HISTORY OF VERMONT. 209 



\n the mind, before we are capable of reasoning 

 about cause and effect : And it seems to be de- 

 rived from a revelation, which the Deity hath 

 made of himself to man. In the constitution of 

 the human mind, in its feelings, passions and 

 motions, a sense of the Deity seems to be in- 

 terwoven, instamped, and inscribed. And this 

 revelation becomes more clear, plain, aud intel- 

 ligible, according to the manner and degree in 

 which it is improved, Am.ong the Indians, it 

 appeared in its weakest and most obscure state. 

 They denominated the Deity, the Great Spirit^ 

 the Great Alan above ; and seemed to have 

 some general, but very obscure ideas of his 

 government, providence, universal power, and 

 dominion. 



The immortality of the soul, was every 

 where admitted among the Indian tribes. The 

 sentiment itself results from our fears, hopes, 

 and feelings. Man is scarcely ever degraded 

 and sunk so low, but that he hopes and believes 

 that death will not prove the extinction of his 

 being. This sentiment prevailed in every part 

 of Americao The Indians so firmly believed it, 

 that it was their general custom to bury with 

 the dead, their bows, their arrows, their spears, 

 and some venison, that they might not be whol- 

 ly unprepared to begin their course with advan- 

 tage, in another state. There might be a few 

 exceptions, but the general sentiment was near- 

 ly the same in every part of the continent. 



But both these sentiments, the existence of 

 a God, and the immortality of the soul, were 

 nothing more in the savage, than the dictate and 

 y9^ce of nature. They were not the object of 



