a n
ACCOUNT
OF THE
ENDEAVOURS
Used bY the
SOCIETY
FOR, THE
Propagation of the Gospel in
Foreign Parts,
To inftruft the Negroe Slaves in New York,
Together with
Two of Bp, Gibson's Letters
on that Subjed.
Being an Extrafl from Dr. Humphreys's Hif-
torical Account of the Incorporated Society
for the Propagation of the Gofpel in Foreign
Parts, from its Foundation to the Year 172S.
Printed at London in 1730.
A N
AC.COUNT,f&
THE Mgr<?&Slaves, eveain thQfe. Gojopie^
where the Society, fend MifliQjiari.es, a-
mount to, many T?houfanda of Perfons, of bpt!\
Sexes, and all Ages, andmoft of thera are very
capable of receiving IxjftriiG^ip.n. Even thegrown
perfons. brought from Guinea quick,ly Igarn. Eng-
lijhxn.ough to be underftocfi in ordinary Matters -K
but the Children,v born of Negroe,Parents in the
Colonics^ are bred up entire' y io, the Englijh Lan¬
guage.
2p CD
The Society looked, upon the Inilru^lion
and; Conversion of the Nfgtoes- as a principal
Branph of their Care •, efteeming it a great Re¬
proach to. the. Chriftiaa Narne^ that lb many
l^hou^nds of Perfons fhould continue in the
fame State of Pagan~Y)a%\n&\\, unde^a. Chriftian
Government, and living in, Chriftian. Families,
as they lay before ujider, jn, their owr\ f^eathen*
Countries, The Spciety,_ immediately frQ,m, their
§rft- Initiation, drove to, promote their Con-
Ycrfion •, and inafmuch as their Income would*
not enable them to fend Numbers of Catechifts,
A. 2.
[ 4 ]
fufRcient to inftrudt the Negroes, yet they refolvecf
to do their utmoft, and, at leaft, to give this;
Work the Mark of their higheft Approbation.
They wrote therefore to .all their Mifilonaries,
that they fhould life their bed Endeavours, at
proper Times, to inftrudt the Negroes•, and fhould
efpeciallv take Occafion to recommend it zeal-
ouily to the Matters, or to order their Slaves, at
convenient Times, to come to them, that they
might be inftructed. Thefe Diredtions had a good
Effect, and fome Hundreds of Negroes have been
inftrudted, received Baptifm, and been admitted
to the Communion, and lived very orderly.Lives.
The Reader tnay remember, there is frequently
Mention made, in the Account of the La¬
bours of the Miffionaries, of many Negroes, at
different Times, inftrudted and baptized ; to re¬
late the Particulars here would be too circum-
ftantial, and altogether ufelefs.
It is Matter of Commendation to the Clergy,
that they have done thus much in fo great and dif¬
ficult a Work. But alas ! what is the Induc¬
tion of a few Hundreds, in feveral Years, with
Rffpedt to the many Thoufands uninftrudted, un¬
converted, living, dying, utter Pagans ! It mutt
be confefled, what hath been done is as Nothing,
witch Regard to what a true Chrittian would hope
to fee effected. But the Difficulties the Clergy
meet with in this good Work are exceeding great.
The firft is, the Ngroes want Time to receive
Inftrudtion. Several Matters allow their Negroes
Sundays only for Reft and then [he Minitterof
a Pari (h is fully employed in orher Duties, and
cannot attend them ; Many Plancers, in order
to free themlelves from the Trouble ar;! Charge
of'
t 5 ]
of feeding and cloathing their Slaves, allow
them one Day in a Week, to clear Ground and
plant it, to fubfitt themfelves and Families. Some
allow all Saturday, fome half Saturday and Sun¬
day •, others allow only Sunday. How can the Ne-
groe attend for Inftrudtion, who on half Saturday
and Sunday is to provide Food and Raiment for
himfelf and Family for the Week following ?
The Negroe will urge in his own Excufe, that the
Support of himfelf, and all that is dear to him,
doth abfolutely depend upon this, his neceffary
Labour, on Saturday and Sunday. If this be
not ftridtly juftifiable, yet it is fure, the miferable
Man's Plea will engage the Reader's Companion.
This is the Cafe in lome Colonies, in others it
differs : In fome Places, the Slaves do the whole
Labour of the Country, in the Field •, in others,
they are ufed only as Houfe Servants. Another
Difficulty arifes from the Habitations and Settle¬
ments of the Matters being at great Dittances
from each other in molt Places in the Colonies;
for which Reafon, neither can a Minifter go to
many Families, if the Negroes were allowed Time
to attend him ; nor can a proper Number of
them afiemble together at one Place, without
confiderable Lofs of Time to their Matters. But
the greateft Obftrudtion is, the ,Matters them¬
felves do not confider enough the Obligation
which lies upon them to have their Slaves in-
ftrudted. Some have been fo weak as to ar¬
gue, the Negroes had no Souls ; others, that
they grew worfe by being taught, and made
Chriftians : I would not mention thefe, if they
were not popular Arguments now, becaufe they
have no Foundation in Reafon or Truth.
"After
[ 6 }
After th-s Society had given the general
Order mentioned before, to all their Miffionaries,r
for the Inftrudtion of the Slaves, they agreed to
ufe another I^ethod, which they, believed would
more fuccelsfully promote this Work. They
opened a Catechiling School for the Slaves atJVra^
York, in the Year 17Q4, in which City there were
computed to be abo.ut 1500 Negr.oe and Indian,
Slaves, and many of their Mafters, \yell difpofed
to have them made Chriftians^ The Society
hoped this Example let, might kindle a Zeal in
fome other good Peoptej, to,carry on.this Work,
which they were unable to effedt"-, and to ere£^
Schools for the Inftru&ion of the Negroes, and
employ Catechifts to teagh them at appointed
Times •, and that the Legislature in the Colonies,
would, by a Law, oblige all Slaves, to. attend for
their Inftrudbion. Tfye Society found foon, it
was not eafy to procure a Perion proper to be a,„
Catechift. Mr. £/ias Neau. a Layman, then,
living in New-York City, as a.Tradeiv was r;epre-
iented to be the propereft Perion for that Cilice.
He was, by Kafcion.a Frenchman, had rnadesaCon-
fefiion of the Protejlant Religion in Fz-ance, for
which, h,e h^d been confined feveral. Years in
Prifon, and feven Years in,the Gallies. When. •
he got releafed, he went to New-York,t and traded'
there, and had the Charadt^r, frojn People of all,
Perfualions,- of a Man of Piety, of fpber Deport¬
ment, and ierious Life.
He incepted of the OfF^r of being Catechifr j
and his former Sufferings pn the Account of his
Religion, dijJ^v.iih great Advantage, recommend,
h;m to be a, Readier of the .Chriftian Faith.; and
his Humility enabled, hmj, to. bear with the man^
, ..... ... . I 7 1,
fnconveniencies in teaching thofe -poor P^tfple.
"He entered upon hisOffice, in theYear 1704, tmh
great Diligence. At firft he Was obliged to go
from Houfe to Houfe, to inftrudt the Negroes
"this was out of Mealiire laborious; afterwards he
'•got Leave, that they fhould come to his Ho&fe j
this was a confiderable Relief. There were two
"Gbftrudtions Hill; the Time was much too Cliort,
and the Place 1vas inconvenient, for teaching the
great Number of Negroes. A little Time in the
-Dufk of the Evening, after hard "Labour all Day,
was the whole Time allowed them for Learnings
and for Relaxation, and to vifit their Wives and
"Children ■*, which were generally in other Fa-
inilies, not in their'Matters. At this Tirrfe their
■Bodies were fo fatigued, that their Attention
'could not be great. They were dull and fieepy,
and remembered they muft rife early the rrext Day
to their Labour. The Place aNo wag incom¬
modious, being the uppermost Floor in Mr.
Neat?s Houfe, which-, though very large for &
private Houfe, yet was not able to hold, con¬
veniently, a fmall Part of the Slaves wkich might:
Tefort thither.
Befides, the Negroes were much "difedaraged
from -embracing the Chriftian Religion, upori
■Account of the very little Regard (hewed them
in any religious Refpedt. Their Marriages were
-perfoTmed by mutual Co'nfent only, without the
iBlefting of the Church; they were buried by
thofe of their own Country or Complexion, in the
common Field, without any Chriftian Office; per¬
haps fome ridiculous Heathen Rites were
performed at the "Grave, by fome of their own
People. No Notice was given of their being
.t 8 ]
lick, that they mightbe vifited $ on the contrary,
frequent Dilcourfes were made in Conversation,
that they had no Souls, and perifhed as the
Beafts.
Mr. Neau contended with thefe Difficulties,
and, notwithftanding all, proved an Inftrumerit
of bringing many to a Knowledge of the Chrif-
•tian Faith. He took great Pains in reading to
them, in making Abort Colle<5tions out of Books
on the Catechifm, and in making an Abftraft of
the hiftorical Part of the Scriptures; fo that
many, who could not read, could yet by Me¬
mory repeat the Hiftory of the Creation of the.
World, the Flood, the giving of the Law, the
Birth, Miracles, and Crucifixion of our Lord, and
the chief Articles and Doctrines of Chriftianity.
This was a Work of great Pains and Humility;
Mr. Neau performed it diligently ; difcourfing
familiarly with thofe poor People, and labouring
earneftly to accommodate his Difcourfe to their
Capacities. His Labours were very fuccefsful; a
confiderable Number of the Slaves could give a
fufficient Account of the Grounds of their Faith
as feveral of the Clergy who examined them pub¬
licly before they gave them .Baptifm, have ac¬
quainted the Society-.
In the mean Time, while the Society were
thinking of farther Ways to advance this Work,
a Calamity happened which mightily difcouraged
this Country from promoting the Inflrudtion of
their Slaves. In the Year 1712, a confiderable
Number of Negroes of the Carmantee and Pappa
Nations, formed a Plot to deilroy all the Englifo
in order to obtain their Liberty j and kept their
Confpiracy fo fecret, that there was no Sufpicion
t 9 1
of it, till it came to the very Execution. How*
ever, the Plot was, by God's Providence, hap¬
pily defeated. The Plot was this : The Negroes
fet Fire to a Houfe in York City, on a Sunday
Night, in Aprils about the going down of the
Moon. The Fire alarmed the Towns who from
all Parts ran to it \ the Confpirators planted
themfelves in feveral Streets and Lanes leading
to the Fire, and (hot or (tabbed the People as
they were running to it. Some of the Wounded
efcaped, and acquainted the Government, and
prefently, by the Signal of firing a great Gun
from the Fort, the Inhabitants were called under
Arms, and prevented from running to the Fire.
4- Body of Men was foon raifed, which eafily
fcattered the Negroes ; they had killed about eight
Perfons, and wounded 12 more* In their Flight
fome of them (hot themfelves, others their
Wives* and then themfelves ■, fome abfeonded a
few Days, and then killed themfelves for Fear of?
being taken •„ but a great many were taken, and
18 of them fuffered Death. This wicked Con-
fpiracy was at firft apprehended to be general a-
mong all the Negroes, and opened the Mouths of
many, to fpeak againft giving the Negroes In-
llrudtion. Mr. Nea-u durft hardly appear abroad
for fome Days, his School was blamed as the
main Occafion of this barbarous Plot. But upon
the Trial of thefe Wretches, there were but
two, of all his School, fo much as charged with
the Plot ; and only one was a baptized Man,
and in the Peoples Heat* upon (lender Evidence,
perhaps too haftily condemned % for foon after
he was acknowledged to be innocent by the com¬
mon Voice. The other was not baptized ; it ap-'
B peared
[ Id ]
pcared plain that he was in the Confpiracy, but
guiltlefs of his Matter's Murder, Mr: Hooglands,
an eminent Merchant. Upon full Trial, the
guilty Negroes were found to be fuch as never
came to Mr. Neau's School; and what is very
obfervable, the Perfons, whofe Negroes were
found to be moft guilty, were fuch as were the de¬
clared Oppofers of making them Chriftians.
However, a great Jealoufy was now raifed,
and the common Cry was very loud, againft in-
ftru&ing iht Negroes. The Common Council of
New-York City made an Order, forbidding the
Negroes to go about the Streets after Sun-fet,
without Lanthorns and Candles ■, this was in Ef¬
fect, forbidding them 10 go to M'r. NeatCs School,
for none of them could get Lanthorns, or come
to him before Sunfet. But fome Time after, the
more ferious and moderate People abated of
this Violence. It appeared to be a Plot of a few
only, not a general one of all the Negroes, no
Confequence attended the Adtion, and People,
grew morecompofed. Robert Hunter, Efq. then
Governor of the Province, obferved their Fears
were ill-grounded, and that Mr. Neau1 s Scholars
■were not the guilty' Negroes, and therefore, in
order to fupport the Defign of inftrudting them,
he was p]eafe,d to vifit the School, attended by
the Society's MifHonaries, and feveral Perfons of
Note, and publicly declared his Approbation of
the Defign •, and afterwards in a Proclamation
put out againft Immorality and Vice, he recom¬
mended it to ihe Clergy of the Country, to ex¬
hort their Congregations from the Pulpit, to
promote the Inftruction of the Negroes.
This
[ » ]
This gave new Life again to the Work, and
the Negroes frequented . Mr. Neau9s School,
feveral were inftructed, afterwards examined pub¬
licly in the Church, before the Congregation, by
the Reverend Mr. Vefey> gave a very fatisfac-
tory Account of their Faith, and received Bap-
tifm. The Society had Accounts, from Time to
Time, of Mr. Neau's Diligence and good Suc-
cefs; particularly one very ample Teftimonial
figned by the Governor of the Country (Robert
Hunter, Efq.) the Council, the Mayor, and Re-,
corder of New-Tork, and the two Chief Juftices;
fetting forth, 4 That Mr. Neau had demeaned
4 himfelf in all Things, as a good Chriftian and
4 a good Subject; that in his Station of Cate-
* chift, he had, to the great Advancement of
* Religion in general, and the particular Benefit
* of the free Indians, Negros Slaves, and othefr
* Heathens in thofe Parts, with indefatigable'1'
* Zeal and Applicatipn, performed that Service
4 three Times a Week $ and that they did fin-
4 cerelv believe, that, as Catechift, he did, in a
4 very eminent Degree, deferve the Coun-*
4 tenance, Favour, and Protection of the So-
4 ciety.'
The Society were fully fatisfied with Mr.
Neau*s Behaviour, and continued to fend him
Numbers of Catechifms, and of fmall Trafts of
Devotion and Inftrudtion, to give among the
Slaves and Servants at his Difcretion. Mr. Neau
perfevered with the fame Diligence, till the Year
1722, in which he died, much regretted by all
who knew his Labours. Mr. Huddlejlone* then
School matter in New-York^ did for foine Time
fupply his Place, and ufed to teach the Negroes
B 2 in
[ 12 3
in the Church Steeple, every Sunday before
Sermon, and at his own Houfe after Sermon*
In a little Time the Society fert the Reverend
Mr. Weimcre to be Catechift there, and received
Accounts of his difcharging his Duty diligently.
That he attended Catechifing every Wednefday
and Friday, and Sunday Evening, at his own
Jioufe % and in the Church, every Sunday before
livening Service, where he ha 5 fometimes near
200 Children* "Servants and Negroes. He after¬
wards defired to be appointed Miflionary at Rye
in that Government, and the Society complied
■with his Requeft. Soon after his Removal, the
liector, Church-Wardens, and Veftry of Trinity
Church in New-Torky made a Reprefentation to
the Society, of the great Need of a Catechift in
that City, there being about 1400 Negroe and
Indian Slaves there, a confiderable Number of
which had been inftrutfted in the Principles of
Chriftianity by the late Mr. Neau, and had re¬
ceived Bapiifm, and were Communicants in
their Church. The Society were very willing to
comply with this Requeft, and fent the Reverend
Mr. Col^an in 1726, to be Catechift there*, and
here he begins his School with Succefs, hath 30,
40, or 50 Negroes at a Time, attending Cate-
chifm, and is preparing feveral forBaptifm. He
continues now there.
In this manner have the Society exerted them-
felves, to promote the Inftru&ion of the Negroes
but they are ienfible the Means ufed are not pro¬
portionate to the End. One School only
opened, is but a fmall Matter; becauie the
Mtffionaries, in their large Parifhes, are fully
employed, without this additional Labour.
There to be a Catechift fopported, in
every
[ n 3
every Colony, nay, every large Town, to carry
on this Work effectually. But there remains one
Obftru&ion, which, if not removed, will defeat
allpoflible Endeavours. The Matters of "the
Slaves muft be perfuaded to allow them reafon-
able Time to be inftrudted, and' at leaft. permit
them to attend the Catechift. For if the* Matters
command them not to attend, or will allow them
no Time for that, Purpofe, this Work is imprac¬
ticable. On the other Hand, it hach appeared
plain to the Society, that it might eafily be car¬
ried on, if the Mailers concurred. There are
fome Inftances, where tht Negroes have, in a little
Time, gained a fufficient Knowledge of our
Faith, and been induced to lead fober Lives,
when their Matters favoured their Inttru&ion*
The Reverend Mr, 'Taylor, lately Miftjonary at
St, Andrew'sParifh in South Carolina, wrote to
the Society in 1713, an Inftance of this Nature;
which, for the juft Honour ot the-two religious
Gentlewomen mentioned, ought not to bepalfed
over here. ' Mrs. Haige and Mrs. Edwards^ wha
* came lately t< ' *
■*. Number of Negroes in , the Prmcip.'es of" the
6 Chriftian Religion, and to reclaimed reform
' them. The wonderful Succels they met with,
' in about half a Year's Time, encouraged roe to
' go and examine thofe Negroes* aboet ^heir
6 Knowledge in Chriftianity; they declared\o
< me their Faith in the chief Articles of our Re-
4 ligion, which theyfufficiendy explained % they
' rehearled by Heart, very diftindtiy,* the Creed,
5 the Lord's Prayer, and Ten Commandments j
* fourteen of them gave me fo great Satisfa&ion,,
traordinary
' and
[ 14 ]
« and were fo very defirous to be baptized, that
4 I thought it my Duty to do it on the laft Lord's
c Day. I doubt not but thefe Gentlewomen will
4 prepare the reft of them for Baptifm in a little
1 Time; and I hope the good Example of thefe
c two Gentlewomen will provoke at leaft fome
1 Matters and Miftreffes to take the fame Care
e and Pains with their poor Negroes *
The Clergy of Soutb-Carolina did, in a joint.
Letter to the Society, after a Reprefentation
made of the State of the Church there, acquaint
them, that Mr. Skeen, his Lady, and Mrs. Haige
his Sifter, did ufe great Care to have their Ne¬
groes inftrufled and baptized. And the Reverend
Mr. Varnody Miflionary in that Parifh, did at
the fame Time write to the Society, that he had
baptized, in the foregoing Year, eight Negroe
Children, belonging to Mr. Skeen and Mrs. Haige,
who, he faysr 'took great Pains to have their
*■ Slaves inftrufted inourFaith, and that, at once,
* he had 19 Negroes Communicants.'
The Society have been always fenfible, the
moft effectual Way to convert the Negroes, was by
engaging their JVTafters, to countenance and pro¬
mote their Converfion. The late Bilhop of St.
Jfaph, Dr. Fleetwood, preached a Sermon before
this Society in the Year 1711, fetting forth the
Duty ofinftrudtihg the Negroes in the Chriftian
Religion. The Society thought this fo ufeful a
Difcourfe, that they printed and difperfed abroad
in the Plantations great Numbers of that Sermon
in the fame Year; and lately, in the Year 1725,
reprinted the fame, and difperfed again large
Numbers. The prefent Bifhop of London (Dr.
Gifrfon) became a t'econd Advocate for the Con¬
verfion
r is ]
Verfion of the Negroes; and wrote two Letters
on this Subject: The firft, Addrefied to the
Mafters andMiflrejfes of Families in /^EnglifliP/00-
tat ions abroad, exhorting them to encourage and
promote the Injtruttion of their Negroes in the
Chrijlian Faith. The Second, to the Miffionaries
there ; directing them to diftribute the faid Letter,
and exhorting them to give their AJJiftance, towards
the Inftruftion of the Negroes within their feveral
Parifhes.
The Society were perfuaded, this wats the tfue
Method to remove the great Obftru&ion of their
Converfion, and, hoping fo particular anApplica-
tion to the Matters and Miftreffes, from the See
of London, would have the ftrongeft Influence,
they printed ten Thoufand Copies of the Letter
to the Mafters and Mijirejfes, which have been
fent to all the Colonies on the Continent, and to
all our Iflands in the PVejl-Indies, to be diftributed
among the Mafters of Families, and other Inha¬
bitants. The Society have received Accounts,
that thefe Letters have influenced many Mafters
of Families, to have their Negroes inftru&ed •, and
hope they will have at length the defired Effedh
The Biftiop of London foon after wrote An Ad-
drefs to Serious Chrijlians among ourfelves, to affift
the Society for Propagating the Gofpel in carrying on
this Work \ a Number of Copies whereof hath *
been printed and difperfed in feveral Places in
England. The Addrefs and Letters follow next.
An
[ .6 ]
jin ADDRESS to Serious Christians a-
mmg ourfelves, to affift the Society for
Propagating the Gofpel, in carrying on
the Work of inftruffiing the Negroes in our
Plantations abroad.
THE Dcfign of the two following Letters,
which have been lately fenc to our Planta¬
tions abroad, is, I. To convince the Mafters and
Miftrefies there, of the Obligation they are un¬
der, to inftruft their Negroes in the Chriftian
Religion. II. To anfwer the Obje&ions that are
ufually made againft it: And III. To exhort the
Minifters and Schoolmafters within the leveral
Parifhes, to affift in this good Work, as far as
the proper Bufinefs of their Station will permit.
But the Negroes in fevera.l of the Plantations
being vaftly numerous, and the Parifhes very
large; the utmoft that Minifters and School¬
mafters car) do, will fall far fhort of the necefiary
Attendance and Application which this Work re¬
quires. And it is too plain from Experience,
that very many of the Matters and Miftrefies are
either unable or unwilling to provide for the In-
ftru&ion of thofe poor Creatures, at leaft in fuch
a Way as may efte&ually attain the End; and
wherever that is the Cafe, they are unavoidably
condemned, in a Chriftian Country, to live and
die in Heathen Idolatry, and in an utter Ig¬
norance of the true God.
This
Ifhis is a very deplorable Sight in a Coiihtiy
Where the Gofpel of Christ is profefs'd and pub¬
licly preached ; and every Chriftian who believes
the promifes of the Gofpel, and is concerned in
earneft for the Honour of Christ, and the Sal¬
vation of Souls, mult be fenfibly affedted with the
Thought o£it. Which will of Courfe lead and
difpofe him to countenance and fupport any
Meafures that fhall be entered into^ for doing
Juftice to our common Chriftianity, and deliver¬
ing the Proteftant Name from fo great a Reproach.
For, to do Right to the Papift, both the Inha¬
bitants .of their Plantations abroad^ and the
feveral Countries in Europe to which they belongs
have (hewn a laudable Care and Concern in this
Matter. Only* it is to be wi(hed, that their
Care to fee them inftrufted were equal to their
Zeal to have them baptized ; and that greater
Strefs were laid upon bringing them to a Know¬
ledge of the Chriftian Faith, than upon barely
giving them the Name of Chriftians.
The Society for Propagating the Gofpel in Foreign
Parts have this Affair much at Heart; and*
having lately had it under their Confideration*
are unanimoufly of Opinion, That nothing would
give fo quick and effectual a Progrefs to the
Work, as the fending Catechijls from hence;
Whofe only Bufmefs it fhould be, to inftrudt the
NegroeSj within particular Diftrifts to be affignecj
to themi and who, having no Avocations of any
Kindj would be at full Liberty to attend the moft
jproper Times and Seafons for Inftru&ionj and
employing their Thoughts wholly in that Way,
would be far better acquainted with the proper
Methods of proceeding in the Work, and alfd
C purfue
[ I« 1
purfue thofe Methods more clofely, than any 0<r-
cafional Inftru&or can be fuppofed to do.
Butthe prefentyearlySubfcriptionsof theSociety
are employed and exhaufted in maintaining Mi-
niflers in the Plantations, to officiate to our own
People, in Places where they are not able to fup-
port the Charge themfelves, and ^here they
would quickly fall into a State of Heathenifm,
or fomething like it, if Provifion were not made
for a {landing Miniftry among them. So that
the Society can be in no- Condition to maintain
Catechifts for the Inftru&ion of the Negroes,
unlels pious and well-difpofed Chriftians among
ourfelves (hall lay this Matter to Heart, and en¬
able them to proceed in it by Contributions
given for that Purpofe, and to be folely appropri¬
ated to that Ufe.
The Piety, as well as the Nece/fity and Im¬
portance, of promoting this Work, and entering
into proper Methods for that End, are fet forth
in the following Letters, to which the Reader is
referred. But left this fhould feem to be only
the Concern of the Planters abroad, I will add
fome Confiderations which may induce all Chrif¬
tians, as fuch, to think it a Work worthy of their
Regard, and incline them to further it according
to their Power and Ability.
The Firft is, That as the Chriftian Church
upon Earth is one, beingjoined together in the
fame Faith, and in the common Bond of Love
and Unity, under Christ its Head; fo the fup-
porting and enlarging of that Church, rsjuftly to
be efteemed the Common Caufe of Chriftianity, or,
in other Words, the general Concern of Chrif¬
tians, all the World over. And if we do not de-
foe
[ 19 1
fire to fee it propagated throughout the World,
it is a certain Sign, that we are not fufEciently
concerned for the Honour of Christ, nor duly
fenfibleof the Greatnefs of the Gofpel Promifes*
and of the ineftimable Value of a Soul.
From hence it follows, that altho* our owa
Families, Relations, Neighbours, and Country,
claim the firit Place in our Care and Concern for
Religion, yet no Diftance of Place, how great
foever it be, is a fufficient Excufe from endeavour¬
ing to propagate the Gofpel where we fee there
is Need, and a fit Opportunity offers, and it is
fairly in our Power. On" the contrary, the more
remote we are from the Country to which we do
at any Time extend our Care and Afliftance, the
greater Teftimony it is of our Zeal for the Glory
of God, and the Salvation of Souls.
But, Thirdly^ The Souls for which I am now
pleading, have a more particular Claim to our
Regard, as they are truly a Part of our own Na¬
tion, and live under the fame Government with
ourfelves, and, which is more, contribute much
by their Labour to the Support of our Govern¬
ment, and the Increafe of the Trade and Wealth
of this Kingdom. In the following Letter, the
Matters in the Plantations are put in Mind of the
great Profit arifing to them from the Labour of
the Negroes, as one Argument why they fliould
be willing to be at fome Expence in inftrudling
them. And the fame Argument extends, in
Proportion, to this Nation in general, which is
greatly benefited by their Labour; and more
particularly does it extend to fuch among us,
who either have Poffeflions in thofe Parts, or
have been enriched by Trading to them.
C 2 As
c *0 1
As the Progrefs which one fingle Catechift
jnakes, may be very great, when it is his whole
Employment; foevery Perfon who contributes to
the Maintenance of that one, has the Satisfac¬
tion to think that he is an Inftrument under
God, of converting and faving a proportionable
Number of Souls. Some few Seeds caft into this
Ground, and watered by the Blefijng of God,
may produce an [ncreafe exceeding great, and
will be no fmall Addition to our Happinefs in
Heaven. But whatever the Succefs be, fuch
fincere Teftimonies of a Dejire to fee the Go/pel
propagated, and fuch charitable Endeavours for
the Salvation of our Fellow-Creatures, will moft
afiuredly finda very plentiful Reward from the
Hands of God.
And may it pleafe Him to open the hearts of
Chriftians, and to difpofe them, according ta
their feveral Abilities, to aflift in carrying on this
good Work, for the Glory of his Name, and
^he Eternal Y^effare of fo many Thoufand Souls,
BETTER
t 'I 1
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LETTER I.
*£he Bifiop c/'London'j Letter to the Mas¬
ters and Miftreffes of Families in the Englifh
plantations abroad; exhorting them to en-,
courage and promote the InjlruSlion of their
Negroes in the Chrijltan Faith,
THE Care of the Plantations abroad being
committed to the Bifhop of London
as to Religious Affairs •, I have thought it my
Duty to make particular Enquiries into the State
of Religion in thofe Parts, and to learn, among
other Things, what Numbers of Slaves are em¬
ployed within the feveral Governments, and
what Means are ufed for their Inftru&ion in the
Chriftian Faith. I find the Numbers are prodi-
gioufly great; and am not a little troubled, to
obferve how fmall a Progrefs has been made ip a
Chriftian Country, towards the delivering thofe
poor Creatures from the Pagan Darknefs and
Superftition in which they were bred, and the
making them Partakers of the Light of the Gof-
pel, and of the Bleffings and Benefits'belonging
to it. And, which is yet more to be lamented,
I find there has not only been very little Progrefs
made
[ « ]
made in the Work, but that all Attempts towards
it have been, by too many, induftnoufly dilre-
garded and hindered ; partly, by magnify¬
ing the jDifficulties of the Work beyond what
they realiy are •, and partly, by miftaken Sug-
geftions of the Change whichBaptifm would make
in the Condition of the Negroes, to the Lofs and
Difadvantage of their Matters.
As to the Difficulties ; it may be pleaded,
That the Negroes are grown Perfonswhen they
come over, and thar having been accuftomed to
the Pagan Rites and Idolatries of their own
Country, they are prejudiced againft all other
Religions, and more particularly again ft the
Chriftian, as forbidding all that Licentioufnefs
which is ufually pra<5tifed among the Heathens.
But if this were a good Argument againft at¬
tempting the Converfion of Negroes, it would
follow, that the Gofpel is never to be farther
propagated than it is at prefent, and that no En¬
deavours are to be ufed for the Converfion of
Heathens, at any Time, or in any Country what¬
soever *, becaufe all Heathens have been accuf-
tomed to Pagan Rites and Idolatries, and to fuch
vicious and licentious Living as the Chriftian
Religion forbids. But yet, God be thanked,
Heathens have been converted, and Chriftianity
propagated, in all Ages, and almoft all Countries,
through the Zeal and Diligence of pious and good
Men and this, without the Help of Miracles.
And if the prefent Age be as zealous and diligent
in purfuing the proper Jvleans of Converfion, we
have no Reafon to doubt, but that the Divine
AiTiftance is, and will be, the fame in all Ages.
Bus
t 23 3
But a farther Difficulty is, that they are utter
Strangers to our Language, and we to theirs ; and
the Gift of Tongues being now ceafed, there are
no Means left of inftru&ing them in the Dodtrines
of the Chriftian Religion. And this, I own, is
a real Difficulty, as long as it continues, and as
far as it reaches. But, if I am rightly informed,
many of the Negroes, who are grown Perfons
when they come over* do of themfelves attain fa
much of our Language, as enables them to un-
derftand, and to be underftood, in Things which
concern the ordinary Bufinefs of Life ; and they
who can go fo far of their own Accord, might
doubtlels be carried much farther, if proper Me¬
thods and Endeavours were ufed to bring them
to a competent Knowledge of our Language,
with a pious View to the inftrudting them in the
Do&rines of our Religion. At leaft, fome of
them, who are more capable and more ferious
than the reft, might be eafily inftru&ed both in
our Language and Religion, and then be made
life of to convey Inftrudtion to the reft in their
own Language. And this, one would hope,
may be done with great Eafe, wherever there is a
hearty and fincere Zeal for the Work.
But whatever Difficulties there may be in in-
ftrudting thofe who are grown-up before they are
brought over •, there are not the like Difficulties
in the Cafe of their Children, who are born and
bred in our Plantations, who have never been ac-
cuftomed to Pagan Rites and Superftitions, and
who may eafily be trained up, like all other
Children, to any Language whatfoever, and
particularly to our own; if the making them
good Chriftians be fincerely the Defire and In¬
tention
C *4 1
tention of thofe, who have the Property in therii£
iand the Government over them.
But fuppofmg the Difficulties to be much
greater than I imagine •, they are not fuch as ren¬
der the Vfoxkimpojjibley fo as to leave no Hope
cf any Degree of Succefs ; and nothing lefs than
an Impojfibility of doing any good at all, can
warrant our giving over and laying afide all
Means and Endeavours, where the Propagation
t>f the Gofpel, and the faving of Souls, are im¬
mediately concerned.
Many Undertakings look far more imprac¬
ticable before Trial, than they are afterwards
found to be in Experience j efpeciallyj where
there is not a good Heart to go about them :
And it is frequently obferved* that fmall Begin¬
nings, when purfued with Refolution, are atten¬
ded with great and furprizing Succefs. But in
no Cafe is the Succefs more great and furprizingj
than when good Men engage in the Caufe of God
&nd Religion, outofajuft Senfe of the inefti-
mable Value of a Soul^ and in a full and well-
grounded Aflurance that their honeft Defigns and
Endeavours for the promoting Religion will be
Supported by a fpeciat Bleffing from God.
I am loath to think fo hardly of any Chriftian
Matter, as to fuppofe that he can deliberately
binder his Negroes from being inftrufted in the
Chriftian Faith j or, which is the fame Things
that he can, upon fober and mature Confidera-
tion of the Cafe, finally refolve to deny them the
Means and 'Opportunities of Inftru&ion : Much
lefs may I believe, that he can, after he has fe-
tioufly weighed this Matter, permit them to la¬
bour on the Lord's Day j and leaft of all, that
[ 25 ]
he can put them under a kind of Necejjlty of la¬
bouring on that Day, to provide themfelves with
the Con-veniencies of Life ; fince our Religion fo
plainly teaches us, That God has given one Day
in feven to be a Day of Reft, not only to Man,
but to the Beads : That it is a Day which is ap¬
pointed by Him for the Improvement of the
Soul, as well as the Refreshment of the Body ;
and that it is a Duty incumbent upon Mailers,
to take Care that all Perfons, who are under their
Government, keep this Day holy, and employ
it to the pious and wife Purpoles, for which
God, pur great Lord and Matter, intended it.
Nor can I think fo hardly of any Miffionary,
who (hall be defired by the Mafter to direct and
aflift in the Inftru&ion of his Negroes (either on
that Day, or on any other, when he (hall be
more at Leifure,) as to fuppofe that he will not:
embrace fuch Invitation with the utmoft Readi-
nefs and Chearfulnefs, and give all the Help that
is fairly confident with the neceffary Duties of
his Function, as a Parochial Minifter.
If it be faid, That no Time can be fpared
from the daily Labour and Employment of the
Negroes, to inftruct them in the Chriftian Reli¬
gion ; this is in EfFedt to fay, that no Confide-
ration of propagating the Gofpel of God, or
faving the Souls of Men, is to make the leaft
Abatement from the temporal Profit of the Mas¬
ters; and that God cannot, or will not, make up
the little they may lofe in that Way, by bleffing
and profpering their Undertakings by Sea and
Land, as a juft Reward of their Zeal for his
Glory, and the Salvation of Mens Souls. In
this Cafe, I may well reafon as St. Paul does in
D a
I 2 6 ]
a Cafe not unlike it, that if they make you Par¬
takers of their temporal Things (of their Strength
and Spirits, and even of their Offspring) you
ought to make them Partakers of your fpiritual
Things, though it fhould abate fomewhat from
the Profit which you might otherwise receive from
their Labours. And confidering the Greatnefs of
the Profit that is received from their Labours, it
might be hoped that all Chriftian Matters, thofe
efpecially who are pofieffed of confiderable Num¬
bers, (hould alfo be at fome fmall Expence in pro¬
viding for the Inftrudtion of thofe poor Creatures;
and that others, whofe Numbers are lefs, and
who dwell in the fame Neighbourhood, fhould
join in the Expence of a common Teacher, for
the Negroes belonging to them. The Society
for propagating the Gofpel in foreign Parts, are
fufficiently fenfible of the great Importance and
Necefiity of fuch an eftablifhed and regular Pro-
vifion for the Inftru&ion of the Negroes, and
earneftly vvifh and pray, that it may pleafe God
to put it into the Hearts of good Chriftians, to
enable them to afiift in the Work, by feafonable
Contributions for that End; but at prefent their
Fund does fcarce enable them to anfwer the many
Demands of Miffionaries, for the Performance of
Divine Service in the poorer Settlements, which
are not in a Condition to maintain them at their
own Charge,
But it is farther pleaded, That the Inftruc-
tion of Heathens in the Chriftian Faith is in
Order to their Baptifm, and that not only the
Time to be allowed for inftru&ing them, would
be an Abatement from the Profits of their La¬
bour, but alfo that the baptizing them when
inftru&ed, would deftroy both the Property
which
[ *7 ]
which the Mailers have in them as Slaves
bought with their Money, and the Right
of felling them again at Pleafure ; and that the
making them Chriftians, only makes them Ids
diligent, and more ungovernable.
To which it may be very truly replied, That
Chriftianity, and the embracing of the Gofpel,
does not make the leaft Alteration in Civil Pro¬
perty, or in any oftheDuties which belong toCivil
Relations; but in all thefe Refpefts, it continues
Perfons juft in the fame State as it found them.
The Freedom which Chriftianity gives, is a Free¬
dom from the Bondage of Sin and Satan, and
from the Dominion of Mens Lufts and Pafiions
and inordinate Defires *, but as to their outward
Condition, whatever that was before, whether
bond or free, their being baptized, and becoming
Chriftians, makes no manner of Change in it:
As St. Paul has exprefly told us, i Cor. vii. 20.
where he is fpeaking dire&ly to this very Point,
Let every Man abide in the fame Calling wherein he
was called-, and at the 24th Verfe, Let every
Man wherein he is called, therein abide with God.
And fofar is Chriftianity from difcharging Men
from the Duties of the Station and Condition In
which it found them, that it lays them under
ftronger Obligations to perform thofe Duties
with the greateft Diligence and Fidelity, not only
from the Fear of Men, but from a Senfe of Duty
to God, and the Belief and Expe&ation of a fu¬
ture Account. So that to fay, that Chriftianity
tends to make Men lefs obiervant of their Duty
in any Refpe£t, is a Reproach that it is very far
from deferving •, and a Reproach, that is confu¬
ted by the whole Tenor of the Gofpel Preceptsr
which inculcate upon all, and particularly upon
D 2 Servants
L 28 ]
Servants (many of whom were then In the Con¬
dition of Slaves) a faithful and diligent Difcharge
of the Duties belonging to their feveral Sta¬
tions, out of Confcience towards God : And it
is alfo confuted by our own Reafon, which tells
us how much more forcible and condant the Re-
fl/aint of Confcience is, than the Reftraint o£
Fear-, and lalt of all, it is confuted byExperience,
which teaches us the great Value of thoi'e Servants
who are truly religious, compared with thole
who have no Senfe of Religion.
< As to their being; more ungovernable after
O p
Baptifm, than before ♦, it is certain that the Gofpel
every where enjoins, not only Diligence and
•Fidelity, but alfo Obedience, for Confcience Sake ;
and does not deprive Makers of any proper Me¬
thods of evfo? mgObedience, where they appear to
benecefTary. Humanity forbids all cruel and bar¬
barous Treatmeht of our Fellow-Creatures, and
will not fuffer us to confider a Being that is en¬
dowed with Reafon, upon a Level with Brutes ;
and Chriflianicy takes not out of the Hand of
Superiors any Degrees of Striclnefs and Severity,
that fairly appear to be neceflary for the preferv-
ing Subjeftion and Government. The general
Law, both of Humanity and of Chriftianity, is
Kindnefs, Gentlenels, and Compaffion, towards
all Mankind, of what Nation or Condition fo-
ever they be ^ and therefore we are to make the
Exercife of thofe amiable Virtues, our Choice and
Dejire, and to have Recourfe to fevere and rigor¬
ous Methods unwillingly, and on y out of Ne-
ftffity. Of this NectJJhy, you yourieJves remain
1 he Judges, as much after they receive Baptifm,
as before ; fo that You can be m no Danger of
fuffcring by the Change j and as to Them, the
greateit
I 29 1
greateft Hard (hips that the mod fevere Mailer
can infiifl upon them, Is not to be compared to
the Cruelty of keeping them in the State of Hea-
thenifm, and depriving them of the Means of
■Salvation, as reached forth to all Mankind, in the
Gofpel of Christ. And, in Truth, one great
Reafon why Severity is at all necelTary to main¬
tain Government, is the Want of Religion in
'thofe who are to be governed, and who therefore
are not to be kept to their Duty by any Thing
but Fear and Terror\ than which there cannot be
a more uneafy State, either to thofe who govern*
or thofe who are governed.
That thefe Things may make the greater
Impreffion upon you, let me befeech you to con-
fider yourfelves not only as Mailers, but as Chrif-
tian Matters, who ftand obliged by your Pro-
feflion to do all that your Station and Condition
enable you to do, towards breaking the Power
of Satan, and enlarging the Kingdom of Christ 5
and as having a great Opportunity put into your
Hands, of helping-on this Work, by the In¬
fluence which God has given you over fuch a
Number of Heathen Idolaters, who ftill con¬
tinue under the Dominion of Satan. In the next
, Place, let me befeech you to confider Them, not
barely as Slaved, and upon the fame Level with
labouring Beafts, but as ikfc#-Slaves and Wotnen-
Slaves, who have the fame Frame and Faculties
with yourfelves, and have Souls capable of being
made eternally happy, and Reafon and Under-
ftanding to receive Inftruftion in order to it. If
they came from abroad, let it not be faid, that
they are as far from the Knowledge of Christ in
a Chriftian Country, as when they dwelt among
Pagan
t 3° 3
Pagan Idolaters. If they have been born among
you, and have never breathed any Air but that of
a Chriftian Country, let them not be as much
Strangers to Christ, as if they had been trans¬
planted, as foon as born, into a Country of Pa¬
gan Idolaters.
Hoping that thefe and the like Confiderations
will move you to lay this Matter ferioufly to
Heart, and excite you to ufe the bed Means in
your Power towards fo good and pious a Work;
J cannot omit to fuggeft to you one of the beft
Motives that can be ufed, for difpofing the Hea¬
thens to embrace Chriftianity; and that is the
good Lives ofChriftians. Let them fee, in you
and in your Families, Examples of Sobriety,
Temperance and Chaftity, and of all the other
Virtues and Graces of the Chriftian Life. Let
them obferve how ftri&ly you oblige yourfelves,
and all that belong to you, to abftain from Curf-
ing and Swearing, and to keep the Lord's-Day
holy, and to attend the public Worfliip of God,
and the Ordinances which Christ hath appointed
in his Gofpel. Make them fenfible, by the ge¬
neral Tenour of yourBehaviour and Converfation,
that your inward Temper and Difpofition isfuch
as the Gofpel requires, that is to fay, mild,
gentle, and merciful; and that as oft as you ex-
ercife Rigour and Severity, it is wholly owing to
their Idlenefs or Qbftinacy. By thefe Means,
you will open their Hearts to Inftrudion, and
prepare them to receive the Truths of the Gofpel;
to which if you add a pious Endeavour and Con¬
cern to fee them duly inftruded, you may be¬
come the Inftrument of faving many Souls, and
will not only fecure a Bleiling from God upon
ail
yourfelves to that diftinguifliing Reward in the
next, which will be given to all thofe who have
been zealous in their Endeavours to promote the
Salvation of Men, and enlarge the Kingdom of
Christ. And that you may be found in that
Number at the great Day of Accounts, is the
fincere Defire and earneft Prayer of
Your faithful Friend,
May 19,
I727.
Edm3. London
555
%
LETTER
[ 3* J
LETTER II.
*Xhe Bijhop of Loncon's Letter to the
Mi ssqn aries in the Englifh Plantationsj
'Exhorting them to give their AJjijlance
towards the InjlruElion of the Negroes
of their feveral Parijhes, in the
Faith.
Good Brother,
HAVING underftood by many Letters from
the Plantations, and by the Accounts of
Perfons who have come from thence," that very
little Progrefs hath hitherto been made in the
Converfion of the Negroes to the Chriftian Faith;
I have thought it proper for me to lay before the
Matters and Miftreffes the Obligations they are
under, to promote and encourage that pious and
pecefiary Work. This I liave done in a Letter
directed to them ; of which you will receive fe-
yeral Copies, in order to be diftributed to thofe
who have Negroes in your own Parifh j and I
Riufl entreat you, when you put the Letter in¬
to their Hands, to enforce the Defign of it by any
farther Arguments that you fhall think proper
fo be ufed, and ^lfo to afiure them of your own
7\.(Eftance in carrying on the Work.
I am
Chrijlian
t- 33 ]
I am aware, that in the Plantations, where
tjie Parifties are" of "fo large Extent,' 'th£ C&re
and Labour'of th£ Parochial Miniffers1 hffuft; t>&*
great ; Jbut yet I perfuade myfelf, that m&'ny va¬
cant Hours may bd fpdr^d frorri the other Paftoral
£)tities, to be' bellowed on this and I cann£>tr
doubt of the, Readinefs of every Mifiionary iti?
his own Parifti to promote and.further a W"6rkr
fo charitabid tOthe Souls of Men, and fo agree¬
able to3 theJ'great End and Defign of hta Miflion-:
As to thofe Minifters who have' Negroes1 6f
their'own ; I cannot but efteem it their indif-
penfable Duty to life their beff Endeavours to 'irf-
ftru£t them in the Chriftian Religion, in ordeir tc»
their being baptizedboth' becaufe fnch'Ne¬
groes are their proper and immediate; Ckre~ and"
becaufe it is in vain to hope that 'other*Mafliefs
and Mift'reffeS wiHtxert themftlyesin this "Work,1
if they fee it wholly negle&ed, rorri>ut' coldly
purfued, in the Families of the Clergy. So that
any Degree of Negledt on your Part, in the In-
ftru&ion of your own Ndgro££, would not only
be the with-holding from them the ineftimable
Benefits of .Chriftianity, but would evidently
tend to 'the- obftrtidting and defeating the whole
Dejign in every other Family.
I would alfo hope, that the Schoolmajlers in the
feveral Parifhes, Part of whofe Bufinefs it is vto
inffruft' Youteji in the Principles of Chriftianity,
might contribute fomewhat towards the carrying
on this Work ; by being ready to beftow upon
it fome of their Leifure Time, and efpecially on
the Lord's-Day, when both they and the Ne¬
groes are moft at Liberty, and the Clergy arc
taken up with the public Duties of their Func-
E tion.
t 34 ]
tion. And though the Afiiftance.they give to.
this pious Defign, Ihould not meet with any Re¬
ward from Men, yet their Comfort may be, that
it is the Work of God, and will affuredly be re¬
warded by him ; and the lefs they are obliged to
this on Account of any Reward they receive from
Men, the greater will their Reward be.from the
Hands of God. I muft therefore intreat you to
recommend it to them in my Name, and to dif-
pofe them by all proper Arguments and Per-
fuafions to turn their Thought ferioufly to it, and
to be always ready to offer and lend their Affift-
ance, at .their Leifure Hours.
And fo, not doubting of your ready and zeal¬
ous Concurrence in promoting this important
Work, and earneftly begging a Blefiing from
God upon this and all your other Paftoral La¬
bours, I remain
Tour affe&ionate Friend
and Brother,
May ig,
17279 , * , »
Edm. London.
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
OF THE
EDITOR.
THE foregoing excellent Letters, of the
Bilhop of Londotiy very clearly (hew that
the inftrufting of Slaves in the Chriftian Reli¬
gion is the indifpenfable Duty of their Matters;
and alfo that the Profeflion of Chriftianity makes
no 4 Alteration in civil Property, or in any of the
4 Duties which belong to civil Relation on the
contrary, fo far are Men from being difcharged by
Baptifm, from the Duties of their former Con¬
dition and Station, 4 That it lays them under
4 ftronger Obligations to perform their Duties
4 with the greateft Diligence and Fidelity ; nof
* only from the Fear of Men, but from a Senfe
4 of Duty to God, and the Belief and Expe<5ta-
4 tion of a future Reward.'
But though it appears, that }:he Chriftian Re¬
ligion neither incites thofe that are in Slavery
to withdraw themfelves from their Mailers Ser¬
vice, nor affords them any Plea to neglect the
Duty impofed upon them, yet, left fome Perfons
ihould be inclined to pervert the Meaning of the
good Bilhopj and infinuate from hence* that he
E 2 ' feems
r 3s 1
feems to favour the Practice of Slave-holding, as
if .not at all repugnant to the Gofpel; let it be
obferved, that he is only endeavouring to promote
the Injiruftion of the Slaves ; a Point which he
might reafonably conclude the Matters would
listen tojfor theip own Intereft ; |bnt to have at-»
tempted this by difputing the Jurifdidtion of the
latter, would have been as impolitic as it was
foreign to his Purpofd.
It was one Thing to promote their Inftru£tion,
but another, an4 much more difficult Thing to
reftore them to their Liberty. Times were not
ripe for the lat.ter ; and as Nothing can be con¬
cluded in Favour of Slavery from what he has
laid, fo neither can any Thing be concluded from
his Silence concerning a Subject on which he
profefled not to write. He no where afferts
that Chriftians may lawfully claim as their own
private Property, even the Fruit of other
Men's Labour,. much lefs their Perfons;
or that with a found Confcience they may either
buy, fell, or otherwife difpofe of the unfortunate
SJave, ar?d all his- unhappy Pofterity ; and yet
till this can be clearly proved from Scripture,
(which it certainly never can) it is in vain for the
Advocates of Slavery, to pretend to' fupport
themfclves by any other Arguments; not even the
Authority (much lefs the Suence) of the great-
eft Man upon Earth will be fufficient for their
Purpose.
Oar Englifli Government has indeed been in¬
duced by a fuppofed commercial Neceffity, (on
Account of the lultry Climate of our Weft In¬
dian Colonies, or other temporal Reafons of
State) to tolerate Slavery in thofe Parts; fo that
the
[ 37 ]
the Man-Trade is now become a confiderable
Branch of Commerce.
Neverthelefs all Perfons \fcho are in the lead
concerned therein, ought ferioufly to examine,
■whether the fuppofed abfolute Property claimed
by Slave-dealers, or Slave-holders, mayjuftly be
efteemed confiftent with the Chriftian Religion,
though the temporal Condition of the Slaves them-
felves is not at all afFedled by it : For thefe two
Points are fo widely different from each other,
that the proving of the latter adds no Authority
or Confirmation to the general Opinions concern¬
ing the former.
I do not at prefent undertake formally to dif-
cufs this material Diftin&ion, but chufe rather to
refer all Perfons, whom it may concern, to a
careful Examination of their own Confciences,
upon the Points which I (hall propofe : this I
apprehend to be the fhorteft and mod effectual
Method ; as, in fome Meafure, it renders Proofs
and Arguments lefs neceffary, and thereby faves
Trouble to the Reader, as well as Writer.
Let me therefore exhort fuch Perfons, ferioufly
to compare their felfifh and tyrannical Prac¬
tice of Slave-holding, with the difinterefted and
charitable Doctrines of the Gofpel, which en¬
force univerfal Benevolence, or (in plain Scrip¬
ture Language)Good Will to all Men*
And let me earneftly advife them, as they love
their own Souls, not to defer this neceffary Ex¬
amination from Day to Day ; left, when it is too
late for Repentance, they fhould perceive, with
Horror and Amazement, that they havedilhonour-
ed their Chriftian Profeffion, by having complied
with the depraved Cuftoms of our Colonies.
Let;
C 38 ]
Let them carefully confider, whether the pre¬
fers imaginary Necefiity . of temporal Intereft,
would'not appear, at fuch a Time, even in their
own Eyes,, to be a very frivolous Excufe for any
the leaft Degree of Tyranny and Oppreifion; and
much lefs for having maintained that unchari¬
table and felfifli Dodlrine of an abfolute Property
in our Fellow-Man; and for having impiouflv ex¬
tended this horrid Usurpation, even to his Pos¬
terity for ever.
Are we not bound by the Chriftian Religion,
to love our Neighbour* as ourfelves ? and to
do unto all Men,-f as we would they (hould do
unto us ? And (hall we be able to flatter ourfel¬
ves hereafter, that this heavenly Do&rine is npt
diametrically oppofite to the abovementioned
Notion of an abfolute Property in the Perfons of
others ?
' Every idle Word that Men fhall fpeak,' (faid
our Lord) ' they fhall give an Account thereof
* in the Day of Judgement/ (Matt. xii. 36.)
* Matt. xix. 19. ' And 'Thou Jbalt love thy Neighbour as
* thyfelf? xxii. 37. ' Jefus faid unto him, (one of the
* Pharifees) Thou (halt love the Lord thy God with all thy
* Heart, and with all thy Soul, and with all thy Mind.
* This is the firft and great Commandment. And the
* fecond is like unto it, Thou Jhalt love thy Neighbour as
* thy/elf* On thefe two Commandments hang all the Law
* and the Prophets.'
f * At the Time of our Saviour, the Pharifees had re-
f ftrained the word Neighbour, to fignify thofe of their own
*■ Ffiends; being of Opinion, that to hate their Enemy
* was not forbidden by their Law: But our Saviour in-
f formed them, that the whole World were their Neighbours,
f that they ought not to do to another, what they would
* not have done to themfelves, and that this Charity
4 ought to be extended even to their Enemies, Mat. v. 4.
* Lukex. 29.
Cruden's Concordance, under the Word Neighbour,
But
. : r 39 r
" But how much more at fuch a Time ought we
t6 dread the Remembrance of any material Op-
prefllon of our Brethren ?
Crimes of this Kind are moil - heinous in the
Sight of a righteous and merciful God 1
- For if even the negle&ing an Opportunity of
doing good, to thofe who ftand in need of our'
Afliftance, is confidere.d as a perfonal Affront and
Denial of Chrift, J how much more guilty are
they, who prefume to afflift their Brethren, with'
open and manifeft Opprefiion, grinding the Face
of the Poor ?
How will they anfwer this ? Will they venture
to aflign as Reafons for their Injuftice, the dark
Complexion, ignominious Birth, grofs Ignorance,
or mean Capacity of the opprefied ? No, furely!
they cannot flatter themfelves, that fuch Reafons
are Sufficient to extenuate the crying Sin of Op¬
prefllon c For in as much as ye have done it
* unto the leaji of thefe my Brethren, (faid our
* Lord) ye have done it unto me.' Mat. xxv*
This Sentence, indeed, is applied in the Text
to thofe who fhall have done good to their
Brethren; yet by neceffary Conlequence it is
equally applicable, (as in the 45th Verfe) to thofe
who neglect or injure them.
. Is it not a Chriftian Do<5trine that the Labour¬
er is worthy of his Hire ?* And yet the poor
J « Tn as much as ye did it not to one of the Uajl of thefe,
« ye did it not tome.' Matth. xxv. 45.
* For the Labourer is nuorthy of his hire. Luke X. "j*
' For the Scripture faith, thou fhalt not muzzle the Ox
« that treadeth out the Corn : and the Labourer is worthy
' of his Reward/ 1 Tim, v. 18.
Negrot
t' 4? ]
jVegrce Slave .is conftrained, like a Beaft, by beat-
ing, tp work hard, without Hire or Recompence;
and receives Nothing from the Hand of his un¬
merciful Mafter, but fuch a wretched P.rovi(ion
as will fcarcely fupport him under his Fatigues,
The intolerable Hardfhips which the- Slaves
undergo, are fufficiently proved by theShortnefs J
of their Lives.
And what fhall we fay of the prevailing hea-
thenifh Pradtice, of permitting Slaves to profane,
the Lord's Day, by cultivating the little Spots
of Ground allotted to them ? or by felling the'
produce of the fame, that they may be enabled
to fubljft at a lefs Expence to the Planter ?
Is not this too plain an Indication of the very
fcanty Allowance ufually granted for their Sup¬
port ? Can it be efteemed a juft and honeft Re¬
compence for Labour, that a poor Wretch who
works hard fix Days in a Week, (or at the beft'
five Days*) for his Mafter, fhall be obliged to
work
J For let it be conlidered, that out of their Stock of
Eighty-Thoufand in Barbadoes, there die every Year Five-
*Thoufand Negroes more than are born in that Ifland i
in EfFeft, this People is und,er a Neceility of being entirely
.renewed every Sixteen Tears : And what muft we think of
the Management of aPeople, who, far from increafing great¬
ly, as thqfe who have no Lofs by Wars ought to do, muft, ifc
fo ftiort a Space of Time as Sixteen Years, without foreign
■Recruits, be entirely confumed to a Man ?
An Account of the European Settlements in America) Vol. If.
Chap. xi. P. 129.
* * But in pur Plantations the Blacks work feverely for
* five Days, without any Relaxation or JntermilTion, for
* the Benefit of the Mafter, and the other two Days they
* are obliged to Labour for 'their owq Subfiftence during
< tl
r 4i 3
work alio on the Lord's Day for his own Main¬
tenance, becaufe of the Infufficiency of his Allow¬
ance? Is not this inFaft to deny him that Reft
which is the juftDue, even of the meanelt Cattle ?
And who are thefe miferable Creatures* that
receive fuch barbarous Treatment from the
Planter ? Can we reftrain our juft Indignation*
when wc confider that they are undoubtedly his
Brethren / his Neighbours 1 the Children of
the fameFather by Adoption, for whom Christ
died as well as for the Planter himfelf!
Let the opulent Planter or Merchant prove*
that his JVegroe Slave is not his Brother 5 or that,
he is not his Neighbour in the Scripture Senfe of
thefe Appellations.
But if he is not able to do fo, how will he
juftify the buying and felling of his Brethren, as
if they were of no more Confideration than his'
Cattle ? The wearing them out with continual'
Labour* before they have lived out Half their
Days? The fevere whipping and torturing then!
even to Death, if they refill his infupportable
Tyranny ? Let the hardieft Slave-bolder look for¬
ward to that tremendous Day, when he muft
give an Account to God of his Stewardfhip, and'
let him, ferioufly, confider, whether, at fuch a
Time, he thinks he (hall be able to fatisfy him¬
felf, that any A£t of buying and felling, or the
* the reft of the Week; and this, 1 imagine, with the
* other Circumftances of great Severity, which deprefs their
* Spirits, naturally cuts off great Numbers* as well as di£«
* qualifies thofe whofemain from fupplying this Wafte by
* natural Propagation.'
An Account of the European Settlements in America* Vol. II#
Chap. xi. P. 125. _
• > F Fate
C 42 3
Fate of War, or the Birth of Children in his
Houfe, Plantations or Territories, or any other
Circumftances whatever, can give him fuch an
abfcluie Property in the Perfons of Men, as will
juftify his retaining them as Slaves, and treating
them as Beafts ?
Let him diligently confider, whether there will
not always remain to the Slave a fuperior Pro¬
perty, or Right, to the Fruit of his own Labour;
and more efpecially to his own Perfon, that Being
which was given him by God, and which none
but the Giver can juftly claim ?
Butwhy fhould I infill only on theDanger offu-
ture Judgement? Is there not a!fo a temporalPunifti-
ment, tho' not equally, yet greatly to be dreaded?
The alarming Infurredtions of the Slaves, which
at different Times have happened in Jamaica, St.
Chrijlopher, Carolina, &c. and now lately at Mont-
ferrate ought to be confidered, by Slave-holders, as
fo many merciful Warnings of that juft temporal
Vengeance, which in all Probability muft, fome
Time or other, overtake them, if they perfift in
their Oppreffions ! The Sword has long hung
over their Heads, by a very (lender Thread, [| and
[| * There are now allowed to be in our Weft Indies at
« leaft 230,000 Negroe Slaves, and it is allowed too, that,
« upon the higheft Calculation, the Whites there, in all, do
* not amount to ninety thoufand Souls. This Difpro-
' portion fhews focleaily at the firft Glance how much the
• Colonies are endangered, both from within and with-
' out; how much expofed to the Affaults of a foreign
4 Enemy, and to the Jnfurre&ion of their own Slaves,
' (which latter Circumftance in all our If.ands keeps the
' People in perpetual Apprehenfions) thatitmay be a juft
' Caufe of Surprize, that no Mealures whatfoever are
' taken to correct this dangerous irregularity.'
An Account of the European Settlements in America. Vol. II.
Chap. x. P. 117.
the
[ 4 3 ]
the Avarice J of the Creol feems gradually to be
preparing an Inftrumentfor the Punilhment of
his own Injuftice and Cruelty ! For though
the Negroes are already To numerous in our
Colonies, that the Community is very juftly
thought to be endangered by them, yet, for
the Sake of a little private Gain, the incon-
fiderate Planter endeavours as much as poffible
to evade thofe wholefome Laws, which prefcribe
the Employment of a certain Proportion of white
Servants; fo that the Tenure of his Life and
Poffeflions thereby becomes daily more and more
precarious.
May God avert the impending Danger ! O
that my Countrymen may have Grace to difcern
the Enormity of their Errors, and fpeedily correfl:
thefe Abufes; not merely becaufe in Point of
found Policy it is incumbent on them for Self-
Prefervation fo to do ; but alfo for Confcience
Sake T
I may perhaps be leverely blamed by thofe
who have Weft Indian Connexions, for having
thus charged our Colonies with Injuftice, Cruelty
and Oppreflion. The Accufation, indeed, is
heavy, but not flanderous; becaufe there is but
too much Foundation for it. Neverthelefs I do
not mean to charge ail Slave-holders as equally
guilty of tyrannical Licentioufnefs: there are un¬
doubtedly fome worthy Gentlemen among
them, who would fcorn to abufe their Power.
1 * Their Avarice, in thefe Particulars makes them blind
* to the Hazards, to which they expofe the Sum total of
« their Affairs.' (Folio 118. fame Author) (See the whole
Chapter.)
F 2 ■ However,
£ 44 ]
however, I muft obferve, that a mild and gen-*
tls Behavit\jr towards Slaves doth not excuie
the Practice of Slave-holding; becaufe it only
alters the Degree, not the Nature, of the Op-
prefiion. And though fome few Planters and
Matters ufe their Slaves fo well as to render rheir
Condition perhaps comfortable, yet this cannot
juftly be admitted as an Argument for the Tole¬
ration of Slavery ; becaufe Men are not endowed
with an equal Share of Moderation and Prudence,
and becaufe the Cruelty and Oppreflion of Slave¬
holders in general, and their vnchrifiian Negli-,
gence, with Refpedl to the InftrutSbion of their
Slaves, fufficiently demonftrate, that a Tolera¬
tion of arbitrary Power is unjuft, impolitic, and
deftruftive.
ThePafiions and Frailty of human Nature in-
fenfibly increafe with the Power of a£ting uncon-
trouled ; and Matters are generally depraved an(J
debauched in a proportionable Degree, as their
Slaves, are debafed ; fo that it is plainly incon-
fiftent with Religion, Reafon and Equity, to
permit an abfolute defpotic Power of one Man
over others.
I cannot therefore efteem any Man a Friend
to true and loyal-f* Liberty, let his Profeffion
of it be ever io avowed, if, at the fame Time, he
"contends for an abfolute Property in Slaves, Neither
f There is Loyalty even in the Love of Liberty ; for true
Loyalty, according to the ftrift Meaning the Word, confifts
rot merely in a zealous Attachment to the Perfon of a So¬
vereign, but includes likewife a confcientious and incor-'
•ruptible Obfervaoce of all thofe moral, as well as temporal;
Laws, which are calculated for the mutual Evene£t a
Happinefs of Society.
can
r 45 ]
can fuch a one have any equitable Pretence to
the Enjoyment of his own Liberty, who denies
Freedom to others.
He cannot be faid to regard Liberty farther
than he finds it convenient to himfelf, and an-
fwerable to his own private Purpofes. He
likes the Liberty of a<5iing according to his own
Will, without deigning to confider how far his
Brother may be affedted by it: this Kind of
fijh Liberty differs not from tyranny.
It ipuft therefore be allowed, that the open
and avowed Practice of Slave-holding calls the
blacked Dilhonour on my Countrymen, not
only as Chriftians, but as EngUJhmen \ whofe
Knowledge and Experience of the Value of civil
Liberty ferve but to render them the more inex-
cufableand unchriftian, when they attempt to
deprive others of that ineftimable Bleffing.
FINIS;