382 NARRATIVEOFAN 



CHAR thing. This naturally leads me to the fpeech of an In- 

 clian, in reply to afermon preached by a Swedifli minifter 

 at an Indian treaty, held at Coveftoguej of which the 

 principal fubflance was as follows : 



" Do you then really believe, that we and our fore- 

 " fathers are all, as you would teach us, condemned to 

 " fuiFer eternal torments in another world, becaufe we 

 " have not been taught your myfterious novelties ? Are 

 " we not the work of God r And can the Almighty not 

 " manifeft his will without the help of a book ? If this is 

 " true, and God is juft, then how is it confident with his 

 ^'juftice to force life tipon us without our confent, and 

 * *' then to condemn us all to eternal damnation, becaufe 



we did not meet with you. No, Sir, we are convinced 

 " that the Ghriftians are more depraved in their morals 



than we Indians, if we may judge of their dodlrines by 

 " the general badnefs of their lives." 



There cannot indeed be a more laudable undertaking, 

 than the endeavour to engraft divine truths on the pure 

 minds of thefe innocent people, fo worthy of inftruc- 

 tion ; but I fear, and it is too obfervable, that the 

 words of one good man will have but little effe6t, when 

 the pra6lice of the far greater number of Moravian 

 preachers fettled amongft them on the banks of the Sera- 

 mica rivers, where they endeavour to convert the negroes 

 as well as the Indians, is in.diredl contradiction to his life 

 and precepts. 



All the Guiana Indians believe in God as the fupreme 



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