Bibliotheca parochialis: or, A scheme of such theological heads both general and particular, as are more peculiarly requisite to be well studied by every pastor of a parish. Part. I. Together with a catalogue of books which may be read upon each of those points. / By Thomas Bray ...

A general View of those Heads of Divinity, wherein it is necessary for every Pastor of a Flock to be well Read himself, that he may be able to Instruct the People committed to his Charge, in all the necessaries to Salvation, and may be sufficiently provided to defend 'em against the Infection of Heresie and Error.

I.

The Belief of the Divine Existence and Providence being the Foundation of all Religion, as well Natu∣ral as Reveal'd; it is very necessary in such an Age as this, wherein the very Foundations of both are tore up; that every Pastor of a Flock should not only be fully persuaded in his own mind of these most impor∣tant Truths, but should be also very able to give the most convincing Evidence to all others of the same, and in order to that end, that he should be supply'd with the Learned Writings of the best Au∣thors both Philosophers and Divines, upon those points. But,

II.

Natural Religion, or that Train of Religious Prin∣ciples, and Duties resulting from 'em, which by a due use of Reason, Experience and Consideration alone, without the Discoveries of Revelation; a Man may conclude he is oblig'd to Believe and Practice: This being the Religion that all Mankind, meerly as Ratio∣nal Creatures, are oblig'd to, and without the know∣ledge and observation of which, the very Pagans themselves will be without excuse: It will be very re∣quisite, that every Divine should well understand the extent and end thereof, both that he may be able to warn his People, least under all the Advantages and Improvements in the Principles and Practice of Ver∣tue made by Christianity, they fall short of the very Heathens in both; and especially that they may perceive themselves, and let others see the inestimable advantages we Christians have receiv'd in manifold respects, by the Light of the Gospel, which gives us a much better Rule to walk by, and proposes infinite∣ly greater Rewards for our encouragement in so doing; and to this end therefore it will be very requisite he should be furnished with some or other of those many Books which have been so excellently written upon that Subsect.

III.

The mere Light of Nature being not sufficient to discover to us the Knowledge of God and our selves, much less to direct us to the enjoyment of this God, and all those unspeakable blessings wherein consists our future happiness; and the Holy Scriptures being the Fountain of Divine and Saving Knowledge, from whence the Pastor of the Flock of Christ is to draw forth the Waters of Life both for his own and others benefit: It is principally requisite he should be pro∣vided of such Books as shall enable him, 1. To know the Text it self, and that both in the Original and Vulgar Tongues, 2. To understand the mean∣ing of it; and 3. To apply it skilfully to the Edifi∣cation of others.

IV.

The design of God's revealing to us the Holy Scriptures, and that whole Evangelical Doctrine contained therein, being it was to destroy the King∣dom of Satan, which ever since the Fall, that rebeli∣ous Spirit had begun to set up in the World, in opposi∣tion to God's; and had advanced to almost an Univer∣sal Monarchy over Mankind, by that time the Son of God descended from Heaven to reduce us to the obe∣dience of our Maker: And on the other side, its

Design being to advance the Kingdom of God, con∣sisting in Righteousness and true Holiness, and withal to humble us with a sense of our own Imperfect Righte∣ousness, by making us depend solely upon the Media∣tion of Christ with the Father, for the Acceptance thereof to our Justification; This, I say, being its De∣sign, and Satan being therefore enraged, that his U∣surp'd Dominion should be wrested from him: So it is, that the Church-Militant is ever since, through his Instigation, and the Malignity of his Agents, in that unhappy State, that like the Walls of Jerusalem, it must be defended with a Sword in one hand, whilst Built with a Trowel in the other. All which considered, it is very requisite that our American Pastor should, next to his Knowledge in the Holy Scriptures, (out of whose Materials he is to build) be provided of those defen∣fensive Weapons wherewith he may be inabled to op∣pose the Gainsayers to that Christianity he is to propa∣gate in the World: And for this End that he should be furnish'd with those Apologies, both Ancient and Mo∣dern, which have been written in defence of the Au∣thority of the Scriptures, and of the Truth of Christia∣nity; And also with such Discourses as Illustrate those Noble and Blessed Ends above-mention'd, which it was design'd to serve.

V.

Our American Pastor being thus far prepar'd towards his great Work of Preaching the Gospel, as to know and understand the Scriptures, and to be convinc'd himself, and to be able to convince others, both of their Truth; and of the great Designs, they, and the whole of that Religion contain'd in 'em, are to serve: He may be suppos'd capable by this time to take a comprehensive View of the whole Scheme of Christia∣nity; and also to form a true Judgment of all that which really does, or is pretended by the several Par∣ties of Christians to belong thereunto. And indeed since it is generally accounted the best Method in the pursuit of any Knowledge, to begin first with some ge∣neral Institution, and then to descend to inquire into the particular Parts thereof: For the more comprehen∣sive Knowledge of the whole Body of Christian Theo∣logy, and that all Divine Truths may be understood in that natural Order and Connection wherein they depend upon, and add Strength one to another; it is much desired that our American Pastor might be fur∣nish'd with some few Bodies of Divinity, and that both Scholastical and Catechetical.

VI.

But tho' the Priests and Ministers of Religion, whose Lips should preserve Knowledge, are to take in a much greater Compass thereof, than is necessary they should Instruct all Christians in; nay, and tho' those narrower Bodies of Divinity, which under the last Particular we term'd Catechetical, because they treat on∣ly of Points necessary to Salvation: Tho' Books of this Nature, I say, are what all who pretend to teach others, ought to be well acquainted with themselves (be the Method they proceed in what the Author pleases) yet since the Covenant of Grace, that Covenant, which was obtain'd for the fallen Race of Man from God the Father, by the sole Mediation of his only Begotten Son, and that with no less a Price than his own most precious Blood; since this Cove∣nant, we are sure and certain, contains the full Summ and Substance of what God has promis'd to us, and what we have engaged to God; This Covenant must therefore be that Subject, which every Minister of the Gospel ought to penetrate above all others, to the very Bottom, and to be most exquisitely skill'd in the Na∣ture, Terms and Conditions thereof; and in every the least circumstance pertaining thereunto. And there∣fore, since of all the Catechisms that the Church of God has at this day, that of the Church of England does most fully, without the Defalcation of any Article of

this Covenant, and yet most sincerely, without the mixture of any Heterogeneous, Disputable, or Schola∣stical Tenets, and (that no perfection may be want∣ing) most Methodically also, handling this noble Sub∣ject first Generally, and then particularly; Since the Catechism of the Church of England, I say, has deli∣ver'd to us the Covenant of Grace so very full, defe∣cate, and methodical; it must be therefore the concern of every Minister of Religion, as to comprehend en∣tirely this Blessed Covenant; so to study throughly this excelleent Catechism; and all this with the utmost Application, till he shall make both one and the other the Master-piece of his Knowledge. And therefore, in order to a compleat and exact understanding of Both, we cannot forbear here most importunately to desire that our Indian Clergy should be provided of such Authors, as pursuant to the Method of our Church Catechism, may accordingly inform 'em in this Cove∣nant of Grace, and thereby enable 'em to instruct the People in all its weighty Parts, so as every Private Christian may fully understand his Baptismal Vow, as well in the general extent of the whole, as in the par∣ticular Articles of every Branch thereof.

VII.

But since it is not enough for a Christian to know his Covenant Engagements towards God; but he must be also acquainted with the means whereby he may

effectually perform all those Conditions prescrib'd for the obtaining the Pardon of his Sins, and eternal Life and Happiness; 'Tis therefore very requisite, that e∣very Pastor of a Flock should be furnish'd with such Books as Treat most Judiciously both of that Divine Assistance, which is the supernatural Means whereby we shall be enabled to discharge our Obligations to∣wards our Maker, and also of Prayer and the Sacra∣ments, which are the Moral and Positive Means; the former of which is prescrib'd by God as the way to ob∣tain, the latter ordain'd as the means to convey this Grace to the Souls of Men, whereby they may be enabled to perform all the Conditions requir'd of them by Christ in the Covenant of which we are now speaking.

VIII.

Furthermore, being the End of that Divine Know∣ledge before-mention d, is to enable the Pastor to feed his Flock with all that is necessary to Salvation; and since Preaching (now that Catechising is so much neglected, more is the pity) is become, in a manner, the sole Method of Publick Instruction: The better to enable our American Pastor most skilfully and suc∣cessfully to apply thereby that knowledge he has made himself Master of, to the greatest good of those Souls committed to his Charge, it will be very requisite he should be furnish'd with the best Presidents and Assi∣stances to that Purpose; if not with the ancient Ho∣milies

of the most Renowned Preachers amongst the Primitive Fathers (which are easier wish'd than ob∣tain'd) at leastwise with the Sermons of later Writers: But especially I must insist upon having some of the Modern Sermons of our English Divines, which as they are (many of them) incomparably the Best, and the exactest Performances of that Nature, and there are scarce any of the foremention'd Subjects of Practi∣cal Divinity which have not been handled in 'em; so the best Discourses of that kind are doubly necessa∣ry for our Indian Pastor; namely, both to the farther Improvement of his own Understanding in those great Terms of Man's Salvation, and also for his Imitation in his own Composures in that Nature for the Edifi∣cation of his People.

IX.

Hitherto we have been providing only for a Peace∣able and Practical Divinity, whose whole tendency being to reduce us from the Slavery of Satan to the Obedience of God; to promote in us a Holy Life: And then to humble us in the sence of its Imperfecti∣on, by sending us to the Mediation of Christ for the Acceptance thereof to our Justification; these being, I say, the noble Ends of the Christian Religion; tis pity we, who are its Ministers, should be troubl'd with any Amusements to distract us from being ser∣viceable in such its Glorious Designs, to the Reforma∣tion

and Benefit of Mankind: And therefore it is not without the greatest regret, that I can think of ad∣mitting Polemical Discourses into our Foreign Li∣braries, wishing that the Church of God might be Built like Solomon's Temple, without the Noise of Axes and Hammers: But since through the Artifice of Satan the corrupt Seed of Heresie and Error has here∣tofore, and will be hereafter sow'd in the Church, to the subversion of a sound Faith, and the good Life of too many; to obviate or cure the Poyson thereof, there is too sad an occasion for admitting some Con∣troversial Divinity even into our Parochial Libraries.

X.

And since it has been found by Experience in every Age, that the success of all our Labours, whether in Preaching or Disputing, depends entirely, in a man∣ner, upon the Holiness of our Lives: And through the Malignity of the World, (which is more quick∣sighted to discern the minutest Failures, than the most shining Vertues of the Ministers of Religion) the scan∣dals of one vicious Clark shall Influence a Parish to more Wickedness, and occasion the Peoples running more into Heresie and Schism, than the Industry and Piety of Ten the most Vertuous and Laborious of the Clergy shall be able to retrieve from either. To compleat our American Clergy for the Purposes of their Ministry, and our Libraries also, for the Purposes also

of making 'em fit for it, and successful in it: lt is de∣sir'd they should have always before 'em such Authors as will first direct 'em in their Studies, Offices, and Duties, and excite them to Care and Vigilance in the Practice of them. Secondly, as will lay before them the Best Examples of each to be a Copy and Pattern for them to follow: And lastly, such Materials and Helps for Devotion, as will advance 'em to the high∣est degrees of Perfection in a Holy and Spiritual Life.

These foregoing Heads are a train of such Theological Points, as with submission to better Judgments, are thought to be of more Immediate concernment both to Minister and People; to the former, to be throughly read, to the latter, to be well instructed in. There are besides these other parts of Knowledge also, which may be very subservient to Theology, but they being rather to be esteemed accessary, and in some measure useful, than absolutely necessary for the Physician of Souls to be skill'd in, they may perhaps have a particular draught made of them distinctly by themselves.