converfant with many nations of Indians in South America; and particularly upon that vast tract of country, which is watered by the river Maranon. *Toutes les langues, dit-il, dont j'ai eu connoiffance dans cette partie du monde, font fort pauvres.-Toutes manquent de termes pour exprimer les idées abftraites et univerfelles. -Tems, durée, espace, être, fubstance, matiere, corps, tous ces mots, et beaucoup d'autres, n'ont point d'equivalent dans leurs langues. Non feulement les noms des Etres métaphyfiques, mais ceux des Etres moraux ne peuvent fe rendre chez eux q'imparfaitement. He tells us, that this incapacity proceeds from their paucity of ideas, which extend not beyond the necefsities of life: that they are incapable of forefight and reflection; and that the Indians of the Miffions, and the wild Indians, are equally limited in their conceptions; not to fay equally ftupid. From hence, fays the au * See Hiftoire General des Voiages, Vol. XIII. p. 572. See the Voyage of Monf. de la Condamine, Tranfla tion, p. 26, 27. See alfo p. 106. thor, one cannot observe without being mortified, how little a man, left wholly to the guidance of mere nature, differs from the brutes. He fpeaks of them in general as being without any idea of religion. The Moravians, who have established two Miffions, the one in Greenland, and the other in Labrador, are sensible of the like incapacity among the natives. the natives. Those of the former department, though they have long laboured to make converts of the people, yet confefs, that they cannot bring them to be rational Deifts. They have experienced (fays* Crantz) how little is effected by firft endeavouring to make them rational creatures; and then proving the existence and *Hift. of Greenland, and of the Miffion, &c. Vol. II. P. 424. + Instead therefore of these attributes of the Deity, and thefe duties, the Moravians fubititute the blood and wounds of Chrift; particularly the washing in his blood, and the basking, like worms, in his wounds. These articles occur continually in the letters and difcourfes of the Greenlanders, published by Crantz. Thou gavest food to my foul, when thou concerning the Saviour's blood, death and wounds didft in fru&t me. No other thing can rejoice me, but the Redeemer's death, and the attributes of God: and from thence enforcing the confequent duties. He fays, that they tried for years, and nothing was effected. * Niecamp gives a like account of the Tamuli, and other tribes upon the coaft of Malabar. A miffionary, he fays, fhould confider, before he thinks of introducing, what may be thought the principal object of information: and ought to know, how little be can influence his pagan difciples by any moral arguments concerning the attributes of the Deity; and the various duties, in which virtue confifts. The idea therefore of God and his perfections must be very partially death, his paffion, his blood and wounds. p. 447. On our Saviour's fufferings, death and wounds I think daily, and hourly, P 450. John Ludwig to his laft moments was continually pointing at the wounds of our Saviour in his hands and his feet. p. 452. Our Saviour has fet me free by his wounds and bloody fweat. p. 454. I hide myself daily in our Saviour's open fide.—I fuck his blood, like a fuckling child. p. 456. Just as the little birds hide in the rock cliffs, in the fame manner do I go in, and out in the wounds of our Saviour: and I lay my heart, beneath the bleeding fide of Jefus, to drink there. p. 463, And now I kiss thee out of the innermost part of Jesus' wounds. P. 455. Ye wounds, ye are all venerable to me, but I address myfelf more to one of them :-it is my favourite bit. Hymn of Count Zinzendorph. See Rimius, note, p. 43. B. I. L. Niecamp. Hift. Miffionis in India Orientali, Hala, 1747, P. 100, C4 maintained maintained in fome of these nations; and in others it must be totally unknown. Had nature implanted in them any first principles, there could have been no difficulty in reviving that latent intelligence, with which they had been previously gifted. ** If then there were any innate idea of the Deity; any moral sense, and original truths, impreffed upon the minds of men, we fhould, I think, find them genuine, and unfophisticated, among these remote and undifciplined tribes. But of this we meet with no inftance. Have then thefe ideas been effaced? Certainly not for they could not lofe, what they never poffeffed; and what they are incapable, even with instruction, of obtaining. We are told, that no improvements can poffibly be made, till they become humanized; and then by a gradual civilization prepared for these truths. If then this be the state of the world in fome parts at this day; and if this darknefs was of old ftill more prevalent, and attended with the most horrid and flagi I fpeak with diffidence; becaufe there are perfons of much learning and good fenfe of a contrary opinion. tious practices, it fhews, what I have repeatedly urged, the neceffity of revelation for the everlasting benefit of mankind: and the bleffing of God to make it take effect. It may be asked, why that influence, and thofe helps, which obtained of old under the Apostles, do not ftill in the fame degree prevail; and why the labours of the missionaries are for the most part fo ineffectual? I anfwer, that two reasons may be given. In the first place, the church of God has been for many ages established; and does not want that miraculous interpofition, of which at first it stood in need. In the next place we must confider, that the Christian religion is a fyftem of reafon; and the miffionaries above feem to have nothing rational in their process. The Jesuits of Paraguay introduced a specious kind of idolatry, under the fanction of the name of Jefus: which could afford no real edification. The others fay little of God, and his attributes; or of that mental purity, and reasonable service required. In the room of these they have substituted a repe |