They Naturally Possess The Righteous Man's Gift; They Are Patient
Under All Afflictions, And Have A Great Many Other Natural Vertues,
Which I Have Slightly Touch'd Throughout The Account Of These Savages.
They are really better to us, than we are to them; they always give us
Victuals at their Quarters, and take care we are arm'd against
Hunger and Thirst:
We do not so by them (generally speaking)
but let them walk by our Doors Hungry, and do not often relieve them.
We look upon them with Scorn and Disdain, and think them little better
than Beasts in Humane Shape, though if well examined, we shall find that,
for all our Religion and Education, we possess more Moral Deformities,
and Evils than these Savages do, or are acquainted withal.
We reckon them Slaves in Comparison to us, and Intruders,
as oft as they enter our Houses, or hunt near our Dwellings.
But if we will admit Reason to be our Guide, she will inform us,
that these Indians are the freest People in the World,
and so far from being Intruders upon us, that we have abandon'd
our own Native Soil, to drive them out, and possess theirs;
neither have we any true Balance, in Judging of these poor Heathens,
because we neither give Allowance for their Natural Disposition,
nor the Sylvian Education, and strange Customs, (uncouth to us)
they lie under and have ever been train'd up to; these are false Measures
for Christians to take, and indeed no Man can be reckon'd a Moralist only,
who will not make choice and use, of better Rules to walk and act by:
We trade with them, it's true, but to what End? Not to shew them
the Steps of Vertue, and the Golden Rule, to do as we would be done by.
No, we have furnished them with the Vice of Drunkenness,
which is the open Road to all others, and daily cheat them
in every thing we sell, and esteem it a Gift of Christianity,
not to sell to them so cheap as we do to the Christians,
as we call our selves. Pray let me know where is there to be found
one Sacred Command or Precept of our Master, that counsels us
to such Behaviour? Besides, I believe it will not appear,
but that all the Wars, which we have had with the Savages,
were occasion'd by the unjust Dealings of the Christians towards them.
I can name more than a few, which my own Enquiry has given me
a right Understanding of, and I am afraid the remainder
(if they come to the test) will prove themselves Birds of the same Feather.
{Indians Aversion to Christianity.}
As we are in Christian Duty bound, so we must act and behave ourselves
to these Savages, if we either intend to be serviceable in converting them
to the Knowledge of the Gospel, or discharge the Duty which every Man,
within the Pale of the Christian Church, is bound to do.
Upon this Score, we ought to shew a Tenderness for these Heathens
under the weight of Infidelity; let us cherish their good Deeds,
and, with Mildness and Clemency, make them sensible and forwarn them
of their ill ones; let our Dealings be just to them in every Respect,
and shew no ill Example, whereby they may think we advise them
to practise that which we will not be conformable to ourselves:
Let them have cheap Penniworths (without Guile in our Trading with them)
and learn them the Mysteries of our Handicrafts, as well as our Religion,
otherwise we deal unjustly by them.
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