different tribes. But of all the sights which I ever saw among them, none appeared so near akin to what is imagined of the infernal powers, as the appearance of one who was a devout and zealous reformer, or rather a restorer, of what he supposed was the ancient religion of the Indians. He made his appearance in his pontifical garb, which was a robe of bear skins dressed with the hair on, and hanging down to his toes; a pair of bear skin stockings, and a great wooden face, painted one half black and the other tawny, about the colour of an Indian's skin, with an extravagant mouth cut very much awry; this face was fastened to a bear skin cap drawn over his head. He advanced towards me with an instrument of music in his hand, made of a dry tortoise shell, with some corn in it, and the neck of it drawn on a piece of wood for a handle. As he came forward, he beat his tune with the rattle, and danced with all his might; but did not suffer any part of his body to be seen, not so much as one of his fingers; and no man could have judged by his appearance that he could have been a hu

man creature.

When he came near me, I could not but shrink away from him, though it was then noon-day, and I knew who it was his appearance and gestures were so frightful."

He had a house consecrated to religious uses, with many images cut out upon several parts of it. I went in, and found the ground beat almost as hard as a rock with frequent dancing upon it. I discoursed with him upon Christianity, and some of my discourse. he seemed to like, but some of it he disliked entirely; he told me that God had taught him his religion, and that he never would turn from it, but wanted some to join him heartily in it, for the Indians had grown very degenerate. He had thoughts of leaving all his friends, and travelling abroad, in order to find some that would join with him; for he said he believed that God had some good people somewhere that felt as he did. He said that he had not always felt as he now did, but had been like the rest of the Indians until four or five years ago; then his heart was very much distressed, so that he could

not live among the Indians, but got away into the woods, and lived alone for some months. At length, he says that God showed him what he should do; and since that time he has known God, and tried to serve him, and loved all men, be they who they would, so as he had never done before. He treated me with uncommon courtesy, and seemed to be hearty in it. I was told by the Indians, that he opposed their drinking strong liquors with all his power; and if at any time he could not persuade them from it, he would leave them, and go crying into the woods."

"It was clear that he had a set of religious notions, that he had looked into for himself, and not taken for granted upon bare tradition; and he relished or disrelished whatever was spoken of a religious nature, as it agreed or disagreed with his standard. While I was discoursing, he would sometimes say, 'Now that I like, so God has taught me;' and some of his sentiments were very just. He utterly denied the being of a devil, and declared that there was no such creature known among the Indians of old times. He told me that

H

all departed souls went southward, and the difference between the good and the bad was this, that the good were admitted into a beautiful town with spiritual walls, or walls agreeable to the nature of souls, and the bad would for ever hover round these walls, and in vain attempt to get in. He seemed to be sincere, honest, and conscientious, in his own way; which was more than I ever saw in any other pagan: and I perceived that he was looked upon and derided among most of the Indians as a precise zealot. precise zealot. There was something in his temper that looked more like true religion than any thing I ever observed among other heathens."

Finding no encouragement among these Indians, Mr. Brainerd left them, to return to the forks of Delaware, in a very weak state of body, and great depression of spirits. He says, "I was much exercised with a sense of my barrenness, and verily thought that there was no creature that had any true grace, but what was more spiritual and fruitful than I. I could not think that any of God's children made so poor a hand of living

to God as I.". If this is the language of such a man as Brainerd, what must common Christians say of themselves?

Soon after he arrived at the Forks, he again set out for Crosweeksung, giving an invitation to the Indians there to go with him, which many of them accepted. On the 5th of October he preached, and found the Spirit of God still accompanying the word, and many were affected. "O!" he says,

"what a difference is there between these Indians and those on the Susquehanna! To be with those, seemed like being banished from God and all his people-to be with these, like being admitted into his family, and to the enjoyment of his presence. How great is the change lately made upon these Indians, who, not many months ago, were as thoughtless, and as averse to Christianity, as those on the Susquehanna!" Whenever he preached, there seemed to be a melting down among the whole assembly; and scarce a dry eye was to be seen among them; and after public service the Indians would continue praying among themselves for two hours to