It 
 
 f The Danifh miffionaries, who attempted to con 
 vert the Indians in Malabar, in die beginning of the 
 laft century, fay " Every one that turns ChriiUan 
 (not being the head of a family) is pieiently lanijb* 
 ed from bis whele eftate and kindred, not daring fo 
 much as to come near them again. They look en 
 him as the vileft and moil miferable wretch that ever 
 lived." See Page 37 of a Work, entitled " Propa 
 gation of the Gofpel in the Eaft." London, printed,. 
 1.718. This is a book worthy the attention of the 
 Societies lately inftituted for the propagation of the 
 Gofpel. 
 
It might be eafier, perhaps, to con 
 vert the Mahometans in India, than the 
 Hindoos. One great inducement to 
 convert the Mahometans to Chriftiani- 
 ty- 9 with others of high confequence, 
 is, that it would make them more fvrb- 
 miffive to order and good government. 
 It is faid of Amboyna,-^ in the Aiiatic 
 Annual Regifter, for 1 800. " In moft 
 of the diftridts fchools are eftablifhed ; 
 and Proteftant Minifters are appointed 
 for the propagation of the Chriftian 
 Faith. The expence attending thefe 
 inftitutions is very trifling, and the 
 benefit confiderable > as it is found by 
 experience, that the inhabitants of thfc 
 Chriftian diftridts are much more obedient 
 to the -laws than the Mahomedans" 
 
 The government is cautious of ad 
 mitting perfons to propagate the Gof- 
 pel in Hindoftan. It is not improbable^ 
 however, that this favour might be 
 given to the Moravians. There has 
 
 been 
 
 -f- In Banda, and the feven South Weft Iflands, as 
 they are called, which are all urfder the fame, govern 
 ment, many of the natives have been converted to 
 Chriftianity. See Aiiatic Annual Regifter, for 1800. 
 
been for a long time an uninterrupted 
 good underftanding, between the Bri- 
 tih and thefe valuable people. And 
 experience has regularly fhewn, that 
 whenever the Moravian miffionaries 
 have been admitted into the Britim fet- 
 tlements, their labours have been con 
 ducive to peace and order, as well as to 
 morality, induftry, and piety. In the 
 Ifland of Antigua, the Moravians have 
 already converted ten thoufand from 
 about thirty thoufand Negroes, and it is 
 to be wiihed by every good man, and 
 every friend of the Ifland, that they 
 would convert the remaining number of 
 the Negroes. 
 
 The late Emprefs Catharine, gave 
 the Moravians liberty to propagate the 
 Gofpel wherever they pleafed over her 
 extenfive dominions, upon the condi 
 tion that they did not meddle with the 
 government. Upon this ftipulation, 
 they were to be protected by the civil 
 power in regard to their perfonal rights. 
 The agreement was faithfully preferved 
 on both fides. The Moravians made a 
 fet dement, with full permiffionto regu 
 late the internal concerns of their own 
 
 fociety, 
 
85 
 
 fociety, upon the little river Sarpa, near 
 the Wolga. There is an account of this 
 fettlement in the 4th volume of Tooke's 
 complete hiftorical account of all the 
 nations which compofe the Ruffian em 
 pire. It has been lamented by fome, 
 that the Moravians have not found 
 greater fuccefs in the propagation of the 
 Gofpel in Ruffia, but we rnuft patient 
 ly expect that time will difclofe the fruit 
 of their labours. 
 
 It might be more eafy, perhaps, to 
 gain permiffion to propagate the Gofpel 
 in Ceylon, than in Hindoftan. Ceylon 
 is a large, fertile, and valuable ifland, 
 about two hundred and fifty miles long, 
 and two hundred broad. The natives 
 are faid, with forne appearance of reafon, 
 to call it the terreftrial paradife. They 
 are idolaters, they worfhip the fun and 
 moon, though they acknowledge a Su 
 preme Being. It would be a noble and 
 meritorious thing (as Paul faid to the 
 Athenians) to declare unto them, that 
 God whom they ignorant ly worfhip. 
 
 There might be fome profpect of 
 
 propagating the Gofpel in the kingdom 
 
 H of 
 
86 
 
 of Ava, in the Peninfula beyond the 
 Ganges, if millenaries were to go thi 
 ther. Major Symes, in his Account 
 of an embafly to the kingdom of Ava," 
 fays of Rangoon, a coniiderable com 
 mercial city in that kingdom. " Here 
 are to be met fugitives from all coun 
 tries of theeaft, and of all complexions: 
 the exchange, if I may fo call the com 
 mon place of their meeting, exhibits a 
 motley aflemblage of merchants, fuch 
 as few towns of much greater magni 
 tude can produce; Malabars, Moguls, 
 Perlians, Parfees, Armenians, Portu- 
 guefe, French and Englifb, all mingle 
 here, and are engaged in various branches 
 of commerce. The members of this 
 difcordant multitude are not only per 
 mitted to refide under the protection of 
 government, but likewife enjoy the 
 moil liberal toleration in matters of re 
 ligion ; they celebrate their feveral rites 
 and festivals, totally disregarded by the 
 Birmans, who have no inclination to 
 make profelytes." Page 215, Quarto, 
 London, printed, 1800. 
 
 It is highly to be lamented, that fo 
 many difficulties oppofe the propagation 
 
 of 
 
3 7 
 
 of the Gofpel In China. Thefe diffi 
 culties, though great, may not he in 
 vincible. This empire was fuppofed to 
 contain one hundred millions of inhabi 
 tants, which at the former eftimation 
 of the population of the globe at a thou- 
 land millions, is one tenth part. Sir 
 George Staunton, in his " Account of 
 Lord Macartney's Embaffy to China," 
 who attended the embafly, fuppofes, 
 and he buih his eftimation upon official 
 documents, that the population of the 
 old fifteen provinces of China, is three 
 hundred and thirty three millions. See 
 the firft article in the Appendix, vol. 2. 
 What an incitement does this afford 
 to Chriftian zeal, if it could be exerted 
 with any profpecl of fuccefs ! The 
 Jefuits had wonderful fuccefs in propa 
 gating the Gofpel after their manner in. 
 China. But when they were fufpected of 
 aiming to controul the power of the 
 Emperor, and to gain the temporal 
 dominion of the country into their 
 hands, they were haftily expelled from 
 the empire, and all the numerous 
 churches which they had built, were 
 levelled to the ground. In a work en 
 titled " The Travels of the Jefuits, " 
 
 we 
 
88 
 
 we find, that they had fagacioufly adopt 
 ed a practice which mould be imitated 
 by thofe who hold a better fyftem of 
 faith. They took care of thofe chil 
 dren who in China are often left volun 
 tarily deferted by their parents, and 
 educated them in the principles of the 
 Roman Catholic religion. Sir George 
 Staunton, however, fays, that there are 
 many Roman Catholics in Pekin, the 
 capital of China. 
 
 We find the following pleafing in 
 formation, which fhows the liberality 
 of the Church of England, in the New- 
 York Miffionary Magazine for Novem 
 ber, 1 80 1. -It was probably taken 
 from the Evangelical Magazine, printed 
 in London. 
 
 " Society for miffions to Africa and 
 the Eaft, inftituted by members of the 
 eftabliflied Church of England. 
 
 "On Tuefday, May 26, this fociety 
 held their firft anniverfary meeting, 
 when the Rev. T. Scot (of the Lock) 
 preached a fermon before the fociety at 
 Blackfriars Church, after prayers were 
 
 read 
 
8 9 
 
 read by the Rev. Mr. Goode, Mr. 
 Scott introduced his difcourfe (which 
 was founded on Epheiians, 2, 12,) by 
 controverting and refuting the opinion 
 of thofe who would perfuade us that the 
 heathen are in a fafe ilate, and gave an 
 affedting reprefentation of their wicked- 
 nefs, impurity, and cruelty. He point 
 ed out the duty of Chriftians to endea 
 vour to promote their falvation, and he 
 lamented the criminal neglect of this 
 great work. He then fuggefted fome 
 hints calculated to ftimulate and excite 
 the friends of the inftitution to union, 
 zeal, and liberality; and particularly 
 ftated, that this fociety wifhed rather to 
 be confidered as coadjutors, than com 
 petitors with other focieties. He de 
 tailed the fteps already taken by the 
 committee, who have adopted the object 
 recommended in Mr. Mofeley's Me 
 moir, viz : the tranflation of the Scrip 
 tures into the Chinefe language, and 
 their circulation in that immenfe em 
 pire/' This tranflation is a magnifi 
 cent, noble, and judicious fcheme, wor 
 thy the powerful patronage of the King 
 and Parliament of the Britim Ifles. 
 Sir George Staunton fays, " There is 
 H2 in 
 
9 o 
 
 in China no ftate religion. None is 
 paid, preferred, or encouraged by it. 
 The Emperor is of one faith; many of 
 the Mandarines of another ; and the ma 
 jority of the common people of a third, 
 which is that of Fo." Account of 
 the Embafly to China, Vol. 2, Page 
 1 02, Quarto, London printed, 1797. 
 Circumftances may be more favor 
 able for the propagation of the Gof- 
 pel in China, than have been fuppofed. 
 It is faid that the prefent Emperor is 
 more inclined to the Britifh than the 
 late, and it is to be hoped that he will 
 accede to the propofals for an extenfi- 
 on of commerce between China and 
 Great-Britain, which were neglected 
 by his predecerlbr. 
 
 Perfia is a country which has not 
 been fufficiently coniidered. It is faid 
 in Outline's Geographical Grammar, 
 " The long wars between the Perfians 
 and the Romans, feem early to have 
 driven the ancient Chriftians into Perfia 
 and the neighbouring co'untries. Even 
 to this day many fedts are found, that 
 evidently have Christianity for the 
 ground- work of their religion, Some 
 
them, called Souffees, who are a kind 
 of Quietifts, facrifice their paffions to 
 God, and profefs the moral duties. 
 The Sabean Chriftians have in their 
 religion, a mixture of Judaifm and Ma- 
 hometanifm ; and are numerous towards 
 the Perfian gulph. I have already 
 mentioned the Armenian and Georgian 
 Chriftians, who are very numerous in 
 Perfia. The prefent race of Perfians 
 are faid to be very cool in the dodrines 
 of Mahomet, owing partly to their late 
 wars with the Turks." 
 
 The Engliih have factories at Gom 
 broon, nine miles diftant from the fa 
 mous Ifland of Ormus, which formerly 
 carried on an aftonifhing commerce. 
 The Bnglifh trade at Gombroon with 
 the Perfians, Arabians, Banyans, Ar 
 menians, Turks, and Tartars, who go 
 there with the Caravans, which fet out 
 from various inland cities of Afia, un 
 der the convoy of guards . Gombroon 
 would afford a fine opportunity to hold 
 an eafy communication with the Per 
 fians, and many other nations, and to 
 confider how the Gofpel might beft 
 be fpread among them. In the beauti 
 ful 
 
92T 
 
 ful city of Shiraz, which is not very far 
 from Gombroon, there is an univerfity 
 for the ftudy of Eaflern learning. If 
 the Chriftians could diffufe their doc 
 trines over this college, it might be 
 like a torch to illuminate the whole em 
 pire of Perfia. The great hofpitality 
 of the Perfiaris might be made a favor 
 able mean through which ministers of 
 the Gofpel might be introduced into the 
 country. Mr. Francklin, who has late 
 ly been in Perfia, obferves of the inha 
 bitants, " They fay that every meal a 
 ftranger partakes with them, brings a 
 bleffing upon the houfe/' See article 
 Perfia, in Heron's Geography, Lon 
 don printed, 1797* 
 
 The fettlement at New-Holland, or 
 rather New South Wales, which is like 
 a giant in his infancy, feems to prefent a 
 wide field for the labours of the mifiion- 
 ary. This may prove amoft important 
 country. Captain Cookfaid it was the 
 largefl country in the world that did 
 not bear the name of a continent. The 
 length of the eaftern coaft, along which 
 Captain Cook failed, is fuppofed to be a- 
 bout two thoufand miles. It is now faid, 
 that the whole of New South Wales is 
 
 not 
 
93 
 
 not one iiland, and that veffels can fail 
 round Van Diemen's land. Mr. Col 
 lins, late Judge Advocate and Secretary 
 to the colony, who published an ac 
 count of New South Wales, in 1798, 
 fays that the Hawkefbury, which has 
 been difcovered fince the firft fettlement 
 made in the country, is a large and noble 
 river, which may be compared to the 
 Nile. It is not very far from Port 
 Jackfon, and the town of Sidney. Some 
 of the land near the Hawkefbury is ve 
 ry fertile ; it will produce two crops of 
 Indian corn in a year, at the firft crop 
 to the amount of feventy or eighty 
 bufhels per acre. The land will not 
 only produce corn in abundance, but 
 wheat, and almoft every thing that is 
 valuable, pleafing or curious in nature. 
 The farmers in New South Wales are 
 faid to make good wine, as eafily as ci 
 der is produced in the cider-counties of 
 England. The olive-tree would pro 
 bably flourim there, and fome have re 
 commended the raifmg the Tartarian 
 mulberry -tree, for the nourishment of 
 the filk-worm ; There is faid to be a 
 fine whale-fifhery on the coaft. The 
 Governors who have been appointed in 
 
 the 
 
94 
 
 the colony of New South Wales, feem to 
 have been amiable men and worthy of 
 their office; and thofe connected with, 
 government appear to have been generally 
 refpedlable perfons. But it is acknow 
 ledged by all, that there is a great depravi 
 ty of morals in the colony. Some Quaker 
 families, who thought of retiring there 
 from Old England, were frightened a- 
 way on account of this depravity. New 
 South Wales ihould excite the coniidera- 
 tion of the minifters of the Gofpel from 
 its extent, which is find to be as large as 
 that of all Europe, and from its grow- 
 
 t^rr r > /-s*-'0><"Mi<r/'>p HPllP r\P"3CP \vill fPflH 
 uig x;vnm_viviviix/v X 11G UCdA-C Will IX-IJU. 
 
 to make a rapid increafe of this confe- 
 quence. The minifters of the Gofpel 
 might here find a great opening to do 
 good. They might here tame the fe 
 rocious, purify the incontinent, give 
 honefty to rapacity, make the diforderly 
 regular,, and in the end might teach the 
 Songs of Zion (I fpeak independently 
 of the offices of government) to this 
 cage of unclean birds, 
 
 The word of the convidts, again;}: 
 the inclinations of the government, have 
 often wantonly committed depredations 
 
95 
 
 and infults upon the natives of New 
 South Wales. The Miffionaries, in 
 concurrence with the government might 
 have a happy effecl: in preventing thefe 
 evils, and of procuring the natives to 
 be treated with the moft judicious and 
 attentive humanity which is poffible. 
 By late accounts from New South Wales, 
 there were only three miffionaries in that 
 country, and one at Norfolk iiland* 
 
 Of Europe it is not at prefent my in 
 tention to fay much. Though the gof- 
 pel of late has fpread with renewed force 
 in Great Britain and fome parts of Ger 
 many,* it has decreafed in France and 
 fome other countries. The miffionary 
 fociety of London have wifely thought 
 of fpreading a French tranflation of the 
 
 Scriptures 
 
 * We fhould highly applaud the exalted virtue 
 and magnanimious zeal of Baron Von Shirnding of 
 Germany, who is employing the princely wealth with 
 which Heaven has favoured him in a liberal and ju 
 dicious manner for the Propagation of the Gofpel. 
 He thinks that miffionaries thould be eftablimed at 
 Nootka Sound for the purpofe of civilizing and con 
 verting to Chriftianity the Indians in that part of A- 
 merica. There feems alfo to be a defire in Holland 
 and in Switzerland to co-operate with the miffionary 
 fociety in London. 
 
9 6 
 
 Scriptures into that tumultuous coun 
 try, whofe miferies have been an awful 
 leffbn to mankind, to manifeft the dif- 
 ad vantage of infidelity to a nation. 
 
 In my opinion the tranflation of the 
 Scriptures into foreign languages is a 
 matter which has not met with fuffici- 
 ent attention. Every fed: of chriftians, 
 excepting the Roman Catholics, would 
 agree to the propriety of this meafure. 
 It would be prudent for the friends of 
 the Cofpel immediately to open public 
 fubfcriptions for this noble purpofe in 
 all proteftant countries. 
 
 The firft things to be attended to in 
 the propagation of the gofpel in a foreign 
 country, under the favour of Heaven, 
 are, learning the language; procuring 
 children without fraud, to be educated 
 in the principles of Chriflianity devoid 
 of the fuperftition of the country ; ef- 
 tablifhing manufactories as well as cha 
 rity fchools ; and building churches and 
 meeting-houfes . 
 
 In the propagation of the gofpel in a 
 foreign country, the different feels of 
 
 chriftians 
 
97 
 
 Chriftians fhould bear and forbear with 
 each other. The true church of Chrift 
 may confift of the fincere in all religious 
 perfuafions. Thofe who baptize, and 
 thofe who neglect baptifm, if they do it, 
 or do it not, unto the Lord, may 
 all be acceptable unto him. If any ad- 
 minifler the facrament of Chrift's fup- 
 per in a proper and becoming manner, 
 they ihould meet with no oppofition or 
 ridicule from their fellow-chriftians. On 
 the other hand, if any, from a tender 
 confcience, and fearing that this holy 
 rite may not always be duly adminifter- 
 ed, would wifh for the prefent to decline 
 it, they (hould alfo meet with forbear 
 ance. We ihould endeavour, accord 
 ing to the injunftionof the Apo file, not 
 to divide Chrift.. The following words 
 of St. Paul defer ve more attention than 
 has been given to them by modern Chrif 
 tians. " For ye are yet carnal: for 
 whereas there is among you envying, 
 and ftrife, and divifions, are ye not car 
 nal and walk as men ? For while one 
 faith I am of Paul, and another I am of 
 Apollos,are ye not carnal ? Who then is 
 Paul, and who is Apollos, but minifters 
 by whom ye believed, even as the Lord 
 gave to every man ? i Cor. iii ; 3, 4, 5." 
 I It 
 
It is wrong to be too ftridlly confined 
 to any fed:. The names of Luther, 
 Calvin, Barclay, and Wefley, deferve to 
 be mentioned with great refpedh They 
 were fallible men, however, and were 
 all inferior to Paul, and Paul himfelf to 
 Chrift, who is appointed by the Al 
 mighty to be head of the church. We 
 mould inflexibly contend for the prac 
 tice of the eflential duties of religion, 
 without too much attention to uneffen- 
 tial forms and ceremonies. Religion 
 is truly beautiful, when it is underftood 
 with judgment, and pradtifed with fin- 
 cerity. It does not feem worth while 
 for Chriftians to irritate one another 
 about fuch trifles as thou or you in com 
 mon converfation . Cuftom may make 
 one or the other the nominative or accufa- 
 tive cafe, the iingular or the plural num 
 ber. Such things as thefe are like the 
 dust in the balance. We fliould attend 
 to the weightier matters of the law, 
 judgment, mercy and J ait h. 
 
 I will infert the following quotation 
 from Crantz's hiflory of Greenland, to 
 fliew, as an example worthy of univer- 
 fal imitation, the forbearance and Chrif- 
 
 tian 
 
99 
 
 tian benevolence with which two focie- 
 ties of Chriftians- behaved to one another 
 when engaged in the fame work. ' : The 
 twelve laft years have {hewn to every 
 one's joy and edification, that miftiona- 
 ries of two different constitutions, but 
 of the fame foundation of faith, need 
 not let their paffionate zeal drive them 
 afunder, but if both fides take wifdom 
 for their guide, they may condtid their 
 miffions in harmony, gather fouls for 
 one common Lord, and preferve them 
 in him without the one's labour being 
 any detriment to the other. Both par 
 ties adopted the Auguftan confeflion ; 
 and acknowledged each other in that 
 refpeft; they had one Lord, one faith, 
 one baptifm; they inculcated in both 
 churches the chief and fundamental ar 
 ticle of the proteflant religion, viz. Juf- 
 tirlcation before God by free grace, 
 through faith in the all furficient merits 
 of our Lord. They honored each other 
 as fathers, and loved each other as bre 
 thren. They aflifted each other with 
 counfel and deed, particularly in leading 
 the awakened fouls tojefus, and no jar 
 ring of opinion was ever obferved among 
 them or their people. Things being 
 
 thus 
 
IOO 
 
 thus conducted, what fource could there 
 be for fchifrn among the believers, or 
 calumny among the unbelievers ? 
 
 The Danim miffionary proceeded all 
 the while in preaching, teaching, and 
 baptizing, according to the prescribed 
 rules of his church, and the brethren 
 according to the regulations in their con 
 gregation; which they, however, look 
 ed upon as fo far from being neceiiary in 
 another constitution, or even feafible, or 
 beneficial, that they faithfully advifed 
 the Danim miffionary not to adopt the 
 least article thereof which w r as not con- 
 .fiftent with the rules of his church, and 
 that not fo much from apprehenfions of 
 his being called to account for fo doing, 
 but principally that nothing might be 
 introduced among the Greenlanders, 
 which fooner or later might caufe diffen- 
 tions among them. I ftill remember 
 with what pleasure the Ordinary of the 
 brethren read in the yearly accounts from 
 Greenland, the report of this famenefs 
 of principle and unanimity in labour be 
 tween thefe two miffions, how he ex 
 tolled it, and recommended it as worthy 
 of imitation, and how earneftly he ex 
 horted 
 
I 01 
 
 horted our brethren to continue in this 
 caufe. This he alfo teftified publicly. 
 In his annotations on Dr. Weifman's 
 Ecckfiaftical Hiftory, he fays " The 
 internal harmony between the Brethren 
 and the Lutherans there, is one of the 
 greateft beauties in Davis's Straits," 
 
 Thus much I thought neceffary to 
 remark, in order to elucidate the exem 
 plary courfe obferved in profecuting har- 
 moniouily the converfion of the heathen, 
 and will now conclude this third period 
 with the enfuing departure, for the 
 prefent, of our and the Danifh miflion- 
 ary, from their refpe&ive blooming 
 millions, in which the former had been 
 engaged eighteen, and the latter twelve 
 years - y which I will infer tin the identi 
 cal words of the diary at the clofe of 
 the year. " We thank our dear Lord 
 that he hath called, enlightened, and 
 collected this congregation from among 
 the favages, by his fpirit through the 
 Gofpel, who hath kept them hitherto 
 through Jefus Chrift, in the true and 
 only faith. If there had been no more 
 than two or three, who in faith and 
 reality had gathered themfelves together 
 I 2 around 
 
102 
 
 around Jefus, it would ftill have been a 
 congregation according to our Saviour's 
 own words, and we fhould have efteem- 
 ed this a fufficient reward for our eighteen 
 years toil and trouble, though the wifh 
 and fcope of our labour is to fave many 
 thoufand trophies of his crofs. But at 
 reviewing the church book we can reckon 
 upwards of three hundred fouls who 
 have been bound up in the bundle of 
 life y more than forty of whom are al 
 ready taken up to the marriage of the 
 Lamb above, and a hundred are hungry 
 guefts at the Lord's table there.'' 
 Crantz's Hiftory of Greenland, Vol. 2, 
 Pages 150, &c. 
 
 When we confider what has been ef- 
 fedled by the Moravians in feveral parts 
 of the world, we fhould not defpair of 
 finding the Gofpel eftablifhed in China 
 or any where. The Moravians fucceed- 
 ed after indefatigable labours, in propa 
 gating the Gofpel in Greenland. They 
 ftruggled for many years, againft cold, 
 againft hunger, againft a barbarous and 
 perfecuting nation, with invincible and 
 triumphant refolution. They became 
 at laft, like rivers oj 'water in a dry 
 place. Chriftians 
 
103 
 
 Chriftians fhould be more adlive, 
 more courageous, and more difinterefted 
 in the propagation of theGofpel. Ma 
 ny think too much of being acceptable 
 to God, if they are not adually guilty, 
 We fhould more confider that there are 
 crimes of omiffionas well as commiffion. 
 Our Saviour in the parable in the twen 
 ty-fifth chapter of Matthew, fays, the 
 unprofitable fervant who hid his talent 
 in the earth, was, " caft into outer 
 darknefs, where fhall be weeping and 
 gnafhing of teeth." Our Saviour alfo 
 tells his difciples in the fermon on the 
 Mount, " Neither do men light a can 
 dle and put it under a bufhel, but on a 
 candleftick, and itgiveth light unto all 
 that are in the houfe." It is not only 
 neceflary to believe the Gofpel, but to 
 pradife its precepts, and alfo to propa 
 gate it, according to our ability, 
 wherever we can. It is not convenient 
 nor neceflary that all Chriftians fhould 
 be travelling minifters. The public 
 duties of life, or the private cares of a 
 family, may excufe many for the con 
 tinuance in one place. But thofe who 
 do not travel, may in various ways 
 affift the general caufe of the Gofpel. 
 
 They 
 
104 
 
 They may write theirfelves, or difperfe 
 the writings of others in favour of 
 Chriftianity, or may give what pecunia 
 ry aid they can afford, whenever it 
 fhould be found reafonable, towards its 
 propagation. 
 
 We fhould think of what the great 
 Apoftle to the Gentiles fuffered in the 
 propagation of the Gofpel, to animate 
 us to fortitude in difficult and dangerous 
 fituations. He fays he was "inftripes 
 above meafure, in prifons frequent, in 
 deaths oft. Of the Jews, five times 
 received I forty Jtripes, fave one. 
 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once 
 was I ftoned, thrice I fuffered fhip- 
 wreck, a night and a day have I been in 
 the deep : In journeyings often, in pe 
 rils of waters, in perils of robbers, in 
 perils by mine own countrymen, in 
 perils by the heathen, in perils in the 
 city, in perils in the wildernefs, in perils 
 in the lea, in perils among falfe bre 
 thren ; in wearinels and painfulnefs, 
 in watchings often, in hunger and 
 thirft, in failings often, in cold and 
 nakednefs." 2 Corinth, xi; 23 &c. 
 Our Saviour alfo tells his difciples, 
 
 " Fear 
 
io 5 
 
 " Fear not them who kill the body, 
 and after that have no more that they 
 can do." It is mentioned inhiftory, that 
 there were Galileans (Chriftians) who 
 though unarmed, defpifed the naked 
 fwords of their adverfaries . Life, how 
 ever, ihould not be riiked without fuf- 
 iicient reafon. To do this, would manifeft 
 a defperate, melancholy, fanatical fpirit, 
 unworthy of Chriftians. It is where 
 the caufe properly requires the facrifice, 
 that we fhould rejoice in fuffering and 
 laying down our lives for the Gofpel. 
 In fuch a cafe, if we have made a good 
 exertion of our talents, we ihould re 
 joice in dying, as an exile in returning 
 to his home, and as a prifoner in being 
 releafed from his captivity. Paul when 
 he was ripe in Chriftian virtue, was glad 
 when his hour was come. He had faid 
 before that hour " I defire to depart, 
 and to be with Chrift." When the ty 
 rant Nero had commanded him to be 
 put to death for converting one of his 
 concubines to the faith and purity of a 
 Chriftian, we are told that this exalted 
 character, this laborious, fuffering, en 
 lightened faint, this veteran in the 
 caufe of the Gofpel, chearfully yielded 
 
 his 
 
io6 
 
 his neck to the fword of the execu 
 tioner. 
 
 Our Saviour told his difciples " Be 
 hold, I fend you forth as Iheep in the 
 midft of wolves : Be ye therefore wife 
 as ferpents, and harmlefs as doves." 
 We findalfo that St. Paul fhunned per- 
 fecution where he could honeftly ihun 
 it ; that he took every fair advantage of 
 his condition ; that while he was a Jew 
 to the Jews, he declared himfelf a Ro 
 man citizen to the Romans. 
 
 The Unitas Fratrum, or fociety of 
 United Brethren, who are commonly 
 called the Moravians, have met with 
 particular fuceefs in the propagation of 
 the Gofpel, and mould be imitated for 
 their patience, diligence, and fortitude, 
 in this noble work. They inculcate 
 alib and pradlife great civility of man* 
 ners, with a love of induftry, which 
 are powerful afliftants to their pious ex 
 ertions. They feem willing courageouf- 
 ly to venture their perfons among the 
 moft favage and ferocious nations. It 
 is finely faid by Bifhop Hurd, in a fer- 
 mon which he preached, before the 
 
 fociety 
 
lo; 
 
 fociety for the propagation of the Gof- 
 pel in foreign parts. " The difficulties, 
 the dangers, the diftreffes of all forts 
 which muft be encountered by the 
 Chriftian miffionary, require a more 
 than ordinary degree of virtue, and will 
 be only fuftained by him, whom a fer 
 vent love of Chrift, and the quicken 
 ing graces of fpirit have anointed as it 
 v/ere, and confecrated to this arduous 
 fervice. Then it is, that we have feen 
 the faithful minifter of the word go 
 forth with the zeal of an Apoftle, and 
 the conftancy of a martyr. We have 
 feen him forfake eafe and affluence, a 
 competency at leaft, and the ordinary 
 comforts of fociety ; and with the Gof- 
 pel in his hand $nd his Saviour in his 
 heart, make his way through burning 
 defarts, and the howling wildernefs, 
 braving the rage of climates, and all the 
 inconveniencies of long and perilous 
 voyages ; fubmitting to the drudgery 
 of learning barbarous languages, and to 
 the difguft of complying with barba 
 rous manners, watching the dark fuf- 
 picions and expofed to the capricious 
 fury of ignorant favages, courting their 
 offenfive fociety, adopting their loath- 
 
 fornc 
 
io8 
 
 fome cuftoms, and affimilating his ve 
 ry nature almoft to theirs j in a word, 
 enduring all things, becoming all things 
 in the patient hope of finding a way to 
 their good opinion, and of fucceeding 
 finally in his unwearied endeavours to 
 make the word of life a falvation not un 
 acceptable to them. 
 
 " I confefs when I reflect on all thefe 
 things, I humble myfelf before fuch 
 heroic virtue ; or rather, I adore the 
 grace of God in Chrift Jefus, which 
 is able to produce fuch examples of it in 
 our degenerate world. O ! let not the 
 hard heart of infidelity prophane fuch 
 virtue as this, with the difgraceful name 
 of fanaticifm or fuperftition." 
 
 A minifter of the Gofpel fhould not 
 only learn to endure hardnefs as a good 
 foldier of ^feflis Cbriji, but mould pro 
 ceed with the greateft circumfpection, 
 as well as faithfulnefs. He fhould not 
 only be careful of every aclion, but of 
 every word that he utters in public 
 and in private. He ihould be fo- 
 ber, temperate, diligent, juft, and ho 
 ly. , He fhould think of the noble 
 
 caufe 
 
109 
 
 caufe in which he is engaged to induce 
 him to the practice of more than com 
 mon virtues. He fhould confider, if 
 he conduces himfelf properly, that he is 
 a fpectacle to men and angels; the Son 
 of God is his leader, the Almighty his 
 rewarder, and Heaven his prize. In 
 fuch a caufe he fhould not be a fniveller, 
 but a Chriftian hero. The Apoftle fine 
 ly fays, " Who ihall feparate us from 
 the love of Chrift ? Shall tribulation, or 
 diftrefs, or perfecution, or famine, or 
 nakednefs, or peril, or fword ? (As it 
 is written, for thy fake we are killed 
 all the day long \ we are accounted as 
 fheep for the ilaughter.) Nay in all 
 thefe things we are more than con 
 querors through him that loved us." 
 Romans viii, 35, &c. 
 
 The following paffage in the Revela 
 tion of St. John, feems at prefent to 
 deferve peculiar confideration. " And 
 I faw another Angel fly in the midft of 
 Heaven, having the Everlafting Gofpel 
 to preach unto them that dwell on the 
 earth, and to every nation, and kin 
 dred, and tongue, and people, faying 
 with a loud voice, Fear God and give 
 K glory 
 
I 10 
 
 glory to Him, for the hour of his judge 
 ment is come ; and worfhip Him that 
 made heaven and earth, and the fea, and 
 the fountains of waters. And there fol 
 lowed another Angel, faying, Babylon 
 is fallen, is fallen, that great city, be- 
 caufe fhe made all nations drink of the 
 wine of the wrath of her fornication/' 
 xiv, 6, 7 and 8, 
 
 It feems well afcertained by the beft 
 commentators, that St. John means the 
 Papal Power by Babylon. Sir Ifaac 
 Newton and Doctor Samuel Clarke are 
 of opinion that the downfal of the Pa 
 pal Power will not happen .until fome- 
 where about the year 2000. They date 
 the rife of the Papal Power from 755. 
 The majority of chronologifts, hiftori- 
 ans and commentators, however, date 
 its rife from the year 606,* when the 
 Emperor Phocas made certain conceffi- 
 ons to the Pope, who from thence be 
 came 
 
 * See wich various other authors, Dr. Blair's ce 
 lebrated Chronological Tables, who fays at the year 
 606, " Here begins the power of the Popes, by the 
 conceffions of Phocas." 
 
 The Pope in 606 took the title of Univerfal Bi- 
 ihop ; and power in fpirituals is generally allowed to 
 give power in temporals. 
 
Ill 
 
 came a temporal Power. As I have 
 before mentioned in- my writings, I can 
 not help being inclined to this opinion 
 of the majority, and therefore fuppofe 
 the downfal of the Papal Power will 
 happen fomewhere about the year 1 848, 
 notwithftanding the high reverence 
 which I bear for the learning and talents 
 of Sir Ifaac Newton and Doctor Clarke. 
 The appointed time for the continu 
 ance of the Papal Power is generally al 
 lowed by commentators to be 1 260 pro 
 phetical years of 3 60 days each, which 
 are 1 242 of our common years. If we 
 add '606 to 1242 they make 1848. 
 
 By the institution of the Miffionary 
 Society in London, the institution of 
 the Miffionary Societies in North Ame 
 rica, and other circumltances, there is 
 a very particular dciire at this time in 
 the profeflbrs of Chriftianity, to preach 
 the Gofpel to " every nation, and kin 
 dred, and tongue, and people," which 
 feems to be a fulfilment of the prophe 
 cy. It is now, therefore, that unapal- 
 kd by danger, and unfeduced by eafe 
 and ambition, we fhould bear the una 
 dulterated Gofpel of our Redeemer in 
 
 thunder 
 
112 
 
 thunderf- over an aftonimed world. The 
 Almighty has fet his King, our Lord 
 and Saviour, upon his holy Hill of Zi- 
 on. In vain mall earth, mall hell op- 
 pofe. The decree is gone forth, and 
 will in time be fulfilled, which fays, 
 " Afk of me and I will give thee the 
 heathen for thine inheritance, and the 
 uttermoft parts of the earth for thy pof- 
 feffion." Pfalm ii. The labourers are 
 now comparatively few in regard to the 
 fields which are white unto harveft. It 
 is now that the fervants of the Lord 
 mould peculiarly exert themfelves. In 
 inis cauie however, they mould abiiain 
 from all improper fraud and violence, 
 and learn to become terrible in meek- 
 nefs. It is now that his fpirit (which 
 he will give to all who afk it properly) 
 will powerfully attend their well de- 
 figned endeavours. They mould re 
 member that " they who turn many to 
 righteoufnefs, will mine forth as the 
 flars forever." Daniel, 
 
 If we raife on high the Banner of 
 Chrift they will flock to it from the 
 
 eaft, 
 
 f f And he firnamed them Boanerges, which is 
 the Tons of thunder.'* Markiiij 17. 
 
eaft, and the weft, from the north, and 
 from the fouth ; and if we ufe worthy 
 means in the propagation of the Gofpel, 
 we may be allured of the all -pre vailing 
 aid of that great and true God, who 
 lifts up his hand to heaven, and whole 
 Word, as well as his Throne, will 
 ftand forever. 
 
 I fuppofe in the paffage which I have 
 juft quoted from the Revelation of St. 
 John, there is an allufion to the words 
 of our Saviour, " And this Gofpel of 
 the kingdom fhall be preached in all 
 the world for a witnefs unto all nations, 
 and then fhall the end come.'' Mat 
 thew xxiv, 14. Chriftians fhould at 
 this time, with due care and fidelity, 
 preach the Gofpel as a trial to all nati 
 ons, and if it is accepted or not, thole 
 who preach it fhould reft fatisfied in 
 their confciences, from having done 
 their duty. 
 
 Great and fingular movements have 
 lately happened in Kentucky, a new 
 ftate in the weftern territory of the 
 United States of America. Large bo 
 dies of people have continued encamp- 
 K2 ed 
 
ed for a confiderable time, for months, 
 in the eaftern part of that ftate, for the 
 purpofe of attending to fome minifters 
 who have preached there. Colonel 
 Robert Paterfon of Lexington in Ken 
 tucky, in a letter to the Rev'd. Dr. 
 John King of Pennfylvania, dated Sep 
 tember 25, 1 80 1, fays, " On the third 
 fabbath of June, the facrament was ad- 
 miniftered at Lexington, Mr. Welch's 
 congregation ; the fame day at Indian 
 Creek, Mr. Robertfon's congregation, 
 the latter on Kingfton Creek, eighteen 
 miles below Paris, and twenty miles 
 north of this place. The former began 
 on Friday, and continued till Tuefday, 
 being the firft time that the ftrange work 
 made its appearance here. About 70 
 were ftruck--- 300 communicants 
 6000 perfons in all attended. The latter 
 commenced on Tuefday and continued 
 till Thurfday, day and night, the firft 
 night excepted. About 10,000 perfons 
 
 50 waggons 800 ftruck 500 
 
 communicated. 
 
 " On the firft fabbath of Auguft was 
 the facrament at Kainridge, the congre 
 gation of Mr. Stone, This was the 
 
 largeft 
 
largeft meeting of any that I have feen : 
 it continued from Friday till Wednefday . 
 About 12,000 perfons 125 waggons, 
 8 carriages 900 communicants" 
 
 This gentleman in the fame letter 
 fays, " Notwithftanding all that our 
 minifters, and a vaft number of the moft 
 refpedlable and fenfible people in the 
 country, acknowledge that it is the 
 wonderful work of God, and is mar- 
 velloufly manifefted to us ; yet there are 
 people fo hardened, that they either can 
 not or will not acknowledge the work 
 to be of God, but reprefent it in an un 
 favourable view." 
 
 This fpirit has fpread in the ftates of 
 Tenneffee and North Carolina, and 
 what is very remarkable, is faid to have 
 originated with the Prefbyterians. 
 
 The following is an extract of a let 
 ter from a Prefbyterian to his friend in 
 Baltimore. 
 
 Bourbon County, 
 7th Auguft, 1801. 
 
 " My dear friend, 
 
 " I am on my way to one of the 
 greatefl meetings of the kind perhaps 
 
 eve 
 
ever known: it is on a facramental occa- 
 fion. Religion has got tofuch a height 
 here that people attend from a great 
 diftance : on this occafion I doubt not 
 but that there will be ten thoufand peo 
 ple, and perhaps five hundred waggons. 
 The people encamp on the ground and 
 continue praiiing God day and night, 
 for one whole week before they break up, 
 during which time between five hun 
 dred and a thoufand fall to the ground 
 and lie for feveral hours deprived of the 
 ufe of their limbs. Some come to un 
 der pungent conviction, and continue in 
 that diftreffed way until they are enabled 
 to lay hold on Jefus Chrift by faith; 
 others come to having delightful difco- 
 veries of Chrift as their Saviour, and are 
 enabled to fpeak in a drain that aftonifli- 
 es the multitude. 
 
 " This, my dear fir, is a new thing in 
 the Prefbyterian Church j and many op- 
 pofe the work ; but for my part I be 
 lieve it to be a glorious work, and an 
 uncommon difplay of the power of God. 
 
 " lamtoldbyeye-witnefles that Pref 
 byterian, Baptift, and Methodift minii- 
 
 ters 
 
117 
 
 ters unite, break bread together in token 
 of their Chriftian love and fellowfhip, 
 the one with the other, and are mutual 
 ly ftriving to build up the Church of 
 Chrift." 
 
 It would be a commendable conduit 
 in the prudent miniflers of the Gofpel 
 in this part of the world, to foften down 
 any improper enthufiafm or wild fire 
 that may have appeared in thefe move 
 ments, into a rational fpirit of manly 
 fteady piety. They may feize an op 
 portunity from thefe large meetings, to 
 induce the people to fobfcnbe for the 
 eflablifhment and regular fupport of 
 churches and meeting-houfes* wherever 
 they may be wanted throughout the 
 country, and for the encouragement of 
 wife and pious Mifiionaries to the re 
 mote tribes of the Indians. When 
 people aflemble from a great diftance for 
 a long time, there is danger that their 
 farms and their trades may be neglefted, 
 and that though fome may come to pray, 
 others will come to frolic. The vete 
 rans in the caufe of Chrift fhould always 
 endeavour to corred: the enthufiaftic 
 irregular fallies of new raifed troops, 
 
 who 
 
who are too apt to miftake the fuggef- 
 tions of fancy for true infpiration, and 
 to procure (according to the injunction 
 of the Apoftle) that " all things be done 
 decently and in order." 
 
 Sentiments more favorable to the In 
 dians, than were formerly entertained, 
 have of late years been generally adopted 
 by the people of the United States. 
 There were fome, feveral years ago, who 
 contended for the utter extirpation of 
 the Indians. The belief that the In 
 dians are defcended from the ten tribes, 
 inuft have a tendency to foftcn the 
 minds of mankind towards them. This 
 belief is generally gaining ground, r.nd 
 even among fome who once violently 
 contended againft the doctrine. It is a 
 found truth, that many of the Indians in 
 America are defcended from the ten 
 tribes, and time and inveftigation will 
 more and more enforce its acknowledge 
 ment. It is not candid and becoming 
 in any haftily to condemn this dodlrine, 
 who have not a confiderable knowledge 
 of the Mofaic law, and of the cuftoms 
 of the Indians, by which a fimilarity 
 between the Jews and Indians may be 
 
 traced 
 
traced. I have ihewn in the former 
 part of this work that Mr. Hearne, and 
 even David Brainerd the Miffionary to 
 the Indians (who deferves to be men 
 tioned with great refpedl for his piety) 
 were ignorant of fome points of the 
 Mofaical law, which they held to be 
 fuperftition in the Indians.: There is 
 a very remarkable pafiage in favor of this 
 do&rine in " the Journal of a two 
 months tour in America: by Charles 
 Beatty, A. M." London printed, 1768. 
 
 In page 84, Mr. Beatty fays " I have 
 before hinted to you, that fince I had the 
 pleafure of feeing you laft, I had taken 
 pain to fearch into the ulages and cuf- 
 toms of the Indians, in order to fee 
 what ground there was, for fuppofing 
 them to be part of the ten tribes : and 
 I mu ft own, to my no fmall furprife, 
 that a number of their cuftoms appear 
 fo much to referable thofe of the Jews, 
 that it is a great queflion with me, whe 
 ther we can exped: to find among the 
 ten tribes (wherever they are) at this 
 day, all things confidered, more of the 
 footfteps of their anceftors, than among 
 the different Indian tribes* 
 
 The 
 
120 
 
 The conduct of the Indian women, 
 in certain circumftances, feems to be in 
 a manner perfectly agreeable to the law 
 of Mofes. A young woman, at the 
 firft appearance of the catamenia, imme 
 diately feparates from others, makes up 
 a hut for herfelf at fome diftance from 
 the town, or houfe me lived in, and re 
 mains there during the whole time of 
 herdiforder, that is, feven days. -The 
 perfon who brings her victuals, is very 
 careful not to touch her j and fo cau 
 tious is me herfelf of touching her own 
 food with her hands, that me makes ufe 
 of a fharpened flick, inflead of a fork, 
 with which to take up her venifon, and 
 a fmall ladle or fpoon for other food. 
 When the feven days are ended Ihe 
 bathes herfelf in water (ufually in fome 
 neighbouring brook or river) waihes all 
 her clothes, and cleanfes the veffels 
 fhe made ufe of during her menfes. Such 
 as are made of wood fhe fcalds and 
 cleanfes with lye, made of wood afhes - 3 
 and f uch as are made of earth or iron, fhe 
 purifies by putting them into the fire : 
 fhe then returns to her father's houfe, or 
 the family fhe left; and is, after this, 
 lopked upon fit for marriage and not be- 
 before. 
 
121 
 
 before. A woman, when delivered of a 
 child, is feparated likewife for a time. 
 
 I have been at a place in New Jerfey, 
 more than once, called in the Indian 
 language, Cro/s-week-fung, that is the 
 houfe of feparation, which took its 
 name, no doubt, from its being a noted 
 place for that purpofe. Near this was 
 formerly an Indian town. 
 
 The Indians obferve the feaft of firft- 
 fruits : and before they make ufe of any 
 of their corn, or fruits of the ground, 
 twelve of their old men meet 3 when a 
 deer and fome of the new corn are pro 
 vided, the venifon is divided into twelve 
 parts, according to the number of the 
 men ; and the corn, beaten in a mortar, 
 prepared for ufe by boiling, or baking 
 it into cakes under the afhes, is divided 
 into the fame number of parts with the 
 venifon; then thefe men (if I forget 
 not) hold up the venifon and corn, and 
 pray, as they term it, with their faces 
 to the eaft, acknowledging I fuppofe, 
 the goodnefs and bounty of heaven to 
 them ; and perhaps, in this prayer, feek 
 to God, in fomc manner for a bleffing 
 L on 
 
122 
 
 on their firft fruits; the venifon and 
 corn, prepared, are then eaten by thofe 
 prefent; after this, they make ufe of 
 their corn and other fruits of the earth 
 freely. * 
 
 Another public feaft they have in the 
 evening, which looks fomewhat like 
 the paffover ; when a great quantity of 
 venifon is provided with other things, 
 dreffed in their ufual way, and propor 
 tions thereof diftributed to all the 
 guefts, of which they eat freely that 
 evening; but that which is left, is 
 thrown into the fire and burned, as none 
 of it muft remain till the fun rife the 
 next day ; nor muft a bone of the veni 
 fon be broken. 
 
 Once in the year, fome of the tribes 
 of Indians choofe, from among them- 
 felves, twelve men, who provide twelve 
 deer, and each of them cuts a fmall 
 pole, from which they ftrip the bark, 
 and make a tent, by flicking one end of 
 the poles in the ground, binding the 
 tops over one another, and covering the 
 tent with their blankets. Then the 
 twelve men choofe each of them a flone, 
 
 which 
 
12J 
 
 which they make hot in the fire, and 
 place them together, 1 fuppofe, in 
 fome form of an altar^ within the tent, 
 and burn the fat of the inwards of the 
 deer thereon. At the time they are of 
 fering, the twelve men in the tent cry 
 to the Indians without " we pray, or 
 praife!" whoanfwer " we hear." Then 
 the men in the tent cry Ho ah ! very 
 loud and long, which appears to be 
 fomewhat like in found to Hallelujah. 
 After the fat is thus offered, fome tribes 
 burn tobacco, cut frhe, upon the fame 
 ftones : fome nations or tribes, choofe 
 only ten men, who provide ten deer, 
 ten poles, and ten ftones, &c. 
 
 Their cuftom of confulting their 
 Pow-waas (a kind of prophets, who 
 pretend to have converfe with fpirits) 
 upon any extraordinary occafions, either 
 of great, or uncommon iicknefs, or 
 mortality, &c. and feems to be in imi 
 tation of the Jews of old, enquiring of 
 the prophet. 
 
 There is one tribe of Indians, called 
 Nanticocks, that on removal from their 
 old to new habitations, carry the bones 
 
 of 
 
of their anceflors and deceafed relations 
 with them. I am well allured, that fome 
 of the Indians will not eat the hollow 
 of the thigh of the deer, but cut off 
 that part and throw it away. 
 
 It is a great fafhion with them to 
 wear bracelets of wampum (a kind of 
 bead, made of a black fea ihell, which 
 they have inftead of money) on their 
 arms; and I have frequently feen a 
 bead hanging to the bridge of their 
 nofe; and almofl all wear a kind of 
 mock jewels in their ears, compofed of 
 fuch things as they like. They make 
 great ufe of bears oil, with which they 
 anoint their heads and bodies. They 
 have an Avenger of blood among them, 
 who is the man neareft related to the 
 murdered, who purfues the homicide, 
 and takes his life wherever he finds 
 him. 
 
 A Chriftian Indian informed me, that 
 an old uncle of his, who died about for 
 ty years fince, related to him feveral 
 cuftoms and traditions of the Indians in 
 former times ; and among others that 
 circumcifion was practifed long ago by 
 
 them; 
 
125 
 
 them; but that their young men at 
 length, making a mock of it, brought 
 it into difrepute, and fo it came to be 
 difufed." 
 
 Carver* in his travels mentions, that 
 
 wherever he went among the Indian 
 
 tribes with the calumet, or pipe of peace, 
 
 it infured him civil treatment. This is a 
 
 L 2 circumftance 
 
 *' Captain Carver Teems to doubt that the Indians 
 are defcended from the Jews, becaufe the Indians do 
 not practice circumcifion. It has been proved, 
 however, by indifputable evidence, that fome of them 
 have ufed this rite. Captain Carver allows the fepa- 
 ration of the women at a certain time, and the facred 
 dance, in which they are known to fing Hallelujah, 
 Yo-he-wah. He thinks with the celebrated Dr. 
 Robertfon in his hiftory of America, and many other 
 writers, that the Indians came from Tartary and 
 paft over into America at Behring's ftraits. It is 
 the opinion of Dr. Robertfon, that almoft all the In 
 dians in America came originally from Tartary. If 
 we allow this point it goes a great way in favor of 
 the Indians being defcended from the Ten Tribes, 
 for it can be proved that thefe tribes were carried in 
 to or near Tartary, and that they wandered from 
 thence. All who are defcended from Ifrael will in 
 due time be reftored to the land of their forefathers, 
 though not fo foon as fome vifionary men fuppofe, 
 and according to the words of the prophet, " they 
 ihall yet plant vines upon themountains of Samaria." 
 Jeremiah, xxxi ; 5. If the reader will attend to 
 the vifion in the 3oth and 31 ft Chapters of Jeremiah, 
 he will find that " in the latter days" all the tribes 
 of Ifrael " from the coaftsof the earth" are to be re- 
 flored to the land of ibeir forefathers. 
 
126 
 
 circumftance worthy the attention of 
 the miffionaries who go among the In 
 dians. Though the Indians are re 
 vengeful, they are generally hofpitable, 
 and many of them may fay with the cele 
 brated Indian chief, Logan, " When was 
 it that a white man came into the cabin 
 of Logan hungry and I did not give him 
 meat, naked and I did not clothe him ?. J> ' 
 
 It appears by an account of the Con- 
 nedlicut miffions, in the New- York 
 Miflionary Magazine for September 
 1 80 1, that a miffionary in a late tour 
 " faw a number of the Tontowontaand 
 Tufcorora tribes of Indians, who expref- 
 fed a ftrong defire to have the Gofpel 
 preached among them. Thefe tribes 
 are in a degree civilized ; and there is a 
 profpedl that many of them would em 
 brace the Chriftia-n religion if they had 
 the means of being intruded in its prin 
 ciples." Thefe tribes live between the 
 Genefee river and Niagara. It is much 
 to be wifhed that they fhould foon hear 
 what fome of the Indians call the beloved 
 Speech. 
 
 An 
 
127 
 
 An attempt has been wifely made of 
 late years by the government of the 
 United States to civilize the Indians,, 
 and it appears to meet with growing 
 fuccefs. The Prefident of the United 
 States in a meffage to both houfes of 
 congrefs,. dated December 8th v 180.1 
 fays, " Among our Indians alfo a fpirit 
 of peace and friendfhip generally pre 
 vails; and I am happy to inform you 
 that the continued efforts to introduce 
 among them the implements and the 
 praclifeof hufbandry, and of the houfe- 
 hold arts havenot been without fuccefs : 
 that they are become more and more 
 leniible of the fuperiority of this depen- 
 dance for cloathing and fubfiftence over 
 the precarious refources of hunting and 
 fifhing ; And already we are able to an 
 nounce, that, inftead of that conflant 
 diminution of numbers produced by 
 their wars and wants, fome of them be 
 gin to experience an increafe of popula 
 tion." 
 
 The following report of Mr. John 
 Young who was fent by the committee 
 of the fouth Alkorn affociation of bap.- 
 tifts, as a miffionary to the Indians, is 
 
 taken 
 
128 
 
 taken from a Kentucky gazette of No 
 vember 2oth, i SQL.. 
 
 " The Speech delivered the ad day of 
 the council by the Chief,, Black Hoof- 
 
 " Brothers, 
 
 " We have taken in toconfideration your 
 letter to us, and have come to a refolu- 
 tion, that we be no more two people, 
 but that we will live as brothers even as 
 one people; that the white people and 
 red people may be the fame as one 
 body, or as two good brothers, loving 
 each other, and to remain fo for ever. 
 We wifh that young brothers of the 
 white people and red people, may al 
 ways live as brothers, to advantage of 
 each other, not break the peace of them- 
 felves or their fathers. 
 
 "'In anfwer to governor St. C lair s 
 letter. 
 
 " As we wifh to live in love and peace 
 with all our brothers, we hope the 
 Great Spirit will diredl us to take our 
 brother's advice, as he calls us fons or 
 children of love. 
 
 " Anfwtr 
 
129 
 
 " An fiver continued to committee. 
 
 " And now brothers we have conclu 
 ded to tell you our minds about your 
 kindnefs in fending your letter and 
 friends Young and Ruddle, to tell us good 
 things about the Great Spirit above. 
 Now brothers we havexome to a conclu- 
 fion among ourfelves that we are glad 
 that our white brothers have thought 
 of us at laft ; you have diftrefled your 
 red brothers in times paft in driving us 
 from town to town , but we hope the 
 Great Spirit hath learnt you peace and 
 great good things. We tell you that 
 we gladly receive the brothers that you 
 fent, and we hope the Great Spirit is 
 bringing the time when the red brothers 
 and white brothers will be as one, in 
 knowing thefe great things that our bro 
 thers tell us about and we hope that our 
 white brothers will continue their love to 
 their red brothers, and fend us the things 
 you learn of the Great Spirit we are glad 
 very glad for the things you have told 
 us our brother you have fent, told 
 us yefterday, good things about loving 
 the Great Spirit, and loving our bro 
 thers; that we are all fure to die, and 
 
 that 
 
I 3 
 
 that all people m-uft know the love of 
 the Great Spirit, and Jefus Chrift that 
 he has fent, and love their brothers, or 
 they cannot go to the Good Spirit, and 
 happy place, he has for his people. 
 
 " The brother told us, that the Good 
 Spirit made us %11 of the fame fleih ; 
 and that he did not wifh us to give land 
 or money to the white brothers. He 
 fays all he wants is the happinefs of our 
 fouls when we die- for us to know 
 the love of cur maker. He tells us he 
 will come once or twice a year, to tell 
 us the good things of the other world ; 
 and we thank him for coming, and 
 bringing our friend to be his tongue. 
 As you know thefe great things, bro 
 thers, we wifli you to think about your 
 red brothers, and try to teach us the 
 iinging or Gofpel, and the good things 
 our brother has told us, about thofe 
 things our brother told us yefterday." 
 
 Though a minifter of the Gofpel 
 fhould not feek after wealth by preach 
 ing, and in imitation of St. Paul fhould 
 let his own bands minifter to his necef- 
 Jities, whenever he has the opportunity, 
 
 yet 
 
yet there are times in which it may be 
 neceflary to fupply him with money. 
 He may be fick, and not able to work, 
 or he may be in a place where he 
 can get nothing by his work. The 
 travellingyexpences of a minifter may 
 often be fairly allowed to him by the 
 fociety connected with him, if he has 
 no private fortune of his own. Aflb- 
 ciations fhould be formed in various 
 parts of the Chriftian world for the fur 
 therance of the Gofpel. From thefe 
 aflbciations, which fhould confift of 
 numerous members, the neceflary mo 
 ney fhould be fupplied, which is truly 
 and honeftly wanted to aid the caufe. 
 In fome cafes it might be ufeful that a 
 minifter of the Gofpel fhould negledl 
 all bufinefs and manual labour, if pro 
 per funds are eftablifhed for his fup- 
 port, that he may give more attention 
 to the converfion of mankind. It is a 
 circumftance worlhy of peculiar regard, 
 that focieties fhould be immediately 
 formed over the whole United States, 
 and Britifh provinces, of America, for 
 thepurpofe of civilizing and Chrifti.an- 
 izing the Indians. In many cafes it 
 might be better that the Indians fhould 
 
 be 
 
be civilized before an atttempt is made 
 to convert them. 
 
 It would be prudent therefore in thefe 
 focieties as their funds would allow it 
 (and all well difpofed Chriftians fhould 
 be urged to fubfcribe -f-) to a,nvite the 
 Indians to the towns, where for a time 
 their boarding and lodging fhould be 
 given to them gratis, and they fhould 
 be inftructed in arts and trades which 
 would be immediately ufeful to them. 
 This fcheme might be adopted, as well 
 as the attempt to inftrucl: and convert the 
 Indians in their own country. The 
 members of thefe focieties fhould invite 
 the Indians to their houfes, and fhould 
 take, in fuch cafes, efpecial care that 
 they are not not led away by vicious 
 company. It would be beft at firft to 
 teach them to be carpenters, farmers, 
 blackfmiths, potters, tanners, &c. Be 
 fore, or unitedly with this, they fhould 
 be inftructed in the Englifh language. 
 
 The 
 
 f A gentleman of property in the ftate of New 
 Jerfey has lately given a confiderable quantity of 
 land for the benefit of the Indians. Much might be 
 faid in favour of letting afiie back lands for the be 
 nefit of the Indians, which in time will be of immenfe 
 value. 
 
'33 
 
 The fimple principles of Chriftianity 
 fhould afterwards gently and gradually 
 be inftilled into their minds. The peo 
 ple called Quakers have lately inftrudted 
 feveral Indian children, boys and girls, 
 in the neighbourhood of Philadelphia, 
 all of whom they have fent back to their 
 own country, where they will probably 
 become ufeful members of fociety, ex 
 cepting one Indian young man : He is 
 now the foreman in the ihop of a re- 
 fpedtable Blackfmith, in the town of 
 Chefter, near Philadelphia. When this 
 Indian returns to his country he maybe 
 of very confiderable fervice to it, for he 
 is fober, diligent, and well fkilkd in his 
 trade. It is a very judicious fcheme to 
 make the young Indians Blackfmiths. 
 The celebrated Mr. Locke fays, that a 
 great deal of the advantage of civilized 
 over favage life, confifts in die know 
 ledge of the ufe of iron. It is an un- 
 reafonable idea, unfounded on truth and 
 experience, that Indians can never be 
 brought to be employed in any kind of 
 manufactures or agriculture. I have 
 feen them with my own eyes felling 
 balkets of curious workmanfhip, which 
 they were very fond to make. 
 
 M The 
 
'34 
 
 The fociety of Friends deferve great 
 praife for their endeavours, wherever 
 they have the opportunity, in which 
 they fhould be joined by all confiderate 
 people, to difcourage the improper ufe 
 of fpirituous liquors among the Indians. 
 This fatal propeniity, which can with-f- 
 difficulty be eradicated from their breafts, 
 debafes the character of the Indians, in-; 
 flames them to acts of madnefs, often 
 reduces them to want, and thins their 
 population. 
 
 The mo-ft nfeful art to the Indians 
 immediately, will be that of agriculture. 
 If they have no means of gaining a live 
 lihood but by hunting, when the coun 
 try comes to be fettled, they will be 
 ftarved. It is a caufe therefore of the 
 greateft importance for which I contend 
 when J write in favour of the Indians, 
 of life and death fpiritually and tempo 
 rally confidered, and I truft that the 
 
 juftice 
 
 M I once heard an Indian Chief, fay I am nenher 
 Atheift, nor Deift, but an honed Prefoytenan, yet I 
 love grog." The Prelbyterian church, however, i. 
 truft will proteft agair.ft the immoderate ufe of this 
 liquor, 
 
juftice and facredneis of that caufe will 
 give dignity to importunity. We fliould 
 folicit immediate and powerful exer 
 tions in favour of the Indians. They 
 have been held in too contemptuous a 
 view, and many of them may prove to 
 be of the chofen people of God, to be 
 of illuflrious defcent, and exalted def- 
 tination. 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 THE people called Quakers, with 
 a benevolence, which is worthy 
 of praifeand imitation, have lately taken 
 into confideration the growing diflreffes 
 of the Indians. 
 
 " A report on the fubjecl: of the In 
 dian natives, was made to the Yearly 
 Meeting on the ad of October, 1795, 
 and then read, coniidered, and adopted. 
 On the next day it was again read and a 
 committee of twenty-nine were ap 
 pointed to receive and appropriate fuch 
 monies as may beraifed towards effect 
 ing the beneficial, pious purpofcs held 
 up to view in faid report. 
 
 Ma At 
 
At a meeting of the faid committee in 
 Philadelphia) on the ^d oj the nth 
 month , 1795, the following epiftle 
 was directed to the quarterly and 
 monthly meetings belonging to thefaid 
 yearly meeting. 
 
 The committee appointed by the 
 yearly meeting to attend to the growing 
 concern for the welfare of our Indian 
 brethren, have ferioufly confidered the 
 important truft devolved upon them* 
 the profecution of which will evidently 
 require prudence, patience, andperfeve- 
 rance; its ultimate object, under the Di 
 vine bleffing being no lefs than the tem 
 poral and fpiritual welfare of fome 
 thoufands of our fellow men, and their 
 pofterity. 
 
 Difficulties, however, mould not dif- 
 courage us from the exercife of our 
 Chriftian duty toward thefe people, 
 when we call to mind that they were 
 the original inhabitants of this land, and 
 that they kindly received and made room 
 for our forefathers, when they wereflran- 
 gersinit; efpecially as we are fettled 
 upon the lea coafts, and parts adjacent, 
 
 enjoying 
 
enjoying, through the bounty of Provi-^ 
 dence, an abundance of temporal blef- 
 fmgs, where they once lived in cafe and 
 plenty, but are now wandering from hill 
 to hill, fcarcely able to find fubfiftence 
 in their former way of life -Circum- 
 ftances which loudly call for our bro 
 therly affiftance, to put them in a way 
 to fupport themfelves by agriculture 
 and handicraft. 
 
 It is hoped that fome fober well qualifi 
 ed friends will be drawn to unite with the 
 concern fo far as to go among them for 
 thepurpofeof inftruding them in huf- 
 bandry and ufeful trades; and teaching 
 their children necefTary learning, that 
 they may be acquainted with the fcrip- 
 tures of truth, improve in the principles 
 of Christianity, and become qualified 
 to manage temporal concerns and it 
 is expected that the committee will find 
 it expedient to eredl grift and faw mills, 
 fmith's fhops, and other neceflary im 
 provements in forne of their villages. 
 For the ii upport of thofe who may be 
 difpofed to undertake the performance 
 of thefefervices, due provifion is intend 
 ed to be made ; and any propofals from 
 
 concerned 
 
concerned friends will be received by 
 Thomas Wiftar of Philadelphia, our 
 clerk, and kid before the committee 
 forconfideration. 
 
 The prefent appears to us a favoura 
 ble period for carrying on this good work 
 the boundaries of fome of the Tribes 
 are fixed by treaty their lands cannot 
 now be fo eafily alienated as heretofore, 
 and evil communication with traders 
 and others is intended to be prevented 
 by government, whofe confent and ap 
 probation of the meafures propofed have 
 been already expreffed* 
 
 We have appointed John Elliot our 
 treafurer, who is to receive the collec 
 tions that may be made in the feveral 
 monthly meetings for thefe benevolent 
 purpofes . 
 
 To fpread before friends fome infor 
 mation of the prefent opening for ufe- 
 fulnefs, the following fpeeches of fome 
 of their chiefs, and extracts of letters 
 from others who have been taught to 
 read and write, are feleded from a con- 
 
 iiderable 
 
iiderable number which fpcak the fame 
 language, from different tribes. 
 
 Signed by direction, and on behalf 
 of the committee, by 
 
 THOMAS WISTAR, Clerk. 
 
 EXTRACTS FROM SPEECHES AND LETTERS 
 OF SOME INDIAN CHIEFS. 
 
 The Speech of Gayajlnita, an ancient 
 Qhief of the Seneca nation on the 
 borders of Pennfyfoania, as given in 
 charge by him to one of the Sachems 
 of that nation, in the year 1790, to 
 be delivered to the Friends of Phila- 
 phia. 
 
 Brothers, the Sons of my beloved 
 Brother ONAS,* 
 
 When I was young and ftrong our 
 country was full of game, which the 
 Good Spirit fent for us to live upon. 
 The lands which belonged to us were 
 extended far beyond where we hunted. I 
 and the people of my nation had enough 
 
 to 
 
 * Onas is the Indian word for a quill, and by that 
 name they fpeak of William Penn. 
 
142 
 
 to eat, and always fomething to give to 
 our friends when they entered our 
 cabins; and we rejoiced when they re 
 ceived it from us : hunting was then not 
 tirefome; it was diverfion ; itwasaplea-? 
 fure. ; 
 
 Brothers, 
 
 When your fathers alked land from 
 my nation, we gave it to them, for we 
 had more than enough: Gayafhuta was- 
 amongft the firft of the people to fay, 
 " Give land to our brother Onas, for 
 he Wants it," and he has always been a 
 friend tQ Onas, and to^his children. 
 
 Brothers, 
 
 Your fathers faw Gayafliuta when he 
 was young; when he had not even 
 thought of old age or weaknefs : but you 
 are too far off to fee him now he is grown 
 old. He is very old and feeble, and he 
 wonders at his own fliadow, it is become 
 fo little. He has no children to take 
 care of him, and the game is driven 
 away by the white people ; fo that the 
 young men muft hunt al 1 day long to find 
 game for themfelves to eat : they have 
 nothing left for Gayafhuta. And it is 
 
 not 
 
H3 
 
 not Gayafhuta only who is become old 
 and feeble ; there yet remain about thir 
 ty men of your old friends, who,, unable 
 to provide for themfelves, or to help one 
 another, are become poor, and are hun 
 gry and naked. 
 
 Brothers, 
 
 Gayafhuta fends you a belt which he 
 received long ago from your fathers, and 
 a writing which he received but as yef- 
 terday from one of you. By thefe you 
 will remember him and the old friends 
 of your fathers in 'this nation. Look on 
 this belt and this writing, and if you 
 remember, .the eld friends of your fathers, 
 con fide r their former friendship and their 
 prefent.diftrefs; and if the Good Spirit 
 fhall put it in your hearts to comfort 
 them in their old age, do not difregard 
 his counfel. We are men, and there 
 fore need only tell you, that we are old, 
 and feeble, and hungry, and naked ; 
 and that we have no other friends but 
 you, the children of our beloved brother 
 Onas. 
 
 An 
 
An extratt of a fpeech from Gayont~ 
 wagbta, commonly called Corn-Plan 
 ter, a Sachem of the Six Nations, to 
 Friend?, in the year 1791. 
 
 Brothers, 
 
 The Seneca nation fee that the 
 Great Spirit intends they Jfhould not 
 continue to live by hunting, and they 
 look round on every fide and enquire, 
 who it is that fhall teach them what is 
 beft for them to do. 
 
 Your fathers dealt honeftly with our 
 fathers, they have engaged us to re 
 member it, and we wifh our children 
 to be taught the fame principles by 
 which your fathers were guided. 
 
 Brothers, 
 
 We have too little wifdom among 
 us -, we cannot teach our children what 
 we perceive their fituation requires them 
 to know. We wifli to be inftru6led to 
 read and write and fuch other things as 
 you teach your children, efpecially the 
 love of peace. 
 
 An 
 
H5 
 
 An extraffi of a letter from Hendrick 
 Aupaumut, a Chief of the Mobiconick 
 Tribe, now fettled upon the Qneida 
 Refervation in the State of New- 
 Tork, to William Savery, in the year 
 1794. 
 
 I and my nation are fully determined 
 to become hufbandmen are greatly en 
 couraged to go on in the way of induf- 
 try, that inftead of depending upon .the 
 ufing guns for our fupport we take hold 
 the ax, hoe, plow, fey the and fickle, 
 that our children after us may become 
 good farmers ; and above all, numbers 
 of us, both male and female, are come 
 to a refolution to wait upon the Great 
 Good Spirit, who will lead us in the 
 way of everlafting life and I hope that 
 number of my friends have experienced 
 in meafure the love of Chrift, who died 
 for chief of finners. And we have fent 
 our children to fchool every day to learn 
 to read the word of God and other good 
 books and endeavour to imprefs the 
 things in their minds which are profita 
 ble for body and foul. 
 
 N My 
 
146 
 
 My good friends, I have juft inform 
 you our fituation: we have build a 
 houfe above one year ago, about thirty 
 feet fquare, to be ufe as fchool-houfe 
 and a houfe where we met on Lord's 
 day to wait upon God, and here is fome 
 inconvenience in the time of cold wea 
 ther, without fire to warm the houfe, 
 and in confidering this I come to con 
 clude a querie with you as friend, whe 
 ther you would be fo kind as to help us 
 or fpeak or ufe your influence among 
 your brethren and friends in your focie- 
 ty, to help us to keep this houfe warm 
 That our poor children may be 
 warmed in the time of fchool, and our 
 poor people may not catch cold in the 
 time of waiting and worshiping God in 
 this houfe. If you would, then my pe 
 tition is to you and your friends to put 
 ftove in this houfe, and we will put fire 
 on it, then the houfe will be warm 
 without getting great deal of wood. 
 And I believe it will be agreeable to the 
 Father of all mercies. 
 
 From 
 
'47 
 
 From other letters from the fame to the 
 fame> in the year 1795- 
 
 My friend, I feel happy to hear your 
 kind and friendly words ; that you had a 
 concern for your poor Indian friends, 
 and that you would help them both in 
 body and foul. And the token of which 
 you have lignified that you would fend 
 fome books or implements of hufbandry 
 to fuch place as it would be beft. My 
 friend, this is moil acceptable offer; and 
 I am requefted by my people to deiire 
 you to fend fome implements of huf 
 bandry to Fort Schuyler on Mohawk 
 river, to John Poft's, who will take care 
 of them till we fetch them. The hoes 
 are moft wanting among us, alib two 
 or three plows, chain and fey t lies, and 
 axes, and harrow tooth thefe articles 
 are very fcarce here in wildernefs if we 
 could get fuch we could then go on with 
 our fpring work. Refpedting books, 
 fpelling books and primers are neceflary, 
 for there are about forty fmall children 
 who would ufe the fmall books, but 
 the big children have got fome books to 
 read from other quarter. 
 
 My 
 
148 
 
 My friend, I will acquaint you that 
 we attempted to build faw-mill this 
 fummer, and have got all the irons ready 
 we intended begin to work next 
 month but money being fo fcarce we 
 could not purchafe fome neceffaries on 
 that work. 
 
 My friends have thought that if we 
 could hire fifty dollars from our friends 
 we could make out and they deiire me 
 to mention it to you My friend I only 
 mention this to you that you may know 
 our fituation and if you find it you 
 could lent us fo much without harm 
 to your minds, we will replace next 
 winter- -'there is annual fum come in 
 to this nation out of which we can re 
 place your money. 
 
 My people and friends does very well 
 this fpnng in their attempts to learn to 
 be farmers. 
 
 One of my boys has been fick and 
 died three weeks ago he was eight 
 years of age one week before he expired 
 I afk him ieveral queftions Among 
 other things I alk him whether he could 
 
 truft 
 
H9 
 
 truft our Saviour Jefus hefaid " Yes 
 I have often pray to him in my heart." 
 
 The New- York miffionary Society 
 have attempted the converfion of fome 
 of the near Indians, and have commen 
 ced a miffion to the remote tribe of the 
 Chickafaws. Nor have the miffionary 
 focieties of Maffachufetts and Connecti 
 cut been ina&ive. 
 
 Letter to the Rev. E. Holmes, from 
 David Fowler , a truly religious man, 
 a principal chief, and 'who is called a 
 peace-maker of Brotherton. 'The let 
 ter was dilated by the chief, and 
 written by his f on. 
 
 Dear Brother, 
 
 The Lord our God has once more 
 brought you up here in our town ; 
 though we live at fuch a diltance, yet 
 we are permitted to fee one another this 
 fide the grave. Dear lir, you are wel 
 come in this our town, and you are wel 
 come in my houfe; and I do rejoice to 
 fee you have fuch regard and pity for 
 poor Indians. I hope you will be the 
 means of doing much good amongft us 
 N 2 in 
 
1 5 o 
 
 in this part of the land. As you are 
 -about to go and vifit my poof brethren, 
 the Weftern tribes of Indians, I pray the 
 Lord Jefus, our God, will profper and 
 protect you on your journey thither, and 
 blefs your endeavours to preach the 
 Gofpel of Chrift amongft them. I hope 
 you will be the means of the conviction 
 and converfion of many poor inhabitants 
 of the wilder nefs. 
 
 I am glad that the Lord our God has 
 put into the hearts of the Americans to 
 fend Mifiionaries amongft the Indians. 
 I am likewife very thankful, that the 
 Affociation of New- York thinks of us 
 yet in this town. Dear brother, I beg 
 of you, that you would inform the Mif- 
 fion Society, that I give them a thou- 
 fand thanks, that they have taken up 
 fuch honourable work in fending a 
 Miffionary amongft my poor benighted 
 brethren in the wildernefs. As they 
 now begin, I hope they will keep on 
 that good work ; I fay good work : yes, 
 I believe it is honourable and commenda 
 ble. I hope and pray, that their en 
 deavours, to fpread the Gofpel of Chrift 
 amongft my heathen brethren, will be 
 
 bleft 
 
bleft : therefore, dear brother, I bid you 
 God fpeed, both in your fpiritual and 
 temporal journey. Be courageous and 
 valiant in the fervlce of your Captain of 
 your falvation. I commit you to the 
 care and protection of our common 
 Father, and I pray that he will give 
 you wifdom, grace, and aid of his fpirit 
 wherefoever you attempt to preach the 
 Gofpel of Chrift amongft them, is the 
 prayer of your affectionate friend and 
 brother, 
 
 DAVID FOWLER. 
 
 Addreft to the Rev. E. Holmes y in be~ 
 half of the Muhhtconnuck nation. 
 
 Father, attend ! 
 
 We feel ourfelves happy, that, by 
 the goodnefs of the Great Good Spirit, 
 we are allowed to fee another good day, 
 and to fee one another's faces, and that 
 we are all well. 
 
 Father, while our heads were hanging 
 down by the fide of our fire-place, and 
 almoft difcouraged to think whether we 
 fhould ever fee you again, we heard the 
 found of your feet walking on the good 
 
 path 
 
path we lately made; and when we 
 lifted up our eyes we faw you coming 
 in with a fmiling countenance, as ufual, 
 which gladdened our hearts; then we 
 fhook hands with you for joy, that you 
 did not forget your poor children, nor 
 the covenant of friendftiip which has 
 been made between our nation and our 
 brothers, the aflbciation to which you 
 belong., 
 
 Father, after we got together, you 
 delivered the talk which our good bro 
 thers fent to us by you. We are very 
 glad that they are ftill holding faft the 
 chain of friendihip with us, and that 
 their compaffionate feelings ftill con 
 tinue towards us, and towards our poor 
 brothers in the wildernefs ; and alfo re 
 joice to hear that you have feen your 
 way more clear, after you had gone 
 through many dark and heavy clouds; 
 that, by the permiffion of the Great and 
 Good Spirit, you have travelled on our 
 path thus far, and that you go at the re- 
 queftof your good brothers, the Aflbcia 
 tion, together with that of the Miffiona- 
 ry Society. As our brothers told us in 
 their talk, that you wifh to go beyond 
 
 our 
 
our fire-place amongft fome of the 
 weftern tribes, they hope we will favour 
 your good intentions, and help you by 
 our council and afliftance. 
 
 Father, according to the defire of our 
 brothers, we are willing to favour your 
 good intentions, and to help you by our 
 council and afliftance according to our 
 capacity. Would our fituation cqn- 
 veniently permit, w r e might, fome of 
 us perfonally go with you to introduce 
 you amongft our brethren of the differ 
 ent tribes ; but lince it is otherwife, we 
 think it would be as well to fend our 
 talk, with wampum, by your interpre- 
 ter, to the tribes to which you may 
 come, making known our acquaintance 
 with you, and the motive of your vifit- 
 ing them, 
 
 Alfo, we think it would be well, 
 whenever you come to a town or vil 
 lage of any of thefe tribes, in the firft 
 place to go with your interpreter, and 
 fee the chief or chiefs, call a council, 
 give a complimentary fpeech, explain 
 your miffion as plain and fhort as you 
 can, and then wait for their anfwer : and 
 we muft remind you of one thing more, 
 though it feems but a fmall thing 5 but 
 
 knowing 
 
knowing the difpofitions of heathen 
 nations, we advife you to fix your mind 
 upon it at all times while you fhall be 
 amongft them ; take willingly any thing 
 eatable laid before you ; you muft not 
 manifeft any flight or difrelim on ac 
 count of its not being drefled well. 
 
 Father, you have already diflributed 
 to us the good word feveral times lince 
 your arrival here, for which we heartily 
 thank you ; and as you are about to take 
 up your pack for a long journey, we 
 wifh you the kind protection of the 
 Great Good Spirit, and that he may 
 profper your good and important under 
 taking ; That you may be the inftru- 
 ment of bringing many poor Indians 
 from darknefs to marvellous light j and 
 in due time, return home fafe to your 
 friends and employers, giving them a plea- 
 fmg relation of your journey. Farewell, 
 
 SACHEMS. f Joseph Shauquethqucat. 
 ( Hendrick Aitpaionut. 
 f Daiid Neshonnhhuk 
 COUNSELLORS. < Joseph Suimiey. 
 
 [ John Qidnney. 
 
 OWLS. T Solomon Quauquanchmut*. 
 
 \^ John Wautuhq' naut ^ 
 
 New-Stockbridge, July 28, 1800. 
 
LATELY PUBLISHED 
 
 BY THIS AUTHOR; 
 
 An EJfay upon the eleventh 
 chapter of the Revelation of St. 
 John. 
 
 "The Progrefs of Liberty^ a 
 Pindaric Ode. 
 
 The Chriftian, a Poem^ in Fix 
 hooks,