future existence, who did not even look forward to the next day? In addition to his preaching, which did little more than call their attention to the subject, he was obliged to catechize and converse with them day after day. Beside the spiritual charge, he had all the secular concerns of his people on his hands. He was expected to arrange all their differences, to provide for their wants, to attend to their affairs of every description, like a guardian of so many children. It may be easily conceived, that, while he was compelled to bear this burden, and at the same time to ride four thousand miles a year for the necessary purposes of his mission, his duty was quite as extensive as one man can be expected to do.

Unfortunately this constant activity prevented his learning the Indian language, and thus deprived him of the best means of influence over his people. For, as has been said, any interpreter is a poor substitute for personal communication ; and the one whom he employed, though worthy enough in other respects, was obstinately incredulous as to his ever making any impression on the Indians. Of course, Brainerd's most earnest appeals came from his mouth cold, lifeless, and unaffecting. After a time, however, this difficulty was happily removed; the interpreter, who was a man fifty years old, intelligent, and familiar with the Indian character, became himself deeply interested in Christianity. He then addressed his own race in a different tone; with an earnestness and feeling, which he had never manifested before. This was the beginning of Brainerd's success.

He found it extremely difficult to bring the Indians to any right understanding of the doctrines which he endeavored to teach. They had their own religious ideas, believing in the Great Spirit, and a future state of rewards and punishments ; beyond their rude conceptions of these things, they could hardly be made to go. He said, that "it was next to impossible to bring them to any rational conviction that they were sinners by nature, and that their hearts were corrupt and sinful." They could not conceive of being a sinner, without having done wrong. He said also, that it

was

"extremely difficult to give them any just notion of the undertaking of Christ in behalf of sinners; of his obeying and suffering in their room and stead, in order to atone for their sins; and of their being justified by his righteousness imputed to them." They could not conceive why God might not forgive without it; nor, if all deserved to suffer, what justice there was in one's suffering for the whole. Many other questions were proposed to him, to which he found it hard to make any satisfactory reply. Such, for example, as this; how the Indians came to be dark-colored, if they descended from the same parents with the white men; and how it happened, that, supposing all to have come from one place, the Indians only should have removed to this country, and all the white men remained behind.

The manners of the Indians also presented a serious obstacle to a missionary educated in the refinements of civilized life. To go and talk with them in their houses, filled as they were with smoke and cinders, and disgusting with all manner of filth, gave him sick head-aches and other disorders. The children would cry at pleasure when he was speaking, and their mothers would take no care to quiet them. Some would be playing with their dogs, others attending to some household business, without the least regard to him; and this, not out of disrespect, but only because they had never been trained to better manners. These things often oppressed him so much, that he gave over in despair, believing that it would not be possible for him ever to address an Indian again.

Such are a few of the difficulties which he had to encounter; and all these were increased a thousand fold by the agency of white men. Not only by the infamy, which their frauds and extortions associated with the name of Christian in the minds of the Indians, but by the direct resistance which they offered to elevating a race, whom they considered as their prey. So it has always been with white men on the Indian borders; all that is vile in them is brought out in bold relief; they are apt to be strangers to conscience, humanity, and shame; so that one who regards character alone, asks, Which is the savage, and which the civilized man? The question is easily answered.

CHAPTER IV.

His Preaching at Crossweeksung. - His Success. The general Impression produced. —

His enforcing the Marriage Law. The Baptism of the Converts. His Visit to the Susquehan

na.

Festival at Juneauta. - Some peculiar Customs. - Singular Description of a Powow. - An Indian Reformer. - Brainerd's Return.

He relieves the Indians from their Debt. Change in the Habits of the Community. Their Removal to Cranberry. - His last Visit to the Susquehanna Indians.

Up to this time, Brainerd, though he had exerted himself diligently and given great attention to every favorable indication among the people of his charge, could not disguise from himself, that he had met with very little success. But now the scene began to change; a new and surprising interest in the subject began to prevail among the Indians. The desponding took courage; the incredulous began to wonder what the change could mean; those, who had least faith in such reforms, could not help admitting that here was one such as they had never expected to see; and the missionary, who had so long labored against hope,