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A29260 A memorial representing the present state of religion, on the continent of North-America by Thomas Bray. Bray, Thomas, 1658-1730. 1700 (1700) Wing B4294; ESTC R211 11,805 18

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appears that there are at present wanting no less than Forty Protestant Missionaries to be sent into all these Colonies And the Necessity that there should be both so many and those singularly well qualify'd for the purpose I am next to shew you And that there should be at least that Number sent into each of these Colonies as I have now mentioned appears from hence That even then their Business will he extreamly wide but chiefly for this Reason that there is so great an Inclination to embrace Christianity amongst many Quakers all over those Parts where Mr. Keith has been that it will be a fatal Neglect if our Church should not close with that Providence which offers so many Proselytes into her Bosom And the Plantations growing now into populous and powerful Provinces with all Submission in my Opinion ought not to be so neglected as that it should be indifferent to us whether they be made Christians or abandoned to Infidelity Nor is the Necessity less that these Missionaries should be singularly well qualify'd than that they should be at all sent And indeed in order to make the better Choice agreeable to what I have observed of the State the Temper and Constitution of the Country and People is one great Reason that has perswaded me so soon back And the Persons which alone can do good there as I conceive must In the First place be of such nice Morals as to abstain from all Appearance of Evil there being not such a calumniating People in the World as the Quakers are every where found to be And it is the worst Fault of the Plantations that they give their Tongues too much liberty that way especially if they can find the least Flaw Secondly They must be Men of good Prudence and an exact Conduct or otherwise they will unavoidably fall into Contempt with a People so well vers'd in Business as every the meanest Planter seems to be Thirdly They ought to be well experienced in the Pastoral Care having a greater Variety both of Sects and Humours to deal with in those Parts than are at home and therefore it would be well if we could be provided with such as have been Curates here for some time Fourthly More especially they ought to be of a true Missionary Spirit having an ardent Zeal for God's Glory and the Salvation of Mens Souls Fifthly Of a very active Spirit and consequently not so grown into Years as to be uncapable of Labour and Fatigue no more than very Young upon which account they will be more liable to be despised And Lastly They ought to be good substantial well-studied Divines very ready in the Holy Scriptures able with a sound Judgment to explicate and prove the great Doctrines of Christianity to state the Nature and Extent of the Christian Duties and with the most moving Considerations to enforce their Practice and to defend the Truth against all its Adversaries To which purpose it will be therefore absolutely requisite to provide each of them with a Library of necessary Books to be fix'd in those Places to which they shall be sent for the Use of them and their Successors for ever This to be a perpetual Encouragement to good and able Divines always to go over and to render them useful when they are there A Design of whose Vsefulness of whose Necessity I am now so fully perswaded since I have been in and know the Wants of those Parts that I am resolved to have no hand in sending or taking over any one the best Missionary who shall not be so provided Well but the great Quaere is How we may be able to procure so great a Number of such able Missionaries How to maintain them and how to furnish them out with such Libraries In order to all which I crave leave to offer these following Considerations First That the Colonies now named consisting chiefly of Quakers or such as for want of the Gospel being preached amongst them are in a manner of no Religion They are in that respect to be considered as almost so many Heathen Nations And it will seem unreasonable to expect that a People before they are converted and made to understand the Goodness and Advantages of true Religion should be in●uc'd to maintain its Ministry And especially in this Case of the Quakers the Persons chiefly to be proselyted who above all other Rites of the Church of Christ have been deeply prejudiced against the Maintenance of the Clergy Secondly That if the Missionaries which shall be sent into each of those Colonies shall be well chosen and duly qualified I am perswaded they will find the Work of God to prosper so well in their Hands that in Three Years time the People will out of pure Devotion subscribe or settle a plentiful Maintenance both for them and their Successors To support me in which Conjecture we have Two very eminent and late Instances the one in Pensylvania th' other in Carolina In the former of which Mr. Clayton who at his first going over Three Years ago and whilst his Congregation was not above Sixty Persons had scarcely 50 l. per Annum Maintenance yet upon the Accession of new Converts to upwards of 700 for so is that Church encreased in Three Years has brought the Maintenance of the Minister of Philadelphia to 150 l. per Annum And in Carolina Mr. Marshall through his excellent Preaching and singular Conduct so gain'd upon the People that from a poor Subscription-Maintenance at first they settled upon him and his Successors within Two Years after his being amongst them what amounts to 200 l. per Annum And at his Death the General Assembly of that Province were so kind to his Widow as to present her with 200 l. upon her Return home Thirdly I conceive therefore that in the Interim and during the first Three Years it will be absolutely necessary that these Missionaries should be subsisted from hence and it shall be my utmost Care in that time to have them so provided of Glebes and the same so stock'd as that they may thenceforward live comfortably upon the Emoluments of their own Places Fourthly The Method by which I would humbly propose to have these Missionaries which I desire both well chosen and supported from home in their Service for the first Three Years is as follows 1. As to the Choice That every Bishop be pleased to pitch upon some proper Person within his own Diocess such as his Lordship shall judge bed qualified as aforesaid for the Mission And then 2. As to his Support That his Lordship having countenanced the following Proposal in such measure as considering the many other like Calls upon those in his Station more than upon any others his Lordship shall think fit he be pleased to recommend it to the dignify'd and other the most considerable Clergy within his Diocess and they to the well disposed Laity within their respective Parishes to subscribe what may maintain one Missionary at least to be