A Circular Letter To the Clergy of Mary-Land Subsequent to the late Visitation Reverend Brethren I cannot reflect upon the good Order of your Conferences and the Unanimity in your Resolves at your late Visitation without the greatest esteem of and Affection towards you And so happy a beginning gives me good Grounds to hope the best things from you The truth of it is when I sit down and consider the several particular Methods of Ministerial Instruction which you did then so chearfully come into I am not able upon the most mature Deliberation to conceive what can be farther wanting on your Parts to render the People committed to your Charge fully edify'd in all things necessary to Salvation but the putting the measures then Resolved upon vigorously into Execution both as to Catechizing Preaching and Private Exhortation and Admonition Now the first of your Resolutions refer to Catechizing a part of your Ministry so exceedingly necessary in the Church of Christ especially in an Age so loose in its Principles as ours is that enough can never be said to inculcate that matter upon you But I forbear here having so largely spoken to it in my Visitation Charge However there is one consideration of such peculiar force to your selves in Maryland that I must needs remind you thereof to invigorate you in that Work tho' I know the words themselves were so emphatical and the occasion of them must be so fresh in your Minds that it will not be easy for you to forget them And was it so that but few Months ago the whole Province were in that Consternation on the account of their Religion as did far exceed our Expectation And did the Patriots of your Country under such Difficulties and Discouragements as I forbear to name renew its Establishment and that too with such an Unanimity and general Consent as shews that it is no indifferent thing to them And wherefore was it that notwithstanding all they would re-establish our Church and provide for its Clergy amongst them Why For this end they declare they did this glorious Work THAT THEIR CHILDREN AND POSTERITY BEING PRESERVED IN THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH FROM FACTION AND SCHISM IN HONESTY AND CHARITY MIGHT BECOME GOOD AND SOBER MEN LOVING VERTUE HATING VICE THE RATIONAL CONSEQVENCE OF TRUE CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE Words surely that deserve to be written both for the perpetual Honour of the Province and for a Memorandum to you of the Clergy to what purpose you are continued IN LETTERS OF GOLD on PILLARS OF MARBLE It evidently appears hence That the Christian Education of their Youth is what those Patriots do chiefly expect from you And surely then if for this Reason principally a Clergy have been there re-established so far as lies in their Power To this work therefore it is That in a more especial manner you are call'd to exert your Labours as a most important part of your Ministry among them And you are to conclude hence That you of all the Clergy in the King's Dominions have a more than ordinary Call to apply your selves particularly thereunto And indeed the Catechetical part is Digested by you so much to my Satisfaction that if you shall marshall all the Youth within your respective Cures into those Three Classes and shall Catechize them accordingly I should then hope very soon to see those in America as far exceed many amongst us here as the Children of the poor Vaudois which Thuanus speaks of Lib. 27. do those in the wealthier parts of the Christian World And the Religious Education of Youth being a part of your Duty of such infinite Consequence as well to the planting of Christanity with you as the Restauration of it here now almost expiring amongst us I conjure you by all that Love which the Son of God bore to the Sons of Men when he descended from Heaven to teach and enlighten the ignorant and benighted World and which Love he particularly expressed to such tender ones I conjure you by all this to â—eâ—â— those Lambs And that there may be no impossibility incapacity or any want of means urg'd in excuse for any one's omission in that part I have provided you with such a quantity of Books Adapted to those several Degrees of Catechumens as will supply all the poorer Children at leastwise in your respective Cures and will also take care of even those of better Condition should their Parents be so Barbarous towards them as to deny to provide them with necessary Books rather than they shall want Catechetical Instruction For the First Class you have The Church Catechism together with some of the most Apposite Texts pertaining to the several Doctrines and Duties contained therein with a Form of Morning and Evening Prayer for Children Also a Grace before and after Meat And of these I would have you give one to all the poorer Families and to Servants Quarters within your respective Cures where there are Children and to recommend it to the welthier Parents to buy for theirs And after this let it be your Care to have the Children frequently call'd upon to repeat their Catechism and to recite their Scriptures and Prayers Let this I say be done either by your selves when you shall visit those Families or by others whom you shall intrust to call them thus to account in your stead And as you cannot think of such proper Persons for this purpose as the Members of the Religious Society or superior Class of Catechumens within your Parishes whom you will find very servicable to you in this and many other good Offices within your Cures So indeed this part must be done chiefly by some trusty Deputy it being equally impossible either that such small Children should be brought many Miles to Church to be Catechiz'd or that you should be continually visiting them at their Houses for that purpose for which more than your whole time would be insufficient in such dilated Cures And it may suffice that you do this in Person only when either a Baptism or the Visitation of the Sick or a Funeral or any other occasion shall draw you out into any quarter of your Parish Where a Competition between the several Duties of your Pastoral Office is such that your time will be devoured by any one of them to the omission of others equally necessary if you should give your selves up wholly to that there is a necessity so far to dispense with the Personal Execution thereof as to reserve a share for other parts of your Function And this I know is too much your Case The Second Class of Catechumens you have judiciously appointed to consist of Children between Nine and Thirteen not that you are to tye up your selves so nicely between such Periods that a Child either under the one or beyond the other is always to be excluded that institution which you judge most proper for such as are within that Compass But because it is to be expected that as well Christian Children as those
of the Jews should by that time be able to give some Account or Reason of the Faith that is in them And it is of the greatest use to fix designs to certain Periods which will cause such expectations that generally speaking things will answer within those termes And as you have Resolved with respect to this rank of Catech 〈…〉 to have them learn by Heart Some Exposition with Scripture Proofs so I have accordingly sent you a sufficient number of that Kind This Book is divided into four parts and subdivided into Fifty Two Lessons one for every Sunday in the Year in which are explained the peculiar Terms in Divinity and in which are given the Elements of Christian Knowledge both in the general Doctrine and particular Articles of the Covenant of Grace And it is in this manner I think that your Catechism ought to be Expounded to Young Children For first as to the terms in Divinity Theology as well as all other Sciences has some peculiar Expressions which till understood render any Discourse on Subjects of that Nature utterly unintelligible to either Hearers or Readers And therefore the peculiar acceptations of such words so often occurring in our Discourses of Religion must be first explain'd to the Youth as we would have them be ever Edify'd from the Desk or from the Pulpit And such Expositions ought also to be so contrived as to give the Catech 〈…〉 a view of the Nature Terms and Conditions of his Covenant with God For Christianity is no other than such a Covenant And the whole Texture of our Church Catechism is according to the Analytical and best Method both a general and particular Instruction in that matter The Third Class of Catechumens you would have to consist of Youth grown up to some Years And these you are for treating with in a manner something more Manly than the very Children of Thirteen You would not oblige them to get an Exposition by Heart but would recommend to them some proper Book to Read but yet to Read so attentively and with such Application of Mind as to be so much Masters of its Sense as in Conference and Discourse with you upon those Subjects to be able to give you Reason to conclude they understood what they have Read And indeed hereby you will both lead them to exercise their own Judgments a thing or singular use to them and will also treat them in such a manner tho' it be in effect still but Catechizing as none will think themselves above And it is moreover very judiciously Resolved by you to advise them more particularly to Read such a Book or Books as shall more fully instruct them in the Nature Terms and Conditions of the Covenant of Grace To understand and comprehend which throughly is to know the whole Tenor of Christianity and which except it be conceived under such a Scheme cannot in my Opinion be so rightly and clearly apprehended Besides these your Catechetical Conferences with them are primarily design'd to prepare them with proper Knowledge that if Adult and not yet Baptized of which there are so many in the Plantations they may be listed to God in Baptism or if they have been already Baptized that they may ratify their Baptismal Covenant with God in the Lord's Supper And therefore some more enlarged Discourse upon the Nature Terms and Conditions of their Covenant with God such as shall farther explain what through shortness might be left obscure in the former must I humbly conceive be the most proper Book which at first you can recommend to them And then other Discourses on Faith or a good Life such as you will find in the Layman's Library when that former is fully imbib'd may be with greater advantage propos'd afterwards Well I think it my Duty to furnish here also such of your Disciples at least as cannot provide themselves and therefore give you Commission to take of Mr. Jones at Annopolis as many of the Short Discourses upon the Baptismal Covenant as you shall want for the poorer Youth both Children and Servants And because that Youth when once they advance towards the State of Manhood will soon out grow your Tuition begin with them first And I beseech you with all expedition to form out of such amongst them as are grown up to years of Discretion a Class or Society of Catechumens whom I would have you to Instruct and Direct according to the Methods which you will find I have laid down at large in the Preface to my Discourse on the Baptismal Covenant to which I refer you I call these your Young Disciples indifferently a Religious Society or a Class of Catechumens But since too many have such ridiculous Prejudices and it is indeed an amazing thing to consider how far some pitiful Prejudices do in many Cases pervert the Minds of many wise and good Men from approving or pursuing the best Designs I say since many are prejudiced against the word Societies call them if you please Catechumens being the antient Term of the Church of Christ for these your Disciples and I defy any then to except against them for I am sure no good Man can gain-say or oppose the Thing For FIRST It is most indispensibly your Duty to call Young People together and to give them proper and suitable Instructions their Youthful Years being the very Critical time of engaging them firmly to God for if left to themselves at that Age it is very great odds but their natural Propensity to Evil which is then in the Highth and the Allurements of bad Company which are then most busy will Enter them and bind them close in the Service of the Devil the World and the Flesh And let any of you as you are the Ministers of Christ and will answer it at the dreadful Tribunal take heed how you let them alone then to themselves to be the Slaves of Satan SECONDLY It is highly expedient that you should for their better Conduct put them under some prudential Rules And I do recommend to you for that purpose those which you will find in the Short View of the Religious Societies in and about London herewith sent you wherein you will see that those here in England have form'd to themselves such Rules as deserve our highest Approbation And with some little Alterations agreeable to the Circumstances of your parts you may regulate the matter with reference to the Catechetical Societies for such the Religious Societies ought all to be with you in the Plantations THIRDLY I do assert That every Parochial Minister ought to be present with them at their Meetings to Instruct and to direct them what they are to Read to examine them in order to know their Improvements to take care they do not warp towards Error or Schism and to prevent Seducers from coming amongst them The danger of the two latter I know is all that those who are the most prejudic'd have to suggest against them But whose fault is it if
their Clergy come not near them tho it should be so that they either warp of themselves or are seduc'd by others as the contrary is most evident Nay why then with greater Reason should not every Parochial Minister be always present with and preside at their Religious Conferences This My Reverend Brethren I do conjure you to do and as I lay my Heart upon no one thing so much as your forming these Catechetical Societies within your respective Cures as the only means to train up a better Generation than the wretched one now in being so having found the extent of your Parishes to be vastly too large to have all such Youth meet you at one place whether at the Church or elsewhere I desire you to quarter out your larger Parishes into as many Districts as you shall find necessary for their convenient Meeting together and to appoint so many several Days and Places for em to meet you every Sunday in the Afternoon at Church being always one of your Days and Places and this if you shall do tho' I have seem'd in the following Catalogue to provide only Books for one or two of those Classes in each of your Parishes yet you shall not want the like number of Books for as many Catechetical Societies as you shall be able to raise And the Good God to the terror of Satan and all his Adherents succeed you in these your Labours and Endeavours To Second you in which I have sent you a Pastoral Letter perswading Youth both to an early Entertainment of Religion and in order to that to put themselves under the Conduct of their respective Ministers And as I would have you to give these Letters into the Hands of the most serious Youth in your Parishes and such as are likeliest to be influenc'd by them in order to form them into such a Class or Society of Catechumens so I beseech you to apply to them to this purpose by these Letters with all possible Expedition least that one of these poor Souls for want of our securing him to God betimes be pre-engaged to the Powers of Darkness And because I am absolutely of your Opinion that could you procure some skilful Person in the Country to teach your Catechumens to sing the Psalms Artificially as set to the most approved Tunes and Mr. N. S. and Mr. T. P. being both skilful in Church-Musick will soon train you up one or two Masters for the purpose the Entertainments of Psalmody especially according to the New Version would wonderfully invite the Young People both to enter into a Catechetical Society and would charm them into a constant attendance on it I would therefore have you make it part of your Business at those Meetings of the Youth to have them first taught to Sing by Note and then afterwards I would have you both open and close up your Catechetical Conferences with a Psalm This is with St. Paul to Catch them by Guile and I am sure will be an innocent and unsinful pious Fraud And as for the Psalms themselves you have a sufficient Delectus for your purpose to begin with at the end of the Baptismal Covenant And I will take care to send you a more compleat Collection afterwards And when upon the whole you shall hereby have train'd up a considerable number of the Youth of your Parishes to a very good pitch of Knowledge and shall have seasoned them by your Religious Discourses with them and Pious Directions given them so that they become both Knowing and Devoat Christians immediately upon that I beseech you according to your last Resolution upon this Head to appoint your Monthly Sacraments and to make it your special Care to have all the Catechumens of the Superiour Class constant Communicants Hereby your Youth will be happily pre-engaged in the Service of God And from them you will be always sure to have Guests at the Lords Table And if you can instruct and prepare some of the poorer Negroes so far as that they may joyn in Communion with you at the Supper of the Lord as our Brother Mr. Colbatch has so worthily done methinks the Diversity of Complections will add a Beauty to the Spiritual Entertainment And it may rejoyce our very Hearts to behold Minds so enlighten'd in Bodies so Dark The remaining part of your Visitation Acts relate to Preaching to private Application and to such Methods of Discipline as are most necessary to be maintained among your selves And I shall at my first Leisure reflect likewise upon those Parts successively in the same manner as here I say in the same manner as here for I shall not offer to lay heavy Burthens upon you and not touch them with one of My Fingers but as with Relation to the Catechizing of all the degrees of Youth Care shall be taken to furnish you with Catechisms and Expositions for them so with reference to the two remaining Parts I shall industriously endeavour to provide you with such necessary helps as I can possibly contrive that so there may be no want of means to any of you to Execute the most difficult of all your Resolutions and nothing to urge in Excuse as to the impracticableness of any one of those Particulars you have so well so much becomming your Function Resolved upon For this you may assure your selves that I am as Reverend Sirs Your most Affectionate Brother so your Faithful Fellow-Labourer Thomas Bray Cursus Catecheticus AMERICANUS Consisting of Books more particularly fitted for the Vse of the Three several Classes of Catechumens in order to season the growing Generation with the Principles of Piety and Virtue Pursuant to the Resolutions made to that purpose the Second Day of the Visitation in Mary-Land May the 4th 1700. I. For the First Class of Catech 〈…〉 consisting of Children under the Age of Nine THE Church Catechism Together with some of the most Apposite Texts pertaining to the several Doctrines and Duties contained therein with a Form of Morning and Evening Prayer for Children As also a Grace before and after Meat 20 These to be given to so many as will make a Class II. For the Second Class of Catech 〈…〉 An Exposition of the Church Catechism with Scripture-Proofs fitted for the second Class of Catechumens in the Plantations Divided into four Parts and subdivided into 52 Lessons one for every Sunday in the Year in which are explain'd the peculiar Terms in Divinity And in which are given the Elements of Christian Knowledge both in the General Doctrine and Particular Articles of the Covenant of Grace 20 These to be lent to so many as will make a Class III. For the Third Class or the Society of Catechumens to be fitted for the Blessed Sacrament either of Baptism if Adult or the Lord's Supper if formerly Baptiz'd Preparative to the forming and engaging of which Catechetical Society A Pastoral Letter from a Minister address'd to the Young Persons of his Parish shewing them the Necessity and Advantage of an early Religion in order to perswade the Youth of each Parish in the Plantations to enter themselves into a Religious Society of Catechumens under the Conduct of their respective Ministers 20. These to be put into the hands of the most serious Youth in a Parish in order to form them into such a Class or Society of Catechumens And to which is added the better to engage them to meet at such Catechetical Conferences An Introduction of the New Version of Psalms into General Use both in Families and Churches being a sufficient Collection of such as are proper to be sung in either Set to the most approv'd Tunes which are in use 20 These to be sung both at the beginning and end of the Conference And then for the proper Instruction of these Persons A Short Discourse in the Doctrine of our Baptismal Covenant proper to be read by all Young Persons in order to their understanding the whole Frame and Tenour of the Christian Religion and to their being duly prepared for Confirmation with Devotions preparatory to that Apostolick and Useful Ordinance 20 Common Prayers 20 These to be lent to the superiour Class of Catechumens during the time they shall attend upon their Catechetical Conferences That they may be then throughly directed by the Ministers respectively in the Vse of the Common Prayer pursuant so what has been propos'd in that Matter in the Preface to the Discourse en the Baptismal Covenant FINIS