Account of the Religious Experience of an Indian man, a resident in Oneida County, in the State of New York, as related by himself to a number of Friends.

Some years past, it was laid upon me to encourage others to do well. I thought I was a poor Indian, I could not encourage others to do well; so I shoved it away, (putting out his hand as though he had put it from him;) but (bringing his hand back and laying it on his breast,) he said it was brought back again, and laid upon me; I then shoved it away again. It was then opened to my view, that the truth was a very precious thing, very precious indeed: Oh! how precious it did look to me! We can say it is innocent, but that's all we can say; words cannot tell half. I then said with Peter, "Depart from me, O Lord, I am a sinful man:" but it was laid upon me again.

As I was going to a meeting one morning, I saw a flock of sheep before me; (putting his hand to his eyes, he said I did not see them with these eyes,) they appeared to be travelling along before; the foremost ones were fat and grown large, and I heard them talking to one another, (putting his hands to his ears, he said, but not with these ears,) saying, God speed, help you on the way. The hindmost looked poor and small; their heads hung down, and they seemed almost ready to give out. I wondered what it should mean; then something came and talked with me, (putting his hand to his breast, he said it talked to me here,) and told me, "These are my sheep, and this day you shall see them lift

up their hands in hope, and feed on the bread of life: those that are before are the priests and deacons; they are grown fat and full; they can encourage one another, but they forget the poor of the flock." I went on to meeting; the priest proceeded, and went through with his usual course of exercise: he preached, prayed, and sung, and used those very expressions I heard the fat sheep use to one another. After he had done, I thought it my duty to tell them what I saw on the way: so I did; and I thought I saw my vision fulfilled; the poor of the flock lifted up their heads in hope, and were encouraged; and the priest acknowledged, in the presence of the people, that what I said was true; and that the truth had been declared among them by a poor ignorant Indian: then I went home very comfortable. Oh! how comfortable I did feel.

Then sometimes I felt my mind drawn into sympathy with some; and I wanted to go and see them; but I was afraid some would think I undertook to encourage others to do well; I did not want folks to think so. I felt such a sympathy for some, I wanted to go see them. I did not know what to do: so I thought I would make some business beyond where they lived, and then call in as though it was by chance, or happened so. I thought a good deal of a poor family, and I took a little grist on my back, and went to a mill beyond where this family lived; I got my grist ground, and came back and stopped in as though I wanted to warm. It was just night, and there was a rich man lived the other side of the road; I suppose he would have been willing to give me a bed to sleep on that night, but I thought I had rather sleep on the poor man's hearth by the

fire. I felt their wants, I wanted to be with them. (Here it is understood, he had a religious opportunity in the family, but his own words are not recollected.) In the morning, when I was going away, I asked the woman to hand me a bowl; she was unwilling. I told her she must: so she got one for me, and I took out part of my meal, and left it with her; for I felt the wants of the poor children, so that I dare not carry it all away: then I took leave of them, and went home quietly.

And so when I felt my mind drawn to any, I went some way to see them: and by and by, I began to think I was getting along pretty well. So, one day, as I was thinking I should go to meeting three or four days hence, I began to think what I should say, when I came there; so I thought it over; and I got something fixed in my mind; I thought it would do very well. I hung it up, and by and by I took it and looked at it again; I thought it would do very well. So I did a good many times before meeting day came; and when meeting day came, I went to meeting; and after the priest got through, I stood up and said it off as well as I could, and I thought I said it off pretty well. But, Oh! how I was troubled! I went home; I did not know what the matter was; but, Oh! how I was distressed! And so I passed along some time, and did not know what the matter was. By and by, something came and talked with me, and says, Did you ever know a great man, if he want great business done, away to Congress or Philadelphia, to send a poor, ignorant, unlearned man to do it? No, I says, I did not. No more will Great Spirit take you. Well, I thought, sure enough, I have been mistaken: I never have

known what good is; and, Oh! how I was distressed, and did not know where to find it. By and by, something else came and talked to me, and says, Great One knows all things; he can do all things; he knows what is best; and if a king want great business done, and has servants under him, if he wants to send a wise, learned man, if he is a faithful servant, he will only say just what his master tells him to say if he is an ignorant, unlearned man, if he can talk, he can say over after him just what he tells him to say; if it's two, or three, or four words, more or less, as master directs, so he ought to do. Then it says to me, Suppose one of your neighbours have a piece of fresh meat given to him; he takes it -feels of it, looks at it-handles it, hangs it up; by and by, he takes it down-he feels of it, he handles it, looks at it, hangs it up again: so he does a great many times, and keeps it three or four days, till it begins to spoil; then he takes it, cooks it, and sets before you to eat; would you eat it? No: I said, I could not eat it. Well, it says, just so your preaching was the other day: the Great Spirit wont have it; folks wont have it.

Then I thought of it, and it came into my mind, the passage where there was a piece of money brought to our Saviour; I dont remember it particularly; I believe they had some design of ensnaring him; but I remember he asked them, whose image and superscription was on it; they told him, Cæsar's. Well, he told them to render to Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's, and to God the things that are God's. Then I saw my preaching had Cæsar's inscription on it, because it was something of my own preparing; it did not come from the Great

pirit, and therefore it had not his inscription on it, nd he would not receive it, and that was the reason I was so troubled. I saw that every thing of man's contrivance had Cæsar's inscription on it; and only that that comes immediately from the Great Spirit, would return to him, or would be food for his true sheep. My sheep, says Christ, know my voice, and they follow me; and the voice of a stranger will they not follow. Now it opened in my mind the passage where the multitude followed our Saviour into the wilderness; the disciples seemed willing to send them away, and give them nothing, but he knew their wants-he did not want them to faint by the way; he called on the disciples, and asked them if they had any thing for them; they say, we have a few loaves and a few fishes, but what are they among so many? But, however, he knew what he was going to do: he directed that the multitude should all sit down in companies on the grass: then he called on the disciples, and they gave all up to him that they had: then he took and broke it and blessed it, and gave it to the disciples. After all this was done, he commanded them to hand it to the multitude; it was food for them; they had enough, and to spare. Just so I see it is now, when Master is pleased to break the bread of life, hand it to his disciples, and command them to hand it to the people; then it is food for them.

Now, after this, it was laid upon me again to encourage others to do well, but the work looked to be so great, and I felt like such a poor ignorant Indian, that I thought I could not give up. I said to that that talked with me, there are many that can do better than I; take some other and excuse me;