ion to roll all the way is fully
carried out.

[Illustration]

Some devotees hold up one or both arms, until the muscles become rigid,
and their limbs become shrivelled into stumps. In the above cut, you
have a representation of a man with one of these shrivelled arms. See
how long his finger-nails have grown. One has run through his hand and
back through his arm. Some stretch themselves on beds of iron spikes.
Some wear great square irons on their necks. I have seen not only a man,
but a woman, with these great square irons around their necks, each
nearly two feet in length and two feet in breadth. These they put on for
the purpose of fulfilling some vow which they have made. For instance,
if a mother has a very sick little boy, she will say, "Now, Swammie, if
you will cure my little boy, I will have a square iron put on my neck,
and wear it all my life." After this vow is made, if the little boy gets
well, the mother thinks that her Swammie has cured him, and to fulfil
her engagement she will have one of these irons put on her neck.

[Illustration:]

[Illustration:]

Other devotees throw themselves from the tops of precipices, and are
dashed to pieces; some bury themselves alive in holes, which their own
relatives have dug; some bind themselves with ropes or chains to trees,
until they die; some keep gazing so long and so constantly at the
heavens, that the muscles of their neck become contracted, and no
aliment but liquids can pass into the stomach.

But I will not continue this subject. You perceive, my dear children,
what a wretched religion that must be which encourages its followers to
perform such acts. And how vain are all these acts--how utterly
destitute are they of any merit. Those who practise them are not made
better by them, and they are just as far from the kingdom of heaven
after having performed them, as they were before. The Christian religion
encourages no such things. It tells us to perform no pilgrimages to holy
places, to inflict no self-tortures. But it has its requirements, and
these are very simple, and may easily be performed by all who are
willing to do their duty. These requirements are, repentance, forsaking
sin, faith in Christ, and a supreme devotedness to his service. Have
you, my dear children, attended to these requirements? If not, you are
in a much worse condition than these poor heathen of whom you have been
reading. They are not as guilty before God as you are. They know not