Jews in America, Part 3 · Chapter 3
CHAP. III. Directions towards the converſion of the Natives.
SOme give violent counſell here, preſuming they find it in that parable, Luk. 14. 23. compell them to come in; but judicious aIn loc.Auſtin calls this Amoris, non timoris tractum, not a force of feare, but of love, producing the example of a ſheepe following the ſhepherd holding a green bough in his hand; and tis the ſentence of a ſerious Hiſtorian bAgathias. l. 1.among the Gentiles, ſuch are worthy of pitty not hatred, that erre from the truth, for they doe it not willingly, but being miſtaken in judgement, they adhere to their firſt received opinions; and the Saints in the firſt times never thought outward compulſion a fit meane to draw on inward aſſent. The Evangelicall Prophet foretold this, They ſhall not hurt nor deſtroy in all my holy mountaine ſaith the Lord, Eſa. 65 laſt. And our moſt deare Lord himſelfe ſaith, The ſonne of man is not come to destroy mens lives, but to ſave them, Luk. 9. 56. Saint Iames derives the pedigree of that wiſdome which hath bitter envying and ſtrife, though it be but in heart, though it may rejoyce and thinke highly of it ſelfe, yet its parentage is from that Cerberus of iniquity, the world, the fleſh, and the devill, Jam. 3. 15. But regenerated Saints delight ſurely in that wiſdome which is from above, and that is firſt pure, then peaceable, gentle, eaſie to be intreated, full of mercy, &c. Jam. 3. 17. Full of mercy, no roome therfore for violence and cruelty; and the holy men of the next ages were children of this wiſdome. 'Tis not Religion, ſaith Tertullian cAd Scap. init., to compell Religion, which ought to be introduced by perſwaſion, not force; for even ſacrifices of old were expoſtulated from willing mindes; our Church hath nothing to doe with murther, and bonds. dApolog. 2. p. 300. 450.Athanaſius never committed any man to a Goaler, ſaith hee himſelfe in his Apology; and againe, the truth is not to be preached with ſwords, and darts, and Armies, but by reaſon and Arguments, which finde no place among them whoſe contradiction is requited with ſuffering, baniſhment, and death: the Ancient Chriſtians abound with mentionings of this kind; It is ſaid indeed of eCrantz. l. 1. c. 7. l. 2.Charles the great, that conquering the Saxons, he commanded them to embrace Chriſtianity, and that he dealt in ſuch a manner with the Hungarians, and ſome others; yea and though there be that ſpeake the like of Conſtantine, yet Euſebius fDe Vit. Conſt. l. 2. c. 55.writeth confidently, he wiſhed all, commanded no man to be a Chriſtian, and for this Oroſius gHiſt. p. 100.commends him, that he ſhut up the Pagan Temples, but offer'd no violence to mens perſons. The Devill indeed, becauſe he is no friend to truth, comes with axes and hatchets, but our Saviour is gentle, and with a ſweet voice ſaith, Open unto me my ſiſter, my love, &c. Cant. 5. 2, 5. and if they open, he enters, if not, he departeth, ſaith Athanaſius in the fore-cited place.
Foure things did eſpecially aſſiſt in the firſt coverting of people to Chriſt, beſides thoſe miraculous helps; and if they be now conſcienciouſly practiſed, God will ſhew himſelfe mervellous in his bleſſing. 1. Language, the neceſſity thereof was viſible in thoſe cloven tongues as of fire, the hiſtory whereof wee read Act. 2. 1. &c. Men muſt learne the ſpeech of the Natives, that dealing by Interpreters muſt needs be difficult, tedious, and not ſo ſucceſſefull; Meinardus hTripartit▪ l. 10. c. 5.of old firſt gained the tongue of the Livonians, and then became an happy inſtrument of their converſion; and iVit. per G. Patriark.Chryſoſtome did the like with the Scythians; and the French Colony kEp. p. 439.propounded and promiſed the ſame courſe at their firſt planting in America, as they certified Mr Calvin in their letters; and the Engliſh in lCap. Smith. p. 20. 37. &c.Virginia labouring to bring the Natives to Chriſtianity, were woefully impeded therein by the ignorance of their language, which defect in themſelves they did both acknowledge and bewaile. 2. Labouring in the word was required and practiſed, Mat. 28. Act. 20. 18. and paſsim Preachers ſhould be appointed with all diligence to inſtruct the Indians; for men are begotten to Chriſt by the word of truth, Jam. 1. 18. The Iberians mSozem. l. 2. c. 6.received the firſt inckling of the goſpell by a Chriſtian maid-ſervant that was a captive among them; and they ſent afterwards unto Conſtantine the Emperour for Preachers; the old Indian told the Spaniſh prieſt nHiſt l. 6. c. 25complaining of their averſeneſſe to the Goſpell, The lawes of Chriſt wee confeſſe are better than ours, but wee cannot learne them for want of teachers, wherein he ſpake the truth, the very truth ſaith Acoſta, to our very ſhame and confuſion. 3. The piety and holineſſe of thoſe Apoſtolicall Chriſtians was exceeding and exemplary, by which as well as by their preaching they woo'd and wonne Kingdomes and people to Chriſtianity; their enemies could find no other fault in them, but that that they were Chriſtians: our deare Maſters generall command was univerſally practiſed, the light of their holy lives did ſhine to Gods glory, and the benefit of others; thus Victor Vticenſis op. 388.ſheweth that Caprapicta was converted as well by the piety and godlineſſe, as by the preaching of the Africans; as on the other ſide the impiety of the Spaniards deterred the Americans from the Goſpell. 4. Bleſſing was fetched downe from heaven by prayer, this was their foreign, their only worke in a manner, prayer and ministration of the word, Act. 6. 4. Thus pl. 7. c. 30.Socrates reporteth, that after ſeven daies faſting and ſupplication the Burgundians were Chriſtianized; ſo Crantzius qƲbi ſupra. p. 16.tells of thoſe northern Nations that by prayer and preaching they prevailed to bring many other people to Chriſt: If men doe now worke with theſe tooles, the building will goe up apace, the foundation being laid in the honour of God by the converſion of thoſe that yet remaine in the ſhadow of death.; in all which ſome furtherance might be found, by knowing and obſerving the diſpoſitions, faſhions, and cuſtomes of the Natives, which would alſo in a good meaſure be underſtood by ſerious converſes with them, and by ſeverall bookes that from ſeverall places upon ſeverall occaſions have been written of them; and to all let be added ſtudious induſtry, that ſome Indian children be taught Chriſtianity, and trained up to ſuch abilities that they may have skill to inſtruct their own Countrey men.
It was Gregories counſell to further the converſion of Lib. 5. Ep. 10.our Countreymen here, they ſhould buy Engliſh children and youths of ſeventeen or eighteen yeeres, that might be educated in Gods ſervice, and helpful this way. The Franciſcan that had been ſo many yeeres among them, and learned two of their languages, and uſed much diligence in this worke in his way, told Benzo rBenzo. p. 256., that of neceſſity ſuch a courſe muſt be taken to Goſpellize them, all other endeavours would be fruitleſſe and labour in vaine; and that writer sId. p. 390.ſheweth how thoſe of Peru were well contented to deliver their young ones to be taught in Chriſtianity; and ſurely their Fathers and Countrey-men would ſooner liſten unto them than unto ſtrangers. And in all theſe the good counſell of the holy Apoſtle muſt be remembred, walke wiſely toward them which are without, Coloſ. 4. 5. not onelyonly in watchfulneſſe and care to prevent all dangers from them, but in the moſt pious wiſdome of winning ſoules, Prov. 11. 30. by ſetting before them in practiſe alſo the examples of every grace and vertue, with the perfect hatred of all vice and ungodlineſſe; and let me have favour here to commend 3 or 4 cautions.