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Show 158 A Dg/Ivate concerning b ued divers barbarous Nations, who were wont it?) differ men in Sacrifice, they dld not pumlh em for that Crime, but only forbad 'em to do the like for the future. That it is not to be expeéted of. the In- dians,that they lhould renounce their Errors in a moment, that the light of Nature which informs em there is a God, teaches 'em to [how him refpec‘r, and to return him thanks for the Benefits they receive of him, and likewife to endeavour to ‘make atonement for the Sins they commit againft hIS' Divme Ma- jelty', and that they ought to devote the heft they have to him in Sacrifice: Confequently their evrl Cultom of facrificing human Creatures to the {uppos'd Deities they worlhip, is the lefs to he WOnder d at, fince they have no knowledg of Divme Revelation, but only the glimmerings of natural Light to direé‘t 'em', which Light too is obfcur d With much thick darknefs in the minds of Pagans. That thefe People believe they perform avery acceptable SCI": vice to God, when they offer him the Lives of Men, that this may be confirmed in fome fort by the Te- flimony of Holy Writ, feeing God, when he would the infla'uing 0f the Indians. 159 which (he fays) lhews they were born for Slavery, is a liilficient reafon to declare War againflt 'em, in order to fubjec‘t 'em to the Government of the Europcam: the Billiop of Cbiapa fays, there are three differentlorts of Barbarians. Firlt, that this Term is taken in general to fignify any Nation that differs from others by fome firange Opinion, or peculiar Cufloms, tho they want not Prudence or Policy to conduct their Affairs. That the fecond kind of Barbarians is of thofe, who have no Language proper by which to exprefs themfelves to other People; fuch as the Englilh formerly were, when they had no Letters or Charaéters whereby to explain their Thoughts. The third fort of Barbarians are fuch as refemble favage Beafts, by the dulnefs and flupidity of their Minds, by their brutilh Inclinations, and by the extravagance of their Cuitoms 5 who wander up and down in the Fields, never dwelling together in Towns or Cities; who are without Laws or Civil Government, and take no care to obferve the Law of Nations; who rove about to commit Robberies, and ufe Violence on all that have not power enough which God might do, as he is the abfolute Mailer!) to refilt 'em :, fuch as the Goths and Alan: were formerly, and fuch as the Arabs in Afia are to this day : That'tis as lawful to make War with this fort of the Lives of Men : that belides this Inltance, the People, as to hunt wild Beafts, and would be a great Scripture teftifies that God requir'd the Ifraclzres lto redeem their own Lives by the facrifice of .Amma 5. That the Word of God remarks, that 'tis impolhble piece of fervice to the World to reduce 'em to any try the faithfulnefs of Abraham, commanded him)? facrifice his only Son, whom he tenderly lov i tolerable Difciplin. But as for the Indians, that to give a greater Teftimony of Love, than to offer tho they have fome extravagant Cuftoms, but not any good Policy, yet they ought not to be ones felf for the Perfon belov'd: that thofe Women look'd upon as prOperly Barbarians; feeing they are in the Indies that were molt dear to their Husbands Of a quite contrary difpofition, being meek, civil, while they lived, chofe to be buried alive With 61391, and tractable in their Manners; that they are a nu- to give the greater proof of their conyugal Fide NY merous People, who have Cities and Laws, and un- and Afi'eétion. filerfland divers Arts; that they have Princes over In anfwer to the other Argument alledg'd by D'Segulueda, namely, that the barbarity of the Eggs: em, and live under a kind of regulated Government; thatthey not only punifh Sins againit Nature,hbut 6W6 |