Here Friday expressed a great concern: _Ah, poor mans!_ cried he, _naughty womans! naughty devil! make God not love de mans, made mans like devil himself._
'Friday,' said I, 'God still loved mankind, and though the devil tempted human nature so far, he would not suffer him to have an absolute power over them. I have told you before of his tender love to his people, till they, like Lucifer, disobeyed his commands and rebelled against him; and even then, how Jesus Christ, his only Son, came to save sinners. But still every man that lives in the world is under temptation and trial. The devil has yet a power, as prince of the air, to suggest evil cogitations in our minds, and prompt us on to wicked actions, that he might glory in our destruction. Whatever evil thoughts we have, proceed from him; so that God in this our distress, expects we should apply ourselves to him by fervent prayer for speedy redress. He is not like _Benamuckee,_ to let none come near him but _Oowakakee_, but suffers the people as well as priests to offer themselves at his feet, thereby to be delivered from the power and temptation of the devil.
But though at first my man Friday expressed some concern at the wickedness of Lucifer, I found it not so easy to imprint the right notions of him in his mind, as it was about the divine essence of God; for there nature assisted me in all my arguments, to show him plainly the necessity of a great first cause, and over-ruling, governing power, of a secret directing Providence, and of the equity and reasonableness of paying adoration to our Creator: whereas there appeared nothing of all this in the notion of an evil spirit, of his first beginning, his nature, and, above all, of his inclination to evil actions, and his power to tempt us to the like. And indeed this unlearned _Indian_, by the mere force of nature, puzzled me with one particular question, more than ever I could have expected.
I had, it seems, one day, been talking to him of the omnipotent power of God, and his infinite abhorrence of sin, insomuch that the Scriptures styled him _a consuming fire_ to all the workers of iniquity; and that it was in his power, whenever he pleased, to destroy all the world in a moment, the greater part of which are continually offending him.