oriens, cap. xl., p. 678, &c., see Domin. 1549. After he left that country in 1552,
Charlcvoix, Histoire du Japon, ton. ii., lib. great numbers were converted ; and some
xi., &c., p. 57, &c. Japanese became Jesuits. Schools and

(20) Engclbert Kampfer has given a neat churches were erected, even in the capitol
account of this protracted business, in the Meaco. In 1585, a Japanese embassy was
sixth of those Dissertations, which he has sent to Rome. Christianity at that time
annexed to his History of Japan, <5 4, &c., seemed about to become the prevailing reli-
p. 64-75, of the English edition. But it will gion ; there were at least 200,000 Chris-
also be but fair to hear the fuller statement tians ; and among them princes, courtiers,
of Domin. Charlcvoix, who has omitted no- chief nobles, and generals ; the Bonzes and
thing that would go to excuse the Jesuits ; in their religion were openly ridiculed ; and the
his Histoire generale de Japon, torn. ii.,livr. emperor had excluded paganism altogether
xii.. p. 136, &c. The other writers are men- from a new city which he founded ; and he
tioned by Jo. Alb. Fabricius, Lux Evangelii was on terms of intimacy with the Jesuits,
coti orbi exoriens, cap. xl., p. 678. Add the But the base conduct of the Europeans, led
Acta Sanctorum, torn, i., mensis Februarii, the emperor to suspect Christianity to be all
p. 723, &c. where may be seen the History a farce ; and he became jealous of the de-
of the chinch founded in Japan, and the life signs of these strangers. He was also cf-
aml death of those who were first slain by fended at the refusal of some converted
the Japanese, on account of Christianity, females to surrender to him their chasthy :
Afawmachius, Origines et Antiquit. Chris- and at the instigation cf his favourite, in I5d7,



GENERAL HISTORY OF THE CHURCH.



257



Dutch and English of studiously inflaming the emperor of Japan with ha
tred against the Portuguese and Spaniards, as well as against the Roman
pontiffs, so that they alone might have control among the Japanese, and
might secure their commerce to themselves. The Dutch and English re-
ply, that neither the Spaniards nor any other adherents to the Roman pon-
tiif, were by them accused ; but only that the perfidy of the Spaniards was
detected. And indeed, nearly all agree in this, that the emperor was per
suaded by certain letters intercepted by the Dutch, and by other evidence
bearing a strong probability, that the Jesuits and the other teachers of the
new religion designed to raise a sedition by means of their disciples, and
to bring Japan under the power of the Spanish king ; and hence the tyrant,
equally cruel and jealous, thought he could not be safe and quiet, unless he
destroyed every vestige of Christianity. From that time, Japan has been
closed against all foreigners; and even the shadows of the Christian name
are exterminated with fire and sword. A few of the Hollanders, who are



he commenced a persecution. Ail Jesuits
were ordered to quit the country. Some
obeyed ; but others remained, under the pro
tection of the nobles. Out of about 250
churches, 70 were pulled down. In 1590,
more than 20,000 Christians lost their lives.
But the next year added 12,000 new con
verts. In 1596, a Spanish sea-captain driv
en upon the coast, showed a chart of exten
sive countries subject to his master; and
being asked how his master could conquer
so many nations, he said, their missionaries
went forward, and prepared the minds of the
people to favour him, and then fleets and ar
mies made an easy conquest. This state
ment was transmitted to court, and produced
great jealousy of the missionaries. The em
peror swore, the Spaniards should never thus
conquer Japan ; and he immediately set him
self to exterminate Christianity, which he
called a devilish law. The missionaries were
imprisoned ; and not a few of them as well
as their converts, were put to death. The
persecution continued several years. Yet in
1603, there were 120 Jesuits, most of them
priests, in Japan. After this, an English
offic or of a Dutch ship, cautioned the Japan
ese to beware of the military enterprises of
the Spaniards ; and represented the priests
as designing men, who had been excluded
from most European countries, and who did
oot teach genuine Christianity. This pro
duced a fresh persecution : and in the prov-
jtice of Nangasaki, where there had been
more than 40,000 Christians, not one could
be found in 1622 ; all had either renounced
their religion, or been put to death. Hither
to however, the number of Christians in Ja
pan had not diminished greatly ; and some
estimates make them to have been about
400,000, and others near 600,000. But now
things began to take a different turr. In
VOL. III. K K



1616, Ijejas, guardian to the young prince
Fidejori, (who was favourable to Christianity,
as were many of the nobles), slew his ward,
and proclaimed himself emperor. The Jes
uits were objects of his jealousy ; and vari
ous causes induced him to forbid the farther
spread of Christianity, and the ingress of
monks and priests into the country. He
likewise determined to bring back the Japan
ese Christians to the old religion. Edicts
were issued for these purposes ; but they
were not at once rigorously executed. At
length some Franciscan monks, sent as en
voys from the Spanish governor of Manilla,
imprudently ventured to preach openly in the
streets of Meaco, and to erect a church
there. This exasperated the government,
and brought on a persecution, which is with
out a parallel in the annals of the church.
Among the causes of it, were the intercept
ed letters mentioned in the text, giving ac
count of a projected insurrection of the
Christians, as soon as a Spanish force should
appear on the coast. As soon as these let
ters reached the court in 1637, decrees were
passed, requiring all foreigners to quit the
country at once, on pain of death ; and sub
jecting every foreigner to the same penalty,
who should ever after set his foot in the
country. The return of the Japanese Chris
tians to paganism, was now peremptorily re
quired, on pain of death. These decrees
were rigorously executed : and two years
after, the Portuguese were all driven from
the country ; and only the Hollanders were
allowed to introduce a small quantity of Eu
ropean goods, and to live as it were impris
oned, in a corner of the empire. Thus fell
the Japanese church, after it had stood very
nearly a century. See SchroccWs Kirchen-
gesch. seit der Reform. r vol. in., p. 668 &c.
-TV.]



858 BOOK IV.-CENTURY XVII. SECTION I.

allowed annually to import a small quantity of European merchandise, liva
in an extreme corner of the kingdom, as it were enclosed in a prison.

17. Many respectable and pious men endeavoured to rouse the Lu
therans, in imitation of the Catholics, to efforts for imparting Christian
truth to the nations enveloped in the darkness of degrading superstition.
No one was more zealous in this cause, than the Austrian nobleman Jus
tinian Ernest, baron of Wels ; who proposed the formation of a society for
this purpose, which should bear the name of Jesus. (21) But there were
various causes, and especially the situation of the Lutheran princes, few of
whom possessed any territories or fortified posts out of Europe, which pre
vented this matter from ever proceeding beyond good wishes and consulta
tions. But the Reformed, and especially the English and the Dutch, whose
mercantile adventures carried them to the remotest parts of the world, ana
who planted extensive colonies during this century in Asia, Africa, and
America ; enjoyed the best advantages for extending the limits of the Chris
tian church. Nor did these nations wholly neglect this duty ; although
they are taxed, with grasping at the wealth of the Indians, but neglecting
their souls, and perhaps they did not perform so much as they might have
done. Among the English, by an act of parliament in the year 1647, the
business of propagating Christianity was committed to the care of a soci
ety, composed of men of the highest respectability and integrity. This
society was revived in the reign of Charles II., A.D. 1661 ; and again con
firmed, and invested with extraordinary privileges and rights, by William
III. in the year 1701 ; and being enriched with the splendid donations of
kings, nobles, and private individuals, has continued down to our own
times. (22) From this noble institution, great advantages have been deri-

(21) Godfr. Arnolds Kirchen-und Ket- tempts were made to get up a missionary

zerhistorie, pt. ii., book xvii., ch. xv., $ 23, association, afterwards ; but to no purpose,

&c., p. 1066, and pt. iii., ch. xv., 18, p. during this century. See the authors above

150. Jo. Moller, Cimbria Litterata, torn, cited. 7V.]

iii., p. 75. [In 1664, this Hungarian baron (22) Kcnnct, Relation de la Societe* etab-

published two letters addressed to the Lu- lie pour la propagation de 1 Evangile par le

theran community, on a reformation of man- Roy Guillaume III., Rotterd., 1708, 12mo.

ners and on efforts for the conversion of the [In 1649 an ordinance was passed by the

heathen. In the first, he proposed these English parliament, for the erection of a

three questions : Is it right, that we Evan- corporation, by the name of the President

gelical Christians should keep the Gospel to and Society for the propagation of the Gos-

ourselves, and not seek to spread it abroad 1 pel in New-England : and a general collec-

Is it right, that we every where encourage tion for its endowment, was ordered to be

so many to study theology, yet give them no made in all the counties, cities, towns, and

opportunity to go abroad, but rather keep parishes, of England and Wales. Notwith-

them, three, six, or more years, waiting for standing very considerable opposition to the

parishes to become vacant, or for the posts measure, funds were raised in this manner,

of schoolmasters 1 Is it right, that we should which enabled the society to purchase lands,

expend so much in dress, high living, useless worth from five to six hundred pounds a year,

amusements, and expensive fashions ; yet On the restoration of Charles II., the corpo-

hitherto have never thought of any means for ration became dead in law; and Colonel

spreading the Gospel 1 His proposal to Bcdingjicld, a Roman Catholic, who had

form a missionary association, was approved so d to it an estate of 322 pounds per an-

by some, but objected to by others, especial- mnn, seized upon that estate, and refused to

ly among the higher clergy. He himself ad- refund the money he had received for it.

vanced 12,000 dollars for the object; went But in 1661, a new charter was granted by

to Holland, on the subject ; and at length the king ; and the honourable Robert Beyle

shipped for the Dutch West Indies, to en- brought a suit in chancery against Beding-

gage himself in missionary labour: but he field, and recovered the land. Boyle was

wwa no more heard of. Some feeble at- appointed the first governor of the company^



GENERAL HISTORY OF THE CHURCH.



259



red, and ire still daily derived, by many nations ignorant of Christ and
especially by those in America. By the labours of the Dutch, an imrm nse
number of people in the island of Ceylon, on the coast of Malabar, in the
island of Formosa, and in other countries of Asia, (which the Dutch
either conquered from the Portuguese, or otherwise brought under their
power), are said to have renounced the impious rites of their fathers. (23)
If perhaps some extravagance may be found in these narrations, yet it is
most certain, that this nation after it had obtained a firm establishment in
the East Indies, adopted at great expense, various measures well calculated
to imbue the natives with a knowledge of Christian principles. (24)

18. As the interior parts of Africa proper have not yet been accessi
ble to the Europeans, they still remain wholly destitute of the light of



and held the office about thirty years. (See
Wm. Browns History of the propagation of
Christianity, vol. i., p. 62, &c., ed. N. York,
1821, and NcaVs Hist, of the Puritans, ed.
of Toulmin, Boston, 1817, vol. iv., p. 433,
&c., but especially the Connecticut Evang.
Magazine, vol. iv., p. 1, &c.) It was this
society which supported the various mission
ary operations in New-Ecgland during the
seventeenth century. Their expenditures in
the year 1661, amounted to 2!. 8s. Id. or
$3280 87. Tr.]

(23) See the letters addressed to John
Leusden, de Successu Evangelii apud Indos
Orientales ; published at Utrecht, 1699, Svo.

(24) See Jo. Braun s La veritable religion
des Hollandois, p. 71, 267, &c., Amsterd.,
1675, 12mo. This work is an answer to the
malignant tract of Stoup, entitled La religion
des Hollandois ; in which he would insinu
ate, that the Dutch have no regard for religion
whatever. [The Dutch conquered Ceylon
from the Portuguese, about the middle of
this century ; and immediately established
there the Protestant religion, excluding all
others from every office. The Portuguese
inhabitants, and the natives both Catholics
and pagans, in large numbers, embraced the
established faith, at least in pretence. The
country was divided into 240 parishes ; a
church was erected and a school established
in each. Every ten schools had a catechist,
who was their superintendent. About 15
clergymen were assig



ned to the island. In
1672, Baldczus, one of the Dutch ministers,
gives account of 30 native churches in the
province of Jaffnapatnam ; in which were
about 30,000 attendants on worship upon
Sundays, and about 16,000 pupils in the
schools during the week. Near the close of
the century, Dr. Leusden wrote to Dr. In
crease Mather of Boston, " that in and near
the island of Ceylon, the Dutch pastors had
baptized about 300,000" of the natives.
(Mather s Magnalia, book iii., vol. i., p. 510,
ed. Hartford, 1820.) The Dutch had also
translated and published in the Cingalese



language, considerable portions of the Bible ;
besides catechisms, prayers, and other Chris
tian books. The Dutch having possessed
themselves of a large part of the island of
Java, opened a church in Batavia the capitol,
in the year 1621. Pursuing much the same
plans here as at Ceylon, in the year 1721
they could reckon 100,000 Christians in
Java; and two Dutch, two Portuguese, and
one or two Malay churches, at Batavia. The
New Testament in Malay, was printed at
Amsterdam, 1668, at the expense of the
Dutch East India Company. Soon after
establishing the Gospel in Java, the Dutch
sent ministers from Batavia to the island of
Amboyna ; and in 1686, it is said, they had
converted 30,000 of the natives. Here too,
schools were established, and a number of
ministers stationed, at the expense of tho
Dutch East India Company. In 1634, the
Dutch formed a settlement on the western
part of the island Formosa. Robert Juniut
of Delft, was sent out by the Dutch govern
ment to establish Christianity there. He ia
said to have baptized 6000 persons ; and to
have set up schools, in which about 600
young men were taught to read. He com
posed some prayers, and translated certain
Psalms into the Formosan language : and
though his labours were chiefly in the north
ern parts of the island, yet he had planted
churches in twenty-three towns in the south,
and had set pastois over them, when he re
turned to Holland. In 1661, the Gospels
of Matthew and John were translated into
the Formosan language, by Dan. Graving,
and printed at Amsterdam, together with a
Catechism. But probably, before these
books reached the island, it was captured by
a Chinese pirate ; and it has since belonged
to the Chinese. Besides the converts in
these places, the Dutch made many others
in Sumatra, Timor, Celebes, Banda, Ter-
nate, and the neighbouring Molucca Islands.
See Brown s Hist, of the propagation of
Christianity, vol. i.,ch. iii., p. 15-28. Tr.}



E60 BOOK IV. CENTURY XVII. SECTION I.

Christian truth. But in the maritime parts, especially those where the
Portuguese have obtained settlements, the power of the barbarous super
stitions has here and there been prostrated, and the Romish rites have sue-
coeded in their place. Yet the ingenuous even of the Romish communion,
do not deny, that the number of those in this part of the world who de
serve the appellation of genuine Christians, is but small ; that the greater
part so worship Christ, as at the same time to follow the abominable su.
perstitions of their fathers ; and that even the best of them have many
defects. What little advances Christianity has made in that country, are
to be ascribed almost wholly to the efforts of the Capuchins, who in this
century encountered incredible toils and hardships in bringing some of the
ferocious nations of Africa to a knowledge of Christ. They persuaded,
among others the kings of Owerra and Benin, to admit the truth of Chris
tianity ; and induced the very cruel and heroic queen of Matamba, Anna
Zinglia, in 1652, to allow herself and people to be baptized. (25) For the
Roman pontiffs, or rather the society at Rome which superintends the prop-
agation of Christianity, have judged that African missions for various
reasons, were attended with peculiar dangers and difficulties, and could not
well be performed by any but those early accustomed to austere modes of
living and to the endurance of hardships. Nor did the other Romish
monks appear to envy the Capuchins very much, their hard-earned glory.
19. The India of the West, or what is commonly called America, is
inhabited by innumerable colonists professing the Romish religion, Spanish,
Portuguese, and French. (26) But these colonists, especially the Spanish
and Portuguese, as appears from the testimony of very respectable men
belonging themselves to the Catholic church, are, even the priests not ex-
cepted, the lowest and most abandoned of all that bear the Christian name,
and far surpass even the pagans, in ridiculous rites and flagitious con
duct. (27) Those of the aboriginal Americans, who have been reduced to
servitude by the Europeans, or who reside in the vicinity of Europeans,
have received some slight knowledge of the Romish religion from the Jes
uits, Franciscans, and others ; but the little knowledge they have receiv
ed, is wholly obscured by the barbarity of their customs and manners.
Those Catholic priests of various orders and classes, who in modern times
have visited the wandering tribes of the forests remote from the settle-

(25) For illustration of these facts, besides into French, and published in five volumes

Urban Ccrri, Etat present de I Eglise Ro- 12mo, Paris, 1732, under the title : Relation

tnaine, p. 222, &c., see Jo. Anton. Cavazzi, historique de 1 JEthiopie Occidentale. And

Relation Historique de 1 Afrique [d Ethio- this last is the work which Mosheim had in

pie] Occidentale ; which Jo. Bapt. Labat his eye ; and not that of the same Labat,

published in French, tome iii., p. 432, &c., which was also published in five volumes

tome iv., p. 28, 354, &c., and nearly the 12mo, in 1728, entitled, Nouvelle relation

whole work, which is chiefly occupied with de PAfrique Occidentale. TV.]

the history of the missions performed by the (26) See the authors mentioned by Jo. Als,

Capuchins in Africa during the last century. Fabricius, Lux Evangelii toti orbi exoriens,

[Dr. Madeline finds all these references to- cap. xlviii., xlix., p. 769, &c. The state oi

tally wrong. Schickel says : Dr. Mosheim the Romish religion in that part of America

meant Father Fortunatus Alamandints occupied by Christians, is briefly exhibited

Italian historical description of the kingdoms by Urban Cerri, Etat present de I Eglise.

of Congo, Matamba, and Angola ; Bologna, Romaine, p. 245.

1687, fol., whose statements the Italian Ca- (27) See in particular, Frczier, Voyage

puchin and missionary, Jo. Anton. Cavazzi du mer du Sud, p. 167,218, 328 353, 40*

de Montccavallo, has copied. And these last, 417, 432, 533.
Labat actually translated, in a free manner,



GENERAL HISTORY OF THE CHURCH.



merits of Europeans, have learned by experience, that the Indians, unless
they become civilized, and cease to roam, are absolutely incapable of re-
ceiving and retaining on their minds the principles of Christianity.pS)
And hence, in some provinces both of South and North America, Indian
commonwealths have been founded by the Jesuits with great efforts, and
guarded with laws similar to those of the Europeans ; and the access of
all Europeans to them has nearly been cut off, to prevent their being cor
rupted by European vices ; while the Jesuits sustain the rank both of teach
ers and of magistrates among them. But while the Jesuits highly extol
the merits and zeal of their order in this thing, others deny their claims ;
and maintain, that they are more eager after public honours, wealth, and
power, than the advancement of Christianity ; and say, they have collected
immense quantities of gold from Paraguay which is subject to their sole
authority, and from other countries, which they have transmitted to their
society in Europe. (29)



(28) An immense number of facts on this
subject, are found in the Letters* which the
French Jesuits wrote to their European
friends, respecting the success of their mis
sions, and which have been published at
Paris.

(29) Jo. Bapt. Labat, when asked by Tam-
burini, the general of the order of the Jesu
its, what progress Christianity was making
among the Americans, boldly and frankly
said : Either none or very little ; that he had
not met with one adub among those tribes,
who was truly a Chrisvian ; that the preach
ers among them were useful, only by bap
tizing occasionally, infants that were at the
point of death. Voyage du P. Labat en
Espagne et en Italie, tome viii., p. 7. Je lui
repondu qu on n y avoit fait jusqu a present
d autres progres que de baptize* quelques
enfans moribons, sans avoir pu convertir ver-
itablernent aucun adulte. He added, that
to make the Americans Christians, they
must first be made men : Qu il en falloit
faire des homines, avantque d en faire des
Chretians. This resolute Dominican, who
had been a missionary in the American isl
ands, wished to give the father of the Jesuits
some salutary counsels respecting the im
mense possessions and wealth of his sons
in the American islands : but the cautious
old man dexterously avoided the subject :
Je voulus le mettre sur les biens que la
Compagnie possede aux Isles : il eluda del-
icatement cet Article. With no less spirit,
the same Labat checked the supreme pon
tiff himself, Clement XL, who commended
the activity of the Spaniards and Portuguese
in furthering the salvation of the Americans,
but taxed the French with negligence in this
very important matter : the Spaniards and
the Portuguese, said Labat, have no cause
to boast of the success of their labours :
<hey only induce the Indians o feign thorn



selves Christians, through fear of tortures
and death. Les Missionaires Espagnols et
Portugais n avoient pas sujet de se vanter
des pretendues conversions des Indiens,
puisqu il etoit constant qu ils n avoient fait
que des hypocrites, que la crainte de la mort
ou des tourmens avoit forcez a recevoir
de bapteme, et qui etoient dimeurez apres
1 avoir re<ju, aussi idolatres qu auparavant.,
loc. cit., p. 12. To this testimony, so very
recent and of so high authority, so many more
ancient might be added, that it would be dif
ficult to recount them. See also, respecting
the American Jesuits, the Memoire touchant
1 Etsblissement considerable des Peres Jesu-
ites dans les Indes d Espagne ; which is ad
ded to Frczier s Relation du Voyage de la
Mer du Sud, p. 577, &c. Franc. Coreal,
Voyages aux Indes occidentals, torn. ii.,p.
67, 43, &c. See also, Mammachius, Ori-
gines et Antiquit. Christianae, torn, ii., p.
337, &c. Respecting the Jesuits occupying
the province of Paraquaria or Paraguay, see
Uiloa, Voyage d Amerique, tome i., p. 540,
&c., and Ludov. Anton. Mur atari s tract
published in 1743, in which he pleads their
cause against their accusers. [A full and
very favourable history of the Jesuit repub
lic of Paraguay, to A.D. 1747, with numerous
documents and vouchers, may be found in the
Jesuit Fran. Xavier de Charlevoix 1 Histoire
du Paraguay, Paris, 1757, 6 tomes 12mo ;
also in English, but without the documents,
London, 1769, 2 vols. 8vo. In 1752, the
king of Spain having ceded a considerable
part of this Jesuit republic to the king of