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A95658 A voyage to East-India. Wherein some things are taken notice of in our passage thither, but many more in our abode there, within that rich and most spacious empire of the Great Mogol. Mix't with some parallel observations and inferences upon the storie, to profit as well as delight the reader. / Observed by Edward Terry minister of the Word (then student of Christ-Church in Oxford, and chaplain to the Right Honorable Sr. Thomas Row Knight, Lord Ambassadour to the great Mogol) now rector of the church at Greenford, in the county of Middlesex. Terry, Edward, 1590-1660. 1655 (1655) Wing T782; Thomason E1614_1; ESTC R234725 261,003 580

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and reade their language in written hand for as before they have no Printing Those Moolaas are more distinguished from the rest of the Mahometans by their Beards which they weare long then by any other of their habits Their calling gaines and gives them very much reverence and esteeme amongst the People as another sort of priests there have of an high order or ranke which live much retired but when they appeare openly are most highly reverenced they are called Seayds who derive themselves from Mahomet The Mahometans have faire Churches which as before are called Mosquits their Churches are built of Marble or Courser stone the broad side towards the West is made up close like a firme wall and so are both ends in which there are no lights the other broad side towards the East is erected upon Pillars where a man may take notice of excellent workemanship both in vaults and arches the spaces betwixt them pillars stand open Their Churches are built long and narrow standing North and South which way they lay up the bodies of their dead but none of them within their Churches At the four Corners of their Mosquits which stand in great Cityes or in other places much peopled the●e are high and round but small Turrets which are made open with lights every way wherein a man may be easily seene and heard their devout Moolaas five times every day ascend unto the tops of those high Turrets whence they proclaim as loudly as they can possibly speake their Prophet Mahomet thus in Arabian La alla illa alla Mahomet Resul-alla that is he re is no God but one God and Mahomet the messenger from God That voyce instead of Bells which they use not in their Churches puts the most devout in minde of the houres of their devotion those Priests being exceedingly zealous to promote the cause and to keep up the honour of their Mahomet as the men of Ephesus sometime were when they feared that the credit of their baggage Diana was like to be called into question they took up a Cry which continued for the space of two houres Crying out with one voyce greaet is Diana of the Ephesians Act. 19. 24. When a mans Religion is right he ought to be very zealous in the maintenance of it very fearefull of the hazard or loss thereof And therefore if these Mahometans or those men of Ephesus had had truth on their side they would both have deserved much commendation for what they did And so Micha too who thus complained when he had lost his jmages Judg. 18. 24. they have stol'n away my Gods and what have I more I confess that the loss of God is the greatest of all losses but those were proper Gods which Micha there bewayled that would be stol'n that could not save themselves who if the fire spare them rust or rottenness or time will consume them But those Mahometans though they doe not endure either Idoles or Images in their houses or Churches yet are they very forward to cry up their irreligion and to shew much zeale for it Zeale is derived from a word that signifies to burne it is a compound made up of many affections as of griefe joy love anger well tempered together and when it is so it hath its due commendation both of God and man and cursed is he that goes about to extinguish that holy fire that holy fire I say which hath light in it as well as Heat and heate as well as light The truth of Zeale may be further discovered of zeale that is good if we confider first the Roote from which it springs and that 's the knowledg and Love of God Secondly the Rule by which it is carryed on and acts and that 's the word and will of God and lastly the end it aymes at and intends and that 's the honour and glory of God and zeale thus ordered cannot be too violent but when for want of these it becomes irregular and shews it selfe over much in bad causes such as before were nam'd it is Cursus celerrimus sed praeter viam a swift violent motion but quite out of the way And if it be good to be zealous in a good cause then it is better to be zealous in the best and the best cause to shew zeale in is the cause of God Pro Aris Focis was the old good Proverb first to stand up for Gods rights and afterward for our owne and to believe that that vnum necessarium which our Saviour commends unto us Lu. 10 42. is that one thing principally and especially necessary though the Devill and our owne corruption will tell us if we will believe them that there is nothing more needless When Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh and spake unto him about sacrificing unto the Lord their God Pharaoh replyes yee are idle yee are idle therefore yee say let us goe and sacrifice unto the Lord Ex. 5. 17. the same Devill that there spake in Pharaoh speaks in all ignorant and prophane people who call Religion idleness and hypocrisie a strict and even walking with God singularity or a doing more then God requires us to perform But however that is most true which was spoken by Philo judeus ubi de religione ibi quoque de vita agitur we must act for religion as we would strive for life Philosophy tels us that Tactus est fundamentum animae sensitivae that the very foundation of natural life is feeling so then no feeling no life and the want of spirituall feeling argues a want too of spirituall life The poore seduced Mahometans and many others in the world are very keene and sharp and forward to maintaine that which they call Religion the more shame for those who profess themselves Christians and have a sure word to build their hope upon yet are ferventissimi in terrenis in coelestibus frigidissimi as hot as fire in earthly as cold as ice in heavenly things A sad thing to consider that so many should have their tongues bent like Bowes for lyes as the prophet Jeremy complaines Jer. 9. 37. and Christians not valiant for the truth that others should drive like Jehu furiously madly and that in the waies of error injustice oppression prophaness as in all other kinds of wickedness and Christians in the cause of God more heavily slowly like the Egyptians in the Red-Sea when their chariot wheeles were off Shall Turks and Infidels solicit bad causes so earnestly and Christians those actions which are good so faintly Acrius ad p●rniciem quam nos ad vitam make more hast to destruction then Christians to life and happiness It was St. Jeromes complaint considerare pudet quantus feruor quae cura c. That he was asham'd to consider how solici●ous some men were in earthly and how sluggish others in heavenly things as if they durst not so much as to owne the cause of God they were wont to say of cowards in Rome that there was nothing
more remote from it I shall at all not despair of my Readers pardon notwithstanding my length if he shall seriously peruse and carefully improve what he finds here written The principall end whereof was to make this Nation ashamed by many carriages of the Heathens As the Jews were provoked to jealousie by them that were not a people Deut. 32. 21. And as God instructs man by the Oxe and Ass and Stork and Turtle and Crane and Swallow and by the little Ant or Pismire Creatures which are onely sensible 〈…〉 much more they may be minded of and learn the practice of some duties from men people though strange and remote yet endued with reason It cannot be denyed but that there is a speciall use to be made in a clear sight or interview of Nations Persons Things Yet he is the best observer who strictly and impartially so looks about him that he may see through himself That as the Beams of the Sun put forth their vertue and do good by their reflection so in this case the onely way for a man to receive good is by reflecting things upon himself Therefore it was a very good precept which Plato sometimes gave unto his Scholars when they took notice of any thing bad or of an evill report which they beheld in others for every one of them presently to ask himself this question num ego feci tale have not I done the like A Christian must put the Question further in asking his own heart may not I do the like for there is nothing so bad acted by one but another left to himself may commit the same so long as the seed and spawn of every sin the rankness of corruption by reason of the pravity of mans nature is lodged in every soul When the Prophet Elisha with tears running down his Cheeks told Hazael that he should be King and being so what mischief he should do to Israel a● that he should set their strong holds on fire slay their young men with the sword dash their children and rip up the women with child Hazael replyes but what num quid servus tuus Canis am I thy servant a dog that I should do this great thing 2 Kings 8. 3. As if he had said can I be so forsaken of humanity as to do such monstrous and prodigious things as these yet he lived to do them And so have others to act such things as they would long before have heard with abhorrency if they had been told them doing things in the present which future times would not beleeve could ever be done And we shall have cause by fa● less to wonder at this if we consider that the very best in the whole cluster of mankind left to themselves without curb or rein to keep them in order may become as base as bad as the worst upon earth as the most wretched in Hell Yet to see Nature very much refined in many Heathens and to observe it again to lye so mixt amongst all its lees and dregs in as many if not in thousands more of those who profess themselves Christians is a thought which cannot pass by those who love and pray for the increase of Christs kingdom without much sorrow and sadness to attend upon it The Consideration whereof as of many other things wherein the due and deserved commendations even of those very Heathens reflects shame upon us enforceth me least I should be like those Bottles in Job 34. that were ready to burst for want of vent enforceth me I say having my Pen in my hand to expatiate and to let out my thoughts much further I confess than the rules and bounds proper to be observed in an Historicall Narration can well bear Yet however I shall take liberty in this my last Section to enquire into some causes and reasons why those Heathens compared with us but a wilderness should be so fruitfull in many Morall good performances and we compared with them a Garden enclosed should be so barren and fruitless And while I shall thus enlarge my self I would not be looked upon as one altogether out of my way though I be here found more at home than abroad more in England than India This Narrative in some foregoing passages hath taken notice of some Mahometan precepts as of others delivered by those Heathens to be as Rules for their followers to walk by Now for the Doctrin of Christianity which we profess it is that which teacheth a man to look for true and eternall happiness by Christ alone there being no other Name under Heaven given amongst men whereby they may be saved Acts 4. 12. No way under Heaven but onely by and through Christ Jesus and by him alone And therefore we must not look after another new way as for a new Christ a new passion a new resurrection or the like And here Reader let us sit down a little and suffer our thoughts to be taken up with that I called before matter of serious and sad I and of admirable consideration They who have curiously surveyed the world and the severall Nations which inhabits it have divided the Inhabitants thereof into thirty parts whereof nineteen are Heathens six are Mahometans and five are Christians by which account and I conceive that there is a good proportion in it if all the people which possess the whole face of the earth were numbred there would be but one in six so much as to bear the name of a Christian And to make up this Number we must take in all Christs retainers throughout the world who do but bear his Name as well as those which be his household Servants As all those poor superstitious blind Abissins in Ethyopia as also all those which inhabite Georgia and the two Armenia's under the Tyranny of the Turk and King of Persia of whom something before in my first Section now with some of those poor souls I have conferred and could never hear any thing from them unto any purpose onely they would tell me they were Christiano's but why they were so I perswade my self that they could not render any thing like a good reason their whole Christianity I fear almost all of it lodged as before in their very Name To these we must adde the Russians and the Muscovites who are most sottishly ignorant for one of their Churchmen being asked how many Evangelists there were answered that he did not well know but he thought four and when others have been asked such obvious and easy questions that a very child might make answer too they would reply that they could not give an answer unto it themselves But God and their great Duke knew all things Now as they are a most ignorant so are they a most treacherous prophane filthy and an Idolatrous people But further all those beside that bear the Names of Christians in the world as the Iacobites and the Maronites inhabiting Palestina the Greek and the Romish Church with all others bearing that name
warnings but would not take them before the woe took hold of it And therefore after all those monitions Titus the Son of Vespatian the Emperour was made instrumental to fulfill those many Prophesies which threatned Jerusalems 〈◊〉 overthrow But that Commander and Conqueror though a stranger● an adversary and a profest enemy to the Jews and sent to destroy them when he saw as Josephus reports the spoyl and slaughter which fell upon that wofull and most miserable City he calls his Gods to witnesse that he was exceedingly troubled at it He that is glad at calamity shall not be unpunished Prov. 17. 5. And if an Heathen a forraign enemy sent to destroy could take no pleasure in executing of punishment though upon enemies but the contrary men which enjoy the light should be by much more troubled in the beholding of slaughters which happen among themselves or brethren And therefore Tully writing to Atticus speaks exceeding wisely in telling him thus extremum est malorum omnium bells civilis victoria His reason because men having done much mischief already in those unnatural engagements are flesh't and heartened to go on and to do more mischief still Hence it was that the very Heathens were not wont to make any triumphs for victories gain'd in their Civil Wars as Lucan speaks Bella geri placuit nullos habitura Triumphos And there is very much to this purpose in that sad but very remarkable story of the Israelites and Benjamites as we may observe in the of Judges Chapters 20. and ●1 Some Benjamites there at Gebiah had committed an abominable wickednesse the rest of that Tribe instead of punishing did patronize it and chose rather to die in the resisting of justice than live and prosper in the furthering thereof It is one of the mad principles of wickednesse that when men have once resolv'd to do a thing be it never so bad and to say they will do it it is very great weaknesse to relent therefore they will chuse to suffer to die rather then yield or go back from their resolutions thinking that causes whatsoever they be when they are once undertaken must be upheld although with bloud And from this false ground the Benjamits there put themselvesin Arms and will be Champions to defend the leud●●ss● of their brethren and make themselves worse by the ab●tting of a monstrous sin than the others were by the commission thereof Because the last was done upon resolution and so probably was not the other Now that no man may conclude a cause therefore good because the successe is so the Tribes of Israel that went against the Benjamits had by far the better of the cause But the Benjamits for the present the better in their success for the wickednesse of Benjamin sped better for a time than the honesty of Israel Twise was the better part foil'd by the lesse and worse the good cause was sent back with shame The evil returned with victory and Triumph But wickednesse could never brag of any long prosperity The triumphing of the wicked is short And wickednesse cannot complain of the lack of payment for still God is even with it at the last as we may observe in the story of those Benjamits who in conclusion were made to pay extreamly dear for their sin In whose example we may take notice that the retaliations of the Lord are sure and just But after all this when the rest of the Tribes of Israel being so highly provoked had slain such a very great number of the Benjamites almost to the utter ruine of their Tribe for acting and abetting such a monstrous wickednesse observe how the rest of Israel behaved themselves towards their Brethren they did not rejoyce and make Triumphs for that their victory but they weep over their dead bodies Judg. 21. 2. and study how that breach a mong the Benjamites which their sin and provocation had enforced the rest of Israel to make might be made up again The Prophet Oded gave good counsel in a case which was something parallel to this and it was well followed 2 Chr. 28. for when they of Samaria had taken a very great number of their brethren of Judah Jerusalem Captives two hundred thousand and much spoil and were carrying it and them to Samaria the Prophet I say gave this counsel that they should not strip and starve but put cloathing on their loins and shoes on their feet and meat and drink in their bellies and send them home again and so they did There are very many who walk quite contrary to these rules and dare do as those wicked ones mentioned in the second Chapter of the book of wisdom saying let us oppresse and let our strength be the rule of Justice as if there were no power either in Earth or Heaven to contradict them But however let others who observe the courses of Gods Providence and withall see the oppression of the poor and the violent perverting of judgement and justice in a Province not marvel at the matter for he that is higher than the highest regardeth and there be higher than they In that Parable Luke 16. Dogs are mentioned and why so that their tongues might condemne the mercilesse bowels of their Master who shewed pity in their kinde When their Master had no Compassion on the poor Lazar he not considering that there is a mercy a pity and a care due unto the most despicable piece of humanity Frustra misericordiam petit qui misericordiam non facit in vain shall they one day hope for mercy and pity that will not now exercise it Undoubtedly there is nothing becomes power and greatnesse better than bowels and inwards of pity and mercy These make the faces of men in power to shine and themselves to resemble God who is most properly called optimum maximum first by the name of his goodnesse and then by the name of his greatnesse first by the name of his mercy and then by the name of his might But the ignorance of those Indians before spoken off makes them more pitifull than they need to be and if they had knowledge to make doubt of and to scruple other things as they should I might have spared my next Section which will acquaint my Reader by telling him further SECT XXI Of other strange and groundlesse and very grosse opinions proceeding from the blacknesse and darknesse of ignorance in that people ALl error in the World proceeds either from ignorance commonly joyned with pride or else from wilfulnesse This is most true as in natural and moral so in spiritual things For as knowledge softens sweetens mens manners so it enricheth their mindes which knowledge is certainly a most divine a very excellent thing otherwise our first Parents would never have been so ambitious of it This makes a man here to live twice or to enjoy here a double life in respect of him that wants it But for this knowledge it certainly must be esteemed better or worse by
commands or not to do it at their perill But secondly if in our whole course we manifest Zeal for God Zeal joyned with knowledge and carried on with discretion If we propose the honour of God as our principal aim and end and make Love Charity Long-suffering Gentlenesse Goodnesse meeknesse modesty temperance to shine in our lives that it may be said of us in Particular non tantum praedicat sed vivit that we live as well as preach for then do we preach the truths of God as we should when we endeavour to live up unto those duties our selves which in our exhortations we commend to others Briefly if we live though not without failings yet without scandal in not giving any just cause of offence unto others whatsoever they may say or think of us and thus we must labour to live we deserve to suffer without pitty if we do not so that we may be inculpabiles though not inculpati not meriting the least blame though we must look to be blamed by some who will not passe a right judgment of us how good soever our deservings are the way to heaven being as well through evil as good report and hence it comes to pass that many times while we are most faithful we are most foully used by scornes and contumelies put upon us which we must gather up and keep together as so many jewels hereafter to adorn our Crowns In the mean time be very well content to be the drunkards songs rather then their Companions To suffer any wrongs from others rather then do the least unto any To carry chearfully the reproaches of wicked men to heaven rather then their applauses to hell In a word if we be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 blamolesse though not sinlesse for so we cannot be while our bodies are cloathed with flesh but if we walk by rule evenly carefully Circumspectly we are most injuriously dealt withal if we be denyed any of those respects and encouragements which are due unto us And further if there be no way to attain Salvation but only in and through the merits of Jesus Christ all those who presume to name the Name of the Lord Jesus should behold much beauty in the face of them which proclame these glad tydings especially if they consider what fair Characters are put upon them by Almighty God both in the old and new Testament In the Old Testament called the strength of a Kingdom and the excellency of their strength The Chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof 2 King 13. 14. see Ezek. 24. 21. so it is said of the godly Levites the Ministers of that time that they strengthned the Kingdom of Judah and made Rehoboam strong 2 Chron. 11. 17. and so they do all places besides wheresoever they are In the new Testament they are called Ministers of Christ and stewards of the Mysteries of God 1 Cor. 4. 1. Ambassadors for Christ 2 Cor. 5. 20. c. and God hath promised to be with his faithful Ministers and Messengers alway unto the end of the world Mat. 28. 20 to be with them in respect of themselvs by his presence and assistance and to be with them either in mercy or judgement in respect of others which do or do not entertain their Messages and he that heareth you heareth me and he that despiseth you despiseth me saith Christ Luk. 10. 16. All which promises well considered and duly regarded might remove far from us many causes of just complaining which now we have and may make us take up the complaints of one of the Ancients and say ad quae tempora reservati sumus and to repeat it over and over again Oh to what times are we reserved In what daies do we live For that people in East India two principal causes of their more accurat walking compared with others may be these First because they keep close unto those principles most of them founded in the book of Nature which are given them in charge to walk by And secondly because the currant of justice run very quick in these parts as I have observed before But for us of this Nation I need not enquire into the causes and reasons of the most fearful miscarriages and of the many many evils committed amongst us they lye so open unto every knowing and observing mans understanding and therefore they want no great discovery Only I shall take liberty to repeat some of them which are first more general and then those which are more special and particular And first the general and Principal cause of all the evil in this and consequently of every nation under heaven hath its Original from that masse of Corruption that poysoned fountain which hath infected the whole world or from that leaven which hath sowred the whole lumps of mankind Ne mali fiant times Nascuntur Every one is born bad as well as becomes so● Sin sticking more close to mans nature then his skin doth to his flesh And that Original guilt like a fretting leprosie hath eaten into the manners of all corrupting the whole man in all the parts of his body and in all the faculties of his Soul The Persons of our first Parents defiled their Nature But ever since the Nature of every one defiles his person Whence the hearts of all are evil from their youth estranged from the womb and go astray assoon as they are born Now secondly for those causes which are more special and particular of the increase and groweth of wickednesse in this Nation they proceed much from the want of restraint upon people who are so naturally apt to wander out of the way that dare take any unfit and unlawful liberty they please to take An eye and a sword make a fit embleme to expresse Magistracy an eye to observe and watch and a sword to chastise some and to support and defend others But when this eye is dim or sleepy then justice must needs faintly draw her breath When Canker and r●st growes upon the sword of Authority for want of use and thence cries out against him who should otherwaies manage it for bearing the sword in vain as Canker and rust doth from the covetous mans silver and Gold Ia. 5. 3. and is a witnesse against him it is a principal cause why the qualities and dispositions of so many people amongst us who cannot go without a Reine are so invaded and vitiated nay quite overthrown It is a good and a true saying Qui non vetat peccare cum possit jubet those which are in Power contract the guilt of all those sins upon themselves which they might restrain in others but do not The great sin of Eli otherwise a good man for which he paid dear because when his sens made themselves vile he restrained them not 1 Sam. 3. 13. All which the poor indulgent Father there saith unto his l●wde sons was why do ye such things for I hear of your evil doings by all the people nay my sons