Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/455

 the North American Indians.

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��All thofe beloved men, who do not join in religious communion with Oobache IJhtohoollo, tell us, that ancient records affirm, all of the prieftly order (after the death of the divine meffenger) were equal in their religious office, that deference excepted, which is always due to a virtuous feniority and that as wifdom and virtue equally accompany either youth, middle, or old age, they continued in that brotherly (late of religious fimplicity, ac cording to the true copy of the humble, all-loving, and beloved meflenger, for the fpace of three hundred years after that period and that, as the fpeech of the great divine mefienger was marked in a copious language, which abounded with various words to exprefs the fame thing, the names of old men, overfeers and bilhops, fignify one and the fame rank of beloved men of the beloved houfe, according to the former humble con- duel of their divine mafter ; but that the words are now tortured through mercenary views, contrary to the plain fimplicity of the primitive teachers. As holy things, and white emblems, are eafily polluted and tarnimed by people of impure hearts, and unclean hands, the divine law began then to lofe its quickening influence over the beloved men of thofe large countries, where the fun rifesr out of the broad water. Their difputes ran high, and the longer they laded, the (harper they grew. They, at lad, referred them to the decifion of the beloved men, toward the place where the daily fun is drowned in the great fait water, which is called Rome. As in affairs of date, fo in religion, a remarkable precedent begets a cuftom, and this be comes a law with focieties. In confequence thereof, an order of fuperior beloved men laid hold of this, and ftretched the divine fpeech, fo as to anfwer their own mercenary views.

In procefs of time, there fprung up a pretended great bringer of rain, who, like the hurtful fpirits of corrupt darknefs, by rejecting the divine fpeech, and defpifmg the example of the holy meffenger and his fcholars, fet up arrogantly for himfelf, againfl the fupreme chieftain of the rain and thun der, claimed the tenth bafket-full of the new harveft according to the obfo- lete law of your fuppofed anceftors, and even forgave adulterers, thieves, liars, inceftuous perfons, and thofe who accompanied with women in their lunar retreats, without any fort of purification, if they only paid him fuch a quantity of yellow done, as he proportioned to the various degrees of each crime they committed. To enrich himfelf by Vfieir weaknefs, his whole tribe of black-drefled mifiionaries, by drift order, frightened the ignorant

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