Jews in America, Part 3 · Chapter 2
CHAP. II. Hope of the Natives converſion.
SAint Paul enforced himſelfe to preach the Goſpell where Chriſt was not yet named, Rom. 15. 20. ſuch is the condition of that forlorne Nation, a good ſubject to worke upon, and if ſo good an end be propounded, the ſucceſſe by divine bleſſing will be anſwerable: and though the Countrey hath been knowne more than a Century of yeeres to Chriſtians, yet thoſe that came firſt among them, minded nothing leſſe than to make them ſuch. Benzo aBenzo. p. 76. 77. paſſimque.relates abundantly how the Spaniards laid the foundation of their endeavours in bloud, their Fryers and religious perſons at firſt inſtigating them thereto. That Chriſtian King indeed gave them leave to ſubdue the Caniballs, but they deſtinate all the Nations to bitter bondage, proceeding therein with ſo much rigour and ſeverity, that the Dominicans are conſtrained at length to complaine thereof to the Pope Paul the third, imploring from him a Bull for the reinfranchiſement of the Indians, which they obtained, and brought into Spaine, and preſented it to Charles the fifth, who made them free to the griefe and loſſe of ſome of the Grandees, whoſe wealth and grandour conſiſted moſt in ſlaves; they were moſt prodigiouſly libidinous bId. p. 11. &c.alſo, contracting upon themſelves moſt foule and pernicious diſeaſes, that loathſome luſt firſt brought into this world, the filthy and infectious contagion, now ſo much ſpoken of. Their covetouſneſſe was notorious alſo, the Indians ſcorned them for it, and for their ſakes abominated the name of Chriſtianity; and when they tooke any cId. p. 100. 104. 248. &c.of the Spaniards, they would bind their hands, caſt them upon their backs, and poure gold into their mouths, ſaying, Eate, O Chriſtians, eate this gold: Yea their lives were generally ſo odious, and oppoſite to godlineſſe, that the ſame writer profeſſeth, their ſcandalous converſation deterred the Americans from the Goſpell; they did indeed teach ſome children of their Kings and Nobles, to read, and write, and underſtand the principles of Chriſtianity, which they acknowledged to be good, and wondered that the Chriſtians themſelves ſo little practiſed them; and thus one of them beſpake a dId. ibid. &c.Spaniard, O Chriſtian thy God forbids thee to take his name in vaine, and yet thou ſweareſt upon every light occaſion, and forſweareſt; your God ſaith, you ſhall not beare falſe witneſſe, and you doe nothing elſe almoſt but ſlander, and curſe one another; your God commands you to love your neighbour as your ſelfe, but how are the poore injured by you? how doe you caſt them into priſon, and fetters, that are not able to pay their debts? and you are ſo farre from relieving needy Chriſtians, that you ſend them to our cottages for almes, ſpending your meanes and time in dice, thefts, contentions, and adulteries: He tells alſo of an Indian Prince, that was very apt and ingenious, he attained to a very good meaſure of learning and knowledge in religion, and was hopefull above others in both; but about the thirtieth yeere of his age, he deceived the expectation of friends, and became extremely debauched and impious, and being blamed for his bad change, his excuſe was, ſince I became a Chriſtian I have learned all this, to ſweare by the name of God, to blaſpheme the holy Goſpell, to lie, to play at dice; I have gotten a ſword alſo to quarrell, and that I may be a right Chriſtian indeed, I want nothing but a concubine, which I intend alſo ſhortly to bring home to my houſe; And Benzo further addes, when himſelfe reprehended an Indian for dicing and blaſpemy eId. p. 251., hee was preſently anſwered, I learned this of you Chriſtians, &c. And if it be ſaid, Benzo was an Italian, and laies the more load upon the Spaniards, as no friend to that Nation, Bartholomeus de las Caſas fCaſas. p. 27. 101. 115.one of their owne, and a Biſhop alſo, is as liberall in telling their faults, as hath been in part mentioned already; the Natives indeed are capable and docible, but theſe other tooke no care to lead them unto godlineſſe, either by word or example; but this, ſaith that Spaniſh Biſhop, was the manner of their goſpelizing them; In the night they publiſhed their edict, ſaying, Oyee Caciques and Indians of this place, which they named, wee let you all know, that there is one God, one Pope, one King of Castile, who is the Lord of theſe lands, come forth therefore preſently and doe your homage, and ſhew your obedience to him; ſo in the fourth watch of the night the poore Indians dreaming of no ſuch matter, men women and children were burnt in their houſes together: He affirmeth againe, they regarded no more to preach the Goſpell of Chriſt to the Americans, than if they had bin dogs, and their ſoules to periſh with their bodies; he tells further of one Colmenero, who had the ſoule-care of a great City, being asked what he taught the Indians committed to his charge, his anſwer was, he curſed them to the Devill; and it was ſufficient if he ſaid to them, per ſignin ſantin cruces, by the ſigne of the holy croſſe. The Spaniſh inſtruction then, it is evident, was the Natives deſtruction, and not ſo much a plantation as a ſupplantation, not a conſciencious teaching, but a Lion-like rather devouring of ſoules; their errors may warne and rectifie us, yea and ſharpen our edge, ſeeing theſe poore Indians be not indocible, and ſhall be converted; and be they Jewes or Gentiles, as there is much rudeneſſe and incivility among them, ſo many hopefull things have bin obſerved of them; and as Ariſtotle ſaid of the humane ſoule at its firſt immiſſion, it was a new planed table, The Americans in like manner ſaith P. Martyr gp. 100. 104., are capable, and docible, mindeleſſe of their owne ancient rites, readily believing and rehearſing what they be taught concerning our faith; Acoſta hHiſt. l. 6. c. 1.declares them not onelyonly to be teachable, but in many things excelling many other men, and that they have among them ſome politique principles admired by our wiſeſt ſtatiſts; their naturall parts and abilities were viſible in that their whale-catching and conqueſt mentioned iEpiſt. before.already, yea they are ſaith Benzo kp. 32. 444., very apt to imitate the faſhion of the Chriſtians; if wee kneele at our devotion, they will kneele alſo; if wee reverently lift up our hands or eyes at prayer, they will do the like: Lerius lPreſat. p. 38.writeth ſeverall obſervable things, of their aptneſſe and capacity, that they be quickely ſenſible of their owne blindneſſe, eaſily deterred from lying and ſtealing; they told us, mId. p. 221. 225ſaith he, that very long agoe, they could not tell how many Moones ſince, one came among them cloathed and bearded like unto us, endeavouring to perſwade us unto another kinde of Religion, but our Anceſtors would not then heare; and if wee ſhould now forſake our old uſages, all our neighbours would ſcorne and deride us; hee found them of tenacious memories, if they heare but m Id. 230. 248. 301. &c.once one of our names, they forget them no more: and as hee walked in the woods upon a time with three of thoſe Braſilians, his heart was ſtirred up to praiſe God for his workes, it was in the ſpring of the yeere, and bee ſang the hundred and fourth Pſalme, one of them deſired to know the reaſon of his joy, which when he had mentioned, with the meaning alſo of the Prophet, the Indian replyed, Oh Mayr, ſo they call the French, how happy are you that underſtand ſo many ſecret things, that are hidden from us! And when the Natives of Virginia oCap Smith. p. 11.heard Mr Harriot ſpeake of the glory of the great God, ſhewing them his booke, the Bible, many of them touched it with gladneſſe, kiſſed, and embraced it, held it to their breaſts, and heads, and ſtroaked their bodies all over with it, and in pBook of that Planta. Anno 1632. p. 12.Guiana they deſired Captaine Leigh to ſend into England for inſtructors, and one of them was ſo well taught, that he profeſſed at his death, he died a Chriſtian, a Chriſtian of England. But the qTreatiſes thereof.Sunne-riſing of the Goſpel with the Indians in New England, with the breaking forth of further light among them, and their enquity after the knowledge of the worlds Saviour, &c. hath been abundantly diſcovered by our Brethren there of late, to our very great rejoycing, and for the encouragement of them and others. To what hath been ſaid, let me adde what ſome rMalvenda ubi ſupra. p. 150.ſuppoſe they read foretold concerning the Americans acceſſe to Chriſt, out of Philip. 2. 10. At the name of Ieſus every knee ſhall bow, of things in heaven, things on earth, and things under the earth, i. e. Heavenly things, Saints already converted, earthly, ſuch of the knowne world as the Apoſtles were then labouring to Goſpellize, under the earth, that is, the Americans which are as under us, and as Antipodes to us, and live as it were under, beneath, in the lower parts of the world; for it is not like hee ſhould ſpeake of the corporally dead, their bodies not being under, but rather in the earth, & inferi, infernus, doe not alwaies meane Hell, and the place of the damned, but the regions as under us ſometimes, that be oppoſite to us, as that Epiſtle, ſaid to be brought by a winde from the upper to the nether world, had thoſe words firſt, Superi inferis ſalutem, wee above the earth wiſh health to them under it; and thus the captive Indians sCap. Smith. p. 63.told the Engliſh Planters: Wee therefore ſeeke your deſtruction, becauſe wee heare you are a people come under the world to take our world from us. Others finde their converſion praefigured in that threat, Mat. 25. 30. Caſt the unprofitable ſervant into utter darkneſse, thoſe tenebrae exteriores, outward darkneſſes tBarradus. T. 2. l. 8. c. 4.are regiones exterae, the outer and forraigne nations in the judgement of Remigius; and ſome conceive the ſame to be fore-ſignified by the Prophet Obadiah, ver. 20. The captivity of Ieruſalem ſhall poſſeſſe the Cities of the South. i. e. of America, ſo ſituate, or, the dry cities, that Countrey being much under the Torrid Zone; Acoſta uDe nat. Nov? Orb. l. 1. c. 15.confidently applyeth thus this text, as ſome others doe that of Eſa. 66. 19. Fredericus Lumnius wp. 85. 93. &c.in his booke Devicinitate extremijudicii, findes or makes divers other Scriptures look this way, upon that ground, three ſorts of people ſhould be in the Church of Chriſt at ſeverall times, Jewes formerly, Chriſtians now, and theſe Indians afterwards; he citeth Hilary thus underſtanding that parable of the talents, the poſſeſſor of five is the Jew, hee that had two talents is the Gentile, then knowne, hee that received one, a people all carnall and ſtupid; and according to this triple time of the Church, and order of believers, hee expoundeth other Scriptures, Zach. 13. 8. Mat. 13. 3. and the three Watches, Luk. 12. 38. and craving pardon of his raſhneſſe, or rather fidei neſcientis menſuram ſuam, of his faith not knowing its owne meaſure, hee further allegorizeth the former parable, The Jewes had one Talent, the ancient and preſent Chriſtians two, Law and Goſpell, and the ſervant to whom five Talents were given, by which hee gained other five, is the Indian and American nation, laſt in time converted, and called after others into the vineyard; but it ſhall be more abundant in obeying the Goſpell, more fervent in charity, more zealous of good workes, and therefore Malvenda xMalvenda ubi ſupra. P. 154.will have thoſe to be the dry Cities before mentioned out of Obad. ver. 20. Becauſe they ſhall ſo much thirſt after the Goſpell; for that younger ſiſter of the foure, ſaith yHo. Sta. p. 194.one of her friends in this England, is now growne marriageable, and daily hopes to get Chriſt to her husband by the preaching of the Goſpel. Comines zHiſt. l. 1.ſaid of the Engliſh that they were much addicted to, and taken with Prophecies and predictions, I believe that is incident to all Nations, Some even among theſe have foretold of the mutation of their rites, and religion, as hath b… mentioned, and in reference to their Goſpelizing aHerberts ſacr. Poems. p. 190.a divine and propheticall Poet hath printed his thoughts hereof in ſeverall particulars.
Religion ſtands on tiptoe in our land,
Ready to paſſe to the American ſtrand;
When height of malice, and prodigious luſts,
Impudent ſinning, witchcrafts, and diſtruſts,
The markes of future bane, ſhall fill our cup
VntoUnto the brim, and make our meaſure up;
When Sein ſhall ſwallow Tiber, and the Thames.
By letting in them both pollute her ſtreames;
When Italy of us ſhall have her will,
And all her Calendar of ſins fulfill,
Whereby one may foretell what ſins next yeer
Shall both in France and England domineer,
Then ſhall Religion to America flee,
They have their times of Goſpell even as wee:
My God, thou doſt prepare for them a way,
By carrying firſt from them their gold away,
For gold and grace did never yet agree,
Religion alwaies ſides with poverty;
Wee thinke wee rob them, but we thinke amiſſe,
Wee are more poore, and they more rich by this;
Thou wilt revenge their quarrell, making grace
To pay our debts, and leave our ancient place,
To goe to them, while that, which now their Nation
But lends to us, ſhall be our deſolation, &c.
Here is a ſad prognoſticke for this England, but a joyfull calculation for America, longing, thirſting America; and if ſuch be their ripeneſſe and deſire, wee ſhould alſo make haſte to ſatisfie them, The harveſt there is great, and the Regions are already white thereto; the laborours indeed are few, tis more then time that the Lord of the harveſt were more earneſtly intreated to ſend, to thruſt forth labourers into this Harveſt: they that have gone into thoſe parts have not all had a care of this, the harveſt of ſoules: It was indeed the profeſſion of Villagagno, and the purpoſe ſurely of Peter Richiers, and Will. Charter Paſtors, and others from Geneva, Anno, one thouſand five hundred fifty ſix, to publiſh the Goſpel there, and they were very ſerious therein, yea and Lerius, bLerius. p. 62. 300. 338.one of them, believes they had bin ſucceſſefull alſo, if that Apoſtate Governour had not become a moſt cruell perſecutor of the Reformed Religion in that ſtrange land, where he moſt barbarouſly murthered three of thoſe his owne Countrey men, and the aforeſaid Lerius piouſly took care that their Martyrdom ſhould be commemorated by Io. Criſpin in his Hiſtory; and though theſe were not ſo happy in that holy attempt, others have not been, will not be diſcouraged in ſuch a worke; a worke worthy of the choiceſt diligence of thoſe that profeſſe the glorious Goſpel in ſincerity, who have had alſo many and manifold experiments of divine favour in their ſeverall preſervations, directions, and accommodations; and becauſe their friends (with praiſe to God, and thanks to them for what is done and declared already) deſire to know more of thoſe their pious and bleſſed endeavours, Let me adde a third conſideration, Wiſhes of furtherance and direction in ſuch great and gracious employments, which ſhall be, I hope, and pray, as a ſpurre to more able adviſers to bring in every one ſomewhat or other towards the erecting of a Tabernacle for our God in America.