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teaching. This becomes the more apparent when we notice 
the minutiz of some of these subjects, which are believed by 
many; as, for instance, that the Supreme Being is a spirit, 
lives out of the world, is immortal, invisible, omniscient, omni- 
present, good, sees our thoughts, and punishes evil; that the 
greatest evil spirit is less powerful than the greatest good 
spirit; that creation was by command, sudden; that there was 
darkness, spirits moved on the water; that man was first 
made from clay, woman afterwards, and sometimes when men 
were asleep ; while there are still so many absurdities among 
the traditions,—that the deluge was sent because man was 
wicked, but few were saved, a high mountain is mentioned, 
and a bird is often connected with the story. Then some 
things in regard to the incarnation are singular; sacrifices 
often involved the most valuable blood, and were connected with 
altars, temples, priests, and a high priest ; prayer is connected 
with fasts, and thanksgiving with feasts, &c. It can hardly 
be accepted that all these minute circumstances, agreeing so 
well with the belief of many of the rest of mankind, were either 
developed or born in man. If not, they must have come from 
those who had intercourse with the Creator, either on this 
Continent or the Eastern. There is not the slightest evidence 
that it was on the Western, there is much that it was on the 
Hastern. 
If now we were to reason a priori, we would expect to find 
things much as they are. Had man been created in Asia, 
and received a revelation from Heaven, we should expect that 
the further his descendants had wandered from that centre, 
and the more they had become ignorant, the less they would ~ 
know of these truths, and the more they would be covered 
with rubbish, while it would not be strange if some of them 
should be lost in some places. The idea of a Supreme Being, 
of lesser protecting deities, immortality, a providence, and 
future happiness would be kept because they are so great 
and welcome. Yet, among some of the lowest people, it 
would not be strange if some of these ideas should become 
so degraded that they could believe that the Coyote or Raven 
might contain the creating principle, and that some might 
lose them. Other ideas, not so great, natural, or acceptable, 
would be less likely to be preserved,—as a belief in a devil, 
a deluge, a teacher from Heaven, thanksgiving, prayer, and 
sacrifice; nor would it be strange if some should believe the 
Coyote to be an incarnation. This, too, we find to be a 
fact. The most civilised peoples of America have preserved 
these truths the best, and the most degraded have them now 
the least. 
