Chap. IIL of E N G L I S H /W A M E R I C A, , J6 ^ 
Inftances, fo influence feveral well difpofed Perfons, that 
confiderable Remittances of Benefactions to the Corpora- 
tion were foon^ made, which enabled them to enter on 
the Work with Succefs. There were likewife feveral 
confiderable Sums of Money fent in to the Society by 
Perfons who defired to conceal their Names ; and the 
fame Spirit and Ardour has continued ; neither has the 
Society wanted the Encouragement and Proteftion of the 
Succeffors of their Royal Founder, particularly his late 
Majefty King George I. and the Society have ftill 
increafmg Views of Succefs through the Favour of his 
Majefty now reigning, from his known Zeal for the 
Proteftant Religion, and Royal Care for the Colonies, fo 
confiderable a Branch of the Britifj Monarchy. 
It is a thing that will certainly excite Woiider in the 
Minds of all calm and confiderate People, let their re- 
ligious Sentiment's or Perfuafions be what they will that 
this Society, with fcarce any fettled Fund, fhould be able 
to maintain, for between forty and fifty Years, fo exten- 
five a Scheme as that of their Charter, which tends to 
corred almoft all the Errors and Miftakes that have 
hitherto happened in the Management of our Colonies •, 
for by their prudent and pious Care, great Check has been 
given to Atheifm and Irreligion, a thing of great Confe- 
quence in our Settlements, confidered in a political, as well 
as .Chriftian Light ; for without it there is no reftraining 
the Indian Traders from being guilty of fuch Immoralities, 
as render us defpicable in the Eyes of the Heathen In- 
dians j which, as may be eafily conceived, muft tend vaftly 
to our Difadvantage, more efpecially, if at the fame Time 
we refled on the Management of the French in this Par- 
ticular, who are very careful in their Endeavours to con- 
vert the Indians^ and keep up a great outward Appear- 
ance of Zeal for Religion, which makes ftrong Impref- 
fions on the Minds of the Savages, even though they 
are not converted, nor have any Inclination to become 
Papifts. If by fuch Methods they fhould fo far compafs 
their Ends, as to convert many of the Indians^ and by 
that Means awe and influence the reft ; it muft be ac- 
companied with Circumftances very difagreeable ■ to the 
Inhabitants of our Colonies, as from the foregoing Hifto- 
ry of the Indian War will appear. 
But befides the many and great Advantages that would 
refult from the thorough Eftablilhment of the Proteftant 
Religion through the Colonies, with regard to the Con- 
dud and Behaviour of the People, and the great Enlarge- 
ment of Power that would follow in Cafe the Converfion 
of the Indians was undertaken by Pradice as well as 
Preaching, by the Example of the Laymen, as well as 
the Exhortations of the few Clergy that are fent thither ^ 
there is yet another Point that deferves as ferious Regard. 
The Negroes in the Service of our Planters, are a prodi- 
gious Body of People, and as there are but too many juft 
Caufes given for apprehending the Deftrudion of whole 
Countries from their Plots and Confpiracies, which have 
been fometimes prevented by accidental, or rather provi- 
dential Difcoveries, when they were upon the very Point 
of being executed ; fo it is certain, that if thefe People, 
or the greateft Part of them, could be converted, it would 
not only prove a Means of taking away thefe Apprehen- 
fions, but would alfo add a great Strength to the Colo- 
nies, in which they are obliged to make ufe of Negroes ; 
for thefe People would then conceive new Notions of their 
Condition, and confider their being Servants to Chrifti- 
ans in the Light rather of a Bleffmg than a Calamity 
it would not only make them eafy, but chearful in their 
Servitude, and by degrees would be attended with mi ore 
Advantages than we can forefee, and yet a very ordinary 
Degree of Forefight will not fail to fhew us a great many. 
That this is, and muft be, attended with many Difficul- 
ties, will be readily granted, but that it is very far from 
being impracticable, will appear from what Dr. Hum- 
phr^s tells us has been in this refpeCt already done, and 
which I take to be as material a Point as any that occurs 
in the Hiftory of this Period. 
Ihe Negroe Slaves, fays he, even in thefe Colonies, 
where the Society fend Miffionaries, amount to many 
thoufands of Perfons of both Sexes, and all Ages, and 
moft of them are very capable of receiving InftruCtions •, 
even the grown Peffons^ brought from Guinedi quickly 
learn Englifo enough to be under flood in ordinary Mat- 
ters ; but the Children born of Negroe Parents in the Colo- 
nies are bred up entirely in the Englifh Languagei The. 
Society looking upon the InftriiClion and Converfion of 
the Negroes, as a principal Branch of their Care, efteem- 
ing it a great Reproach to the Chriftian Name, that fd 
many thoufands of Perfons ftioiild continue in the fame 
ftate of Pagan Darknefs under a Chriftian Government^ 
and living in Chriftian Families, as they lay before under 
in their own Heathen Countries •, the Society, immedi- 
ately, from their firft Inftitution, ftrove to promote their 
Converfion, and infomuch as their Income would not 
enable them to fend Numbers of CateChifts fufficient to 
inftruCl the Negroes, yet they refolved to do their ut- 
moftj and at leaft to give this Work the Mark of their 
higheft Approbation. They wrote therefore to all their 
Miffionaries, that they fhould ufe their beft Endeavours,* 
at proper times, to inftruCt the Negroes j and fhould 
efpecially take occafion to recdnimend it 2ealoufly to thd 
Mafters, to order their Slaves, at convenient Times, td 
come to them, that they might be inftmfted. 
Thefe Diredlions had a good Effeft, and fome hun- 
dreds of Negroes have been inftrudted, received Baptifm^ 
and been brought to the Communion, and lived very or- 
derly Lives. It is a Matter of Commendation to the Cler- 
gy, that they have done thus much in fo great and difficult 
a Work. But alas ! what is the InftruRion of a few 
hundreds in feveral Years, with refpedt to the many thou- 
fands uninftru£led, unconverted, living and dying down- 
right Pagans ? It muft be confefled, what hath been done 
is as nothing, with regard to what a true Chriftian would 
hope to fee effe6led. But the Difficulties the Clergy 
meet with in this good Work, are exceeding great. The 
firft is, the Negroes want Time to receive Inftrudlions j 
feveral Mafters allov/ their Negroes only Sundays for Reft, 
and then the Minifters of the Pariffies are fully employed, 
in other Duties, and cannot attend them. Many Plan- 
ters, in order to free themfelves from the Trouble and 
Charge of feeding and cloathing their Slaves, allow them 
one Day in a Week to clear Ground and plant it, td 
fubfift themfelves and Families ; fome allow all Saturday , 
fome half Saturday and Sunday ; others allow only Sunday i 
Plow can the Negroe attend for Inftrucflion, who, on half 
Saturday and Sunday, is to provide Food and Raiment 
for himfelf and Family for the Week follov/ing : The 
Negroe will urge in his own Excufe, that the Support of 
himfelf and all that is dear to him, doth abfolutely de- 
pend upon this his neceflfary Labour on Saturday and Sun~. 
day \ but if this be not ftridlly juftifiable, yet it is cer- 
tain the miferable Man’s Plea will engage the Reader’s 
Compaffion. 
This is the Cafe in fome Colonies^ in others it differs* 
In fome Places the Negroes do the whole' Labour of the 
Country in the Field, in others they are ufed only as 
Houfe Servants. Another Difficulty arifes from the Ha- 
. bitations and Settlements of the Mafters being at a great 
Diftance from each other in. moft Places in the Colonies, 
for which Reafon neither can a Minifter go to many Fa- 
milies, if the Negroes were allowed Tim.e to attend him, 
nor can a proper Number of them affemble together at 
one Place, without a confiderable Lofs of Time to their 
Mafters. But the greateft Obftrucftion is, the Mafters 
themfelves do not confider enough the Obligation 
which lies upon them, to have their Slaves inftrufted* 
Some have been fo weak as to argue the T -egroes had 
no Souls, others that they gre\v worfe by being taught 
and made Chriftians. I would not mention thefe, if 
they were not popular Arguments ftilfi becaufe they 
have no Foundation in Reafon or Truth. 
After the Society had given the general Oi'def hientiohed 
before, to all their Miffionaries, for the Inftruflion of the 
Slaves, they agreed to ufe another Method, which they 
believed would more fuccefsfully promote this AVork,' 
They opened a catechifing School for the Slaves at 
New Fork, in the Year 1704, in vehich City’ there Were' 
computed to be about one thoufand five hundred Negroe 
and Indian Slaves, and many of their Mafters well dif- 
pofed to have them made Chriftians. The Society hoped 
