Part 11 (1/2)
Now to remedy all these Grievances and Deficiencies, with all Evils of the like Kind, there is an absolute Necessity for a Person whose Office upon this Occasion should be somewhat uncommon, till a Bishop be established in those Parts; who might pave out a Way for the Introduction of Mitres into the _English America_, so greatly wanting there. This Person should have Instructions and Power for discharging such Parts of the Office, of a Bishop, of a Dean, and of an Arch-Deacon, as Necessity requires, and the Nature of those sacred Functions will permit; and from a _Medium_ of these three Functions he might be called Dean of _Virginia_; under whose Jurisdiction _North Carolina_ might fall for the present, till the Const.i.tution in Church and State there be better advanced.
This Person should reside in some Parish in _Virginia_, and be obliged to make a Progress (for the People will not approve of a Visitation) each Spring and Fall in _Virginia_ and _North Carolina_, as his Discretion shall best direct him.
As for a Salary for his travelling Expences 100 _l._ _per Ann._ would suffice; and that this might not bring any new Charge upon the Publick, there should be no Fees upon any Account, neither should he put them to any Expence. This Person should be one that is popular, universally acquainted with the People, their Temper and Manners, and one respected and beloved by them; and as a farther Encouragement for him, and to support the Dignity of his Office, he should have a good convenient Parish in _Virginia_; and in his Absence the Clergymen there should be obliged to officiate in his Church in Turns, according to their Seniority in the Country; for the Detriment that the Parishes would suffer by the Loss of Service in their Churches one _Sunday_ in several Years would be nothing, when compared with the Advantage they would receive in Lieu of it.
As a farther Addition to his Salary and Honour, he might be one of the Masters of the College, particularly Divinity Professor would be most suitable with his Character and Office, and more convenient for him, since he might contrive to make his Progress in the Vacation Time.
This Salary of 100 _l._ _per Ann._ might certainly be easily obtained from the Government out of the Quit-Rents, or otherwise, as the Commissary's was; which Office and Name has not appeared well-pleasing to the People and Clergy, for Reasons I can't account for: neither has it obtained the Power and good Effect as might have been expected.
This Office of Dean might be try'd for a few Years, and the Dean should be obliged to transmit Home yearly to his Diocesan the Bishop of _London_ attested Copies of his Proceedings in his Progress; setting forth the Particulars of the Attempts that he has made, and the Good he has done, signed by the Justices and Ministers of the Place or County.
The Expence of this Tryal would be but little, but the Good that might arise from hence might be unspeakable, and there can be no Hurt in it; no Incroachment upon the Privilege of the People, nor the Rights of the several Inc.u.mbents.
His Office and Duty should be to register all Letters of Orders and Credentials of Ministers, sent over by the Bishop of _London_, and also all Collations to Livings. To examine and confirm all Persons before they be admitted to the Lord's Supper, which Confirmation (or rather Approbation) might be done without Imposition of Hands in a peculiar Form, proper for the Circ.u.mstances of this Occasion; and the Ministers should admit none to the Sacrament without his Certificate of this their Confirmation.
He should be obliged to send the Ministers in his Progress timely Notice of his Intention, with a printed Form of his Examination and Confirmation, with Directions for the Minister to prepare and exhort the Congregation thereto. In his Progress he should preach at such vacant Churches as he pa.s.ses by; baptize all Children and others that require it; and preach up the absolute Necessity of it. He should have Power to call a Vestry, and there examine whether the Church, _&c._ be in good Repair, and fit for the Congregation; whether it be sufficiently beautified and commodiously built and situated; whether there be Surplices, Communion-Table and Cloth, and all the Utensils required in the Canons of the Church of _England_.
He should enquire into the Conduct of the Minister; and likewise should he inspect into the Management of the Clerk, and prescribe him Rules and Directions in the Execution of his Office, especially where there is no Inc.u.mbent Minister, which very frequently happens in several Places for Years together.
He should see that the Lord's Supper be duly and decently administered, encourage People to frequent Communion, and instruct them in the Nature of that holy Sacrament; and as for Baptism he should see that it be rightly performed, and by the Bishop of _London_'s Directions should prescribe the requisite Alteration in the last Clauses of the Form of Baptism; as also those Alterations wanting in the Prayer for the General a.s.sembly, instead _of the Prayer for the Parliament_.
He should also visit such Sick as he pa.s.ses by, and exhort all to a timely Repentance, and not (as they too often do) to defer that and the Sacrament till Death.
He should persuade and advise People as much as may be to christen, marry, and bury at Church. He should likewise enquire if there be any notorious and scandalous Livers, who by their wicked Practices give Offence to their Christian Neighbours.
He should likewise see that the divine Service be performed regularly and decently according to the Rubric, and exhort and direct thereto; with Abundance more of such Things as these, which might easily be done, if attempted in an easy, mild Manner; which might prove of wonderful Advantage to the Good of Vertue and Religion.
Though the Office of this Dean should be chiefly to inspect, exhort, reprimand, and represent, besides Confirming, and doing the common Offices of a Clergyman; yet should he and the Vestry present at the County Courts any egregious Default or Omission of the Kinds here mentioned; but here they should be very tender and cautious not to give general Offence, for Rigour will soon make such an Office odious to the People, and then it will be but of little Service.
Presentments of this kind (when any) should be made, given in, and prosecuted in the common Courts, in the same Form and Manner as common Presentments are; so that here would be no Innovation in the Proceedings.
In order to create more Respect for sacred Places and Things, the Churches and Church-Yards there should be solemnly set apart for that Purpose by the Dean, by some kind of Form of Consecration suitable to be used by a Person that is no Bishop, and agreeable to the Occasion of the Thing, and Nature of the Place.
Such a Person as this might do a vast deal of Good, and reduce the Church Discipline in _Virginia_ to a much better Method than at present it is in: For tho' the Church of _England_ be there established, yet by permitting too great Liberty, and by being too indifferent in many such Respects as are here specified, great Inconveniences have arose; and we may certainly expect far greater Detriment in the Church from hence, unless timely Lenitives and proper Remedies be applied, in the best Methods that can possibly be devised; some such Methods (I conceive) as these here proposed may not be esteemed least proper; and if they be rejected or despised, yet I am persuaded that they are not so insignificant as some may imagine, and not altogether so despicable as to be quite disregarded; and not thought worthy of the serious Perusal of any concerned in Affairs of this Nature.
The Method used for obtaining a Living in _Virginia_, is for the Party to notify his Intentions of going Abroad to the Bishop of _London_, to produce sufficient Testimonials of his good Life and Principles, together with his Letters of Orders; which being approved of, he has then a Licence, and Certificate, and Credentials to the Governor, with an Order upon the Treasury for 20 _l._ for his Pa.s.sage; and upon his Arrival makes Application for some vacant Parish either to the Governor, to the Paris.h.i.+oners, or to both; upon whose Approbation he is admitted their Minister. But Variety of Disputes have arose from the uncertain Interpretation of the _Virginia_ Laws relating to Livings; and though the Opinion of the best Council has been procured, yet as their Sentiments could not sufficiently settle it, so have they directly contradicted each other. Several of the People insist that they have the Right of Presentation; and on the other hand the Governor has as strenuously contested with them for his Right of Presentation in Behalf of the King; so that several that the Parishes have nominated or elected have been refused; and on the other Side, many appointed and sent by the Governor have been rejected with Disdain, Disappointment, and Ill-Will.
These Elections of the People are often disagreeable to the Governor's Choice, and the People on the contrary will refuse whom they say the Governor may impose upon them, though he comes directly recommended from the Bishop; but in my Opinion their Election might be better given up, suppose they had a Right to it, since it often creates such Disturbance; and in Process of Time, who knows but they may elect and insist upon Persons unfit for the Ministry, either for their Learning, Lives, or Doctrines, and not licensed by the Bishop; and may obstinately refuse any such as comes regularly, and is presented to the Living by the Governor.
This Presentation by the Governor, who likewise as Ordinary is to inst.i.tute and induct, may be termed a Collation; but there of late were not above three or four Rectors thus collated, or inst.i.tuted and inducted in the whole Colony; because of the Difficulties, Surmises, Disputes, and Jealousies that arise upon such Accounts. But the Clergy standing upon this Footing are liable to great Inconveniency and Danger; for upon any small Difference with the Vestry, they may pretend to a.s.sume Authority to turn out such Ministers as thus come in by Agreement with the Vestry, who have often had the Church Doors shut against them, and their Salaries stopped, by the Order and Protection of such Vestry-Men, who erroneously think themselves the _Masters_ of their _Parson_, and aver, that since they compacted but from Year to Year with him as some have done, they may turn off this their Servant when they will; be without one as long as they please, and chose another, whom and when they shall think most proper and convenient; which Liberty being granted them (I believe) some few would be content rather never to appoint a Minister, than ever to pay his Salary.
Among many Instances of these Kinds of Refusals, Ejectments, and Elections, I shall only instance that of the ingenious Mr. _Bagge_, who coming to _England_ for Priest's Orders, after he had been Minister of St. _Ann_'s for a long Time, was refused by them upon his Return, when the Governor sent him to his own Parish again; whereas they strenuously stood by Mr. _Rainsford_, whom they had elected and presented to the Governor. And Mr. _Latane_, a Gentleman of Learning and Vertue, and well beloved, was almost ejected, nay was shut out of his Church, only upon account of a small Difference and Dispute with some of his Vestry. The main Allegation they had against him was that they could not understand him, (he having a small Tang of the _French_) tho' they had been hearing him I think upwards of seven Years, without any Complaint of that kind till that very Time.
Governor _Spotswood_, to his great Honour be it spoken, always stood up for the Right of Collation, and was hearty in Vindication of the Clergy, who, as he professed in a Speech to them, certainly had not only his Protection but also his Affection; so that it is difficult to be determined in which Respect he chiefly excelled, either in being a compleat Gentleman, a polite Scholar, a good Governor, or a true Churchman.
I speak in Behalf of the Right of Presentations belonging to the Crown; because my Reason tells me that it is most equitable and most convenient for the Peace and good Government, and for the Security of the Doctrine and Discipline of the established Church of _England_.
Many Arguments I know are brought against it, both from apparent Reason and Interest; but all these might easily be confuted by this following Remark.
When Churches were built and endowed, as these in _Virginia_, by the Laity, with the Leave of the Bishop or Ordinary in antient Times, the Presentations to such Ecclesiastical Benefices were often granted away to the Families that founded such Donations, as Rewards and Encouragements of such pious Liberalities; whereas all other Preferments were invested in the Church: This I take to be the Origin of Lay-Presentations, when Gentlemen reserved this for the Benefit of some of their Posterity or Family, who might receive a Maintenance from their Bounty; which they in Reason ought to do preferable to any others who contributed nothing towards it.