Religion inwardly lodg'd in the Heart such as is generally observable in Atheists and Anti-Religionists especially where Religion doth happen to sute less with their Secular Interests and Designs Or else such as was visible in Amaziah the Idolatrous High-Priest of Bethel or in Elymas the Sorcerer in Jannes and Jambers and divers others who possibly might resist the true only for the sake of their false Religions Or lastly such as are possessed with a Spirit of Gallionism and Indifferency which or what Religion shall prevail whether Jesus or Mammon Barabbas or Christ so that they may be at ease it is the same with them But against whom our blessed Lord hath positively declared saying He that is not with me is against me and he that gathereth not with me scattereth Now the foundation and root of this is nothing else but Infidelity They act against or neglect Religion because they believe it not For as the Prophet Micah observes All people will walk every man in the name of his God and of that Religion which they are perswaded of As for instance a Jew will make his boast of the Temple of the Lord and stand up for his antiquated Ceremonies A Turk will assert his Alcoran and rather than fail will buy over Proselytes to his Superstition And some Christians there are too who to the shame of others who do oppose or neglect it will do the same for theirs The Ephesian Craftsmen would adventure upon an Uproar rather than suffer their Diana to be blasphemed Yea the silly Worshippers of Baal could cry aloud from morning till noon not sparing their flesh from Knives and Launcers for the honour of their paultry Deity Nor would the Gentiles change their Gods of whose Divinity they were before perswaded as our Prophet observes But these as saith the same Prophet Micah know not the ways of the Lord nor understand his Counsels Yea they vilify and cast Dirt upon that Religion they would be thought to profess A most evident sign that they believe it not Secondly Pride and Ambition are too frequently the occasions of this Sin As when in the Church some fanciful Humourists or stiff-necked Enthusiasts shall turn Reformers and upon their own Heads endeavour to make Alterations in things setled and agreed upon by the best Authority and after the maturest Deliberation Or when some little Dwarfs or Pygmies in worth and abilities shall set up for themselves and by dispersing Heterodox Opinions in Religion shall aspire after fame and greatness amongst their Party and Followers Or in the State when any dissatisfied Achitophel shall plot revenge against it And to that vile end shall side with and encourage the idle Dreams and Dotages of those empty Votaries as hoping to compass that by the new Religion which he could never effect by the old 'T is Pride saith an ancient Greek Proverb that is the Parent of Superstition the very same with that of St. Paul If any Man teach otherwise and consents not to wholsom words he is proud knowing nothing The third Inducement is Avarice and a never satisfied Thirst after filthy Lucre When wicked Mammonists such who do account their Life here to be but a Market for gain and that resolve they must be getting tho it be with the ruine of their own and their Peoples Souls shall begrutch the time and expences laid out upon the Service of God and the Work of Religion Who finding their Trade and Religion to be inconsistent and having purposed in despite thereof to carry on their ungodly Interests will not scruple to turn their Backs to the one for the advantage of the other and so as much as in them lieth shall make their God to truckle under Mammon Or when Cheats and Impostors to furnish themselves of a livelyhood and finding Preaching to be the only Trade they can set up for without serving an Apprenticeship shall subvert Order draw Disciples after them and preach a Nation into Desolation Such as St. Peter describing warns us against who through Covetousness with fained words should make Merchandise of us And whom S. Paul bids us to mark and avoid for that they did not serve our Lord Jesus Christ as they falsly pretended but their own Belly and by good Words and fair Speeches did deceive the Hearts of the simple But for which as St. Peter in the forementioned place to their small comfort assures them their Judgment did not linger nor their Damnation slumber This is that Covetousness which St. Paul terms Idolatry For whatsoever a Man magnifies and admires most that certainly must be his God And in Christianity wheresoever practised 't is no doubt a renouncing of it It being no less true than Truth it self That no Servant can serve two Masters for either he will hate the one and love the other or else he will hold to the one and despise the other Now to despise and hate what is it but inwardly to renounce And therefore a little to invert our Saviour's Words I must in this case declare That we cannot serve Christ and Trade The last Inducement I shall mention is Sloth and a supine carelesness and neglect of Religion and of the Souls of Men When to avoid Clamour and Obloquie or being willing to shift off Business or to flatter a few Atheistical Apostates Such I fear to make a fair shew in the Flesh would with St. Paul's prudent and moderate Galatians scarce stick at Circumcision if thereby they might escape suffering persecution for the Cross of Christ Or because it is a barren Theme and nothing is to be got by the preaching or promoting of it but may rather prove some impediment to their Profit Or lastly because there is some labour or trouble in it I say when for these doughty reasons Men shall suffer Religion to lye waste and poor Innocent Souls to perish without any pity or regard and then to excuse this their Sloth or whatever worse Name it deserves shall declare it a needless Service And so strike Hands with the Adversary to the great discouragement and weakning of those who are more hearty therein whom they ought in Duty to both strengthen and assist And so I proceed to IV. THE Fourth Observable which is to shew the horrid and almost most unpardonable Nature of this Sin and how infinitely displeasing to Almighty God Which will be made appear from these five following Circumstances whereof The first is its evil and lewd Society and that foul herd of Sins which it is mustered and mated with in this and the foregoing Chapter For even Words and Sins as well as Men may be judged of by the company they go in Secondly It will appear from the Site and Order in which it is placed as being made to close up this grand Charge brought in in the last place which in such cases is usually the Principal as being apt more thorowly
let us do it better Only let us not under that pretence be said never to do it at all If any Man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his saith the Apostle Now Christ's Spirit was to promote the Salvation of Mankind But of what Spirit must those then be that do neglect and hinder it And if any Man love not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be Anathema that is utterly accursed from him But what love can there be in endeavouring to rob him of that which he so dearly purchased with his Blood All Knowledg all understanding of Mysteries and all Faith without this Charity is nothing Yea the bestowing of all our Goods to the relieving of the Poor and even the giving our Bodies to be burnt withoat it will profit us nothing This is a thing which all Sects and Parties do most generally agree in No Scruples to tender Consciences will from hence arise it being impossible that any should oppose it but such only who have lost all Conscience And certainly if Christianity and the Souls of Men be worth our care it cannot be but that something in order thereto will speedily be endeavoured the thing in its self being most easy and there wanting nothing but some resolute and wise Agent to push it forward As for the impotent railing of those Barjesuses and Elymases for God be thanked that is the worst they can do it is to be pitied and contemned rather than dreaded or regarded by us Or at the worst a vigorous pursuit would in a short time both disarm and silence them There being no Strumpet so impudent and void of shame as to assert and practice her lewdness in the presence of more vertuous People Nor has it been heard that any Thief has been so confident as to defend his Rapines and Slaughters before an upright Judg. And it being a thing so utterly incongruous and contradictory in it self for Men to call themselves Christians yea and of the most refined sort too and yet at the same time to oppose Christianity that it is impossible but at the first manful onset they must needs be baffled and shamed out of it For Wickedness as the wise Man saith condemned by her own Witness is very timerous and being pressed with Conscience always forecasteth grievous things So that there seemeth nothing more to be needful but the Watch-word from our vigilant and prudent Leaders to the faithful Souldiers of Christ boldly to fall on and to attaque them The Victory cannot but be easy over those that fight against God And pitty yea infinite pitty it would be that so Holy and Righteous a Cause should be so slightly lost and that a Matter of such Eternal Consequence so much tending to our Redeemer's Honour and to the good of those many Myriads of Souls viz. of our Negro's and Indians Slaves and Tributaries all of them the Subjects of this Kingdom and should be also of our care should be suffered to miscarry only through the want of a few words speaking a little endeavour and of so much courage as but to look the Enemies of Christ in the face and where the Act it self doth carry its Recompence and makes us full Amends For whilst we become Eyes to the Blind as holy Job speaks and Feet to the Lame delivering the Poor that crieth and those that have none to help them Whilst we put on Righteousness and it cloaths us and Judgment as a Robe and a Diadem Whilst we break the Jaws of the Wicked and do search out the Cause that we know not Whilst we become valiant for the Truth and do rebuke these Blasphemers to the face Then the Ear that hears us shall bless us and the Eye that sees us shall give witness to us our Glory shall be fresh in us and our Root shall spread out by the Waters The blessing of those that are ready to perish shall fall upon us neither shall we be afraid of destruction when it cometh For we shall be in league with the Stones of the Field and the very Beasts of the Field shall be at peace with us In Famine we shall be redeemed from Death and in this REBELLION from the Power of the Sword All which will be consummated and made up in that Repute Honour and Stability to our Church and Nation which will hereby be undoubtedly procured Amen 1 St. John 3. 18. Let us not love in Word neither in Tongue but in Deed and in Truth ERRATA IN the Title Page line 4. read reprehended P. 3. l. 7. for assert r. set off l. 8. r. Arguments P. 9. l. 17. f. Disciples r. Apostles l. 37. r. in bef snob P. 27. l. 20. r. extant P. 29. l. 11. f. it s r. his P. 31. l. 2. dele be l. 9. dele the. P. 32. l. 15. r. Industry P. 33. l. 19. r. Hypocrisy Add P. 28. ad finem Wickedness burneth as the Fire it shall devour the Briars and Thorns c. Isa 9. 18. Errata in the Margent P. 4. insert Acts 18. 6. bef Acts 20. Likewise the same again p. 6. P. 16. r. Cupiunt P. 24. after Miracles add c. 6. n. 1. P. 25. f. answer r. refute also insert p. 573. disc 3. c. 19. P. 26. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Likewise add this of E. W's Protestants that never did nor shall hereafter do good to either Christian or Heathen Trade preferr'd before Religion AND Christ made to give place to Mammon Represented in a SERMON relating to the PLANTATIONS JER Chap. 2. Part of the 34th Verse Also in thy Skirts is found the Blood of Souls c. The whole Verse runs thus Also in thy Skirts is found the Blood of the Souls of the poor Innocents I have not found it by secret search but upon all these THis Particle Also standing at our first entrance into the Text requires us to raise our Eye to the foregoing Words both of this and of the former Chapter In the first of which we find our Prophet as it were opening his Commission asserting his Authority as derived to him from God himself Before I formed thee in the Belly I knew thee and before thou camest forth out of the Womb I sanctified thee and ordained thee a Prophet unto the Nations Therefore thou shalt go unto all that I shall send thee and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak And the better to qualify and enable him for this great Work it is added Behold I have put my words into thy Mouth And then to create a Resolution and Courage in him suitable thereto and that he might go on with a steady boldness and assurance in this so hazardous and thankless an Imployment it is promised that he should be an Iron Pillar and a brazen Wall yea a defenced City against them And that therefore he was not to be afraid or dismayed at their Looks that being the worst they should be able to do against
occasion to magnify that King 's spacious Dominions He in answer thereto was pleased to reply That 't was true God had entrusted him with divers Nations and Countries but that his Advantage thereby was to have opportunity to propagate Christian Religion It is to be presumed that as Your Majesty's Dominions in the Parts we speak of are in extent not much short of perhaps a great deal larger than that Princes So your Majesty's Piety will not suffer You to be wanting to Your Self and People in reaping the like blessed and glorious Advantage thereby So prayeth The most unworthy and meanest of Your Majesty's Subjects MORGAN GODWYN The PREFACE I Cannot but foresee that I shall fall under no small danger of Censure as well for my first preaching as now publishing this Discourse For besides the sinister Surmises of divers here at home such who like the Curr in the Manger will neither eat Oats themselves nor suffer those that would I must also look to undergo as far as is possible the utmost Effects of the Rage and Malice of those incensed MAMMONISTS from abroad who I am to expect will not fail by their Agents and Partizans to dispense to me the sharpest Revenge and Mischief that such Enemies of Christianity can contrive against a Promoter of it And when they thus see me upon taking away their Gods it will be but a very sensless and unreasonable Question to demand What aileth them But as there was no temptation from the thing it self as being likely to prove so invidious and costly an Undertaking what I have but too much already felt and it being on the behalf of such who are never like to make me any amends and I am sure that no body else will So I hope that others better disposed will in charity which thinketh not the worst rather believe that what I have herein attempted doth proceed from no worse Motive than from a sense of my Duty as not knowing otherwise what I yet knew was most necessary how to reprove the BARJESVITISM and base Mammonism so openly practised in our Plantations and even at Home too of which I shall presently give some Instances At least certainly I can deserve no blame for thus opening my Mouth for the Dumb and becoming their Advocate who are appointed to Eternal Destruction For that I have as it were put my Life in my hand to oppose those Elymas's who do not cease to pervert the right Ways of the Lord and to obstruct Christianity when no body else either durst or would And since the more Learned and Prudent who never use to lay out themselves but to some purpose and this 't is too well known known is but a barren Theme had hitherto been silent therein that I thought it no disparagement to become a Fool for Christ's sake and conceived that it might better be done by me than not at all These in truth were my Reasons in general for this Undertaking but there was withal a more particular And that was hereby if possible to put some stop to and to abate the arrogant and proud vauntings of that new Sect of American Anti-Religionists the Barjesuits and Elymases before mentioned for their Victory over Christianity by LVCYfer and his fellow Agents here sometime since obtain'd which very triumphantly like pure uncircumcised Pagans pardon the Expression for in this Case Difficile est Satyram non scribere and not to be angry had been to sin they have not forborn to publish in the Houses of their Idols if I may so speak and by insulting Letters to set forth in their Assemblies therein proclaiming how they have worsted Christianity and for ever quash'd all future hopes of advancing its Crest and of further entrance into those Parts A most glorious Victory doubtless it was and which none besides the Devil and themselves but would have been ashamed to have boasted of A Victory where there was no Adversary to contend with and of which as the case stood if they could but talk considently and affirm lustily without blushing they could not easily fail Upon this I could no longer be silent but as the Holy Psalmist expresseth himself My heart grew hot within me and the fire was kindled and at the last I spake with my Tongue declaring from the Pulpit as oft as I had opportunity what I have now delivered from the Press I considered the thing as a Duty indispensible and having before put my hand to the Plow I determined not to look back Yet I must confess I attended a while to see whether any abler Advocate would appear in the Cause and happily have saved me both the trouble and the envy of it But when I had thus waited and could see no appearance of any no not at the greatest distance for they were all amazed they answered no more they left off speaking or rather we may say did never begin it was not in my power to refrain but I resolved that I would answer for my part I would speak on God's behalf I would open my mouth and answer let come on it what would But he that ploweth should plow in hope as saith the Apostle Now to what purpose is it to speak further hereof since so slender Advances have been hitherto made therein by what has been before spoken will some be apt to demand And indeed it was the Advice of one when I first adventured upon this Work never to trouble my self about it for said he Tho your Design be never so Christian and good yet the least grain of Interest lying in the way shall quite ruin and overthrow it And I wish his words had proved less true But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord to tell Jacob of his Transgression and Israel of his Sin as saith the Prophet Micah And Isaiah tells us That the Watchmen upon the Walls of Jerusalem were not to hold their peace notwithstanding the greatest discouragements day nor night nor to give even the Almighty himself any rest until he had established and made Jerusalem a praise in the whole Earth Rather the deafer Men are the louder we are to cry For Truth however opprest will have some Followers The sturdy Youth in the Gospel that at first did so peremptorily refuse to go and work in his Father's Vineyard afterwards repented and went And even the unjust Judg by much importunity and for his own quiet was we read at length wrought upon to hearken to the Widow's complaint and to do her right And tho these we speak of have had this untoward Character viz. of being such who will do no right nor take any wrong fixed upon them yet who knows how far our Assiduity may in like manner prevail At least 't is certain we have no Dispensation for our silence For truly unto this most unchristian Silence must in a great measure be ascribed the large spreading of this Leprosy of