But I find, that in ancient times, before the coming of the white people, some supposed there was four invisible powers, who presided over the four corners of the earth. Others imagined the sun to be the only deity, and that all things were made by him: others had a confused notion of a certain body or fountain of deity, somewhat like the anima mundi, so frequently mentioned by the learned Heathens, diffusing itself to various animals, and even to inanimate things, making them the immediate authors of good to certain persons. But after the coming of the white people they seemed to suppose there were three deities, and three only, because they saw people of three different kinds of complexion, viz. English, Negroes and themselves.
It is a notion generally prevailing among them, that it was not the same God made them, who made us; but that they were made after the white people. And they suppose their God gained some special skill by seeing the white people made, and so made them better: for they look upon themselves, and their methods of living, (which they say, their god expressly prescribed) as vastly preferable to the white people, and their methods. And hence they will frequently sit and laugh at them as being good for nothing but to fatigue themselves, with hard labour; while they enjoy the satisfaction of stretching themselves on the ground, and sleeping as much as they please; and have no other trouble than now and then to chase the deer. Hence, many of them look upon it as disgraceful for them to become Christians, as Christians do to become a Pagan: and though they suppose our religion will do well enough for us, because prescribed by our God, yet it is no ways proper for them, because not of the same original.
*They seem to have some confused notion of a future state, and many of them imagine that the chichang, (i. e. the shadow,) or what survives the body, will at death go southward, and in an unknown but curious place, will enjoy some kind of happiness, such as hunting, feasting, dancing. And what they suppose will contribute much to their happiness in that state is, that they shall never be weary of those entertainments.
Some of them have some faint notion of rewards and punishments, or at least of happiness and misery in a future state; others seem to know no such thing. Those that suppose this, imagine that most will [♦]be happy, and those that are not so, will be punished only with privation, being excluded the walls of that good world where happy souls shall dwell.
[♦] “he” replaced with “be”
These rewards and punishments they suppose to depend entirely upon their behaviour towards mankind, and not to have any reference to God. I once consulted a very ancient Indian upon this point, whether the Indians of old times had supposed there was any thing of the man that would survive the body? He replied yes. I asked him, further, whether it would be happy there? He answered, after some considerable pause, that the souls of good folks would be happy, and the souls of bad folks miserable. I then asked who he called bad folks? His answer was, those who lie, steal, quarrel with their neighbours, are unkind to their friends, and especially to aged parents, and in a word are but a plague to mankind. These were his bad folks; but not a word was said of their neglect of divine worship, and their badness in that respect.
They have indeed some kind of worship, are frequently offering sacrifices to some invisible powers, and are ready to impute their calamities in the present world, to the neglect of these sacrifices; but there is no appearances of reverence and devotion in the homage they pay them; and what they do of this nature seems to be done only to appease the anger of their deities, to engage them to do them no hurt, or at most only to invite these powers to succeed them in those enterprises they are engaged in. So that in offering these sacrifices, they seem to have no reference to a future state. And they imagine, that those they call bad folks, are excluded from the company of good people in that state, not so much because God is determined to punish them for their sins of any kind, as because they would render others unhappy if admitted to dwell with them. So that they are excluded rather of necessity, than by God acting as a righteous judge.
They give much heed to dreams, because they suppose the invisible powers give them directions therein. They are likewise much attached to the traditions of their fathers, who have informed them of divers miracles anciently wrought. *They also mention some wonderful things which, they say, have happened since the memory of some who are now living. One affirmed to me, that himself had once been dead four days, that most of his friends were gathered together to his funeral, and that he should have been buried, but that some of his relations were not arrived, before whose coming he came to life again. In this time, he says, he went to the place where the sun rises, (imagining the earth to be plain,) and directly over that place, at a great height in the air, he was admitted, he says, into a great house, which he supposes was several miles in length, and saw many wonderful things.
What increases their aversion to Christianity is the influence their powwows have upon them. These are supposed to have a power of foretelling future events, of recovering the sick, and of charming persons to death. Probably a satanical imitation of the spirit of prophecy that the church in early ages possessed.
I have laboured to gain some acquaintance with this affair, and have for that end consulted the man mentioned in my journal of May 9, who, since his conversion to Christianity, has endeavoured to give me the best intelligence he could of this matter. But it seems to be such a mystery of iniquity, that I cannot well understand it; and, so far as I can learn, he himself has not any clear notions of the thing, now his spirit of divination is gone from him. However the manner in which he says he obtained this spirit was, *he was admitted into the presence of a great man, who informed him, that he loved, pitied, and desired to do him good. It was not in this world that he saw the great man, but in a world above at a vast distance from this. The great man, he says, was cloathed with the day; yea, with the brightest day he ever saw; a day of many years, yea, of everlasting [♦]continuance! This whole world, he says, was drawn upon him, so that in him, the earth, and all things in it, might be seen. I asked him, if rocks, mountains, and seas was drawn upon, or appeared in him? He replied, that every thing that was beautiful and lovely in the earth was upon him, and might be seen by looking on him, as well as if one was on the earth to take a view of them there. By the side of the great man, he says, stood his shadow or spirit. This shadow, he says, was as lovely as the man himself, and filled all places, and was most agreeable as well as wonderful to him.—Here he says, he tarried some time, and was unspeakably delighted with a view of the great man, of his shadow or spirit, and of all things in him. And what is most of all astonishing, he imagines all this to have passed before he was born. He never had been, he says, in this world at that time. And what confirms him in the belief of this, is, that the great man told him, that he must come down to earth, be born of such a woman, meet with such and such things, and in particular, that he should once in his life be guilty of murder. At this he was displeased, and told the great man, he would never murder. But the great man replied, “I have said it, and it shall be so.” Which has accordingly happened. At this time, he says, the great man asked him what he would chuse in life. He replied, first to be a hunter, and afterwards to be a powwow or diviner. Whereupon the great man told him, he should have what he desired, and that his shadow should go along with him down to earth, and be with him for ever. There was, he says, all this time no words spoken between them. The conference was not carried on by any human language, but they had a kind of mental intelligence of each other’s thoughts. After this, he says, he saw the great man no more; but supposes he came down to earth to be born, but the spirit or shadow of the great man still attended him, and ever after continued to appear to him in dreams and other ways, until he felt the power of God’s word upon his heart; since which it has entirely left him.