Newspaper Page Text
No. 4. Vol. IV.
■TIES OF THE NORTH AMERICAN
INDIANS.
E'Aact from an Essay on the Religion of
9e Indian Tribes of North America—By
Hmuel F. Jarvis, D. D. Rector of St.
Iwm au p s Church , Boston.
harlevoix, who had all the opportuni
ty obtaining information which personal
rvation, and the united testimony of the
ich Missionaries could give, i9 an unex
ionable witness with regard to the Hu
, the Iroquois, and the Algonquins.
ithing,” says he, “i9 more certain,
gh at the 9ame time obscure, tbaD the
;eption which the American savages
of ySupreme Being. All agree that
i thefGreat Spirit, and that he is the
ter, Creator, and Governour of the
d.” The Huron* call him Areskoui;
Iroquois, by a slight variation, Agres
i. He is, with them, the God of war.
name they invoke as they march. It
e signal to engage, and it is the war
in the hottest of the battle. But, be
the Supreme Being, they believe in an
ite number of subaltern spirits, who are
■e objects of worship. These they divide
Ho good and bad. The good spirits are
Hied, by the Hurons, Okkis; by the Al-
Hnquins, Manitous. They suppose them
■be the guardians of men, and that each
■s his own tutelary deity. In fact, every
■ng in nature has its spirit, though all have
It the same rank, nor the same influence,
lie animals they hunt have their spirits.
I they do not understand auy thing, they
■mediately say, It is a spirit. If any man
Irforms a remarkable exploit, or exhibits
Itraordinary talents, he is said to be aspir
|or, in other words, his tutelary deity is
Ijosed to life of more than ordinary pow
lt is remarkable, however, that these
lary deities are not supposed to take
1 under their protection, till something
been done to merit the favour. A pa
t who wishes to obtain a guardian spirit
his child, first blackens his face, and
n causes him to fast for several days,
ring this time it is expected that the
fit will reveal himself in a dream : and,
this account, the child is anxiously ex
ined every morning with regard to the
ons of the preceding night. Whatever
child happens to dream of the most fre
ntly, even if it happen to be the head
bird, the foot of an animal, or any thing
he most worthless nature, becomes the
bol or figure under which the okki re
is himself. With this figure, in the
ception of his votary, the spirit becomes
itified; the image is preserved with the
Rest care—is the constant companion
ill great and important occasions, and
Is constant object of consultation and wor
■p. As soon as the child is informed
Hat is the nature or form of his protecting
lity, he is carefully instructed in the ob
lations he is under to do him homage—to
■low his advice communicated in dreams —
h deserve his favours—to confide implicitly
I “his care—and to dread the consequences
ns displeasure. For this reason, when
Huron, or the Iroqouis, goes to battle,
o the chase, the image of his okki is as
efully carried with him as his arms. At
tit, each one places his guardian idol on
palisades surrounding the camp, with
face turned from the quarter to which
warriours, or hunters, are about to
rch. He then prays to it for ao hour,
le does also in the morning, before be
tinuefi his course. This homage per
iled, T.e lies down to rest, and sleeps in
iquillity, fully persuaded that his spirit
l assume the whole duty of keeping
rd, and that he has nothing to fear.
_ A'ith this account of Charlevoix, the re-
Hions which the Moravian missionaries
He, not only of the Iroquois, but also of
H 6 Lenapes, or Delawares, and the numer-
I tribes, derived from them, perfectly
nrd. •* The prevailing opinion of all
e nations is,' 5 says Loskiel, “ that there
ne God, or, as they call him, one great
good Spirit, who has created the bea
ik and the earth, and made man and eve
other creature.” But, “beside the
ireme Being, they believe in good and
I spirits, considering them as subordi
e deities.” “ Our Missionaries have not
ml rank polytheism, or gross idolatry, to
feki-it among the Indians. They have, how
jfler, something which may be called an
Hi. This is the Manittoo , representing,
■ wood, the head of a man in miniature,
Hiich they always carry about them, either
B a string round their neck, or in a bag.
Hhey haug it also about their children, to
Heserve them from illness, and ensure to
Hem success. When they perform a so
lirni sacrifice, a manittoo , or a head as large
■ life, is put upon a pole in the middle of
He house. But they understand by the
Hord manittoo , every being to which an of-
Hring is made, especially all good spirits.
Hliey also look upon the elements, almost
■I animals, and even some plants, as spirits,
He exceeding the other in dignity and
Hwer. The manittoos are also considered
H tutelar spirits. Every Indian has one or
Hore, which be conceives to be peculiarly
Hven to assist him. and make him prosper.
Hie has, in a dream, received the sun as
■* tutelar spirit, another the moon ; a thrid
H °' v ’l > n fourth, a buffalo. An Indian is
■spirited, and considers himself as forsak-
H> by God, till he has received a tutelar
THE MISSIONAR Y.
spirit in a dream ; but those who have been
thus favoured are full of courage, and
proud of their powerful ally.”
This account is corroborated by Hecke
welder, in his late interesting history of the
Indian nations. “Itis a part of their reli
gious belief,” says he, “ that there are in
feriour manittoos , to whom the great and
good being has given the rule and com
mand over the elements; that being so
great, he like their chiefs, must have bis
attendants to execute his supreme behests;
these subordinate spirits (something in
their nature between God and man) see and
report to him wbat is doing upon earth;
they look down particularly upon the Indi
ans, to see whether they are in need of as
sistance, and are ready at tbeir call to assist
and protect them against danger. Thus I
have frequently witnessed Indians, on the
approach of a storm or thunder gust, ad
dress the manittoo of the air to avert all
danger from them; I have also seen the
Chippeways, on the lakes of Canada, pray
to the manittoo of the waters, that he might
prevent the swells from rising too high,
while they were passing over them. In
both these instances they expressed their
acknowledgment, or shewed their willing
ness to be grateful, by throwing tobacco in
the air, or strewing it on the waters.”—
“But amidst all these superstitious no
tions, the Supreme Manittoo, the Creator
and preserver of heaven and earth, is the
great object of their adoration. On him
they rest their hopes—to him they address
their prayers, and make their solemn sacri
fices.”
The Knistineax Indians, who inhabit the
country extending from Labrador, across
the continent, to the Highlands which di
vide the waters on Lake Superiour from
those of Hudson’s Bdy, appear, from Mac
kenzie’s account, to have the same system
of one Great Supreme, and innumerable
subordinate deities. “ The Great Master
of Life,” to use their own expression, “ is
the sacred object of their devotion. But
each man carries in his medicine bag a
kind of household god, which is a small car
ved image, about eight inches long. Its
first covering is of down, over which a piece
of beach bark is closely tied, and the whole
is enveloped in several folds of red and
blue cloth. This little figure is an object
of the most pious regard.”
It is remarkable, that the description
given by Peter Martyr, who was the com
panion of Columbus, of the worship of the
inhabitants of Cuba, perfectly agrees with
this account of the Northern Indians by
Mackenzie. They believed in the exis
tence of one supreme, invisible, immortal
and omnipotent Creator, whom they named
Jocahuna , but at the same time acknowl
edged a plurality of subordinate deities.
They had little images called Zemes, whom
they looked upon as only a kind of messen
gers between them and the eternal, omnip
otent, and invisible God. These images
they considered as bodies inhabited by spir
its, and oracular reponses were, therefore,
received from them a3 uttered by the Di
vine command. The religion of Porto Ri
co, Jamaica, and Hispaniola, was the 9ame
as that of Cuba ; for the inhabitants were
of the same race, and spoke the same lan
guage. The Carribean Islands, on the
other hand, were inhabited by a very fierce
and savage people, who were continually
at war with the milder natives of Cuba and
and Hispaniola, and were regarded by them
with the utmost terror and abhorrence.
Yet “the Charaibes,” to use the language
of the elegant historian of the West Indies,
Edwards, “ while they entertained an awful
sense of one great Universal Cause, of a
superiour, wise, and invisible Being of abso
lute and irresistble power, admitted also
the agency of subordinate divinities. They
supposed that each individual person had
his peculiar protector, or tutelary deity ;
and they had their lares and penates , gods
of their own creating.” “ Hughes, in his
history of Barhadoes, mentions many frag
ments of Indian idols dug up in that island,
which were composed of the same materi
als as their earthen vessels. ‘ I saw the
head of one,’ says he, 1 which alone weigh
ed above sixty pounds. This, before it was
broken off, stood upon an oval pedestal,
about three feet in height. The heads of
all the others were very small. These
lesser idols, were, in all probability, made
small for the ease and conveniency of being
carried with them in their several journeys,
as the larger sort were, perhaps designed
for some stated places of worship.’ ” Thus,
in this vast extent of country, from Hudson’s
Bay to the West Indies including nations
whose languages are radically different,
nations unconnected with, and unknown to
each other, the greatest uniformity of belief
prevails with regard to the Supreme Being,
and the greatest harmony in their system
of polytheism. After this view, it is impos
sible not to remark, that there is a smaller
departure from the original religion among
the Indians of America, than among the
more civilized nations of Egypt, Greece, and
Rome.
The holy Mr. Baxter, who had not eDjoyed a
waking hoar free from pain and sickness for many
years, when he was asked just before he expired,
how he did? replied, almost well.
GO YE INTO ALL THE WORLD AND PREACH THE GOSPEL TO EVERY CREATURE.— Je BCS Christ.
MOUNT ZION, (HANCOCK CO. GA.) MONDAY, JULY 1, 1822.
FRANKLIN LODGE,!
June 24, 1822. \
Rf.v. Mr. Gilderslerve,
Dear Sir — We are requested, as a Committee,
to solicit of you a copy of your sermon; —and
that you consent to its publication in The Mis
sionary, or some other Gazette of the State.
By order of the Lodge,
ROBT. A. BEALL, )
ARCHELAUS BUTT,) Com.
G. E. THOMAS, )
June 261 ft, 1822.
Gentlemen,
1 have been unable till now to gain my own
consent for the publication of the sermon which I
delivered at Warrenton on Monday last. In jus
tice to myself 1 might offer an apology lor suffer
ing it to go to the press at all; but apologies gen
erally contain so much affectation, mingled with
self-complacency, that their real object becomes
very apparent. Having concluded to submit it,
it must go without preface or further remark.
Yours, sincerely,
B. GILDEJISLEEVE.
Maj. Rt. A. Beall, & c. Com.
SERMON.
I!. Chron. vii. 3.
For he is good; for his mercy endureth
forever.
Our ancient brethren on festival occa
sions,were accustomed to recount the good
ness and mercy of God, in a song of praise,
accompanied with instrumental and vocal
musick. This will be a sufficient apology
for me, if indeed an apology be necessary,
for selecting the passage to which your at
tention has been directed, as the subject
from which I shall address this .Society and
congregation.
The occasion on which it was uttered
was the dedication of the. temple erected
by Solomon. Perhaps no exhibition of the
divine mercy previously to the incarnation
of Christ, so fully illustrated the calmness
and glory and transporting joy of heaven, as
this. Unlike the scene exhibited at the
creation, when the morning stars sang to
gether, and the sons of God shouted for
joy, it awakened other feelings, other sen
timents more tender and affecting, and
was accompanied with another song to
which the harps of the angelick choir had
never been attuned. It was the song of
mercy, it was the melody of ransomed souls.
It was the musick of the heart, responsive
to heaven’s high proclamation of “ peace
on earth and good will to man.”
It is impossible at this remote period of
time, and under such circumstances as we
are placed, to have any thing more than a
very taint conception of the splendour and
magnificence of this incomparable fabrick,
or to enter into the feelings of the people
of God on that occasion, when in addition
to all the external majesty of the most fin
ished structure that was ever based upon
the'earth, the Almighty God himself filled
it with a cloud of glory. How awfully
grand and indescribably solemn it must
have been to behold this testimony of the di
vine favour from Him who maketh dark
ness his pavilion round about him. Well,
then,might they bow themselves with their
faces to the ground upon the pavement,and
worship and praise the Lord, by saying,—
“ For he i9 good ; for his mercy endureth
forever.”
The gratitude with which their bosoms
were inspired, was not a sordid affection.—
It flowed warm from the heart by a re
membrance of that fidelity, and affection
and goodness, and by the repeated manifes
tations of that everlasting and unchangea
ble love which God had ever borne to his
people, and of which this was a renewed
testimonial. It was the goodness and mer
cy of God in days that are past, which
heightened their gratitude, and strung their
harps, and tuned their voices, and raised
their affections, and animated their hopes,
while they bowed themselves to the ground
and worshipped the King of Glory. They
had heard of the faith of Abraham their fa
ther, and of the promises which God had
made unto him. The simple history of
their ancestors was familiar and interesting
to their minds—how they had sojourned in
a strange land—how they had fled to Egypt
from an impending famine—how cruelly
they had been treated by the hard-hearted
Pharaoh—how a deliverer had been sent
unto them what miracles God had
wrought to rescue them from the hands of
their oppressors—how he was to them a
pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire
by night, in their pilgrimage to the prom
ised land—how he fed them with manna
from heaven, and caused the waters to gush
from the flinty rocks to allay their thirst—
how he had driven out the enemy before
them, and given them possession of their
inheritance—how he bad brought them,re
bellious as they had often proved them
selves, through the numerous, multiplied,
and trying difficulties which had attended
them. But now casting their eyes abroad,
they could see the glorious things which
had been done for Zion, city of the living
God. They saw “ peace within her walls,
and prosperity within her palaces.” They
beheld, with rapturous delight, the cap
stone, emblematical of the promised Mes
siah, brought forth amidst the songs and
shouts and hosannas of a grateful multitude
for the completion of that edifice which
God had erected as a rallying point for his
chosen people, as the throne of his glory
on the earth—as a sanctuary from wrath—
and as the gate of heaven. And while they
valued the gift, they were not unmindful of
the Giver. We find here no triumphant
boasting, as though it had been an achieve
ment of their own,for which they were en
titled to praise. Not a single note vibra
ted from the cymbal, or the harp, or
the psaltery, which did not mingle
harmoniously together in praise of that
eternal God, who is infinitely worthy of
supreme affection. Perhaps there never
was an assembly on the earth, composed of
such a multitude, where there was more of
that real, substantial, heart-felt joy, which
God approves, than this occasion afforded.
There was exhibited the gratitude of souls
that had sought and obtaiued mercy. Ido
not say that this gratitude of theirs was en
tirely disinterested. I shall not attempt to
refine, as some have done on theological
points, and deny any affection to be holy
or virtuous which is not entirely remote
from any connexion with self. I will ad
mit that they might have had respect to the
recompense of reward, and yet offer a sac
rifice acceptable to God. Nothing but the
remembrance of mercies can inspire us
with gratitude. It is the song of the re
deemed in the temple above. And 1 know
not how we can so divest ourselves of all
regard to the relation which exists between
us and the Captain of our salvation, as to
think nothing of that glory which we are
hereafter to inherit, it is presented before
us as a motive to dissuade us from evil, and
to rivet the affections of the heart upon
those objects only which can satisfy our im
mortal desires.
That God is a being infinitely lovely,
combining in himself every possible excel
lence and perfection, and entitled to su
preme homage, will not be doubted by any
who entertain even a tolerably correct
view of what btdongs to his character. —
Neither will the benevolence of his nature
be called into question, when we contem
plate his works, the dispensations of his
providence, and the provision which be has
made for oar salvation. Asa proof of his
goodness in the natural world, select for
example, one of your emblems, Light —and
in order to appreciate its value, blot out in
your imagination, yonder sun—quench the
stars anJ veil the earth in one eternal
night. Where then would appear the glit
tering diamond, the garnished heavens, the
verdant fields, and all the charming variety
of nature. All would be dark alike,
shrouded by one sable mantle, and cheer
less as the silent touib. The atflicled ten
ant of earth might then exclaim in the ago
ny of a blind bard,
“ Dark, dark, irrecoverably dark,
“ Total eclipse, without all hope of day.”
But thanks be unto God, he has caused the
light to shine out of darkness. He has
thrown over all his works that diversified
beauty—those animating, indescribable
charms which equally exhibit the benevo
lence of his nature, and render life a bles
sing. The eye, wandering over the ma
terial creation, comprehends with a single
glance ten thousand worlds, reads the ex
panded volume of nature, and feasts the
mind wflh all the rich variety of light and
shade combined ; forming an imagery in
finitely more soft and delicate than the most
finished pencil which art employs.
Nor does his goodness stop here. The
vast machine of the universe, under his
constant and immediate control with its ten
thousand times ten thousand wheels, rolls
on for the accomplishment of a fixed and
determined object. We cannot, it is true,
fully comprehend that intimate connexion
which must necessarily subsist between
cause & effect,nor discover the re
al utility of many events which occur in the
dispensation of his providence. But we
cannot believe that the sun rise 9 and sets in
vain—that the tornado, the pestilence or
the famine comes unhidden—that the earth
yields her harvests without a blessing from
heaven—or that the laws of nature, as phi
losophers term them, are any thing but the
providence of God, operating in a uniform
manner, and directing a9 well the eccen
trick movements of a comet as the falling
of a sparrow, and comprehending with the
same infinite ease all the particles of mat
ter in the universe, as he is said to number
the hairs of onr heads. This view of Di
vine Providence will tend to humble us in
our own estimation, and reconcile us to his
will. Are our prospects dark ? God for
some wise purpose has withdrawn the light.
Are we the children of affliction ? His se
verest chastisements are only mercies in
disguise ? Have we been the sport of for
tune’s wheel ? Nothing is left to the blind
direction of chance, but the sovereign will
of Almighty God humbles nnd exalts ac
cording to the counsels of his own infinite
wisdom. And no matter where our lot may
be cast, he will cause us to fulfil his own
purposes; we shall occupy the niche prepar
ed for us, and shall ever be held in remem
brance by him who gave us existence, and
a part to act on the theatre of life.
But l t us contemplate his character with
the aid which revelation affords. Lei us
behold the beams of bis glory emanating
from that manifestation which he has made
of himself in human nature. Let us view
the foundation on which we build our hopes
of eternal happiness. Let us inquire how
our rough and rugged nature can he pol
ished, and made Jit for the Builder's use ?—r
Price , $ P r - or ’ l
9 ( $3,00 in advance. $
How the darkness of our minds can be re
moved, and light communicated to the un
derstanding—How the troubled conscience
can find repose, and what provision is
made for the restoration of onr fallen na
ture, in consistency with the purity and ho
liness and universality of God’s righteous
law.—And let us 6um up onr inquiries by
asking how this mercy can endure forever?
1 would wish to be told if the language
of mercy was whispered amidst the terror
and thunders with which the law was pro
mulged ? Whether its sweet accents were
heard when it was solemnly announced, —
“ the soul that sinneth, it shall die ?” Whe
ther a single clause of mercy can be found
in the stern and awful declaration, that
“ cursed is every one that continueth not
in all things which are written in the book
of the law to do them?” Oh no —You
must go to Calvary. You must contemplate
the bleeding victim on the cross. You must
there behold the atoning sacrifice which God
accepts; and consider him the end of the
law’ for righteousness to all that believe.—
You must there discover his goodness,not in
permitting the law to be violated with im
punity, but in providing mercy for a ruined
world by inflicting upon his Son the penal
ty which onr guilt had incurred. You must
(here learn that Justice and Mercy can
meet together—that pardon is purchased
with blood—that what was obscurely pre
figured by the temple and its furniture—by
the tabernacle anil its ornaments —bv the
altar and the victims which were offered on
it—by the ark and the oracle—by the
light which shone between the cherubim,
and the cloud of glory that filled the house
of the Lord, found a full and complete de
velopment in the. person of Jesus Christ.
Favoured as we now are with the light of
the Gospel, we can trace the connexion
between the type and the antitype. We
can see the wisdom with which the plan of
salvation was devised—the strength with
which it is supported, and the harmony
with which all its parts beautifully mingle
together, and reflect glory upon its author.
We find that all the riles and ceremonies,
all the offices and distinctions which per
tained to the Jewish dispensation, were
wisely instituted as preparatory to the ad
vent of the Prince of Glory. Had they
been more plain or more obscure than we
find them, they could not have answered
the purposes of God. For if names and
actors and places had all been systematical
ly arranged in the language of prophecy,
none could have been so blind as not to
have seen. If they had been entirely
omitted, it could not have been known by
prophecy that it was the religion of heav
en. We can now be employed in the de
lightful exercise of tracing the progress of
light, and when we come to Jesus Jehovah
as he appeared in his incarnation, we won
der why it was not discovered by the learn
ed and the wise, that he was indeed “ the
brightness of his Father’s glory, nnd the.
express image of hi-* person.” Even the
temple itself, setting aside prophecy and
miracles and sacrifices, affords abundant ev
idence that its antitype was the Lord Jesus.
For the present I will only refer to one ar
ticle which it contained, in order to illus
trate the remark which I have made, and
which is also in connexion with the texi.—
The mercy seat,you will recollect,was over
the ark of the covenant, and this was over
shadowed by the cherubim, which spread
their wings from one extremity of the sanc
tuary to the. other. Whatever these cheru
bim may represent, perhaps it does not be
come me positively to assert. As it respects
the mercy seat, we can confidently say, that
it typifies Christ. Did the mercy seat cover
the ark which contained the law ?—So does
Christ, by his righteousness, cover our sins,
and prevent the curses of the law from be
ing inflicted upon us. Did light and glory
rest upon the mercy seat ?—So light beams
from Christ upon all his people. Were
the cherubim represented as looking down
upon the mercy seat ?—So does the Father
behold us in the face of Jesus Christ. Was
it to the mercy seat that the faithful Jews
looked for pardon and acceptance ?—So we
look to Christ alone for the remission of
our sins, and there we build onr hopes of
eternal glory. These you may call mysti
cal meanings, hut without similar illustra
tions, nothing can be prefigured, and indeed
there can he no meaning attached to that
form of worship which we are persuaded
God once approved.
But it is onr privilege to live under a dis
pensation where, instead of the shadow we
behold the substance—instead of a Saviour
obscurely prefigured by sacrifices and of
ferings, we behold the great atoning sacri
fice, the offering which our Great High
Priest made once for all, when he bled and
groaned and died to satisfy divine justice,
and reconcile ns to God. Still the incre
dulity of our hearts is such, that we ask for
more evidence. Not contented with the
splendors of divine light which beam from
the sacred pages, w ith the proofs that clus
ter thick around the records of divine truth,
we would see with onr eves and hear with
our ears before our cordial assent is given
to the gospel of Christ. Infatuated mor
tals ! Should one of those bright seraphim
that stand arrayed in light and glory before
the throne of God, be commissioned to vis
it our earth again, and with an audible