Arts and Tricks would be the greateft ftumbling Block and Stone of Offence, that could be caft at the Feet, and before the Eyes of the Heathen. St. Paul therefore recommended his Ministration to the Gentiles, in that he had renounced the hidden Things of Dishonesty, not walking in Craftiness, not handling the Word of God deceitfully, or with a deceitful Life and Converfation, but by Manifeftation of the Truth, commending our felves to every Man's Confcience (to the natural Confcience of every Infidel) in the Sight of God, (2 Cor. IV. 2.) He would have the deceitful Workers branded for falfe Apoftles, (2 Cor. II. 13.) and would have Men of corrupt Minds thought to be Reprobates concerning the Faith, (2 Tim. III. 8.) It was the great Antichrift who was to have the Mystery of Iniquity working in him; after the Working of Satan, with all Deceivableness of On righteoufnefs, (2 Theff. II. 7.) Accordingly Babylon the Great had the Prophetick Character of corrupting the Earth with her Fornication, and by her Sorceries deceiving all Nations, (Rev. XIX. 2. XVIII. 23.) And fo I doubt has Fopery been carried into Hea then Countries. "The Spaniards and "Portuguese (fays a late Writer *) "have acted fo treacherously with the "Africans, and the Natives of both in York, &c. "Indies, that the Cruelty of the Hi- 1688.4to. "ftory would be incredible, if it were not related " by their own Hiftorians. Their Leagues and "Treaties (the most facred Bands under Heaven) fays he, "were foon neglected, and the Spirit of "their Religion broke all before it. Indeed by thofe Writers of their own, who were Eye-Witnelles in that Country, a Multitude of Inftances are given of the perfidious Treachery of the Spaniards, towards the poor unguarded Indians; that they invited the Chiefs of them on Shipboard, and

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* Letter from

a Gentleman

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then (n) fetting Sail, carried them in Tears and Out-cries from their Country, their Wives and Children: That they inveigled them to betray their Mines and their hidden Treafures, and yet at loft pour'd out their Blood, when they could make no new Discovery: That they gave them fair Promifes only to delude them into Snares; and even made Covenants and formal Leagues to bind the Savages, but not themselves: With a great deal more of abominable Falfhood in them. How ma

uy Millions of thefe innocent Creatures were murder'd in cold Blood, and for Paftime fake, with all the Variety of Torments that the Devil could infpire into them? How foon were the vaft Regions of Mexico, New-Spain, Peru, Hifpaniola, Brafeel, &c. depopulated? Above Twenty Millions of the poor harmlefs Inhabitants being put to Death in full Peace, &c. Oh, how did this hinder the Gofpel of Chrift in that Gentile World! How did thofe poor Souls hate, and upbraid, and mock thofe deceitful Creatures called Chriftians! Some of thofe Taunts and Revilings are told by those

that

(n) Peter Martyr of Angleria, in his Decads of the Spanish Difcoveries, tells us, That when a Spanish Fleet came upori thofe Coafts, the King fent them Prefents; and when they came on Land, he friendly and honourably received them; and being defirous to fee the Country thereabouts, he gave them Guards and Companions to conduct them. And wherever they went, the Inhabitants came forth with Prefents, as it were unto Gods. But what? the Spaniards at length violated all the Laws of Hofpitality. For by Craft and divers fubtle Devices they fo pradifed, that on a Day many of them fhould come together to fee the Ships, fo that the Ships were filled with Beholders; and as foon as they had them full of Men and Women, they brought them away Mourning into Servitude. So of Friends, they left all thole Countries Enemies, much incenfed, having taken the Children from the Parents, and the Husbands from the Wives. PII Decad. II Chap. p. 250.

that heard 'em, and griev'd their (0) Hearts for them.

Some Men have poffibly profefs'd a Reformed Religion, and yet have given a like Scandal to the Heathens, by fome fuch bafe and vile Dealings with them. Oh it woundeth the Ears of all that love the Lord Jefus, to hear from abroad, that the Indians in themfelves had Simplicity and natural Sincerity; but have fince learn'd all the little Mysteries of deceitful Bargains from the Europeans, who began first with impofing upon their Igno rance and Inadvertence: That thofe Heathens are most upright and undefigning, among whom the Christian Traders never came: Nay, that those of them are beft difpos'd to receive Chriftianity, who have been the leaft acquainted with that Name. (p)

(o) The Spanish Bishop of Chiapa writes thus upon his own Experience. The Indians fcarce know what it is to take away one another's Goods: They live innocently by their Neighbours, without offering them any Violence or Oppreffion. And what Thoughts must fuch People as these have of thofe that call themfelves Chriftians, when they fee them commit all manner of Crimes and Villanies; when they fee them guilty of fo much Injustice and Treachery; and in a Word, of all the Abominations of which Men that are left of God, and have no Principle of Honour of Confcience, can be capable? This makes many Indians laugh at the God we worship, and perfift obftinately in their Infi delity. Nay, they believe the God of the Chriftians to be the worst of Gods, because his Worshipers are the worst of &c.

(p) As Captain Dampier reports of the Nicobar Islands, lying about Fourty Leagues from Sumatra, where the Inhabitants have no certain Converfe with any Nation; a Fryer, who had been by Chance among them, gave a very good Cha racter of them, viz. That they were very honeft, civil, harmlefs People; that they were not addicted to Quarrelling, Theft, or Murther; that they did Marry, or at least live as

Man

It is fome Matter of Comfort, that We of this Corporation have acted with no cunning Craftihefs of any Kind, nor have We laid in Wait. to deceive any one Soul. We act in the fair Difcharge of an honourable Trust committed to us. Our Accounts are balanc'd to all the World; and what is remaining but our Peace of Confcience? We give no fecret Inftructions to our Miffionaries, as the Craftsmen of Rome do; but publish them to all People; and they cannot but commend the Plainnefs and Sincerity of them. Neither our

own People in those Parts, nor their African, Slaves, nor their Indian Neighbours, have ought to accufe us of; at least we have given no juft Offence to the Gentiles there, nor to the Church of God, (1 Cor. X. 32.).We truft, that we have not finned against the Brethren, and have walked honeftly towards them that are without,(: Theff. IV.12.) We give our Money, our Attendance, our Correfpondence, our feveral forts of Care, and Pains, and Trouble: Forgive us this Wrong, if we have done any other, God do fo to us, and more alfo

IV. The Fourth Hindrance in converting the Centiles to the Gofpel of Chrift, is the exercifing of Force and Cruelty, instead of the gentle perfuading and convincing of them..

If an honest Pagan were to read over the Gofp‹ of Christ, and confider with himself the whole

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Man and Wife; one Man with one Woman, never changing till Death made the Separation. That they were punctual and honeft in performing their Bargains; and that they were inclined to receive the Chriftian Religion. This Relation (fays he) I had from the Mouth of a Prieft at Tonquin, who told me that he receiv'd this Information from a Fryer that Captain Welden brought away from one of those Islands. New Voyage, &C. p. 477.

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Tenour of it, in the Precepts or Examples of that Mafter and his Difciples, he muft judge it abfolutely impoffible for Chriftians to be Perfecutors of one another, or of any of the reft of Mankind. And fo indeed it is impoffible, according to the Gofpel of Christ, the Gofpel of Peace and Love, in the Spirit of Meeknefs, and Forbearance, and Long-fuffering. Such was the Spirit of the first Apostles, as a neceflary Qualification for them to go forth and teach all Nations. For their Religion it felf had died at Jerufalem, if the Preachers had gone out with any Engines of Force and Violence to compel Men to come into it.. But they were content to go forth as their Mafter fent them, as Sheep among Wolves, and innocent as Doves. They were Ambaffadors, of Peace and glad Tidings only; and as to thofe who would not receive them, they were only to fake off the Duft from their Feet, as a Teftimony against them. St. Paul put his Converts from Gentilifm in mind of his Tenderness toward them. We were gentle among you, even as a Nurfe nourisheth her Children, (1 Theff. II. 7.) And when he found it needful to exert fomewhat of his fpiritual Authority, he fets these Bounds to it, that it was given him for Edification, not for Deftruction, (2 Cor. X. 8.) The Spirit of Perfecution was then only in the Jews and Hea thens, and in the latter only upon a civil Account, for Fear of the publick Peace and Safety. For I know not, that any Pagans from the Beginning of the World to this Day, did ever perfecute their Fellow Pagans, for differing from them in meer Judgment and Opinion, or in outward Rites and Ceremonies of Worship. Not but that the Pagans might have had a better Plea for the Perfecution of each other, nay, a better Pretence to perfecute the Chriftians, than the Chriftians could have to perfecute them, much lefs their own Brethren; B 4

the