362 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
undisputed exercise of such an influence, recog¬ 
nized in the declarations and miracles of our Lord 
and of his apostles, existing not only in heathen, 
but Jewish society, and considering, in connexion 
with this, the undisputed dominion, moral and in¬ 
tellectual, which the powers of darkness held over 
those who were entirely devoted to the god of this 
world, it does not appear impossible, or incon¬ 
sistent with the supreme government of God, that 
these subordinate powers should be permitted to 
exert an influence over their persons, and that 
communities, so wholly given to idolatry of the 
most murderous and diabolical kinds, should be 
considered corporeally, as well as spiritually, to be 
lying “ in the wicked one.” In addition to the 
firm belief which many who were sorcerers, or 
agents of the infernal powers, and others who were 
the victims of incantation, still maintain, some of 
the early Missionaries are disposed to think this 
was the fact. Since the natives have embraced 
Christianity, they believe they are now exempt 
from an influence, to which they were subject 
during the reign of the evil spirit. 
Individuals, among the most intelligent of the 
people, sometimes express their deliberate con¬ 
viction, that it is because they live under the dis¬ 
pensation or government of Jesus Christ, that they 
are now exempt from those bodily sufferings to 
which they were exposed while they were willing 
and zealous devotees of idols. It is, I believe, 
also an indisputable fact, that those kinds of 
violent, terrific, and fatal corporeal agony, which 
they attributed to this agency, have altogether 
ceased, since the subversion of that system, of 
which it was so dreadful a part. I am not pre¬ 
pared to pronounce the opinions many of the 
