A SERMON PREACHED BEFORE THE Honourable Trustees For Establishing the Colony of
GEORGIA
in AMERICA, AND THE Associates of the late Rev. Dr. BRAY; AT THEIR ANNIVERSARY MEETING,
March
16, 1749-50. IN THE Parish Church of St. MARGARET, WESTMINSTER.
By
THOMAS FRANCKLIN,
M. A. Fellow of
Trinity College,
CAMBRIDGE.
Publish'd at the Desire of the
Trustees
and
Associates.
LONDON:
Printed for R. FRANCKLIN, in
Russel-street, Covent-Garden.
MDCCL.
GAL. vi. ix.
Let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due Season we shall reap if we faint not.
AS the chief Purport and Design of the holy Apostle, thoughout his Epistle to the
Galatians,
was to exhort his Fellow-labourers in the Vineyard of
Christ
to a Continuance in well-doing, to a steady Zeal and Perseverance in the great and important Business assign'd to their Care; he takes Occasion, in the Conclusion of it, to put them in Mind of that grand Point on which their Success must in a great Measure depend; to enforce the Necessity of a firm and unalterable Resolution; and at the same Time to intimate to them the Advantages, which wou'd naturally flow from such a Conduct.
Let us not,
says he,
be weary in well-doing, for in due Season we shall reap if we faint not.
St.
Paul,
who was no Stranger to human Nature and all its Infirmities; who knew how Men are for the most Part guided by their Hopes and Fears; who knew how arduous a Task they had engaged in; who probably knew also that they had been persecuted and oppress'd, and were perhaps greatly dispirited and cast down; endeavours to comfort, and support them by a Promise of better Success, and a strong Assurance of future Reward;
we shall reap,
says he,
in due Season, if we faint not.
As the Mind of Man is ever fluctuating and inconstant, fond of Novelty and impatient of Confinement, as good Intents and Dispositions come upon us, as it were, but by Starts and Sallies, and even in the best of us are seldom of long Duration; no Caution can be more necessary than that given in the Text, nor any stronger Motive to induce us to a Compliance with it than that which is there annex'd.
It is with great Truth observed of all human Pleasures, that the Satisfaction lies more in the Pursuit than in the Enjoyment of them: The Sport is in the Chace and not the Game; and thus it is in most of our Actions. Whilst we have Novelty to delight us, we feel neither Fatigue nor Satiety; but when we have got up the Hill, and view'd the whole Prospect, our Eyes begin to wander after fresh Objects; Desire grows languid, and something else is wanting to revive, and set it at Work again. How many noble and excellent Designs, calculated to promote the Welfare of Society, have been thrown aside merely through Listlessness and want of Perseverance! It is much easier to begin than to continue in any good and praise-worthy Undertaking. Nothing doth in Reality so much destroy the Credit of Morality as Indolence, and Wavering; nothing doth so much promote and honour it as Steadiness and Resolution: But I know not how it is, Vice and Folly have gain'd over Industry to their Party, and all the Endeavours of Reason and Religion to render Virtue habitual are ineffectual. How soon do Men faint in the Race of true Glory! how indefatigable are they in the Pursuit of false! how seldom weary of doing ill! how languid in Actions of Goodness or Beneficence! The
Feet of the malicious
and revengeful are slow to serve the wretched, but
swift to shed Blood:
Evil Doers are resolute, active, vigilant; while the Followers of Good want perpetual Monitors to awaken, and stimulate them. There is always a
Lion in the Path
to obstruct them. Every Obstacle alarms; every Disappointment checks; every Danger throws them into Doubt, Diffidence, and Despair. How disgraceful is it to the Cause of Truth that the Advocates for Falsehood should so far exceed them in Zeal and Alacrity; and that the Resolution and Firmness, which would throw so great a Lustre on Virtue and Religion, should be listed in the Service of Vice and Debauchery! Shall we never be persuaded to make that, which is our Interest and Duty, our Pleasure also and our Happiness? Shall not all those, who are already engaged, resolve to continue in well-doing? Let us rest assured we shall meet with a Recompence of Reward; that
we shall
certainly
reap, if we faint not.
Let this then inspire us with fresh Vigour, and re-animate us in the noble Struggle for Victory.
Doubtless the best and most effectual Method of carrying on great and laudable Undertakings is by the Union and Cement of Society; by various Lines all tending to one great Center, held together by Charity, the Bond of all Virtues. Nothing can bestow truer Satisfaction on a benevolent Mind than to reflect on the many pious and useful Designs, which have of late Years been promoted by collective P
dies of Men amongst us; and greater things we tr
st may yet be done. Few indeed in these our Day
are the Wise and Good; and yet small and inconsiderable as is their Number, were they once heartily to unite in the Cause of Piety and Virtue,
Righteousness and Peace might once more kiss each other,
and the Triumph over Vice and Irreligion be an easy and a glorious Conquest.
To prepare the Way for this Triumph, we are here on this Day assembled; to exhort one another in the Continuance of well-doing, to return our hearty and unfeigned Thanks to God for the good Success we have already met with, and to call down a Blessing on our Endeavours; an annual Solemnity, establish'd by, and very consonant with, the Piety and Goodness of Men engaged in so noble and useful an Undertaking; a Solemnity, which, it were to be wish'd, might be observed by all, who shall at any Time enter into Pursuits of the like Nature.
The Foundation of Colonies is perhaps of all Charities the most noble and extensive, as it promotes both public Welfare and private Utility; and whilst it brings Honour and Plenty to the whole Body, secures at the same Time the Peace, Safety, and Happiness of the Individual; it is not narrow and circumscribed, but embraces the whole Range of social Duties, and takes in our Duty to God, to our Country, and to our Kind.
What the Psalmist says of Children, may I think, with great Propriety, be applied to these Establishments,
They are like the Arrows in the Hand of the Giant, happy is
that King
who hath his Quiver full of them;
they give Delight to his Friends, and Terror to his Enemies, and serve, like burnish'd Armour to the Warrior, both to adorn and to defend.
Such as promote and encourage these glorious Undertakings, are true
Christians;
far better
Christians,
than all the modern Pretenders to Inspiration and Apostleship, which have sprung up amongst us. These Deeds and these Men will be remember'd, when the Zeal of Fools and the Bigotry of Enthusiasts shall be forgotten. These are the true Patriots and Lovers of their Country, who are thus anxious for her Glory, thus active for her Interest,
who send forth her Fame unto all Lands, and her Words unto the Ends of the World.
Amongst these
true Christians
and true Patriots, the Establishers of
Georgia
claim our highest Veneration, Esteem, and Gratitude; a Colony, which was for a long Time cherish'd and encouraged with most amazing Warmth and Alacrity; but though the Legislature doth continue to encourage it by constant Supplies, and tho' those Supplies are fairly and justly appropriated by the Trustees to the Uses for which they are granted; yet whether it be that public Charity hath since emptied itself into other Channels; whether, as I before observed, the Love of Novelty hath diverted it; whether a false Notion may have prevailed that it doth not stand in Need of any farther Assistance; to which ever Cause we must attribute it, certain it is, it doth not at present so much engross the public Care and Concern as it once did, or as it deserves.
It is to be hoped we are not grown
weary in welldoing.
It has suffered from us and should be comforted; it has merited from and should be rewarded by us.
On it's Trade and Commerce, on it's Ports and Havens, the Wealth and Safety of a Nation, situated as ours is, must principally depend. How useful
Georgia
hath already been in all these Respects, how much more so it may still be render'd, hath already been made sufficiently evident.
Undeniable it is, and must be, that every Argument, which hath been at any Time alledged in Favour of this Colony, will at this Time recur to us with double Force, whether we consider it in a civil or in a religious Light.
When we reflect on the miserable State of Servitude and Dependence, in which so many amongst us are involved; the Penury of some; the Afflictions of others; and at the same Time call to Mind that there is a Haven of Rest open to them; a Place where they may be assured of Maintenance and Support, where those Talents and Accomplishments, which might perhaps here lie undiscover'd, or undistinguish'd; would be highly valued and esteem'd; when we consider that it is thus in the Power of Men to exchange Want and Sorrow for Ease and Affluence, Infamy for Reputation, and Slavery for Freedom; is it not Matter of Astonishment they should yet prefer Misery to Happiness, and be in love with Ruin, Poverty and Destruction? But there are Thousands amongst us, of the low and illiterate especially, who had rather beg and starve here than flourish any where else; Wretches, who talk with Fear and Trembling of the Misery of quitting Friends and Home, when at the same Time it may be they have neither Home nor Friends to leave.
Prejudices against Places, Things, or Persons, without Reason or Judgment to countenance them, are among the most pernicious Weaknesses of our Nature; they shew a foolish cowardly Diffidence of ourselves; a blameable, not to say an impious distrust of our Creator, as if his Bounty could not supply our Wants in every Climate, his right Hand guide and defend us in every Situation and Circumstance of Life.
But the Idle, who are here and will not go over, have another Reason also, and that is, that the Idle who were there before did not like it; and if the Dissolute and Slothful have left the Province, (as many of them have) so much the better; the Idle in a
Colony,
like Cowards in an Army, are but a dead Weight and an Incumbrance; the Business is much better carried on without them. If the Members be rotten and corrupt, it is better they should be sever'd from the Body, lest they infect and mortify it.
Such as remain there will in all Probability be more industrious and serviceable; their Fidelity and Perseverance stand in a stronger Point of Light; and seem in a more particular Manner to demand your Gratitude towards them.
But let us consider
Georgia
in a religious Light. Consider it as a Shelter from the Tyranny of Bigots and Enthusiasts, and as a Door of Knowlege to the unenlighten'd
Barbarian;
as well in Regard to those, who fly from a false Religion, as those who are ignorant of the true. Thanks be to God, we are not persecuted; we are under no Fear of Axes, Faggots, and an Inquisition; and all our easy Task is to
love Mercy,
and
walk humbly with our God.
If we do
love Mercy
then, here we may shew it; if we ourselves would
walk humbly with our God,
let us give others an Opportunity of doing so too. Persecution hath already driven many thither, who deserved a better Fate. It is remarked, to the Honour of the
Saltzburghers,
that they live together in the utmost Harmony and Happiness; an amiable Copy of the first Ages of the World; in
godly Love and mutual Charity one towards another;
in that Simplicity of Life and Manners, so rarely to be met with in any Age, so very seldom in our own. This is furely a State which Kings might envy them. They have Reason to bless the Hand which persecuted them, and to look on their Enemies, who drove them to such an Asylum, as their best Friends and Benefactors.
But what shall we say to the great Advantages, which may arise from spreading the Gospel-doctrine among the neighbouring
Indians?
Can there be an Employment worthier a good Man, an Employment capable of imparting more Pleasure and Satisfaction to a right Mind than that of cultivating and improving the human Soul; to soften and refine the Manners; to tame, by gentle Methods, the Wildness of the Savage; and humanize him into a social and benevolent Being; to be Instruments in the Hands of God of saving many Souls from Death; to be the Means of propagating our holy Religion among those, who
have no Knowlege of her Laws,
that we may all become
one Flock under one Shepherd;
this is surely a most noble and most desirable Employment. To this Purpose some are set apart, and to this every one, as far as in him lies, will it is hoped gladly contribute; and if they are rightly taught and instructed by us, if we
sow unto them spiritual Things, we shall reap their temporal Things;
they will think no Labour too great, no Toil too irksome to reward those, who have thus open'd their Minds, and brought them from the Darkness of Paganism and Idolatry to the Knowlege of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ.
Surely if there were no other Inducement, this would be sufficient to prevent our growing weary. The Industry of
Rome
in making Proselytes has long been a Reproach to us; their Warmth and Resolution make our cold Remissness still more inexcusable.
It is too common among the Potentates of the Earth to establish Colonies by Force and Violence; to send out Men with Orders to seize on the first convenient Spot, and take Possession of it, after putting to Death all the wretched Inhabitants. This we know has been done; but
Georgia
was not thus establish'd; no Property was invaded, no Blood spilt; we did not ravage or destroy for it; the same Methods, which were made Use of in the Acquisition, were also follow'd, when we were settled in it; and it was originally design'd that there should be no such Thing as Slavery in
Georgia.
To this End, a general Equality was proposed and acquiesced in, every Man's Estate was limited, and no one suffer'd by Means of exorbitant Power, or greater Extent of Possessions, to lord it over, or insult his Fellow-labourers and Brothers of the Community.
It was not therefore without great Concern that the
Trustees
found themselves under the Necessity of introducing Negro-slaves into the
Colony:
but in this Particular, as in all others, they have, at the same Time, acted with the utmost Prudence and Humanity. Such Regulations are already made as will greatly tend to promote the Glory of God, and the Good of our Country. Care has been taken to check the Insolence of Power, to prevent all severe Treatment, all Acts of Violence or Oppression, that if these unhappy Beings must eat the Bread of Slavery, they shall at least eat it in Peace and Quiet, that their Chains may not gall them, that their
Yoke may be easy, and their Burthen light;
and that
their Masters shall,
as St.
Paul
says,
give unto their Servants that which is just and equal, knowing that they also have a Master in Heaven.
To treat our Fellow-creatures, those who partake of the same Nature with us, Sons of one common Lord and Father, as Aliens and Illegitimate; to take Advantage of any casual Superiority, either of bodily or mental Powers, to triumph over and insult them; is surely unworthy of us as Men, and a Disgrace to us as
Christians:
Whilst, on the other Hand, toenlarge and refine their Souls; to call them from a State of Anarchy and Confusion to Order and Harmony, to the Benefits of mutual Converse, and all the protected Joys of Society; and above all, to make them Partakers with us of the joyful Hope of another and better World: This is an Ambition worthy of us; this has been your Ambition, may it be crowned with Success.
The Negroes in
Georgia,
by your late Orders, will be made useful not dangerous Subjects; Servants, but not Slaves; dependent, but not miserable Beings; and it is hoped, an Example so truly noble and Praise-worthy, will be followed by the rest of our
Colonies;
that they also will act with Humanity and Tenderness to all those who are in Subjection under them; that if we call them in to give us their Labour, we shall not grudge them in Return Knowlege and Instruction; that if they are forced to live among
Christians,
Care will be taken that they may themselves in Time become so; that if we use their Bodies for our Support and Happiness, their Souls may be refreshed; and that for their Service here to us, we may bestow on them, by our Instructions, the glorious Opportunity of securing to themselves eternal Happiness hereafter.
Let us not
then
be weary in well-doing.
There is doubtless now more Encouragement for all that are willing and ready to go there, than there ever yet could be: The Way is become smooth and passable, and every Obstacle removed, which could alarm the Timid, or terrify the Bold; the Country rendered more healthful, and more fertile; Friends ready to embrace and assist all who will visit them.
Whatever Disappointment the
Colony
may have met with; whatever Discouragements may have prejudiced it; those, to whose Care it was committed, are intirely Blameless: The
honourable Trustees
have acted always with Integrity and Uprightness, with the utmost Care and Assiduity, and have done all that Men could to support and encourage this good Work, and have the Testimony withal of a good Conscience to inform them that in this, as in all other Things, when they have done what
they can,
they have done what
they ought.
But after all, national Undertakings a Nation must support. To the Public therefore we must appeal for Succour if we stand in need of it.
Now that
God,
as the
Psalmist
says,
has made Peace within our Borders, and filled us with the Flower of Wheat,
now that
the Plougher plougheth in hope,
now that the Harvest is ready to be gathered in, now let the Sun of Beneficence shine forth upon it. We have
sowed in Tears
but we shall
reap in Joy.
We have, as the Apostle says,
been troubled on every side:
Though perplexed, we need not be in Despair. We have been
persecuted, but not forsaken, cast down but not destroy'd.
We may say with the
Children of Dan, we have seen the Land, and behold it is very good; be not slothful therefore to go and poss
unto a Place that is secure, wh
of any Thing that is in the Earth
Georgia
need not now be appren
frequent Inroads of her
Spanish
Enemies
with redoubled Ardour and Industry pur
Work. The Mulberry-tree will flourish unde
Hand, and the Vine yield her Fruits of Increa
and there shall be
no noise and complaining in her Streets.
Nothing but a supply of able Hands is wanting to establish a Manufacture there, which would be of the highest Service to
Great Britain,
as the Produce is affirmed to be of at least equal Value and Goodness with that of any other Country. Why should we be obliged to any of them, or pay an exorbitant Price for what we may so easily draw from ourselves; unless we have indeed more Riches than we know what to do with; which I fear at present is not the Case.
Let us not then faint,
for in due Season
we shall reap.
Look upon the People now there, I beseech you, as young and tender Plants, whom ye took from a Soil to them barren and desart, and transplanted to a fairer and more fertile Spot. Let them not, after all your Toil, for want of Moisture and Nourishment, at last wither and decay. Let us not, like Prodigals and Spendthrifts, lay the Foundation only of so noble and magnificent a
goodly Edifice, and then
it for others to inhabit or
ourage our Industry, but let it not
miss, or lull us into a fatal Security.
Lot, because we may not stand so much in
of
Georgia
as a Barrier, neglect it as a Pro
, but rather in Peace be ready for War, raise proper Forts and Bulwarks, and while the Waves are still, and the Sky serene, prepare against a Storm.
Let us hope that no Jealousy or Animosity of the
neighbouring Colonies
will hurt us, but rather trust they will by kind Offices repay that Succour, which they have received from this, and in Return for the Support and Defence which
Georgia
has afforded them, assist and patronize her. To her their own Safety and Success has been greatly owing. Let us hope they will not be ungrateful.
Put not away therefore your Confidence. God, my Brethren, will doubtless raise up Friends to this as he doth to every great and good Work. All that are Friends to
England,
to Liberty, and to Virtue, are our Friends; and
Georgia
can have no Enemies but the Enemies of public Spirit, the Foes of Religion, and of Mankind. May her Manufactures and her Subjects increase; may her own
Works,
as the wise Man says,
praise her in the Gate.
May this truly great and glorious Undertaking
Day with fresh Encouragement, may
Suggestions
it, no Coldness or
obstruct its Succ
. May this
infant
such it still is) prove a pious, an obedient
useful Offspring, and
England
be always
what it always hath been, a kind, a tender
an indulgent Parent. May those to whose Car
is so greatly indebted, be thanked for their Bene
and reap such Reward of th
ir Integrity R
ghtness and truly Christian Zeal, then
hey d
serve, the Praise of all good Men here, the Recompence of a gracious and merciful God hereafter.
May not only our own Nation, but all our Friends reap the Advantage of it. May the whole World be benefitted by the Progress of our mo
holy Religion, which the Establishment of
Colony
will, we trust, greatly promote. Ma
blessed Spirit of that pious Man, now with
whose Associates ye are, look down with Plea
on your Endeavours to render his glorious Design effectual,
that the Earth may be full of the Knowlege of the Lord,
that the Religion of
Christ
may be as extensive as was his Goodness, as is and ev
will be his Beneficence.
Thee lastly then, O gracious and Almighty God, the Source of all Happiness, the only Giver of go
d
ee let us humbly address and beg
our Labours; grant us, O Lord, thy
Support, thy Arm
, thy right
guide and direct us.
Satisfy us with thy
and that soon, give Peace and Joy and
these our Days. Comfort us again after the
that thou hast plagued us, and for the Years
erein we have suffered Adversity, shew these thy Servants thy Work, and their Children thy Glor
▪
The glorious Majesty of the Lord our God us, prosper thou the Work of our Hands, O
thou our handy Work.
Now to God the Father, &c.
FINIS.
Lately publish'd, in one Volume, 8vo.
I. THE Epistles of Phalaris. Translated from the Greek. To which are added, some select Epistles of the most eminent Greek Authors.
II. A Sermon, preach'd at St. Peter's Cornhill, on the Sunday after the late dreadful Fire in Cornhill.