Episode 16 - The Female American - Unca Eliza Winkfield

View our full collection of podcasts at our website: https://www.solgoodmedia.com
or YouTube channel: https://www.solgood.org/subscribe

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Chapter five, she embarks with theIndians for their country, expounds the scriptures
to them, and translates the Bibleand common prayer into the Indian language,
visits her island. Whilst these thingspassed, I considered that, as I
was entering upon an affair of theutmost importance, it would be highly necessary

(00:21):
to commence with prayer. I wasindeed sensible that it would be, in
a great measure very unintelligible to theIndians. Yet I could not be satisfied
with the omission, and thought Imight pray in such a manner as that
they at least would understand that Iwas desiring God to do them good.
I therefore stood up and told themI would pray to God to be good

(00:44):
to them, and that they wereall to kneel down as I did,
but that they might not think Iprayed to the statue. I got up
to the top of the steps,and there kneeled down, with my back
to the statue and my face towardsthe people, and endeavored to level my
language as well as I could totheir understandings. Whilst the whole multitude showed

(01:04):
great attention, as I could singvery well, having learned whilst I was
in England, and had composed severalhymns in the Indian language. As soon
as I was done praying, Istood up and sung. It is not
to be expressed how the whole multitudewere affected, showing every decent expression of
joy. I now told them Iwas ready to attend them to their own

(01:27):
country. On this they set upa shout of gladness. I desired that
somebody would carry my bundle. Ithen set out in company with all the
priests, followed by the multitude,to the seaside, where I saw a
great number of canoes. I enteredinto one of them, and immediately the
whole company entered into theirs. Duringour little voyage, I could not help

(01:51):
reflecting upon the bold undertaking in whichI had engaged. Nor was I without
my fears. But in my heart, recommending myself to providence, I reassumed
my courage and fortified my mind.When we approached the dust and shore,
it was covered with the natives,who, when I landed, respectively,
prostrated themselves to the earth. Iin return bowed my body to them.

(02:15):
I observed that they viewed my addresswith particular attention. Whilst the priests conducted
me to a little town full ofsmall huts or cottages, into one of
the best of which I was desiredto enter. This, by the preparations
that had been made, I supposedwas designed for my residence. Here I

(02:36):
found half a dozen Indian maids appointedto attend me, who, on my
entrance, kneeled before me till Iordered them to arise. These presented me
with dried fish and flesh, fruitsand flowers, and different liquors, as
appeared from the look of them.For I took nothing but some fruit of
a kind different from any I headseen upon. My own island was still

(03:00):
on an island, though much larger. After I had been here some time
with the priests, I expressed mydesire to be left alone, and that
I should be glad to see thepriests the next morning. How greatly was
my situation changed, from a solitarybeing obliged to seek my own food from
day to day I was attended bya whole nation all ready to serve me,

(03:23):
and no care upon me but howto discharge the important business of an
apostle, which I had now takenupon me. To this purpose, besides
my daily instructing the priests in theknowledge of Christianity. I once a week
taught the people in public, whoI found very ready and tolerably capable to
receive my instructions. As to thepriests, I had expected much difficulty with

(03:47):
them, and no little opposition,but was very agreeably surprised. They were
very attentive, quick of apprehension,fond of instruction, and very ready to
give me what is distance they couldin teaching the people. The use I
made of them was this, Imean the young priests, for the high
priest was mostly confined at home bythe infirmities of his great age. The

(04:11):
use I say I made of theyoung priests was to teach the children and
young people the Church of England's Catechism. For as I had found a common
prayer book among the few books thatwere in my chest, I translated the
Catechism into the Indian tongue, witha short and plain comment upon it.
This I taught the priests to read, who afterwards made the children get it

(04:32):
by heart. And as I hada Bible, I at my leisure translated
that also, beginning with the plainestparts first, till I had finished the
whole I from time to time readthe Bible in public to them, and
as I was able, explained it. I cannot but say I found myself
very happy among these plain, illiterate, honest people. There was nothing that

(04:57):
they could do to please me,but they did it, and often expressed
their hope of my never leaving them. I found the manner of introducing myself
among them was highly serviceable to me, for though in every respect they could
not but observe that I was likethem, yet it was easy to discover
that they conceived me more than amere mortal. However, I did not

(05:19):
think it my duty any more thanmy interest to undeceive them, as this
opinion secured to me that respect andauthority which were necessary for me to preserve
in order to carry on the greatwork among them in which I was engaged.
I sometimes amused myself in shooting withmy bow and arrows, in which

(05:41):
I exceeded any of them. Buteven this circumstance trifling, as it was
raised their opinion of me. Inthe summer season, I now and then
went to visit my old island.But whenever I did so, I always
ordered the Indians who rowed me overto wait with the canoe by the seaside,
or to return home and fetch mein the evening, whilst I roamed

(06:02):
about at my own pleasure. Whenthe same time returned next year, at
which season they used to visit theoracle, the priests asked me in the
name of the people, if theyshould go to visit the oracle. I
answered by no means, for thatthey would never more hear any answers from
it. I passed nearly two yearsvery agreeably among them, in which I

(06:26):
not only finished the translation of theBible, as well as that of the
Catechism, but indeed of most ofthe prayers in the Common Prayer Book.
I also had made a great progressin instructing the people, whom I happily
brought off from their idolatry, tothe knowledge of the True God and to
a tolerable idea of the Christian religion. We now regularly observed the Lord's Day

(06:50):
according to divine appointment, though Ihad no right to administer the sacrament of
the Lord's Supper. Yet I waswell satisfied that under the circumstances we were
in, I might baptize. ButI never did so till I was well
satisfied that the party had a tolerablenotion of the Christian religion, and earnestly

(07:11):
desired to be baptized. I couldnot help making one observation, and that
a very just one. I rememberedwhen I was in England that I used
to look up some of the deisticalwriters in my uncle's study. These writers
labored to prove that Christianity was repugnantto plain uncorrupted reason. Yet I found

(07:31):
this assertion entirely false. For herea people who had no other guide but
their reason, no sooner heard Christianityplainly and firmly expounded to them. But
they soon embraced it. And Iam fully persuaded that whenever any unprejudiced person
tries the religion of Christ by hisreason, though he may find it in

(07:55):
some measure above his reason, heyet will not find it contrary to it,
and that it is worthy of hisassenting to it. But to continue
my history, in the beginning ofthe third summer of my being here,
not having been for a long timeat my old island, on account of
the late rainy season answerable to winterin Europe, I ordered some Indians to

(08:18):
row me thither early in the morning. I told the Indians they might return
back and come again in the evening. Every time I made this visit,
I always went into my subterraneous apartmentsto get some rings to distribute among the
Indians. I suppose they wondered howI came by them, but never asked
me, and that they might haveno suspicion that I brought them from the

(08:41):
island. I never gave them anyon my return to them, but always
a few days before I intended avisit to my old habitation. End of Chapter five