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others are faid to worship a fheep-fkin; yet there are fome who pretend to fome kind of Christianity, which no doubt must be that of a miferable fort. South to the nations of the Oftiacks, is that of the Burates; but are faid to be totally ignorant of letters and religion, or civil policy; the most easterly nation on that fide, is that of Kamfchatkees, they have fome notion that they defcended from a being which they call Kouthan, but pay no kind of worfhip to him; and in knowledge and manners resemble the nations already defcribed. Such then is the state of a region of fome thousand leagues extent, on the northeaft of the old Roman empire; and here we may fuppofe the prince of darkness reigns in triumph. Here the ftrong man armed, keeps poffeffion in his wretched abode.

6. THEN on the fouthern fide of the empire broke out the Arabian impoftor, and carried blood and flaughter, ruin and defolation to all that oppofed him, compelling all to fubmit to the dogmas contained in his Koran, vilely pretended to be delivered to him by an an angel from Heaven. Here again the fmall remains of Christianity were fwept away. Thus where Chrift had been preached, he was forget; and where they pretended to keep up the name of christianity, it chiefly confifted of a few trifling ceremonies; and fo ignorant were the clergy that the bifhops could not write their own name, but in figning any thing fet their mark to it, as feveral poor ignorant country people do now; fo that there is a dreadful chasm from the end of the fifth century, until the happy reformation broke out; all christendom feemed wrapped up in profound darkness; it being the prevailing opinion that ignorance was the mother of devotion, that is, it answered the end

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of the defigning priests to have people wholly dependant upon them, fo that they might have a better opportunity to fleece the filly fheep, and alfo lord it over their confciences.

7. BUT here Satan overshot himself; for the unholy, lives of many of thofe wretched ecclefiaftical hirelings, was a means of opening the eyes of numbers, and led them to examine the nature of things for themfelves, and they discovered how wretchedly they were impofed upon; but this gave the alarm, and they were foon made to feel the vengeance of the incenfed priests; for they perfecuted them without mercy, with all the rage of men who feared their wealth and honour were at ftake. But to return. If we confider the vast regions of Perfia, China, and the immenfe tract which goes under the name of the Eaft-Indies, all profeffed idolaters; and if we may credit report, fome of a very cruel, ftupid and irrational kind, I fay, if we have any knowledge of the ftate of things there, we fee how the grand Abaddon triumphs in the deplorable fituation of mankind.

8. If we turn round to Africa, we fee the cafe very little better. As for the interior parts, they are as yet unknown; or but little known; and perhaps they may be the haunts of wild beafts, and few of the human race can dwell there. But if there be any confiderable number of the human fpecies, we may judge their ftate extremely favage, or we should have heard of them; we may therefore judge they are indeed in a deplorable ftate of ignorance and barbarity, and ftrangers to every thing which

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is civil or facred, and therefore in darkness, and the regi on of the fhadow of death.

As for the kingdoms which lie upon the coaft, though feveral of them pretend the mahometan religion, yet in fact are a cruel banditti of plunderers, who are conftantly infefting the feas, and robbing and carrying into a dreadful captivity all they can meet with and conquor; and further weft on that continent, is Negreland and Guinea, we may form a little notion of their state, by the numbers who are fold every year to the American plantations; one can scarcely tell whether they have any idea of religion at all; and I fear the numbers which are constantly dragged into captivity, by thofe called christians, have not mended the matter, but rather given them a prejudice to the name of christianity itfelf. As for thofe who inhabit near the Cape of Good-Hope, commonly called Hottentots, it is thought they have not the leaft idea of any kind of religion, and what is still amazing, though the Dutch live near them, they still retain their original dirty, nafty, lazy way of living, and are no more humanized than they were. As for the islands which lie on the fouth of Africa, their ftate in civil and religious matters, is pretty much like the places already mentioned, and though by reafon of trade and commerce, thofe called chrißians are mingled among them; yet as trade and money-getting are the chief objects, the state of religion is rather injured than helped by them. Indeed that is too general a cafe in moft places where thofe called chriftians come; and i doubt it is not peculiar to any one nation, or denomination alone; we blame the Spaniards for their cruelties in Mex

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ico and Peru; we blame the Dutch for their practices in the East-Indies, and other places, where they had power; and I fear the accufations are too juft; but are the Englith clear in this matter? By no means. I fear the blood of the flain, both in the Eaft and the Weft-Indies, cries out for vengeance. I fear the great day will exhibit a moft dreadful fcene of violence and oppreffion, murder and bloodthed, committed by the wretched chriftians, who have got the upper hand in thofe remote parts, and that it may be faid of many of the great ones in our land, Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that fhall come upon you, your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth eaten. Your gold and filver is cankered, and the ruft of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flefn as with fire.*

9. VERY probable the prejudices will remain untill kind Providence fends fome among them who are christians indeed; by which means, they fhall fee a happy difference; they will fee that fuch come among them not to kill and to defroy, but that they may have eternal life. Hail happy day! may the dawn thereof foon appear.

BUT to return from this digreffion. If we turn our eyes to the vaft continent of America, we find no knowledge of God, or true religion among the natives; and fome appear deftitute of any fort of religion. Their Pawaws, or pretended pries, or conjurers, tell them fomething of a good being whom they call Kitchton, who is the author of all good, and of another whom they call Hobbamecho, whom they fuppofe to be the author of all evil;

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*Jam, v. 1, 2.

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the former they pay but little attention to, because he cannot or will not do them any harm; but the latter, to wit, Hobhamocho, they endeavour to appeafe by facrifices and prayers, and the like. It is faid they pay fome kind of adoration to fire, water, thunder, lightening, or in fhort, any thing which they think can in any wife hurt them. This, as far as I can learn, is the chief of their theology. In the mean time they are a cruel, pilfering race; often torturing and burning their captives, and, if we may credit what is faid, often devouring them. Often killing their own parents, because they are helpless, and the women murdering their children, becaufe they will follow their husbands, if husbands they may be called, who take the women as wives and abandon them at pleafure; and when any do fo, the occasional wife it may be destroys all the children, fhe had by her paramour in revenge to him. All this is certainly a melancholy history, and is there not too much of it nearer home? nay, even in our own country? What kind of profanity is not practiced amongst us? What kind of lewdness are we free from?

10. We have light, that is, the gospel is clearly preached; but who hath believed the report? Or who are truly acquainted with the joyful found? Few, very few, fo that even among us, ftraight is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth to life, and few there be which are going therein; even our nation abounds with baptized infidels. Thus whether we look abroad or at home, we fee darkness hath covered the earth and grofs darkness the people who dwell therein.

Pity

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