99 H.9 m6 I827ai THE MISSIONARY PIONEER, JOHN STEWART, (MAN OF COIiOTJR ) E 99.H9M6 1827a Missionary pioneer; 3 T1S3 DD7S77Tb D Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive in 2010 witii funding from Boston Library Consortium IVIember Libraries Iittp://www.arcliive.org/details/missionarypionee01mitc THB MISSIONARY PIONEER, OS A BRIEF MEMOIR oirtad ZZFSp AABOVRS, AVB BSAVH OS JOHN STEWART, (MAN OP COLOTJR ) FOUNDER, UNPEB <30I> OP TtiE MISSION AMONG THE wyANDOTT^ AT UFPE"R SANDUSKV, OHIO. POBtlSHED Blf JOSEPH MITCHEI.L. PRINTED BY J. C, TOTTEKj Xfo. 9 Bowery. 1827. Sontfiem Distfkt of h^tw. VotU, ss, BE IT REMEMBERED, That on the ktwenty-first day of June, A. D. 1827, in Ithe fifty-first year of the Independence of the United States of America, John C. Totten, of the said District, hath deposit- ediin this office the title of a book,^ the right whereof faf« claims as proprietor, in the words '■'^'i«vving, to wit J ^ The Missionary Pioneer, . ' kief Memoir of the Life f Labours ^ andDeat,, »j John Stewart , (man of colour ^ Founder , under God, of the Mission among the Wyandotts at Upper Satb* ^u$ki/f Ohio* Puhiished hy Joseph MitchelU In conformity to the Act of Congress of the United States, entitled " An Act for the encouragement of Xearning, by securing the copies of Maps> Charts find Books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the time therein mentioned." And also to an Act, entitled ''An Act,supplei;nentary to an Act, entitled an Act for the encouragement of Learning, by securing the copies of Maps, Charts and Books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the times therein men- tioned, and extending the benefits thereof to the arts of designing, en^aving, and etching hiistorical anli other prints." FREDERICK h BETTS, Chrh ojth^ Southern District of JS'iW-york, Reprinted hy JOINT CENTENARY COMMITTEE |Methodist Episcopal| Church Methodist Episcopal Church, South III Fifth Avenue, New York 1918 Springfield, (O.)May 2S, 18^1 Reverend Sm— Agreeably to your request, I offer you my opiuion of the brief memoir of the life aqd labours of John Stewart, which youareaboiit to publish. Having myself been the first to assist Stewart in Missionary labours among the Wyandotts, I became acquainted with him, and with the concerns of the then infant and unorganised mission, early in February, 1819 ; and my acquaintance with Stewart was uninterrupted, nearly to the period of his death. I have consequently had a tolera- ble opportunity of being acquainted with the circumstances detailed in your little work, and from personal knowledge and authentic information, I consider the memoir of Stew- art, in all particulars, as entitled to full credit. In my opinion it is due to the Christian public, to give them some account of the life and labours of this faithful Missionary Pioneer, and I am gratified to find you are about to ly puhlisb i^methin^ on the subject. I have also received letters from Messrs Isaac and WiDiam Walker, expressing their entire ap- probation of your undertiaking, and inform- ing me that the Chiefs, John Hicks anj fSAonws Manomue wish to be known as de- cidedly approving your publication, the object and contents of which were made known ta them by Mr. Walker. I am, &c. MOSES M. HENKLE^. Kev. Joseph Mitchell. As the preface of a book is very seldom read, especially if it be of any considerable length, it shall be an object to make this as brief as can be justified by the nature of the incidents detailed in this narrative. In the striking circumstances of John Stew- art's missionary call, and in the success of his labours, there is evident the hand of a spe- cial Providence, which must be interesting to the Christian commonwealth ; and those cir- cumstances belong to them of right. Where- ever it is known that this ftumble African, has been, under God, the founder of what is now, perhaps, the most prosperous missionary establishment on this continent ; a more par» tieular account of his history and labours has been demanded. And since he has been taken from labour to reward, this call has be- come more general and pressing. For seve- ral years past, some of the most distinguished I* Christians- and Christian Ministers in the United States, have earnestly requested those, vehose former conne^iion with the mission, gave them the best means of information, to furnish the public with the early history of ihe Wyandott Mission, and pf Stewart its fpunder* This, f6t several reasons has neves lo^en done* And one cause of its delay has been an expectation, fairly authorised, that such a history would, long since, have been given to the public from another garter. But as reasonable expectation has been- so long disappointed, as the facts of this narra- tive hav6 only lived in the recollection of a few individuals, thus far, and as delay mual soon have consigned those interesting facts to (oblivion, it is kerned a duty now to lescua tl|ose which yet remain, from that fate, by giving them to the world in a more perma- nent form. The Editor has however to re- gret the existence of several circumstances which must prevent this work from being either as full or as interesting as could be wished; Among these are the following: several persons from whom doubtless much ▼If informatioo might baVe been obtained^ bavQ already* excbanged this life for eternal reali- tieSf and the time allowed for collecting and arranging the materials for this little work has been so very limited as to render it imv possible to collect all the facts and anecdotes of interest, which are yet attainable, relative to the subject of this brief memoir. It is confidently believed, that should another edi- tion X)f this narrative be called for, it will be in the power of the Editor to render it more acceptable than this, by the addition of much valuable matter, which he will be enabled to collect. The incidents recorded in this memoir may be relied on as substantially correct, as they were collected and arranged by WiUiam Walker, who resided in the Wyandott Nation at the time of Stewart's first visiting them, and does to the present. His opportunities con- sequently have been peculiarly favourable to the purposes of acquiring correct informa- tion, and therefore most of what he records is from personal knowledge. And as his character for veracity is entirely unimpeacba- .vm hie, his narrative is entitled to the fullest credit. What he has gathered from others has been collected from those who were most intimate- ly acquainted with Stewart, and with the con- cerns of the mission in its infancy, and who only detailed to him such facts as had fallen under their own observation, or were certain- ly known to them. It will be readily seen by the reader, that this little memoir is not intend^ as the pan- egyric of its pious subject ; but merely as a record of interesting incidents, in which he had a prominent agency. Eulogy on his vir- tues is not needed ; for Heaven has awarded him a more substantial and enduring inheri- tance. And thpugh on earth his lot was one cf poverty f persecution, and extreme adversity, the patience and resignation of Christianity bore him above the waves. And though un- marked by a stone, his ashes obscurely re- pose in the wilderness, we doubt not, his vir- tues and his name stands registered in the^ Lamb's Book of everlasting life. JOSEPH MITCHELU May 2Qth, 1827. mtSBlOfXASLH FIONZSER. The subject of the, following Memoir, was "born and lived in Powhatan County, State of Virginiia,' until he arrived at the age Of about twenty-one years. His parents Were free, and- members of the Bapiist Church; but John was a careless sinner. In this situatioia he' was, when about four years afterwards, hd was robbed of all hip t3roperty' while on hi^ way from Virginia to Marietta j in fhe State of Ohio. This circumstance brought him to reflect seriously on the state of his soul ; but grief land vexation prevailed over hope and patience. The lose of his property, tl^e dis* tance from his friends, the idea of poverty and jdisgrace, together with the wretched si]tuation of his mind on account of his soul's afiairs, brought him to the shocking determination that he would immediately take measures to hasten Uis dissolution. And for this purposi^ 10 he forthwith cpramenced a course of exces- sive drinking at a public house, which was continued until his nerves became much af- fected, his hands trembling so, that it was with difficulty he could feed himself. In this practice and condition he remained for a con- siderable length of time, still fixed in the de- termination to destroy his life, and precipi- tate himself into ruin. His mischievous de- sign was at length frustrated by his landlord, who discovered his intention and withheld spirituous liquors from him. This measure brought him more deliberately to refiect on hisjriiserablG condition, when a view of the awful state of his soul compelled him to cry out, "Oh! wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me," &c. It was at this time that he passed in his mind the inquiry, which would give the leastpain to his father's family, to hear that without property he was honestly striving to make his way through life, or that by intemperance he had hurried himself to an untimely grave. The result was, he resolved to abandon the service of " the wicked one,'* and cast himself upon the mercy of God, for 11 support and salvation. He then ^'joined hiniself to a citizen of the place," (Marietta, Ohio, where he then was,) to assist in making sugarj a distance fi'om town, in the woods. This situation afforded him a good opportu- nity for reading, meditation, prayer, and seeking the Lord in private. Soon, however^ he had to quit his sequestered state and re- turn to town, where, contrary to the most solemn vows and promises, which he had previously made to forsake sin and seek the Lord, he united with others in shameful acts of night revellings, which instead of affording relief to his " wounded spirit,*' only produ- ced (in the moment of retirement and reflec- tion) greater grief and .distress. Ah occur- rence here took place which much alarmed him : an intiniat^ conlpanion of his, was sud- denly called by death from time to eternity. With this individual he had made an appoint- ment to spend one, more night in sin ; but death interfered and disappointed them both, Stewart's convictions of mind were thereupon greatly increased, and he began to despair of ever obtaining mercy at the hand of the Lord. 12 One ^ay while wandering along the banks of the Ohio, bewailing his wretched and undone condition, the arch enemy of souls suggested to.him a remedy ; which was to terminate the miseries he endured, by leaping into the deep, and thereby putting an end to his ex- istence. To this suggestion, he at first felt ft disposition to yield ; but his attention was ar* rested by a voice, which as he thought, called him by name, when on looking around he could see no person, whereupon he desisted from the further prosecution of the desperate project He then resolved to make anoUier effort to seek mercy and pardon at the hand of God. Having hired a house for the pur- pose of carrying on his trade, (the blue dying business,) he had another opportunity of be- ing much alone, which ^ivilege he improved in seeking the' Lord " earefully with tears." The move jbe exercised himself in medita- tion and prayer, the moi*e was he impressed with a sense of his guilt. He now saw no way for him to escape the wralh to come-^ be felt that he deserved to be driven from the presence of the Most High into " outet dark? 13 ncss.'' It was tjien that he wa& ehabledto cast himself at the foot of the cross, and to jjiy hold by faith on the Saviour of sinners as his last and only refuge, crying " Lord save ol: 1 perish !" Then it was that the Lor4 was pleased to reveal his mercy and pardon- ing love to his fainting soul, causing him to burst forth from his closet in raptures of un* speakable joy, declaring what the Lord had done for bis poor soul. He now could truly say^ '* Jesus all the day long, Is my joy and my song." He could then rejoice in the Lord from a sense of the " love of God being shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost," &c. There being no Baptist church near, he did not join himself to any religious Society. — In his youth he had imbibed strong prejudices against other denominations, particularly the Methodists, of whom he had a contemptible opinion. Thus, slighting and neglecthig the duties of the temple, it will not be surprising to bear that he soon neglected those of the 2 14 closet also, wKicIi soon resulted in tk dead and barren state of soul. He now began again to feel the pains and miseries frona wbicii the Lord had so recently delivered him. Whereupon he began to doubt the reality or genaineness of his conversion, and this appears to have resulted from his belief ofa doctrine in which he had been educated, namely " once in grace always in grace." Jn this situation he remained for some tim€, bewailing his wretched case, when, as he Walked out one evening he heard the sound of singing and praying proceed from a housi at no great distance. It proved to be a Methodist prayer meeting. His prejudice at first forbade his going in ; but curiosity prompted him to venture a little nearer, and at length he resolved to enter and make known his case, which he did to the few who were in attendance. Here he was encouraged to seek with all his heart the last blessing. Soon ^aftcr this he attended a Camp-Meeting, where fie remained for sometime with a heavy heart, and disconsolate mind. He at length resol- ved to distinguish himself by taking a place 15 among the inourneTs of the assembly, whece he lay deploring his case all night, evenfuatil the break of day, at which time " the sua of nghteousness"^ broke into his dark bewildered soul^ Peace, and *^joy in the Holy Ghost'* now succeeded, and he could shout '^ glory to God in the highest," with " the momitig: stars" that witnessed his deliverance. Not until then were the deep rooted prejudices against the people called Methodists removed from bis mind. It was then that he united him« self fo the people whom he had formerly held in the greatest contempt — took their people to be his people, and their God to be his God. For the space of three months he went on his way rejoicing;, prosperously labouring for body and soul. About this time, being one evening at private devotion, suddenly be heard a sound which much alarmed him : and a voice (as he thought) said to him— ^ " Thou shalt declare my counsel faithfully j" at the same time a view appeared to open to him in a Northwest direction, and a strong ijiipression was made on his mind, that he jmust go outthat course into the world to de» 16 clare the counsel of God. This singular event gave him much uneasiness and exer- cise of mind, and having mentioned the mat- ter to a friend, he received an explanation ifrhich greatly increased his concern ; for it was intimated that he might expect to be called upon to go abroad and preach the gospel which to him was an afflicting consid- eration, having never before entertained a thought of sqch an undertaking. Judging himself entirely unqualified for sucB a work, he determined to avoid it if possible, and ac- dordingly made ready to follow his friends to the State of Tennessee. He was, however, prevented from taking this step by a severe illness, in which his life was despaired of. He fitill fancied he heard sounding in his ea^s the voice above mentioned, and the same impres- sion continued with respect to his travelling to the Northwest. At length he resolved, that if it should please the Lord to spare his life, and restore him to health again, he would go out that course and see where he should be conducted, although he feared he should be killed by the first Indians he shauld meet 17 witb. He was restored to health, and &e* cording to the determination he had entered into before his God, he set out without crc^* dentials, directions of the way, money m bread, crossed the Muskingum River for tho first time, and travelled a northwest couise^ " not knowing whither he went." As ha proceeded he was met by sundry persons^ who, having learned something of the nature of his undertaking, strove hi vain to dissuade him from the pursuit. He urged on his. way, keeping about the same course, which he was frequently informed would lead him into th^ Indian country on the Sandusky river, some* times with, and sometimes without a road^y without a pilot, without fireworks, sometimes wading the waters and breaking the ice.—* Meeting with some Indians who appeared friendly, he was by them conducted and in* troduced to the tribe of Delawares at Pipe- Town, on the Sandusky river. On entering the village, he was conducted to one of the Indian cabins and seated. Here he endea>^ voured to enter into conversation, but found they understood but little of his language. 2* 18 As tbey contemplated having a dance that day, and were not to be diverted &om it by the arrival of the stranger, they commenced their exercise by one singing and the rest dancing, which actions produced some fears in him that they were about to kill him. In this however, his fears were groundless : they soon desisted from their exercise; he then took out his hymn book and sung a hymn, during which time there was a profound si- fence. When he had ceased singing, one spoke in English and said, " Sing more," he then sung again, and asked for an interpreter; in a short time one was produced (an old Delaware, named Lyons,) the Indians placed themselves in a position to hear, and he de- livered to them a speech. On this occasion the Indians appeared attentive, and at the close a kind of entertainment was provided and he reposed, fuliy believing that he had now accomplished the design of his little and singular mission, intending on the next day to return towards Marietta, from thence to prosecute his journey after his friends to the State of Tennessee. But to his great sur* n prise, on the next mortiing he still felt strong impressions of mind to pursue his journey to •the Northwest. Under the influence of Ihis impression he prepared to depart from the village ; hut was requested to continue that day with them ; to this he objected, saying that his business was urgent and did not admit of his staying longer with them, whereupon with tears he bid them adieu and departed. Having found amongst .these people so much friendship and hospi- tality, " he thanked God and took courage.' ' And having received directions concerning the way, he proceeded towards Upper San- dusky, where he soon arrived, and called at the house of Mr. William Walker, who at that time was sub-agent amongst the Indians. Mr. Walker, suspecting him to be a runaway slave, interrogated him closely. Stewart re- lated his experience and the singular impres- sions of mind under which he was conducted thidier. Mr. Walker being fully satisfied^ gave him encouragement, and directed him to the house of Jonathan Pointer, a black map} who in his youth had been taken pri- 20 soner by the Wyandotts, and bad learned to speak the tongue of the nation fluently. He soon arrived at Jonathan's house, and obtsdned 00 interview with him. — ^With his company and conversation, Jonathan was not very well pleased, and consequently gave evasive and unsatisfactory answers to the inquiries made respecting the Wyandotts. Stewart asked him whether it would be convenient to have the Indians collected together for the purpose of preaching to them. To which Jonathan replied, that it would be of no use for him to lattempt to make Christians of them ; because many great and learned men of difierent de* nominations had attempted it in vain, and that it certainly would answer no good pur- pose for him to attempt any thing of the kind. Oor Missionary, however, was not to be di- verted from his purpose without making the Attempt : believing as he did that the Great Head of the Church had entrusted him with a special message to thi^ people. Jonathan was at the same time preparing to go to a feast which was to be held in the neighbour- hood on that day. Stewart asked leave to 21 accompany him : to this Jonathan reluctantly- consented. When they arrived at the place appointed for the feast, they found a large Dumher of Indians collected and dancing.— The feast and dance were conducted with the usual mirth and hilarity. At the close of the ceremonies he asked permission to make a speech to them on the occasion, which was granted. He then for the first time addressed a Wyandott assembly, through Jonathan, who officiated in the capacity of interpreter, and valued himself highly on account of his elo- quence in the Wyandott tongue. During the time of the discourse, a profound silence pre- vailed in the whole assembly. At the close, Stewart told them he had one request to make of them, which was, that if they entertained feelings of friendship towards him, they would signify it by giving him their hands. Where- upon an old Chief, named Two Logs^ or Bloody Eyes, rose up and addressing the as- sembly said, it would be perfectly correct for them to manifest friendship to him, especially as he was a stranger, it would but be in con- formity to their established rules of hospitality. They all then gave the proposed, mark of friendship ; and after making an appointment to preach at Jonathan's house, they dispersed. Pursuant to appointment, a goodly number met, and Stewart addressed them on the sub- ject of striving " to dee from the wrath to conae." This was in the month of Novem- ber, A* D. 1816. The doctrine of repent- ance was not well received by Jonathan, (who at this time and afterwards acted as Stewart's interpreter,) and supposing as he did, that the congregation would be of the same mind, he would sometimes, whilst interpreting, after stating the substance of Stewart's discourse, add and say, " so he says, 1 do not know whether it is so or not, nor do t care ; all I care about is to interpret faithfully what he says, to you ; you must not think that I care whether you believe it or not." From these and such like expressions, it was ascertained that Jonathan, so far from embracing the doc- trines taught by Stewart, wrould not have the Wyandotts even suspect that he took any in- terest in the matter. Notwithstanding the doubtful manner in which Jonathan spake of 23 Ihd dofctfines, the word was not witkout ita good eifects anoiongst the Wyandotts ; for 4iiany were soon convinced of their lost andf undone condition, and began earnestly to ia« quire the way of salvation, calling upon God for mercy. Stewart then directed his atten* tion more particularly to the situation of his interpreter, (who was ignorant, wicked and proud,) but without much apparent success for the present. It was not long however, before Jonathan became a hopeful subject of the gracious work, so that, what was at first done b^ him partly from a principle of pride and vain glory, now became a pleasant work, from a principle of love and good will towards his fellow beings. It is true, some of Jonathan's subsequent conduct has been such as to cause some oT his acquaintances to doubt the reality of his conversion ; yet perhaps it is but justly due to him, to suppose that he has been at least in some degree under gracious influence. It was not long before some difficulties occur- red J yet no serious injury was done to the ^ood work. A few white traders Who hacl been permitted by the Officers of the Indian department to setde amongst and trade with the Indians, having heard Stewart preach, either from a real suspicion which they enter- tained that he was a. runaway slave and an imposter, or from malicious principles, advi* sed the Indians to drive him outthe country ; stating that be was not a licensed preacher ; but a runaway slave, a villain, &c. and that he had only come among them for protection. This was readily believed by many, and pro- duced some dissatisfaction amongst the Wy^ andotts. His usefulness amongst them was now in a fair way to be much abridged j for although the advice of the traders was not actually carried into effect by the Chiefs ; yet their disposition towards him was visibly changed. Finding himself thus situated, he appeared before Mr. Walkerj the sub-agent, and informed him of the dissatisfaction of the Indians with regard to him, occasioned by the misrepresentations of those traders, and that he feared the Chiefs would, under their advice, drive him out of their country. Mr. Jg5 Walker informed him, that that wa^ his pf^ rogative, and that he need give himself no Uneasiness from that quarter ; and moreover, advised hira to pay no attention to what those traders might say, but to go on and preach the Gospel faithfully, and that if the Indians should in future, manifest any dissatisfactioa on account of his continuance amongst them, to refer them to him, and he would satisfy them, and stand between him and all harm, whilst he should continue to demean himself in a christian-like manner. Having received such assurJmces of pat- ronage and protection from a competent source, he departed much encouraged, and resolved through grace, td be more thari evet devoted to the good work, to which he had been called. During this time of trial, Jona- than remained faithful to his friend. A prin- cipal part of those people, having been mem- bers of the Roman Catholic Church, and partially instructed in those doctrines, Stew- art had many difficulties to encounter whilst endeavouring to convince them of the impro- priety of worshipping the Virgin Mary, Saiots 26 and Angels. Many being under a deep con* cern on account of their souls, would coine 10 the place of worship with their long ne- glected Rosaries suspended around their necks, and in time of public prayer, would repeat their almost forgotten Romish forms with much apparent sincerity and engaged- ness. They also began to re-learn their old Romish hymns, many of which had been ne- glected and forgotten. Finding that Stewart taught doctrines so different from those which they had learned from the Romish Priest, they concluded that he did pot preach from a genuine Bible, or at least that there must be a discrepancy between his Bible and that used hy the Priests, and that consequently it must be wrong for them to hear or encourage him, as the doctrines taught by him was heresy.— These and such like, notions were put into circulation by those of the Wyandotts, who wei-e then regular members of the Roman Catholic Church, which had considerable in- fluence on the minds of many, who at this time were under awakenings. A difFerence of opinion however, prevailed amongst them j 27 tvbile some said he was a good man, others^ said nay, be teaeheth a new and false doc- trine, and therefore cannot be a good man. Some of the principal men went to Mr. Walker, the sub-agent, for the purpose of hearing his opinion concerning this man and his doctrines, and whether his Bible was re- ally the word of God. He without hesitancy gave them his opinion, and endeavoured to remove from their minds their groundless fears. In order the more effectually to ac- complish this, he appointed a day when he would summon Stewart to appear before him, for the purpose of examining his books in their presence. Accordingly on the day ap- pointed, Stewart appeared before Mr. Walker and the Chiefs, bringing with him his books. Many also who had embraced the new reli- gion attended, feeling a deep interest in the decision of the Agent. While he was exam- ining Stewart's Bible and Hymn book, a profound silence prevailed. The poor Chris- tian prosolytes gazed with deep anxiety on the examiner, to whom it was referred to de^ cide the important question, whilst the ene- 28 jni«s of the cause were not less anxious. At length, Mr. Walker having closed the exam- ination, called the attention of the assembly : all was attention. He informed them that he had carefully examined Stewart's Bible, and found it to be, as he believed the word of Ood, and that it most certainly was, the same kind of those used, by the Roman Priests, with only this difference, that those were in Latin, and Stewart's was English. And as for Stewart's Hymn book, he said the hymns and spiritual songs it contained were certainly good, that the subjects were taken from the Bible and breathed the Spirit of religion. — He therefore pronounced the Bible and Hymn book to be genuine and good. A visible change appeared in the very countenances of the Christian part of the assembly. New spirits appeared to enliven their hearts, and joy to spring up in their souls on account of the decision in favour of the books. All this time our sable Missionary set calm and tran- quil, eyeing the assembly most affectionately The next objection raised against him, was, that he had no Written permission to preacK 20 This: difficulty was obviated by Mr Walker, by asking tbera whether they knew of his hfiviag performed the rite of matrimony or baptism ; they answered that they did not. He theh informed them that he thought there was no violation of law ; and wntil it could be proven- that he had performed the mar» riage ceremony, or baptized, no valid objec- tion could be brought againsf him for endea* vouring to persuade sinners to serve God and save their souls ; for, said he, "any man has a right to talk about religion, and try to get others to embrace it." He then dismissed the assembly, and when they departed, like the Jews of Rome, " they had great reason* ing amongst themselves." We shall here take occasion to notice some of the dialogues which took place during the first winter of this mission, as well as bring into view some of the leading characters, who were active, either for or against the cause | as the arguments on different subjects, used on both sides of the question, will, it is be» lieved, be somewhat interesting to the reader. We shall, however, first state that after the 3* m decision above mentioned, notliing worthy of notice took place for Some time, except that Stewart continued, without interruption, to teaoh the way of eternal life, to a quite serious and attentive congregation. All this time, however, he had left untouched their absurd notions respecting the powers of magicians, witches, feasts, dances, and many other ridi- culous ceremomes, which had been handed down to them by their ancestors, from gene- xation to generation. Many, although awaken- ed to- a sense of their lost estate, were ^o attached .to their old customs and modes of tvorship, that they found it hard to renounce them, although they were seriously told that if they wished to become the followers of the Jliord Jesus Christ, they must abandon them |ill, and ccist themselves on him as their only and last refuge. At a certain meeting, Stewart, in the course of his sermon, made some pointed remarks against their old system of heathenism, and added, that instead of their mode of worship being pleasing to the Lord, it was on the conr Irary, displeasing to himi and that although In the time cf their ignorance, Gbd winked at their conduct ; yet now, the gospel having reached them, and in such a manner as to be understood by them, they were all required to repent. At the close of this discourse, he informed the congregation that if any one present had -any objection to his doctrines, they were then at liberty to speak. Where- upon, John Hicks, one of the chiefs, arose and spoke as follows, "My friend, as you have given liberty to any one who had objec- tions to the doctrines you teach and endea- vour to maintain, to speak on the subject, and state their objections ; I, for one, feel myself called upon to rise in defence of the religion of my fathers;— a system of religion the Great Spiri^ has g'ven his red children, as their guide and the rule of their faith, and we are not going to abandon it so soon as you might wish ; we are contented with it, because it suits our conditions and is adapted to our capacities, Cast your eyes abroad over the world, and see how many different systems pf religion there are in it^ — there are almost as many different systems as there are nations •**»say this'is ftot the work of the Lord. No, my friend, your declaiming so violently against 6\it modes of worshipping the Great Spirit, i^j in my opinion, not calculated to benefit US as a nation ; we are willing to receive good advice from you, but we are not willing to hiiVe the tustoms and institutions which havd b^en kept sacred by our Fathers, thus assailed and abused." Whereupon, Manoncue, another chief, arose and said, " I also have a few words to say in addition to what my friend has said, who has just taken his seat. I do not doubt but what y^u state faithfully what your book says ; but let me correct an error into which you appear to have run, and that is, your belief that the Great Spirit designed that his red children should be instructed out of it. This is a mistake, the Great Spirit never designed this to be the case ; he never intended that they should be instructed out of a book, a thing W)iich properly belongs to those who made it and can understand what it says; it is a plant that cannot grow and flourish among red people. Let me call your attention to another 33 6aJ -^1 . important fact. — Where did the Son of God first make bis appearance ? According to your book be first made his appearance away in the East, among the white people, and we never beard of his name until white people themselves told us. And what if we had never seen a white man ? we never would have heard of this new doctrine. The Son of God came among the whit» people and preached to them, and left his words written in a book, that they when he was gone, might read and learn bis will concerning them; but he left no book for Indians, and why should he, seeing we red people know nothing about books ? If it had been the wiH of the Great Spirit that we should be instructed out of this book, he would have provided some way for us to understand the art of making and reading the books that contain his words. Ours is 9, religion that suits us red people, and we intend to keep and preserve it sacred among us, be- lieving that the Great Spirit gave it to our grand-fathers in ancient days." Stewart re- plied that it was stated in this book, that the Son vf God| before he ascended into Heaven 34 commanded his disciples to " go into all the -worid, luxd preach the gospel unto every crea- ture ;^' saying at the same time, that he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and be that believeth not, shall be damned." And in another place it is said, " and this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come.'^ He added, further, that this did not mean to all nations of white people only, but to all nations composed of human beings, including whites, IndiSns and Africans, that all had share in the salvation which wa^ purchased by the Son of God. Addressing himself particularly to the Wyandotts, he said "you certainly consider yourselves a nation composed of human beings ; if so, then you may rest assured that this gospel will be preached not only to you, but to all nations of Indians; and not only Indians, but to all na- tions under the Heavens, before the end of the world shall come. And now my dear friends, only consider what an awful curse is pronounced upon those who reject this peaces ful gospel— who will not hear and believe it. 35 but coldly turn from the Joving ofFers of the Son of God. You have heard that he has said, " whosoever believeth not shall be damn- ed." Awful curse ! O my friends, think well before you determine tb reject this gospel, for if you do reject it, rest assured the curse mil fall upon you, especially upon you chiefs, wha have so great an influence over your people; lead them not to destruction, I entreat you !" Having concluded his reply, the assembly was dismissed. — Manoncue came to Hicks privately and said, " my friend, I begin to feel somewhat inclined to abandon & good many of our Indian customs, but I cannot agree to give up painting my face; this I think would be wrong, inasmuch as ceasing to paint will be jeopardizing my health.'* (it being a received opinion among them that painting the face had a magic power in keeping off diseases.) Hicks replied, "you can do as you please, my friend, m this mat* ter ; for my own part, I have strange feelings about this business, 1 hardly know what to do." These two chiefs were not Roman Caihofics, but entirely untu^red Indians^ and 30 indeed those who were members of that church were little better in point of refigious information. At almost ever}r meeting there was less or more disputing between Stewart and some of the principal men of the tiation ; especially after he .commenced speaking against their feasts, dances, &c. as being sinful in the sight of God. Notwithstanding their disputings, many of the awakened persons still continued to walk orderly, and to seek ^e pearl of great pnce. A part of those awakened persons were members of the Honum Catholic church, and had strong pre- dilections in favour of her doctrines and ce- remonies ; it is notj therefore, wonderful that it was with Some difficulty they were brought fully to acquiesce in all the doctrines taught bj Stewart. While under the influence of their former principles, they as often in their de- votions, prayed to the Virgin Mary as to God; they also used prayers for t^e deliverance of their departed friends from purgatory, crossing themselves when at prayer, keeping a multi- plicity of holy days, and performiug pilgrim- ages once a year to St. Ann's Chtlrcb^ ia 37 Sandwich, in the province of Upper Canada; for the purpose of obtaining from the priest the pardon of their sins. These and many other absurd notions which many believed in, were hard to remove. On a certain occasion, while preaching to them and endeavouring to convince the Romish part -of his congregation of the many errors in which they believed, he said, " as for your worshipping the Virgin Mary, Jet me tell you that it is contrary to God's commandments, for he hath commanded his people, that they should 'have none other gods before him ;' now all who worship the Virgin Mary, saints and angels, violate this commandment; and there is nothing in the New Testathent, commanding us to worship the Virgin, or any other saint or angel : the Virgin ought no niore to be worshipped than any other good person who has found favour ^ith God, and died and gone to Heaven.'' This was like an electric shock to many of them ; they looked with amazement on each other, considering the conclusion as nothing less than-blasphemy. After the congregatidu was dismissed, many of them were seeo 4 standing about in groups^ talking very earnestly while others, " gallio-like, cared for none of these things;" being neither Romans nor any thing else, but sons of folly and dissipa- tion, and cared not whether their people wor- shipped God, the Virgin, or the devil, taking no further interest in the meetings than, as they said, to " hear the preacher sing, and to seei and be seen " Stewart possessed a very fine shrill and ^melodious voice for singing, and delighted much in that part of worship, a^d Indians being naturally fond, of music and company, it will not appear strange that the council-house (the place of preaching) should be filled every Sabbath day. One thing is here worthy of remark, and that is, that not a single instance occurred during the time Stewart laboured amongthem, of their treating his person with any indignity or violence. Notwithstanding his doctrine was so offensive to many of them,, yet in his intercourse with them, he was always treated in a friendly and decorous manner. He was hospitably entertained among them, until ha returned to Marietta. No such scenes of S9 abuse, persecution, cruelty and barbarity were witnessed, as took place at the time of the rise of Methodism in England, it being a maxim among the Indians, never to treat a stranger who comes among them with disre- spect or indignity. Truly, a good majcim 1 As yet there did not appear to be any who evidenced a genuine conversion, though many appeared to be really hopeful penitents, and mourning for "errors past.*' There being no preacher among them, who was authorised to form them into Society, and thereby, in some degree, cause them to *'*come out from among the wicked," it will not be sur- prising tQ the reader, when he is informed that many grew weary in well doing, fainted by the way, and relapsed into a cold, careless, and indifferent state of mind. At a meeurtg which took place, it is be- lieved, on the ifiiid Wi6dnesday in February, 1817, he preached a sermon, in the concluding part of which he entered into a description of the day of Judgment, and in a most alarming manner warned them that they as well as all the rest of mankind, must be assembled before ^0 the Great Judge, to give an account of their conduct. " And there, my friends," said he, ** I shall meet you, and will have to answer for my manner of preaching to you, &c.'* The whole assembly appeared to be absorbed in se- rious thought. Alarm appeared evidently to be depicted in every countenance. Another meeting v/as appointed to beiield at the same place, at early candle-light, and the congrega- tion was then dismissed. Accordingly at the appointed hour, Stewart came and found a few assembled. He then began to sing, and In a short time the people.began to assemble, and in a few minutes the house was pretty \|ell filled; he then rose up and began to exhort, and in the most pathetic inanner, en- treated them to seek the Lord Jesus as the Saviour of sinners, and escape the impending iivrath of an offended God; that now was the day of salvation, and not to neglect the present opportunity. When he concluded, he in- formed them that it was his inteation to en- deavour to hold a prayer-meeting, and exhorted those who had resolved to forsake their sins, to come forward and take an actiye 41 part ia calling upon God for the forgiveness. of their sins. A few carae^ forward, prbci- pally women, and the exercise commenced • it was not long before some of the idle spec- tators were struck to the ground, to all ap- pearance dead, and in a few minutes there were many slain, some lay crying for mercy, while others appeared to have no life in thera. This extraordinary occurrence spread a gen- eral alarm in the congregation : some said he used some pov/erful medicine, which, whea inhaled, would take the senses away, others said, not so; some ran after water for the purpose of resuscitating the apparently dead people; some cried out to Jonathan^ the interpreter, to desist from singing those new songs, and to sing the Roman Catholic hymns, or they would all die. Thereupon, an old woman (aged about sixty years,) sprang up, having found the pearl of great price, begaa to clap her hands and rejoice with great joy, and went through all the crowd, proclaiming that God, for Jesus' sake, had forgiven aW her sins, and added, that what the preacher said, was all true. Seeing hpr act and hear- 4* 42 iflg her talk in a manner she never before had been known to do, they concluded, she un-? doubtedly was in a state of mental derange- ment. Stewart perceiving the consternation of the people, advised them to give themselves no uneasiness about the lives of those persons who were, as they supposed, dying or insanef ; he added, further, <'they are not dying, neither are they insane, as you suppose; though some of them, I trust, are dying to sin and struggling into a life of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost ;" and ad- ded, yet further, that he would be accountable for all the lives that should be lost, or any harm done to their persons. None, however, were converted at this m'eeting, except the old woman above-mentioned, who is yet a living witness, of the power of God to save from sin ; but many went away under a deep concern of soul. Although this meeting was continued until nearly midnight, John Hicks and Manoncue sat all the time as silent spec- tators, looking on with amazement, not utter- ing a word for or against this apparently dis- orderly meeting. In a few days a great dance 45 was to be held at the council-house, for the purpose, as they said, of shewing the preacher the way and manner they worshipped the Great Spirit : — time rolled on, and the day arrived when the great festival was to take place ; during this time the young men had been out hunting for deer, bear, &c. to be served up at the grand entertainment ; they returned with horse-loads of venison and bear-meat. Suitable persons were appointed to manage the preparations, kc. On the day appointed a large number of people, young and old, male and female, were assembled ; a formal invitation was sent to Stewart, re^ quiring his presence on the occasion. He came, accompanied by Jonathan, his constant imerpreter ; a chief then arose and informed the assembly of the manner and order in which the feast and dance were to be con- ducted. Stewart sat witnessing this singular worship or thanksgiving; the preparatory ceremonies being finished, the music was struck up, and the person appointed to lead the dance proceeded to the ring formed Jo the great council*house, and raised three tre^ 4« inendous yells, (winch at first startled Stev?art) and commenced dancing ; then another arose and joined in, then another, until quite a lengthy column was formed, they kept mov- jng around following the ring; in a few minutes the women began to file in, old and young ; but what was Stewart's astonishment^ when he beheld some mingling in the dance, who, as he supposed, were true mourners in Zion, who had renounced the vanities of the world ; alasl thought he, unpromising converts indeed. Although thus joining in the dance, did not seem to comport with the profession of reli- gion, yet, in the mind of one acquainted with those people, it would not militate so much against their sincerity, knowing how difficult it was to convince them that there was evil in the customs, which amongst them had from time out of mind been held sacred. While this dance was going on, many of the young men, as they were passing around opposite where Stewart sat, would endeavour to display their superior activity and agility in dancing, cutting the most ludicrous figures imaginable; sometimes with the head thrown on one 45 shoulder and the eyes shut — sometimes the head thrown back so that there appeared to be some danger of a dislocation of the neck bone ; all this time the feet were in motion, keeping time with the music. Sometimes they would bend so far forward that the fore- head would almost touch the ground, with the hands placed on the hips, the arms a-kimbo, and the body in a perfect shiver, and all this accompanied with the most horrid yells imag- inable. In short, of all the twistings, writhings and contortions, of which a human body is capable, none were left untried ; so antic were their motions and gesticulations, that they were enough, in despite of gravity, to draw forth a burst of laughter from the spectator. At three o'clock, p. m. the dancing ceased ; the next was a distribution of the food pre- pared for the occasion : persons had been previously appointed to attend to this business, so that it was not long before each person had as much food placed before him as he could well dispose of. The repast went on with much mirth and good feeling, and in a short tjme the chiefs dismissed the assembly, and 46 tfijey parted much gratified with the pleasure ihey had experienced on that occasion. Not- withstanding the willingness which Manoncue had sometime before expressed, to forsake ^nd abandon all his Indian customs except that of painting his face, yet he could not tefrain from joining in the dance ; it was too fascinating for so great a lover of pleasure to resist. No certain information can now be obtained lespecting what was said or done on the next Sabbath day, except that Stewart preached t^them as usual. The next thing worthy of remark is, his taking leave of them ; it appears he had not given up his intention of following his connexions to the state of Tennessee ; he accordingly prepared to return to Marietta, from thence intending to proceed as above. OiiJ Sabbath day he delivered his farewell discourse, it is believed, from Acts, xx ch. and 32 verse ; a large and serious congrega- tion was assembled. In the course of his sermon, he began again to enforce the neces- sity of a total abandonment of their heathenish customs and notions, as destructive to the spirit 47 of that religion which could qualify them for a happy life and triumphant death. " For" said he, "I have faithfully warned you that your feasts, dances, sacrifices, &c. will never save you from ypur sins, and if you-are never saved from your sins, where God is, you never can come; your mode of worship is nojt pleasing to God, but displeasing, especially since you have become better informed ; God will never hear your petitions while you har* hour an attachment to those customs ; for it is said in the word of God, *If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.' My friends, I have spfent nearly three months with endeavouring, in my feeble and imperfect manner, to teach you the way of eternal life — I have been instant, in season and out of season — I have prayed and wept fot you — have preached and exhorted you to escape from the dreadful tempest that is coming, when the wrath and indignation of the Majesty of Heaven, will be revealed in the punishment and. destruction of all who will not obey the gospel j and O my God ! is this all to be in vain ? Must I depart and leave 48 you as I found you, careless,^ wicked and un- godly ? God forbid it ! Ye know, froni the fitst day I came: intp Sandusky, after what manner I have been with you in all seasons, serving the Lord with all humility of mind, with many tears, and temptatiotis which befel me; and howl kept back nothing that was pro- fitable unto you, but have shewed you and have taught you publicly, and from house to house, testifying both to you Wyandotts and also to the whites, repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. — Wherefore I take you to record tljis day, that I am pure from your blood ; I feel now that 1 have discharged my duty to you; God sent me here to warn you to Bee the wrath to come, and I have done so ; but. Lord, who hath believed the report ? He then directed his discourse to the believing part of the congregation, and in a feeling and pathetic manner exhorted them to faithfulness: In conclusion, he said, "now my friends, I expect you will see my face no more, for I must go j I shall meet you all at the flaming bar of God; and my friends, for jour kindness to moJioceioame among you, 49 I lake this opportunity of expressing my gr&t* itudetoyou; God will reward you; for he hath said,;" whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones, a cup of cold water in the ftarne of a disciple, shall not lose his reward." He then addressed himself to the chiefs and principal naen of the nation in a few words, and concluded. During the s^mon, a dead silence reigned, except the weeping and sob'» bing which was heard in all directions of the house. He then began to sing, — " Farewell, dear friends, I must be gone, <* I have no home, or stay with you ;" And as he sung, proceeded around among the people, taking each by the hand ; many un- derstanding some English, it had so great an effect upon them, that fortitude completely forsook them : even his most violent opposers were constrained to drop a tear, on his bidding them adieu ; it was a sore trial to Stewart himself. Having gone, through the congrega- tion and come to the door, he stopped, paused, andcastan affectionate and compassionate look upon them and went out. Some followed liiiu and requested that he would stay until the 5 next day, as they wished to have an interview with him before he departed ; to this he con* sented. The people dispersed, and at the proposed interview, some, indeed all his friends insisted upon his abandoning the idea of going away, but to remain among them* He informed them that he was under the ne- cessity of going, if he had to return again ; they then insisted on his returning; to this he at length agreed, but said he was poor and would be obliged to stop at the first town he should come to, and work for some money to bear his expenses to Marietta, and of course Jie could not promise to return sooner than \he last week in June or the first of July. — With this promise they were satisfied. At \he suggestion, of Mrs. Warpole, (of whom ve shall have occasion to speak hereafter,) a collection was made in the village amount- ing to ten dollars, for the purpose of bearing hs expenses and hastening his return; he then departed. The Indians all made prepa- rations and went to their sugar camps, as the spgar making season had come on. Situated a? they were, it was difficult to determine who 61 were Christians and who were not, for the righteous and unrighteous were all mixed together. Deprived as they were of the or- dinances of God's house, such as baptisnj, the Lord's supper, marriage, &c. and not having the advantages of class-meetings, disci- pline, &c. were causes of the work not appear- ing so flattering as it otherwise might. Many, no doubt, were under deep convictions, and groaning for deliverance from their burden of guilt, who, for the want of proper care and nursing in the bosom of the church, afterwards became discouraged, grew cold, and finally gave it up. They were a very intemperate people, so much so, that on actual investigation, not twenty really sober men could be found in the whole nation^ which consisted of about seven hundred, young and old. Stewart's preaching produced a reformatioa in regard to this particular vice j drunkenness seemed to have flown from their borders, and many other vicious practices were abandoned : in short, a degree of amendment was visible in the whole neijEjhbourhood— their feasts, dance's^ 52 sacrifices, &c. they could not yet consent to abandon, so completely were they established in the belief that they were instituted by their Creator as their mode of worship; (this was not, however, the case with all Wyandotts, some did not believe so, having been better informed from infancy.) Nothing worthy of remark took place, until their return from their sugar camps to the village ; some wicked and designing white men inforined some of them that Stewart's master had come out from the state of Virginia to Ohio in pursuit of him, had (bund and taken him, and carried him back to Virginia in irons. This^ piece of information was credited by some and by others it was not ; however, it created con- siderable uneasiness among h^s friends. — Nothing was heard from him until about the second, week in June, when a letter was re- ceived from him by Mr. Walker, enclosing a written sermon or address, which he request- ed Mr. Walker should cause to be read to the Wyandotts on a Sabbath day in their own tongue. This was done on the Sabbath fol- lowing, Jo a large congregation, many of whom 63 were truly glad to hear from him, and parties ularly to learn that the above report was fake. The letter to Mr. Walker above- mentioued, was in the words following, to wit : *' Marietta, (O.) May 26tk, 1817. William Walker, Esq. Sir, I have taken the liberty of enclosing to your care the within written address, directed to the Wyandott nation, for their information and edification, hoping that it will (through the blessing of God,) impress on their minds, religious and moral sentiments. 1 have taken the liberty to address it to you, hoping that you will have the goodness to read it, or cause it to be read in their hearing, and in their own language, that they may understand its true meaning; and moreover, that you will try to impress on their minds the neces- sity of adhering strictly to the laws of God — that their hearts should be constantly set upon the Supreme Being who created them ; and that it is their duty to raise their voices in praising, adoring, and loving that Jesus, who has suffered and died for them, as well as for 5^ 54 those who aie more enlightened. Inform them that although their brother is far from them ia body, yet his anxiety for their safety and future happiness is very great ; in doing this you will confer a favour upon me which I shall ever remember with gratitude. My en- gagements you no doubt recollect, were, that I should return about the last week in June, but owing to misfortunes and disappointments to which we are all liable, together with a wound I accidentally received on my leg, will prevent my having the pleasure of seeing or being with you until the middle of July ; at tvhich time 1 hope^ by the grace of God, to have the pleasure of seeing you and the Wy- andott people generally. At that time I shall not fail to ofier verbally, my gratitude to you and your dear family, for th^e services yon and they have rendered me. May I ask you to have the gO^odness to write to me f and please inform me of the general state of those persons that have re- formed since 1 first went among them, and how many have evidenced a change since I «ame away, and ;vhether they continue to 55 conduct themselves with that since?ity of heart, that would be acceptable in the eyes of God; finally, whether they appear as anxious for my return, as they appeared to be for my stay when I was coming away. In attending to these requests of mine, you will confer an obligation which will be ever remembered, with every mark of gratitude and respect. I remain your humble servant, and in every instance sincerely hope, not only to meet with your approbation, but that ^Iso of my God. John Stewart." THB ADDRESS. " My dear and beloved Friends : I, your brother traveller to eternity, by the grace and mercy of God, am blessed with this opportunity of writing to you ; although 1 be far distant from you in body, yet my mind is oft times upon you. I pray you to be watchful that the enemy of souls do not ensnare you ; pray to the Lord both day and night with a sincere heart, find he will uphold 56 you in all your trials and troubles. The words that! shall take as a standard to try to encou- rage you from^ may be found in the 5th chapter of Matthew,, 6th verse, * Blessed are ihey who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.' These words were spoken by our Saviour Jesus Christ, and they are firm and sure; for his words are more firm than the. heavens or the earth. Likewise the promise appears to be permanent; it does not say it may be, or perhaps, so as to leave it doubtful ; but, *they shall be filled.' This man, Jesus Christ, spake like one who pos- sessed power to fill and satisfy the hungering soul, and we have no reason to dispute his ability to do so ; knowing that be made all things that are made, and made man for his service, then we are bound to believe that he is a Being of all power, able to fulfil all his promises to all mankind. Though he made us for his service we have all gone astray into the forbidden paths of sin and folly ; therefore the promise appears to be held out to a par- ticular class of people, who, happy are they, if they find themselves in this hungering and 57 thirsting after the ^righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the first piace, my friends, I shall endeavour to shew you who it is that this gracious promise is made to, or how it is that we have a right to this promise i accord-* ing to the light the Lord has given me, it is not him that is living in open rebellion against God, and going contrary to his commands — that closes his eyes against the light— that is barring the door of his heart against the striv* ings of the blessed Spirit, that is continually admonishing him to forsake the ways of sin, and turn and seek the salvation of his soul ; it is that man or woman who has called upon that God that hears sinners pray, and who will have mercy upon such as will call upon him with sincerity of heart, really desiring to re- ceive and believing that he is able to give you. The Lord by his goodness will begin to take ofF the veil that the enemy has veiled you with, then you begin to see how thou hast strayed from the right way, this causes the sinner to be more and more engaged : this good and great Saviour, who sees and knows the secrets of every heart, seeing the poor 58 soul svilling to forsake the service of the devil, moves nearer and nearer to the sinner, his glorious Hght shines into his heart, he gives him to see the pool of crime that he has com* mitted against the Blessed Saviour who hung on the tree for the sins of the world j this makes him mourn and grieve over his sins, and calling on the mighty Saviour, as his last, his b^st refuge, for help; finding that there is no help in and of himself, seeing that all he has done is nothing, this causes the soul to try to make his last prayer, crying * Lord save, or I perish;' thou wouldst be just in sending me to destruction, but Lord save, for Christ's sake ; Lord, 1 have done all I can do, take me, do thy will with me, for thou knowest better what to do with me than I can desire. This blessed Saviour shews his face with ten thousand smiles — lays his hand to the work — breaks the snares of sin— unlooses him from the fetters and chains of unbelief — sets the soul at liberty — puts a new song in his mouth — makes the soul rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory ; it is then he desires to go to his friend who has done so 5^ much for him, and leave this troublesome world ; bat the soul has to stay until It has done its du^ OJH earth, which will not be long. After a few more rolling suns of this life, the tempter begins to tempt him ; ,the wbrld, the flesh and the devil all unite, the poor soul begins to mourn and grieve, because he can- not do as he would wish ; when he would do good, evil is present ; then it is the soul begins to hunger and thirst after righteousness. My friends, be glad and rejoice in the Lord, for this promise is to you and to all mankind ; yes, they shall be filled with water issuing from the throne of God- O, my friends, pray to God to give you a hungering and thirsting after righteousness ! seek for it and you shall find it, for you shall reap in due season if you faint not. If you persevere in the way of well doing, you will find in your path clusters of sweet fruits, that will satisfy your hunger^ ing souls, and being faithful to your Lord's commands, when you have made your way through much tribulation, and lie down pa your dying bed, you will be filled with the glorious prospect of the reward that awairs 60 you; guardian angels wait around your bed, to bear your soul away to those bright worlds of everlasting day, where the friend of poor sinners reigns^ This fills the soul with the sweets of love divine, this methinks, will make the dying bed of the man or woman, ^ soft as downy pillows are.'* Therefore, my friends, if you hold out faithful, you will have part in the first resurrection ; then it will be that you will see your Lord and master face to face ; then it will be that you will hear that blessed sentence *Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.' Then shall you sit down with the people of God in that kingdom, where your Saviour with his soft hand will wipe all tears from your eyes. There you shall see and be with him, and praise him to all eternity. Having, after a broken and imperfect manner, my friends* shewn you the characters of those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, Ishall endeavour to say a few words to that class of people, who I, in the foregoing part of my discourse said, had no part in the promise. A few words of 61 consolation to the sinnei' ; that is, the Lotdls tvillin§ to save all who will call upon hhn with a sincere heart) at the same time ha?iog determined to forsake all sin, and to seek the salvation of their souls. Now, my friends» .you who have been at war agamst this great friend of sinners, now turn, for behold now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvatioji. Take into consideration, realize how long the Lord has spared your lives, and all this time you ha\'« been resisting his holy and blessed Spirit— this Spirit the Lord has sent to warn you, and entreat you to turn to the Lord ; But oh! my friends, how often have you thrusted that good spirit away, and forced it to depart from you ! Let me inform you, if you continue to resist this good spirit, it will after awhile leave you, never more to return; for God hath said, *my spirit shall not always strive with man.' Therefore, my friends, though you have caused the spirit to go away grieved, now begin to^ encourage and attend to its admonitions;, he that receives it and obeys its directions^ receives Christ t and at the same time receives God the Father. My 6 62 friends, if youwfll not adhere to the Lord's Spirit, neither to the entreaties of your friend, the timfe draws on when you will wish you had spent this glorious opportunity the Lord has given yOU, in preparing to meet Him who is to judge the world. Then it will be you will have to hear and abide by that dreadful sentence * Depart ye cursed — ye workers of iniquity, for I never knew you.' Oh ! my friends, consider you must go into fire pre- pared for the devil and his angels, where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched. Some of you may put off this and think it is a long time yet before it comes to pass ; but consider, if the Lord does not call you by judgment, death is always near, and he taking off our friends both on our right and on our left hands. Ah! we must all, sooner or later, be called to lie on a sick bed, when no phy- sician' can effect a cure, when death — cold and dreary death will lay hold on us j then will we have a view of awful eternity, and if unprepared, horror will seize upon the soul, while our friends wait around our bed, to see tjdbid the world adieu. Oh! what anguish 63 will tear the soul of the sinner ! What bitter lamentations will then be made for mis-spent opportunities, slighted mercies ! O ! that I had spent my time more to the Lord ! Then you will say, farewell my friends, I have got to go, for devils are waiting round my bed, to drag my soul away to hell. Then will you remember how often you grieved the good Spirit of the Lord, how often you drove it from you, but too late, you must go to endure the horrors of everlasting burnings. Then, my friends, accept of my feeble advice ; bear constantly in mind the necessity of obtaming this blessed promise, and ever let your hearts and conduct be guided by the directions of that blessed Saviour who died for you, that you might live. You who have set out in the way of well doing, be faithful unto death, and you will be conveyed by angels to Abraham's bosom, and there meet the sweet salutation, of *well done good and faithful servant, enter thou ipio the joy of thy Lord.' And may God bless you and keep you in the path of righteousness, uatil he shall see fit to close your eyes in death. Now may the blessing, &c. John Stewart." 64 At the time set by him for fiis return, he arrived 9.1 Sandusky. On his arrival, he learned with much sorrow and regret, that a young man of an amiable disposition, whom he sincerely loved, and who once bi4 fair to become a pious and useful man^ (for when Stewart left Sandusky, he appeared to be much engaged in seeking the salvation of his soul) had been murdered in a drunken froHc. Poor young man, lost all his good desires and fell into the snare of the devil. Stewart now without delay, wen» about seeking those he Mt in the service of the Lord. Some had turned back to the beggarly elements of the world'^'-some remained faithful. He imme* diately commenced preaching as he had for* merly done. He now found many Wyan* dotts whom he had not seen when he was first among them, (they having been out Irunting,) and of course his preaching was a new thing to them. It was not long before a violent opposition was raised by some of the princi- pal men of the nation against the' progress of this new religion. Many arguments were used by those in the opposition, to prevent 6b tfie success of Stewart's ministry. The prin* cipal leaders of this opposition were Manori' cue, and Two Logs, or Bloody Eyes, both Chiefs in the nation. They represented in glowing colours, the great and many evils and calamities that would befal them as a people or nation, if they abandoned the sacred insti- tufions which the God of the red people had given them as their mode of worshipping him : institutions also designed for their amuse- ment — that they would justly incur the dis- pleasure of the great Spirit by such a step — that the great Spirit designed those institu- tions to be held sacred among them and kept up forever. They exhorted the people never to entertain the idea of abandoning them, as- suring them that while they continued to ad- here to the religion of their fathers, they would be on the safe side. * Summer was with them, a season of amuse- ment and great happiness. Feasts, dances, ball-plays, foot-races, horse-races, &c. were their chief delight, and it will not be wondered at, that they should with great reluctance give up the things which afforded them so much 6* 66 pjeasqre. Through the course of the sum- mer, datice succeeded dance, and feast sue- ceeded feast, until Autumn admonished them to resume the chase. Sometime in the month of August, a large numher of Wyandotts were collected at a house-raising, and Stewart heing present. Two Logs began in a very violent and bois^ tepous manner to declaim against Stewart and his doctrine ; a friend of Stewart's replied in a very spirited manner. This brought on a considerable controversy, in which several took part. Two Logs objected particularly to bis preaching against their dancing, feast- ing, &c. At length Stewart was called upon to defend his doctrines against the formidable attack made by Two Logs. Stewart io a mild and plain manner endeavoured to con- vince him of the evil tendency of the practi- ces he so warmly advocated, and among other things he stated that a poet had represented the dancing and frolicking part of the damned^ m crying out in their distress and agony, aird saying. 67 *• Tfow HaiH aJl hail ! yefrighlfut ghosl3>, With whom I once did dwell. And spent my days in frantic mirth. And danced my soul to hell." At this Two Logs raised a great hoarse laugh^ and inquired whether the persons who made those bitter lamentations were Indians, and added, ^'1 do not believe the Great Spirit will punish his red children for dancing, feasting, Sec. Yet 1 cannot say that he will not punish white people for doing these things; for to me it looks quite probable the Great Spirit has forbidden these things among the whites, because they are naturally wicked, quarrelsome and contentious ; for it is a truth they cannot deny, that they cannot have a dance, a feast, or any public amusement, but isome wiU get drunk, quarrel, fight, or do something wrong. Now, my friend, you have been present at several of our dances and feasts, and did you see any of these bad things going on ? No, we have our public amusements in peace and good will to each other, and part in the same manner. Now, 68 where is the great evi! you see?" It is not known what Stewart's reply was. Two Logs would sometimes tell the people, it was really derogatory to their character, to have it said, that they hud a JVegro for their preacher^ as thatrace of people was always con- sidered inferior to Indians, " The Great Spir rit," said he, " never created Negroes,, they were created by the Evil Spirit." When aS* sembled at the place " where prayer was wont to be made" and a sermon preached, either Mononcue or Two Logs were sure to rise up, and refute (as they thought) the sermon. A great stir took place in consequence of some person^ who, it is^^ said, had seen a vis- ion. This person related it to several of the principal men. It "was as follows : On a cer- tain day while Stewart was preaching in the Council-House, she rose 'up, went out and proceeded to a vacant house a short distance off, and when she ye heralds of salvation^ Bbw the Gospel-trumpet, blo\i^ ; Gto to ev'ry tribe and nation, Hear ! your Master bids you go* Hark! his word, his Spirit urges, Count no enterprise too hard. Dauntless cross the mountain surges, Christ himself will be your gaurd. God protects, what pow'r can harm you ? Winds and seas obey his power ; What threat'ning evil shall alarm you, Or what furious foe devour ? Quit no duty, fear no danger, Go to all the fallen race, Say to every outcast stranger, Ye may now be saved by grace* Go, with heavenly ardoiSr burning, Bright with Christ's transmitted rays^ Comfort those in darkness mourning, Turn their sighs to songs of praise. Boar his cross, which is your glory, Spread your Master's glorious fame ; Tell his crucifixion storyj Tell the world his wondVous name* Idols then shall fell like Dagon, Heathen darkness flee away ; Every poor benighted pagan, See the light of gloHous day. Beserts shall rejoice with singing, Lonely wastes shall lift their voice, Barren wilds nvith verdure spriiiging Bloom a fruitful paradise. Sing, ye saints, a day of gladness Dawns already from oa high^ Put on joy for sable, sadness,^ Wipe the tear, repress the sigb* Soon will Zion's King descending, Cloth'd in regal robes appear, Earth shall, to his sceptre bending^ Hail the great millenial year. JVIouKNiNG and drooping here I lie, Upon this' earthly clod ; While heavenly things invite my eyes, And bring me to my God. Transported with a joyful vrew*. Of God's eternal love, Unto this world I bid adieu, And long to be above. Where all the saints in harmony. Their Saviour's praise declare. In that bright realm of endless day, There's not one mourner there. When they've been there ten thousand years'^ Bright shining as the sun, There's no Ies& days to sing God's praise^ Than when they first begun. And then as many years should p9SS, As sands upon the shore, 96 The saints ahove Would have no fear, That the blest space is o*er. If all the drops in ocean^s wide^ Were to be number'd o'er, And then by millions multiplied^ And twice as many more. And then as many years should pass; As water drops in all,^ Or grains of sand, or spires of grass, Upon this earthly ball. And then as many millions more, As stars that fill the sky ; Then all that number doubled o^er, Can't meet ETERNITY, Eternity will still remain, 'Twill be Eternity ; The song to Christ, who once was slain* Will last eternally. Amen ! they cry, Amen, Amen, Thy ways, O God ! are true ; Honour and power and glory then^ Thanksgiving is thy due. Honour and power and endless mighty 3e given to the Lord ; In this sweet song they'll all unite,. And sing with one accord. Who can describe that blessedness, Of pleasures ever new ; 1 long that glory to possess^ And bid all sin adieu. University of Connecticut Libraries