They that are members of their Churches have the Sacraments administred to them, the rest that are out of the pale as they phrase it, are denyed it. Many hundred Souls there be amongst them grown up to men & womens estate that were never Christened.
They judge every man and woman to pay Five shillings per day, who comes not to their Assemblies, and impose fines of forty shillings and fifty shillings on such as meet together to worship God.
[p. 180.] Quakers they whip, banish, and hang if they return again.
Anabaptists they imprison, fine and weary out.
The Government both Civil and Ecclesiastical is in the hands of the thorow-pac’d Independents and rigid Presbyterians.
The grose Goddons, or great masters, as also some of their Merchants are damnable rich; generally all of their judgement, inexplicably covetous and proud, they receive your gifts but as an homage or tribute due to their transcendency, which is a fault their Clergie are also guilty of, whose living is upon the bounty of their hearers. On Sundays in the afternoon when Sermon is ended the people in the Galleries come down and march two a breast up one Ile and down the other, until they come before the desk, for Pulpit they have none: before the desk is a long pue where the Elders and Deacons sit, one of them with a mony box in his hand, into which the people as they pass put their offering, some a shilling, some two shillings, half a Crown, five shillings according to their ability and good will, after this they conclude with a Psalm; but this by the way.
The chiefest objects of discipline, Religion, [p. 181.] and morality they want, some are of a Linsie-woolsie disposition, of several professions in Religion, all like Æthiopians white in the Teeth only, full of ludification and injurious dealing, and cruelty the extreamest of all vices. The chiefest cause of Noah’s floud, Prov. 27. 26. Agni erant ad vestitum tuum, is a frequent Text among them, no trading for a stranger with them, but with a Græcian faith, which is not to part with your ware without ready money, for they are generally in their payments recusant and slow, great Syndies, or censors, or controllers of other mens manners, and savagely factious amongst themselves.
There are many strange women too, (in Salomon’s sence) more the pitty, when a woman hath lost her Chastity, she hath no more to lose.
But mistake me not to general speeches, none but the guilty take exceptions, there are many sincere and religious people amongst them, descryed by their charity and humility (the true Characters of Christianity) by their Zenodochie or hospitality, by their hearty submission to their Soveraign the King of England, by their diligent and honest labour in their callings, amongst these we may account the Royalists, who are lookt upon with an evil eye, and [p. 182.] tongue, boulted or punished if they chance to lash out; the tame Indian (for so they call those that are born in the Countrey) are pretty honest too, and may in good time be known for honest Kings men.
They have store of Children, and are well accommodated with Servants; many hands make light work, many hands make a full fraught, but many mouths eat up all, as some old planters have experimented; of these some are English, others Negroes: of the English there are can eat till they sweat, and work till they freeze; & and of the females that are like Mrs. Winters paddocks, very tender fingerd in cold weather.