A sermon on the evacuation of Charlestown. By an Aethiopian.

A sermon on the evacuation of Charlestown. By an Aethiopian.

Table of contents

Title page

To the Honorable Thomas Heyward, Esquire, Of the State of South-Carolina,

A SERMON, &c.

[Page]

A SERMON, &c.

PSALM lxxv. 1.

Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks: Unto thee do we give thanks, for that thy name is near, thy wonderous works declare.

The wicked flee, when no man pursueth; but the righteous are as bold as lions.

ALL manner of Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is, at all times, profitable for reproof or instruction, that we may have knowledge upon whom the ends of the world are come.—As war is pernicious in it's nature, so it is hurtful to individuals, as well as to communities, and brings with it numbers of misfortunes: extortion and injustice are it's companions; it makes many wealthy,—brings many to poverty, and, in general, the forerunners thereof seem the first to avoid it, and would willingly give up the laborious task, without honour or profit.

But, as the hearts of all men are in the hands of the Lord, and he can turn them as it seemeth good unto him; so he can reverse the fortune of war, and relieve those who have been mightily oppressed.—He is the great and universal Author of all mankind;—he ruleth and reigneth in the armies of heaven, and amongst the inhabitants of the earth, and there is none to stay his hand, or say unto him, what doest thou?—His interposition, in behalf of his own people, has often appeared, and brought them a joyful morning, after the long and tedious night of oppression, cruelty, and bondage: such deliverance as this the royal Psalmist had often experienced, and in return to his bountiful benefactor he utters forth these words— [Page] Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks: unto thee do we give thanks for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare.

In further treating on this subject, I shall endeavour to give a short description of the divine goodness towards his creatures, in all ages, and to America in general, and then sum up the whole by addressing myself to the citizens of South-Carolina in particular.

The goodness of the munificent Creator has always been displayed towards his creatures; and, whoever has read the sacred writings, cannot fail of seeing deliverance in every page:—He delivered Israel from the hand of Pharaoh, when he had them in bondage, in the cruel land of Egypt, for four hundred and thirty years:—he commissioned his servant Moses to speak in the ears of this tyrannical monarch these awful words—If you will not let my son go, even Israel my first-born, I will slay thy son even thy first-born.—Ex. iv. 22, 23.

But this haughty Monarch, like Britain's present King, hardened his heart against the Lord, and it ended in his utter destruction; the Red-sea overwhelmed him and his furious host. The protection of the divine goodness appeared further for Israel, in the wilderness; David from the hands of Saul, Daniel from the lions mouth, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, from Nebuchadnezzar's fiery furnace, Jonah from the devouring whale, and Peter from the tyrannical Herod. Acts. xii. 6, 7, 8, and following verses. There are many other wonderful deliverances recorded in the sacred writings for your farther information. Thus did God deliver his people from their cruel oppressions in ancient days; and as he was the God of Israel, so he is the God of America, and will, in his own time, deliver her from all her enemies, foreign and domestic, external and internal. Unto God then let all America give thanks, for his delivering hand has been near unto them, since the commencement of this horrid war. You have been wonderfully blessed by the propitious hand of Providence, so as to be able to withstand the vigorous attack of Britain's formidable forces, at the [Page] commencement of her hostilities: when an infant country, no men, no money, no allies, no disciplined troops, to meet a veteran army commanded by able generals. The fair fields of Boston stand as eternal monuments of their savage proceedings;—the blood of an Attucks, and a Maverick can tell!

O Britannia! Britannia! Let not avarice that fatal rock, or ambition that earthly deity, compel you to spill innocent blood, and to delight in making carnage;—the blood of the murdered Americans will cry aloud for vengeance and retaliation. O unfortunate Huddy! where is thy indignant ghost to prompt America to retaliate? O America! patronise Mrs. Asgill, and, by supplication and foreign mediations, snatch your citizens from death to life: let not a woman's weakness triumph over your strength.

Fear not, ye virtuous and brave Americans, rewards and punishments are in reserve for those who have merited them. You who have fought and bled for your country, have got great consolation; the consciousness of having discharged your duty faithfully when in the field, must make you smile in affliction, and rejoice in tribulation. Your cause, conduct, fortitude and courage, have been unshaken, and intitled you to an alliance with one of the first powers in Europe; the conduct of that Monarch has not been equalled in any age whatever.—O brave Americans! by him, under heaven, ye have been able to contend with the imperious and haughty sons of Britain. Your sustaining Britain's formidable forces, before your alliance with her, astonishes the world, and will be the admiration of future ages;—but remember it is not your own arm that has saved you; it is through the mercy of him, whose compassion never fails.

O Britain! little Britain! if the earth was commissioned from it's great Creator to avenge innocent blood, it would have swallowed you up, as it did the company of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Be ashamed, O ancient Britons! of your past conduct towards those, who were once the [Page] bone of your bone, and flesh of your flesh; but now for ever dissolved, and as far distant as the north is from the south. A second burning of a Norfolk, a Kingston, a Charlestown, or any other hostile attempt, will never eradicate from America's bosom her growing independence. North-America, this new world, far excels you in humanity, generosity, and valour; they have catched the genial flame from, your ancient fires, and it is cheerfully distended through these magnificent United States— States that have resisted misfortune with manly firmness, and conquered adversity in her most ghastly shapes;—her lenity towards you has been unequalled; she has not only spared the transgressor, but the guilty murderer has escaped the sword of justice. and permitted to go free: but alas! he is not free—he will be found. "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord." Though his vengeance seems slow, he will not let the guilty go unpunished. It is noble to revenge, more noble to forgive;—but your lenity towards her has been of no avail; it has been like adding fuel to the burning flame, and served to embitter the captivity of your suffering countrymen, who now lie exposed in dark dungeons, and loathsome prison ships, naked, half starved, and waiting there these alternatives— death, exchange, or your conquering their conquerors. Rise and dispel, dissipate and scatter them from their last strong hold; drive out these Canaanites from their dwelling amongst the true Israelites: they have too long dwelt amongst you—too long afflicted your citizens, the freemen of America.

Ye hills and dales! ye mountains and vallies! cry aloud, Retaliate, relatiate.—O Britain! have thy savage soldiery and ruthless sword wantonly and barbarously deprived the man of integrity of his life, made his children fatherless, and his wife a widow: you shall not go unpunished: their blood will cry to heaven for vengeance, as the blood of the Gibeonites did to the house of Saul, in the days of David. 2 Sam. xxi. 1. For you, O Britain! there is wrath in store; under some hidden cloud, there is a rod [Page] for the oppressor, and a sword of justice for him that delighted in blood. Justice will find out the wilful murderer and the private assassin, after expiring years, as the son of Timoleon did the murderer of his father in the temple. Your robberies and plundering, murders and depredations, have gained you the abhorrence of all America. Death and destruction have been the lot of her virtuous sons, whenever fortune throws them into your hands. No distinction has been made; the noble and the ignoble fell victims alike in one common carnage: though you may imagine you have been always victorious, if you recollect the defeats and retreats, you will cease boasting, and call upon your skilful General, retreating before the undisciplined army of the magnanimous Washington.— White Plains, Red Bank, Brandywine, Bunker's Hill, Princeton, Monmouth, Germantown and Trenton, are sufficient evidences against your boastings. Your experienced Generals forget their lessons, when attacked by Americans—and no wonder; the former endeavouring to take away liberty, heaven's choicest blessing; the latter determined to defend it to the last extremity. Her unshaken and intrepid soldiery have overcome difficulties, (even with a treacherous Arnold) that seemed to mankind unsurmountable, and gained him the character of Hannibal. The cold regions of Canada, Lake Champlain, and Ticonderoga, have nobly told of her heroic sons.

Dear sons of liberty, excuse an Aethiopian; reward your military for their eminent services done you in the field; they have endured, with a veteran firmness, the powerful attacks of Britain's superior force, whenever brought to action. The wounded soldier, who has lost a leg or an arm, or both legs, in the defence of his country, calls loudly for your approbation, and immediate assistance. Dear fellow citizens, let not such merit go unrewarded. Courage deserves applause, and heroic acts your best approbation. Let not the deceased soldier's widows and orphans want bread, in any of your states. The soldier thus rewarded, will always be ready to take [Page] the field with vigour and spirit, when the public cause demands his assistance against any foreign invaders, or domestic usurpers: these are the men who have been subservient towards erecting the magnificent edifice of your flourishing Independence; and, if I may be allowed the expression, are as so many branches of that American tree—that tree which Britain has been endeavouring to eradicate from your minds, but cannot, and, I hope, will not while America has a name.—Be no more her slaves, leave that condescension to foreign petty princes, who have hired their troops to subdue you.—But all is in vain;—they, tired of despotism, desert the royal cause, remain in America as tillers of the earth, hewers of wood, and drawers of water, and left their hire in the hands of a tyrannical King and factious Parliament to decide. O ye Americans! exalted by heaven—Say with the Psalmist, Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, for delivering us from the bitter enemies of America. May we be thankful, and make our states independent states indeed, by gradually abolishing slavery, and making the Aethiopian race comfortable amongst us.

I have greatly enlarged on America in general, yet have not forgotten Carolina in particular, and will, immediately after this one remark, address myself to its inhabitants on the evacuation of Charlestown.

Fear not, ye sons of Columbia! Britain has risen to her zenith, as the empires of Cyrus and Belus; like them she will meet her approaching dissolution, and moulder with them into ruin. The sword of America, and her allies, will yet cause Britain's King to tremble on his throne, and shake it to it's very foundation. Her success, with the navy of our allies, in the Western Isles, and her defeating the combined forces at the Rock, have made her more arrogant and haughty; though her boast lies in her naval force, she will not always be victorious: the race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong. British veterans* have intreated for mercy from [Page] the undisciplined Americans, and mercy they found from that officer whose name has been a terror to them, Major General Wayne.

Now let me address my worthy sons of Carolina's state. All hail, you staunch Carolinians, you suffering Americans! I welcome you to your own state once more. I congratulate you on the happy event. My returning fellow citizens, my worthy Carolinians—I mean you who have been eye-witnesses of national faith and solemn capitulations scandalously broken—You who have been politically sent away three hundred miles south of your own country, to suffer eleven months captivity in the dreary desart of East-Florida—You who have had your beloved wives sent with their children to the north, by your implacable and bitter enemies—I congratulate you on the evacuation of Charlestown; a period long expected by you, though never desired by your enemies; they, with the loyal sycophant, never expected your return: but all their hopes are vain. Even an infatuated ministry had some ideas, that America was subdued, when your capital was reduced by Sir Henry Clinton: great honour he gained with his thousands, and a formidable fleet, when he obliged a handful of men, one half of whom were disaffected, to surrender; and this they did not do, until compelled by necessity, and not before the American cannon thundered in his ears, and slew some of his chosen men. O Charlestown! did Britain send her thronged legions to thy peaceful shore, to distress, possess, and then to evacuate it? they thought that America's independent sun was set in darkness, when Clinton marched into your capital; but how have they been deceived! though it set in the south, it rose in the north, and compelled the southern hero to capitulate with his thousands. You who have without delay, since your exchange, joined your American brethren in the field, under that respectable and gallant Commander, Major General Greene. You who have endured with him watching, and every soldierly hardship—you I congratulate on the happy event. [Page] You wealthy farmers, who have had your houses and estates plundered; you who have suffered in every part, and have now returned, praise ye the Lord: you who used to live by the sweat of your brow, in peace and contentment, return; the gates of your city are now wide expanded for your reception, and, I hope, will never be barred any more, except by you against invaders.

Britain's hostile forces unable to conquer, and tired of being defeated, quaked with fear, and were obliged to evacuate your capital; the many battles which have been fought, since the reduction of Charlestown, are more than I can at present recollect; their barbarities, at the battle of Camden, are unparalleled in any civilized country. See them, though boasting, yet worsted at the battle of Guildford, by the gallant General Greene. See them shamefully beaten at the Cowpens. See their shattered army, under Stewart, flying into Charlestown, from the battle of the Eutaw Springs, though they boasted of their victory by fortune throwing into their hands Lieutenant Colonel Washington, and some other prisoners. See Lord Rawdon flying before the country militia, and retreating into Charlestown. See them checked all over your state by the Generals Greene, Wayne and Marion. See them at last driven in from the out posts which they held, and circumscribed to the capital. See them reduced to the wretched alternative of bartering merchandize for produce, for the sustenance of their troops. See them at last obliged to send a strong force for the necessary supply of water. See them at last obliged to quit their temporary habitation, and to seek an assylum in the mighty deep, and the Western Islands. Let Carolina rejoice, and all her numerous citizens, at the goodness of the Lord, for delivering their land from a savage foe; enemies that are worse than the Heathens who dwell in the dark regions of Africa. See them gone; though not before permitting their adherents to spill innocent blood.

O Britain! Britain! thy vice has given sanction to [Page] numberless barbarities in America. Exasperated at leaving your state, they shed the blood of war in the time of an evacuation fixed by treaty; but no ties of honour can bind a lost nation; your servants they have carried away in violation of the treaty, and some of them will feel the effects of their folly, in the places whither they are gone. Rejoice ye United States with your sister Carolina, for her present glorious situation; rejoice with her particularly Massachusett's Bay, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. You have felt with her British imposition, and they have left your states as they left her in haste, and great precipitation. The embarrassment of a Dorchester hill in the Massachusett's government, caused them to take shipping, and flee away in great fear. The manoeuvres of a Washington, in defeating their armies, when they laid in Pennsylvania, and the expectation of a D'Estaing, produced a speedy evacuation. A gallant Wayne, before the lines of Savanna, compelled them to leave the capital also. The vigilance of a Greene, under Heaven, has terrified them, and brought about to your great joy, the evacuation of your capital: then unto God give thanks, and say, the sword of the Lord, and of General Green, O inhabitants of South-Carolina, great and small! rejoice, the Lord has done great things for you, whereof we are glad: therefore, laud and magnify his name for ever.

O Britain! all your intrigues and most secret machinations have been wonderfully discovered. An Andre could not bribe, a treacherous and infamous Arnold could not succeed. O unhappy for America, that thou, O maledict Arnold, hast escaped her vengeful sword! but your punishment is sure. I will not deviate from my point in view.

Come, my beloved Carolinians, ye who have been bereft of all domestic happiness; ye who have been distressed in every quarter; ye who have been robbed, plundered and spoiled, come, reinstate, and possess yourselves of your invaluable rights, given to your ancestors by the indulgent hand of Heaven. Come all ye females, who have been [...] separated from your [...] [Page] return, enjoy your beloved companions, who have long sustained indefatigable hardships, and have overcome their cruel oppressors. Come you noble youths, who have been torn from your studies and books, to take up arms; come, you have been in the wilderness, fighting for your country; come, and view the land of freedom and liberty; come, you who have been abroad in distress; come, and once more sit down, and, I hope, have none to make you afraid; come, ye babes and young men, once more recross the mighty deep, and land on your native shore; come, and see the strong hold deserted by it's late temporary owners.

I am afraid I shall transgress upon my readers; but, indulge me a few moments longer. My tongue faulters in the characters I am now about to describe. What must be done to the loyal subjects now amongst you, who took shelter under the tyrannical standard, and who were some of the chief promoters of your distresses. Necessity and policy obliged some to seek protection; but those have since joined you: restore them to favour, and acquiesce with the law: those who have neither joined you, nor fled their country, I will not be too rash in judgment. I leave them in the hands of those who hold the reins of government: if they go unpunished, what will be the issue? Why, the soldier who has been fighting your battles, and hazarded his life in defence of your state, will look for a high reward. Every partial grant is injustice to them who have been spilling their blood in defence of your state.

Your officers—your volunteers deserve your notice: if justice be permitted to draw her sword, she will cut down the briar and bramble, which are now cherished; and, in their stead, place those salutary plants which have been beneficial to the state, in the time of her distress: these are the men, and these only, who deserve promotion in the United States; these ought to be the men, who should sit in the Senate, and assist in enacting such laws, as will be a terror to the disaffected, and a praise and safeguard to those who have been doing well. View your [...] [Page] campaigns, and piercing winter's rigorous and hoary season—See the man who has been invincible in danger, and intrepid in the field of battle—View him cast down with dejected look and gloomy countenance; if you ask him the reason, he will answer you thus, "I am afflicted to see virtue and courage trampled upon, and vice and cowardice cherished." He will tell you, he thinks the man that is come from a foreign country, and though a native of America, has no right to a vote in the senate of his country, after hiding himself from the heat and burden of the day, when his fellow citizens have borne it with fortitude and patience.

Those who have been spilling their blood in the cause of liberty, and offered their lives a willing sacrifice, have reason to be jealous, if they see partiality lavished upon those the least deserving of it. Let your Constitution be your Magna Charta, your Bill of Rights. Enact good and wholesome laws in your state; you will make every individual a citizen, and they will be your safeguards, bulwarks, and fortifications: then, when this is done, all the surrounding nations will be astonished at your courage, perseverance, fortitude, and wisdom; and posterity will read with pleasure, in the annals of your country, your glorious atchievements and warlike actions, and children yet unborn shall sing of America and her warfare. Liberty shall rear her head in these United States, and oppression and tyranny shall tremble and hide their heads, and sink into oblivion. The mouth of the loud thundering cannon shall be stopped, and the carnage of America by Britain's sword, be for ever done away.

Now, ye Carolina Americans, enjoy yourselves; yet still be on your guard, until Britain sends this appellation to the United States, of your being the Lords and Rulers of North-America: if there be any amongst you like unto Achan, avaricious and treacherous, treat them as Joshua did him in the valley of Achor. Joshua vii. 17, 20, and following verses. O my friends! you will yet be happy in spight of all opposition; your state will yet be a haven for foreign ships, and trade and commerce will come unto [Page] you in great abundance; and you shall appear as in the times of old. Come all ye ministers of God, who have been banished your country, return, reassume your former work in the sanctuary, and administer in the duties of your sacred functions: though the sanctuaries have been defiled and corrupted, yet bless the Lord in them, and with your returning fellow citizens, praise and magnify him for ever.

O Carolina! have you no worthies to lament, before I conclude? Yes, ye have, though some long forgotten by many: the remembrance of a Polaski at Savannah, the death of the amiable and gallant Laurens, must dwell near your hearts; he fell a victim to British fury. O noble youth! in the bloom of life, thou native of Carolina, thou who left thy gentle spouse, thy near relation, to cross the Atlantic, and fight the battles of thy country; we lament thee, O Stono's plain! let no dew or rain fall upon thee, for there the gallant Laurens fell a martyr in defence of his country. Are there no more? Yes, there is the murdered blood of a Lining crying aloud for vengeance. O ye mourning widows and orphan children! cease to weep, dry up your tears, the Lord will avenge your wrongs. Ye sons of his, perhaps you shall revenge your father's death, as Solomon did the transgressors of his father's reign, though they had caught hold of the horns of the altar. O Haynes! I revere thy character, I pity thy destiny, thy untimely, and unhappy death: thy lawless accusers and murderers, though fled, are not yet out of the reach of the sword of justice; thy blood crieth aloud for vengeance, and though the enquiry of your execution was expelled a British tribunal, though strenuously introduced by a Richmond, there remains a higher tribunal, where a Rawdon and a Balfour must undoubtedly appear. O ye orphans of his! Heaven will avenge your father's blood.

Now having imperfectly finished the plan first laid down, let me conclude as I began, Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee ought all America to give thanks, for that thy name has been near unto them, thy wondrous works▪ declare. Amen and amen.

Notes

*

Battle at Stony-point.

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A SERMON ON THE EVACUATION OF CHARLESTOWN. BY AN AETHIOPIAN.

PHILADELPHIA: Printed for the AUTHOR, and Sold by WILL. WOODHOUSE, in Front-street, next Door to the Old Coffee-House. M.DCC.LXXXIII.

To the Honorable Thomas Heyward, Esquire, Of the State of South-Carolina,

[Page]

SIR,

I HOPE you will not be surprised at my placing your name in the front of a piece, which I trust will meet with the approbation of the virtuous citizens of your-state. Your private favours conferred upon me, when I was a sojourner in a strange land, calls loudly for my thanks. Your sincere attachment to the cause of America, intitles you to the love of all her virtuous citizens, wherever they are dispersed; may they with you enjoy the blessings of peace and independence, is the wish of

An Aethiopian.

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Title statement

A sermon on the evacuation of Charlestown. By an Aethiopian.

Aethiopian.

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Publisher

Text Creation Partnership,

Place of publication

Ann Arbor, MI :

Date

2008-09.

ID [DLPS]

N14352

ID [TCP]

N14352

ID [STC]

Evans 18182

ID [NOTIS]

APV5766

ID [IMAGE-SET]

18182

ID [EVANS-CITATION]

99001185

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Early American Imprints, 1639-1800 ; no. 18182.

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(Evans-TCP ; no. N14352)

Transcribed from: (Readex Archive of Americana ; Early American Imprints, series I ; image set 18182)

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— A sermon on the evacuation of Charlestown. By an Aethiopian., Aethiopian..

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16 p. ; 21 cm. (8vo)

Printed for the author, and sold by Will. Woodhouse, in Front-Street, next door to the old coffee-house.,. Philadelphia: :: M.DCC.LXXXIII. [1783].

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