The identity of "R. G." is unknown. This text was an "advisory narrative" presented to the Bishop of London who exercised ecclesiastical authority over the Crown colonies. Despite the religious motivation for colonization publicised by entrepreneurs, the actual religious life of the Virginia colony was in severe disorder: churches unbuilt, few clergy, and a scattered, unchurched populace. Already the topography of the new world was beginning to affect the character of settlement and religious institutions.
The situation described here will contribute to the forming of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (SPG) in 1698 and the Society for the promotion of Christian Knowledge (SPCK) in 1701. Eventually the scattered colonial population will evoke a powerful insitution of frontier religion: the circuit rider. Compare this assessment with that of Talbot, 1703; Secker, 1740; Davies, 1751; and Jefferson, 1779.
That part of Virginia which hath at present craved your Lordships Assistance to preserve the Christian Religion, and to promote the Building Gods Church among them, by supplying them with sufficient Ministers of the Gospel, is bounded on the North by the great River Patomek, on the South by the River Chawan, including also the Land inhabited on the East side of Chesipiack Bay, called Accomack, and contains about half as much Land as England; it is divided into several Counties and those Counties contain in all about Fifty Parishes, the Families whereof are dispersedly and scatteringly seated upon the sides of Rivers; some of which running very far into the Country, bear the English Plantations above a hundred Miles, and being very broad, cause the Inhabitants of either side to be listed in several Parishes. Every such Parish is extended many Miles in length upon the Rivers side, and usually not above a mile in Breadth backward from the River, which is the common stated breadth of every Plantation belonging to each particular Proprietor, of which Plantations, some extend themselves half a mile, some a mile, some two miles, some three miles, andupward upon the sides of those Rivers, many of them are parted from each other by small Rivers and Creeks, which small Rivers and Creeks are seated after the manner of the great Rivers. The families of such Parishes being seated after this manner, at such distances from each other, many of them are very remote from the House of God, though placed in the middest of them. Many Parishes as yet want both Churches and Gleabes, and I think not above a fifth part of them are supplyed with Ministers, where there are Ministers the people meet together Weekly, but once upon the Lords day, and sometimes not at all, being hindred by Extremities of Wind and Weather: and divers of the more remote Families being discouraged, by the lenght or tediousnesse of the way, through extremities of heat in Summer, frost and Snow in Winter, and tempestuous weather in both, do very seldome repair thither.
By which brief Description of their manner of seating themselves in that Wildernesse, Your Lordship may easily apprehend that their very manner of Planting themselves, hath caused them hitherto to rob God in a great measure of that publick Worship and Service, which as a Homage due to his great name, he requires to be constantly paid to him, at the times appointed for it, in the publick Congregations of his people in his House of Prayer. . . .
But though this be the saddest Consequent of their dispersed manner of Planting themselves (for what Misery can be greater than to live under the Curse of God?) yet this hath a very sad Train of Attendants which are likewise consequents of their scatter'd Planting. For, hence is the great want of Christian neighbourhood, of brotherly admonition, of holy Examples of religious Persons, of the Comfort of theirs, and their Ministers Administrations in Sicknesse, and Distresses, of the Benefit of Christian and Civil Conference and Commerce.
And hence it is, that the most faithfull and vigilant Pastors, assisted by the most carefull Church-wardens cannot possibly take notice of the Vices that reign in their Families, of the spiritual defects in their Conversations, or if they have notice of them, and provide spiritual Remedies in their publick Ministery, it is a hazard if they that are most concerned in them be present at the application of them: and if they should spend time in visiting their remote and far distant habitations, they would have little or none left for their necesary Studies, and to provide necessary spiritual food for the rest of their Flocks. And hence it is that through the licentious lives of many of them, the Christian Religion is like still to be dishonoured, and the Name of God to be blasphemed among the Heathen, who are near them, and oft among them, and consequently their conversion hindred.
Lastly, their almost general want of Schooles, for the education of their Children, is another consequent of their scattered planting, of most sad consideration, most of all bewailed of parents there, and therefore the arguments drawn from thence, most likely to prevail with them chearfully to embrace the Remedy. This want of Schooles, as it renders a very numerous generation of Christians Children born in Virginia (who naturally are of beautifull and comely Persons, and generally of more ingenious Spirits then these in England) unservicable for any great Employments either in Church or State, so likewise it obstructs the hopefullest way they have, for the Conversion of the Heathen, which is, by winning the Heathen to bring in their Children to be taught and instructed in our Schooles, together with the Children of the Christians. For as it is the Beauty and Glory of Christian Graces, shining in the lives of Christians, which must make the Heathen that are men, in love with the Christian Religion; so it is that love, which can only perswade them to bring in their Children to be taught and instructed in it: But as it is unlikely that such love should be wrought in them by the Glory of Christian Graces appearing in theChristians lives; who (as now planted) are for the most part destitute of the ordinary means of Grace: so granting that this might be, yet it is very unlikely that any rationall Heathen should be perswaded to commit their Children to the teaching and education of such Christians, whom they shall perceive to want Schooles of learning (the means of both) for their own.
It were easie to adde to these a heap of evill consequents of their scattered Planting, which hinder their Temporal, as well as Spirituall happinesse. But I forbear it being a task unsuitable for my Profession, and for that I know the Remedy to be the same for both, and the removing the one will be the removing of the other.
Onely for conclusion of this part, discovering Virginia's Disease and Misery, Your Lordship may be pleased to represent to your thoughts the Evills of the fore-mentioned consequents of their scattered Planting in reference to the poor Heathen; the effecting whose conversion, should be the great and designed by all, who would be subservient to the Providence of God, in Transporting our Colonies thither.
The Heathen enter frequently into some of the remote dispers'd habitations of the Christians, the premises considered, what can they see which should make them in love with their Religion? They see their Families disordered, their Children untaught, the publick Worship and Service of the great God they own, neglected; neglected upon that very day, which they heare call'd the Lords Day, and to be by the Christians peculiarly set a part for it; yea so farre neglected, that some of the Heathen have complained it was the worst of the seven to them, because the servants of the Christians Plantations nearest to them, being then left at liberty, oft spent that day invisiting their Indian Towns, to the disquiet of the Heathen, but certainly to the great Scandall of the Christian Relgion, and little hopes have the poor Heathen of redresse, whilst they see that Day so far neglected by the Christians, that in many Parishes they see no publick holy Assemblies of our people, no Ministers provided for the holy Ministrations of such Assemblies, no Churches erected and consecrated for such publique Sacred Ministrations; or such in such desolate Places, and so remote from many of their habitations that an ingenuous Christian would blush to tell a Heathen, that They are the houses of the Christians great God, that made the Heaven and the Earth of nothing, in which he is honoured, worshipp'd, prayed unto, and his heavenly will taught from his holy Word: for if a sober discreet Heathen (and there are many such) should reply, Why hath not every Parish one of them, and Ministers belonging to them? why are they not better built? why will not all the Christians of a Parish bestow as much cost in building the house of their great God, as one particular Christian among them bestows upon his own house? what defence could an ingenuous Christian make, which should not at once both shame himself and the Christians he would defend? . .