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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. rrata :o pelure, n 6 U 32X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 A (jipu 3 -s \ i; C IX E'JV. ?^s HISTORICAL CONGREGATIONALISM, i;v l-:\-. SAAIllJ, N. j;\( KSON, M.I). chairman's address TO THE rON(;Ki;(;ATI().\Al. LMON OF OXTARIU AM- . .L KHK( Toronto ; ( ' O N c; R K (} A '[• I O .\ A L I' f B I, I S 1 1 I .\ (i »; o M I' A \ V iSSl. \ HISTORICAL CONGREGATIONALISM. -ii^ REV. SAMUEL N. JACKSON, M.D. chairman's address TO THE CONGREGATIONAL UNION OF ONTARIO AND QUEBEC. Cx)ronto : CONGREGATIONAL PUBLISHING COMPANY 1881. PREFACE. -•"•ch ha, been done. A.kU fr„„ ..I't ''™^" '■«^"'°''"' ^-^ Booi, «="0d. ' "'""'^"'•^ ""^ edition has b„en IHs needles, to say tliattlie limits of . • , "-'■'y- that, .wti, s„ wide a ,„bi T " ^'"" "^"'™ ^-'' «'-• Shonid these pages, i-cevi's'tilur 'T'"^ """" "'^ ''^ -.-onai Histo,, one ve, ae,i.r ^^ ' U. b '" ^""^ *^°"- •^ -o branch of the Ch„.eh of Chri-, . ""'"'^- ^''^'^ -■"^ -- a „o™ nobie „. th.iUnri^t" ^^ '^ '"^ "-'"*' To those who wish to prosecute its st„rf '"' '''''"«'=«^«™'>Jis".. «• I'exte. l,.x>.. ,„„,„ ,„, ::;;;,.^ "^--" V the Ke. „e„,, "y 'he Ke. „,.. «,„„,„,,„, ,„^^;^ "-"^ »' i'eligion in En^^nd," HISTORICAL CONGREGATIONALISM. I have chosen this designation for my address, not because I am so insane as to suppose that I can give even a fair outUne •of a subject so great and wide— one which for nearly three centuries has been interwoven with the National Histories of English, American, and Colonial life— a subject which it would require many volumes to expound, and then not exhaust. I have chosen this title rather, because what I desire to say comes better under its designation than any other ; and also for the reason that its latitude suffers me to wander throughout the earth and heaven, and dwell upon the past and present in relation to what is dear to us all. While the first lines of Historical Congregationalism date from recent centuries, we claim that its principles are as old as Chris- tianity ; nay, more, that it is the ancient Theocracy with a divinely modified administration. As Congregationalists, we believe, not only in the supreme authority of God's Word, but also in its completeness as a divine revelation ; and find in it our only rule of faith, and also the constitution and laws of the Church of Christ, which in our view becomes a church of churches. It was only by a study of the Sacred Word, that saintly and learned men, in various places and at different times, learned those principles ; which good seed, planted by the Holy Spirit in human hearts, has raised up a noble army of confessors, heroes and martyrs, and has girdled the world with their churches. It is true that we do not find the constitution of the New Testament Church written out in form, or its laws codified in the Scriptures, any more than we find doctrines reduced to a system of divinity, or the details conrerning God's great creation de- clared. The principles and outlines, however, are given, and i 4 III8T0RTCAL C0NGRE0ATI0NALT8M these viewed by a sanctified reason are found to form parts of a common whole, which, as they harmoniously blend, give us the system which we hold : a system which we love, not only for itself, but because we receive it as a gift from God. In the same way doctrines are evolved here and there through- out the Scriptures, as declared by Moses and the Prophets, by Christ, and the Apostles, which when gathered up and placed side by side, not only harmonize, but become complete as a revelation of the divine will. In nature, too, the outlines of creation are declared, while it is left to the astronomer, the geologist, the botanist, and the physiologist, by telescope and microscope, by hammer and scalpel, to declare to us nature's infinite variety and harmonious unity. In the Gospels we find that Christ by His own words enunciated principles which are the fundamentals ot Congrega- tionalism. He plainly said to His disciples, " The princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them : but it shall not be so among you.'* And when he commands them : '• But not ye called Rabbi, lor one is your Master, even Christ, and all ye are brethren," He laid down a theory of social and church life, which it is next to im- possible to realize in any other system of church polity. Again, in the plain law which our Lord gives concerning offences, and which is found in Matthew xvii. 15-18, principles are involved which it is impossible to literally fulfil and commands are given which cannot in good faith be kept under any other form of church order. Dean Alford says of this, "That ekhlesia cannot mean the church, as represented by her rulers, appears by verses 19, 20, whera any collection of believers is gifted with the power ot deciding such cases," While we pass over the many passages wherein Christ in strong terms alludes to the equal brotherhood of believers, and pause to listen to His last prayer for His followers, and study the formula He gives in the institution of the Lord's Supper ; and further when we receive His last command in the great commis- sion, are we not impelled to these convictions : that as it was while He was upon the earth, He was the visible and only Head in HISTORICAL CONGREGATIONALISM. of His church, and under Him all were brethren equal in authority and rights, so was it His will that in the churches sub- sequently developed He should remain their real though invisible Head, and all believers should stand on the broad platform of brotherhood and equality. Here very important questions arise, namely, — What view did the Apostles take of these teachings which they received from their Master ? What plan did they follow in the planting and training of the New Testament churches ? Studying these questions by the Acts, but one answer is given throughout, which is to the effect that among the Apostles there was no assumption of ecclesiastical authority ; that in their church system there was no shadow of the hierarchy, but throughout the simplicity of Congregationalism is found. A successor to Judas in the Apostle- ship was elected by the whole church of one hundred and twenty members ; the seven deacons were chosen by the church ; Paul was received by the church at Jerusalem and sent forth to Tarsus, not by the Apostles, but by " the brethren ;" it was to the church, while fasting and praying, that the Holy Spirit said, ♦' Set me apart Barnabas and Saul to the work to which I have called them," and this the whole body did, then and there desig- nating the first Congregational Foreign Missionaries, which Missionaries on their return reported to the assembled church the results of their labours. Later on, when Paul and Barnabas with certain others were sent by the church at Antioch to lay before the Mother Church at Jerusalem the effect of Judaizing teachings in their midst, this deputation was received by the whole church, and after con- sidering the case, "it pleased the Apostles and elders with the whole church^' to send delegates to Antioch with a letter of advice, which letter recognized the church as co-ordinate in power with the Apostles. Further, when we remember that the gift of the Holy Spirit was bestowed upon the assembly as well as upon the Apostles, and see the church when scattered by persecution at -work by its members who " went everywhere preaching the Word ;" and read afterwards that " then had the churches rest throughout all Judea, and Galilee and Samaria," the only con- BISTORIOAL C0NGRR0ATI0NALI8M. i; t elusion in face of all the facts is that the system of Church govern- ment manifesting itself throughout the Acts of the Apostles was essentially Congregational. Turning to the Apostles' writings we find these facts further declared and illustrated. In more than fifty instances the term ekklesia, or church, is used to designate a single congregation of believers, while the churches are also frequently mentioned in their plurality, as the churches at Cenchrea, Corinth and Philippi. These Apostolic writings declare and illustrate the equal brother- hood oi believers, and are addressed to the several churches, recognizing as over them only such officers as are now found in Congregational churches. With regard to church administration we find that Titus was chosen by the church to accompany Paul, and is called the " mess, ger of the churches." In matters of church discipline, instruction is given to the members of the church to withdraw from those who walk disorderly, and in the case mentioned in i. Corinthians v. 4, 5, 13, the directions given can be rarried out by no other system than that of Congregation- alism. Thus, in the Apostles' writings as well as in their acts, we find such references made to the local church and to the churches, to their officers, to their fraternity, and to their administrative action, as to make the conclusion clear that the government of those early churches was what is now known as Congregational. Not only did the fathers of our faith discover this fact in the sixteenth century, but divines and church historians of other denominations have given testimony in the same matter, as for instance, Lange, Dean Alford, Archbishop Whately, Wadding- ton, Mosheim, Neander and Geisler. In the Brampton Lecture for 1880, by the Vice-Principal of St. Mary's Hall, Rev. Edward Hatch, M.A., entitled "The organization of the early Christian, church," it is clearly shown that the idea of the clergy as priests, and of Christian worship as a priestly sacrifice was not primitive but the growth of the hierarchical and sacerdotal system, and shows the influence, especially without the church, which con- tributed to that growth. Then on the last page but one he says : ' • The supremacy of the Episcopate was the result of the struggle with Gnos- ticism ; the centralization of ecclesiastical government was the outcome of the- IlISTOBICAr, CONORKOATIONAL18M. breaking up of the empire. And if the secret of the past be fi key to the future, the institutions of Christianity are destined in the providence of God, in the oks by 2. He '■ says, ■s, and 5uper- i that 5ndon result ition- 2 he Was >n of ion, followed those members who had previously gone into exile, and founded the Congregational church in Amsterdam. There he died and was buried in i688. For more than a hundred years this church existed, and the building still stands in which they worshipped. It is further worthy of remark that Francis Johnson, as a Congregational exile in Holland, brought out at his own expense an edition of that work which Francis Johnson, the Presbyterian exile, had burned in Zealand. John Robinson is another in this list of worthies who must be mentioned. Entering Cambridge in 1592, he was afterwards made a Fellow of the University, but was suspended by tlie Established Church for his acceptance of the principles of separ- ation. In 1604 he resigned his Fellowship and became pastor ot the Scrooby Congregational Church in Nottinghamshire. This became the celebrated " Pilgrim Church," which, after a severe ordeal of persecution carried on in treachery and outrage, escaped into Holland in the year 1607. After a brief sojourn in Amster- dam they removed to Leyden, where they flourished under Robinson as pastor and Brewster as elder. In 1620, after great deliberation and prayer, with high and holy [resolves, the first portion of this Pilgrim Church set sail for the wild shores of this continent, here to found a New England, upon the principles of civil and religious freedom. The voyage of the " Mayflower ; " the landing at Plymouth Rock ; the suffering endured with sublime heroism during the first years, are too well known to call for recital here. The growth and influence of that Congregational stock, planted on the virgin soil of the new world, is written in the history of a great self- governing nation of fifty millions of people, tlow the Pilgrim Church was protected from her enemies as was the " woman," the symbol of the true church, who fled to the wilderness from the persecution of the Dragon, and had a place of safety prepared for her of God, is known to the world. To day Plymouth Rock and Burial Hill are more than national symbols, and the names of Brewster, Bradford, Carver, Miles Standish, Dr. Fuller and others, are known and cherished by the English speaking world. To Henry Jacob belongs the honour of establishing the 14 HI8T0EICAL CONGREGATIONALISM. "Mother Church" of English Independency, for although other Congregational Churches of earlier origin had been formed these had either been extinguished or driven into exile by persecution. Jacob was a native of Kent, a graduate of Oxford and held a benefice at Cheriton. After interviews and discussions with Fran- cis Johnson he resigned his living and went to Zealand, where he was pastor of a church for some years at Middleburg. After- wards in 1610 he spent some time with Robinson at Leyden. All through his exile he had looked towards England with anxiety and in I609 had addressed to King James "An Humble Supplication for Toleration," in which he begs that "each par- ticular church may be allowed to partake in the benefit of the said toleration, may have, enjoy, and put in execution and practice this her right and privilege " viz., " to elect, ordain, and deprive her own ministers and to exercise all the other points of lawful ecclesiastical jurisdiction under Christ." In 1616 he returned to England and there organized the historic church at Southwark. After a pastorate of eight years during which the church made good progress he, looking to the new world as a field of greater usefulness, and with the consent of his church, sailed for Virginia where soon after he died and now lies buried in an unknown grave. Robert Brown, Henry Barrow, John Greenwood, Francis John- son, John Robinson and Henry Jacob are by no means all of the list of confessors worthy of mention. The lives of these however serve as connecting links in the early history of English Congre- gationalism, which history they began and prosecuted by their faith, fortitude and zeal, in the midst of persecutions, imprison- ments, banishments and martyrdom. Faithfully did they and a host of their followers illustrate the principle "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ, yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord ; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things." In spite of the severely repressive measures ot the Government, Congregationalists continued to multiply in England and in the last decade of the i6th century numerous churches were formed especially in London, and the East and North-east HISTORICAL CONGREGATIONALISM. 15 ^^ough other formed these persecution, ^nd heJd a 's with Fran- 'd, where he "^g- After- at Leyden. giand with An HumbJe " each par- "efit of the "^fon and rdain, and ■her points ? I6i6 he 'c church "g which ' world as 5 church, 'S buried I =is John- U of the lowever '-'Ongre- >y their prison - and a things btJess, riedge ofaij i the -M riand W ches east counties. They were watched and often their conventicles were suppressed and the worshippers cast into prison where many died. The following illustrates the sufferings endured during this period. In 1636 Dr. Leighton, father of the celebrated arch- bishop, on publishing his " Plea against Prelacy," was fined ;^io,- 000, set in the pillory at Westminister, publicly whipped, iiad his ears cut off, his nostrils slit and his cheeks branded with the let- ters S. S. " Sower of Sedition." Prynne, a barrister of Lincolns' Inn, tor writing against stage plays, masques, dances and masquer- ades, had his ears cut off, and for a second offence had the stumps sawed off. In like manner were many treated for like offences. The result of persecution was a double emigration to the Continent and to New England. Thomas Goodwin and Philip Rye ministered to churches in Arnheim ; Hugh Peters, Pro- fessor William Ames, Jeremiah Burroughs, William Bridge, and Sidrach Simpson, all of them men of mark, went to Rotterdam. To New England between the years 1620 and 1640 there came upwards of 22,000 Puritans from English and Dutch ports. They were, as Milton said, " faithful and freeborn Englishmen and good Christians constrained to forsake their dearest home, their friends and kindred, whom nothing but the wide ocean and the savage deserts of America could hide and shelter from the fury of the bishops." Among them were such men as Bradford, Brewster, Winslow, Standish, Winthrop, Dr. Fuller, Roger Williams, and young Harry Vane. Of their ministers it is suffi- cient to mention John Wilson, John Cotton, Thomas Hooker, John Elliott, Thomas Shepard, Richard Mather, (to be followed by his distinguished son and his still more distinguished grandson. Cotton Mather,) John Davenport, Jonathan Mitchell, and John Wise. These were some of the men who planted the American church and founded a civil government on the principles of God's word ; men of whom England, in that age, was not worthy. From the wild shores of New England these men sent back to Old England their Congregational literature, which books and pamphlets, expo- sitory and defensive of the " New England way," were scattered 16 HISTORICAL CONGREGATIONALISM, broadcast throughout the land proving elements of great useful- ness during the period of the Commonwealth. We take a glance at England in the middle of the 17th century and what do we see ? The Puritans driven to bay have turned upon the wolves of persecution and are masters of the situation by the English Revolution. In a sudden and extraordinary way Con- gregationalism has the ascendancy in the Commonwealth; and this, not by force of numbers but by the force of their principles and tl ) characters of their men. At their head stood Oliver Cromwell, surrounded by the invincable ranks of his faithful Ironsides ; while to his council among others came such Congregationalists as Sir Harry Vane, Henry Burton, John Milton, John Owen and John Goodwin. The principles which they held were precisely suited to the emergency, being at once revolutionary, republican and religi- ous ; while their theory of the church fell in with the spirit of the Commonwealth. Inspired by their love to divine truth and human freedom, it is not so wonderful that men like these " through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens." The Congregationalists of the Commonwealth were by no means so ascetical as many have imagined ; neither did they look so doleful, nor dress so ridiculously, or act so absurdly as believers in " Hudibras" would understand. Among them were many gentlemen of graceful bearing, of noble demeanor, and of genial sympathies. There were of their number some of the noblest blood of England, and a great number of gentle descent who, in the midst of the multitudes of yeomen, would crack a joke and ring an honest laugh. While the church of the Com- monwealth repudiated Prelacy and refused to embrace Presby- terianism it did not set up Congregationalism. It was nothing more than an institution for preaching and teaching, and the ministers were only acknowledged by the State in the capacity of instructors. This bright, though brief, period of the Commonwealth, when. HISTORICAL C0N0RE0ATI0NALI8M. 17 great useful- 17th century have turned ■ situation by iry way Con- 1th; and this, ipies and tl j i Cromwell, sides; while 'aJists as Sir n and John '-ly suited to I and religi- spirit of the truth and like these pteousness inched the* weakness flight the -re by no they look surdJy as hem were 5r, and of le of the - descent crack a he Com- Presby- nothing and the capacity fi, when' England guided by her uncrowned king, made herself felt as a a power ot righteousness among the na.tions, and opened that book from which others since have been laboriously learning of liberty and equal rights, may not now be dwelt upon. In it our fathers uttered a prophecy and enjoyed a foretaste of this nine- teenth century in which we, their children, live. They being dead yet speak and their worHs are, "At a great price purchased we this freedom, keep it at every sacrifice." With the restoration of Charles II. the shadow went back upon the dial of English life and liberty ; and upon the Congre- gationalists of the Commonwealth were the vials of wrath poured with bitter vengeance. In the case ol the Presbyterians who had been chiefly instrumental in bringing the king back, some attempt was made to include them within the church of the restoration, but with regard to Congregationalists not an effort at compre- hension was put forth. They did not ask for this ; they only wished to be tolerated and nothing more, and even this illusion was very soon dispelled. In 1661 the Corporation Act was passed, which disqualified non-conformists for municipal offices; in 1662 the Act of Uni- formity, which drove more than two thousand ministers out of the church and silenced all who did not conform ; in 1663 the Conventicle Act, which prevented the meeting of non-conformist congregations — not allowing in any house more than five persons besides the family to meet at once; in 1665 by the Five Mile Act no non-conforming minister was allowed to come within five miles of any corporate borough ; in 1670 the Conventicle Act was made more severe ; and in 1673 the Test Act made all non-con- formists ineligible for offices under the crown, either civil, naval, or military. During these dark days of repression and persecution, our Congregational fathers lived with patient courage, learning through their sufferings. And well they might, sustained as they were by the infinite grace of God, and while their obscurity was made illustrious by the counsel and teachings of men like John Owen, late vice-Chancellor of Oxford, prince of theologians ; Thomas Goodwin, dealing with the didactic subjects so pleasing to 18 I116TOKICAL OONOUKGATIONALISM. I his age ; John Howe beholding the " vision of God " and dwell- ing in " the living Temple ;" Joseph Caryl and William Greenhill, rich in expository lore ; and Theophilus Gale, of the " Court of the Gentiles." But the children of the former Commonwealth could not be slaves, hence tlie Revolution of 1688, by which James the II. was forced to abdicate, and which enthroned William and Mary of hallowed memory. By the passage of the Toleration Act in 1689 the laws ol England began to mitigate towards the non-conforming portion of her subjects, and from that time to the present Congregation- alism and Liberty have gone hand in hand with even pace ad- vancing from strength to strength. To-day her voice is heard declaring that the anomaly of a National Church which is not National, of a Protestant Church supported by the State which is not evangelically Protestant must pass away. Edward Miall, one of our number recently called away, was the first to revive the agitation which brought about the disestablishment of the Irish Church, a man who for many years has been foremost in promoting these reforms. He rests from his labours but his works do follow him. In Canada for many years the State Church cast its shadow over Jand declared its intolerance in the land. One case will sufitice to illustrate the tacts. At the beginning of the century a Congregational church, now called Chalmers, was organized in Quebec, and three years later the authorities peremptorily re- fused to grant to the minister the required official register. This decree not only debarred our ministers of ministerial status, but also prohibited them from officiating at baptisms, marriages and funerals, as such acts were illegal without a register. The in- justice of this act was exposed by the pastor, the Rev. Mr. Ben- tom, in a published pamphlet entitled " Law and Fact," for which he was sentenced to six months imprisonment and a fine of £"50 sterling, the real cause being the crime of non-conformity. It was not until 1833 that this decree was abrogated by Act 6 William IV. Chap, ig, and religious freedom accorded to Congregationalists. The last vestige of a State Church in Canada was swept away in 1855 by the secularization of the Clergy Reserves brought ind dwelJ- t^^reenhiJJ, ' Court of "onweaJth ^y which '^^'iiJiam ^awK of portion egation- Pace ad- is heard '^ is not ' State Edward ■ first to ment of >remost but his shadow ise wiJI itury a zed in iJy re- This IS, but !s and 36 in- Ben- vhich "<^5o . It Ham lists. way ight I IIISTORICAL OOSORECJA'ITONALIfM. 19 I i about largely by the influence and sentiment of Congrepatioral- ists. In Nova Scotia so early as 1759 Congregationalists succeeded in securing a charter of religious freedom from Governor Lawrence, which among its provisions included the following : " Protestants dissenting from the Church of England shall have FULL LIBERTY OF CONSCIENCE, and may erect and build meeting- houses for public worship, and may choose and elect ministers for the carrying on of divine service, and the administration of the sacraments, according to their several opinions, and all such dissenters shall be excused from any rate or taxes to be made or levied for the support of the Established Church of England." To estimate the marvellous influence of Congregationalism throughout the world is utterly impossible. But for it, religion in many places of England would have almost become extinct, and by it the religious institutions of America were planted and took deep root ; while in the Colonies and in Heathen lands it has proved of lasting benefit to society and the State. Congregational preachers from the first have been men of influence. Of one ot them, James Foster, Pope, sang his praise saying : Let modest Foster, if he will, excel Ten Metropolitans in preaching well : while Isaac Watts, Philip Doddridge, Edward Williams and Dr. Pye Smith were among those of whom any age might well be proud. In the last generation, England produced such men as Henry Rogers, Joseph Gilbert, J. Angell James, Dr. Winter Ham- ilton, Dr. RJaph Wardlaw, Dr. Robert Vaughan, nis distinguished son Alfred Vaughan, Dr. Halley and Thomas Bmney, concerning whom it may be said " there were giants in those days." In the United States during the eighteenth century, names like these were written both in Congregational history and the National history as well : Jonathan Edwards, Joseph Bellamy, Samuel Hopkins, Ezra Stiles, J oseph La throp, Stephen West, Benjamin Trumbull, Nathaniel Emmons, Mathew Strong, Asa Burton, Timothy Dwight, Abel Holmes, Jedediah Morse, Ebenezer Porter and Leonard Woods. Then in the last gener- ation among others were Moses Stewart, Edward Payson, James 20 HTSTOBIOAL OOMOREOAtlONALTBM. Marsh, Bela Bates Edwards and Lyman Beecher, who will be re- cognized as master minds by men of many succeeding genera- alions. These and men like them have done the chief thinking of the age, and greatly influenced the theology of all portions of the Church of Christ. •' Yea, verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world." The following leading features have manifested themselves in the History ot Congregationalism for the past two centuries which cannot now be dwelt upon but only indicated. I. The adaptability of Congregationalism to surrounding cir- cumstances has been attested. With its simplicity and com- pleteness of organization, now as in the days of the apostles, it is suited to all outward exigencies. By it we see Churches orga- nized and complete, in prison and on shipboard, in exile and in the unbroken wilderness, while the fruits of Foreign Missions are readily gathered into its Churches in all climes and among all classes. It is the only polity which can form and conduct a Church regularly without outside authority and help, and create out of itself an authorized ministry. II. While its creed conserves it does not fetter Congregational- ism. The Bible, which Chillingworth called the creed of Protestantism, is our creed. Although in generations past and present, Congregationalists have openly declared to the world the leading truths which their churches hold, these have never been pt . forth as standards requiring subscription. One result of this is that we have never been bound by the human opinions and phraseology peculiar to any age, and the grip of the dead man's hand is not felt ; while we have ever been at liberty to bring forth from the treasury of God's Word, things new and old. John Robinson, in his farewell to the Pilgrim Fathers, said, •• God hath more light to break forth out of His Word, and our attitude has ever been that of standing, ready to receive such light." Another attested result is that throughout three centuries Congre- gationalism has been true to the evangelical faith and has stood as Protestant of Protestants. III. It has been a chief characteristic of Congregationalism that it has contended for the spirituality of Christ's Church. Its «xl to 4o w p^ ai CI ti HISTOUK^AL CONOREGA7IONALI8M. m fill be re. Sonera- thinking frtions of |o aJi the selves in -nturies 'ing cir. ^ corn- sties, it !s orga. d in the >ns are >ng all duct a create tionaJ- ed of t and fdthe been f this and lan's orth ohn jod iide It." :re- >od im ts existence began in this vital principle, and its natural antagorisn. to a State Church is for the same reason. The fathers and founders of our faith were men of deep and fervent piety, and it •was through this that they relinquished place, position, outward peace and temporal ease ; embracing a system opposed to pride, ambition and all that is human. Throughout all its history Congregationalism has made it an essential claim that its minis- try should be fodly, and its membership should be converted. iS That this is a vital principle is declared by the fact, that when for a time a church has been negligent in this, dire disaster has been the invariable result. A vivid illustration is given by the experiment of " the half way covenant," adopted in New England in 1662, ultimately leading to the results of Unitarianism, which the churches were compelled to cut off and cast out. If Uzziah's han - -night not steady the Ark of God, no more may the unregenerated be recognized in this system either as ministers or members, for if Congregationalism is not spiritual it is nothing. IV. Congregationalism from the first has possessed a fervent Missionary Spirit. A leading purpose of the Pilgrim Fathers in coming to this continent, was the conversion of the native inhabi- tants ; and John Elliot, famous as the •' apostle of the Indians," was the first of Protestant missionaries to the heathen, in whose steps that host should follow with courage, devotion and success like David Brainerd, John Williams, Ellis, Morrison, Moffat and Livingston. The charter of Massachusets made missionary work a duty resting upon all the settlers, and as a result we find that when in i6g6 there were only 130 Congregational churches in New England there were thirty Indian churches with thousands of "praying Indians." It was their missionary enterprise which called into existence the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, the oldest Missionary Board in Great Britain. In 1795 the London Missionary Society was organized ; and in 1810 the American Board ; followed in 1846 by the American Missionary Association ; which Societies have gone into all the world preaching the Gospel and are planting the nations with Christian churches. Together they annually employ more than six thousand and fifty European and native missionary agents, 22 HISTORICAL CONGREGA.TIONALISM. and expend about one and a half million dollars in the work. Who can question the fact that when that " great multitude which no man can number" shall be gathered " of all nations and kindreds and people and tongues" before the throne of God, thousands upon thousands shall bless the missionary enterprises of Congregationalists. In the Home Missionary work Congregational churches in every land are banded together, the strong to help the weak, the favoured to preach the Gospel to the destitute, while in all catholic evangelical missionary work, domestic or foreign, our churches, considering their number and means, have stood in the front. Without this fervent missionary spirit Congregationalism would not be true to itself, for is not its essence "sanctified individualism ;" and does it not emphasize the duty and power of the indi- vidual beUevers as a good steward of the manifold blessings of God to propagate the Gospel ? V. Congregationalism professes and exemplifies the broadest Christian Catholicism. In relation to other Christian eccle- siastical systems it stands as a rival to none and an ally to alL To these systems it is liberally giving its cardinal principles, and persists in bestowing them, even when declined with thanks. Dr. Baird, in the history of New School Presbyterians, honours us by saying of that secession : " All our trouble came from Congre- gationalism." With a generosity not to be commended, and in a Catholicism two catholic by far for our own interests, we have given ministers and members without stint to other denomina- tions, where they have been received with open arms ard held in high honour. Congregationalists alone organized and sustain their great foreign missionary societies on a catholic basis, while the American Home Missionary Society with the same too generous spirit contributed the chief part of ministers, members and .iieans for at least four hundred Presbyterian churches out- side of New England. That our system is catholic, as well as apos- tolic, is further illustrated by the facts that by its ordinances, doctrines and practices it does not debar any true Christian from membership within its churches, but accords him the freest fullest fellowship ; and that its polity furnishes the only system HISTORICAL CONOKEGATIONALISM. »0 whereby all other churches may be united in one catholic and apostolic church. VI. Congregationalism has ever been the symbol of civil and religious freedom. It was born in travail and agony for liberty in an intolerant age, as the persecutions, imprisonments and exile of our fathers testifies and it was baptised by the blood of martyrs. The proud pre-eminence is given to Robert Brown of having been the first writer in the Enghsh tongue to state and define the doctrine of toleration. The few Congrega- tionalists, forming so small a part of the Westminister Assembly, were, according to BailUe, habitually pestering that august body with plans for liberty of conscience, " not only for themselves but, without any exception for every man never so eroneous so long as he troubled not the public comfort." Again, he says, " the great shot of Cromwell and Vane is to have a liberty for all religions, without any exception." In that age it must be remembered Presbyterians looked upon toleration as the very " man of sm." To trace this contest for full, civil and religious liberty would be to write the history of the denomination and repeat facts which the leading historians have told. Lord Brougham makes the followmg declaration : "They are a bodv of men to be held in lasting veneration for the unshaken fortitude with which in all times they have ma.ntained their attachment to civil liberty • for I freely confess it, they, with the zeal of martyrs; with the purity c early Christians, the skill and courage of renowned warriors, achieved for England the Free Constitution she now enjoys." Hume says: «'0f all Christian sects in Great Britain, this (the Congregational) was the first which dunng its prosperity as well as adversity, always adopted the principles of toleration. ' VII. Earnest promotion of Education has always been a leadmg characteristic of Congregationalism. Its first founders were all educated men who had been trained in England's honoured univer- sities, and who, at great sacrifice, went forth to plant their princi- ples in the sanctified thought and intelligence of the age. As a system it cannot long exist in ignorance, and has but few attrac- tions for the thoughtless. Shut out from England's national universities for more than two centuries and a half, theological colleges were established for the education of the ministry, and free universities were founded. HISTORICAL CONGREGATIONALISM. Owing to the oppressive acts in the reign of Charles II. it was with the greatest difficulty these schools were maintained. One of these academies was under the charge of Theophilus Gale, another under Samuel Cradoc, another under Thomas Doolittle, and another under Richard Frankland and others of the ejected ministers; these were only preserved by the most frequent change ot place so as to elude the vigilance of the authori- ties. Under toleration these schools could do better work, as the history of one under the Rev. Samuel Jones, first situated at Gloucester and then at Tewkesbury, testifies, for there were educated Archbishop Lecker, Bishop Butler, Samuel Chandler and Jeremiah Jones. For more than a hundred years the struggle to abolish univer- sity ecclesiastical tests has been carried on, and in 1854 ^ great victory was achieved by the passage of the Oxford University Reform Bill. This was followed in 1871 by the Ecclesiastical Test Act, which has done all that was desired with the exception of abolishing the ecclesiastical headship and fellowship in England's renowned universities. Since then many Congrega- tionalists have been attending the national universities, and in the space of twenty-one years fourteen senior wranglers at Cam- bridge have been Nonconformists. Of the first settlers of New England one out of every two hundred planters was a graduate of Cambridge or Oxford. One- of their own number tells us, " After God had carried us safely to New England, and we had builded our houses, provided necessaries for our livelihood, reared convenient places for God's worship, and settled the civil government, one of the next things we longed for and looked after was, to advance learning and perpetuate it to posterity; dreading to leave an illiterate- ministry to the churches when our present ministers shall lie in the dust." No sooner, therefore, did the Pilgrim Fathers plant their principles upon this continent than they opened the common schools, establishing that principle which has been wrought out' in the common school system ; for in 1653 it was enacted that there should be a schoolmaster in every town in the colony. As early as 1636 Harvard College was founded ; in 1700 Yale;; HISTORICAL CONGREGATIONALIBM. 25 ■ and in 1769 Dartmouth ; to be followed by that host of colleges planted in the various States of the Union, in which there are now one hundred and fifty Congregational professors, besides thirty-six in theological seminaries. Of this, Joseph Cook says, " Congregationalists have founded more colleges than any other denomination in New England." Moreover, by its Foreign Mis- sionary Societies, schools and colleges, as well as churches, have been planted in many of the dark places ol the earth, the number nov/ being not less than fifty. This has been the record ; one which must be progressively maintained would we hold our place and wield a true spiritual power in generations to come. The golden fruits of literature which this tree of knowledge has born would make a bibliography of many volumes. Vlli. The numerical increase of Congregationalism has been gradual but encouraging. At the beginning of the conflict between Charles I. and the Parliament it was, as a denomination, so feeble and obscure as to be hardly taken into account ; but in the end, by the victory of Nasby, it was master of the situation. From the time when Congregationalism was chiefly within the limits of the Fleet Prison and the ship " Mayflower " until now, only three life times have passed away, and the churches number to-day about four thousand each in England and America, the rate of progress having been singularly even in both countries. In the United States at the beginning of this century the denomination was scarcely known outside of New England. Then, for fifty years the fatal " Plan of Union " for the prosecution of Home Missions was fo-n^ed with the Presbyterians, and by it the lion and the lamb lay down together, but, unfortunately for our brethren, the innocent lamb of Congregationalism was within the maw of the ravenous Presbyterian lion. During the last quarter of a century, however, their progress has been about 100 per cent. The fact that our numerical advancement has not been in pro- portion to that of some other denominations is not altogether to our discredit ; for it must be borne in mind that our strict terms of com- munion, our emphatic testimony against oppression, and our spirit of catholicity have not facilitated a rapid progress. However were 26 HISTORICAL CONGREGATIONALISM. we to include those denominations like the Baptists, whose form of government is Congregational, we should have among those speaking the English tongue a grand total of about forty thousand churches. In addition to this the fact remains that, outside of the church of Rome, the doctrine of Congregational freedom is now almost universally acknowledged. IX. This question is raised: does not the history of the past three hundred years declare the weakness as well as the strength of Congregationalism ? We frankly answer in the affirmative. That there is weakness in it is assured from the fact that it must be administered by fallible men. Because imperfections com.e out of a system we may not conclude that therefore the system is weak, for then nature and every earthly affair would be so, there being imperfections found in them all. It is matter of history that the extreme to which Robert Brown's church carried its personal watch over its members was the rock on which they ultimately split, and by the "same means elements of discord were introduced into Francis Johnson's church by reason of his having married a somewhat gay widow whose dress offended the puritan taste of some of the members. We likewise have the recorded fact that the denomination has suffered incalculable harm from too great emphasis having been given to the idea of church independence on the one hand and too great stress placed on the power of associated sister churches on the other hand. It is true that the spirit of Diotrophes, desir- ing the pre-eminence, is sometimes sadly felt in our churches, but no one questions the fact that Diotrophes was a member of the New Testament church and was resisted by St. John. (III. John vs. 9.) There have been those who have flippantly spoken of Congre- gationalism as a "rope of sand." There is truth in this. It is a rope of sand, every grain of which should be magnetised by divine grace and thus by its own inherent property adhere to every other — it is a rope of sand, which when fused by the love of God, is made stronger and more enduring than bands of steel. Without that love and grace, is it not infinitely better that any church system should be like the simple innocuous grains of common sand. HISTORKJAL CONGREGATIONALISM. 27 We calmly face our difficulties and meet cavils by asking if other systems of church government are as free from weaknesses as are ours ? and who can or shall exercise the franchise in Christ's church unless it be the men and women whom Christ has enlight- ened, regenerated and sanctified by the Holy Ghost ! A tree is known by its fruits, and after the vicissitudes of three centuries we point to those of Congregationalism without shame or confusion of face. May we of the present generation prove true children of our noble sires, that our children's children may reap the benefits of their ancestry as we do of ours. Shall we not in the records of three centuries read this as a revelation from God concerning CongregationaUsm, •• nourish it for there is a blessing in it !" TORONTO :J HIIJ. AM) WEIK, I'KINTEKS, I5, I7 AND I9 JKMl'ERANCK STREtf *} i J