1

An Act
to remove certain Discuragement & Hinderances
of the Conversion of infidels.

Whereas in the Duty of all Christian to desire and endeavour the Propagation of the Christian Religion
as they have oportunity, and especially of matters of Families to take care that their Families and Servants be
well instructed therein; yet so little sence thereof have many of our Traders & Planters beyond Sea who have many
Negros and other Infidel Servants, that they not only neglect the Instructhion of their Souls for the Service of God, whose
^bodily Labour they are for the Service of themselves, but willfully keep them in Ignorance least if they should be Baptized
into the Christian Profession they should thereby, as they believe, without any just ground, become infranchised & free
from their Sevice: Which in faith an Imiety, as is not only a great Reproach to the Church of England, but may
justly be feared may provoke some severe Judgmentt of God if not spedily reformed. To the end therefore that
neither these poor Creatures may be induced to the Profesion of the Christianity by so improper & [means & motives]
as the freedoms of their Bodies from the Service of Men, nor any Master Mistres or other person be longer permitted
apon any Such pretense or otherwise to hinder the Recovery of their Souls out of the Slavery of Satan Be it ^{declared &} enacted
by the King & Queens MajestyMaty, the same Spirituall & Temporal, and the Common in this present Parliament assembled
and by the Authority of the same, That no negro or other infidel who being in the State of Servitude shall be baptized
into the Christian Profession ^{hath or} doth by such Baptisme acquire any State of Civil Freedome, or become hereby
infranchised from the Service of such Master or Mistres to whom he or she was before judgement ^servant, a shall be jud adjudicated
deemed or reputed, for such cause only, to be a free man or free woman, but shall remain not withstanding the same
in such thate of Subjection ^Servitude to him or her respective master and mistress as if the same person had not hin baptized.

And to the end that so great simpicy may be the more effectually reformed, and the Reproach thereof removed,
and the Judgeh of God averted, But in line with enacted ^{by the Authority aforest} That if any Planter Trader or other person having