longer trull; to tradition, the inftrudlor of their childhood, in this
great and interefting truth, and foon find that it is impoflibleto
be miftaken in, this important argument, as ■ the exiftence o f this
Infinite Being is written, with fo legible charaders - in every objeft
furrounding them.:, they foon go back to themfelves, and invefti-
gate their own mental and fenfual faculties, and from thence are
gradually led to acknowledge the duties they, owe to. God, themr
felves, and all the rational, animated, organic, and inanimated crea-r
tion, which they either find co-operating w ith , or fubordihate' to
themfelves. The people at Taheitee preferve their notions relative to
the Deity and his worlhip by tradition, and are as yet unable to in-
veftigate the necefiity o f the exiftence of God, the nature of his'attributes,
and the duties they owe him by reafon; they-are therefore
ftill in the infant ftate of humanity,notyet ripened to the ufe o f argument
and reafon in religious matters : and, according to the pre-
fent fituation, o f affairs, a long time muft gafs, before they will
be able to bear the evidence o f thefe doctrines, and the radiancy of
this truth 5 we have only therefore to with that 'we may be permitted
to fee the minds o f thefe excellent people irradiated by the
bright religion taught by nature and reafon; which may prepare
them for a due reception o f the dodtrines of the Chriftian difpenfa-
tion.
Their
Their prefent fyftem of religion is a polytheifm, which may be r e l ig io n .
called one of the beft and leaft exceptionable as yet known. The
name E a to o a , admits a very great latitude in its interpretation ; for
though it properly iignifies a Divinity, it may likewife be interpreted
a Genius- However they admit a Being whom they call
Datoba-rahai, which is the fupreme Deity above, all, Each o f the
iiles furrounding Taheitee, has its peculiar god, or as we. may
juftly call it, its tutelar Divinity. Taheitee is under the peculiar
guidance and government‘ o f O r u a - h a t t o o ; over Huaheine
prefidesTANE; over O-Raiedea O r o o : over O-Taha O r r a ;
Borabora has its T aootOo ; Maurooa its O too; and in Tabua-
manoo T a r .oa . is the chief god. This is always the Divinity
whom the high prieft o f each ifle addreffes in his prayers at the
grand Marai of the prince of that ifland. The great Deity they
think to be . the prime caufe o f all divine and human beings
and as this nation has introduced every where the idea o f generation,
it has applied the fyftem of generation to the origin o f their inferior
Divinities, and for that purpofe the natives thought it likewife
neceffary to attribute to the E a t o q a - r a h a i , a being o f the
female fex, from whofe conjundtion all the inferior Eatooas, and
even mankind are defcended ; and in this reipedt they call the great
Deity T a - roa- t ’e a y - etoomoo the great procreating ftem:
but his wife is not of the .fame nature with him i their grofs ideas
Z z z z imagined
1!