: ; ; ; H I W. k N U J TN "ATT ' " TTTVTTT TNf TT 1TT THTN-r-nri-r-rr-N1 -
OF
PROCEEDINGS
FOURTH ANNUAL (MEETING OF TltE . BAJTIST STATE
.J' H
1 ENTION OF ORTll CAROLINAr HELD AT, CAUIE WEKTINO
liuusr., it.uir. jitu.n k, jivrjbMUi.K j
1
CON-
, of I
(CotnucJ.)
nw-V ofc fourth edtion of
gUto John Arinswrt
Nortk Caroling
Dear lirotfeer, Thte
UEPOUT OF J. CULPErEU, Son., lAeent.
Cor ect '6f Xhe Baptist; butc Couyentiou-
time has arrived wheavou hvill of course expect
some account b'f iny labours duriufj the last year? for the use of the Con-
rrp.!el t6 tuev liaptist Slate CbnvAntioti of South Curolina ; where brother
charh s i'Alltcr, J. Mi Alien, itoU mysejt, vrero tortiiaJly rrceave ana
We had ian' opportunity; of explainhi Miesejef your ijy;
anil " t!eiri&ingf ouii'ogies in iher i cconjplislkicnt. ; Our brethren
nrioinftii evteral messengers to reprei'etat them in vfeur body. ' In return
ing, I vuhed some of the churches i
iIoiit2oraerviHJwan,andDavidsd
tour la concept with brother 'Jamesj Thomas, Inuhe
X lily vvuuiiv j -
out( C'afoKna, where, some of the churches bbloi:
Association ;vere situated, ; Brunswick; Onsldw,
" Gree7nr'Rdjn;e6uibi''JVash, Johuso
returned home in the latter part
aaothet tour through the countie
L p:irt of Wake, to meet brother
AVufoFxtfest inMay.
mcert 5v
the febdnties bf McckKhburr. Cabarru
; aiia imipeuiatery coramenoeu anomer
lcfvver end ot the Sstate.r
Colimbus, I lorry, 1 in
gingio the Gape Fear
Newhanoreri Lenoir;
W.' otrnn 1 oknnc An Sr1 Tllrj i Ion " : r4
f M Hitch. Early in April I set out on
of .Moore. IChathkmr and the western
, ,-JT , r
nomas, at the meeting' of theV Board at
Close oi inat meetiu,
ourh the upper a
I. travelled in
nd Western parts of the
e, Persoq, (Harwell, llockinjham
Hsited hc jchurches in Wilkels,
jind three
careful to
After th
ith brother Thomas I
gaiijilJjdsiied :'lle counties oGranville,
Stukes,;?urry: and Ashe, Hemming, 11
some in lfedfll, Dav-idson, anuliowan.;, bince that period, 1 have spent
my time in" visiting the Churches in the counties of nsoh, Montgomery,
Moore, Chatham, Davidson, Mecklinburg, and Richmond. 1 have travel
led 3."6d Ays ; preached 233 sermons ; attended, and assisted jin admin is-
terin th LJtd'ssupper six times. assisted fin three ordinauohs ; have
' attended tourj protracted meetings, dnd Iseyera,! others of two, or three days ;
AssociUtions. 1 have at all; times, and bn all occasions; been
preach yie gospel ; ana m an aflectionate manner to explain the
the Convention, and of jthe AVake Forest Institute'. ' While
within the limits of the Cohtentnea, KlhukeeCountrvlirie.'
hi'rfs Hi vet, Abbott's Creek, andBear Creeli Associations, wiere
een much misrepresented,' and the people rriuch opposed to' what
lep.usly conceived to be our plans, I have pursued. a course
tocasurp umereni irom some ot my liiends. liehevinc ma-
f opposing, brethren ip be wTl meaning ut. misguided men :
they know -our real aims, will abandon their opposition, and
coiae io uvLxitiip oi uv yora agaiusi uie, miguiy, ,1 nave Deen niuch more.
solicitop;jto explam our jreal views, and describe oiir progress in their
aecomrtiisnient,' than I have been to foirm societies pr make collections.
l nave lciL poi a iew warm menus, wno were at my ntst interview, zealous
. rirfVosern ; "and liave found every intelligent, oersoft, ivith whnm I. liarp.
ODIOCIS : O
trvelViri2
isXltvo, lri
we have b
tnev errom?
in i some
nv ot ou
who! v;he
eoaverseidj highly; pleased with; the proceedings and progress of the Wake
Fojrest Iistiliite- In I some of the churchesuthe state otlreligibn is very lov ;
M oiners, a glorious worK; is progressinjr, and extending its
owerfuh and harmonizing influence through the different grades r
Hundreds and thousands are Lowinnf In obedience to the
butinnvinp
nforining,1
oi socieiv;'
- liedeenerfe standard, irom me grey ncauea rauier, to the children in ih
' Sabbath School oftwelve years ot age. -f. I -
4- We haVe, ascertained that there are in our State 27 Associations ; and
three otbife partly in our State land partly in South arolina. Nineteen
of thse, Associations approve of, and encourage the Institutions of the day.
Iu these nineteen associations, 427S persons have beeh added by baptism
- i durir.3 Ve! ittf As-sociatioual year. !i , The other eig&t Associations are
;' rcnrrsflyJ Opposed to all the benevolent Institutions pitronized by usi In
i ilye bfjthese bodies': .who publish their numbers, ISO have. been baptized ; !
'(. v, some of tht' others do not' publish their numbers IBy Comparing the num-
her baptized, with the tleaths and exclusions, our opposing brethren appear i-
i ' , from their minutes for. 1833, to have- diminished, thciugh the diminution
ij is reiy ismalh In the missionatr and anti-missionary Associations 4458
'persons were baptized in the, yeatjl833. .Ye have seen but.few of the'
, ' iTrmnutQs foi' JS31 ; but from-the few we have; seen , tie increase appears
;V to he nearythe same as last" year. In these 27 Assfciations, including:
; - the three, ot' which part are iA;Nrth and South Carolina, there are, it il
i , cpiitidtruly believed, nearlyl if h'otifully, 30,000 BapHt communicants.
, i lA the unassociated churches we have not ascertained tie- number baptized, ;
! nor their wjhole number ; but it must have been considerable. -i j Nor should'!
- r it,W forgotten that there are in many, if not in all lour cbngregationsj many 4
truly i pio.u persons who are hot attached to any church. Net a few of
v ! thtse approjve of our proceedings, and are ready and filling tov afford us
aid. We, have therefore abundant reason to thank Goi and take courage.
Probably: ni person who was present at the formation j of the Convention,
or our first jmnual meeting, expected to see, at this early period, what we
'bow yvyitncss-arrangements made1 to send the Gospel to nearly all the
l' t Oesti,tt parts of our own State, and affording ho inconsiderable assistance
; o our fMisionary brethren, who ire travelling andi preaching the Gospel
J : to the1 benighted Jieathen inpur own, and in foreign lans ; a manual labor
School qstatblishedj possessing the confidence of the copimunity, offering
V ; instruction to seventy promising, arid many of them, w-e hope, truly pious :
1 t youth ; and also' affording gratuitous instruction to sreral of our young,
i - brethren in the ministry' ;and possessing ample funds) for;ihe instruction
; f more shoild they need it, .and. make the proper application. . .There are
.-more thad tiirteen thousand dollars subscribed, and a part ;of it paid,' for
. the purpose orerecting suitable buildings for the 'accommodation of the
teachers, and students at the Wake Forest Institute. 'We rriay truly say
that the Lord has done great things for us, whereof we are glad. But bur
.v pork is not done.( It is fully commenced, and bur plans are un. successful
A , fiperation. One ! wrong step may" produce much injury, if not entirely
!irevent the accomplishment of our purposes. f . i -1 1 l ; : f
. That you, my dear brothei, and that every member of the Convention
rraybe permitted to bear ; some humble, but.successful part, as instruments
mperahce
e cause" ot
thousands of '
Brother" Ktmsey, ofBuncotebe county another of the missionaries
rites, that he has met with mifch opposition, but is by no means disposed
despairl He observes, " Strange as it may appear. I have found manv
fj Jin' the harida $ God in promoting and accomplishing
pojects,. i:-f the lervant pray ei ol your mend and brother.
all
our Jaudable
J. CULPEPER, Agent,
1834.
REPORT. OF JAMES THOMAS, Agent. i
I i : f Tarborourh. Oct. 30th.
Elder John Armstrong, Cor. Sec. of the BaDtist State Convention of
North Carolina. ; ' '. - . ." ' v j : '-.;:.,.. I i )
Iear Brother, -Through vou, I now proceed to eive a brief account of
my lajou in,North,Carolina during this yearr for the use of the Conven
tion which I erve.; ' And in doing lhjlsp.1 will first remark, that I have;
adhered strictly to - the directions given the agents W, the committee of
' j arrangt.nents for that purpose. I have made it my first object to preach
s iae. wora t lite ; and then to explain and recommend to the notice of all,
uiuiricuioojecxs oi me vjonvenuon. i nave urgea tame utmost oi my
abilityr their friendly co-operation with its in our work oi lore; the result
cl which is to be seen and known hereafter. ; From the state of things at
j tne last tonveption, and trom the progress that all the plans of the, body
i had rnade, with the success of the former; agent in suppressing error, and"
in calling tip the aid of many to the good work Of the Lord, 'I thought it
Jidportaht. that the next agents should visit, as soon as possible, all the
thurchesAin, the State and secure their assistance ; and to this object
I have, With my venerable brother Culpeper,devoted my whole time and
.attention ; except about five weeks which I speni in South Carolina. Du
rinjthofee five weeks I was engaged in making preparations to serve your
y body, iW visiting the Baptist State Convention of S. C and the Welch
Keck Association together with several protracted meetings, where much
good seemed to have been effected. In coinmencing my serrices for the
Convention, I first visited the eastern and then the western parts of the
State. A During the journey, I travelled about four thousand miles ; have
visite most of the towns, churches, and villages in 44'Cbunfies, to whose
inhabitants 1 have endeavored to preach, in myweat way , upwards of
V.. 400 sermons and have often seen and felt the( blessing resulting therefrom,
for which I desire ever to feel grateful to Him, from whom all blessings
? flo ; My .appoinUnents have been well distributed and generally well
attended, thiring the year I have constituiedfour new churches, which
; arj n-vw doh:g well. One, at Lumberton, has increased from 25 to nearly
; 8Q mernhersJ and is still in a thriving state. Phave aided in five ordjna-
- tios, aftd in sevcn adhimislrations of .the sacrament, I have baptize
sityfour individuals upona professionof their faith inXhiist and hay
assisted in receiving, the experience of more than a hundred others. While
I have taken nrrprlt irttorit in th nrrwsn; f thft ibreA teadinr ohieCtS of
ine Convention, I have not neglected to labour for the advancement of
the csu3e of the Redeemer, by ehcourasing the 'benevolent institutions
h u our aSe : particularly those ot Tracts, ot Temperance, ana ot
ocaoois, in the course oi the rear 1 have -distriDUteana eo
j - j v ia.uivr4rqwnuno.n the matier.-
mSSTJLZ llVlueTOe ipst the great enemy-of the causef
-Yiji-TOris.,! in many parts of this Sta.tehere i
.Sf i. "cly- V1 ,le east eni State;-somr a, I can judge, now
tir Ur0,a the ?Te t this common encmy, Buttht friendsTf
temperance are up and doing. iSome ore wielding their pens and lifting
warning . voice agabsuhe rriighly foe. 1 have ibuhd'but two villa-el
west ot the Roanoke, that have Snot a- teippcratice society. Not onk chris
tians; .butmaay others; now leni Uietr aid ahd influence to this work; -i
. About 1 dollars hiie been lianrded to roe M churches and
.individuals, for ihe uso of the Ciuentjon S the. amoucfr the nam j, of
donors, will be seen another part of the minutes f except the names bf a
few children, servant and inditiduals, who have give h some small sums
in crowds, when it 'was out of my power to get their names. It has been
my course generally toj form subscriptions, embracing the three obiects of
( the Convention, and leave them( with such churches and individuals as
seemed willing to aid us. About 24 dollars have been handed to me as a
' ?rfse?lSIye ifoUifferentihdjvidualSjfor which I desire to feel grate-'
tul ; half of the amount I have last iiito the treasury of the Lord to aid you
in your good work. It have found that the lahnn
with those, of many Of (the misstiqnaries of your'body, have been much 1
; blessed in awakening pinners td a sense of their ruined state, and in rear-!
mg up the cause of Christ through the whole State. More than a thousand
sermons have been preached inthe Stale, by those sent out by the Con-
j yention, duringthis year. Special seasons of Refreshing have been felt!
in: many places under rthe lapours of those friendljf to missions. It is
clearly seen lhat all those churqhes and religious bodies opposed to prac
tical godliness and the missionary enterprise, are lean and dry f ike Gideon'
fleece while those defcidedly friendly are growing and flourishing like the
' rose. .This fact will be clearly! seen by referring to the inimiies of the !
-different Associations. The spirit ot opposition is, I think, rapidly yield-
. ing to the light of truth. I havje heard but few individuals epeak openly i
against the objects of the Convention ; and I find those generally' to be
meuj Who were never -at the Convention to' see its movements, and who I
; take not, the Interpreter nor are in the habit of reading the proceedings of
ahe-Convention. ; ' ,-.- ,v r 1 . . ; '
V In conclusion, I would say; we have great reason to thank God for his
distinguishing favour bestowedipn all the movements ofyouV body :
Through you, my,dear;brothcr, 1 tender my thanks to the Convention for
the attention and kindness shown to mel May the great Head of the church i
, bless all Our efforts for his own glory. : , j
'--' With great resptc;t, I am &c, . I ; j
' :mv ;.-v .'''1" r: ; JAMES THOMAS, Agent.; i
' ; v - ; - I - '.-.v . . - ' i
A -x "Vi. r REPORT OF THE BOARD.
The Board, in tendering theit fourth annual report, feel sensibly affected
with gratitude to the great Head of the church, for the blessing which lias i
'attended theit efiorts jduring the year that is past. At the last meefinTof
; the Convention, the State was dfivided into twelve districts, and 'in' each of I
fvhicb,1 a missionary! was appoif! ted, whose duty was to visit all the chur
ches. and to labour especially M word and doctrine, in the . more destitute
regions of his district, j I 1 ! - ' ' "
iFrom brother Posey of MacOn county, a very encouraging- letter . has !
been received. He observes, In three months J have preached ninetv-
pne sermons, ihe eliect l.-trufl has been' good. M have generally had as
.large congregations as could b expected, Ind the people have generally
appeared very tender r; Mournefs have come forwarf at nearlv everv calf
Some have been enabled to rejoice in the SaViour;anihiv?bn?t
have not met with any opposition, but on the contrary, have been recei
ved cordially by my brethren, and ata inclined taiheliethat all they need
is information, in ordef to causel them to unite in the benevolent plans of
the Convention." -. - if " .' V-' ; i ' -
(
f writes
, n urauan, 11c uuapi", uuuec us it ujay appear, l nave iound manv
who are. total strangers tp the ordinance of baptism, having never, seen it
administered, or heaid it explained according to the gospel."
brother; Richards, of.Iredell.writes, that :he has travelled for the Cbh
vehtion ninety-three days, andobserves, "I cab certainly say that the
cause of the Convention is gaining-ground in this section ofcountry. The,
Lord, was pleased to bless rriy labours, and, I have hat indeed some
precious seasons." : j ' jj : ;; ':-.;;'.': ,' ', , i....-
From other missionaries intejfesting details have been received. From
some, however, who were appointed to preach in behalf of the Convention,
ho returns have been received, j . :j : : -'.':;,.; ;:;:tr ' .,(
. The beneficiaries of the Board are pursuing their, studies at Wake
. Forest Institute. Brother Jofld, has already made some considerable ad"'
vance in acquiring a classical education. He is represented by brother
Wait, aS an amiable young man ardently pious and uncommonly studious.
Brothers Edwards and Pierce Tere received by the Board, at its meeting
in MaV last. Brother Ed wardsjf is now at the Institute, and successfully
pursuing a course of studies marked out by the principal. Brother Pierce,
owing to some peculiar circumstances, has not been able, as yet, "to enter
the Institute ; but he is expected to do so at the commencement of the next -term.
" The Board are happy in stating, thai the education fund is now
ample and that several other yOung ministers might be sustained without
embarrassment. The Board would add that prosperity attends all the
pbjects'of the, Convention ;i v ' , , 'a
In March, 1830, the Convention was organized at Greenville.! Ifw'a
then an infant indeed. ; Opposition all around us was exceedinglylviolent;
but the few who had united at that important period, put their jltrust in
the great Head of the church, snd in his fear and strength they commen
ced a slow, hut steady adyance . The first anniversary removed many of
our apprehensions, animated our courage; and furnished us with strong
evidence, th?t we should finally triumph over all Opposition. Many excel
lent brethren came up to the help of the Lord., The measures adopted
renewed our confidence in the cause in which we were engaged, and the
unanimity which prevailed strengthened our assurance that God was with
us. i The next year we found our strength still increasing. Many of our
brethren-who had been in the opposition, became convinced of their error
and came up; to our ' help.1 Dtiring the meeting at Reaves' Chapel, it
i pleased the Loid to pour out hfs spirit upon the people' ; and the church
from great feebleness has! become a - vigorous and active body. -During
that meeting the Convention adopted efficient measures for" bringing into
existence a literary Institution, adapted to the wants, and auxiliary 1o the
objects of theXJOnvenlion. At Our last meeting, held atjDockery's meeting
house, we rejoiced to see that our march was still onward, that from the ,
feebleness of infancy, we Kad reached the strength arid vigor of youth.
During the year that had passed, our missionaries had laboured with suc
cess ; new churches had been established ; the objects of the Convention
had become better known, and riiore extensively approved ; a farm for the
Institution had been purchased, and every thing which the Convention had
t-touched had prospered.) The Lord indeed had done wonderful 'things foi
t us, and while1 we rejoiced, we blessed "his holy name, for .he, had smiled
upon pur active zeal, j ; - ' ' I- " ;' !'--"
And how here fwe are again -assembled in the name and in the fearAf
. the grea$ Head of the church. As a Convention we haye been in existence
four year;, and vp may! well say, What has God xcrouglU 1 The .past
year has exceeded all others. Our missionaries and agents havitraversed
the whole! State ; and revivals have,v in many places, followed their labours.
During the past year, about 5000 persons have, been baptized and the!
idehomination is rapidly! increasing in Strength, respectability and useful-!
ness. The Institute commenced operations in February, and in Septem
tember there were 70 students, f Upon these young men the Lord has i
recently poured out his spirit j and we have reason to, believe th?t from I
35 to 40 have been hopefully converted to the truth. J . And the sons of some ;
of the members of the Convention are among the blessed. We may all J
exclaim with gratitude and with joy, p The Lord has done! great things !
for us1 whereof we are glad." Some of us asked for a blessiiag ; others for
a grit blessing ; and God poured out upon us an exceeding great blessing, j
. : Liaring the last iour years much has been done, the denomination has
considerably increased,- it has, to some "extent, combined, its Energies,
and is now exerting an influence, which must tend to promote the ever
lasting interests of thousands in our State. But much, very much, remains
jforus to dp ; There i.-arej many places in the State,.which may with great
; truth be styled desert ; where the rose never blossoms, where the flower
never buds, the brier and the thorn grow there. There' are many places
i uivu vuuv uvuiuucu . io.o wc kaiucu sput, aim uruuut iwim nun iu me
glory of God, but alas!' the baleful, the withering influence of antinomi-
! nninw' I. - -J.,J' J 3 -J ! - J aI VI' .V.n..
aum, nits pruuuecu uesuiauuq ana ueam-anu muugu mcj were once
like the paradise of God, they n6w look as if the pestilence had poured
upon them. Thefruit has been blighted in the bud, even the green leaf
has become drv. and now the rank weed and the7 tall thistle crrow there.
v KAKEX -TKiniTinva
I Thefollowingaccount presents strong presum
ti ye evidence that the Karens, who have recent
ly manifested so much eagoTness for the know
ledge of the gospel in the Burman empire, are
the descendants of the lost 'tribes of Israel. The
ten tribes who revolted- under Jeroboam, after a
succession of national disasters, were eventually
conquered by Shalmaneicr king of -.Assyria,
and carried captives eastward beyond the river
Tigris. Since that period no definite knowledge
has been preserved respecting them. : The gener
al opinion has been that they wandered eastward,
and perhaps becamblended with other nations.
If it be true, as is now supposed, and as seems by
no means improbable from the statement which
follows; that the present Karens arc really, the
remnant of the last tribes of Israel? the fact must
be regarded as one of uncommon interest.1 the
following is vothy of an attentive perusal. 1
, , ' y ' Tavov, Jan. 4, 1834.
My dear brother: 1 have read the Pali Gram
mar nearly through the second time. imtLLhHyp
found it so entirely diverse from all grammars
ot accidental. language, that I delayed replying
to your letter, intending to give you some ac
count thereof. Pali isTjowevcr, so much of a
secondary matter, and LTinoTsa much to do on
1tne missionary grindstone," more.imperiously,
demanding my; attention, that, hitherto, my . pur
pose in this respect has been defcatrd Yn,Ur
not, however, to suppose that I consider mv la-
uul ll uenanment, a loss oi time. By no
means, l he light it has given me on ; the con
struction, of the B
e ucen oDiaineu Dv twenty vrars' Rtnrl.r t,r
tnc Wurman alone. It may be safely said, that
a philosophical, knowledge of Burman cannot be
pDtajnea without a knowledge of Pali. Bui it
is easier to laufrh at Pali, than tn stnrlv it w
I have now,, however, a subject b'efore me.
more, interesting than Pah. Mr. Maincrv- the
Civil Commissioner of these provinces, (i.'e. the
o ri f "v-'u,. ,.v .limn, iu rjnianu.
wrbte to me, from Maulmein, requesting such an
nccuumoi me r3ren traditions as 1 could furnish
him. : l he result was, the letter, a codv of which
I sent you ; and it will explain itself. The dis
covery of a fragment of . thon"dants of the
Hebrews, under such pleasing circumstancp nf
iheir conversion to Christianity, I consider an
event ot more man ordinary interest s
nio uiuugm iu irum me jungle:
iw o weeKs since. - I am now, however convales
cent, and expect to start on a long and interesting
journey among these sons of Abraham, as soon
as possible. " My life has been just saved, by
medical skill and nursing; and whether I shall
be able to endure the fatiguing journey before
iuc, is Known only to mlinite wisdom. God
How ever, uirows a sunbeam on the path of duty
and sets ray heart at peace in relation to all fu
ture events. - . ?
f Yea, though I walk through the dark val
ley of the shadow of death. I will fonr nn -iril
for thou art with me,- thy rod and thy staff, they
comfort m " i.. ' J
Mrs. Mason unites with me in Christian re
gards to Mrs. K., ; yourself, and all
friends. ; .
O Lord, irreat Gon'f
The wOrld-destroyuig flame We cannot endur?
woria-uestrovinor H .rr.rt, , t
bear ;
to
us exist v-ith affliction in all its various fyni-
. ; l Angels.
es.:
'The Karens bl ipro lie tl, L
i V ' nrre aret :irn it
. wuu nave never sinned, andL thai tie
are? einnmvH in : w . , j
rj " "A,-s'ui4"i, vjiou a nurcos
uc suns .01 neaven are holy ' , I -They
sit'by the seat of God : j I 1
The soni of heaven are righteous
They dwell together with Go ; 1
They lean arainst th If
The beings whom-God employs totxc-ccic Lis
Hav
e, to the present time. thf rprilr ;
God" i : n- r t-Vi Ui
Satan
Satan.
I-
which,. the most commoi are - Ku-plau, tix&U- "
ccxvtr; from i hi. dc-ceivinir ;the first mn InA
wma. YaWrkaW, the nlcktrodden ; from the
belief,! that mayjlLaiWmately tread Ion his
neck, or overcome him. The Karens believe
that he was ( formerly, a holy being in heaven:
but that he disobeyed God, and was driven from
iieaven. I . ;
S?n.ia ancient times was righteous;
junglei-oh a litter,
inquiring
1 ! ; Yours, &c. - !
j : FRANCIS MASON.
, The folloying is the communication to the
Civil Commissioner, referred to in the exceed
ing: . .
Hcad-ioaters of tfo Tenasscrim, Dec. 6, 1833.
My dear Sir: I sit down in the midst of the
Karen jungle to redeem my pledge, and give
you some account of the traditions existing
among the Tavoy Karens. These trad itions are
of two kinds the one in verse, and the other in
prose the latter,, in the form of commands from
a parent to his child re.
i As What I, have been able to,' obtain are but
fragments of the original, poems ancLinstructions,
I shall, for the sake of perspicuity, throw them
together under different heads j and these natu
rally resolve themselves into three classes :, I
Traditions of "Scripture Facts. If Traditions
of Scripture Doctrine. III. Traditions concern
ing themselves as a nation.
; I. TRADITIONS OF SCRIPTURE FACTS.
I,'' - . ' '. God.
) God is denominated the great Ku-tsa, or the
great Lord; the great Pu, or great 1 ancestor,
from Pu a grandfather ; and Yu-wah.
j VO my children ah4 grandchildren. 1 the earth
is the treading place of the feet;of God, and hea
ven is the place where he sits.f He sees all things,
and we are; manifest to Him." '' , -. , '
"Yu-wah is unchangeable eternal, .
He was in the beginning of the world : -
Yu-wah is endless eternal,
He existed in the beginning of the world ;
Yu-wah is truly unchangeable and eternal;
He existed in ancient time iu the beginning of the
' 1 world. - ',
The life ofYu-wah is endless,
a succession oi wotlds does not measure his exis-
lence,-
Two sticcessions of worlds does not measure his
existence; .-.-. ).
Yn-wah is perfect in every ricritorious quality.
And dies not in succession on succession of wods.,
- In the following jasige, God, is represented
as Wying, ailer having created the world, that he
will destroy it in, threclgcnerationis ; but men re-
ply that they are not able to endure this, and
beg that they may . hav; every variety of suffer
ing that now, exists, rather than th.at the world
should be burned up; to which request, it is un
derstood God acc eded. 1 j ;'. ;
"I have created the great earth, ' . .' ;
But in three generations I will burn it up ; '
I have made this great earth. , '-
But in three generations I will set it in flames ;
I have formed the great earthy ; , . , t; ; ,,
But in, three generations I will destroy it with fire ;
I have established the great earth, : .v
But in three generations I will destroy; it with
flames j K - '-.-'
rmi ne transgressed tk a r
Q . r- I - vuiillllituu Ui yuu
uai4" i ancient, time was holy, j
But he departed from the law if God
And God drove him away : :
He deceived the daughter and Son of" God.
vjuu urove you away, , i ' I ;
F or you deceived 'the daughter and Son of God " ; '
.The Karens say that if a 'person died in 'in-.'"
oient time, he came to life nr-ainLnftr
time indicated, as in the following extract, by the -'
plantain Jeaf becoming yellow.! Satan, nowev-
cr, urougiu am mto the. world, and ' man never
rose again. - ' ' I j' j
"The dead rose again when the plantain was vel-
- low,
But Satan produced sin : j .1 i I
,The dead rose to life when the plantain was vel- I
low, ; , j- r
But Satan introduced sin. ' . r ! -
You have committed adulrerv
Hence, in this state, you are corrupt."
' "Children and grandchildren! I though yoif
were to kill Satan, he would hot'die; but, w hen
the time of our salvation come Gnrl v;n
i ? -w-w. W11 kl A
against Godj
yet come, he
hirri. n Because that time has ! not
still exists." . i
I . Fall of Man. I
" O, children . and grandchildren i ' in tl,- It-.
giuning, God to try man, whether Jic would' or
would not observe his commands' created ik-
tree of death arl the tree of life, saying, concern-"
ringth crdcathaiur-rrf-tt ?f j--m '
ed to see whether man' believed.. I Not believing
he ate of the fruit of the tree of death, and the
tree of life God hid. Because the j tree of life
has been hidden, men have died ever since that
time."- . - ; . j J i j
The Karens have no definite idea of what Is
meant by the tree of life coming by man, as men
tioned in the following extract. It would seem .
however, to refer to the promise; that the seed
of the -oman should bruise the serpent's head.
"Teroptf11"' temptation, the fruit of temptation
The fruit of temptation fell on the ground ;
The fruit of temntaiion w. lmi' i ; i
It poisoiled! to death our mother; j I
The fruit of temptation, Do thou eat it not
In the beg lining ; it poisoned to death our father
. and mother ; j y ;
The tree of death' came by woman ,!
The tree of life by man." ;.) '
J. . j
" Two persons, our father ana
Disobeyed the commands of God .
In ancient times', our mother and father !
Transgressed the commands of God. i ; j
This transgressing the commands of fin,1 i
Descends to their children,' who are evil-doers
uuiu urctULiutj me commanus ot Uod,
Satan i1p.frnvprt fViot-n . I t 1 1
w u . . vj .v. ,UVUI ,
They broke the commands of God,
Satan destroying them."
The Karens believe that woman was original
ly made of one of man's ribs, and have the popu
lar 'idea among them, that a man has One rib lets
mother,
Mns eli
te
on one side than on the otlier.
-u ennuren ana cranacmiaren woman nt
first was'a rib of man ; therefore woraan jougjit -
tn ratX mail In 11 lliinna " I III ' - '
! Dispersion at Babel, i
" Men were all brethren ; I i
. They had all the language of God i
Butthey disbelieved thelanguage of God,
And became enemies to each other, j j ; j.
Became they disbelieved God, j-'j I !
Theii ianguage divided. I j j
But they did hot believe them; and ditisii
' sued." ,'-,' ".j ' j
I Destruction of the .World. j . ;
The Karens believe, that the world will
destroyed by fire ; and' several brief allusions tr
this belief occur in their poetry, of which !the fol-
lowing is a specimen :,
,'The waters will rise, and the world-destrovmc
i ! n ! .. . j. . i I i i I -
T names will burst lortn, I
ind must hot men then watch T
II. TRADITIONS OF SCRIPTURE DOCTR j
1 -l i Love to Goa
w0 children and grandchildren 1 1 JoFa God,
cud never so 'much as mention his nam
by speaking his name, he goes farther arid far
ther irom us" ; - ;
'.-': Prayer.
A 41 0 children and grandchildren ! pray I
constantly bv dav and by night. n
- Key uit ance a)id Prayer, ;1 j
' " O. children: ?and grandchildren! 'if yve re
pent of our sins, and cease to do evil, restraining
our passions, and pray to God, Jhe will have mer
cy upon us again. If God does not have rnercy
onus, there is no other one that can. ! He who
saves us, is the only jne God"; ij
Against Idolatry. ;i V.
m O children and grandchildren 1: doi nc wor
ship idols or priests. - If you worship theni, you
obtain: no advantage thereby. While you increaso
your sins exceedingly.". ;
Vsntnde7 m our next
NTS.
oGod ?r'