Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A01932
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Encouragements. For such as shall have intention to bee vnder-takers in the new plantation of Cape Briton, now New Galloway in America, by mee Lochinvar·
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Gordon, Robert, Sir, d. 1627?
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1625
(1625)
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STC 12069; ESTC S105760
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13,699
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31
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therefore heere let vs imitate the vertues and glories of our Predecessours that heereafter worthilie wee may bee remembred as their Successours FARE-WELL THE MOTIVES which hath induced mee and may happilie encourage such as haue intention to bee Vnder-takers with Mee in the plantation of New GALLOWAY in AMERICA MOTIVE I. motive 1 AS the chiefe and primarie end of mans creation is the Worshippe of GOD so shall the first and speciall motive of my proceeding be the advancement of his Glorie and that by the propagation of the Gospell of IESVS CHRIST amongst an Heathen people where Christianitie hath not beene knowne nor the worshippe of the true GOD. Where can bee selected a more excellent subject than to cast downe the Altars of Devills and to raise vp the Altar of CHRIST to forbidde the Sacrifice of men that they may offer vp the Sacrifices of contrite Spirites Is it not a determined Trueth that the Gospell of Iesus Christ should bee preached to all the Worlde Heaven and Earth shall passe away but GODS Worde shall not passe away And is it not as certaine a Conclusion amongst all the Divines that these are the latter Dayes wherein we live well knowne by the signes that were to come before sette downe by God himselfe in his sacred Worde and for the most part alreadie manifested And hath not Gods all-seeing Providence begunne as first by discoverie and next by plantation of so hudge and so waste a tract more commonlie than properlie called the New Worlde vnknowne but within this 60. yeeres except by a glimpse to make appeare the progresse of his divine Providence how hee will haue the seede of his worke to bee sowne amongst them Then doth it not belonge vnto vs to prosecute his worke and as by merchandizing and trade wee buy at them the pearles of the Earth wee ought to communicate vnto them the pearles of Heaven The time hath never beene so apparent as now vnder our most gratious and Soveraigne Lord King CHARLES whose generous and gratious goodwill by encouragement to the same hath manifested the same since hee receaved the Crowne to bee the selected instrument to atchieue it Then should not that Heroicke and illustrious disposition in Him whom wee see so prompt to bee still in action both incite and invite to so noble designes all such as would shunne the imputation of idlenesse to imitate His foot-steppes Is it vnlawfull for vs to come to them No it is the duetie of Christianitie in vs to behold the imprinted footsteppes of GODS glorie in everie Region vnder Heaven and to them against the Law of Nations to violate a peaceable Stranger or to deny vs harbour Is it vnlawfull for vs to trade with them No vnlesse Salomon should bee condemned of sending for Golde to Ophir Abraham for making a league with Abimelech and all Christendome for having commerce with Turkes and miscreants Nor neither is it vnlawfull that wee possesse part of their Lands and dwell with them and defend our selves from them because there is no other moderate and mixt course to bring them to conversion but by daylie conversation where wee may see the Life and learne the Languages each of others and because there is towne sufficient in the Land as Sichem said for them and vs the extent of an 100. myles beeing scarce peopled with 500 inhabitants and chieflie because as Pharaoh gaue Goshen to Israel ere Ephron sold his caue to Abraham they have solde to our people their Lands for copper which they more esteme of than money to inherite and inhabite as Paspehay and Powhatan two our there greatest Kinges to these our Colonies in Virginia and chieflie as it is written by Captaine Iohn Smith a worthie actour in the businesse when Captaine Newport was desired by Powhatan at Worowacomaco to come from Iames towne in Virginia where hee was as a place vnwholesome and to take possession of another whole Kingdome which hee gave vnto him If any scrupulous conscience will impute that yet wee can possesse no further limites than was alloted by composition and that fortitude without justice is but the firebrand of iniquitie Let him know that Plato defineth it to bee no injustice to take a sword out of the hand of a madde man And Saint Augustine hath allowed for a lawfull offensiue warre that revengeth injuries and wherein the whole Divines in Europe although contraverting farre in other things yet in this they all agree that it is lawfull That the Church of Rome allowe it The Spaniard and Portugalles large and ample territories and kingdomes in the 15. Provinces of Mexico Nueua Hispanna Nueua Gallicia c. beare witnesse And for the Church of England their Bermudes Virginian and New England conquesse and colonies affirme it And the Church of Geneva in the yeere 1555. determined in a Synode where Calvin was president to sende Peter Rochier and William Quadrigarius vnder a French Captaine to Brasilia althogh they were supplanted by the Cardinall of Loraine and the treacherie of their false Captaine When therefore it is so sweete a smelling Sacrifice to propagate the name of Iesus Christ if wee haue any graine of faith or zeale in Religion let vs seeke to convert these poore Savages to knowe Christ and humanitie Let Religion bee the first aime of our hopes and other thinges shall bee cast vnto vs. Our Names shall bee registred to posteritie with a glorious Title These are the men whom GOD hath raised to augment the state of their Countrie and to propagate the Gospell of Iesus Christ The same GOD that hath ordained three Kingdomes vnder the Scepter of our gratious King CHARLES will not bee wanting to adde a fourth if wee would dissolve that frostie ycienesse which chilleth our zeale and maketh vs cold in the action MOTIVE II. motive 2 AND next to the Worshippe of my GOD is the service of my Prince and native Countrie which is the second end that I haue propounded vnto my selfe by inlarging these Dominions whereof I am a Subject a duetie moste proper to all the true and loyall Lieges whensoever by so lawfull and easie meanes it may bee atchieved What is so truelie sutable with honour and honestie as to gaine to our native Mother-Countrie a Kingdome to attend her Wherein can the taste of true vertue and magnanimitie bee more sweete and pleasant than in planting and building a foundation for thy posteritie gotte from the rude earth by Gods blessing and thine owne industrie without prejudice to any What more conducing to that mysticall bodie politicke whereof thou art a member than for to finde imployment for those that are idle because they knowe not what to doe Posteritie shall remember thee for it and remembring ever honour that remembrance with praise Consider what was the beginninges and endinges of the Monarchies of the Chaldeans the Persians the Graecians and the Romans but this one rule what was it they would not doe for the Common-wealth or there mother Citie for
example Rome what made her such a Monarchesse but only the adventures of her youthe not in ryots at home but in dangers abroad and their justice and judgment out of their own experience when they grewe aged What was their ruine and hurt but this their excesse of idlenesse want of experience hypocriticall seeming goodnesse growing onlie formall Temporists so that what their Predecessours gotte in many yeeres they lost in few dayes these by their paines and laboures became Lordes of the Worlde they by their ease and vyces became slaves to their servants Then who would live at home idle or think in him selfe any worth to live onlie to eate drinke and sleepe and so to die or by consuming that careleslie which their predecessours hath got worthilie or by vsing that miserablie that maintained vertue honestlie or for beeing descended noblie pyne with the vaine vaunt of Kinred in penurie or to maintaine a sillie show of braverie toyle out the heart soule and time baselie by shiftes trickes cardes or dyce or by relating newes of others actions sharke heere or there for a Dinner or Supper deceiving his friends by faire promises and dissimulation in borrowing where hee never intendeth to pay offending the Lawes surfeting with excesse burthening his Countrie abusing himselfe despairing in want and then cousening his kinred although it is seene what honoures the World hath yet and what affluence of all things for such as will seeke and worthilie deserue them Heere were courses for Gentle-men and such as would bee so reputed more suting their qualities than begging from their Princes generous disposition the labours of his other subjects It woulde bee a Historie of a large volume to recite the adventures of the Spaniards and Portugalles their constant resolutions with such incomparable honour so farre beyond beliefe in their discoveries and plantations as may well condemne vs of too much imbecillitie floth and negligence And yet the authours of these new inventions were helde as ridiculous at that time as now are others that doe but seeke to imitate their vnparalelled vertues And though wee see daylie their mountaines of wealth sprung from the plants of their generous indevoures yet is our incredulitie and vntowardnesse such and so great that either ignorantlie wee beleeve nothing or so curiouslie contest to prevent wee know not what future events that so wee either neglect or oppresse or discourage both our selves and others that might both as easilie and would as willinglie attempt and embrace the like Who seeth not what is the greatest good of the Spaniard but these newe conclusions in searching these vnknowne partes of this vnknowne Worlde by which meanes hee diveth even into the verie secreetes of all his Neighboures and the most part of the Worlde And when the Portugalles and Spaniards had found the East and West Indies how manie did condemne them-selves that did not accept of that honest offer of noble Columbus who vpon the neglect of England to whom it was first offered brought them to it perswading them-selves the Worlde had no such places as they had found and yet ever since wee finde they still haue found newe Lands newe Nations new trades and still daylie doe finde both in Asia Africa Terra incognita and America so that their is neither Souldiour nor Mechanicke from the Lord to the begger but these parts affoord them all employment and discharge their native Soyle of so manie thousands of all sorts that else by their sloath pryde and imperfections woulde longe ere this haue troubled their neighboures or haue eaten the pryde of Spaine it selfe And seeing further for all they have they cease not still to search for that which yet they neither haue nor knowe not â— it is strange that wee shoulde bee so dull as not maintaine that which wee haue and pursue that which wee knowe I am sure that manie would take it in an evill part to be abridged of the titles and honours of their predecessours when if but truelie they would judge themselves looke howe inferiour they are to their noble vertues so much they are vnworthie of their honours and livings which never were ordained for showes and shadowes to maintaine idlenesse and sloath but to make them more able to abound in honour by heroicall deedes of action judgement pietie and vertue What was it they would not doe both in purse and person for the good of the Common-weale and may not this bee a motive for vs to set out such as may bee spared of our kindred in such generous designes Religion aboue all things should move especiallie the Cleargie if wee were religious to showe our faith by our workes in converting these poore savages to the knowledge of GOD. Honour might move the Gentrie valiant and industrious the hope and assurance of wealth all if wee were such as wee would seeme and desire to bee accompted Or bee wee so farre inferiour to other Nations or our Spirites so farre dejected from our ancient Predecessoures or our minds so vpon spoyle pyracie or other villanieas to serve the Portugale Spaniard Dutch French or Turk as to the great hurte of Europe too manie doe rather than our GOD our King our Countrie and our selves excusing our idlenesse and our base complaints by want of imployment when heere is such choyce of all sortes and for all degrees in this plantation So let these answere such questionlesse questions that keepe vs backe from imitating the worthinesse of their brave spirits that advanced themselves from poore Souldiers to great Captaines their posteritie to great Lords their King to bee one of the greatest Potentates on Earth and the fruits of their labours his greatest glorie power riches and renowne MOTIVE III. motive 3 AND as I haue spoken of two principall causes that hath induced mee The third of my ends may happilie bee no lesse forcible to encourage all such whose education spirits and judgments wants but onlie the purse to prosecute the same with mee and that is the private and particulare gaine that may bee got by so lawfull and easie meanes whereof it is more than admirable that such should either bee so wilfullie ignorant or so negligently carelesse as not to bee moved to imbrace and speciallie such imployment as may search out commodities to live happilie plentifullie and at ease Ought not everie man to regard aswell to inlarge his patrimonie as that hee bee not chargeable to others so farre as hee may by his vertue and industrie in a lawfull and honest manner attaine vnto Is not a lawfull search for such commodities to bee preferred to an idle sloathfulnesse and an honorable policie in a lawfull plantation abroad before vnlawfull monopolies and wrangling suites of Law by neighbour against neighbour at home impoverishing thy selfe and thy native Countrie whereof thou oughtest to bee a more profitable member May not the fortunate successe of the plantation of Ireland so fresh and recent to all whence so great commodities are brought both to England