An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens Part 4

Besides Eluthera, Harbour, Lucayonegua, Andross, Cigateo, Gua.n.a.liana, Yumeta, Samana, Yuma, Mayaguana, Ynagua, Caieos, and Triangula-- Pagans.

The ANTILLES are ---- Cuba 700 60 1,000,000 Papists.

---- Jamaica 140 60 400,000 English, and Pagan Negroes.

---- St. Domingo 450 150 1,000,000 French, Spaniards, and Negroes.

---- Porto Rico 100 49 300,000 Spaniards and Negroes.

---- Vache, or Cows I. 18 2 1,000 Ditto.

The VIRGIN ISLES are 12 in number, of which Danes Island is the princ.i.p.al--Protestants.

The CARRIRBEES are ---- St. Cruz 30 10 13,500 Danish Protestants.

---- Anguilla 30 9 6,000 Protestants, and Negroes.

---- St. Martin 21 12 7,500 Ditto.

---- St. Bartholomew 6 4 720 Ditto.

---- Barbuda 20 12 7,500 Ditto.

---- Saba 5 4 1,500 Ditto.

---- Guardulope 45 38 50,000 Catholics, and Pagan Negroes.

---- Marigalante 15 12 5,400 Ditto.

---- Tobago 32 9 3,400 Ditto.

---- Defiada 12 6 1,500 Ditto.

---- Granada 30 15 13,500 English, and Pagan Negroes.

---- St. Lucia 23 12 5,000 Ditto, and Native Pagan Caribbs.

Whites. Negroes.

---- St. Eustatia 6 4 5,000 15,000 Dutch, English, &c.

---- St.Christopher 20 7 6,000 36,000 English.

---- Nevis 6 4 5,000 10,000 Ditto.

---- Antigua 20 4 7,000 30,000 Ditto.

---- Montserrat 6 4 5,000 10,000 Ditto.

---- Martinico 6 4 20,000 50,000 French.

---- St. Vincent's 60 4 8,000 5,000 The 8,000 are Native Caribbs.

---- Barbadoes 24 4 30,000 100,000 English.

---- Dominica 28 4 40,000 Ditto, 2,000 of them Native Caribbs.

---- St. Thomas 15 in compa.s.s. 8,000 Danish Protestants.

This, as nearly as I can obtain information, is the state of the world; though in many countries, as Turkey, Arabia, Great Tartary, Africa, and America, except the United States, and most of the Asiatic Islands, we have no accounts of the number of inhabitants, that can be relied on. I have therefore only calculated the extent, and counted a certain number on an average upon a square mile; in some countries more, and in others less, according as circ.u.mstances determine. A few general remarks upon it will conclude this section.

FIRST, the inhabitants of the world according to this calculation, amount to about seven hundred and thirty-one millions; four hundred and twenty millions of whom are still in pagan darkness; an hundred and thirty millions the followers of Mahomet; an hundred millions catholics; forty-four millions protestants; thirty millions of the greek and armenian churches, and perhaps seven millions of jews. It must undoubtedly strike every considerate mind, what a vast proportion of the sons of Adam there are, who yet remain in the most deplorable state of heathen darkness, without any means of knowing the true G.o.d, except what are afforded them by the works of nature; and utterly dest.i.tute of the knowledge of the gospel of Christ, or of any means of obtaining it. In many of these countries they have no written language, consequently no Bible, and are only led by the most childish customs and traditions. Such, for instance, are all the middle and back parts of North America, the inland parts of South America, the South-Sea Islands, New Holland, New Zealand, New Guinea; and I may add Great Tartary, Siberia, Samojedia, and the other parts of Asia contiguous to the frozen sea; the greatest part of Africa, the island of Madagascar, and many places beside. In many of these parts also they are cannibals, feeding upon the flesh of their slain enemies, with the greatest brutality and eagerness. The truth of this was ascertained, beyond a doubt, by the late eminent navigator, Cooke, of the New Zealanders, and some of the inhabitants of the western coast of America. Human sacrifices are also very frequently offered, so that scarce a week elapses without instances of this kind. They are in general poor, barbarous, naked pagans, as dest.i.tute of civilization, as they are of true religion.

SECONDLY, barbarous as these poor heathens are, they appear to be as capable of knowledge as we are; and in many places, at least, have discovered uncommon genius and tractableness; and I greatly question whether most of the barbarities practiced by them, have not originated in some real or supposed affront, and are therefore, more properly, acts of self-defence, than proofs of inhuman and blood-thirsty dispositions.

THIRDLY, in other parts, where they have a written language, as in the East-Indies, China, j.a.pan, &c. they know nothing of the gospel. The jesuits indeed once made many converts to popery among the Chinese; but their highest aim seemed to be to obtain their good opinion; for though the converts professed themselves Christians, yet they were allowed to honour the image of CONFUCIUS their great law-giver; and at length their ambitious intrigues brought upon them the displeasure of government, which terminated in the suppression of the mission, and almost, if not entirely, of the Christian name. It is also a melancholy fact, that the vices of Europeans have been communicated wherever they themselves have been; so that the religious state of even heathens has been rendered worse by intercourse with them!

FOURTHLY, a very great proportion of Asia and Africa, with some part of Europe, are _Mahometans_; and those in Persia, who are of the sect of _Hali_, are the most inveterate enemies to the Turks; and they in return abhor the Persians. The Africans are some of the most ignorant of all the mahometans; especially the Arabs, who are scattered through all the northern parts of Africa, and live upon the depredations which they are continually making upon their neighbours.

FIFTHLY, in respect to those who bear the Christian name, a very great degree of ignorance and immorality abounds amongst them. There are Christians, so called, of the greek and armenian churches, in all the mahometan countries; but they are, if possible, more ignorant and vicious than the mahometans themselves. The Georgian Christians, who are near the Caspian Sea, maintain themselves by selling their neighbours, relations, and children, for slaves to the Turks and Persians. And it is remarked, that if any of the greeks of Anatolia turn mussulmen, the Turks never set any store by them, on account of their being so much noted for dissimulation and hypocrisy. It is well known that most of the members of the greek church are very ignorant.

Papists also are in general ignorant of divine things, and very vicious. Nor do the bulk of the church of England much exceed them, either in knowledge or holiness; and many errors, and much looseness of conduct, are to be found amongst dissenters of all denominations.

The lutherans in Denmark, are much on a par with the ecclesiastics in England; and the face of most Christian countries presents a dreadful scene of ignorance, hypocrisy, and profligacy. Various baneful, and pernicious errors appear to gain ground, in almost every part of Christendom; the truths of the gospel, and even the gospel itself, are attacked, and every method that the enemy can invent is employed to undermine the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.

All these things are loud calls to Christians, and especially to ministers, to exert themselves to the utmost in their several spheres of action, and to try to enlarge them as much as possible.

SECT. IV.

_The Practicability of something being done, more than what is done, for the Conversion of the Heathen._

The impediments in the way of carrying the gospel among the heathen must arise, I think, from one or other of the following things; --either their distance from us, their barbarous and savage manner of living, the danger of being killed by them, the difficulty of procuring the necessaries of life, or the unintelligibleness of their languages.

FIRST, as to their distance from us, whatever objections might have been made on that account before the invention of the mariner's compa.s.s, nothing can be alledged for it, with any colour of plausibility in the present age. Men can now sail with as much certainty through the Great South Sea, as they can through the Mediterranean, or any lesser Sea. Yea, and providence seems in a manner to invite us to the trial, as there are to our knowledge trading companies, whose commerce lies in many of the places where, these barbarians dwell. At one time or other s.h.i.+ps are sent to visit places of more recent discovery, and to explore parts the most unknown; and every fresh account of their ignorance, or cruelty, should call forth our pity, and excite us to concur with providence in seeking their eternal good. Scripture likewise seems to point out this method, _Surely the Isles shall wait for me; the s.h.i.+ps of Tars.h.i.+sh first, to bring my sons from far, their silver, and their gold with them, unto the name of the Lord, thy G.o.d._ Isai. lx. 9. This seems to imply that in the time of the glorious increase of the church, in the latter days, (of which the whole chapter is undoubtedly a prophecy,) commerce shall subserve the spread of the gospel. The s.h.i.+ps of Tars.h.i.+sh were trading vessels, which made voyages for traffic to various parts; thus much therefore must be meant by it, that _navigation_, especially that which is _commercial_, shall be one great mean of carrying on the work of G.o.d; and perhaps it may imply that there shall be a very considerable appropriation of wealth to that purpose.

SECONDLY, as to their uncivilized, and barbarous way of living, this can be no objection to any, except those whose love of ease renders them unwilling to expose themselves to inconveniencies for the good of others.

It was no objection to the apostles and their successors, who went among the barbarous _Germans_ and _Gauls_, and still more barbarous _Britons_! They did not wait for the ancient inhabitants of these countries, to be civilized, before they could be christianized, but went simply with the doctrine of the cross; and TERTULLIAN could boast that "those parts of Britain which were proof against the Roman armies, were conquered by the gospel of Christ"--It was no objection to an ELLIOT, or a BRAINERD, in later times. They went forth, and encountered every difficulty of the kind, and found that a cordial reception of the gospel produced those happy effects which the longest intercourse with Europeans, without it could never accomplish. It _is_ no objection to commercial men. It only requires that we should have as much love to the souls of our fellow-creatures, and fellow sinners, as they have for the profits arising from a few otter-skins, and all these difficulties would be easily surmounted.

After all, the uncivilized state of the heathen, instead of affording an objection _against_ preaching the gospel to them, ought to furnish an argument _for_ it. Can we as men, or as christians, hear that a great part of our fellow creatures, whose souls are as immortal as ours, and who are as capable as ourselves, of adorning the gospel, and contributing by their preaching, writings, or practices to the glory of our Redeemer's name, and the good of his church, are inveloped in ignorance and barbarism? Can we hear that they are without the gospel, without government, without laws, and without arts, and sciences; and not exert ourselves to introduce amongst them the sentiments of men, and of Christians? Would not the spread of the gospel be the most effectual mean of their civilization? Would not that make them useful members of society? We know that such effects did in a measure follow the afore-mentioned efforts of _Elliot_, _Brainerd_, and others amongst the American Indians; and if similar attempts were made in other parts of the world, and succeeded with a divine blessing (which we have every reason to think they would) might we not expect to see able Divines, or read well-conducted treatises in defence of the truth, even amongst those who at present seem to be scarcely human?

THIRDLY, _In respect to the danger of being killed by them_, it is true that whoever does go must put his life in his hand, and not consult with flesh and blood; but do not the goodness of the cause, the duties inc.u.mbent on us as the creatures of G.o.d, and Christians, and the peris.h.i.+ng state of our fellow men, loudly call upon us to venture all and use every warrantable exertion for their benefit? PAUL and BARNABAS, who _hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ_, were not blamed as being rash, but commended for so doing, while JOHN MARK who through timidity of mind deserted them in their perilous undertaking, was branded with censure. After all, as has been already observed, I greatly question whether most of the barbarities practiced by the savages upon those who have visited them, have not originated in some real or supposed affront, and were therefore, more properly, acts of self-defence, than proofs of ferocious dispositions.

No wonder if the imprudence of sailors should prompt them to offend the simple savage, and the offence be resented; but _Elliot_, _Brainerd_, and the _Moravian missionaries_, have been very seldom molested. Nay, in general the heathen have shewed a willingness to hear the word; and have princ.i.p.ally expressed their hatred of Christianity on account of the vices of nominal Christians.

FOURTHLY, _As to the difficulty of procuring the necessaries of life_, this would not be so great as may appear at first sight; for though we could not procure European food, yet we might procure such as the natives of those countries which we visit, subsist upon themselves.

And this would only be pa.s.sing through what we have virtually engaged, in by entering on the ministerial office. A Christian minister is a person who in a peculiar sense is _not his own_; he is the _servant_ of G.o.d, and therefore ought to be wholly devoted to him. By entering on that sacred office he solemnly undertakes to be always engaged, as much as possible, in the Lord's work, and not to chuse his own pleasure, or employment, or pursue the ministry as a something that is to subserve his own ends, or interests, or as a kind of bye-work. He engages to go where G.o.d pleases, and to do, or endure what he sees fit to command, or call him to, in the exercise of his function. He virtually bids farewell to friends, pleasures, and comforts, and stands in readiness to endure the greatest sufferings in the work of his Lord, and Master. It is inconsistent for ministers to please themselves with thoughts of a numerous auditory, cordial friends, a civilized country, legal protection, affluence, splendor, or even a competency. The flights, and hatred of men, and even pretended friends, gloomy prisons, and tortures, the society of barbarians of uncouth speech, miserable accommodations in wretched wildernesses, hunger, and thirst, nakedness, weariness, and painfulness, hard work, and but little worldly encouragement, should rather be the objects of their expectation. Thus the apostles acted, in the primitive times, and endured hardness, as good soldiers of Jesus Christ; and though we living in a civilized country where Christianity is protected by law, are not called to suffer these things while we continue here, yet I question whether all are justified in staying here, while so many are peris.h.i.+ng without means of grace in other lands. Sure I am that it is entirely contrary to the spirit of the gospel, for its ministers to enter upon it from interested motives, or with great worldly expectations. On the contrary the commission is a sufficient call to them to venture all, and, like the primitive Christians, go every where preaching the gospel.

It might be necessary, however, for two, at least, to go together, and in general I should think it best that they should be married men, and to prevent their time from being employed in procuring necessaries, two, or more, other persons, with their wives and families, might also accompany them, who should be wholly employed in providing for them.

In most countries it would be necessary for them to cultivate a little spot of ground just for their support, which would be a resource to them, whenever their supplies failed. Not to mention the advantages they would reap from each others company, it would take off the enormous expence which has always attended undertakings of this kind, the first expence being the whole; for though a large colony needs support for a considerable time, yet so small a number would, upon receiving the first crop, maintain themselves. They would have the advantage of choosing their situation, their wants would be few; the women, and even the children, would be necessary for domestic purposes; and a few articles of stock, as a cow or two, and a bull, and a few other cattle of both s.e.xes, a very few utensils of husbandry, and some corn to sow their land, would be sufficient. Those who attend the missionaries should understand husbandry, fis.h.i.+ng, fowling, &c. and be provided with the necessary implements for these purposes. Indeed a variety of methods may be thought of, and when once the work is undertaken, many things will suggest themselves to us, of which we at present can form no idea.

FIFTHLY, As to _learning their languages_, the same means would be found necessary here as in trade between different nations. In some cases interpreters might be obtained, who might be employed for a time; and where these were not to be found, the missionaries must have patience, and mingle with the people, till they have learned so much of their language as to be able to communicate their ideas to them in it. It is well known to require no very extraordinary talents to learn, in the s.p.a.ce of a year, or two at most, the language of any people upon earth, so much of it at least, as to be able to convey any sentiments we wish to their understandings.

The Missionaries must be men of great piety, prudence, courage, and forbearance; of undoubted orthodoxy in their sentiments, and must enter with all their hearts into the spirit of their mission; they must be willing to leave all the comforts of life behind them, and to encounter all the hards.h.i.+ps of a torrid, or a frigid climate, an uncomfortable manner of living, and every other inconvenience that can attend this undertaking. Clothing, a few knives, powder and shot, fis.h.i.+ng-tackle, and the articles of husbandry above-mentioned, must be provided for them; and when arrived at the place of their destination, their first business must be to gain some acquaintance with the language of the natives, (for which purpose two would be better than one,) and by all lawful means to endeavour to cultivate a friends.h.i.+p with them, and as soon as possible let them know the errand for which they were sent. They must endeavour to convince them that it was their good alone, which induced them to forsake their friends, and all the comforts of their native country. They must be very careful not to resent injuries which may be offered to them, nor to think highly of themselves, so as to despise the poor heathens, and by those means lay a foundation for their resentment, or rejection of the gospel. They must take every opportunity of doing them good, and labouring, and travelling, night and day, they must instruct, exhort, and rebuke, with all long suffering, and anxious desire for them, and, above all, must be instant in prayer for the effusion of the Holy Spirit upon the people of their charge. Let but missionaries of the above description engage in the work, and we shall see that it is not impracticable.

It might likewise be of importance, if G.o.d should bless their labours, for them to encourage any appearances of gifts amongst the people of their charge; if such should be raised up many advantages would be derived from their knowledge of the language, and customs of their countrymen; and their change of conduct would give great weight to their ministrations.

SECT. V.

_An Enquiry into the Duty of Christians in general, and what Means ought to be used, in order to promote this Work._

If the prophecies concerning the increase of Christ's kingdom be true, and if what has been advanced, concerning the commission given by him to his disciples being obligatory on us, be just, it must be inferred that all Christians ought heartily to concur with G.o.d in promoting his glorious designs, for _he that is joined to the Lord is one spirit_.

One of the first, and most important of those duties which are inc.u.mbent upon us, is _fervent and united prayer_. However the influence of the Holy Spirit may be set at nought, and run down by many, it will be found upon trial, that all means which we can use, without it, will be ineffectual. If a temple is raised for G.o.d in the heathen world, it will not be _by might, nor by power_, nor by the authority of the magistrate, or the eloquence of the orator; _but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts_. We must therefore be in real earnest in supplicating his blessing upon our labours.

It is represented in the prophets, that when there shall be _a great mourning in the land, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon, and every family shall mourn apart, and their wives apart_, it shall all follow upon _a spirit of grace, and supplication_. And when these things shall take place, it is promised that _there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David, and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin, and for uncleanness_,--and that _the idols shall be destroyed_, and _the false prophets ashamed_ of their profession. Zech. xii 10. 14.--xiii. 1. 6. This prophesy seems to teach that when there shall be an universal conjunction in fervent prayer, and all shall esteem Zion's welfare as their own, then copious influences of the Spirit shall be shed upon the churches, which like a purifying _fountain_ shall cleanse the servants of the Lord. Nor shall this cleansing influence stop here; all old idolatrous prejudices shall be rooted out, and truth prevail so gloriously that false teachers shall be so ashamed as rather to wish to be cla.s.sed with obscure herdsmen, or the meanest peasants, than bear the ignominy attendant on their detection.