MANY fervent prayers were offered up in the revival for the poor Indians, that they also might share in the blessed hope and joyful anticipation of redeeming love; and missionaries were repeatedly sent out from among the subjects of the work, to convert them to the Christian faith but with little success, as probably they ran like Cushai, before their tidings were ready. From some accounts that were stated by common fame, in the fall of the year 1804, viz. that a great number from different tribes, had met together and held a feast of love and union, danced and rejoiced before the Great Spirit and proposed to revive the religion of their ancestors, &c. &c. some were brought to query whether God would not convert the heathen in some way different from what had hitherto been laid out by man:--probably move them by his spirit to flow to the church as soon as she was prepared to receive and instruct them, according to Micah iv. 1, 2.

      About a year and a half ago, fresh reports broke out concerning them, viz. considerable body of them, had moved down within the boundary line of this state, and were about forming a settlement. Various conjectures were agitated concerning them. Some said they were for war--others, that they were in pursuit of religion and the means of an honest livelihood--were going to work, and in their present circumstances were principally supported by charitable donations from the neighbouring whites.

      The continuance of these different reports, created an anxiety in the Believers at Turtle-Creek, towards the latter end of last winter, to find out their real situation [111] both in respect to things temporal and spiritual. Accordingly on the 17th of March, 1807, three of the brethren set out in search of them, and on the 23rd of the month arrived at their village. What they discovered on the occasion is briefly comprised in the following extracts of their journal. "When we came in sight of the village the first object that attracted our view was a large frame house, about 150 by 34 feet in size, surrounded with 50 or 60 smoking cottages. We rode up and saluted some men who were standing before the door of a tent, and by a motion of the hand were directed to another wigwam where we found one who could talk English. We asked him if their feelings were friendly.

      A. O yes, we are all brothers.

      Q. Where are your chiefs--we wish to have talk with them?

      A. They are about four miles off, making sugar.

      Q. What are their names?

      A. Lal-lu-e-tsee-ka, and Te-kum-tha.

      Q. Can any of them talk English?

      A. No: but there is a good interpreter there, George Blue-jacket.--He has gone to school, and can read and talk well.

      Q. What Is that big house for?

      A. To worship the Great Spirit.

      Q. How do you worship?

      A. Mostly in speaking.

      Q. Who is your chief speaker?

      A. Our prophet, Lal-lu-e-tsee-ka. He converses with the Good Spirit, and tells us how to be good.

      Q. Do all that live here, believe in him?

      A. Yes we all believe.--He can dream to God.

      Conducted by a pilot, we repaired to the sugar-camp, where thirty or forty were assembled with the prophet, who was very sick and confined to his tent. We expressed our desire of having a talk with him. But George informed us that he could not talk to us that ministers of the white people would not believe what he said but counted it foolish and laughed at it, therefore he could not talk; besides he had a pain in his head and [112] was very sick. After informing him that we were not such ministers, he asked:

      Do you believe a person can have true knowledge of the Great Spirit in the heart, without going to school and learning to read.

      A. We believe they can, and that is the best kind of knowledge.

      After some talk of this kind with George, he went in to the prophet's tent, where several chiefs were collected, and after continuing their council there about an hour, Lal-lu-e-tsee-ka came out and took his seat in a circle of about 30 persons who sat round the fire. All were silent--every countenance grave and solemn, when he began to speak. His discourse continued about half an hour, in which the most pungent eloquence expressed his deep and heart felt sense of what he spoke, but in language which George said he could not correctly translate into English. However the general sense, he occasionally communicated during our stay.

      In the first place, that he (the prophet) had formerly lived on White-river, had been a doctor and a very wicked man. About two years ago, while attending on sick people at Attawa, in a time of general sickness, he was struck with a deep and awful sense of his sins--cried mightily to the Good Spirit to shew him some way of escape, and in his great distress fell into a vision, in which he appeared to be travelling along a road and came to where it forked--the right hand way he was informed led to happiness and the left to misery.

      This fork in the road, he was told represented that stage of life in which people were convicted of sin, and those who took the right hand way quit every thing that was wicked and became good. But the left hand road was for such as would go on and be bad, after they were shown the right way. They all move slow till they come here, but when they pass the fork to the left, then they go swift. On the left hand way he saw three houses--from the first and second were pathways that led across into the right hand road, but no way leading from the third: This said he, is Eternity. He saw vast crowds going swift along the left hand road, and [113] great multitudes in each of the houses, under different degrees of judgment and misery. He mentioned particularly the punishment of the drunkard.--One presented him a cup of liquor resembling melted lead, if he refused to drink it he would urge him, saying, come, drink--you used to love whisky.--And upon drinking it his bowels were seized with an exquisite burning. This draught he had often to repeat. At the last house their torment appeared inexpressible, under which he heard them scream, cry pitifully, and roar like the falls of a river. He was afterwards (said the interpreter) taken along the right hand way, which was all interspersed with flowers of delicious smell, and shewed a house at the end of it where was every thing beautiful, sweet and pleasant, and still went on learning more and more; but in his first vision he saw nothing but the state of the wicked, from which the Great Spirit told him to go and warn his people of their danger, and call upon them to put away their sins and be good. Whereupon he began to speak to them in great distress, and would weep and tremble while addressing them. Some believed--were greatly alarmed--began to confess their sins--forsake them, and set out to be good. This spread the alarm and brought many others from different tribes to see and hear, who were effected in like manner. But some of the chiefs who were very wicked--would not believe, and tried to keep the people from believing, and encouraged them on in their former wicked ways. Whereupon the Great Spirit told him to separate from these wicked chiefs and their people, and shewed him particularly where to come, towards the big fort where the peace was concluded with the Americans; and there make provisions to receive and instruct all from the different tribes that were willing to be good.

      Accordingly all that believed had come and settled there, and a great many Indians had come to hear, and many more were expected. That some white people were afraid, but they were foolish, for they would not hurt any one.

      We asked a number of questions:-- [114]

      Q. Do you believe that all mankind are gone away from the Good Spirit by wicked works?

      A. Yes, that is what we believe: And the prophet feels great pity for all.

      Q. Do you believe that the Good Spirit once made himself known to the world, by a man that was called Christ?

      A. Yes, we believe it, and the Good Spirit has shewed our prophet what has been in many generations, and he says he wants to talk with some white people about these things.

      Q. What sins does your prophet speak most against?

      A. Witchcraft, poisoning people, fighting, murdering, drinking whisky, and beating their wives because they will not have children. All such as will not leave off these, go to Eternity--He knows all bad people that commit fornication, and can tell it all from seven years old.

      Q. What do those do who have been wicked, when they believe the prophet?

      A. They confess all.

      Q. To whom do they confess?

      A. To the prophet and four chiefs.

      Q. Do they confess all the bad things they ever did?

      A. All from seven years old--And cry and tremble when they come to confess.

      Q. How did you learn this--The Roman Catholics confess their sins?

      A. Some Wiandots joined the Roman Catholics at Detroit, who now believe in our prophet. Roman Catholics confess their sins but go and do bad again.--Our people forsake their bad ways when they have confessed.

      They asked us several questions concerning our people, and particularly whether they drank whisky; and appeared not a little rejoiced to learn that there were some among the whites, so far reclaimed, as to lay aside the use of that pernicious liquor. We enquired how they made out for provisions. They answered they had none. So many people came there--eat up all they had raised. [115]

      The only meal we saw them eat, was a turkey divided among thirty or forty. And the only relief we could afford them, was ten dollars for the purpose of buying corn.

      After the evening conversation closed, we concluded to return to the village with George and several others, and mounted our horses. It was now in the dusk of the evening and the full moon just rising above the horizon, when one of their speakers stood up in an alley between the camps, and spoke for about fifteen minutes with great solemnity, which was heightened at every pause with a loud seguoy from the surrounding assembly. On this occasion, our feelings were like Jacob's when he cried out, "How dreadful is this place! Surely the Lord is in this place!" And the world know it not. With these impressions we returned to the village and spent the night.

      Next morning as soon as it was day, one of their speakers mounted a log near the S. E. corner of the village, and began the morning service with a loud voice, in thanksgiving to the Great Spirit. He continued his address for near an hour--The people were all in their tents, some at the distance of fifteen or twenty rods, yet they could all distinctly hear, and gave a solemn and loud assent which sounded from tent to tent, at every pause. While we stood in his view at the end of the meeting house on rising ground, from which we had a prospect of the surrounding wigwams, and the vast open plain or prairie, to the south and east, and which looks over the big fort towards the north, for the distance of two miles, we felt as if we were among the tribes of Israel on their march to Canaan. Their simplicity and unaffected zeal for the increase of the work of the Good Spirit--their ardent desires for the salvation of their unbelieving kindred, with that of all mankind--their willingness to undergo hunger, fatigue, hard labour and sufferings, for the sake of those who came to learn the way of righteousness--and the high expectations they had of multitudes flocking down to hear the prophet the ensuing summer, &c. were considerations truly affecting; while Ske-law-wa hailed the [116] opening day with loud aspirations of gratitude to the Good Spirit, and encouraged the obedient followers of divine light to persevere.

      They shewed us several letters of friendship from the Governor of Ohio, Gen. Whiteman, and others, from which they appeared thankful that the Americans believed their dispositions to be peaceable and brotherly. Their marks of industry were considerable, not only in preparing ground for cultivation, but also in hewing and preparing timber for more commodious buildings. From all we could gather from their account of the work, and of their faith and practice--what we heard and felt in their evening and morning worship--their peaceable disposition and attention to industry, we were induced to believe that God in very deed, was mightily at work among them. And under this impression we invited three or four of them to come down and see us, as soon as they found it convenient.

      Near the middle of June, upwards of twenty appeared at Turtle-Creek, encamped in the woods at a small distance from the Church, and tarried four days. They had worship every evening at their encampment, and several on the Sabbath attended the meeting of the Believers, and behaved with order and decorum. During their stay, they conducted with peace and civility, and received no contrary treatment from any in the place. And to relieve in some degree, the pressing wants of hungry families at home, twenty-seven horses were loaded back with provision from among the Believers. Yet this act of charity, however small, did not long escape the censorious reflections of some hard-hearted mortals, but even furnished a pretext for implications the most monstrous and unreasonable. However, in this as in all other cases of the kind, those who busied themselves about what did not concern them, were much divided in their opinion. Some had it, that a number of the Indians had joined the Shakers, and many more were coming on: Others, that an Indian had offered to confess his sins, but the Shakers could not understand him, and therefore the Indians were convinced too, that the Shakers were deceivers. Others [117] tried to make believe that the Shakers were encouraging them to war, or at least to contend for the land on which they had settled. And some were foolish enough to go all the way to the village, and put on a mask of hypocrisy to find out from them whether this was not the case. Of all this trouble both of mind and body, such might have been saved had they accustomed themselves at an earlier period, to believe those who tell the truth and nothing but the truth.

      About the 12th of August, 1807, they were visited again by two of the brethren from Turtle-Creek, who found them in possession of the same peaceable and brotherly spirit. They had but little conversation with them, yet obtained abundant satisfaction by attending their meeting, which continued from a little after dark till the sun was an hour high the next morning.

      The meeting was opened with a lengthy discourse, delivered by the prophet; after which they assembled in a close crowd and continued their worship by singing and shouting that might have been heard, at least to the distance of two miles.

      Their various songs and perfect harmony in singing, shouting, &c. rendered the meeting very solemn. But all this appeared far inferior to that solemn fear of God, hatred of sin, and that peace, love and harmony which they manifested among each other. They needed no invitation to pay another visit to Turtle-Creek, nor were they forbidden. Therefore, pursuant to their own choice, a number of them appeared again at the Church, August 29th and were received with usual kindness and charity. On this occasion some in the neighborhood expressed their uneasiness lest there was some mischievous plot carrying on. But amidst the threats of the ignorant or misinformed, the Shawnees testified that they were wholly for peace, and abundantly proved it by their meekness; gentleness and forbearance. The only expression like resentment that I heard from them on the occasion, was from Nancy, the interpreter, while a bold advocate for the new Christian doctrine was boasting how the white people could cut them off; she said, they were for nothing but peace, but if white [118] people would go to war, they would be destroyed by a day of judgment, that not one soul would be left on the face of the earth.

      Although these poor Shawnees have had no particular instruction, but what they received by the out-pouring of the spirit, yet in point of real light and understanding, as well as behavior, they shame the Christian world; therefore of that spirit which has wrought in this people so great a change, the Believers at Turtle-Creek are not ashamed; yet they are far from wishing them to turn to the right hand or to the left, to form an external union with them or any other people. But they are willing that God should carry on his work among them without interruption, as he thinks proper.

      Lord, what is man! Those great prophets, Marshal, Stone, Thompson, &c. Who were a few years ago crying to sinners to repent, trembling at the view of their danger, searching out and condemning sin, and all the false doctrines invented to palliate it, now building up the same wicked creatures in their sins, and by vain philosophy and a perversion of the sacred scriptures, encouraging them to hope for salvation in some future day; while the trembling Shawnee, obedient to the Good Spirit in Lal-lu-e-tsee-ka, Wi-apier-sen-waw, Te-kum-tha and Cum-skaw-kaw, confesses and forsakes his wicked ways, and sets out not merely in a new faith or new doctrine, but in newness of life and good works. May not that saying of St. Paul be applicable in such a case: "The heart of this people has waxed, gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed, &c. Therefore be it known, that the salvation of God is sent to the Gentiles and they will hear it." [119]

[KRSO 111-119]