224 . INSTANCES OF THE RELIGIOUS REMARKS 
told me, as a great secret, that all the time of 
prayers he had been trying to think good 
thoughts ; but that something, he did not know 
what, always came and pushed them all out. 
“ What,’’ added he, ‘‘am I to do? and how is it 
that a native man’s heart is so deceitful, when a 
white man’s, a Missionary’s, is so true?” Poor 
fellow ! he little thinks with what we all have to 
contend ; and how many vain and evil thoughts 
rush in upon us, and spoil our best services. 
On one Lord’s Day, the subject of my evening 
discourse had been, the Influences of the Holy 
Spirit upon the heart : after the sermon, some of 
our native boys came to me, and said, “Well, if it 
be true what you have now said, we are none of 
us Christians;” or, as they express it, “ We are 
none of us christified.” They added, “ Our 
thoughts tell us that you are right ; but what are 
we to do? We cannot help our thoughts: our 
hearts are bad ; we were born bad ; and there is 
an end of the matter. Why did not you come 
before we were born, and make our parents 
good ? then we should have been born good : the 
fault rests with you, not with us.” Of course, I 
had to correct their erroneous opinions with re- 
spect to the sinfulness of our nature. 
I recently heard, or rather overheard, a conver- 
sation which took place among some of my con- 
gregation, when service was concluded. “I say; 
does that man tell true? are we all bad?” “ No ; I 
am no murderer ; I only told my slave to knock 
