Part 5 (1/2)

I looked a little surprised at the last of his discourse, and turning a little short, ”How, sir,” said I, ”can it be said that we are not in the way of God's blessing, after such visible assistances and deliverances as we have seen here, and of which I have given you a large account?” ”If you had pleased, sir,” said he, with a world of reat readiness, ”to have heard me, you would have found no room to have been displeased, est that you have not had wonderful assistances and deliverances; and I hope, on your behalf, that you are in the way of God's blessing, and your design is exceeding good, and will prosper But, sir, though it were more so than is even possible to you, yet there ht in their actions: and you know that in the story of the children of Israel, one Achan in the ca froainst theh not concerned in the criht of that punishment”

I was sensibly touched with this discourse, and told hin seeious in its own nature, that I was very sorry I had interrupted hio on; and, in the ht take up solishht discourse of it by the way He told ly wait onwas acted which he desired to speak to me about; so alked on, and I pressed him to be free and plain with me in what he had to say

”Why, then, sir,” said he, ”be pleased to give me leave to lay down a few propositions, as the foundation of what I have to say, that we h weopinions in the practice of particulars First, sir, though we differ in soion (and it is very unhappy it is so, especially in the case before us, as I shall show afterwards), yet there are soree--that there is a God; and that this God having given us soht not willingly and knowingly to offend Hi to do what He has co what He has expressly forbidden And let our different religions be what they will, this general principle is readily owned by us all, that the blessing of God does not ordinarily follow presuood Christian will be affectionately concerned to prevent any that are under his care living in a total neglect of God and His co Protestants, whateverconcerned for their souls, and fro, if it lies before me, that they should live in as little distance froive me leave to ine what he airanted all he had said, and thanked hied he would explain the particulars of what he had observed, that like Joshua, to take his own parable, Ifrom us

”Why, then, sir,” says he, ”I will take the liberty you give ht,upon your endeavours here, and which I should rejoice, for your sake and their own, to see reree with me in them all, as soon as I name them; especially because I shall convince you, that every one of thereat ease, and very much to your satisfaction, be relishes, and have taken them as their wives, and have had many children by theal manner, as the laws of God and man require To this, sir, I know, you will object that there was no clergyman or priest of any kind to perform the ceremony; nor any pen and ink, or paper, to write down a contract of ned between theovernor has told you, I ed them to make when they took those women, viz that they should choose them out by consent, and keep separately to theree the

But, sir, the essence of the sacra a Roman) ”consists not only in the mutual consent of the parties to take one another as ation that there is in the contract to coe each other; obliging the e in no other contract while these subsist; and, on all occasions, as ability allows, to provide honestly for thee the women to the same or like conditions, on their side Now, sir,” says he, ”these men may, when they please, or when occasion presents, abandon these women, disown their children, leave them to perish, and take other wo;” and here he added, with some warmth, ”How, sir, is God honoured in this unlawful liberty? And how shall a blessing succeed your endeavours in this place, however good in then, while these overnment and dominion, are allowed by you to live in open adultery?”

I confess I was struck with the thing itself, but uot offhim that all that part was done when I was not there: and that they had lived so many years with the could be done in it now

”Sir,” says he, ”asking your pardon for such freedo done in your absence, you could not be charged with that part of the crime; but, I beseech you, flatter not yourself that you are not, therefore, under an obligation to do your utally and effectuallyh it will be effectual, even by your os, so your wayned by both man and woman, and by all the witnesses present, which all the laws of Europe would decree to be valid”

I was amazed to see so much true piety, and so much sincerity of zeal, besides the unusual impartiality in his discourse as to his own party or church, and such true ware of or relation to fro what he had said ofthem by a written contract, which I kneould stand to, I returned it back upon hiranted all that he had said to be just, and on his part very kind; that I would discourse with the men upon the point nohen I came to them; and I knew no reason why they should scruple to let hiranted to be as authentic and valid in England as if they were ymen

I then pressed him to tell me as the second co that I was veryhim heartily for it He told me he would use the same freedom and plainness in the second, and hoped I would take it as well; and this was, that notwithstanding these English subjects of mine, as he called theht thelish, and even to read it, and that they were, as he perceived, wo, and capable of instruction, yet they had not, to this hour, taught theion--no, not so much as to know there was a God, or a worshi+p, or in what manner God was to be served, or that their own idolatry, and worshi+pping they knew not wholect, and what God would certainly call them to account for, and perhaps at last take the work out of their hands He spoke this very affectionately and warmly

”I ae country whence their wives caht them to be idolaters, and to worshi+p the devil, than any of these men, so far as I can see, have taken with thee of the true God Now, sir,” said he, ”though I do not acknowledge your religion, or you lad to see the devil's servants and the subjects of his kingdoht, at least, hear of God and a Redees which we all believe; that theyinto the bosom of the true Church than they are now in the public profession of idolatry and devil-worshi+p”

I could hold no longer: I took hierly

”How far,” said I to hi the most essential part of a Christian, viz to love the interest of the Christian Church, and the good of othera Christian”--”Oh, sir! do not say so,” replied he; ”this thing is not your fault”--”No,” said I; ”but why did I never lay it to heart as well as you?”--”It is not too late yet,” said he; ”be not too forward to condemn yourself”--”But what can be done now?” said I: ”you see I aive me leave to talk with these poor e theive heed to what you say too”--”As to that,” said he, ”we must leave them to the mercy of Christ; but it is your business to assist theive , I do not doubt but the poor ignorant souls shall be brought horeat circle of Christianity, if not into the particular faith we all embrace, and that even while you stay here” Upon this I said, ”I shall not only give you leave, but give you a thousand thanks for it”

I now pressed him for the third article in which ere to blame ”Why, really,” says he, ”it is of the saes, who are, as I may say, your conquered subjects It is aall Christians, of what church or pretended church soever, that the Christian knowledge ought to be propagated by all possible means and on all possible occasions It is on this principle that our Church sends y, even of the superior sort, willingly engage in the st e of the true God, and to bring them over to embrace the Christian faith Now, sir, you have such an opportunity here to have six or seven and thirty poor savages brought over froe of God, their Maker and Redeemer, that I wonder how you can pass such an occasion of doing good, which is really worth the expense of a man's whole life”

I was now struck dumb indeed, and had not one word to say I had here the spirit of true Christian zeal for God and religion before ht of this in ht of it; for I looked upon these savages as slaves, and people whom, had we not had any work for thelad to have transported theet rid of them, and ould all have been satisfied if they had been sent to any country, so they had never seen their own I was confounded at his discourse, and knew not what answer tomy confusion ”Sir,” says he, ”I shall be very sorry if what I have said gives you any offence”--”No, no,” said I, ”I am offended with nobody but myself; but I am perfectly confounded, not only to think that I should never take any notice of this before, but with reflecting what notice I am able to take of it now You know, sir,”

said I, ”what circumstances I ahted by merchants, and to whom it would be an insufferable piece of injustice to detain their shi+p here, the es on the owners' account It is true, I agreed to be alloelve days here, and if I stay e; nor can I stay upon deht days more, and I have been here thirteen already; so that I ae in this work unless I would suffer ain; in which case, if this single shi+p should e, I should be just in the same condition that I was left in here at first, and from which I have been so wonderfully delivered” He owned the case was very hard upon e; but laid it ho thirty-seven souls was not worth venturing all I had in the world for I was not so sensible of that as he was I replied to hi, indeed, to be an instrument in God's hand to convert thirty-seven heathens to the knowledge of Christ: but as you are an ecclesiastic, and are given over to the work, so it seems so naturally to fall in the way of your profession; how is it, then, that you do not rather offer yourself to undertake it than to press me to do it?”

Upon this he faced about just beforeme to a full stop, made me a very lo ”Ime so evident a call to so blessed a work; and if you think yourself discharged from it, and desire me to undertake it, I will most readily do it, and think it a happy reward for all the hazards and difficulties of such a broken, disappointed voyage as I have lorious a work”

I discovered a kind of rapture in his face while he spoke this to lowed, and his colour ca embarked in such a work I paused a considerable while before I could tell what to say to him; for I was really surprised to find a man of such sincerity, and who seemed possessed of a zeal beyond the ordinary rate of men But after I had considered it a while, I asked him seriously if he was in earnest, and that he would venture, on the single consideration of an attempt to convert those poor people, to be locked up in an unplanted island for perhaps his life, and at last ood or not? He turned short upon me, and asked me what I called a venture? ”Pray, sir,” said he, ”what do you think I consented to go in your shi+p to the East Indies for?”--”ay,” said I, ”that I know not, unless it was to preach to the Indians”--”Doubtless it was,” said he; ”and do you think, if I can convert these thirty-seven men to the faith of Jesus Christ, it is not worth ain?--nay, is it not infinitely of more worth to save so many souls than my life is, or the life of twenty ive God thanks allthe souls of those poor et my foot off this island or see my native country anyme into this work, for which I will pray for you all the days of my life, I have one humble petition to you besides”--”What is that?” said I--”Why,”

says he, ”it is, that you will leave your man Friday with me, to be my interpreter to them, and to assist me; for without some help I cannot speak to them, or they toFriday, because I could not think of parting with him, and that for many reasons: he had been the companion of my travels; he was not only faithful to ree; and I had resolved to do so considerable for him if he out-lived me, as it was probable he would

Then I knew that, as I had bred Friday up to be a Protestant, it would quite confound hiion; and he would never, while his eyes were open, believe that his old ht in the end ruin the poor fellow's principles, and so turn hiain to his first idolatry

However, a sudden thought relieved me in this strait, and it was this: I told hi to part with Friday on any account whatever, though a work that to hiht to be ofwith a servant On the other hand, I was persuaded that Friday would by no ree to part with me; and I could not force him to it without his consent, without manifest injustice; because I had proaged that he would never leave me, unless I sent him away

He seemed very much concerned at it, for he had no rational access to these poor people, seeing he did not understand one word of their language, nor they one of his To remove this difficulty, I told him Friday's father had learned Spanish, which I found he also understood, and he should serve him as an interpreter So he wascould persuade him but he would stay and endeavour to convert theave another very happy turn to all this

I come back now to the first part of his objections When we caether, and after soiven thes I had provided for them, and how they were distributed, which they were very sensible of, and very thankful for, I began to talk to theave theyious a life it was, I first asked them if they were married men or bachelors?

They soon explained their condition to me, and showed that two of thele men, or bachelors I asked them hat conscience they could take these women, and call them their wives, and have so many children by theave me the answer I expected, viz that there was nobody to overnor to keep them as their wives, and to ht, as things stood with theally married as if they had been married by a parson and with all the formalities in the world

I told theht of God, and were bound in conscience to keep the otherwise, they ht desert the poor wo poor desolate women, friendless and moneyless, would have no way to help themselves I therefore told them that unless I was assured of their honest intent, I could do nothing for them, but would take care that what I did should be for the woive me some assurances that they would marry the women, I could not think it was convenient they should continue together as man and wife; for that it was both scandalous to men and offensive to God, who they could not think would bless them if they went on thus